On November 1st, 2018, SPA grandly holds the 9th P.E. Festival & the 18th Track Meet Opening Ceremony in the golden autumn sunlight and sweet breeze filled with osmanthus fragrance.
Flying flags added color and vigor to the campus, while the drums and gongs made the campus lively and lovely. The grandstand of the playground was filled with excited spectators. At 3 p.m., the neat, uniform and resounding parade exercise of the 2018 freshmen unveiled the opening ceremony of the sports meet. The national flag was raised solemnly with the national anthem. Principal Gao Ju enthusiastically declared the opening of SPA's 9th P.E. Festival & the 18th Track Meet. Lin Guoxin, Party secretary of SPA, delivered an exciting speech, in which he put forward expectations for the various activities of the P.E. Festival. Athlete representative also made a speech. He promised to abide by rules and disciplines, to respect referees and rivals, and to carry forward sportsmanship in the matches. Referee representative made a solemn pledge to strictly abide by the rules of competition and disciplines of referee.
In the broadcast gymnastics titled "Dancing Youth", 2018 freshmen danced vividly and robustly, dressed in the black-and-red school uniforms. As the saying goes, "A minute on the stage, ten years off the stage." Through two months' hard training after the beginning of the term, the freshmen have learned to perform the broadcast gymnastics neatly and uniformly, which fully reflects SPA students' spiritual outlook including striving for progress, being positive, full of vigor and vitality and spirit of team cooperation.
Next came the splendid group performance. The performers in the jubilant drums and gongs array were dressed in traditional China Red. The drumbeat they played sounded like pearls falling onto the plates, raindrops beating the window, and war drumbeat encouraging soldiers. Suddenly, the playground seemed like a battlefield, the drumbeat of which sounded the horn of learning knowledge for SPA students. In the group dance named "Building SPA Dream Together", the chapter of SPA's efforts in the past forty years since its founding was displayed. The youth elastic belt exercise played by the students in white leotards made the spectators feel both strength and beauty. The performance vividly illustrated the seagull spirit of freedom, purity, fortitude, bravery and persistence that SPA has been advocating all the time.
The performance of the dragon lion team highlighted the joyous atmosphere. The team has won the first prize in the traditional movements match of Shanghai Student Dragon Cultural Competition for 5 consecutive years. They presented a special gift for SPA's 40th founding anniversary with their excellent performance. They cooperated with each other closely and nimbly and presented a series of marvelous movements such as "dragon swimming in the sea", "auspicious dragon offering good luck", "auspicious dragon playing with pearls" and "dragon flying in the sky". The graceful, dignified and charming lions are integrated with robust dancers. The various movements that they performed depicted the powerful form of lions. The cheerful performance eulogizes the prosperous times and brings luck and happiness to the people present.
The opening ceremony concluded in the exciting atmosphere, while the P.E. Festival has just begun. SPA students will unleash their enthusiasm and vitality and forge their qualities and persistence in the sports arena. Let's together hope that SPA will cultivate more talents at the 40th founding anniversary.
