Hands-on approach to talent development and community responsibility at VAS

Enhancing children’s intelligence

Unlocking a student’s potential is always the top priority of educators worldwide. Among the research projects on this issue, most popular now is the theory put forward by Dr Howard Gardner of Harvard University in the US. Gardner suggests that all people have different strengths and weaknesses of the eight “intelligences”: intrapersonal, interpersonal, linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, and naturalistic.

At VAS, assisting children in fully developing in all aspects is the ultimate goal. VAS educators are also fully aware that among their 9,500 students from kindergarten to secondary school, there will be future musicians who are not good at math, future business people who do not pay much attention to history, and future athletes who consider physical health more important than physics, to name but a few. To foster a dynamic environment where the eight intelligences can be exposed and grow, VAS offers multiple playgrounds where children may get in touch with multiple aspects, from academic subjects to personal talent.

In the kindergarten years, VAS students have regular opportunities to attend talent contests, such as “VAS’s Got Talent”, “VAS Olympics”, painting contests, and story-telling contests. Primary and secondary students may venture into new fields, such as English speaking contests, robot programming, or film-making based on literary works. Being able to stay in touch with and practice these matters will help students enhance their strengths and build self-confidence in academic subjects or social activities. All these attempts provide a springboard for young talents in academic and talent competitions at all levels, from national to international.

Meaningful changes to society

During the 2019-2020 academic year, VAS focuses on the “Green School Year” project including dozens of diverse activities aimed to spread the green living spirit while reducing waste and conserving energy. Among these activities are VAS Talks 2019, a series of talks by 10 environmental activists; VAS Green Day Run which also plants 2,600 trees in Can Gio Mangrove Forest; VAS Painting Contest; and the 3Rs Project, an attempt to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste. In December 2019, VAS became the only educational institution in Vietnam to be conferred a noble Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award by the Saigon Times Group.

Springboard for young talents

Delivering a speech at the end-of-school-year ceremony, Nguyen Thuy Quynh, a student from Class 12B5 at VAS Ba Thang Hai campus, said, “In this ever-changing world, I have realised my dynamism and energy comes not from theoretical knowledge but from the adaptability to new environments. In my opinion, this adaptability plays a crucial role in surmounting challenges, not only in the school but also in other environments, especially when we are facing the formidable challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. I find myself lucky to acquire this skill as soon as I began studying at VAS, where I meet many devoted teachers and dear friends. Now that I am stepping out of this protective environment, I will be bold enough to think, act, and be responsible for what I do.”

Aside from achieving excellent academic results, Thuy Quynh has become an active member of the VAS Students’ Council. She was also a member of the National Top-50 Delegates at the Conference for Vietnamese Youth’s Initiatives, and became a Vietnamese representative at the conference for future leaders in Bangkok, Thailand, where she bagged the second award of the world youth conference. Thuy Quynh is one of the hundreds of VAS students who will attend university this year.

Inspired by students like Thuy Quynh, VAS is proud to be an incubator of generations of young and talented students throughout the past 16 years.