Academic Excellence｜Directly advanced to the national finals! CIS students shine at the Astan Business Competition

Last weekend, the Grade 8 and 9 student team from CIS International School achieved remarkable success at the 2024-25 ASDAN Business Simulation, winning five major awards: Best Operational Award, Business Duel Champion Award, Bronze Award, and two Best Trading Team Awards.

Additionally, two teams advanced to the 2025 WYEF National Semi-Finals and Finals respectively!

What makes this particularly noteworthy: This marks the first time CIS 8th and 9th graders have competed as formal teams in a national competition of this caliber. One team's advancement to the National Finals represents both exceptional achievement and historic significance.

However, for CIS, competition achievements are merely the starting point—they truly reflect how the school cultivates students' future-ready comprehensive competencies through "competition-based education" and "transdisciplinary learning."

This business simulation centered on the theme of "Sustainable Urban Micromobility," with students engaging in the full business cycle of Urban E-Bikes: auction trading, product development, market analysis, pitch presentations, team operations, and final defense demonstrations.

This intensive practice integrated mathematical modeling, business logic, data analysis, verbal communication, creative thinking, and aesthetic design—precisely embodying CIS's educational philosophy of "learning through real-world tasks."

At CIS, competitions are not add-on programs but an extension of curriculum and skill development. Through repeatedly "solving real-world problems," students learn how to integrate and apply knowledge while honing critical skills for seamless transition to university and future careers.

The student team was mentored throughout the competition by Ms. Jessie, Secondary School Business Teacher at CIS. She provided expert guidance across multiple critical phases—including case analysis, strategy formulation, solution optimization, and presentation rehearsals—significantly elevating the overall quality of students' solutions.

Classroom moment with Ms. Jessie

Not all participating students plan to pursue business-related fields in the future. Their interests span diverse areas including marketing, music production, and more.

This "transdisciplinary competition approach" reflects CIS's emphasis on cultivating versatile talents: Through authentic projects, students must develop market understanding, collaborative design skills, precise communication, and calm decision-making—competencies that transcend traditional academic boundaries and embody true cross-domain integration and application.

This precisely aligns with the competency framework valued by top global universities: whether students can extend knowledge across disciplines, possess "transdisciplinary" experience, and demonstrate their growth trajectory through projects.

Through this business competition, students have substantively mastered multiple key competencies:

These competencies far transcend traditional classroom exam metrics, representing essential literacies for 21st-century learners.

At CIS, we emphasize that university preparation is not a one-time outcome, but an ongoing process of continuous growth.

Taking the ASDAN Business Simulation as an example, students complete an entire "learning-application-reflection" growth cycle—from case analysis and project preparation to on-site execution and final presentations. Such experiences form critical foundational materials for applications through the UK UCAS, US Common App, and other major admission systems.

The CIS University Guidance Office (UGO), under the leadership of experienced Director Ms. Zoi, creates customized university pathways aligned with each student's interests and aspirations. By strategically incorporating competitions and project experiences, UGO assists students in developing distinctive international profiles for their higher education applications.

Top universities increasingly prioritize applicants who demonstrate exploratory courage, transdisciplinary integration capabilities, and hands-on project experience during their evaluation process.

Two CIS Elementary students also achieved outstanding results in the 2025 AMC 8 math competition: Sixth-grader Dylan won the Second Prize, while Sunny received the Third Prize! Their solid foundations and exceptional problem-solving skills vividly demonstrate how CIS's transdisciplinary learning philosophy takes root even at the elementary level.

Grade 6 student Dylan not only placed in the AMC competition, but also earned a Silver Award in Level 3 of the Asdan National Science Literacy Assessment (NSL), successfully advancing to the Science All-Star Carnival!

At CIS, we believe that the development of core competencies should begin early, and that curiosity and challenge should never be limited by age or subject. No matter the grade level or field of interest, CIS is committed to providing diverse platforms and professional support—helping students unlock their potential and envision their future with every new step they take.

At CIS, we believe education's purpose extends beyond academic achievement—it's about empowering students to hone real-world skills, discover passions, and build authentic confidence.

For parents: These competitions become windows to witness their children's growth and transformation.

For students: Every challenge represents a breakthrough from "potential" to "actualization".

We will continue building an interconnected platform of "competitions + curriculum + university preparation" for every student. We warmly welcome more aspiring young explorers to join the CIS community and embark together toward broader horizons.

Once again, congratulations to all CIS students who shone brightly in the ASDAN Business Simulation and AMC Math Competition!

We look forward to witnessing more breakthroughs and brilliance from students thriving in CIS's nurturing environment.