Founding of Accord 成立初衷

Interview by School Director, Mr. McLellan, to Founder and Content Editor-in-Chief, Chih-Chen (Steven) Yeh:

Why did you set up the journal?

可以谈谈创办校刊的初衷吗?

Despite NIS’s cultural distinctiveness, I have found that a lot of students and parents are oblivious about our unique school history, philosophy, and accomplishments. Therefore, I had a vision of wanting to inform and remind our identity and spirit to members within and outside of NIS, to not only build a stronger sense of community but also to connect NIS with the world and inspire more people. However, this would have never been possible without the professionally talented editors, visual artists, and writers in our editorial team, as well as the supervisor, Mrs. Lenk, for sacrificing their time within their busy schedule to be part of Accord’s and NIS’s vision.

就读于南京国际学校的这些年, 我深切地感受到这所学校独特的校园文化,这使得我有一种强烈的愿望,希望借由Accord校刊的平台,让校园内外的成员们皆通晓学校的办学历史、教育理念和系列成就,从而将我们的团体意识拓展至校园之外的广阔世界,为人们注入精神生长的力量。正是得益于我们才华横溢的专业编辑团队及辅导老师Mrs. Lenk在百忙之中的倾心付出,Accord校刊和学校的理念才得以被呈现与展示。是他们将不可能变为可能。

What is the meaning of the name? 

Accord含着怎样的意
Accord has two connotations in both noun and verb. “Agreement and harmony” are the essence of our publication. Equally, after people read the magazine, we hope they feel more “harmonious and consistent with” our school mission of “inspiring international mindedness, personal excellence, creative thinking.” Plus, we strive to connect readers with the world through the exposure of literature and art aimed to motivate and widen people’s world view.

Accord兼有名词和动词两重身份。“想法一致、和谐” 是刊物的核心。我们希望人们在读完我们的刊物后, 能与NIS的使命 “激励国际视野、个人卓越、创新思维” 形成更深层的羁绊与信念纽带。我们也在尽力用语言和艺术来搭建读者们与世界的贯通知识桥梁,去达到激励和扩展全球视野的效果。

 

How will you know if it is a success?
你会怎样志的成功否?

We finished the 34-page first-issue digital magazine in less than a month, so it was very surreal to reminisce about the extraordinary effort and efficiency of the hardworking Accord editorial team. After publishing, we received positive receptions from students, teachers, and the school leadership team, which are very encouraging and heart-warming. Concurrently, we are very open to critiques as we would want to revise errors, as well as to identify and resolve the weaknesses. Thus, we could implement the necessary improvements in future issues.

我们在一个月以内完成了三十四页的电子校刊,现在回想起来,内心深刻地体会到Accord 编辑团队非凡的努力和效率。首刊发布后,我们也收到了同学们、老师们和校领导们暖彻心扉的鼓励和赞扬. 当然, 为了未来校刊的品质能够持续提升,我们也非常期待读者们的反馈。

Accord’s vision is to cultivate a sense of community at NIS by connecting students and teachers more closely to the school, achieved by sharing and reminding everyone about the NIS spirit, identity, and mission through our publication. Therefore, we strive to encompass a variety of motivating, inspiring, and relevant content that not only encapsulates the artistic expression, talents, and professionalism within our community but also, we wish to make NIS members feel proud about our school.

Different from traditional literary magazines, Accord is a quarterly-issued digital publication. It has three interviews with NIS alumni, faculty, and guests (including charity affiliates), available in three languages: English, Mandarin, and Korean. For instance, if you would like to learn more from teachers about IB subjects, extracurricular activities, the Global Citizen Diploma (GCD), and the founding story of charities at NIS; or, from our successful NIS alumni network, about study tips, college application, college life, and career advice, they are available exclusively in Accord.

Of course, it was the extraordinary enthusiasm, effort, and dedication outside of class from every one of the hardworking students in our editorial team, who made the publication possible. We are also very grateful for the support from the school’s leadership team and teachers as well as contributors.

August 10, 2020 (Academic Year: 2020-2021)

 

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