theeye Singapore American High School
CRACKDOWN: By Denise Hotta-Moung and Cat Ward In 1987 a new principal walked through the King’s Road campus with a black book under his arm. Dr. Emma used this book to record the names of students who violated dress code. Nineteen years later, Deputy Principal Doug Neihart brought the book back. Some students assume that the new enforcement strategy is one that was proposed by Neihart alone. “I was actually a part of a discussion that resulted in the expectation that we were going to be more stringent this year,” Neihart said. “There was a charge, if you will, for me to uphold those expectations more stringently.” Those in the meeting concluded that a more rigorous implementation of the dress code would promote
SAS as the “prestigious school that it is.” “SAS is the largest international school in the world,” Neihart said. “Not only do we want it to perform sharply, we want to look sharp too.” Students have been reprimanded for violations including logos on clothing and rule-violating colors of undershirts. There was only one new rule added this year, one that made it a violation to wear heels taller than one inch. Administration efforts to strictly enforce this and existing rules are yielding complaints. “I think it’s fair to enforce it, but not to the extreme they have been,” senior Anushka Bharvani said. “There shouldn’t be black or denim, but I don’t see the big deal in a color that is slightly off navy
September 28, 2006 2006/vol. 26 no. 1
Neihart whips out his notorious notebook to record junior Nick Alli-Shaw’s dress code violation. Photo by Brian Riady
New deputy roams halls with little blue book and no-tolerance policy blue.” Bharvani was asked to change after being cited for ‘faded pants.’ Last year, though technically a violation of dress code, faded bottoms were often tolerated. There was a sense of flexibility with dress code that Principal Dave Norcott still hopes to maintain. “We want our student body to feel that there’s some latitude in dress, but we want it to be neat,” Norcott said. “The feeling isn’t to become obsessive.” The latitude Norcott refers to is the ability of students to choose the style of their bottoms. Some students have failed to appreciate that level of tolerance. On one day during the second week of school, Neihart cited over 20 students violating dress code. He said that most students are
respectful when asked to change. Senior Saagar Mehta was asked to cover a shirt that read ‘FCUK,’ the initials of the clothing brand French Connection United Kingdom. “ I understand why I was asked to change,” Mehta said. “I just didn’t think about it. It was the first shirt I picked.” Most students claimed that violations are innocent mistakes. Students still have last year’s more flexible dress code on their minds. “If my pants were allowed a few months ago, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be fine now,” Bharvani said. For some students, breaking dress code is related to wanting to express individuality. “There are many avenues in which students can express themselves outside of their dress,”
math teacher David Rops said. In addition to the new enforcement of dress code rules, administrators have cracked down on ‘grooming’ regulations. Junior Michael Howard circulated a petition in hopes of modifying the rule that boys’ hair cannot touch the collar.. “The rules keep students from being who they would be otherwise,” Howard said. Norcott acknowledges students’ needs to express their individuality, but said he has certain expectations regarding the way students dress. “There is a fine line between students’ individual freedom and a schools right to impose regulations,” he said. “But the school’s appearance should be smart and casual. When you come to school you should present yourself properly.”
Injury forces 35-year veteran teacher, coach to retire
Coach Nat Bava bids farewell to students in the caf on Sept. 1, his last day at SAS. Faculty and staff honored Bava in a reception the same day. Photo by Brian Riady
Permit # MICA (P) 234/10/2005
By Kathy Bordwell When Nat Bava fell in a food court early this summer, he did not realize it would force his retirement from teaching. A 35-year-old veteran of SAS and one of its most admired teachers and coaches decided it was time to say goodbye. After two surgeries failed to fix his wrist Bava said that he was left with a permanent injury which would get in the way of his teaching PE. Bava made a tough “personal decision based on [his] doctor’s medical diagnosis.” Bava said that with his injury he would not be able to give his students the quality instruction they deserve since the movement of his wrist was virtually impossible and it would be difficult to instruct students how to play sports like tennis and badminton.
Bava said his favorite class is weight training because those students are new to the activity and he finds it challenging to motivate them with the though psychological and physical aspects. Students say they will most miss Bava’s sense of humor, his congratulatory “Vundaba” when you do something well and all his “hocus pocus” to help explain the tougher concepts in activities. Junior Tiffany Fan said that not only was Bava a “really good advisor,” but he always “tries to make people laugh.” Bava said one of his proudest moments at SAS was helping to start the IASAS rugby program. He was instrumental in getting other international schools involved. It is “the single achievement that stands out and the highlight in his career
as far as sports,” Bava said. Students who have had him as a sprinting coach highlight how helpful it was to have him train them, as well as students he didn’t personally train. “He wasn’t my coach, but he’d always smile at me, and give me advice,” sophomore Nicole Banister, a track and field athlete said. “He was just a really nice guy to be around.” Bava said the death of four student athletes over an Easter break in 1990 was his saddest moment at SAS. He received a fond farewell speech on Sept. 1, his last teaching day, with students taking to a temporary stage in the cafeteria to talk about him and to say goodbye. Though Bava has been at SAS through many changes to the facilities and campus locations, he has taken
them all in stride, claiming he was able to adapt since he was “not only involved, [he] was committed to the cause of education.” Not sure what he will do after leaving except keeping mentally and physically fit, Bava said he is thankful to everyone at SAS, parents, teachers, board members, and the American community for giving him so many opportunities. Being Singaporean he said it “makes a difference coming from a different nationality,” but that he found the American community a “caring and helpful society,” key to making SAS such an “outstanding global institution.” Students say they will remember his always-cheerful humor and his three L’s: “laughter lubricates life.”