On September 28th, GSN’s Head of School, Mr. Cavon Ahangarzadeh, was awarded the Ningbo Camellia Award by the Ningbo Municipal Government. Camellia is the flower representing the city of Ningbo. This award represents the highest honor for foreign talent in Ningbo, recognizing significant contributions to the social and economic development of the city in business, science, technology and education, since 1996.
I am honored to be a recipient of the 2021 Ningbo Camellia Award! This award, presented by the Mayor of Ningbo, on behalf of the Ningbo Municipal Government, is particularly meaningful to me since it is a service-oriented award, recognizing the contributions of foreigners to the development of the city of Ningbo in the areas of science, technology, business, and education. A total of eight Camellia Friendship Awards were presented to a diverse array of recipients included citizens of: Greece, Italy, Korea, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and United States. One of the defining characteristics of Georgia School Ningbo is our commitment to community service. Students at Georgia School learn to identify opportunities for service and to apply their learning toward the betterment of their community and their host country of China. Just as the Camellia Award recognizes the importance of cooperation and diversity in the development of Ningbo, Georgia School integrates the concept of ‘unity in diversity’ within its school mission. As someone with an abiding love for China and for the city of Ningbo, it is an honor and a privilege to be among the Camellia Friendship Award recipients within the field closest to my heart, education.
Mr. Cavon Ahangarzadeh
Mr. Cavon and his family moved to China from the United States in 2009. Five years later he became the founding head of Georgia School Ningbo. During his years in the Jiangbei District of Ningbo, Mr. Cavon enabled the smooth transition of the Zhicheng International Department to Georgia School Ningbo, now classified as the first school for the children of foreign personnel in Ningbo. Mr. Cavon led his team and the Georgia School community to obtain the highest level of WASC accreditation (a renewable six-year grant of accreditation) and aided Georgia School in obtaining authorization by College Board to deliver Advanced Placement courses, AP examinations, PSAT and SAT examinations on-site for students enrolled at GSN. Year after year, GSN graduates have continued their studies at top universities around the world, including: Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Duke University, New York University, Pratt Institute, Rutgers University, Purdue University, American University, University of the Arts London, University College London, University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of Toronto, and many more.
Each year, Georgia School students give of their time and energy to reputable community service organization in Zhejiang Province. Students and the school also donate significant funds to multiple causes, through the China Charity Federation. During the COVID-19 epidemic, 200,000 masks were donated to hospitals in countries in need, including 80,000 masks to clinics and hospitals located in Ningbo. This year, GSN is a proud sponsor of the One World One Dream charity organization, providing support for women in Ningbo battling cancer. Georgia school integrates character development into its curriculum and expects students to be strong in academics and strong in character, qualities that will certainly benefit Ningbo and the world.
