Everyone finished their lunch in a rush on September 9, because they needed time to put on sunscreen and change into their sandals – the annual Sand Sculpture day of Yew Wah had arrived again!

As everyone lined up in their classes at the school gate before going, just like every other year, the crowd was expectant and everyone, especially the new teachers and students and the younger students, were extremely thrilled and excited. Flags decorated by each class were flying in the sky like battle banners – and it is a battle indeed! Every year, the referees (could be teachers or students) decide which classes have made the best sculptures, and these classes are awarded with prizes like pizza.

The beach already looked like it was completely occupied by the students and teachers from Yew Wah when my class arrived. Just like every other class, we found a satisfactory place where the sand was just damp enough and we were far enough from other classes. Then we stuck our flag pole into the sand and off we went!

People started to pile up sand into the shapes they planned to make. There were gigantic sand castles, a segment of a mini Great Wall, an adorable dragon, Patrick Star and many other amazing sculptures. Some classes used sea shells, plants and trash found around the beach to decorate their sculptures. My class made a mermaid in reverse, which means it has a fish head and female legs (This creation is from Rene Magritte’s painting). We had a lot of fun sculpting it and many other students stopped by and were shocked by what we made!

I went to take a look at other classes and although the weather was quite hot and the sun was roasting, people were still working very hard as a team, with smiles on their faces, trying to accomplish the same thing. It might be weird, but for me, it was comforting to see this. Nothing makes a class work like a team better than activities like this.

It was written on everyone’s face: it is not the winning that matters; it is being here with your teachers and classmates and making this sculpture with them.

Ameily Zhang AS Level