The Grand Opening Ceremony of SCC English Club for the Spring Semester 2022-2023

On the day of March 15, 2023, and on a gentle spring afternoon, the opening ceremony of the SCC English Club for the spring semester was held at SoLA. The ceremony was very well received and the participants enjoyed it. The teachers and students of Suzhou Centennial College gathered together to witness the new chapters of SCC English Clubs, where students would broaden their linguistic horizons as well as develop their identity of global citizen. Dr. Peng Zhenyun, President of Suzhou Centennial College, Ms. Zhang Li, Vice President, Ms. Wang Yufeng, Director of the Quality Control Center, Ms. Zhang Keran, Dean of the SoLA, Mr. Li Yongtai, Vice President and Secretary of the SoLA together with all teachers and students from the English Club attended the opening ceremony. The whole event was presented by teacher Zhu Jingwen, who is in charge of the Foreign Language and Culture Center.

SCC leaders witnessed the Opening Ceremony of SCC English Clubs

At the beginning of the ceremony, Ms. Zhu extended a sincere and warm welcome to all the distinguished guests present, and to all the brand-new members this year. The present students were invited to express their purpose of participating in the English Club and their expectations for the coming activities through an online interactive platform. Afterwards, teacher Zhu Jingwen introduced the different positions of three English Clubs, namely English Head-Start Club, Teacher-Student English Club and the English Operation Committee for this Spring Semester. She expressed hope that everyone present would feel the charm of English in this cheerful atmosphere.

Ms. Zhu Jingwen, Director of Foreign Language and Culture Center, announced the agenda for Open Ceremony of SCC English Clubs

Then Dr. Peng Zhenyun, President of SCC, delivered an inspirational speech for all students. President Peng emphasized the importance of bilingual atmosphere and the international philosophy of teaching, which illustrated to the students the significance of being both bilingual and adaptable in international situations under the current social situation. President Peng then expressed his firm belief that the SCC English Club would carry the hopes of all the students and facilitate their entry onto the world stage. He stressed his hope that students would actively participate in experiencing different cultures in the club and improve their English skills in the process. President Peng's kind and humble speech undoubtedly gave great encouragement to all the students present.

Dr. Peng, President of SCC, gave inspirational remarks to all club members

Later, in the training content introduction session, in order to further enhance the mutual understanding between teachers and students, the main teachers of the three clubs met with the students one by one. Their inspiring self-introduction made the students feel at ease by creating a conductive environment for studying English, which effectively elicited the students' curiosity about the content of the club and deepened their desire to explore the English language. The students couldn't wait to enter the club to engage in ideological discourse with their teachers.

Self-Introduction from Ms. Sun Ke, Coordinator of SCC T&S English Club

Self-introduction from Ms. Chen Zian, Coordinator of SCC Head-Start Club

Self-Introduction from Ms. Wang Rongrong, Assistant Coordinator of SCC T&S English Club

Finally, the lucky draw at the end served as a capstone to the ceremony. Amid the cheering, President Peng and Vice President Zhang Li respectively selected three Lucky Awards. With warm applause, award-winners were invited up on stage to be photographed together with the distinguished guests.

Dr. Peng, President of SCC, drew the raffle for all participants

So far, the opening ceremony of the joint venture of the three clubs was a huge success. But this is just the beginning of the projects to come. Under the guidance of the corresponding club leaders, students from each club entered the class for the first session this semester. These three clubs prepared different welcome gifts for the students.

Ms. Chen Zian, Coordinator of SCC Head-Start Club, introduced course contents to all

Ms. Zhu Jingwen, Director of Foreign Language and Culture Center, introduced course contents to all

Club members actively participated in activities

It is worth mentioning that this semester's Teacher-Student English Club also welcomed Mr. Zhang Linyao from the Quality Control Center and Mr. Cao Junhan from the School of Art and Design. Their light-hearted self-introductions further strengthened the bond between teachers and students. A great many students shared with their teachers the challenges and joys of English learning and chatted about life.

SCC T&S English Club Members enjoyed time with Mr. Zhang Linyao and Mr. Cao Junhan

Thanks to the full support from college leaders and joint effort of various departments for this event, the opening ceremony of the three major English clubs was a blast. We hope all students will enjoy the process of mastering English and do well in all of their studies!

Group photo taken to mark the occasion

Pictures/Texts: The School of Liberal Arts

Writing of Manuscripts: Zhu Jingwen

Proofreading of Manuscripts: Olga Zavertkina

Examining and Verifying: Zhang Keran, Li Yongtai