If you have visited Concordia International School Shanghai lately, then you would have seen some new and interesting features throughout the campus. The school has recently invested in exciting campus improvements, adding new learning spaces that reinforce the school's mission to provide each student with a holistic educational experience.

In the Phoenix Center — the central hub of Concordia's 10-acre campus — you will see students engaged in applied learning activities in one of four distinct, purpose-built classrooms designed to expand opportunities in the school's fine arts, world language and STEM-related courses. The new maker spaces, complete with 3-D printers, pottery wheels, engineering and art supplies, provide a place for creative innovation and collaboration for students working on various visual design projects and engineering experiments. The state-of-the-art culinary lab not only allows students to explore edible culture in their world language classes but also enriches some of the school's co-curricular and community-focused programs.

Concordia has also revamped its outdoor learning spaces with the installation of a FIFA-certified sports field and running track. The new turf field is environmentally compatible and can be used year round and in the evenings, allowing Concordia to extend its athletic and physical education programs and also benefit community-based sports programs around the city. In keeping with the school's green initiative, Concordia has preserved the natural tranquillity of the campus by expanding the tree-lined lawn in its Founder's Garden. This new outdoor recreation area provides an open, natural grass lawn for students and families to enjoy during school and on weekends.

These recent facility upgrades better serve the needs of our students and our community, and they reflect a renewed attitude about who we are as a school and where we are going.

(Michel Ouimet is director of operations at Concordia International School Shanghai.)