June 2012
Graduation 2012 UWCSEA profile Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series Grade 5 Exhibition
Looking to the future with our graduates
Many articles in this edition have expanded content in eDunia—look for the symbol as you read the magazine and visit eDunia for more photos, video, music and expanded content. Other stories only featured in eDunia:
Welcome to the last Dunia of the 2011–2012 academic year. It has been another extraordinary year for the College, and we can collectively look back with pride and a sense of accomplishment on all that has been achieved. From the opening of our new campus in Tampines, to the graduation of our Class of 2012 on Dover, it has been another positive and fruitful year. Traditionally, our final Dunia honours our graduating class, and this edition is no different. There is an article and some photos and you can visit eDunia for a video and photos of the event, and for a story about some of our former graduates, written by one of our university counsellors who has visited them at their universities. The Class of 2012 is significant for us as a College, since for the first time we are graduating students who have been with us since their first days of school in K1. These students have had their entire primary and secondary education at UWCSEA, and we have helped to shape their understanding of what education can and should be. As educators, we are constantly refining both our understanding and our practice so that we are preparing our students for the realities of our global society and their responsibilities within it (read more about this recent work in our UWCSEA profile article on page 3). The founder of UWC, Kurt Hahn, dedicated his life to helping people discover that there is more courage, strength and compassion within them than they know. Above and beyond what all our students learn through all the elements of our learning
Top story Preah Sara Pech School Follow the progress of the Cambodian school being funded by the sale of laptop accessories at our two campuses.
Primary School Arts events online programme, we hope that they learn that they have both the ability and the responsibility to make a positive difference in the world. A former graduate of UWCSEA, Melissa Kwee (Class of 1990), described it thus: “It is not what one does that makes a difference but rather how one does it. The greatest changes are made up of millions of tiny steps, small fragments of effort and care that make the mountains move. I believe all of us whether in the private, public or notfor-profit sector, have the capacity to enable others, to show them care and respect, to offer an inspiring vision or to defend a defenseless person. These small actions are what define our UWCSEA ideals as universal ideals, and the pursuit of them not an elusive privilege but a right and a joyful responsibility.” We wish all our families a restful summer and look forward to the start of another exciting year at UWCSEA in August.
Infant and Junior School artwork, and the K1 Arts festival, are showcased online.
Middle School Arts online Cadenza Music concert and the MS Art Exhibition
Singapore in World War II Grade 7 visited the Ford Factory and Labrador Park as part of the unit Triumphs and Tragedies: Singapore in World War II.
High School NYAA Read one student’s journey to obtaining the NYAA Bronze Award.
Community Graduate stories Dr Mallika Ramdas, Head of University Counselling on Dover Campus follows up with some UWCSEA graduates who are living the mission.
KUMA School opens its doors The KUMA school welcomed its first students on 5 June following a two-year effort by the East Campus community.
Activities Counterpoint
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Dance show based this year on the idea that when the Arts coincide with Science, the reaction can evoke one’s emotions.
Strategic directions at UWC South East Asia By Julian Whiteley Head of College The end of the 2011–2012 academic year marks the end of my seventh year as the Head of College at UWCSEA. Those seven years have been years of both incremental change and rapid transformation, of strategic visioning and of day to day operations, of honouring the past and building the future, of careful reflection and bold action. In short, they have been exciting years, during which the College has been through extraordinary growth and has further extended its influence into the world of international education. In looking to the future of the College, our guiding question is ‘who do we want to be?’ For UWCSEA, the answer is that we want to be a leader in international education, offering a high quality, holistic education to students from the international community.
For those of us who are part of the College community, these are familiar words, but they are no less important for being familiar. The ideas are also inextricably linked: we become a leader in international education by providing the best possible experience to our current students. Our primary focus is on continually improving the education we are offering our students each day. Our focus for the next three years is laid out in our strategic plan, incorporating five strategic aims, summarized below. While the expansion of the College has inevitably resulted in a focus since 2009 on the physical learning environment, and this will continue as we complete the Dover Campus master plan, the most significant strategic focus for our students is the first one: the development of the five elements of the UWCSEA Learning Programme. It is worth saying a bit more of the first of the actions related to this area: the articulation of the curriculum K–12.
The ‘curriculum articulation’ project on the surface seems to resemble the kind of work that many international schools engage with periodically (i.e., the analysis and documentation of what is happening in the classrooms to ensure the following of best educational practice and continuity for students as they move through grade levels). However, at UWCSEA we are embedding the articulation process in our mission, our educational goal and the five elements of our learning programme. We are asking some fundamental questions. What kind of global citizens do we want our students to be? What do we want them to know and understand as independent learners? How should they behave? What skills do they need? How do the answers to these questions apply to the rest of our community? A further article in Dunia, describing the UWCSEA profile that was developed as part of the articulation process, helps to explain this further. There is no doubt that this process, as well as benefitting our current students, will help us to reach our goal of being a leader in international education, a leader that is both of service and of influence in the world of education. Exciting times indeed.
Strategic aims Develop the five elements of the UWCSEA Learning Programme
Actively address social and environmental issues
Enhance our high quality learning environment
Extend our reach and increase the diversity of our community
Ensure long term financial stability
Objectives
• Articulate the Learning Programme from K–12
• Implement the College Environmental Policy
• Implement the Dover Campus Master Plan
• Integrate technology into the Learning Programme
• Refine and expand the Service Programme
• Implement the Staff Professional Learning Programme • Establish the UWCSEA Centre for International Education • Develop the whole College Communications System
• Implement the new College Admissions System • Establish the East Campus as a quality international school with a UWC ethos • Expand the Scholarship Programme
• Create a reserve fund for each campus • Establish alternative sources of income through the UWCSEA Foundation • Utilise the College facilities on a commercial basis • Develop an endowment
• Develop the Outdoor Education Centre on Sibu Island • Health and safety
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Skills and qualities for the 21st Century By Nancy Fairburn and Lizzie Bray “The crux of success or failure is to know which core values to hold on to, and which to discard and replace when times change.” Jared Diamond Author and scientist Globalisation in the 21st Century has presented new challenges. The world economy has become more interconnected, social tension has increased as the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen, the population is growing at an alarming rate and an extraordinary strain is being placed on the environment. Alongside these changes, traditional structures and hierarchical systems within both workplaces and wider society have been flattened or seen enormous shifts. To meet these challenges, individuals are in great need of both independence and a global perspective so that they can effectively collaborate, communicate and think critically in order to provide innovative and creative solutions. These skills are interconnected with personal qualities such as resilience, self-awareness, being principled and a commitment to care.
In 1962, Kurt Hahn championed the importance of developing the whole person and founded the UWC movement based upon the ideals of a holistic, experiential, values-based education. “I regard it as the foremost task of education to ensure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self denial and, above all, compassion.” Kurt Hahn UWCSEA has always maintained a strong emphasis on values-based education. Each of the skills and qualities identified by Hahn are as relevant today as they were 50 years ago, and are required as we strive to meet the College’s educational goal of readying our students to embrace challenge and take responsibility for shaping a better world. During the past year, the College has focused on redefining the specific qualities and skills that are essential for learning today and that best prepare our students for the future. We have worked to answer fundamental questions such as ‘What are the
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UWCSEA Mission and Values
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UWCSEA Profile
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specific competencies that will prepare our young people for the challenges that lie ahead?’ and ‘How can these competencies be successfully taught and learned in school?’ Fittingly, the process began with the UWC mission and centres on our values and philosophy. “The UWC movement makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” UWC mission A thorough review and analysis of current international research and best practice was expanded considerably this year as staff from across the College became involved in refining and reshaping the UWCSEA profile. The process has identified nine key competencies—four qualities we expect learners to ‘be like’ and five skills we expect learners to ‘be able to do.’ These competencies can be taught and learned in developmentally appropriate ways from Kindergarten to Grade 12. They also reflect our expectations for the entire UWCSEA community, not just our students. The qualities and skills that together make up the UWCSEA profile are outlined on the opposite page. They complement each other to create a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. This is a complex process where, for example, the ability to collaborate effectively must draw upon an individual’s understanding of language and culture, ability to communicate, practical digital skills, as well as being principled and resilient. Similarly, the successful critical thinker and problem solver relies upon their ability to persevere, facing challenges in a principled manner. To demonstrate a commitment to care requires awareness and action. These actions depend upon the skills of critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and communication.
The UWCSEA profile Embedding the profile in our programme Learning is most effective when it takes place in context, and when the learner is appropriately challenged with a range of opportunities and experiences to develop these qualities and skills. For this reason, the UWCSEA profile is being embedded into all five elements of our learning programme. For example, resilience is developed as learners gain the confidence to perform on the stage, practise a new skill in mathematics, bounce back from a challenging match or persevere on an expedition. While learners need a variety of opportunities to learn in context, they must also be provided with the time to reflect on their experiences in order to refine and improve future thoughts and actions. Our UWCSEA profile provides a framework through which our students and staff can self-assess and strengthen the qualities and skills they need today and in the future. To fulfill our mission and educational goal, these qualities and skills must be internalised as part of our regular practice, always being considered, refined and improved upon. If Kurt Hahn were here today, he would recognise that the competencies of the UWCSEA profile underpin an experiential, values-based, holistic education that develops students as independent learners and global citizens. References: Ballanca, James and Ron Brandt eds. 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn. Solution Tree Press: Indiana, 2010. Trilling, Bernie and Charles Fadel. 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. John Wiley & Sons: California, 2009. Peterson, Christopher and Martin E. P. Seligman. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Wagner, Tony. Seven Survival Skills for the Future. New York: Basic Books, 2008.
Our UWCSEA community is committed to being aware, able and active. As global citizens and independent learners, the members of our community lead by influence to embrace challenge and take responsibility for shaping a better world. Below are the skills and qualities that our community members will develop through our learning programme.
SKILLS
QUALITIES
CRITICAL THINKER and PROBLEM SOLVER
CONCERNED and COMMITTED
Critically solve complex problems based upon informed and ethical decisions (inquiry, questioning, connection, analysis, synthesis, evaluation)
CREATIVE and INNOVATIVE Think creatively to produce original works or to develop innovative ideas (originality, imagination, curiosity, adaptability, connection, persistence, risk-taking)
COLLABORATIVE Work collaboratively in diverse settings to learn and lead by influence (cooperation, participation, leadership, flexibility, adaptability, responsibility, trust)
Demonstrate a commitment to care (stewardship, caring, empathy, compassion, open-minded, service, sustainability)
PRINCIPLED Act with integrity and honesty with a strong sense of fairness and respect for self and the dignity of others (integrity, honesty, responsibility, respect, fairness)
RESILIENT Anticipate, persevere and confront challenge (optimistism, confidence, courage, diligence, perseverance)
SELF-AWARE COMMUNICATOR Communicate effectively according to audience and purpose (communication, interpretation, perspective, intent)
Develop intellectual, physical, spiritual and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being (self-discipline, self-esteem, self-confidence, reflection)
SELF-MANAGER Take responsibility for managing and directing one’s learning (metacognition, independence, perseverance, diligence, organisation, responsibility)
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Personal and social education Leaving well
Working towards a thoughtful transition By Philip Meehan Counsellor, UWCSEA East In international schools, the only constant is change. Jobs change, friends move away and new friends arrive. With over 110 students leaving UWCSEA East this month, the Counselling Department has recently hosted two parent sessions and a number of student sessions to gather individuals and discuss how they can make their transition to a new home or school as thoughtful as possible. The sessions were based on the R.A.F.T. framework of transition, introduced in the book Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken. In it, the authors discuss the importance of thinking carefully about a number of elements that can be overlooked in the chaos that is moving: reconciliation, affirmation, farewells and think destination. ‘R’ is for Reconciliation, where individuals consider if there is a relationship they want to repair before they leave. In this age of Facebook, you can’t simply say that you’ll never see a person again and negative feelings can linger for years. ‘A’ is for Affirmation, where an individual thinks about who they would like to say thank you to. This can help bring about closure, in the case of a special teacher, or a way to solidify a friendship before moving away. ‘F’ is for Farewells as people think about how they want to spend their last few weeks. For kids, this might take the form of a last sleepover or play-date,
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or simply a last trip to Orchard Road for a movie with the gang. It can also be about what you will miss about Singapore, which may be the only home some kids know. Friends of mine who moved to Africa last year tallied on a chart all the dumplings they ate over their last five months here as they knew the family favourite would be hard to come by in their new home. The tally was well over 1,000 by the time the movers came. Finally, ‘T’ is for Think destination. Spend time thinking about the good things to come, but also what the family is nervous about. From language to culture to food to being able to find the washroom in a new school, we don’t know what kids are thinking unless we ask. The sessions gave both parents and students a chance to walk through the RAFT framework. Participants also shared some of the experiences they have had over the years. For some June brings about the first move overseas, and for others it is the fifth in as many years. Some thoughts and suggestions that came from the sessions include: • Give kids a camera to go on a ‘photo safari’ of their favourite places in Singapore. • When saying goodbye, accept that this is a loss. • If you can, have kids visit their new school beforehand. • If you can’t, see if there’s a walkthrough video of the school. If not and your kids are concerned about the new place, ask for one.
• When repatriating, try to mix with people who have similar experiences because you’ve changed! Think about what parts of your old life you want to resume when you return. • It’ll take time to settle in, and that’s OK. Leavers’ sessions are held in December and May when families typically leave the College, but the Counselling Department is always available as you think about your next home.
What’s in a name? Recently, the College made the decision to change the name of the Pastoral Care programme to Personal and Social Education. This was driven by the need to be more specific about the intentions and purpose of this element of the learning programme. The words pastoral care did not capture what we provide for our students through the various activities and support mechanisms that make up the programme (not to mention the fact that to many people the word ‘pastoral’ connotes countryside!). Personal and Social Education expresses more clearly that our goal is to provide students with opportunities to examine how they are connecting to their learning, friends, family, technology and the outside world. The name may change, but the purpose and importance of this programme remains the same.
Academics ‘Backwards planning’ in course design By Frazer Cairns Head of Dover Campus Hooke’s law has long been a staple of physics teaching. Generations of children have applied weights to a steel spring, watched it stretch (longing for the spring to snap, sending the weights crashing to the floor) and then used the data to calculate the spring constant, ‘k.’ These children have then, automaton-like, gone on to attack examination questions of the form, ‘A 5 kg mass is placed on a spring of constant k = 0.37 N/cm …’ However, as a physics teacher, I have often wondered what exactly my students have learned that is transferable, particularly given that current research suggests that students learn best when learning focuses on tasks that require problem solving, creativity and critical thinking. How do spring constants connect with a deeper understanding of science? The solution lies in our approach to curriculum planning. One can find many examples of where a textbook or a list of interesting activities and essential/canonical material is being ‘covered.’ This style of planning means we may remember playing with springs in a lesson but have no idea of the conceptual understanding this lesson was intended to develop. An alternative, and more effective, form of curriculum development reflects a three-stage design process called ‘backward design.’ This reverses the order, delaying the planning of classroom activities until learning goals have been clarified and assessments designed. Structured this way, the planning process helps avoid the twin problems of ‘textbook
coverage’ and ‘activity-oriented’ teaching, in which there are no clear priorities and little in the way of underlying purpose. As Stephen Covey wrote in 1994, “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” The three-stage design process— identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, plan learning experience—looks deceptively simple, self-evident even. It quickly becomes clear that all three stages require deep reflection. For example, in thinking about what you want your students to learn, you need to prioritise the desired results into three categories, which can be imagined as a set of concentric circles. The outer circle represents knowledge ‘worth being familiar with.’ The middle circle encapsulates knowledge and skills ‘important to know and do.’ Finally, the inner circle represents what Wiggins and McTighe call “enduring understanding”—the fundamental ideas that you want students to remember days and months and years later, even after they’ve forgotten the details of the course. While this word ‘understanding’ lies at the heart of the backward design model, its meaning is complex. Understanding (which is not the same as knowing) involves sophisticated insights and abilities, which can be reflected in varied performances and contexts. Looking again at my stretched
springs, one has to ask what is the big idea that I am trying to convey, what should be enduring for my students—that springs stretch? That a particular spring has a particular spring constant? Or perhaps something more fundamental linked to an understanding that matter is made of atoms and that this gives a structure specific properties. If we are teaching for understanding then this needs to be assessed. Whereas common practice is that assessment is generally thought of at the end of the unit, once the teaching is completed, the backward approach requires that teachers determine what they would accept as evidence that students have attained the desired understanding as they begin to plan. Again, understanding is complex and evidence gained from traditional testing alone is insufficient. Assessments need, then, to allow students to reveal their understanding, and this is done most effectively when they are provided with complex, ‘authentic’ opportunities to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathise and self-assess. When applied to complex tasks, these ‘six facets’ of understanding provide conceptual lenses through which teachers can better assess student understanding. The process a teacher goes through as they develop a unit of learning, asking themselves how lessons connect to a larger understanding of a key concept within a discipline, is much more complex than a list of 10 activities to be completed in 10 lessons. However, through it one hopes to engage and challenge students long after the course itself is over.
Reference: Understanding by Design, developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
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Photos by Ryan Bollhorn
It’s in Our Hands By Brian Ó Maoileoin Junior School Principal Dover Campus Congratulations to our Grade 5 students on this year’s Grade 5 Exhibition, which has been a tremendous success. Looking at the real-world issue of ‘Limited Supply, Unlimited Demand,’ this year’s theme demanded of our students a selfdirected exploration of the theme: ‘The Choices We Make Impact Upon our Planet’s Resources.’ And the exhibition demanded of its audience that they would walk away with a call to personal action—to leave with the tag-line ‘It’s in Our Hands’ buzzing in our ears. Knowledge is important too, but it is the ability to connect the dots of various bits of knowledge to foster an understanding of a larger connecting concept, and to illustrate it to others, which gives this knowledge purpose. Rarely do we see students of this age engaging in an independent inquiry of this magnitude and depth, and rarely do we see them equipped with the skills and the attitudes to do so effectively, so cogently and with a message that was so grounded, real and achievable. Each student was part of a small team, and it was the responsibility of the
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team as a whole to make it a success. Within each team, each student was accountable to their own contribution as well—a cooperative effort, driven by the collective work of individuals. Our Grade 5 students have done themselves and our community proud this year as have our past generations. We were wholly impressed by their presentation skills, by the passion that they displayed for their areas and by their independence. In many ways, the exhibition is a chance for our students to showcase what we are pretty sure we already knew about them—that they are ready for the next stage of their schooling and ready to knock the socks off the Middle School
teachers who will be fortunate enough to take them forward and prepare them for High School and beyond. We have been very lucky in Primary School to have met these children and to work with them and with their parents. Earnestly, we wish you all the very best of luck for the future, and we look forward to seeing what these students will achieve. They are ready. “We cannot be a train with passive passengers listening to their iPod; we are a school that needs active contributors, and the Grade 5 Exhibition radiated a sense of intellectual (and pedagogical) vibrancy that gave me tremendous hope.” Frazer Cairns, Head of Dover Campus
FIBxEast hones communication skills
Lend a Hand On Wednesday, 16 May, students launched the third UWCSEA East Grade 5 Exhibition with an opening ceremony for the parents, followed by students showing their work. The ‘Lend a Hand’ exhibition brought research and knowledge closer to the students’ realms of direct experience and highlighted successful cross-curricular collaboration. Students describe their experience below: “The exhibition has made us use all the knowledge and skills we have acquired during Junior School. UWCSEA’s goal is to educate individuals to embrace challenges and take responsibility for shaping a better world, so each year each grade has a different Global Concern and service to support. With all of our Global Concerns and services, it has made us aware about how so many of the people in the world need our support and how we can lend a hand to make the world a better place.” Rhea “One important part of our research was gathering information about communities and organisations. We focused on primary resources because on the Internet the information given could be irrelevant or even inaccurate. It’s better to speak to a person who is involved in the organisation. Some of us
met people from our organisations, some of us emailed our primary resources and some of us even used Skype to speak to contacts in different countries.” Dylan “Along with our presentations, we also did different exhibition work in our specialist classes. We made a sculpture in Art to represent our central idea, and in Music we worked in Garageband composing music pieces which we had the chance to use in our exhibition presentation. In addition, we did work on ‘Lend a Hand’ for our language classes. In Chinese we taught other students how to speak Chinese by making interactive videos. In French we made posters about MSF, and in Spanish we did similar exhibition work in the Spanish language.” Megan “During the process of the exhibition, we had many winding paths to go through as we worked collaboratively with our groups. Some of these were smooth and some a bit rough. Some of our challenges involved finishing art sculptures and writing pieces on time, finding enough relevant information during our research and technology not always making things easy. We overcame our struggles by getting more organised and planning ahead of time and cooperating with our other group members.” Manini
The ability to present ideas effectively is increasingly important for today’s global citizens. Just as the Grade 5 Exhibition helps students to develop their research, communication and presentation skills, there are multiple opportunities for students to perfect the art of making presentations during their years at UWCSEA. These skills are also key to being successful in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The final term project for the East Foundation IB (FIB) students this year was designed to develop public speaking and presentation skills, research and refining skills and to develop creativity while exploring a topic of interest. This project also supports preparation for the Theory of Knowledge Presentation, Language Oral Presentations and Extended Essay research, all elements of the IBDP. The project culminated in a ‘TED Talk’ style forum, where the FIB students presented their three to five minute talks to other FIB and Grade 9 students. To better prepare for their presentations, workshops were arranged for students. Katie Day, Teacher Librarian, worked with students on researching their topic, refining the focus of their broad topics and reflecting on the validity, purpose and importance of their topics. James Dalziel, Head of East Campus, met with smaller groups and concentrated on presentation skills while Guy Roberts, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator, focused on writing abstracts (a short summary of their talks) and an essential skill for the Extended Essay. FIBxEast went live on 6 June, when the East FIB students were assigned a presentation room, predetermined by the category of their talk topic. Grade 9 and other FIB students had their choice of venue and theme for four sessions of four talks each. Talks ranged in subjects from the arts, sports and business to service, values and human rights. It was a fantastic day of learning and sharing among the High School students at East with a focus on preparation for some of the requirements of the IBDP. 9
Grade 11 Biology field trip to Tioman Island As a part of the IB HL Biology course, all students attend a five-day field course on the Malaysian island of Tioman. Tioman is located in one of the most outstanding areas of marine bio-diversity in the world. Under the guidance of experienced biologists, students are introduced to the wonderful flora and fauna found on the reef, the seashore and in the rainforest, increasing their awareness, knowledge and understanding of the inter-relationships found within these coastal habitats. Elaine Teale Head of Biology, Dover Campus
A student’s view of the Grade 11 Biology field trip By Sheena Carlsen, Grade 11 Before we knew it, we were out exploring the rainforest and learning about mangroves. Before the trip, I had read a bit about the mangroves, and knew that they have many long and deep roots, which allow them to be characteristically stable. However, when we entered the rainforest and actually saw the mangroves, with their numerous roots, we realised what an amazing and completely unique ecosystem this is. The more the staff explained, the more I realised the value of mangroves, and how they actually can help to protect against natural disasters, and thereby why preserving the mangroves can benefit countries economically as well. That night, we had to get up at 1am to catch the best low tide and conduct 10
a midnight seashore survey. Although it was late and although we were exhausted, we managed to work well together and learnt the different methods of sampling. We were also lucky to see blue-dotted sting rays, sea cucumbers, algae and crabs. The following day, we went to the rainforest. Like in the mangrove ‘expedition,’ the Eco-fieldtrip staff led, explaining the characteristics of the plants that we passed. This time, we compared the primary and secondary rainforests. We used instruments new to us, but managed to get an understanding of the methods of sampling through working together. As we were heading back from our lunch beside a mother willow tree, we saw a snake eating a chameleon. Its jaws were wide open, grabbing hold of the chameleon and swallowing it bit for bit until you could the see the full contours of the chameleon inside of the snake. It was amazing to see it up-close; the trip was just getting better and better, although obviously not for the chameleon! The next day was a beautiful day, perfect for the snorkeling adventure. We first snorkeled through the mangroves where we examined the roots up-close under the water. It was amazing to see it from underwater and to see how stable and how solid the roots were. We then went over to a region with a disturbed coral reef and collected images underwater along a transect. Corals are living animals in a myriad of different shapes and colours. However, in this region all we saw were crushed corals with no colour and no
Photos by Gregory Tan
life. It was really upsetting to see how much damage humans cause to the marine environment, and the lack of awareness of the damage. We then headed over to an undisturbed marine environment. It was like examining a completely different world and the comparison made us realise the beauty of nature and the negative impact we can have on it. Throughout this trip, I learnt much more about ecology than I would have learnt in a classroom. I learnt to work in a group, the different methods of sampling by actually conducting them and learnt the context of ecology in a very practical and real sense. But most importantly, I learnt the importance of conservation and how ignorant we are to the importance of nature and to the things we destroy every minute of our lives. Thank you to all the staff and the teachers for making this one of the best lessons yet. It was truly a great experience.
Photos supplied by Aditya Krishnan
Waveometers, inclinometers and coursework By Aditya Krishnan, Grade 9 Coursework is an opportunity for the student to complete tasks outside of exam conditions, while using all the required skills, allowing students to further investigate a subject. Different subjects in IGCSE have different amounts of coursework; courses like Global Perspectives are based completely on coursework, while subjects don’t have any. For IGCSE Geography students, although examinations are critical in determining their grade, a major sector of their assessment is determined by their coursework. Coursework is an assignment completed independently by the student, and in Geography involves investigating a given hypothesis. Grade 9 Geography students completed their mock coursework on the topic of coastal erosion, investigating how processes (such as the force of the waves) change the shape of the Singapore coastline. The hypothesis was that natural processes were the only ones shaping the coast, and through thorough analysis, we could support this hypothesis or prove it wrong. To investigate this, we were dropped off
at a slightly less busy section of East Coast Park, where we would analyse two beaches. The first location has considerable influence from the government; they had placed breakwaters (strong concrete walls placed a distance from the sea to slow down the force of the waves, causing slower erosion). The breakwaters had refracted and changed the direction of the waves, and so the beach was a beautiful curve and the sand slope smooth. The second location, about five minutes walk from the first, was considerably different; without government interference, the beach was flat and bumpy and completely straight. This aesthetic difference itself showed us the difference human interaction makes. At both locations, we measured pre-determined variables with instruments that we had built. We built ‘waveometers’ (moveable paddles screwed on a stick with a protractor) to place a little way into the sea, to measure the force of the waves (in degrees) when it splashed onto and out of the shore. We also built ‘inclinometers’ (instruments to measure incline or decline) and by taking a lot of data, managed to work out and plot
the slope of the beach. We measured other variables, including wave height, the acidity of the water and the speed with which waves transported material with a variety of designed instruments. We kept variables controlled in both locations and took multiple readings for accurate results. The mock coursework was submitted by the entire grade on Friday, 11 May, allowing teachers time to mark them according to the IGCSE standards and provide feedback for the final coursework that will take place in Grade 10 on Pulau Ubin. The mock coursework was a fantastic learning experience, teaching us far more than we could ever learn sitting in a class. We could all design our own instruments, take readings and analyse results for an area that we were all very close to and understood. We went as far as we could to get down our detailed ideas and theories, and in doing so, expanded our own skills in concise writing (we had a strict word limit!) and learning beyond the syllabus to satisfy our curiosity. The experience was enjoyable and has left all Grade 9 geographers longing for the final coursework.
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Class of 2012 On Saturday, 26 May, UWCSEA celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2012 at their graduation ceremony. 316 students graduate from UWCSEA Dover this year, representing 52 different nationalities—testimony to the wonderful diversity within the UWCSEA student body. The Class of 2012 was also significant, since for the first time, students who have been with UWCSEA since their first days of school in K1 graduated from Grade 12. Below are extracts from speeches on the day.
“Academically, intellectually therefore, we are confident you will continue to grow and will succeed at university and beyond.
But perhaps more important than this, are the attitudes and values we have seen develop in you during your time at the College and which will be so important to you in the future. I have seen some of the strongest friendships grow in this class. Such friendships survive distance and time; not binding you exclusively to the friends you have made here, but supporting and guiding you in forming equally nurturing friendships in the future. And whilst you have grown from the sharing of ideas, interests and the amazing talents of those within your own community, you have also reached beyond this. Your empathy for others, your care and compassion, coupled with the drive to take action, is a real force for change. Behind me are 52 flags symbolising the nations represented in this graduating class, our most diverse to date. As a group of 316 individuals from varied backgrounds and different experiences, it is no small task to create the remarkable community you have become. We will miss you next year but are confident that you will flourish in the new communities you help create!” Di Smart High School Principal Dover Campus
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“Tonight is … about applauding the involvement, the energy and the sheer personality that the Class of 2012 have brought to the College. It’s about recognising the huge effort and commitment required to complete such a demanding programme as the International Baccalaureate. … This is indeed a very special evening for the whole community, bringing together graduates and all those who have guided and supported them through these important years: their teachers, their families and of course their friends.” Gary Seston Vice Principal, Pastoral Dover Campus Senior School
“As we climb the ladder in life and move on to a new stage in life, it is important for us to realise that our journey has just begun. More than ever before, our ethos and values will be put to the test. To this I say, now is the time to go out there into the troubled world and use all the skills we have honed in this school. Now is the time to let the UWC values shine so as to give light to others. Now is the time to make a difference in your community, your nation and the world at large. Reflecting on what we have achieved as a grade and seeing my classmates’ many talents, I have no doubt that we can be the change we want to see in the world.” Osman Ban Chair, Student Council Class of 2012
Graduation
“UWCSEA is more than an educational institution. It’s a family. The teachers are our parents. You are my brothers and sisters. We have our own tribal characteristics that mark us wherever we go, no matter how old we get or which country we find ourselves in. I have every belief that you will carry the UWC spirit with you as you go, supporting you when you least think you’ll need it. The real thing I’ve kept from UWCSEA is that it doesn’t matter which university or career choice you make. What matters is the life choice you make. Service to others, embracing multiculturalism and actively engaging with the world around you is not a profession, it’s not a university degree ... it’s a lifestyle—one which each of you has the capacity to take, in many different directions.
“Every group of graduates is special and remembered in their own way. During their time in the College, the members of the Class of 2012 have demonstrated time and again that they embody the characteristics we value in our students. As independent learners, they think critically, are creative and innovative, work together in collaborative ways, are communicators and self-managers. As global citizens they are concerned and committed, principled, resilient and self-aware. What the world needs now are young people just like our graduates, young people who have the skills and qualities to take responsibility for shaping a better world.” Julian Whiteley Head of UWCSEA (extract from programme)
Take what UWC has given you and run with it. Go on. Get your hands dirty.” Nidhi Kapur Class of 2001 Guest speaker
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Activities UWCSEA rallies around the Phoenix and Dragons Student Sports Council members on both campuses proudly launched the Dover Phoenix and East Dragons mascots during their respective Sports Awards Dinners this term. Alto Ono, one of the students who led the effort to identify mascots and select designs for UWCSEA this year, writes about the careful thought and hard work that went into the process. By Alto Ono, FIB G10 East Student Sports Council Bringing the idea of a mascot for UWC South East Asia into reality was a long journey. The initial idea of having a mascot started in 2008 at Dover Campus long before the East Campus had opened. At the time, the College leadership had some concerns about
having a mascot—“How can we create a mascot that is positively portrayed in all cultures and fits with the mission and values of UWCSEA?” Finding such a mascot seemed like an impossible task. For several years, the idea of a mascot was brought up but never became a reality. However, the students never gave up. This year, as part of building a new school, a new culture and new traditions at UWCSEA East, we were determined that UWCSEA would have a mascot that the students, faculty and parents could proudly wear, cheer and support. Although we East High School students were new to UWCSEA, we joined the journey and began to convince people to support the idea of a mascot. In November, the Student Sports Council at UWCSEA East started to work with our peers at Dover, the Communications Department and
the College leadership to create a mascot that would fit with the values and ethos of UWCSEA, have appropriate associations in all cultures and help support the ‘One School, Two Campuses’ philosophy. After much careful research, we decided that the Asian dragon and phoenix answered our requirements. As individual creatures, their associations fit with our school values: the dragon is gracious, wise, powerful and noble, the phoenix prosperous, connected with peace and a symbol of a constant striving spirit. Together they represent the yin and yang in Asian mythology—they are both complementary and competing—representing the connection between our two campuses. The design itself retains the colours of blue for Dover and green for East. There is a subtle reference to ‘E’ and ‘D’ in the individual mascot designs, and together they make a single globe, which connects back to our College logo and mission. We are grateful for Gregory Parker in the Communications Department for this clever and beautiful design. Though the journey to create a mascot for UWCSEA was long and tough, the result was well worth it. Now we call on the entire UWCSEA community— students, staff and parents—to adopt our mascots and proudly wear, cheer and support our teams, activities and schools as the UWCSEA East Dragons and the UWCSEA Dover Phoenix. Go teams!
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Metamorphoses brings change to East Campus
UWCSEA East’s first High School production brought together FIB Drama and Music students in a unique collaboration. The Tony-award winning play by Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses, is a modern adaptation of Ovid’s poem of the same name. Students were responsible for the stagecraft, design, acting and music in the production. The FIB Music
students composed all of the music and performed the original score live during the performances. Visit eDunia to see a slideshow of photos from the production set to some of the original music along with an article by FIB student Jamie Buitelaar who acted, sang and designed costumes in the production.
UWCSEA
Element magazine
Element magazine, the English Department magazine that showcases talented young writers from across the Primary, Middle and High Schools at Dover Campus, was launched on Thursday, 17 May. The launch event featured readings by students as well as guest speaker Shamini Flint. The magazine is available as an online flipbook in eDunia. 15
2012
Outdoor Education
Everest trek: reaching for the sky For photo showcases of other Grade 9 expeditions including tall ship sailing, mountain biking in Phuket, and adventures on Java Lava and Langkawi, visit eDunia.
Photos by Bhavishya Ramchander
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By Sanchita Bhatia (East) and Bhavishya Ramchander (Dover) During the Easter break, Grade 9 students from both the UWCSEA Dover and East Campuses came together for an experience to perform an extraordinary feat trekking 90km in a week, going up to 4,237m high. When we reached Kathmandu, we were welcomed with open arms and traditional scarves. The astonishing thing was, the Nepali people may not be the richest people in the world, but they were happy. We then went to Umbrella Foundation, and met children who might have lost everything in life, but they were not afraid to pursue their dreams. We interacted with them and learnt their stories. One of them even said she wanted to empower and help kids like herself when she grew up. We learnt from them to appreciate what we have. The next day we started trekking. The weather was not on our side, as it immediately started hailing. Trekking in the Gokyo Valley for 10 days tested our patience in various degrees, because just when you feel you are almost at the peak of the mountain, you find out
that in fact there are miles to go. It taught us how life is, you feel that you have reached your goal but all you need to do is keep on trying. What especially struck us was that while we were complaining about how hard it was, these Nepali porters carrying luggage twice their weight kept on going on. It inspired us to push ourselves harder.
So what made the Everest trip so special? From learning to appreciate what we have to never giving up even if the top of the mountain seems so far away, the best was the relationships we built. All of us pushed each other to go on when we felt desolate. This is an example of compassion that each UWC student should have. We did have our rewarding moments like our snow fight on the peak of Tengboche and the night there under the stars surrounded by snowcovered mountains. The breathtaking panorama of nature still feels like a dream when we remember that we were physically present there. Today, we can say that we made it, with each other’s help, and that is something we will never forget.
Sea kayaking in Sibu, Malaysia
By the time the College breaks at the end of this academic year, Grade 7 students will have returned from their sea kayaking expedition around the Sibu Islands chain as part of the Outdoor Education programme. Paddling in specialist sea kayaks with three dry compartments for kit storage, students clocked up between 25 and 30km under their own steam. An
amazing journey, the students were all challenged at various points. They pushed on and did their best to work together, found solutions and enjoyed the wonders of an adventure expedition within a beautiful environment. Traveling by kayak, sleeping in tents, cooking their own food outside, all the while building skills together and determination to succeed. 17
Service
Service in Singapore By Cathy Elliott Head of Local Service UWCSEA Dover
Cathy Elliott and Singapore President Tony Tan
Students at all levels in the College have many and varied opportunities to participate in service projects, interacting with other members of the College community and voluntary organisations within Singapore. As students progress through the schools, the expectations of their contributions, as well as their skills and the nature and depth of their reflections, increase.
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Unlike other service projects in the college, local and College service usually involves direct interaction with clients; indeed this becomes mandatory in Senior School. Face to face service, especially with the elderly or intellectually disabled, takes students out of their comfort zone and exposes them to very different lifestyles. Service is a two-way experience, for the giver as well as the receiver. It is not always easy for our students to forge ongoing relationships with the people they meet, and often harder for them to believe that they are making a real difference to that person, if progress seems very slow. UWCSEA is an active contributor to 42 local service partners, with students interacting with around 1,000 people on their weekly visits. This contribution is greatly valued by our partner organisations, some of whom we have been working with for decades.
Focus on MINDS One of UWCSEA’s longest-running local service partners is MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore), with whom we have had a partnership for over 30 years. The relationship between UWCSEA and MINDS extends before the memory of anyone currently attending the College. The first organisation to receive weekly visits from our students was the former Tampines Home, first in Hougang, then Thomson Road and now called Mindsville@napiri in Ang Mo Kio. This is the only residential home run by MINDS. Andrew Bennett, the former Head of College, led this group for more than 20 years. Visits to MINDS Clementi Training and Development Centre (TDC) have run for 18 years, along with shorter periods of collaboration with Lee Kong Chian Gardens School and this year at the Ang Mo Kio TDC. Over the years we have been involved with MINDS, we have also been involved with other schools and at SIA MINDS (where clients assemble
Dances of Life supports Baobei GC By Susan Edwards Head of Global Concerns Dover Campus Timothy Thong is a Grade 11 student at the Dover Campus, and a member of the Baobei Global Concern. A member of the 1st violins of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, he has been learning the violin since he was 3½ years old. His CD Dances of Life, comprising well-known violin pieces by Bartok, Beethoven and Sarasate, as well as two compositions by Singaporean composer, Dr Zechariah Goh, was produced for sale as a fund raising effort of the Baobei GC.
Left: MINDS Clementi, 2009. Above, clockwise from top left: SIA MINDS ‘Skate Club’ 2008; students visiting Tampines House in the mid-1980’s; the 1999 Social Service Christmas Party; Tampines House residents visiting the beach in the 1980’s.
Singapore Airlines’ headphones). Some groups now visit the campus weekly, and all enjoy the special events such as the Christmas Party and UWC Day. Each location is unique and students have always found the services both challenging and rewarding. MINDS’ 50th anniversary dinner was held on 25 May 2012, with President of Singapore Tony Tan attending as the guest of honour. UWCSEA received a special award for our years of service, based on the consistent commitment of our students and staff. In fact, such is the level of our commitment across a number of their centres, UWCSEA contribution was recognised as a ‘Top 10’ corporate supporter. UWCSEA places great value on the shared history and ties that have resulted from our over 30 years of collaboration. Students currently volunteer at MINDS Clementi Training and Development Centre, MINDSville@ Napiri, MINDS Lee Kong Chian Gardens School and SIA-MINDS Employment Development Centre.
“I admire the fatherly quality that some of the other members of the service have, when they are doing activities with the people at MINDS. I think that this quality is important when it comes to doing service, as you have to be patient and understanding with the people there … I think that practising this via participation in a service is a good way to improve both your personality and the environment of Singapore’s community.” Upper School student MINDS Clementi “I believe that we had such a huge impact in these people’s lives with our picnics and arts, but I think more importantly, these people had an impact on my life. Before I started Mindsville, I was worried because I had a lot of issues with my patience with others. I was scared on my first visit because I did not know how I would react to the people there. I believe that after a year, the people we helped taught me more self-restraint and increased my tolerance.” Senior School student Mindsville@Napiri
“Although I have been studying the violin for many years now, it was not until recently that the thought occurred to me that I had never used the fruits of my musical education for a truly meaningful pursuit. The choice of a Singaporean composer (Dr Zechariah Goh) The selection of pieces was deliberate. I view culture as an essential part of identity, and being a Singaporean, it was only natural that the compositions Lenggang Kangkong and Suriram were included. Lenggang Kangkong adds to the livery of the other established works and reinforces the themes suggested by the CD title, Dances of Life. The sweetness of Suriram also reminds me of how all lives should be treasured, including those of the children at the Baobei orphanage. It was no easy task getting there. I remember one specific recording session in which an 8-minute section required two hours of recording. What really kept me going was not the prospect of finally finishing the recording, but the vision of helping an orphan get a much needed operation. My hope is that this effort will put a smile on a child’s face and lead to a new life.” All proceeds from the sale of this CD will go to the Baobei Foundation, a charity based in Shanghai, China, whose purpose is to provide life-saving surgeries to Chinese orphans born with gastro-intestinal or neurological birth defects. 19
Just a ferry ride away Global service closer to home
By Anthony Skillicorn Head of Service, East Campus One of the challenges facing our global service programme is distance. While many Global Concerns projects are not easily reachable, the geographical location of The Island Foundation on neighbouring Bintan has enabled a very successful relationship to develop in a short period of time. The Island Foundation is dedicated to working with coastal communities in the Riau Archipelago to help improve their income, health and education, and their primary projects include education and literacy, sustainable village development and marine conservation and education. These diverse programmes as well as the proximity to Singapore enable UWCSEA staff, students and parents to engage with The Island Foundation in several ways.
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UWCSEA staff are able to work alongside The Island Foundation in assessing the level of English of their students and developing a culturally suitable and sustainable curriculum for the local residents who visit The Island Foundation’s learning centres. The UWCSEA language and curriculum specialists have guided this curriculum development in consultation with their counterparts on Bintan. The Island Foundation’s close location also enables their teachers to make periodic visits to UWCSEA East for professional development. They are able to observe lessons at UWCSEA and also participate with and lead students in activities to practise their teaching. Another major benefit of our work with The Island Foundation is that Grade 1 learners benefit a great deal
from visiting Bintan and learning from the traditional communities whose relationship with nature and the sea is based on skills and knowledge which are threatened by the forces of modernisation. Grade 1 families travel to Bintan several times each academic year. These visits might include learning about traditional fishing practices and the importance of caring for the sea from local fishermen as well as a work project. As our relationship with The Island Foundation develops further, it is also planned that Grade 11 students make weekend service trips to Bintan and that it becomes a Gap Year destination. Visit eDunia to read more about Grade 1’s visits with The Island Foundation.
Ray of Hope for Mumbai Mobile Crèches
Susan Edwards Head of Global Concerns Dover Campus The 2012 Grade 8 History and Global Concerns Trip was the sixth time we have run the trip, and with 70 students was the largest group to date. But why do we support projects in Cambodia, and why do we take our Grade 8 students each year? Simply put, we explicitly link the History curriculum with our Global Concerns programme. Our international citizens in Grade 8 listen to the personal stories as presented at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Cheong Ek Killing Fields. They listen to the personal experiences of the Tabitha staff and they begin to ask themselves what they might do if presented with the same sorts of adversities. The group was accompanied by six Cambodian UWC National Committee scholars, who were a conduit between their culture and our own (whichever that may be!), and also provided powerful personal insights as they spoke of their families’ hardships during the Khmer Rouge regime. Why build houses in Cambodia when the Khmers are perfectly capable of building for themselves? Not only that, they can do it better. “We build to show grace to those who have not experienced grace; to those who have experienced great hardship Photos by Tom Soper
and who have moved from social poverty to social richness and sense of community,” said Janne Ritskes, the Director and Founder of Tabitha as she briefed students. “This is not about you, it is about them. It is their turn.” Janne is right. All along, for our students, it has been about the families who have been chosen to receive a house. The students created frenzies of fund raising activities to fund all 40 houses they were to build and wells for the communities also—in total, $52,000. It is a staggering effort, and they were able to see first hand how necessary their work is. Although we have lost count, the UWCSEA community has built more than 1,000 houses and sunk many more wells. The average Khmer family living in rural Cambodia is between six and eight people. The students noted that they know of the importance of a safe shelter as a basic human right, but it was an intellectual understanding prior to their visit. What else did we do? We sanded and painted a classroom block at Preah Sara Pech School, and we went to work in five of our Global Concerns groups in Phnom Penh. If the definition of a tourist is one who travels or visits a place for pleasure, then it is true to say that the students certainly enjoyed themselves, but their experience was so much more than that of a tourist.
In May, the Dover Campus Infant School joined forces with Bombay Street Kids GC to hold the fourth Ray of Hope fund raiser for Mumbai Mobile Crèches. A fantastic success, over $11,000 was raised on the night. A large proportion of the money came from the silent auction of paintings created by children from some of the crèches in Mumbai. There was even a bid for $1,500 from a very supportive Infant parent who bid online for one of the paintings. The lucky draw and the sale of cards added a lot to the final total. A group of Infant students provided musical entertainment with songs and dance. Vivek, a Grade 4 student, enthralled the audience with his tabla playing, and three ex-Infant students Laasya, Divya and Meenakshi, who are now in Middle School, performed an excerpt from a classical Indian dance. Sincere thanks must go to students and staff from the Global Concerns group Bombay Street Kids, Susanne Khalek for coordinating the musical items, Gisella Harrold for her tireless energy and meticulous organisation, Infant parents and teachers for their support, Sodexo and the Facilities staff, the student performers, all of our generous sponsors and, last but not least, all the people who supported us on the night. Your commitment to our Infant GC will enrich the lives of many of the children in MMC. For more information about Mumbai Mobile Crèches go to www.mumbaimobilecreches.org Photos supplied by Chris Fensom
These are the houses UWCSEA build
By Chris Fensom Infant School Principal Dover Campus
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Community
Social media’s uses and limits explored
Centre’s inaugural Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series event UWCSEA’s Centre for International Education launched in 2011. The Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series was established as an extension of the Centre’s goal to provide enhanced educational opportunities to students and staff. The Speaker Series aims to address issues relevant to society and education today. The inaugural event was held at UWCSEA East on Saturday, 26 May and addressed the topic, ‘Can and should social media influence policy?’ Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Nicole Seah and Thomas Zilliacus came together to address the topic from their own unique vantage points. Grade 10 student, Kathleen Guan, shares her perspective on and summary of the event. Can and should social media influence policy? This was the topic of discussion at the inaugural Kishore Mahbubani Speakers Series event at UWCSEA East. Remarkably, this question would not have even been posed a decade ago. It would be an understatement if one were to say that in the past 10 years, social media and its influence have shifted from being a matter of choice, to an inescapable force. Although to many of us social media is a significant yet familiar, almost ‘run-of-the-mill’ part of our lives, its power and byproducts as well as how best to utilise it, remain an enigma to policymakers and authorities alike. The event began with one of the three guest speakers, Ms Nicole Seah, discussing the effectiveness of social media and its uses as a communication channel for politicians, and whether social media has changed the way people think and talk about politics. As a National Solidarity Party candidate
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Photo by Miles Beasley
in 2011 and ardent social media practitioner (with over 105,900 ‘Likes’ on her Facebook page), Ms Seah has a strong sense of how social media can engage people in politics and other conversation. What I enjoyed most from Ms Seah’s presentation were her many relevant references to pop culture, including the exploration of the subjects of ‘trolling,’* the popularity of Internet memes, satire in social media, generation gap and my personal favourite—Vote You Maybe, a parody of Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit Call Me Maybe, in reference to the recent by-election in Hougang to fill former Worker’s Party MP Yaw Shin Leong’s seat. Following Ms Seah’s presentation, Mr Thomas Zilliacus, Chairman and CEO of the YuuZoo Corporation, discussed how one could control social media. Mr Zilliacus posed several critical points, including the fact that social media is controlled by its own users, and calling social media a “complex,” “fluid-like” and “ever-changing media form,” which “cannot be defined with the same degree of precision” as is the case for traditional media forms (e.g., television, newspapers, radio).
The event flowed with ease as Professor Kishore Mahbubani, the guest of honour and Dean and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, pursued the topic by discussing whether social media will ‘kill’ traditional media. By the end of the event, the answer to the initial question was clear: social media does influence policy, and it is something impossible to control—a force to be reckoned with. The three guest speakers, along with Mr Hans Vriens, who led the final panel discussion, each approached the question with their own personal experiences and perspectives. Notwithstanding, it was Professor Kishore Mahbubani who stated a phrase central to the core of all three of the guest speakers’ presentations—that at the end of the day, it is the people we choose to trust who determine what we are exposed to. * In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
By Petra Dennis Parents’ Association East More than 2,000 members of the UWCSEA community gathered to enjoy the Family Summer Festival at UWCSEA East on Saturday, 12 May. Organised and hosted by the Parents’ Association East, it was the biggest community event of the year and proudly supported the Global Concerns and local service projects at UWCSEA East. The funfilled day most certainly served to strengthen the bonds within our vibrant and diverse community as well. From
Photo by Ryan Bollhorn
Family Summer Festival builds community bonds music and dance performances to game and activity stalls to food and shopping, there was something for everyone—and all for a good cause. The overall atmosphere was fantastic thanks to the enthusiasm of the students, parents and staff. A special thank you to the Family Summer Festival organising team and to all who volunteered and attended. Please visit eDunia for a special recap of the PA East activities during the 2011/2012 academic year.
It’s all in the app UWCSEA has invested in Digital Literacy coaches and launched the iLearn programme this academic year. However, members of our community are also actively involved both developing their IT skills while fulfilling our mission. Visit eDunia to read about the initiative of Grade 7 student Rohan Kapur who created an app for the IB’s Asia-Pacific conference in Singapore in March, and also about Dover Campus parent Christoph Theisinger who has now partnered with Singapore’s National Environment Agency to provide potentially life-saving alerts about dengue fever clusters via the X-Dengue website and app. One particularly exciting aspect of this service is its applicability to other location-based hazards and its ability to be implemented in other countries or communities.
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Project Week 2012 Dunia is published by UWC South East Asia. Reproduction in any manner in English or any other language is prohibited without written consent. Please send feedback to dunia@uwcsea.edu.sg Editors: Sinéad Collins, Kate Woodford and Courtney Carlson Design: Gregory Parker 070COM-1112
Printed on 100% recycled paper with environmentally friendly inks. UWCSEA Dover is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 197000825H CPE Registration Period 18 July 2011–17 July 2017 Charity Registration No. 00142 UWCSEA East is registered by the CPE CPE Registration No. 200801795N CPE Registration Period 10 March 2011–9 March 2017 Charity Registration No. 002104 MICA (P) 210/04/2012
319 students 78 groups 15 countries The unique Project Week programme has run at UWCSEA Dover for over 30 years. It is not easy or comfortable—the aim is to push students out of their comfort zone by challenging them to organise everything. It is the culmination of years of experiential education and a significant stepping-stone to independence beyond Grade 12.