启明星人｜招生总监赵军惠：和启明星在温暖的岁月里一道成长

启明星人 18/20

加入一个社区的理由可以有很多，但最能让我们对它产生归属感和认同感的，往往是它包容、暖心的小环境。

启明星就是这样的社区，20年来，大家受到启明星的感召加入它，又共同塑造它。

正值启明星创校20周年之际，我们决定走近20个“启明星人”，展示他们的故事，进而呈现20年的启明星社区丰富且真实的一个个侧面：

本期《启明星人》，我们走近的是启明星学校的招生总监赵军惠：

赵军惠（Heather）

跳伞是非常小众的运动，决心把跳伞作为职业运动的人更是少之又少！

所以，当我们听到赵军惠老师十几岁就用3年时间练习跳伞、其中一年更是果断休学全力训练的时候，那种“哇，好酷！”的感觉简直不要太强烈！

赵老师是启明星的招生总监，总是温和地笑着，语调也是平缓的，让人真的很难想象她一次次从1500米高空一跃而下的样子。

“我从6岁开始练习跳水，12岁开始练习跳伞。和跳水带来的体能挑战不同，跳伞需要克服心理压力。渐渐的，我变得非常抗压，这也成为我日后学习和工作中最宝贵的能力之一。如果有人问我做过的最不后悔的事情是什么，我一定会说是练习跳伞，包括以休学为代价进行练习！我也建议所有家长，一定要让孩子保持长期运动的习惯，哪怕专注一项也将受益终身！”赵老师说。

选择

抱着和尝试跳伞一样直面挑战和求新的勇气，赵军惠也大胆为5岁的女儿苏苏选择了当年非常新颖的蒙台梭利（蒙氏）教育体系，并由此结缘启明星。

10年前，启明星只有幼儿园和小学，采用的是中英双语蒙氏教学，只第一面，她就被这里“家”的氛围打动了。

“我第一次走进蒙氏幼儿园教室的时候，一个3、4岁的孩子小心翼翼地端着一杯水送到我面前，好像小主人一样欢迎我的到来。其他的孩子有的在照顾小动物，有的在擦玻璃，有的在合作学习......他们脸上的喜悦、专注、平和的神情深深地吸引了我。一般来说，家里有2个孩子都要‘鸡飞狗跳’，可这里一个班级就有20多个孩子，还是3岁到5岁的混龄班。当时我就想，老师们是怎么把班级管理的这么井然有序的？”赵军惠回忆说。

“那是我第一次接触蒙氏教育，第一次听说对幼儿园的孩子就开始就进行‘美德在我心’的品德教育。这种以孩子为中心的‘另类’教育非常触动我。当时启明星还没有中学部，我们也不知道要把孩子送去哪里上中学，但我知道，当年在启明星看到的是我们想要孩子接受的教育。”

蓝天白云

刚刚加入启明星的时候，苏苏的英文水平还仅仅是简单地蹦单词；到3年级暑假，她已经能阅读英文原版的《哈利波特》了。后来，在小托福考试中，苏苏拿到900分的满分，高中考入了英国顶尖寄宿高中Cheltenham Ladies College。

女儿有这样的成绩，赵军惠当然很欣慰，这是她为女儿选择教育道路的结果。然而在她看来，这还不是女儿教育最成功的部分：“让我真正安心和欣慰的是孩子出国留学后展现出来的最核心的素质——特别是3年疫情期间，她身上难得的、独自应对复杂环境和学习要求的能力——稳定的情绪、解决问题的能力、学习的能力、社交的能力，这些素质是她终身受益的，不会因为科技的发展而被取代。”今年，苏苏准备申请大学了，她的理想是剑桥大学的自然科学专业。

回忆在启明星得到的滋养，苏苏说：“启明星就像是一个家，如果把它描述成一幅画，就是‘蓝天白云’。” 

“蓝天白云”的“家”赋予苏苏“蓝天白云” 般的自在状态，支持她为留学海外做足了准备——自驱力，能够自我认同和省思，凡事力求做到最好，还有良好的学习能力和习惯。

苏苏（下图右一）和伙伴们在启明星的快乐时光

女儿的成长，让赵军惠更加笃定学校教育的成功，因为学术成就背后是更深层次的各种支撑，也让她日后作为启明星招生总监在宣讲和介绍学校的时候信心满满。

丰盈社区

2011年赵军惠开始在启明星招生部工作，起初，对她来说这并不容易。

“我面对的最大挑战是给家长讲明白‘启明星是谁’，而且要根据不同家庭的关注点、有的放矢地介绍。从幼儿园到高中，从课程到文化，从餐饮安排到课后课…….我要带领团队及时了解学校方方面面的变化和信息，准确传递给家长，进而基于我们对‘启明星’是谁的清晰理解，为学校甄选最适合的学生，丰盈社区。”赵老师说。

在宣讲中

“一个合格的招生老师不仅要具备丰富的知识和沟通技巧，更重要的是认同学校的价值观和发展方向。我一直认为自己不适合做推介类的工作，因为我从小就是在大家面前一说话就脸红，但我现在是把自己认可的教育分享出来，相信家长能感受到我的真诚和自信。这种真诚和自信是我在启明星12年一路走来培养起来的。”她说。

十几年的校园工作让赵军惠感触颇深——学校在发展，但不变的是它最核心的部分——追求“卓越、团结、关爱、服务、尊重”的核心价值观与文化。“文化是很难说得清的，但它就是存在——在校园里无论遇到同事和你打招呼，当孩子和家长亲切喊我‘赵老师’、‘Ms. Heather’的时候，我都能感觉到。”

成就感

回顾在启明星的经历，赵军惠特别有成就感。

首先是学生人数的增长。她2011年加入启明星，当时全校的学生数量是110个，现在启明星已经成长为拥有3个校区1000名学生、幼儿园采用蒙氏教育，K-12采用 IB体系的学校。而她加入启明星第一年招收的一年级学生也刚好今年从启明星高中毕业。

为启明星招募适合的学生是另一个让她自豪的地方。“我自己最有成就感的就是发现优秀的学生，帮助他们实现梦想。”就在刚刚过去的这个暑假，有一天，赵老师在校园里，远远就听到有人不断喊：“ Ms. Heather！” 那是刚刚从启明星毕业的陈华霖，是她招到的一位非常独特的学生。陈华霖拿到了启明星的全额奖学金，和哥哥在北京生活，是一个独立、有想法、内心宽容，懂得感恩的孩子。在启明星的日子里，他充分抓住机会完善和提升自己，最终考入加拿大麦吉尔大学。

和学生们在一起

每每为启明星招收到理想的学生，赵老师就特别满足；在校园里听到学生或家长亲切地叫她“赵老师”，她更由衷地欣慰：“那种幸福感无法用言语形容！”

什么样的学生适合启明星？

看一下启明星的教育愿景，你就会知道启明星在寻找什么样的学生——这也是赵军惠带领团队一直以来的努力方向：

我们的学生具有高尚的品格，有好奇心、进取心，有勇气用行动做出改变，并激励他人让我们的世界变的更美好。简单来讲就是：具备卓越的学术能力和社会影响力。

他们具备优秀的学术能力，拥有各自年龄段该有的样子，有自己的想法，有自己的热爱和坚持。

总结自己服务了12年的启明星是一所什么样的学校，赵老师说：“我可以用很多词来形容，它追求卓越、温暖、不浮夸、让人有归属感。但是，我想用一个择校家长的话形容：启明星一个可以看到孩子们笑的学校。这让我对自己的工作充满信心，也特别满足！”

Daystarer 18/20

There are many reasons to join a community, but we experience the greatest sense of belonging from those with a warm, inclusive atmosphere.

Daystar is such a community. For over two decades, people have been inspired to join Daystar, and together we have shaped it. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Daystar. In recognition of this moment, we decided to interview 20 Daystar community members so that they could tell their stories and present a detailed image of the Daystar community:

Today’s post is about Heather Zhao, Daystar's Director of Admissions.

Heather Zhao

Parachuting is a niche sport, and there are only a few people who decide to do it at a professional level.

So, when we heard that Ms. Zhao spent three years parachuting as a teenager, and even took a one-year break from school to receive full-time training, we couldn’t help exclaiming, “Wow, that’s amazing!”

Ms. Zhao is our Director of Admissions. She always has a warm smile on her face and speaks with a gentle tone. It’s really hard to imagine her jumping from a height of 1,500 meters over and over again.

“I started diving at the age of 6 and parachuting at 12. Unlike the physical challenges I experienced with diving, parachuting required overcoming psychological hurdles. I gradually became very resistant to stress, which became a valuable attribute for my future studies and work. If you asked me what thing I regret doing the least, I would definitely say it was taking up parachuting, and that includes practicing at the expense of suspending my schooling! I also suggest that all parents ensure their children maintain a habit of long-term exercise. Even just focusing on one sport will benefit their children for a lifetime!”said Ms. Zhao. 

Choices

With the same courage to face challenges and seek innovation as when parachuting, Ms. Zhao boldly chose a niche education for her daughter Susu. This was the beginning of her relationship with Daystar.

A decade ago, Daystar only had kindergartens and elementary schools, which followed Montessori methods for its bilingual Chinese-English instruction. This type of education system was not common at that time. However, during her first visit to Daystar, Ms. Zhao was impressed by the “family” atmosphere.

“When I first walked into the Montessori kindergarten classroom, a student who was 3 or 4  years old carefully brought me a glass of water, welcoming me as if he were the host. Other students were caring for small animals, some were cleaning the windows, and some were studying together. I was deeply attracted by the joy, focus, and peace on their faces. Generally speaking, if a family has two children, even that can be overwhelming. However, there were over 20 students in the class, and they were of mixed ages from 3 to 5. How could the teachers achieve this harmony?” recalled Ms. Zhao.

“That was my first exposure to Montessori education and the first time I had heard about the ‘Virtue in my Heart’ moral education starting in kindergarten. This ‘alternative’ student-centered education deeply attracted me. At that time, Daystar had not yet established the secondary school. I had no clue which secondary school I should send my child to, but I knew that what I saw at Daystar was the education I wanted my child to receive.”

"Blue Sky and White Clouds"

When Susu first joined Daystar at 5 years old, she could only speak a few English words; by summer vacation of 3rd grade, she had finished reading the English version of Harry Potter. Susu also achieved a perfect score of 900 on the TOEFL Junior test and was admitted to Cheltenham Ladies’ College (CLC), the top boarding high school in the United Kingdom.

Of course, Ms. Zhao is very pleased with her daughter’s achievements, but for her, this is not the most successful part of her education. “What truly reassures and comforts me the most are the core qualities that my child has demonstrated after studying abroad—especially her ability to handle complex environments and learning requirements independently during the three years of the pandemic. She exhibits emotional stability, problem-solving and learning capabilities, and social skills. These qualities are lifelong attributes that will benefit my child and will not be replaced by technological developments.”This year, Susu is preparing to apply to university. Her dream school is the University of Cambridge, majoring in natural science.

Recalling the cultivation she received at Daystar, she said, “Daystar is like a home. If I describe it as a painting, it is ‘Blue Sky and White Clouds’.” 

This home of “Blue Sky and White Clouds” has endowed Susu with a “Blue Sky and White Clouds” campus life, which supported and prepared her to study abroad by helping her develop self-motivation, gain an understanding of herself, motivate herself to do her very best, and instill good learning abilities and habits. 

Susu's（right one in the photo above）happy childhood at Daystar

The growth and progress of her daughter have made Ms. Zhao even more confident in the school’s educational success. The excellent academic achievements are backed by deep-running support. This has also made her more confident as the Daystar Admissions Director when promoting and introducing the school.

Growth

As Susu entered Daystar Kindergarten, Ms. Zhao also started working in the Daystar Admissions Department in 2011, which was another challenge for her.

“For me, the biggest challenges are explaining who Daystar is to parents, responding to the concerns of different families, and providing targeted introductions. We have to cover all aspects, from kindergarten to high school, from curriculum to culture, from catering arrangements to after-school classes. I need to lead a team that can stay on top of changes and all school-related information, which is then accurately conveyed to parents. Another challenge is to select the most suitable students and families for Daystar based on our clear understanding of who Daystar is.”

Ms. Zhao was introducing  Daystar to potential families. 

“To be qualified for student admissions, a person needs more than to possess rich knowledge and communication skills. More importantly, they must be able to identify with the school’s values and development direction. I have always believed that I am not suitable for sales work, because I have always blushed when speaking in front of people from the time I was a child. However, when I share what I recognize with parents, they can feel my sincerity and confidence. This sincerity and confidence have been cultivated during my time with Daystar over the past 12 years.” said Ms. Zhao.

Daystar is constantly developing, but what remains unchanged are its “core values and culture of pursuing excellence, unity, care, service, and respect”. “Culture is difficult to articulate, but it exists. When colleagues on campus greet me, and students and parents affectionately call me ‘Teacher Zhao’ or ‘Ms. Heather’, I can feel it.”

Sense of Achievement

Years of working at Daystar have given Heather Zhao a great sense of fulfillment.

Firstly, the number of students has significantly increased. Ms. Zhao joined Daystar in 2011, with 110 students at the school. Now, Daystar has grown into a school with three campuses and 1,000 students, using Montessori education in the kindergartens and the IB system in K-12. The first-grade students recruited by Ms. Zhao during her first year at Daystar also happened to graduate from Daystar High School this year. 

Secondly, she gains a sense of achievement when she recruits suitable students for Daystar. “My greatest sense of achievement comes from discovering excellent students and helping them achieve their dreams.” Just this past summer vacation, while Ms. Zhao was on campus one day, she heard someone shouting to her from afar, “Ms. Heather!” Chen Hualin had just graduated from Daystar. He was one of the unique students she had recruited. He received a full scholarship from Daystar and lived in Beijing with his brother. He is an independent, thoughtful, tolerant, and grateful student. During his time at Daystar, he seized the opportunity to improve himself and was ultimately admitted to McGill University in Canada.

Heather Zhao and students

Each time Ms. Zhao recruits ideal students for Daystar, she feels particularly proud and satisfied. When she hears students or parents affectionately calling her “Teacher Zhao” on campus, she is even more touched, “That kind of happiness is beyond words!”

What Kind of Students are Suitable for Daystar?

Take a look at Daystar’s educational vision and you will know what kind of students Daystar is looking for—this is also the direction that Ms. Zhao has been working toward while leading her team:

Our students possess a noble character, curiosity, and enterprising spirit, with the courage to make changes through action and inspire others to make our world a better place. More simply, our students have outstanding academic achievements and social influence.

Our students have excellent academic abilities, possess the qualities that each age group should possess, and have their own ideas, passion, and persistence.

When summarizing what kind of school Daystar is after serving there for 12 years, Ms. Zhao said, “I can use many words to describe Daystar. Daystar pursues excellence and warmth, it is not pompous, and it gives people a sense of belonging. However, I want to describe it in the words of a parent who is choosing a school: Daystar is a school where you can see students smile. This makes me confident in my work and gives me great satisfaction!”

END

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