“Students of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, in addition to learning social knowledge and receive intensive and spearhead training, but also have the opportunity to develop soft skills for future life. To achieve this goal, most students join an extracurricular club at the school that matches their aptitude. For those who love art, they can join the Music and Fashion Club. STEM and Robot clubs have also become a promising destination for students who are passionate about scientific research...

These talent clubs are a very suitable environment for children to develop their professional abilities. In addition to culminating academic depth, children also have the opportunity to access practical experiences through a variety of fun activities. Being able to study in a vibrant environment and pursue what they really love, children often achieve very high efficiency in absorbing knowledge.

The team of teachers in charge of the clubs, who are also specialized teachers at the school, will always accompany them and guide the children's training process", teacher Tran Thuy Duong - Secretary of the Party Committee, Principal of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted shared when talking with a reporter of the Vietnam E-Journal of Education.

Teacher Tran Thuy Duong - Secretary of the Party Committee, Principal of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. Photo: Tung Duong.

Ms. Duong said: “The extracurricular clubs at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted also achieved many outstanding achievements. Last year, in the Environmental Innovation contest organized by the Hanoi Youth Union, the school's Physics club participated and won the first prize with an air quality meter. In 2021, the school's Robot Club won 3rd prize for design worldwide. These are respectable successes of the students, and at the same time a recognition of the achievements in scientific research of the students of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.

Concerning the Astronomy Club, student Nguyen Manh Quan also won the Gold Medal in the International Astronomy Competition, and also won the Gold Medal in the International Physics Competition. Nguyen Manh Quan's love for astronomy and passion for physics also come from the lessons at the club.

Many postgraduates shared: One of my most memorable memories is the time spent at the club. Without clubs for them to develop a love for the arts and sciences, Ams School would hardly be so attractive to teenagers. We will also continue this tradition, promoting what we already have to build a more professional development direction for the club system.

Extracurricular clubs are not only a place to pursue their interests but also an environment for career orientation and development for students in the future. In my opinion, this is also the highlight of Ams School: 6th graders who first enter Ams School also want to join clubs like seniors to develop their expertise.”

Team leaders and 8 students from Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted won prizes in the IOM 2020 exam. Photo: NTCC.

Ms. Pham Vu Bich Hang - in charge of the team and Mr. Nguyen Van Bac - Chairman of GART6520 - Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted in 2021. Photo: Tung Duong.

Parents always support and accompany students.

According to Ms. Duong: "Currently, we cannot use the budget to pay for activities at the school's clubs, but one thing that is very fortunate for us is that we have received a lot of support from the love of the parents, who always accompany the school and the children in each activity.

Many parents are working at research institutes, universities, etc., ready to provide professional advice to their children and to act as experts to support research projects, or to purchase orders from abroad, research materials and rare equipment for children to practice. Many of the research topics that the children participate in are for their passion for science, not just for exams. That is a good thing: only when learning comes from a real thirst for knowledge will children have a sense of lifelong learning.

When parents realize that extracurricular hours are really useful for their children, they are ready to accompany and support their passionate children and enthusiastic teachers. The combination of those factors has created the success of the school's clubs. This year, concerning the Science Research Club, Robot or Stem, we develop towards the direction of true scientific research.

The teaching hours of the teachers at the school, or of the experts we invite from other places to support the children are considered training sessions for good students. Not only can clubs satisfy students' interests,they are also a place to help them deepen their professional knowledge. The teachers involved in the management of the clubs themselves are also very excited about this development.

In recent years, the Astronomy and Physics Club has been a strong point of the school, but in terms of Information Technology, it has not really achieved as expected. However, a good sign is that last year, for the first time, Ams students participated in the World Office Informatics Competition and won 3rd prizes and 2 consolation prizes. Hopefully in the next few years, Ams students will be present in the international office computing exam in the US.”

Ms. Pham Vu Bich Hang (in the middle) - the teacher of the Robotics team and the students of Ams School participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) 2021 and won the FRC 2021 International Technical Design Award. Photo: Tung Duong.

Ms. Duong shared: “In addition to the social and scientific research clubs, we also strongly develop the Youth Union activities clubs. Volunteering activities for the sake of a green environment, organized by Thanh Doan, are popular and organized on a large scale. In addition, there are many students who are the "core" in many activities of the Youth Union, etc. Recently, the management board sent 3 students from the school's executive committee to attend a class for the Party.

Chu Hoa Bao Tram, with many excellent achievements, was expected to join the Party in the next school year. This is also the first time that Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted has a student Party member admitted at school. This event played an active role in spreading the Youth Union movement to all students, thereby laying the foundation for the process of building a "core" staff of the Youth Union.

Thus, for many years, the Ams School's Youth Union has operated very effectively. I find this very respectable because my children are holistically developed according to healthy interests and can become useful citizens for society.

In addition to accumulating knowledge, participating in clubs as well as Union activities will help children to become more active. Therefore, I always encourage my children to participate in orienteering activities organized by the school's Youth Union and the Youth Union when 100% of the school's students are Union members.

The characteristics of Ams students are dynamism and agility. Participating in Youth Union activities is an opportunity for children to promote these qualities, thereby forming for themselves important foundations and skills for later life. Thus, the children will be more mature and have a more stable pathway for the future.

In the coming years, we will develop more professional-oriented gifted clubs with high scientific expertise to help children develop their fullest potential. In addition, Youth Union clubs are also invested by the Board of Directors in order to train children soft skills to become useful citizens of the country..

According to Vietnam Education Newspaper

Translator: Do Thuan An - English 1 2023