Journeys Summer 2022

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On The Cover

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In this issue, we celebrate our class of 2022, a group who consistently found ways to use their time, skills, and resources in the service of others.

On page 89, you’ll read about Dr. Roopa Dewan, a champion of students and a lifelong example of servant leadership.

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CONTENTS 01

Tom Boasberg: The SAS Identity

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Social Justice Unit: Podcasts for Change

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DEI at SAS: Culturally Responsive Learning Communities

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The Truth of a Lie

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Reimagining Excellence.

Extraordinary Care.

Possibilities.

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Mighty Eagles Back in Action!

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Kyle Aldous Cara D'Avanzo Didi Hari Krishnan Kinjal Shah

Here to Help: SAS School Nurses

Innovative High School Courses: Recent Grads Reflect

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World Language Program Turns 10!

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Alumni: Entertainment Attorney Anita Surendran

Design team

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Haziq Hairoman Nur Afiqah Johan Amos Ong

Celebrating the Class of 2022 in Our Educator Community

Alumni: Life is a Gift, So Was Our Assignment to Kyiv, Ukraine in 2020

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Why Do Educators Love Working at SAS?

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Spotlight on Alumni: Adventures in Publishing

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Beyond The Headlines: Teaching Current Events

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Online sas.edu.sg/journeys

Editorial team

Contact

Year-in-Review 2021-22

communications@sas.edu.sg

Connect

Featured 59

Graduation Special: Class of 2022

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The Ultimate Eagle: Dr. Roopa Dewan

© 2022 Singapore American School All rights reserved.

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The SAS Identity By TO M B OA S B E R G Superintendent

Lining the wall in the hallway that connects our elementary and middle school are several dozen life-sized images of students and educators.

Each image contains an expressive portrait of a unique individual surrounded by important pieces of their identity. The collection of images captures the diversity and uniqueness of our community members and highlights our shared identity as Eagles.

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Singapore American School is no different from these portraits. Our school is made up of a collection of unique attributes that differentiate us from our peers. I often get asked to try to make sense of the intersection and at times points of friction of these different aspects of our identity, and how they all come together to make a strong whole. So, how do these elements of who we are—private, non-selective, non-profit, American, international—all come together?

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PRIVATE Being a private school means we have the flexibility to look at best practices from around the world and empower our educators to innovate. With no bureaucratic red tape, we can put all our energies into focusing on the needs of our students and finding better ways to meet those needs. It also means that we have access to impressive resources, attract top-quality educators, and offer a range of programs that are not possible in many other schools.

A great example of this is the 40+ collegelevel courses—both Advanced Placement and Advanced Topic—that we offer to high school students in our advanced studies program.

These college-level courses allow students to push their learning farther, broader, and deeper.

Indeed, many of our Advanced Topic courses were co-created with university professors to ensure high rigor and deep learning.

NON-SELECTIVE We do not screen for academic level in admitting students to our school. One of the great advantages of being non-selective is that we are able to welcome a diverse range of

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learners to our community and better serve more families. Meeting the individual needs of our diverse learners can be challenging, but it pushes our thinking on individualizing the learning experiences for all students.

And, it means that our students grow up with a diverse range of classmates and learn how to work and live with them, which will benefit them in their lives after school.

NON-PROFIT As a non-profit organization, we ensure that 100 percent of the money paid in tuition and fees goes directly into the student experience.

We are never put in the position in challenging times of choosing between the interests of our students versus those of any shareholders.

Being non-profit also means that philanthropy plays a key role in expanding opportunities for our students. Philanthropy has brought us the extraordinary resources of the Khoo Teck Puat Library and the Riady Performing Arts Center, as well as ongoing programs like visitors-in-residence and support for students who might not be otherwise might not be able to afford to travel for opportunities like IASAS or Interim Semester.

AMERICAN From our founding, our mission has been to “provide an exemplary American education with an international perspective.” We aim to provide our students with the best in the American educational tradition (recognizing that many of these attributes are in no way unique to the US): a focus on critical thinking, creativity, problemsolving, character development, and a deep belief in and respect for the potential of every individual regardless of background or identity.

It means a focus on the whole child—an emphasis not just on academics but also socialemotional growth and a belief that learning should be just as vibrant in our co-curricular activities as in our classrooms. And, it means a belief that parents are our most important partners in their children’s education.

INTERNATIONAL With students from over 60 different countries, we are able to celebrate a wide breadth of cultures and create richer learning experiences for our students. Approximately half our students are US passport holders and half are from the rest of the world. This diversity of background, culture, and beliefs is one of our greatest strengths, and we are fortunate to be located in such a vibrant, diverse, and culturally rich home

city of Singapore. A key focus for us is ensuring that we include international perspectives in the books our students read, the history and cultures we study, and the art and philosophy we dive into.

Likewise, our investment in our world language program and bilingualism—our daily world language program, Chinese immersion, and college-level language courses—help students build a broader, more international perspective.

Key to providing this exemplary American education with an international perspective are the extraordinary educators we are fortunate to have at SAS. Our educators come from all over the world, and SAS remains a very soughtafter place to teach. Seventy-five percent of our incoming cohort of educators for next year are coming from other international schools, with the remainder coming from schools in the US and Canada. In terms of school leadership, over the last three years, roughly 40 percent of our leaders have come from internal SAS candidates, 40 percent from other international schools, and 20 percent from the US. I hope the above helps in putting all our pieces together and reflecting on the vibrant whole of who we are at SAS!

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Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) VIsion Statement As a school, the diversity of our community is one of our greatest strengths. That diversity offers extraordinary learning opportunities for our students as well as opportunities to build lasting friendships and relationships across cultures, nationalities, and other aspects of identity.

For our diversity to reach its full potential as a strength, it is important that our commitment to equity and inclusion for all members of our community be as strong as it is to diversity. Every student at SAS should feel valued, cared for, and included.

Differences in culture, background, ability, identity, and perspective should be respected and celebrated; SAS has no place for racism or any other type of discrimination. It is only by creating a positive climate and inclusive culture that we will meet our vision to cultivate exceptional thinkers who are prepared for the future.

In the last few years at Singapore American School, we have had numerous thoughtful and reflective conversations with current students, alumni, parents, and educators. We continue to work towards making SAS a place where all community members feel safe, valued, welcome, and equitably treated. As DEI continues to be part of the fabric of SAS, below are some highlights from the culturally responsive learning communities that have been active in this work during this school year. Culturally responsive teaching means using students' customs, characteristics, experiences, and perspectives as tools for better classroom instruction. Culturally responsive environments are those in which diverse members of a community can all see themselves as belonging.

The Community Engagement Culturally Responsive Learning Community has explored ways to make connections among SAS employees, parents and guardians, students, and members of the wider SAS family. We recognize that there are significant opportunities to expand the scope of conversations and education in the DEI sphere, both during the school day and in all of our everyday lives. Our work has centered on the many possible steps we might take to meaningfully engage with community members beyond those that have already been employed over the course of the past several years. We have also investigated the feasibility of collecting data that will allow us to identify our community’s needs and wants surrounding DEI issues. Our goals are ultimately to share information, foster reflection, and promote dialogue, all within a safe space that will ensure inclusive engagement.

DEI at SAS: C U L T U R A L LY R E S P O N S I V E LEARNING COMMUNITIES 5

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By D R . DA R N E LL FI N E Middle School Instructional Coach

We have most recently begun to curate a list of speakers—both Singaporean and international—who might come to SAS to participate in lectures and workshops. We have also started to develop a list of DEI-related resources (including websites, books, articles, movies, and podcasts) that we will eventually make available to all members of the SAS community. We look forward to the ongoing nature of this work.

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SAS has taken a deep dive into what is truly needed to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion, and that work is often messy. It has to be messy to get to the point of being unapologetic about providing a safe environment for all members of our community. That messy work has meant uncomfortable conversations and educating all members of our community from faculty and staff, students and parents, and all those involved in the SAS experience. It will take time and courage to continue to build DEI as a norm but I believe we are ready to do it. It is truly messy, uncomfortable, and exhausting work but it's at the heart of what we need to be about if we are truly preparing our students for the future.

DEI is an integral part of SAS. Understanding the importance of our faculty and staff’s identities, while honoring differences, lifts our morale and overall attitudes in our respective roles to support and help one another.

SAS provides a robust DEI program that engages every member of our community with professional development allowing for open and honest discussions. We are currently learning from one another through insightful stories and varying degrees of perspective. As we challenge ourselves along this new journey, we continue to learn.

BARBARA HARVEY, HIGH SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS

JULIE ZHANG, THIRD GRADE CHINESE IMMERSION TEACHER

In the continued interest of providing a safe learning environment for all students (straight from our child safeguarding policy), the Curricular Development Culturally Responsive Learning Community is working to create an anti-bias/anti-hate speech policy in collaboration with students.

The words that we use at SAS in all of our community spaces and interactions should be safe. We will also continue to review our current policies around hate speech to make sure that there are explicit steps known to students, parents, teachers, and all stakeholders to address biased incidents at our school. We continue to support and celebrate students’ self-advocacy and student-driven learning regarding DEI-related topics, alongside continuing to review research-based content and practice to best support our students’ growth as culturally responsive learners. We want to further educate our entire community about anti-hate speech so that students and educators will know how to become upstanders who embody SAS’s core values, and react to these situations in the moment, through culturally-responsive curricula.

The Professional Learning Culturally Responsive Learning Community used the Panorama data from 2021-22 and feedback from faculty to inform our proposal to the SAS leadership team that K-12 professional learning communities (PLCs) set a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timebound (SMART) goal connected to DEI and culturally responsive teaching for the 2022-23 school year. We proposed that SMART goals are shared with DEI specialists in each division, worked towards in at least one meeting each month, and reflected on with DEI specialists each quarter. It is our hope that the existing PLC structures will provide a strong framework for sustained inquiry into how we can ensure our unit plans, practices, and the resources we use with students affirm and center our students’ identities.

The Recruitment and Retention Culturally Responsive Learning Community continues its exciting journey to help SAS examine and refine its hiring and retention practices. As a world leader in education that highly values diversity and inclusion, we strive to attract, retain, and sustain a diverse and highly qualified faculty and staff. After examining multiple sources of data, themes have been identified that guide the work of this committee. A list of recommendations has been generated based on newly published research and relevant data collected internally.

The School Climate Culturally Responsive Learning Community identified the numerous data points we have access to already at SAS, such as the StepUpSAS, Panorama data, and Tripod data. These data points highlight the voices of our SAS community, which includes students, parents, employees, and alumni. We intend to consolidate and analyze all the data to gain a deeper, more comprehensive view of the school climate with our stakeholders, examining trends and gaps, and creating further questions that help us formulate next steps. With this information, we will be empowered to continue to work towards an inclusive school climate for all SAS community members, including students, families, and employees.

Culturally responsive learning communities increase cultural competence and reduce biases to better serve our diverse school community. Forming these requires an inclusive and equity-based leadership approach that invites diverse stakeholders at every level of SAS to share in collaborative learning, decision-making, and change. It further entails culturally responsive learning and leading, in addition to rejecting actions that fuel racism and all other forms of discrimination. It is our hope that our proposed strategies and steps will help SAS-community members to not only form new knowledge but also use that knowledge to implement culturally responsive practices and policies that promote diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice.

Stereotypes and the labels we attach to people carry the power to influence how we perceive them in terms of their competence, their behavior, and capability. These stereotypes are growing stronger and choking the global community spirit. DEI initiatives are imperative to create a welcoming community where everyone can be successful, where people feel valued for who they are. The DEI initiative at SAS is encouraging conversations about topics that we may have previously taken for granted.

The community is curious to recognize and understand the effects of conscious (and unconscious) biases and that is a great start!

SHRUTHI RAMESH, LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER 7

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2021-22

As we shared last fall, ensuring safety and minimizing disruption are important priorities throughout this entire project. The SAS Reimagined team has worked closely with local construction specialists to ensure safety and security during construction, and we are grateful that our students and educators have had very few concerns about disruption over the past year.

REIMAGINING

EXCELLENCE. EXTRAORDINARY CARE. POSSIBILITIES. By K I N JA L S H A H Communications Writer

SAS Reimagined is the culmination of years of research, community engagement, and collaboration with learning design specialists.

Students, parents, and educators took part in our engagement sessions, and the community banded together to help conceptualize this project through design advisory groups.

Our aspiration is to create the best possible experiences for all our students, and the project will result in a significant increase in learning and play space, development of first-class technology, science, arts and athletics spaces, and a much greener, more environmentally sustainable campus.

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High School One of our objectives has been to bring benefits as early as possible during the construction process to our high school students. This year we opened Cafe Shiok!, a new bakery and dining area linked to the high school library, and it has quickly become a popular collaboration space for students. Our completely remodeled Khoo Teck Puat library was unveiled and provides students with open and private study areas, collaborative rooms of various sizes, and significantly more natural light. We also opened our new west fields for our athletes and high school PE classes to use. These fields gave our athletes the opportunity to train and participate in games as we began to hold more competitions during the second semester.

As we engage in the design work, there are two high-level lenses we use as guides: • Every space is a learning space. Whether you are on a playground, in a classroom, in a design lab, or grabbing lunch in the cafeteria, you are in a learning space.

• A variety of learning environments are essential to support all learners. Learning environments must support learning that is active and collaborative, quiet and personal, and the variety of other learning experiences important for each individual student.

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Middle School In the middle school, several donors brought new playspaces to life for our students to enjoy during their breaks.

These have become great community-building spaces. ​

W H AT T O E X P E C T IN 2022-23

Elementary School We kicked off the year with a fun groundbreaking ceremony for the new building currently under construction. While it remains our goal to open the new elementary school in August of 2023, the severe manpower shortages and supply chain disruptions in Singapore’s construction industry continue to pose challenges to this schedule.

The team will continue to update the community on the status of this opening. Should the move-in to the new elementary school not be possible until later in the year, we will continue to operate in our present elementary school. The benefits of the new building will be delayed, but our children will continue to be well-provided for in their current environments.

One of our key findings regarding the development of classrooms in recent years is our need to ensure that students can have fully enclosed classroom spaces that are quiet and separated and also can utilize collaborative, shared spaces that are flexible enough to meet the specific demands of the lesson. Some of our past designs did not have this flexibility or did not provide for each class to have its own separate, fully enclosed, quieter space. We have sought to incorporate these conclusions in this new design.

One more fun highlight was the launch of our community garden. This garden offers both SAS and local Woodlands community members an opportunity to come together as they tend small garden plots. We were fortunate to have our local Member of Parliament, Ms. Hany Soh join us for a launch event in the spring.

Our facilities and construction teams have a big summer ahead as we plan to complete construction on several large projects.

Our high school stadium field grandstands will come online next year and we are excited to have our athletes competing with fans in the stands once again! The new 50 meter pool and aquatics center will be an incredible gift to our athletes for years to come. We will also welcome a new high school dining space overlooking the pools called the Eagle's Perch. Our APEx fitness and wellness center will also open next year and will be the center of wellness for our entire community with weight rooms, a running track, yoga studios, and more. We are looking forward to welcoming all community members to this space.

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This summer, we will complete the last of our seventh grade learning communities and our new ninth grade humanities classrooms. These spaces include separate, individual spaces that may be used for quiet, reflective work, and space for shared learning opportunities.

We look forward to seeing these new spaces come alive next year and to continuing our partnership with parents in the work ahead.

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Khoo Teck Puat Library The Khoo Teck Puat High School Library reopened in January 2022. This newest addition to the community spaces at Singapore American School serves as a hub that will support our students’ involvement in Catalyst, robotics, and engineering communities.

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The top floor brings a different, livelier vibe as a hub for collaboration and innovation for our community.

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The bottom floor is completely separated acoustically from the top floor and offers quiet nooks and reading areas to work on projects, deep dive into our archives, or make use of library resources.

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The top floor is connected to Cafe Shiok!, a shophouse-themed coffee house built to offer our students a greater sense of connectedness.

This space has very quickly become a student favorite!

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More than 1,000 community members walk through the halls of this library each day, enhancing their learning through the variety of resources on offer.

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Coming in Fall 2023

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and record-keeping alternate with taking care of walk-in problems. At mid-morning, “we get busy again when recess begins,” notes elementary and middle school nurse Wan-Ling Toh, “from scrapes to head bumps, lacerations to fractures—you never know what kind of injury or sickness will come through the door.” Elementary school nurse Christine Chan agrees, saying “A normal hard day would be eating lunch at 2.30 p.m., or even 3.30 p.m.,” especially if they are down a nurse or experiencing a wave of illness. Besides providing on-demand nursing care, these professionals oversee routine vision and scoliosis screenings, manage student health and immunization records, and even tend to adults on campus. Trainer Tomo is busiest after school, when she deals with sport-related injuries and works with students undergoing rehab.

they have achieved through such adversity.”

One thing all the nurses agree on is that they love their jobs! “I love, love love, my students,” writes one, “even when they have bizarre complaints (usually first thing Monday morning)!” Another echoes this: “The nurses really work very hard to keep the community safe and healthy. We love the

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge effect on our medical staff, who have taken on many extra tasks. “‘Busy’ is an understatement—we were swamped with challenges and uncertainties; it has been a really stressful and challenging time,” recalls Nurse Christine. The last two years have been

Here to Help: SAS School Nurses By C A R A D'AVA N ZO Communications Writer

Becoming a school nurse is not for the faint of heart! From minor “boo boos” to longterm health issues to attempting CPR on a dead bird, a school nurse has to handle whatever comes through the door. Singapore American School is fortunate to have a dedicated and experienced team of nurses to handle students’ medical needs, as well as an athletic trainer who helps students prevent and recover from injuries. From the first morning bus through after-school activities, these tireless professionals personify the extraordinary care SAS aspires to provide to every student.

The seven members of our medical team found their way to SAS by different routes.

Team leader and high school nurse Cathy Casey remembers, “When I moved to Singapore 17 years ago, I subbed at many international schools and SAS became my firm favorite. When a full time position came up, I applied—and as they say, the rest is 17

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history!” Athletic trainer Tomo Tanabe grew up playing sports and wanted a career in medicine, so “athletic training was a perfect match of sports and medicine.” Three SAS nurses transitioned from high-intensity hospital jobs when they had families, because, as middle school nurse Siying Lek recalls, “it was really tough having to juggle insane shift hours; I barely had time to sleep and I realized I was not as involved in my children’s lives as I wanted to be.” School nursing has provided them a better work-life balance and the chance to focus on children both at work and at home.

When asked about a normal school day, they make it clear that there is no “normal” for a school nurse! By 7:30 a.m., they are working with students who need help right off the buses. Catching up with school emails

“exhausting,” according to Nurse Wan-Ling, who notes that in addition to all the new prevention measures, nurses had to send children home at any sign of illness, follow up regarding test results, navigate changing protocols, and manage parents’ concerns and unhappiness. Nurse Cathy feels that “as a school, we managed all the restrictions well,” and compliments the high school students for their resilience, while acknowledging the real losses they experienced: “They knew what needed to be done and never complained. I think their high school years have been affected, but I hope they will look back and see that they survived it with grace. The world needs to know that these kids did it with all the enthusiasm they could find. It gave me so much joy—even on days that were hard, I watched how these kids found joy, and laughed a lot. Nobody should ever say, ‘they are young, they'll get over it.’ It was a lot and still is, and they absolutely did miss out on many teenage milestones. I personally am incredibly proud of all

SAS community!” For Trainer Tomo, “The best part is definitely seeing an athlete that I helped with rehab go out and play again—knowing their hard work, it is such a reward to share that moment!”

From elementary school play day to high school IASAS events, our nurses have great memories of community bonding and look forward to seeing such opportunities return before long. And they stress the importance of building trust between nurse and patient: “We are here to help take care of the sick or injured. Please tell us the truth so we can help you appropriately,” says one, and another echoes “When you come in, you can always tell us the truth—we won’t judge!” Nurse Cathy reflects on the bonds that can develop between nurses and students: “Students often choose to hang out with the nurses even during free block. That's when I know we are doing something right.” s u m m e r

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World Language Program Turns 10!

By C A R A D ’AVA N ZO Communications Writer

Hui Xu, Director of World Languages, Reflects on Progress and Possibilities This summer marks the 10-year anniversary of our World Language program, which has transformed foreign-language instruction at Singapore American School. Over the summer of 2012, specialized language classrooms were created above the current PTA office and the elementary school moved from Chinese-only, twice-weekly language classes to daily instruction in either Chinese or Spanish. Additional teachers and instructional assistants (IAs) arrived, and language teachers schoolwide began the transition from a more traditional approach to a proficiency-based philosophy that mandates around 90-percent use of the target language in the classroom.

Today, the SAS World Language program gives families plenty of choice and students plenty of opportunities for achievement. The overall goal is bilingualism for every student, and the emphasis on speaking and listening means students are empowered to use their language skills and confident in their abilities. SAS Director of World Languages Hui Xu tells us her thoughts about this 10–year milestone.

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How would you describe the SAS World Language program today?

SAS elementary school students may choose between daily classes in Chinese and Spanish and also have the option to join the Chinese immersion program. Starting in middle school, French becomes an option, and students may choose to take classes in other subjects taught in the target language, such as the eighth grade’s Spanishlanguage Dual Language Immersion (DLI) social studies class or the high school’s AT Chinese History class. We see high levels of satisfaction from students and parents and positive outcomes demonstrated by standardized test results and student attainments.

How does SAS hire great language teachers?

SAS recruits excellent teachers directly through our website, through networking among educators, and, less often, through teaching fairs and search firms. We look for language teachers that come from programs we know are similar to ours, and we promise—and deliver— plenty of professional development to support them. In recent years, we have streamlined our hiring process and now require a “demo lesson” and explanation of the teaching practices shown. Our reference checks are very comprehensive, and we look for candidates who are eager learners, adaptive, collaborative, and willing to grow.

What is the SAS philosophy for foreign language instruction?

Our first focus is on oral proficiency, so that students become confident using the language in authentic situations. We also emphasize cultural knowledge and understanding of the countries and peoples that use each language. As students’ speaking and listening skills develop, these are complemented with an increased focus on literacy skills. As Superintendent Tom Boasberg wrote earlier this year, “we believe deeply in developing the bilingual abilities of our students. To be bilingual in today’s world is an incredible strength and asset. We want to do all we can to nurture and develop those abilities in our students.”

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What are some recent highlights of the SAS World Language program?

Looking forward, what are your hopes for the SAS World Language program in coming years?

Next fall, our Chinese immersion program will extend across all elementary school grade levels, a huge achievement for SAS that required significant investments in staff, facilities, and teaching materials. We are also extremely proud of our DLI social studies class, now entering its fifth year, which is an option for qualified eighth grade Spanish-language students as well as native Spanish speakers.

Our AP Chinese, French, and Spanish courses, as well as our newer Advanced Topic courses—AT Chinese Language: History and AT Spanish Language: Latin American History and Culture Through Arts and Media—give high school students opportunities to excel academically and set themselves apart on their college applications.

When it comes to course offerings, we have many exciting ideas!

Building on our elementary school options, new middle school courses could include language-based electives and advisories. Students who choose these could spend 25 to 30 percent of their school hours speaking their target language on class days. We will also examine how best to meet the needs of learners who have advanced through the program and now may arrive in high school already at high competency levels.

Two external programs also enhance our offerings. The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes students who show mastery of English and a foreign language studied through senior year. They must demonstrate proficiency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening, as documented through an application, internal benchmarks, and external exams. Since its inception with the class of 2019, over 100 seniors have seen the Seal of Biliteracy added to their diplomas.

We also are a member of a consortium of leading independent schools called Global Online Academy (GOA), which offers SAS students access to online courses in subjects not taught at SAS. Since adopting GOA ion 2015, SAS has seen several students each year take Japanese or Arabic through it.

The pandemic impacted our ability to engage students authentically beyond the classroom, and we hope to resume language-based high school Interim Semester trips to Europe and China next year. Similarly, we look forward to planning special events for our younger language learners that make use of community members who speak the languages, such as read-alouds by older students, parent-led cooking activities, and special celebrations.

On a more systemic level, next year World Language will undergo its periodic curricular review, and we will act on the resulting recommendations, as well as the results of this year’s Chinese nearnative program review. The school’s expanding PLC-coaching model is helping World Language teachers and IAs work in a long-term, focused manner to grow through feedback and sustained support.

Furthermore, several of our IAs are taking advantage of opportunities available through the Lucky 8s program, for which they sincerely thank our generous donors.

The World Language program is going from strength to strength, and we are so excited about what this means for our students. Through their SAS language classes, they become confident language users with crucial tools for future studies, professional opportunities, and participation in the global community. Our language program is central to our mission as a school: providing each student an exemplary American educational experience with an international perspective.

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CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2022 IN OUR EDUCATOR COMMUNITY By D r. J E N N I FE R S PA R R OW Deputy Superintendent

Everything in education hinges on the quality, dedication, and positive engagement of teachers.

One of the most important tasks I have as a leader at Singapore American School is to support the hiring and retaining of amazing educators who can help our students become exceptional thinkers prepared for the future. We are blessed to have some of the best educators in the world at SAS. They are the ones who model our core values and learning aspirations, selflessly go beyond expectations to work with students, sponsor a wide variety of co-curricular activities, and continually practice new and more effective ways of improving the learning in their classrooms.

As a commitment to our educators as well as our desire to focus on excellence, extraordinary care, and possibilities, we have supported two cohorts of SAS doctoral students with the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of of Education. In May 2018 and May 2023, SAS educators graduated with doctorates in education degrees. Their dissertations ranged across a variety of topics from analysis of our Chinese immersion programme to supporting teachers with math adoption, new math resources, issues of inclusion, causes of anxiety among high school students, and more!

“I am humbled and honored to receive the dissertation of distinction award from USC. Most of all, I am grateful for the participants, our colleagues, who willingly and generously took the time to meet with me for semi-structured interviews as part of the dissertation research process. It is our colleague's open and honest responses and willingness to share their stories based on their lived experiences as teachers of color at SAS that deserve the accolades of distinction for enabling this important exploratory research to be possible and for opening my eyes and illuminating so much that I could not have otherwise seen through my own limited lens. I believe and hope that this recognition underscores just how incredibly important the work that we are doing on culturally responsive practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion is to our community. I look forward to continuing to advocate for the positive cultural changes this work has suggested,” says Dr. Henning.

I am appreciative of all of my colleagues who have gone through this program! They have modeled our learning aspirations of critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration for both students and colleagues. They have exemplified our core values of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and compassion through the ups and downs completing the program while being fully committed to their students and teams. Finally, they have helped identify solutions to issues that SAS and the field of education are experiencing. The outcomes we hoped to achieve in having an onsite doctoral program have come to fruition and will have a positive, long-reaching impact on SAS.

*MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE VARIETY OF TOPICS EXPLORED BY OUR EDUCATORS FOR THEIR DOCTORATES CAN BE FOUND BELOW

2018

2022

Investigation of an onsite doctorate program began in 2013 because we believed that a doctorate program at SAS would have many benefits: a) it would allow our teachers who already had master’s degrees to advance their formal education while continuing to work full time; b) it would provide a retention strategy to keep quality teachers because we would provide a scholarship in exchange for extra years at SAS, and; c) it would allow for rigorous analysis of programs or problems of practice found at SAS, leading to positive changes in instructional and leadership practices. After examining programs at three diffrent universities, SAS chose USC because of their willingness to customize a program for our educators in the Singapore context and for the availability of on-site courses.

The first cohort started in 2015 with 16 SAS educators, all of whom attained their degrees in May 2018. That year, topics focused on Reggio-inspired early learning, responsive classroom practices, employee wellness, scaling innovation and change across a system, helping our top math students, deepening our understanding of professional learning communities (PLCs) and PLC leadership, supporting teacher leaders, and mentoring high school students. I was fortunate enough to be a part of that cohort, working alongside my colleagues as just another student. It is an experience that will forever stay close to my heart.

This year, our Director of Human Resources Dr. Christine Henning was selected to receive the 2022 Dissertation of Distinction award for the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program.

Every year, the university selects one student from each of its three educational doctorate programs based on the merits of their research. Dr. Henning’s was chosen out of over one hundred to receive this special accolade for advancements to the field of education. Dr. Henning’s topic focused on better support for our educators of color. She conducted a case study and interviewed several of our educators of color about their experience with moving and working here and then generated themes and action steps to improve our hiring practices and day-to-day practices to help better support our educators of color.

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Why Do Educators Love Working at SAS? By A I SLI N G O'B R I E N Communications Writer

Since its establishment in 1956, Singapore American School has been privileged to have a dedicated and committed faculty.

SAS has seen its share of changes and challenges over the years, but our educators—teachers, instructional assistants (IAs), and staff—have remained steadfast in their commitment to providing an excellent educational experience for our students.

Educator longevity at SAS is impressive, with an average of 9.5 years of service, and our longest-serving educator, third grade IA Rohana Nong Mansor, has over 50 years at SAS. Longevity helps to create a sense of ownership and connection between educators and students, fostering positive academic outcomes. These long tenures are the result of the school's remarkable culture. SAS provides a professional development and growth environment for its educators, as well as a strong support system that allows them to flexibly develop and manage their careers here.

How SAS Addresses Teacher Retention A 2021 Purdue University study found that a number of factors contribute to teacher retention, including working conditions, collegiality, co-teaching relations, and salaries and benefits. According to a 2017 study from Walden University, US public schools experience educator turnover of up to 23 percent per annum. Although SAS enjoys a much lower teacher turnover rate (varying from six percent to around 15 percent annually over the last decade), keeping the most passionate, qualified, and experienced teachers in our classrooms is a key concern.

Hiring the Best People

“Having quality teachers is vitally important,” says Dr. Jennifer Sparrow, deputy superintendent at SAS. “We have quality teachers who've just graduated, as well as quality teachers who've been teaching 30 years.” SAS has a very rigorous hiring process, which includes a background check, multiple interviews, and a teaching demonstration.

This process helps to ensure that only the most qualified and committed teachers are hired.

Support and Leadership

SAS provides a variety of supports to help teachers feel connected to their students and their work.

A 2014 California State University study found that a perception of strong school leadership was positively associated with teacher longevity. Supports at SAS include coaches who work with teachers one-on-one, professional learning communities that allow teachers to collaborate and share best practices, and feedback mechanisms with leaders and peers that help teachers reflect on and share their best practices.

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Professional Development

Teachers at SAS can participate in a variety of programs and courses that help them improve their teaching skills. Additionally, SAS offers mentorship and induction programs to help new teachers adjust to the school system and feel supported in their work. The school also strives to create a positive and welcoming environment for all educators, which can help reduce turnover rates. We are grateful to the SAS PTA and Booster Club for their work in supporting our teachers and thankful to all families that make gifts to SAS to support professional development opportunities for our educators.

Rewarding Outstanding Teaching

The benefits of a long-term SAS teaching career are many. Our teachers receive a competitive salary that increases in line with their experience and ongoing education, as well as benefits such as health insurance, retirement savings plans, and vacation time.

Wellness and Community

Teacher longevity has been shown to be related to well-being and community involvement. Most studies on educator longevity have shown that those who feel a sense of connectedness to their community are more likely to stay in their job for a longer period of time. Through SAS’s Working On Wellness (WOW) program, our teachers are encouraged to maintain their physical, social, and emotional well-being. Overall, these factors contribute to a more positive teaching experience for both the teacher and the students. We are also deeply grateful to parents for the encouragement they give to our educators.

The Benefits of Long-Term Teaching Staff Long-term teaching staff can provide a sense of stability and continuity for students, which can lead to a greater sense of academic and emotional security. Additionally, having long-serving educators allows for the development of strong relationships between teachers and students, which facilitates a supportive learning environment. Furthermore, long-term teaching staff can help to ensure that the curriculum is effectively implemented and that students are effectively assessed. Overall, longevity helps our educators be effective in helping students achieve academic success.

Final Thoughts Our educators are highly dedicated, passionate, and experienced. This is why we deeply cherish our SAS educators. They are at the heart of our school and contribute so much to the success of our students. As we welcome this summer’s new cohort, we hope they, too, will be with us for many years.

What does being part of the SAS community mean to you?

What do you love about SAS after all this time?

The best part about the job is the fact that

positive experiences for our educators through the pandemic.

every day is a new adventure. I’m constantly

As a nonprofit, SAS invests in fantastic facilities, outstanding

meeting new families and showcasing our

programs, and incredible opportunities for students and

excellent school. I’ve poured my time and

educators. This is a place where educators are supported in

passion into admissions at SAS for 28 years,

everything from their doctoral studies to their social activities.

and I’m so proud of our school. My colleagues

SAS really lives the strategic anchors of excellence, possibilities,

and I have built wonderful relationships here

and extraordinary care.

over the years.

Farouk Maricar (28 years at SAS), Admissions Manager

With Working on Wellness, it’s a joy to be able to help provide

Dr. Anne Wenstrom (15 years at SAS), Elementary PE Teacher, PE Department Coordinator, WOW Employee Wellness Coordinator

How do you keep it fresh at SAS after so many years?

I know that the challenges kids face today are very different from the challenges they faced when I began teaching here over 20 years ago. In particular, the advent of technology has greatly affected children's learning processes.

I continue learning so I can ensure that the program we offer proactively meets their needs. I'm also really excited about the campus upgrade, which has such a focus on social-emotional development. The reimagined campus will provide children with the space to interact with learning, each other, and the natural world in new and engaging ways.

Dr. Jennifer Sparrow (23 years at SAS), Deputy Superintendent

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Was it this person who said that?

Or that person who said this?

EDUCATOR!

Turn the magazine upside down to find out if you matched the quote to the right educator!

AT SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL OUR EDUCATORS ARE DEEPLY IMPORTANT TO US, BECAUSE THEIR WORK IS AT THE HEART OF OUR MISSION. THEY CONSISTENTLY PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL CARE AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR STUDENTS, AND SO THEY DESERVE OUR DEEPEST GRATITUDE.

1

I grew up on a mixed farm on the Canadian Prairies with cows, pigs, chickens, and sheep.

2

When I was little, we had a pet monkey named Chico while my dad was stationed in the Amazon region.

E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L D E P U T Y P R I N C I PA L

C A M P U S H E A LT H A N D SAFET Y SPECIALIST

Susan Shaw

Sebastian Wong

Thank you for inspiring me so early to pursue my interest in design and architecture. It most certainly motivated me to complete my engineering degree, and allowed me the very unique opportunity to contribute to the next evolution of SAS, after having vicariously experienced the design of the Woodlands campus back in the early 90's. I am so fortunate to have had inspirational teachers like you to set me on a course for success.

3

I lived and worked in the Aussie outback, spending three months in tent. I helped to shear a sheep for the village BBQ.

Thank you for being a great inspiration for our daughter. Your sharp insights of the kids' characters and your ability to motivate, engage, and connect with them at a very deep level is a gift that you should be proud of. We are forever grateful for your impact on our daughter and for all you do.

4

My first job as a teenager was at a petrol station where I earned $5 an hour. I would spend my afternoons after school filling tanks, pumping tires with air, and restocking the convenience store attached. I loved the interactions I had with people each day and stayed in this job all my high school years.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN T E AC H E R

MIDDLE SCHOOL D E P U T Y P R I N C I PA L

Huda Hanapiah

Chris Beingessner

PRESCHOOL T E AC H E R

KINDERGARTEN T E AC H E R

Katie Goggins

Analu Kewelar

Thank you for making our son’s first year at SAS a great one.

We were a bit worried at the beginning as this is his first big school, but from the first day, he always came back home smiling. He is learning so much in class in all subjects, and looks forward to going to school every day. This makes us so happy!

We can see from the pictures how happy all the children are to be in your class, so thank you for being such a great teacher in their learning journey.

5

One of my favorite scuba diving trips was diving with hammerhead sharks in the Galápagos Islands.

6

I majored in events management and tourism before becoming an educator. I planned events related to conventions and seminars.

ANSWERS: 1 – Chris Beingessner; 2 – Analu Kewelar; 3 – Sebastian Wong; 4 – Katie Goggins; 5 – Susan Shaw; 6 – Huda Hanapiah

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Make a Gift YOUR GIFT LETS OUR EDUCATORS KNOW YOU CARE AND ENABLES THE SCHOOL TO SUPPORT INCREDIBLE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS.

*The advancement office will notify honorees and include your personal note.

The amount of your donation will not be shared with the honoree.

Then Now 1995

The ethic of active community service was promoted by the SAS Social Services Club in the 1980s, and it continued to expand in the following decade. By 1994, the club was actively conducting 10 different projects in Singapore, supported by 150 students and 15 teachers. Early SAS service clubs initially planned activities that revolved around raising money for the needy, but the school later began to look at ways to actively involve students in community service. The first ecology club was organized

by Kate Thorne and Richard Frazier at Ulu Pandan. The club participated in the Pulau Ubin Sensory Trail project, helped to clean up Sungei Buloh nature park, and promoted recycling.

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2022

In high school, six elected students oversee all service clubs via our Executive Service Council. Students who join service clubs develop skills such as taking initiative, collaborating, organizing, and implementing plans. Encouraged to initiate their own service-learning projects, they work on valuable life skills and become more responsible, enlightened, and reflective global citizens. Blue Planet Initiative (BPI) is a service club in the high school that aims to practice and promote marine conservation and environmental sustainability through various service projects. This year, over 145 volunteers (students and educators) participated in four beach cleanups around the island, and more than 12,500 pieces of trash were removed from East Coast Park and Changi Beach.

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Beyond The Headlines: Te a c h i n g C u r r e n t E v e n t s By C A R A D'AVA N ZO Communications Writer As Europe’s most serious military conflict in decades dominates news headlines, parents in many countries are wondering how their children are learning about it at school. Addressing current events in age-appropriate ways is part of Singapore American School’s mission of cultivating exceptional thinkers prepared for the future. The skills required to assess and understand news items in today’s environment are taught through our learning aspirations of critical thinking, content knowledge, cultural competence, and character. We asked teachers schoolwide to tell us how they guide their students to go beyond the headlines to better understand their world.

First grade teacher Gillian Lait says that in the early grades, teaching about current events is done on a teacher-by-teacher basis. “My students and I often talk about these events at the end of the day during the closing circle, when there’s time to bring up any thoughts they want to raise,” she explains.

“Additionally, once a week I have a ‘campfire chat’ with my students, where we all share something that’s bugging us.” Such open-ended discussions allow students to raise issues they’ve heard about that are worrying or confusing them. Lait then helps the class understand the wider context or relate the event to their own lives. For serious and complex current events, “We usually read an age-appropriate book that sparks conversation and then go from there with concerns and connections. These conversations are student-led, so if questions come up, I ask other students to respond or help paraphrase a response that I give. This keeps the conversation at a developmentally appropriate level, since they are the ones setting the pace.”

In middle school, social studies classes take the lead in teaching about current events. Sixth grade teacher Megan Kelly explains, “I use Flocabulary, which has a weekly current events video. We discuss the events and how they relate to our current units. Other teachers, often in advisory, use CNN10’s 10-minute news segments, designed for middle school and high school audiences. We will also design lessons for major events; for example, last year we did a specific lesson on the events of January 6, 2021 in the US.” When Russia invaded Ukraine, Kelly created a lesson that sixth grade social studies teachers used to help students understand the news they were hearing about. “We devoted a full class period to understanding the conflict and giving students background knowledge,” recalls Kelly. “I found that they didn't know much, but were desperate to find out more.”

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In seventh grade social studies, students are expected to watch, read, or listen to current events each day and then write a tweet-length summary of one event. Teacher Leigh Curnett explains that students learn how to choose credible news sources and may follow one story over time or choose different news events each class for a global perspective.

“At the beginning of second semester,” she says, “students were tasked with connecting current events to our topic of investigation: interdependence and equity through the lens of geography and economics in Singapore.” When the Ukraine–Russia crisis escalated, the class changed course to examine it. Curnett developed a mini-lesson based on the book Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall and then asked students to develop their own questions about the crisis. “They researched these using commonly accessed news sources as well as news sources within Russia and Ukraine, and they looked at their own home country's response to the crisis,” she explains. Since spring break, seventh graders have revisited their work to develop claims they can support with evidence and reasoning. They have also learned about the broader context of the conflict, including the role of sanctions, NATO, CSTO, the fall of the Soviet Union, communism, and democracy. “While some students then chose to develop a research-based argument about Ukraine and Russia,” Curnett says, “others decided to focus on Singapore, with topics ranging from naturalresource scarcity to influence of colonial rule to diversity.”

The eighth grade social studies course focuses on US history and society and moves through five units purposely designed to go from past to present. Current events may therefore be incorporated into lessons that cover relevant material. Teacher and middle school social studies department chair Dr. Scott Oskins shared a lesson to demonstrate how teachers may sensitively raise issues in the news that, while difficult for students to discuss, are vitally important to address. Developed and co-taught with the middle school instructional coaches, the lesson draws on earlier work the students did when reading Julius Lester's To Be a Slave and is based on articles that ran in major newspapers during last

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year’s winter break. “It's an intense topic, but an important one to discuss with our rising ninth graders,” writes Dr. Oskins. “This is why all of our units in eighth grade start in the past and end in the present—to allow our kids to have a good understanding of historical context in order to understand the complex issues of today.” Middle school Deputy Principal Dr. Betsy Hall notes that “this thoughtful, well-designed lesson doesn't force anyone to take a side. It asks students to read and reflect and make meaning based on their own perspectives and the perspectives of others.” Eighth grade teacher Jennifer Koltutsky adds that “the lesson encourages students to reflect on their use of social media and the ‘personal digital footprint’ each person’s internet use creates.”

By the end of their middle school years, SAS students have learned how to assess news sources and why it’s important to gain multiple perspectives and research context. High school classes—particularly English, social studies, and world language courses—offer many opportunities to learn about current issues and analyze how they are presented. Ninth grade World History, for example, includes a major fourth-quarter project where students research a current global issue of importance to them. After exploring the current Russia–Ukraine conflict as a model, students generate research questions about global issues, identify credible sources that provide information on various perspectives, and use this information to formulate potential answers. “Students are pushed to deepen their understanding of perspectives by analyzing the complex and interacting political, social, cultural, economic, and geographical factors that have influenced people’s perspectives today and in the past,” says ninth grade social studies teacher and high school department chair Cassandra Summerton. “This research will be used to support evidence-based written arguments in World History class and to craft final presentations in English class, as well. We intend to carry this interdisciplinary project over to our new Humanities 9 curriculum as the culminating project.”

Brenda Baisley, who teaches AP English Language and Composition, says that students are encouraged to develop healthy current events reading habits by regularly reading and analyzing news stories of their choice. Students also read a classic dystopian novel and then write a research paper on the novel’s parallels to the real world. “No two students tackle the same topic in the same way,” Baisley notes, “and so students are able to see just how many different connections there are to be made to current events.

From privacy and surveillance to censorship and freedom of speech, conformity and rebellion to the roles of government and religion, students examine how these ideas are relevant today, as well as how they differ from the novel’s speculation.” The course also covers how controversial topics can shape society.

“Using the topic of race as our illustrative example, students read a number of texts that provide both historical and contemporary perspectives on the issue,” Baisley explains. Later, each student researches a topic that intrigues them and creates a video commentary to share their learning with their peers. “Our hope is that students will come to recognize that there is no ‘simple’ issue and that we should seek to understand before forming our own opinions,” Baisley says.

When it comes to the Ukraine–Russia conflict, some AP English Language and Composition classes have examined how various media are covering the conflict and how the language used to discuss it compares to the language used to discuss other conflicts. Students also analyzed Volodymyr Zelensky’s rhetoric in his address to the US Congress. “One of the expectations of the College Board is that students learn how to examine topics in a nuanced way, seeking to explore the complexities, tensions, limitations, and broader implications of each topic they discuss,” explains Baisley. “Because of this, as teachers, we try to look deeply at a single topic, exploring multiple perspectives and ‘takes’ on the issue. We model this with an example and then ask students to use that skill independently as they prepare for discussions, research, essays, and projects.”

From circle chats in elementary school to media literacy in middle school to in-depth analysis of news items, perspectives, and media decisions in high school, SAS students steadily develop the skills necessary to become regular and discerning media consumers. Being able to understand news items beyond the headlines is a life skill that SAS wants all students to develop. With the relevant tools and knowledge, SAS students are well positioned to move into the world as responsible citizens who can make their world a better place.

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What Can We Do At Home?

While very young children may not grasp the difference between fact and fantasy, by age seven or eight, most know the news is real. Here are some ways parents can help their children become interested and responsible news consumers:

Ask and answer Learn together Set aside time regularly each week to watch, listen, or read about the news with your child, using age-appropriate sources. Model an interest in current events and an open-minded attitude.

Ask your child what they know, correct misconceptions and falsehoods, and answer their questions as best you can.

Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know— let’s find out together!”

Set limits and discuss sources Model good habits Let your child see you consuming news responsibly: limit TV time, discuss current events calmly, and demonstrate a willingness to understand others’ perspectives.

Limit how much time your child spends watching TV news shows or on news sites. Know what they are looking at, and reinforce what they are learning about source reliability.

Review digital safety for online media use Invest in a newspaper or magazine subscription Consider subscribing to a source that is reliable, age-appropriate, and attractive to your child—print media sources promote reading skills, an added bonus!

Talk to your child’s teacher or librarian for suggestions.

SAS counselors do presentations every year about digital safety, so browse our counseling pages or email your child’s counselor for details on what the school recommends in terms of time online, settings, and parental oversight for different age groups.

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understand that it is crucial in our global society that students develop their cultural competency and are able to function effectively with people of different cultures and backgrounds. Our shared goal is to help build awareness of their cultural worldview, develop cross-cultural skills, and positively embrace cultural differences.

In a quest to mold our students into lifelong learners ready to face the rapidly evolving world, eighth grade English language arts students engage deeply with the topic of social justice.

At the beginning of their second semester of the 2021–22 school year, they began their journey in social justice reading, writing, and inquiry centered around cultural competence.

SS oo cc ii aa ll JJ uu ss tt ii cc ee UU nn ii tt :: PP oo dd cc aa ss tt ss ff oo rr CC hh aa nn gg ee By DIDI HARI KRISHNAN Communications Writer What are some social justice issues we face today?

How can students guide their own journey toward understanding these issues on a deeper level?

Eighth grade English language arts students share how their social justice unit has helped them understand the paramount importance of these topics to cultivate a just society.

At Singapore American School we are committed to being a world leader in education, cultivating exceptional thinkers who are prepared for the future. This tall task is accomplished through our identified learning aspirations. While all seven learning aspirations are essential, educators at SAS 35

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Eight broad social justice topics from the Learning for Justice website were used to frame students' understanding of social issues: race and ethnicity, religion, [socioeconomic] class, immigration, bullying and bias, rights and activism, gender and sexual identity, and ability. Each student then chose a subject area of interest to them such as migrant workers’ rights and inequalities, access to health care, mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.

Social issues have to be talked about. Society as a whole tends to forget others due to the extreme focus we place on our own problems. However, when we learn (about the social issues present today), we rise to a place where we can act. Isn’t that the end goal?

KAREN O., 8A STUDENT

STUDENTS WENT THROUGH A FOUR-STEP PROCESS TO PREPARE RESEARCH In order to gain some background knowledge on their chosen topics, students conducted specific research to align with the different perspectives they explored. This step was an iterative process as students developed the skills to research when they discovered something new throughout the unit. For example, some students gathered new findings during the interview, leading them to conduct new research to gather more insights on the particular topic.

My learning process began with a deep dive into the state of the war in modern society—the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This, in turn, gave me a greater insight into the current state of just how prevalent violence is in the world right now. In addition to the desk research, I also interviewed experts. I interviewed SAS social studies teacher Dr. Scott Oskins to connect past wars to modern conflicts; Matt Friedman, a human rights activist, to sharpen my focus on how the lives of individuals are affected by violence; and finally, Chaitan Rao, an investment analyst, to understand the relation of war and economics.

VIR R., 8B STUDENT

READING

I think that our research process wasn't particularly challenging when it came to gathering information because what we needed was readily available. I truly believe that the independent research we conducted was a crucial factor that changed the result of our final product. It encouraged us to take our own initiatives and to discover diverse sources that we would curate and interpret.

Students were given a list of fiction or nonfiction books on social justice issues in our world today, which they read in class book clubs. They then had productive conversations about how human rights and equity intersect with the themes of their chosen books—taking on a variety of perspectives, engaging in their own inquiry process, and building empathy.

ALEX L., 8C STUDENT

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WRITING

EDITING

Students went through a deliberative process where they listened to model podcasts as mentor texts to help them plan their script.

Students then created their transcripts, carefully writing an original script that covered the topics or information discussed within the genre of their choice.

Students worked on creating a well-prepared, fully developed podcast that includes an introduction, sound bites, bridges, wrapup, and a sign-off. Soundbites that offered context and examined different perspectives on the topic chosen were captured and included in their final podcast.

A challenge that came after the research and interviewing stage was evaluating which soundbites and perspectives I needed versus wanted to include—a skill many eighth graders improved on this year. From this podcast-building process, I ultimately learned that following an organic investigative journey, letting all evidence directly lead you to a stance, is an important skill in both writing and life.

REBECCA N., 8C STUDENT

Gender inequality in sports was my choice. After gathering information on our topics, we began choosing people we wanted to interview.

We also had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with a group of panelists regarding our topic. Finally, we created our final social justice podcasts based on our research, interviews, and panel discussions. I believe SAS should continue with this project since not only was it a lot of fun, but it also taught us a lot about social justice problems and how to make and edit our podcasts.

AARYA M., 8C STUDENT

I appreciated the opportunity to create an engaging product for the listeners. The amount of time and fine-tuning required to create the podcast via GarageBand surprised me. However, this wasn’t a problem, as I enjoyed being able to personalize my podcast. I have learned the importance of planning podcasts, and this could be applied to other formats, such as an essay or even a video.

LUKE N., 8B STUDENT

SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW TO LISTEN TO PODCASTS ON WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS

The process resulted in a robust collection of podcasts, spanning essential social justice topics and reinforcing critical thinking skills as our students assessed and analyzed complex problems within their society. This learning journey has helped broaden their understanding of the world and enrich their international and cross-cultural perspectives here in Singapore and the region. While we all view every social justice issue through the lens of our very own experiences, these students have shown that the conversations they had throughout this unit have helped them understand these issues on a deeper level—engaging them in discussions that will encourage them to be individuals who will stand up to exclusion, prejudice, and injustice.

Through this unit I discovered a lot of things about the world we live in. But most of all I learned how connected the world's issues are.

I did my podcast about Covid-19 and the healthcare system, but I was able to connect my learning when I listened to another podcast about racism.

MATTHEW H., 8B STUDENT

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AMPUS S

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“I’m never gonna get better, am I?” Samantha’s words punctured the silence that had invaded my office. “No matter how hard I try, I always come up short of my parents’ and teachers’ expectations.”

Knowing I needed to be confrontational to redirect her thinking, I remarked, “You know, Samantha, for a lie to be effective, it has to be believable.”

She assumed a defensive posture, slouching further into the couch. “What are you talking about?”

By D r. J E FF D E V E N S Personal Academic Counselor

“I’m talking about the lies you tell yourself and then believe as if they’re true. For example, the voice in your head that says you’ll never be good enough, no one will ever like you, you can’t do anything right.”

Samantha protested. “But those things are true!”

“How so? How do you know they’re true? What filters are you using to determine your thoughts are based in reality?”

She seemed confused by the question, so I tried a different tack. “If I said I weighed eighty pounds (36kg), would you believe me?”

She grinned as she pondered the thought.

“No, but you would look funny.”

“But I do! Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

I argued.

“If you step on a scale, people will know you’re lying,” she parried.

“But they already know I’m lying, don’t they?”

“Yes, but now you’ll know you’re lying.”

“So is the external evidence countering or confirming my thoughts?” I asked.

Samantha got the point.

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Over the next several weeks, we scheduled a series of meetings with parents, teachers, and friends, based on the emerging themes Samatha uncovered in our talks. Themes like “I don’t have any friends,” “I’ll never be good enough for my parents,” and “My parents love my brother more than me.” These extreme thoughts heavily influenced her emotional state.

Addressing Samatha's misperceptions about herself wasn’t easy, but if we had allowed her to continue thinking that way without challenge, her spiral of depression, anxiety, and self-injury would continue. Having conversations with others forced her to confront the perceptions she held in isolation. Over time, and with consistent parental support, Samatha began taking control of her thoughts, running them through a healthy set of filters, and finding degrees of freedom in areas where her emotions had long held her captive.

Our thoughts have the power we give them.

Sadly, Samatha’s story is a common one.

Many instances of anxiety and depression are rooted in persistent and pervasive negative thinking. It’s not that kids don’t want to change; many simply don’t know how. When this occurs, a parent’s tendency is either to become manic— running from one emotional episode to the next, trying to assuage their kid’s feelings—or they dismiss the behavior as immature and childish.

I would like to suggest a middle path—one of consolation, clarification, and confrontation.

When kids (or adults) apply words such as always, never, all the time, no one, everyone, or everybody to their situations, they are thinking in emotional extremes. If they are allowed to persist with these thoughts, negative, nonproductive patterns will emerge. For example, if your child says, “I can’t do anything right,” or “I’ll never be good enough,” they are trying to convince themselves—and you— that they are the victim of circumstances beyond their control. When they adopt this mentality, they eventually take on the role of martyr or victim. It’s from this emotional vantage point that they’ll justify passivity. s u m m e r

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Kids are primarily emotional thinkers. Not yet able to compartmentalize their feelings, their moods color all areas of their lives. Parents must help them sort through their pain, use words to communicate, not emotions, and develop a plan of action. With practice and consistency, parents can move kids from being emotionally passive to logical thinkers who can own their emotions.

The steps in this process are outlined below.

Consolation—Validate the Hurt The way to a kid’s head is through the heart. When kids speak in emotional extremes, it’s vital for parents to acknowledge and validate their feelings.

This doesn’t mean you agree with the sentiments.

Saying, “I’m sorry this is happening” or “I can see how you would feel this way when...” are ways to validate feelings. When you do this, expect them to initially be more emotional. Why? You’re providing an outlet for their feelings. Doing this also allows you access to the cerebral side of their brains. In short, they need to be allowed to vent.

Clarification—Ask Difficult Questions The process of validating feelings and clarifying the issues takes time, sometimes a lot. In fact, your timing of questions is more important than your words. The clarification process is where parents usually run into trouble. Some approach this like a lawyer interrogating a client instead of a parent cultivating a heart. When parents demand evidence to support emotions, the process shuts down. Instead, get your kids talking by asking them questions such as, “When you say you can’t do anything right, can you help me understand what you mean?” or “When you say you have no friends or your teachers don’t like you, can you help me understand what you mean?” These open-ended questions provide insights into what they are thinking. In most cases, the extremes won’t be sustained beyond one or two specific events.

Confrontation—Address the Extremes Once you understand what the specific issues are, it’s time to develop a plan of action. Continued passivity and emotional extremes won’t produce positive outcomes. If your child doesn’t want to move forward, you must take the lead. Expect your child to either become more emotional or refuse

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to engage. Have the courage to look beyond the present emotional state of your child and think about how they would like you to handle similar situations in the future. For example, what would you do if your child came to you in tears, stating, “My teacher doesn’t like me!” What if they then used this as justification for not putting effort into the class?

After you’ve validated their feelings and asked for specific examples, it may be appropriate to arrange a conversation between your child and their teacher to clarify misunderstandings.

Your child’s counselor can work as a mediator to facilitate this process. It’s difficult for kids and/ or teachers to persist with negative or extreme thinking when a third-party mediator presents the situation from all sides and clarifies any contradicting information. The goal is for kids to self-advocate, address specific issues and concerns, and seek a positive resolution. This is the kind of work I undertake on a regular basis, and it often leads to positive outcomes.

But what do you do when a child’s feelings are accurate? In some cases, kids may not have many friends, they may not be able to do certain things as well as others, or they may be dealing with a personality clash with a teacher. To deny this is to deny reality. Sometimes reality is painful. There aren’t quick fixes or easy solutions to some of life’s problems. It’s important to focus on what kids can do. Can they persist despite obstacles?

Can they, with support, find ways to demonstrate competence in other areas?

With maturation, motivation, and yes, emotions, kids can find ways to overcome challenges. A time for wallowing may be necessary, but it’s not the place to camp. Sometimes, to get over painful circumstances, we have to go through them—even kids. There’s no joy in this, at least not immediately, but there are opportunities for growth. If your child is persistently thinking in negative patterns and you need help, reach out to their counselor or teachers. Kids will need guidance from parents to cope with their emotions, deal with negative selftalk, and find positive ways to own their emotions and resulting behaviors.

You are valuable just because you exist.

Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.

Max Lucado

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V isit the SAS PTA online store to purchase school spirit items

Booster Club S

P

I

R

I

T

S

A

L

Visit us at https://sasboosterstore.com/

We ship internationally!

pproved a m r o if Un ckets zipper ja

Gi accefts and ssor ies

d Hats an s a ll umbre

Sp and isrit socks Red hirts f o Out Fridar y

And much, much more! http://sasptastore.myshopify.com/

E

MightY Eagles

! n o i t c A n i Back By DIDI HARI KRISHNAN Communications Writer

Singapore American School student athletes have resumed training for games, and members of our community have been welcomed back on campus to cheer on our mighty Eagles as they compete! After two years of no games on campus due to the pandemic, sports facilities at SAS are finally buzzing with excitement! Throughout this rollercoaster year, our students have shown their resilience and determination to keep things going—a true embodiment of the Eagle Way. There is so much to look forward to next year, and we hope all members of our community will join us in supporting our student athletes.

Go Eagles!

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I felt freedom, like I had been trapped in a cage for these past two years, as we could only practice and only dream about playing games, but now that dream came true! Even though we are only participating in friendly games and not tournaments, it's still a great feeling to be playing again after almost two years! Thank you to the coaches and staff who made this possible for us!

WILLIAM F., EIGHTH GRADE SOCCER

I felt nervous that I would forget how to play, but even after two years, I was grateful and happy to play again. I’m looking forward to refining my skills and learning new tactics on the field.

CHARLOTTE P., EIGHTH GRADE SOCCER

The only games I have played in two years were small-sided basketball games. I was rather excited about being able to compete with different players.

MANUEL R., SIXTH GRADE BASKETBALL

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Without a doubt, our end-of-season tournament in March was a standout moment for me during my final years on the soccer team. Having been largely impacted by the pandemic from the end of my tenth grade year onwards, the tournament was a true culmination of all of the hard work and perseverance that had been displayed over the past years by the players, coaches, athletics team, and everyone involved in the sporting program. Being given the opportunity to play a multi-day, multi-match tournament against other schools brought back a sense of competitive spirit and normality that sparked such positivity and joy in everyone in the soccer program and truly wrote a wonderful final chapter in my journey as a high school soccer player—I could not be more grateful!

LIAM MURGATROYD, TWELFTH GRADE SOCCER

It felt like the world was normal again. Over the past two years, only being able to play in pods of five, the sense of playing as a team, the bond between players, the intensity and the love for the game were fading. However, stepping onto the field again, seeing the same faces with me as in Manila during our last IASAS, with the same intensity and desire to win, my love for the game was relit. It was, however, also heartbreaking since with every game, I came one game closer to playing my last game as an Eagle.

A highlight this year has been the exciting changes that allow us to play soccer games as a team, and finally test how much we have grown, and what we can do better.

As long as I can play these games, I know I have something to look forward to in the future.

It has been amazing to see our son Ollie competing again on the SAS basketball team against other schools.

He loves the sense of competition and camaraderie that these games bring, and it's great to see that big smile return again on game days.

MICHAEL BUCHHOLZ, PARENT

VICTORIA S., EIGHTH GRADE SOCCER

LEENA GOPALA, TWELFTH GRADE SOCCER

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It was surreal but at the same time very natural, like my team was meant to be there. I was very nervous playing the game at first, but after settling in, I began to remember what it was like to play an actual game with my team and just getting back into that dynamic and watching people jump around and have fun was amazing.

HENRY WONG, TWELFTH GRADE VOLLEYBALL

For many players, this was the first time in years that they got to test and grow their skills under tournament conditions and all of them rose to the challenge. From day one to day three, you could see them grow as individuals and a team under the careful direction of Coach Oscar. They left with so many new opportunities to improve.

Equally important, everyone got to spend time together again in unrestricted groups after the games.

This would’ve been special on its own but the fact that it came on the back of Singapore’s eased restrictions made it a celebration on more levels. We all felt grateful to be able to be a community again.

In short, the tournament was a huge success and a well-appreciated time away for the 12U White Eagles Baseball Team.

RASHMI DALAI, PARENT

The approval to operate under the vaccination-differentiated safe management measures is a giant leap forward in terms of facilitating sport within our community, and I am very appreciative of the Singapore government for providing this opportunity for our school. Seeing games with officials, fans, players, and coaches all doing what they love is incredibly uplifting. I realize what we have been missing for so long, and it is a tremendous boost in morale for our entire community to be able to enjoy sport again in a manner to which we are more accustomed. Hopefully, we will continue to make positive steps forward in providing our students with the opportunity to do what they enjoy.

JARED BILDFELL, MIDDLE SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

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Eunah Jo, class of 2021 Currently at Harvard University, I plan to major in social studies or economics, with a minor in women, gender, and sexuality studies, and on the pre-law track. AT Seminar (tenth grade) and AT Research (eleventh grade) were both indescribably valuable to me—so valuable, I became a teaching assistant to AT Seminar as an SAS senior! These classes offered the freedom to explore while learning essential critical thinking and practical research and writing skills.

INNOVATIVE HIGH SCHOOL COURSES: Five years ago, Singapore American School made a commitment to expand and strengthen the innovative course options available to high school students. This decision grew out of curricular review findings, re-accreditation process feedback, and the school’s research and development initiative. Since then, we have created around 20 Advanced Topic (AT) courses, Catalyst has become a graduation requirement, and the Quest program has been developed. These courses are all designed to expand students’ choices, deepen their learning experiences, and help them prepare for college, employment, and life in the 21st century. They encourage students to delve

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I see the benefits in almost every class I take here. Our required first-year writing class encapsulates many AT skills, such as research-based arguments, synthesis, and commentary. My AT courses helped me be at ease and focus on the intellectual exploration of the topic—domestic labor—rather than worrying about writing my essays.

I was so used to the peer-feedback element, my instructor here told me she appreciated how I give feedback in specific, nuanced ways! From policy memos to presentations to job interviews, my experiences in AT Seminar and Research have been applicable, relevant, and necessary.

RECENT GRADS REFLECT

By C A R A D'AVA N ZO Communications Writer

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Often, friends from these classes text me messages like, "This class is so easy because of Sem/Research" or "Sem/Research were such blessings in disguise." As you can tell, you will struggle a little in these classes—but you grow SO much through that. And there is a support system of instructors and students who came before you, who are always willing to help out.

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into topics of personal interest while engaging in project-based learning, building networking and organizational skills, and investigating the real-life implications of what they are studying.

We asked some recent SAS graduates to comment on how our innovative programming has affected them in their transition to university studies. They attended our high school as these courses were phased in, and they took full advantage of them in their final years at SAS. Their reflections provide insight into how our innovative courses affected them while at SAS and continue to benefit them today.

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Shreya Sridhar, class of 2021

Mihika Iyer, class of 2021 I am now attending Boston University with a biochemistry and molecular biology major and a math minor. At SAS, I really enjoyed AT Environmental Science (ATES) and AT Historical Inquiry. The latter had many close similarities to the discussion-based classes I’m taking in college. Historical Inquiry with Mr. Matt Hughes taught me the most about inquiry and research, which has been the best preparation for college research papers.

ATES with Mr. Steve Early was also similar to my less-stressful STEM discussions, but it was Mr. Early's passion that characterizes some of my favorite college professors. Finally, AT Computational Physics has been helpful with project-based learning in college.

For my Catalyst project, I worked to learn more about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and gain first-hand experience understanding the ASD community in Singapore. I'm currently working at a non-profit educational center as a math and science tutor, helping at-risk and educationally challenged students thrive. A lot of what I've learned through Catalyst has been incredibly helpful in this experience.

I am currently at Northwestern University majoring in computer science. Two of my favorite SAS courses were AT Linear Algebra and AT Multivariable Calculus. Although challenging at first, I found them extremely applicable to the real world, which pushed me toward a final project I was very proud of: I used linear algebra to find the best properties on the Monopoly board! At Northwestern, both courses have been helpful in my introductory engineering classes and my current research position, which focuses on computer vision and machine learning. Because I already have a basic grasp of the material, I can get to the more complex and interesting work more quickly.

My Catalyst inquiry involved helping a small middle school in Kerala, India, find sustainable ways to improve their science department’s resources. I raised over US$3,000 so the school could buy new supplies like microscopes and beakers, as well as more basic things like better lighting, a projector, and a laptop. I also researched best practices in teaching science to middle school-aged children.

As an engineer and a researcher, it’s important to be self-driven. Teachers and superiors are not going to remind you about things—you have your own projects and you have to figure out how to get them done, how to access appropriate resources, and how to network to find experts who can help. My Catalyst experience prepared me for the independence of college.

Hannah Joe, class of 2021 I am currently studying biochemistry at Imperial College London. For my Catalyst project, I was interested in urban farming, especially hydroponics. Therefore, while Catalyst was a mandatory course, I saw it as an opportunity to pursue my own interests. My Catalyst inquiry asked, "How can I educate those interested about hydroponics systems and about how to build one?"

Through exploring my interests in building a hydroponics system, teaching others, and learning more about the underlying science, I realized this was a field I wanted to pursue in university. Catalyst was an experience that helped guide my educational career. In terms of academic skills necessary in university, I find there is a lot of outside reading and research required, and I believe Catalyst helped me develop an eye for discerning which types of material to read and gain knowledge from.

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Class of 2022

Graduation Commemorative Special

“Class of 2022, we have been to amazing places, done amazing things, and made friends for a lifetime along the way. I am so glad for the experiences we have shared, from all the highs of high school to all the lows.

It’s been a phenomenal four years. I couldn’t have asked for any other group to graduate with, and I am sure all of you share the same sentiment. I love all of you, and without further ado, let’s go ahead and graduate!”

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER NEEL DUTTA GUPTA (CLASS OF 2022)

The Class Of 2022 At A Glance

290

graduates in the Class of 2022

52%

46%

US

Representing

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Dickens’ words sum up our newest graduates’ high school years. On the cusp of their sophomore Interim Semester trips and looking forward to “upperclass” status, the Singapore American School class of 2022 was plunged into the strange new world of social distancing, masking, remote learning, and TraceTogether. With restrictions lifted in the spring of senior year, they were honored at our first in-person graduation since 2019.

Through it all, students supported each other with extra reserves of compassion, responsibility, and respect, along with grit and flexibility. We are extremely proud that despite the testing times, they distinguished themselves academically, artistically, athletically, and in service to others. Their focus, creativity, and empathy will serve them well as they move on to new adventures.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022!

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17% India

joined in elementary school

10%

different countries

Singapore

28%

3% China

7.6

years

average time spent at SAS by our newest graduates

3%

joined in middle school

South Korea

3%

26%

United Kingdom

10% hold 15 other primary passports

joined in high school

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Class of 2022

Looking ahead

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Class of 2022

and Looking back

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Class of 2022

Commencement

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Class of 2022

Winners Honored in Awards Ceremony

These seniors were recognized by subject-area departments not only for their content knowledge, but also for their demonstrated excellence in our other learning aspirations of character, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and cultural competence.

LANGUAGES Beatrice Hungate

Performing Arts – BAND Xianrui Ryan Lee

Social Studies Hannah Torjesen

mathematics Xianrui Ryan Lee

Performing Arts – STRINGS Ethan Hsu

Technology, Electives, and Capstone Ming Jin Yong

Performing Arts – Dance Ella Bryars

Physical Education and Health Alexander Hebard

Visual Arts Cynthia Lu

Performing Arts – Drama and Choir Elly Gaskell

SCIENCE Advay Ratan

Quest Isabella Wesson

Subject Area Awards

English Alysha Summerville

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Seal of Biliteracy

Booster Club Senior Scholarship Awards

The Seal of Biliteracy is given to students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. The Seal of Biliteracy may be given by a school, district, or state, and SAS implemented its Seal of Biliteracy program in 2018–19. The SASdesigned seal appears on students’ graduation diplomas.

Open to all seniors, these awards are based on written submissions scored on a blind grading scale. This year’s prompt was, "What type of ice cream best represents you and why?" The judging panel was impressed by the creativity, passion, fun, tears, and joy shown in the 11 award-winning responses.

Chinese and English Abigail Marie Guirao Amelia Lin Hui Khoo David Qiu Dominique Alexis Schleider Feifei Wang

Isabella Clare Tsiknas Jie Xin Ching Mingyu Zhao Myra You Sadeque Sicong Chen

Tanisha Mehta Tien-Kai Miao Xiangyun Zhang Katie Liu Yali Zhang

Anika Agarwal

Kayla Chang

Jie Xin Ching

Devan Dooling

Sadie Downing

Abigail Marie Guirao

Phoebe He

Michael Ng

Muriel Oosthuizen

Ariana Rossuck

Caroline Shea

FRENCH and English Anushka Bhat

SPANISH and English Alan Sarka Anaya Ghiya Arnab Saha Bryn Dingemans Dylan Nokleby Henrique Foureaux Lee James Webster

Julianne de Castro Kaitlyn Tian Katelyn Jade Hauge Kush Kapoor Liam Murgatroyd Maria Triana Cifuentes Phoebe He

Preneet Kashyap Rohan Panday Sara Bach Shanzeh Saleem Shaurya Benipuri

SHANZEH SALEEM

PTA Senior Scholarship Awards EARCOS Global Citizenship Award The EARCOS (East Asian Regional Council of Schools) Global Citizen Award recognizes a junior who displays cultural competence by interacting effectively with people from all walks of life while having a sense of collective responsibility for all who inhabit the globe.

Renee Phan

For nearly two decades, the PTA has awarded senior scholarships to students who demonstrate exemplary character, a growth mindset, and a positive attitude towards learning. A committee made up of teachers and parents judges student submissions through blind grading and considers applicants’ involvement in extracurriculars, membership in one or more honor societies, leadership positions, and recognition through awards and honors. This year’s winning essays were notable for their authentic voices, meaningful content, and strong writing skills.

Elly Gaskell

Abigail Marie Guirao

Tanisha Mehta

Mingyu Zhao

“Has an open mind, is well-informed, is aware and empathetic, and cares for others.”

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IASAS Scholar Awards The IASAS Scholar Award is celebrated at all six IASAS schools.

Recipients must have participated in at least two of the six IASAS events held during the current school year, must have achieved Scholars List status, and must exhibit exemplary behavior.

First Year Recipients Anika Agarwal Lena Bookhamer Min Jae Cha Erin Chen Poppy Duggal Aditya Dutta Nadya Amelie Giebitz

Akari Imai Saraa Kumar Emily Lim Arshia Mehra Yuiko Miyakoshi Noah Ogden David Qiu

Jayesha Sharma Payam Rastkar Allen Juhyung Ryu Hunter Steigerwald Henry Wong Kaia Woolfe

Second Year Recipients Emma Bell Xiao (NouNou) Chang Atharv Chowdhary Chris Lee

Sara Khemani Alexa Leipold Connor Murgatroyd Aria Raymaakers

Ronojit Saha Josh Sidharta Samantha Wang James Webster

Third Year Recipients Jorja Zitur Sarah Datta Elizabeth Roache

Katelyn Hauge Liam Murgatroyd Neel Dutta Gupta

Zachary Helzer

Fourth year Recipient

Outstanding Volunteerism and Service Awards Global Issues Kyra Ramesh Krishna “Collaborated across all environmental service clubs to plan Earth Week events and work with facilities to reduce campus waste.”

Poverty Eradication Christopher Lee “Communicated with our community on logistics related to delivering food to the needy.”

SAS-Centric Keona Mulcahy “Ensured that school productions ran smoothly, including working on weekends and after school.”

Education for All Allenka Jeharajah “Calm and confident leader in efforts to provide quality education to impoverished Cambodians.”

Help for the Disabled and Ill Elizabeth (So Young) Oh

Xianrui Ryan Lee

“Dedicated volunteer for the Leprosy Home whose tender, caring nature was always evident in her interactions with residents.”

Athlete of the Year Awards Each year the athletic department selects two students who model the Eagle Way, demonstrate athletic excellence and leadership, and have competed in at least two varsity sports in the last two years.

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Sarah Datta

Zachary Helzer

“Critical of her own performances in an effort to continually improve."

“Always rises to the occasion, makes his teammates better, and elevates his team to success."

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Bob Gross Student of the Year Award This award was established in 2007 in recognition of former superintendent Bob Gross. It recognizes an eleventh-grade student who best exemplifies our core values of honesty, compassion, fairness, respect and responsibility.

Jessica Kim “This student is deeply invested in the SAS community and is action-oriented towards global issues as well.”

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Class of 2022

Chip Kimball Creativity and Innovation Awards This award, established in 2019 in recognition of former superintendent Dr. Chip Kimball, is given annually to two seniors who use creativity to solve problems, explore new ideas, and challenge existing thinking.

For the arts and humanities ELLY GASKELL

Outstanding Catalyst Award This award honors a senior who has demonstrated exceptional levels of leadership, thinking, and potential with their Catalyst Project.

Sophia Kyra Nandwani “It's her ability to connect with everyone, lead by asking great questions, and help them reflect that makes this student stand out."

“There is no question that acting is in this young woman's blood and that she has a long and interesting career ahead of her."

For science and mathematics Michael Ng “A student of the highest caliber who is going to accomplish great things that will benefit many and make this world a better place.”

David Hevey Award This award honors the late David Hevey and his lasting contributions as an SAS film teacher and faculty member by celebrating a student who demonstrates creativity and communication through the photographic arts.

Matu Harvey “He has filmmaking superpowers, with exceptional ability in every department and the artist’s instinct to always improve his craft.”

Taylor Saich Arts and Creativity Award This award, established in memory of Taylor Saich of the SAS class of 1999, is given to a senior who enriches the lives of others through dedication to the arts or other creative pursuits.

Benjamin Usadi “He has the ability to make any performance and any fellow artist better simply by sharing (as he always does so generously) of his time, talents, and passion.”

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Burdell-Wood Scholar-Athlete Awards

These awards recognize two seniors whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary, who are models to others, and who demonstrate outstanding integrity, self-discipline, and courage. Frank Burdell and Kay Wood were SAS parent volunteers and respected members of Singapore’s American community.

Elizabeth Roache “She is the perfect balance between brains and brawn—pragmatic, collaborative, and fantastically well organized, a truly valued member of any team.”

David Qiu “Incredibly creative, a talented athlete, and an exemplary student who gives so much of his time to many areas of SAS with generosity and kindness.”

Blair Sonnenberg Humanitarian Award Established in memory of Blair Sonnenberg, an SAS student who passed away in 1996, this award is given to the senior who has embraced cultural competence by devoting time, energy, and talent to actively seek understanding and improve the quality of life of others.

Ashley Entwistle “She exemplifies what it means to have a servant heart, which is something we in the service community aspire to live up to.”

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Scott Seator Ambassador Award

This award, established in memory of Scott Seator of the Class of 1987, goes to the senior who has demonstrated the kind of critical thinking needed to solve our world’s most difficult problems and who has been involved in other cultures and contributed to making the world a better place.

SAS Student Advocate Award This award honors a senior who exemplifies our core values, who has demonstrated a deep commitment to equity and inclusion for all, and whose advocacy and actions have had a significant positive influence on our community.

Tanisha Mehta

Jay Prakash

“A natural talent at coding who comes up with elegant solutions to complex problems while seeing who is not being heard and raising their profile and voice.”

Don Bergman Leadership Award Established in 1999 in recognition of former superintendent Dr. Don Bergman, this award is given to the senior who has demonstrated excellence in one or more facets of communication and collaboration.

Kush Kapoor “Since ninth grade, he has been passionately and actively involved in representing his peers with the aim of creating a community of inclusion and collaboration.”

“Seeing a void in our curriculum, this student created a documentary and advisory lesson about the LGBTQ+ community that centered voices that are often marginalized or disregarded.”

Cum Laude Recognition The SAS Cum Laude system recognizes students who achieve excellence in their academic pursuits over the course of their high school careers.

Adopted by SAS in 2018, these traditional Latin distinctions encourage rigorous scholarship while giving all students more incentive to work hard, embrace challenges, and explore their interests. Our three honors levels are determined by students’ cumulative high school grade point averages through the fall of senior year. We applaud the 132 graduates of the class of 2022 who graduated cum laude (with honors), magna cum laude (with high honors), or summa cum laude (with highest honors)!

Outstanding Graduates Two Eagles receive the Outstanding Graduate Award each year. These awards are presented to students who have been at SAS for at least two years, excel academically, and exemplify the highest qualities of both our desired student learning outcomes and our SAS core values.

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to the students who graduated cum laude!

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to the students who graduated magna cum laude!

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to the students who graduated summa cum laude!

Liam Murgatroyd “This student embodies everything we want to see from a student—a gentle leader who leads by example, makes sure all voices are heard in the room, and makes every group he works with better.”

Rohan Panday “This student is a joy—respectful, down-to-earth, smiling, stepping forward to help, taking leadership roles when collaborating with others, and taking risks when exploring and learning new skills.“

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“As part of our culture of excellence, we are proud to honor our students’ academic achievement through our cum laude system. Modeled after honor systems in place at many universities, our cum laude system is designed to recognize and praise those students who have achieved the highest academic success during their time in high school. Please join me in saluting our students for this much-deserved honor.”

NICOLE VELTZÉ, HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

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Class of 2022

University

Matriculation

Class of 2022 graduates immediate plans:

University is one more step in the lifelong education process valued by the SAS community. Our graduates are impressive young adults who have prepared themselves not only for college, but also for life. While the list of colleges and universities attended by our graduates is noteworthy, we recognize that this is only one measure of our success as an academic institution.

86%

83%

7%

7%

3%

USA

Canada

UK

Other

of 2022 graduates going straight to college or university

12%

of 2022 graduates going on to National Service

The following is the list of colleges and universities that members of the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 have chosen to attend. We report university matriculation for the last three graduating classes in order to protect student confidentiality and provide the most accurate picture of where SAS students—including those taking gap years and completing National Service—choose to attend university.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Adelphi University American University Arizona State University Babson College Barnard College Bates College Baylor University Benedictine University (IL) Bentley University Biola University Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brigham Young University Brown University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University California Polytechnic State University Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Chapman University Clark University College of William & Mary College of Wooster Colorado College Columbia College Chicago Columbia University Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art Cornell University Dartmouth College Davidson College Denison University Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University Durham University Eastern Illinois University Eckerd College Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityPrescott Emerson College

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Emory University Florida Southern College Fordham University Franklin Olin College of Engineering Furman University George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College Gonzaga University Grand Canyon University Harvard University Haverford College Indiana University Bloomington Iowa State University Ithaca College James Madison University Johns Hopkins University Knox College Lake Forest College Lawrence University Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College LIM College Laboratory Institute of Merchandising Louisiana State University Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Luther College Marion Military Institute Maryland Institute College of Art Miami-Dade College Michigan State University Middlebury College New York University North Carolina State University Northeastern University Northwestern University Nova Southeastern University Occidental College Old Dominion University Pace University Pennsylvania State University - Abington Campus Pennsylvania State University - University Park

Pepperdine University Pitzer College Prairie View A&M University Pratt Institute Princeton University Purdue University Purdue University Fort Wayne Purdue University Northwest - Hammond Campus Queens University of Charlotte Rhode Island School of Design Rice University Ringling College of Art and Design Rochester Institute of Technology Rutgers University - New Brunswick San Diego State University Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago Seattle University Seton Hall University Simmons University Skidmore College Stanford University Stevens Institute of Technology Stony Brook University (SUNY) SUNY at Albany Swarthmore College Syracuse University Tallahassee Community College Texas A&M International University Texas A&M University Texas Christian University The New School The Ohio State University Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University United States Coast Guard Academy United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of Chicago University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado, Denver University of Florida University of Georgia University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Houston University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Miami University of Michigan University of Minnesota Rochester University of Minnesota, Twin Cities University of Mississippi University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill University of North Texas University of Notre Dame University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Puget Sound University of Rochester University of San Francisco University of South Florida University of Southern California University of Tampa University of Texas at Dallas University of Texas, Arlington University of Texas, Austin University of Vermont University of Virginia University of Washington University of Washington, Bothell University of Wisconsin, Madison Utah State University Vanderbilt University Villanova University Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) Washington State University Washington University in St. Louis

Wellesley College Wesleyan University Whittier College Yale University Yavapai College

UNITED KINGDOM Aberystwyth University Fanshawe College, London Campus Goldsmiths, University of London Heriot-Watt University Imperial College London King's College London London Film Academy London School of Economics and Political Science Queen Mary University of London School of Oriental and African Studies University College London University of Derby University of Edinburgh University of Glasgow University of Manchester University of Oxford University of Sheffield University of St. Andrews University of Stirling University of the Arts London University of the West of England, Bristol University of Warwick University of York

ASIA Ateneo de Manila University Chinese University of Hong Kong Chulalongkorn University ESSEC Business School (Singapore) Keio University Mita Manipal Academy of Higher Education National Taiwan University National University of Singapore New York University Abu Dhabi Peking University Seoul National University Singapore Management University Sophia University

2%

of 2022 graduates taking a gap year

University of Hong Kong Yale-NUS Yonsei University Yonsei University-Underwood

CANADA Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus Dalhousie University McGill University Mount Allison University Queen's University Simon Fraser University Toronto Metropolitan University University of British Columbia University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus University of Toronto University of Toronto Mississauga University of Western Ontario

EUROPE Bocconi University Dublin City University Leiden University Leiden University College - The Hague Les Roches Maastricht University Technical University (TU) Delft The American University of Paris Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin University College Cork University of Groningen

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND Bond University University of Melbourne University of New South Wales University of Otago University of Sydney

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Class of 2021

CLASS OF 2022

College Spotlight

16

2,240

number of countries to which the class of 2022 sent college applications

number of college applications completed by class of 2022

Most popular universities to apply to, for class of 2022

Matriculated to

124

Matriculated to

11

University of California, Los Angeles

universities

countries

University of California, Berkeley University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara Boston University

Other notable class of 2022 results

New York University

Students applied to 42 US states + the DC and will matriculate to 32 states + DC

Applied to

Northeastern University

42

University of California, Davis

US states

Besides the US, graduates will attend university in 10 other countries including Abu Dhabi, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand

Most popular universities to attend, for class of 2022

University of California, Irvine Boston University

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Carnegie Mellon University

Cornell University

Cornell University

University of California, Santa Cruz

Emory University George Washington University New York University

6 graduates will be student athletes at their colleges in swimming, water polo, squash, rugby, and soccer

Northeastern University Purdue University

2 students will join the US Naval Academy; one is the first SAS student to be recruited by the Naval Academy for athletics

8.38

6% of graduates plan to major in fine arts

average number of applications submitted per senior

81

Santa Clara University

500+ number of recommendations written by SAS teachers

University of British Columbia University of California, Berkeley University of California, Santa Barbara University of Toronto University of Wisconsin, Madison

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Life

After Graduation The Eagles of the class of 2022 are soaring off to new adventures around the world!

The skills, knowledge, character, and friendships they developed at SAS will help them take on new challenges and rise to new heights. Looking back on their time at SAS and forward to fresh opportunities, here’s what some of our newest graduates have to say about what comes next.

Mateo Boffi

Jazlyn Brito

Passionate dancer on a pre-veterinary track

International Studies in Ohio

Next Adventure: Virginia Tech

Next Adventure: University of California, Davis

Next Adventure: Denison University

Eagle since Tenth Grade

Eagle since Kindergarten

Eagle since Seventh Grade

Architecture and Design Enthusiast

Next year I will be attending Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. I chose VT because of its academics, sports, and atmosphere. Most importantly, VT has a great architecture program, and I plan to major in architecture and industrial design. From a young age, I always admired my mom—an architect by trade—and I wanted to follow in her footsteps.

Architecture and design are two things that really get me excited!

I was really inspired at SAS by the Quest curriculum.

Being able to pursue my passion in a professional setting really helped me solidify my interest in architecture. I also took various design classes that I really enjoyed. Outside of school, I was always on the rugby field. I play for school and for Centaurs Rugby Club, and I also coach on the weekends. I hope to keep playing in college and to contribute to the rugby community at VT. What I most look forward to is just meeting new people. Making new friends and connections in college is such a normal thing, but it's also so exciting!

I believe Virginia Tech’s great community spirit will allow me to meet people and build on that community.

What I will miss most about SAS is my friends, as over the last few years I've been lucky to meet amazing people. I’ll also miss the school culture; SAS is such a huge melting pot that everyone has a different background, and as a third-culture kid, it’s easy for me to connect with people that are culturally diverse.

If I had to give students one final piece of advice, it would be to take advantage of all the opportunities SAS offers. Get to know what you like (and what you don't like), so you can pursue that wherever you go next. My advice for rising seniors is, don't get too stressed through the process! Everything will work out eventually—give it your all and you'll be happy where you end up.

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Next year, I will attend the University of California, Davis. I chose this school because of the incredible biology and veterinary program. I have always had a great passion for caring for and learning about animals, so I plan to study biology on a pre-veterinary track. As I step into this new chapter in my life, I am most looking forward to the new opportunities I will have and to meeting new people.

Two teachers who have inspired me at SAS are Ms. Elena Cherry and Ms. Heather Rodocker, because I have been dancing since sixth grade and they inspired me to be true to who I am. Also, they taught me to be confident in myself while also being a good leader in the dance community.

In high school, I participated in dance club and IASAS Dance. I also served as an officer of Stairway, and I was a member of the Black Student Union.

One of my favorite SAS memories is Play Day in elementary school, when we could run around the field playing games like musical chairs with buckets full of water. Other favorite memories involve dancing in so many shows. Recently, the high school dance club presented “Down The Rabbit Hole,” and afterward all the seniors backstage hugged each other tightly. We all had tears of joy for creating such an amazing show, but also tears of sadness as we realized that this was our last time dancing together after so many years.

My advice to younger students is to get involved, and also to ask your teachers, advisors, and counselors for help whenever you need it.

To seniors, I would say, start the college process early—during the summer—and stay on top of all the required tasks, so that you don’t stress about it too much later. SAS is special because of its diversity in cultures, many opportunities, and sense of community. I will miss all this, because SAS has felt like home for 13 years.

Owen Green

I’m excited to attend Denison University in Granville, Ohio in the fall. I chose Denison for its four-year residential campus, academic quality and rigor, increasing global focus, excellent facilities and resources, and campus vibe. With interests in current events, global security, and government, I plan to focus on international studies and spend time abroad in Asia or Africa to further my fluency in Chinese—or learn a different language! I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with my older brother, a rising senior at Denison.

In high school, I participated in cross-country and track and field. I also delivered meals to elderly Singaporeans each Sunday with an organization called TOUCH Home Care. The challenging academic workload that we adapt to at SAS will pay dividends down the line, especially in college.

Several classes with Mr. Ian Coppell strengthened my ability to present information coherently on short notice, and I am confident this skill will help in both college and the workplace.

While I feel ready to move on to the next phase of my life, I’ll certainly be leaving behind the place where I grew up. I’ll never forget racing my friends from class to the cafeteria in middle school to be the first in line for fried chicken. I’ll always remember the rush of relief after successfully submitting high school essays minutes before a deadline. And feeling a paper bowl fold under the weight of the food inside will forever remind me of Hoe’s chicken rice, and vegetables.

I’m really excited about college, and I want rising seniors to be as well. My advice for them is to fully take charge of the college search and application processes. This will communicate to your parents that you are ready to take charge of your future, and will give you a stake in such an important period of your life. Lastly, I’d suggest taking the time to think about what really matters to you.

When life gets complicated, prioritization becomes a necessity. It’ll also keep you grounded.

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Class of 2022

Allenka Jeharajah

Service in Southern California

Arshiya Lall

Brain Science and Boston Winters

Justin Lee

Entrepreneurship on the East Coast

STEM Standout

Next Adventure: Pitzer College

Next Adventure: Tufts University

Next Adventure: Northeastern University

Next Adventure: Cornell University

Eagle since Kindergarten

Eagle since Sixth Grade

Eagle since Seventh Grade

Eagle since Ninth Grade

I applied to Pitzer College at the last minute because my sister told me that friends who went there really enjoyed it. When I did more research, I fell in love with it! What really sold me was that I would get the benefits of a small school without losing the opportunities of a big school. Pitzer’s undergraduate class numbers fewer than 1,000, but it is a member of The Claremont Colleges in Southern California. I can take classes at any of the five colleges in the consortium, eat at any campus, and enjoy what each school has to offer.

SAS’s focus on service has really fostered my passion for helping others. Teaching And Sharing Skills to Enrich Lives (TASSEL) was my biggest interest in high school. I felt I was actually making a difference when teaching Cambodian children twice a week and, one pre-pandemic summer, visiting Cambodia in person.

I even got involved with the global NGO to help train other chapters. I have also enjoyed working with XSProject in middle and high school, as well as supporting new students and boosting high school morale through Peer Support.

My favorite thing about SAS is the diversity of the student body. In my 13 years at SAS, I have been fortunate to be friends with people from all over the world. Even if they are only here for a year, I feel like I learn a lot from being in such a diverse community.

This is definitely an aspect that I used to take for granted, but it is truly a privilege that we won’t get in many colleges.

For rising seniors, my advice is to stay very organized.

When you have so many tasks to complete, it can be easy to miss a deadline. Early on in the application process, I created a spreadsheet that organized my college application tasks by deadlines. I also included all the supplements each college required, so that I was keeping track of all my information in one place.

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This fall, I’ll be heading to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. During the college research process, I found that Tufts had everything I was looking for—a medium-sized school with great research opportunities and a community that embraces diversity. Above all, I fell in love with its campus culture and traditions; I can’t wait to experience them for myself. I plan on majoring in cognitive and brain science while minoring in Chinese. I look forward to unique classes, inspiring professors, and like-minded peers. I’m also excited about attending my first Red Sox game, living more independently, and braving Boston’s brutal winters!

SAS taught me that I do not need to limit my passions. Mr. Steve Early’s Accelerated Biology class in ninth grade inspired a passion for biology and the sciences that continued in junior year, when I took AP Biology with Dr. Adrian Price. Free blocks were spent in the robotics lab fabricating and assembling pieces for upcoming competitions. I spent time outside of class advocating for gender equality and planning fundraising events for She’s the First service club. Each of these opportunities taught me grit, determination, and humility while instilling valuable leadership and communication skills.

The people are what make SAS special. We each have our own set of unique interests that we share with others to create collective experiences and a vibrant community. Our spirited pep rallies, nail-biting IASAS games, impactful service clubs, incredible Interim experiences, emotionally charged senior walk, and love for “Bandini’s chicken-65 day” bond us together as we face the rigorous SAS course loads and classes.

My advice to younger students is to make the most of each experience SAS presents you with. And if you can’t find the one for you, create some! You’ll end up meeting teachers and peers who will root for you through the crests and troughs of the SAS high school experience. I continue to cherish the opportunities SAS provides and hope to apply what I learned from them in future endeavors.

Next year I plan to be studying at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. I chose this school because I'm really familiar with the Boston area and I have a lot of family there. I also chose Northeastern as I was fortunate enough to get admitted into the honors program with a fouryear scholarship. I'll be studying business and entrepreneurship because I've really enjoyed my time running my clothing business, Ambition, at SAS. I am most looking forward to making new friends and taking steps towards a fruitful career.

At SAS, I learned how to be resilient in the face of social and academic hardships. I'd say every teacher has inspired me to reach the best version of myself inside the classroom. They've done this by always challenging me and helping me when I'm struggling.

My most rewarding activities in high school included creating a service-club clothing business named Ambition, where I design and produce merchandise for every school sports team and service club that requires spirit or team wear. To date, I've reached 523 total pieces made! I've also been actively involved in the music community at SAS, having joined a band that performs at Independent Performing Artists’ Union (IPAU) break gigs at lunch.

I will miss all the meaningful connections I've formed with people at SAS, as well as the strong community feeling. SAS is a place that gives students so many opportunities to nurture their passions, and I found this really valuable. My advice for younger students and those entering high school is to create a project that aligns with your passions. You'll form meaningful connections along the way, and it's a great step towards a potential future career opportunity. To rising seniors, I’d say, start the college research and application process as early as possible and make the most of all the resources provided to you.

Ryan Lee

I plan on attending Cornell University next year to study mechanical engineering. I chose Cornell, in Ithaca, New York, because of its fantastic engineering program, unique project teams, and seasonal weather. I’m excited to meet others who are also passionate about engineering and making things, as well as the cold winter!

I spent most of high school obsessed with robotics, SpaceLab, and other STEM-related activities.

I’d always been interested in making things, but at SAS I had the platform, communities, and support to take these interests to a different level.

I participated in and eventually led student-initiated activities in these areas. The freedom to drive my own learning, combined with the incredible support SAS provides, allowed me to excel, and these experiences cemented my passion for engineering.

If anyone at our school deserves recognition and has inspired me, it’s Mr. James Harvey. Anyone who knows him can attest not only to his incredible skills, but to his constant, genuine care and kindness for all. He is a true friendly constant, and the robotics program and I are hugely indebted and thankful to him.

If there's one thing I would emphasize to younger students, it’s to truly explore during your time at SAS. Find a path that’s interesting to you, and move decisively towards it. SAS has so many clubs, classes, and opportunities, and it really is a fantastic place to try new things. At this point in life, it’s entirely possible to reinvent yourself overnight!

To all those stressed out to-be-seniors, don’t lose yourself in the process! It's not worth seeing your classmates as competition, nor should you compare yourself to imaginary geniuses online. Rather than worry about superficial details like a slightly “lower” SAT score, see what you can do to show off your uniqueness and character. In the end, admissions officers aren’t accepting numbers or statistics, but people they can envision thriving at their college.

There is no cookie-cutter path to success in life, and neither is there one to college applications.

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Class of 2022

Anika “Rex” Rudra

Animation Aficionado

Duty Before University

Next Adventure: Ringling College of Art and Design

Next Adventure: National Service

Eagle since First Grade

Eagle since Seventh Grade

Next year, I’ll be living my dream as a computer animation (CA) major at Ringling College of Art and Design! In high school, my love for the visual arts expanded to film and filmmaking, and I decided that animation studies could combine these passions.

Ringling, in Sarasota, Florida, has been my dream school for years—their rigorous curriculum covers absolutely everything in the animation pipeline. I look forward to learning about what I love in a bright and creative environment where artistic eccentricities are welcomed and encouraged.

I’ve deeply appreciated the SAS emphasis on character and self-advocacy. The academic hustle among the students can get overwhelming, but all my teachers have stressed the importance of seeking guidance or asking questions. These skills, along with self-reliance and accountability, came in really useful during my Catalyst project. I came out of that class with a video essay on distinct visual language in animation that I am still extremely proud of.

I’ll really miss the little corners of SAS where my friends and I used to meet, like the middle school library sound recording booth, the table tennis tables, and the stairwell between the eighth grade and high school. I’ll miss the high school art suite, too—it’s a wonderful place to get inspired by peers and maybe inspire them in return. In a bittersweet way, it’s another thing that has me really excited about going to art school.

I’ve learned that you don’t need to predetermine your entire future on the first day of ninth grade—to make the most of your high school years, let yourself genuinely enjoy things as you learn and grow. I feel very fortunate to have had the high school experience I did at SAS. The guidance I’ve received from teachers, the inspiration and love from my friends, and the selfassurance I’ve found within myself—so much of who I am today comes directly from being part of such a huge, varied community. I couldn’t be more proud to say I’ve graduated from SAS.

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Arnab Saha

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congratulations

On June 28, I will enlist in the Singapore Armed Forces for my National Service. After completing basic military training, I am hoping to be assigned to something that will push me out of my comfort zone, physically and mentally. I will then join Boston University’s class of 2028. I look forward to focusing on economics and international relations, as well as meeting new people.

My greatest challenge at SAS was learning how to make important decisions by myself and adapt to my attention deficit disorder (ADD), something I have always struggled with. While my mother has always been my biggest supporter and fan, in high school I finally learned how to adapt, live, and make up for my ADD on my own without any help or medication.

I have achieved many things I previously thought I couldn’t—thriving in science honor society, quiz club, and student government, competing in Varsity Quiz Bowl, and earning the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish.

My favorite memory was my 2019 Interim Semester, my only “real” Interim due to pandemic restrictions.

As the plane landed in Auckland, I realized it was the first time I was away from Singapore without any family, and I felt like vomiting through sheer stress.

I knew no one on the trip—yet I look back fondly on how I was able to live in a Maori settlement by the shore, go river rafting, and go surfing at the black sand beaches of Aotearoa.

My advice to younger students is to learn how to divide large tasks into simpler parts, which will save you a lot of time. Also, try things that you wouldn’t think you were capable of, not just academically but socially. You’ll discover more about yourself and change for the better. I will miss the SAS sense of community and teachers like Mr. Matt Hughes, Mr. Shane Fitts, Mr. Kristian Ganske, and Mr. Jeff Pabotoy, who are always willing to explain the same concept again and again until you feel comfortable.

Once an Eagle Eagle... ...

Always an Eagle Eagle!! s u m m e r

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Dominique Schleider Stanford University, 2026

It is a journey…one of self-discovery, trying to figure out who you are, what you care about, and what your purpose is. Two seniors from our class of 2022 share their journey— the excitement, the frustrations, the waiting game, and the roller coaster of emotions that come with applying to college.

Phoebe He

University of Chicago, 2026

Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics at the University of Chicago, I started my college journey early. Right after my junior year ended, I created a big Google sheet with all the universities I’d potentially want to apply to. Then I signed up for Zoom information sessions, watched YouTube videos, scoured college websites, and even read Reddit threads about each university to pare down my list. People often want to apply to well-known, elite colleges, and I will admit that I was guilty of it as well. Yet, after lots of research on the universities on my list, I realized that it’s far more important to like the college rather than the college name.

Senior year rolled around, and I was fully immersed in college applications. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the application process wasn’t as stressful as I had imagined. That being said, there were certainly times when I struggled. Notably, I had a hard time writing my personal statement essay and ended up writing not one, not two, but five different essays to find the perfect one!

However, the real stress came after I had applied to all my colleges. For me, the “waiting game” was what gave me the most anxiety. Throughout winter break, I worried about whether college X, Y, or Z would accept me. As decision dates rolled around, my anxiety became worse. I remember waking up at 5 a.m. the day that my Early Decision 1 response came out (my top-choice college

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at that time) only to log into my college portal and see that I was rejected. As if it wasn’t disheartening enough, it hurt, even more, to hear that so many of my classmates were accepted into their number-one choices while I wasn’t. It also meant I had to continue playing the “waiting game,” hoping that another school would accept me.

And one did! I still recall the joy I felt when I saw the “Congratulations!” and confetti shower across my laptop screen as I opened up the second decision I received. I was officially accepted to a college! Even though the school was a “safety,” meaning I knew that I was likely to be accepted, that first acceptance is definitely one of the best feelings I experienced throughout my college application journey.

Then, weeks and months passed, my Early Decision 2 decision was released…and I was accepted! I remember how absolutely shocked I was to see that I was accepted into UChicago, a school I never thought would accept me.

I was speechless—literally (I have a video of my reaction and I was silent for almost a minute).

Being accepted into UChicago made all the struggles I had experienced—all through high school—worth it. Looking back, I wish I could tell my younger self that everything is going to be alright, that I’m so proud of her for persevering through tough times, and that we will be accepted into our dream college.

From a young age, I learned there was no such thing as biting off more than one could chew; if you sat there long enough, it all turned to digestible mush.

So began my personal essay where I juxtaposed being full at the dining table with my hunger for personal growth.

I’ve satisfied this hunger through exploration, piling my plate high with activities that put me in the zone all the while pushing me far out of another: my comfort zone.

3. Collecting similar information for every school (clubs I’d join, classes I’d take, characteristics I liked, etc). However, I wish I had started college research before the frenzy of junior year Advanced Placement exams, giving me the summer to write essays.

I started by facing my fear of others’ judgment with choir, gaining confidence to do everything from running for club leadership positions to trying something unfamiliar—musical theater—even as a senior.

My packed, color-coded calendar is what I describe, with the utmost affection, as the digestible, delectable “mush” with which I stuff my cheeks.

Struggling with how I would manage my time and applications revealed the importance of who I surrounded myself with. I never felt the support of my family more than during our late-night prayers and sounding-board sessions, where they’d listen (or at least pretend to) as I’d ramble. With my college counselor (shout out Mr. Wilson), the most valuable part was having someone in my corner. I would frequently come up with questions, ideas, and later, updates.

Throughout high school, I was hyper-focused on what I did, but it wasn’t until I began my college applications that I had to grapple with why. Why do I like singing or dancing or modeling? Why do I do service? Why am I choosing these colleges? The most daunting question, however, was the how: how on earth do I communicate an answer to this why that I don’t fully know myself? The three things that best helped me with this were: 1. Writing about the trait, value, or activity I wanted to highlight for every prompt, so I could ground my individual supplements and make sure each added something new and necessary to my whole application.

2. Keeping a list of random facts and quirks— most of which I used, like howI joined a French immersion camp with no prior experience and how my favorite word is “ointment.”

As decisions rolled in, I faced both the good and the bad. I remember celebrating acceptances with friends over spring break.

I also remember being grateful for the infectious energy of my peers during Jazz Night, which put a smile on my face despite hearing of rejections and waitlists that same morning.

Finally, I remember waking up and deciding to read the first line of my last decision update in bed. Then reading it again. And again.

Overjoyed and unable to get through the rest of it, I ran downstairs to tell my family the news.

God answered our prayers. The next place I will be exploring is Northern California, at Stanford University!

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By K Y LE A LD O US Director of Communications As a teenager, she wrote for Sandesh, her school newspaper, and dreamed of becoming a renowned journalist.

To her, satire and humor were tools she could use to shape relationships, ideas, and behaviors. With each piece she published, her voice grew stronger and more distinct.

And then one day, she stopped. She stopped working for the newspaper. She stopped dreaming of a career in journalism. A trusted voice in her life had told her, ”women should not be journalists.”

Defiance takes many forms, and on that day, in a fit of spite, she stopped writing. “I should have followed my bliss,” she said years later. Yet that pivotal setback changed the course of her life and ultimately spurred her to become a voice that would say “you can”—rather than “you can’t”—to the young people who trusted her.

No one understands the power of mentors better than Dr. Roopa Dewan. Her life was shaped by them. Her high school English teachers Mrs. Krishnan and Mr. Menon were her role models. Dr. Venkatkrishnan, the principal of the Venkateswara College at Delhi University where Dewan first taught, was a mentor who encouraged and helped her. Even when she married and moved to a different town, he promised she could return to her job for five years.

Years later, as a teacher, she set out to make hers a voice of encouragement to the thousands of students fortunate enough to enter her classroom and to the many colleagues who she served alongside.

“It is people like Dr. Roopa Dewan who made SAS what it is, made people want to stay, and made people want to give more. This was more than a job, it was a place to build community and make a difference,” says current elementary school dean of student life, Dr. Sarah Farris.

Dr. Dewan joined Singapore American School in 1991 as an English teacher. She taught various courses including Advanced Placement Literature, Asian Literature, Tragedy and Comedy, and Global Issues, an innovative investigative research, design, and methodology class for high school students. She enjoyed weaving local literature into her courses whenever possible. Described by several former students as a “master teacher,” she was respected and her opinion was sought after by both students and colleagues.

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Dr. Dewan treated her students like adults.

We were given the freedom to choose what we wanted to read and what to do our reports on.

It definitely prepared me for college, and I have so much respect for her. To this day she is one of the few teachers that I still think fondly of.

MARAK MARAN, CLASS OF 1994

As a 37-year-old teacher, she knew that the real value of her classes had to extend much further than grammar, literature analysis, and learning about Odysseus and his hero’s journey. “Each student is the hero in their own hero’s journey and no journey is the same. My role as a mentor is to light their path—to help them see beyond themself.

The journey is about learning to use your unique gifts in the service of others” explains Dr. Dewan.

Analyzing literature with her always involved more than looking for metaphors and themes. Students looked deeper.

They searched for meaning and connection to the world they lived in.

While studying Medea, students were asked to defend and prosecute Medea, with faculty from all divisions acting as the jury. For Romeo and Juliet, students had to bring the play into the modern context by rewriting and videotaping a contemporary version.

When AP testing finished in late April, Dr. Dewan would use the remaining month of school to go all in on layering service learning opportunities into the curriculum. Soon her work expanded beyond the classroom and she founded an after-school club called Peace Initiative, which focused on global human rights issues. The club held an assembly each year where they shared prominent issues of the day with the community. Students wrote petition letters and created campaigns to support individuals impacted both locally and around the world. They gave talks on freeing Tibet, female genital mutilation, and—closer to home after the ethnic cleansing against the Chinese in Indonesia— on rape as a war crime. They also petitioned for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar (Burma).

Peace Initiative expanded its influence with the creation of the Peace Concert, which featured students and local Singaporean musicians and became one of Singapore’s largest student-run annual events. At one point, as many as 30 bands auditioned to perform! At its peak, the concert drew students from GESS, the Japanese school, and UWC as well as the wider community, and SAS welcomed thousands of audience members on campus.

It was Dr. Dewan’s continual focus on others that so many of her students and colleagues immediately recall when they think of her. “I was much younger than other members of the department when I joined SAS, and Roopa was so giving. She shared resources, spent personal time with me, and helped me a great deal during that year and for years to come,“ recalls current high school English teacher Anne-Marie Russell. s u m m e r

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Dr. Dewan retired in 2008 after 17 years of mentoring, teaching, and building a culture of service in the high school.

Less than a year into retirement, SAS invited her to return as a consultant tasked with building service learning into the curriculum schoolwide. Over the next several years, she worked with teachers and students to expand the culture of service she began as a faculty member. Her influence is seen in many programs we now consider integral to SAS: with Ron Starker and Kim Melsom, Dr. Dewan formed the Service Council, which continues to help high school students get involved to make a difference; she introduced a Wellness Week to the high school, which is reflected in our continued emphasis on student and staff wellness; and she introduced the service component to Interim Semester.

“When you help others understand and channel their power as they progress along their hero’s journey, you are able to lift communities, cities, and nations,” Dr. Dewan says confidently. Today, her heart and calendar are even more full than they were when she was a faculty member. She continues to lift those around her. Alongside her husband, Dr. Dewan runs a school for almost 1,000 students in India. The school specifically seeks out and offers a 100 percent scholarship to girls from needy families to help them develop the skills and critical thinking they need to become independent and confident achievers and contributors. The school wins the National Science medal and 17 to 19 International Math Olympiad medals each year. They are also the only green school in the region, using solar energy and rainwater harvesting. Dr. Dewan also supports the Earth Educators initiative, which runs programs to institute environmental education in schools. Her school, Padmavathi Vidyalaya, will be a lab school to showcase this initiative.

Dr. Roopa Dewan has lifted thousands and changed the course of service learning at SAS. We are proud to honor her as an Ultimate Eagle!

The Dewan Family Tree DR. ROOPA DEWAN AND SHIV DEWAN

AHNA DEWAN RAJU AND AVINESH RAJU

PRIYANKA DEWAN (CLASS OF 1999)

FEROZ DEWAN (CLASS OF 1994) AND ERICA DEWAN (CLASS OF 1995)

NIKHIL R. (SEVENTH GRADE)

SOFIA D. (SEVENTH GRADE)

NEEL R. (FOURTH GRADE)

KIERAN D. (FIFTH GRADE)

MAIRA R. (FIRST GRADE)

MIA D. (SECOND GRADE)

Service Learning at SAS Students developed and built the sensory trail at Pulau Ubin Styrofoam banned in the cafeterias Recycled paper introduced to classrooms and a community recycling center built at school Almost 400 local Singaporean families are fed each month through the school’s partnership with Food from the Heart Partnership with Singapore Botanic Gardens to create a forest nursery to propagate endangered indigenous plants Innova School buddy partnership where students teach one another Partnerships with Fuchun Primary School and Buangkok Green Primary School for first grade Leprosy Home and Christalite Methodist Home visits

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After graduating from Singapore American School, Surendran attended Emory University and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (with a minor in dance and movement studies) in 2004. She then packed her bags for Los Angeles to pursue a career as a dancer. While she was realistic in her pursuit of becoming a professional artist, her mindset shifted when she met an entertainment lawyer who represented talent. She shares, “Meeting the lawyer made me realize if I couldn’t be the talent, I’d work to protect them instead. From day one of law school, I was determined to go into entertainment law.”

Shining the Spotlight

Entertainment Attorney Anita Surendran By DIDI HARI KRISHNAN Communications Writer

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From working as production counsel on over 150 films to serving notable clients like Mary J. Blige, Taylour Paige, Bernie Taupin, Jesse Williams, and Ne-Yo, among others, Anita Surendran (class of 2000) has an impressive list of career highlights, though her journey to entertainment law was not as simple as one may think.

Currently a partner at Granderson Des Rochers LLP and co-chair of the firm’s Film and Television Group, Surendran represents individual and corporate clients in the film, television, and digital media industries. She has also served within the independent film space and with various studios and networks, including A24, Amazon, and Netflix. Every day proves to be a different challenge for her as the entertainment industry is constantly evolving, particularly as clients have become more entrepreneurial themselves. Through grit and determination, she has found numerous creative approaches to help protect her clients – in both traditional and non-traditional roles. She shares, "Our firm prides itself on helping today's artist navigate the industry across various mediums, including digital media, fashion, film/ television, and music."

While the job has been rewarding for her career-wise, Surendran has found it a challenge to maintain a good work-life balance.

“Unlike other industries, ours doesn’t have a slow period within the year due to production cycles and release schedule,” she notes.

That said, working with top talent certainly comes with special perks. She muses, “We’ve been fortunate that many of our clients’ films premiere at various film festivals around the globe. Attending Sundance has been a favorite memory of mine for the last 11 years.”

When it comes to offering career advice for those interested in entertainment law, Surendran points out, “Law school grades are important but certainly not solely determinative. We’re always impressed by potential candidates that really understand the entertainment industry from a practical perspective.”

Surendran attributes her drive to succeed to her time here at SAS. She believes she learned how to be disciplined and well-rounded to succeed in a competitive environment. She shares, “SAS has also taught me the value of fostering deep relationships, which will get you further in life than almost anything else.”

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You never know what life is going to throw at you.

In the fall of 2019, we were living in Newport, Rhode Island, where my husband was on a one-year tour for the US State Department at the Naval War College. We were offered two assignments the following year: one at the US Army Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii and the second at the US Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Most people would take the Hawaii assignment and run. But we are not "most people."

Life is a Gift

So Was Our Assignment to Kyiv, Ukraine in 2020 By LO R E N D E N T B R AU N O H LE R Class of 1997

My husband and I have been at this US diplomatic life for nearly 20 years. I blame the travel and transient lifestyle bug on my time in Singapore, where I attended Singapore American School during my high school years from 1993 to 1997.

At the time, one of my best friend's dad (shout–out to David Donahue) was a diplomat at US Embassy Singapore, and I thought it was the coolest job in the world. That, coupled with the colorful, exciting life I lived in Singapore in the 1990's—weekend nights at Boat Quay, weekends on Bintan, Interim Semester trips to Borneo, Kenya, Australia, and New Zealand, lazy afternoons at Newton Circus, and IASAS trips to Jakarta, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur—challenged me to reach for a life full of adventure, exploration, and constant change in remote corners of the world.

Fast forward to 2002: I joined the Foreign Service as a US diplomat at the age of 23. I met my now husband, a fellow US diplomat, and completed tours in Mozambique, Venezuela, Sudan, Washington, DC, and Thailand. In 2011, I resigned to stay at home with our growing family, but continued the Foreign Service lifestyle with my husband and went on to assignments in Poland, Rhode Island, and then—you guessed it—Kyiv, Ukraine.

Chided by, well, nearly everyone in our life for choosing borsch over shaved ice, warm winter jackets over barefoot year-round luxury, a city of 4 million people over waterfalls, beaches, and volcanoes, and even questioning the decision myself sometimes on particularly gray, icy days in the middle of Ukraine's long winter, I now realize what a critical, life-altering decision we made without even realizing it. Our time in Ukraine was a rare gift. One that has shaped and will continue to shape our family for years to come. More than any beach, surf lesson, or tropical cocktail ever will.

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The whole world has witnessed and read about the bravery and heroism of everyday Ukrainians.

We have been some of the lucky few outsiders who had the opportunity, the fortune, to live with the Ukrainians side-by-side, get to know their heart, their strength, their kindness, and their resilience. To understand Ukrainian culture and customs. To learn about their history, their struggle throughout the years, their fight for independence.

To visit Ukraine's thousand-year-old monasteries, ornate Orthodox churches, and beautiful parks.

To explore its landscape from the southern city of Odesa on the Black Sea to the vibrant city of Lviv, the stunning Carpathian mountains, and the thriving metropolis of Kyiv with its hip cafes, art galleries, and wine bars. To understand what the Ukrainians are fighting for so fiercely, and so proudly.

We spent a year and a half living in Kyiv before we evacuated in late January 2022. The evacuation was abrupt. We left everything behind except for two suitcases apiece. Watching the war play out from afar has been agonizing and traumatic.

I reflect on our time there now as so delicate, so bittersweet. It's almost as if it didn't happen. Like it was all a dream. Or that this war is all one long nightmare that we haven't yet woken up from.

A piece of my heart was left in Ukraine: in the people we know, in the places we frequented— parks, playgrounds, restaurants, cultural sights, our home. A piece of my kids' hearts was also left there: in friends, teachers, and fellow girl scouts they left behind. In the home they knew and loved.

In their rooms, where their things still remain. In Ukrainian friends who joined volunteer battalions, became cooks for the military, or continue school in bomb shelters.

That we had that opportunity to get to know these people and continue to learn from their patriotism, bravery, and resilience: this is the real gift. And now, as we turn our pain and grief over what is happening into activism to help those who are displaced or are fighting for their freedom, our family learns even more from our time in Ukraine. We're on this earth to serve others in the best way we can.

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Esther Kofod Class of 1965

Adventures in Publishing Ever wanted to publish a book? A number of Singapore American School alumni have achieved this lofty goal, producing books ranging from memoirs to picture books to histories and how-to guides. Here, SAS alumni authors describe their writing journeys and offer advice about becoming a published author.

Robert Dodge

SAS high school social studies teacher from 1983 to 2006 Author of The Strategist: The Life and Times of Thomas Schelling; Prairie Murders; Schelling's Game Theory: How to Make Decisions; Which Chosen People? Manifest Destiny Meets the Sioux; Andrea and Sylvester: Challenging Marriage Taboos and Paving the Road to Same-Sex Marriage; Catherine Cater: An Elegant Rise Above Race and Gender; Tempest-Tost: The Refugee Experience Through the Prism of One Community; Grand Mal: A Life With Late Onset Epilepsy

I often prepared my own teaching materials, since what was available seemed either uninteresting or inaccurate. Eventually, I wrote articles for alumni magazines and expat papers in London and Singapore.

During an SAS sabbatical to Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, I studied under Professor Tom Schelling. We stayed in close contact, and when he said he didn't have the time to write his memoirs, I volunteered. When Schelling was named Nobel laureate in economics, my first book was co-published in the US and Singapore.

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Writing a book was a fortunate event in my case, and it seemed fun to keep at it! I'm retired, so there's time for the writing process. After I have an idea, I spend a lot of time researching; then I develop a general outline. A major problem for me is that other interesting topics come up, and I end up following them—even though they really aren't the story!

Once I have completed a book, I’ve relied on letters and proposals to find publishers. One hurdle came after I published several books through a New York publisher. We had a contract for one on refugees, but suddenly (perhaps due to a change in ownership) they asked me to include that refugees were destroying the country!

After several unpleasant exchanges, we agreed to cancel the contract, and I fortunately found a different publisher immediately.

My advice to budding authors is to write for school publications, read, and look online for opportunities or contests to get what you have written published. Forensics (debate or extemporaneous) can be good practice for organizing arguments. Always get feedback, and once you have something written, or a well-developed idea, send out some query letters. Make sure you have at least an outline and writing sample, in case you get a response!

Author of The Libyan A memoir of a Singapore girl in Libya I decided to write The Libyan because not much is known about Libya. I was married to Gaddafi’s foreign advisor and chairman of Libya’s Arab Development Institute. Because of his political ties, I was privy to political dealings during the early years of Gaddafi’s reign of terror. We had to flee Libya under threat of arrest by the secret police.

I always knew I had a story to tell, but because of death threats by Gaddafi agents, I waited many years. I started writing The Libyan the day Gaddafi was killed.

I was born to a Chinese mother and a European father and educated in Singapore, Switzerland, and the US. My parents were concerned about me

marrying a Muslim and living in an Arab country, but I was welcomed by my husband’s family as a daughter and always treated by them with love and respect. Yet years later, when I married an American, I experienced bigotry and racism for the first time in my life from his family, and learned that there can be different kinds of terror in every culture.

It took me two and a half years to write The Libyan. I was determined to finish it, and wrote for hours every day.

I decided to self-publish, but later an American agent working out of Hong Kong read my book and contacted me. She believed in the book, and I know she tried very hard to find me a publisher, but I’ve learned since that most publishers are not interested in a book that’s already been published.

I encourage anyone who wants to write to do so—but not because you expect financial gain! I wrote The Libyan because I had a story I needed to write. I have not become financially richer, but the bonds I have made with many who have read my book have been enriching and gratifying.

Marijn van der Poll

class of 1992

Author of Right-Brainer: Survival Handbook of Office Epiphanies As a designer, I like to bring my ideas to life, and a book seemed like another neat thing to design – something to be created from nothing, to hold in your hands and put to use. The inspiration for my book’s “hook” actually came from a survival handbook gifted to me by a classmate at SAS! My time at SAS shaped me as a person during my adolescence, which in turn filters through how I think and write today.

I know writers who work deep into the night, but I don't have that kind of work ethic. My wife and I run our own design studio, so between clients’ projects, I set aside workdays to write. These days turned to weeks, which turned to months, until finally after two and a half years the book was done.

I found a great copywriter who also coached me, and it was an experience of learning by doing. Having someone to share my thoughts and reflections with, as well as to help edit the book, was instrumental in getting it finished and finished right. People often tell aspiring authors, “just start writing,” but my advice is to first invest in finding out what writing actually is.

A book has a format, a topic, a concept, a tone of voice. All of these aspects are interrelated, and yours to control as a writer.

The longest I'd ever worked on a single project had been 10 months, but it took me over two years to write my first book—and for much of that time it wasn't very good! My favorite feedback in those early days of writing, by my best friend, was, “Why don't you read this page back to yourself and see if it makes sense, to you?” Writing is an iterative process. You improve as you write, shift words around, wield the delete key.

The way through all of this is just basically enjoying stringing words together.

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“It is such a pleasure bringing SAS alumni together to reconnect, give back, and celebrate the positive impact SAS has had on their lives.

Reuniting in Boston and New York this spring was even more special having been separated due to the pandemic.”

Gary R. Gray, Jr

elementary school teacher from 2015 to 2019 Author of I’m From A soon-to-be-published picture book exploring the moments that define where a little Black boy is from When Canadian writer Shauntay Grant visited my high school, she organized a spoken-word workshop for twelfth grade students and shared that writing is a type of freedom and is not confined to one specific or "classic" way of writing. She allowed us to explore words and create work that had meaning. On that day I started my writing journey, and I have been writing ever since.

I’m From, my debut book, has been a work in progress for over seven years! I started in Kuwait during my first year of teaching and would revise it whenever I had the opportunity—during breaks, on the weekends, and on vacation with my wife— in hopes of self-publishing. I considered every moment valuable to the process.

I was invited to write books for a smaller company in Canada, but my wife encouraged me to check other agents first. I researched my favorite authors and found their agents, and further narrowed the list to match my writing style and types of books. I then sent a query letter to each agent. I was not expecting to hear back soon, but within a day I had a reply, and eventually I signed with Writers House as an author.

Beth Toole, Associate Director of Alumni Relations

The best advice I was given is to write a lot. Do not be afraid to ask for help, and be patient with the process.

The publishing world is extremely slow, so everything takes a lot of time. I also suggest using organizations like The Writing Barn and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators to help understand the world of publishing and how to write great books.

Find like-minded people facing similar journeys, and create a writing or critique group to help you along the way. Analytics is not just about technical skills; developing communication and interpersonal skills are just as important.

When Eagles Meet Again…

Bring up the lights, set the mics, and open the doors! It’s been a while since Singapore American School hosted an alumni event.

In April this year, over 150 Eagles attended alumni events in Boston and New York. Boston saw a panel of alumni – industry experts in biomedicine, accounting, medicine, law, and artificial intelligence – deep dive into some amazing career stories, offer great advice, and reminisce about their journeys at and after SAS. Alumni who attended our New York gathering enjoyed networking and socializing while sharing stories of enduring friendships from SAS, their memories of their teachers, and the impact SAS has had on their lives. These moments were truly magical and brought back so much of what it means to be part of a strong well-knit community like SAS! As we always say:

Samantha Stone class of 1993

Author of Unleash Possible: A Marketing Playbook that Drives B2B Sales The process of writing a professional book is extremely rewarding. It forces you to explore and fine-tune the lessons you've learned across your career. In the end, it makes you better at your work.

The bonus is that you get to share all that you've learned with a broad community! Through the book, I’ve met many wonderful sales and marketing leaders I never would have come across otherwise.

While at SAS, I had many opportunities to practice writing and research, but the most influential experience was participating in impromptu speaking competitions my senior year. Those experiences taught me how to create a logical argument and a compelling story on the spot, and definitely influenced my writing in a very positive way.

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Most of this book was written on weekends while staying at the mountain cottage I owned at the time.

The early morning hours before my family got up gave me some quiet time to write. It took about five months to complete the manuscript, which was based in part on articles and speeches I had given over the years.

After talking with many authors in my field, along with a few agents and publishers, I opted to self-publish the book. This gave me complete control over the content and allowed me to get it published quickly.

It was important to me that the book be professional, so I did hire a professional editor and proofreader, and a graphics designer friend created the cover art.

If you want to write, my advice is: Just do it! The thing that holds us back is the enormity of the task. But once you start breaking it down into chapters, the work feels much more manageable.

Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle...

“There is no other school I'd rather be at, especially for the four years of high school.

I have been part of a community that cared for me and shaped me into who I am today."

“The rigor of the advanced studies courses, the variety of clubs, and the tightly knit community at SAS prepared me for the courses I am now taking at Boston University."

Laila Abou-oaf, Class of 2020

Sofia Camez, Class of 2021

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Questions? Contact the office of alumni relations at alumni@sas.edu.sg

What’s your story?

The bonds of friendship. The mentorship of teachers and staff. Memories made in moments big and small.

The learning that shines through perseverance.

Every interaction, every pursuit, every class, and every activity at SAS weaves the fabric of our community to make us who we are.

We want to celebrate all things SAS. Share your story with us, and we may share it with our community online or in Journeys.

Connect with us at communications@sas.edu.sg and help us tell the story of what makes SAS a special place.

The SAS Alumni Online Store Is Now Open!

Based in Akron, Ohio, the SAS Alumni Store offers official SAS apparel and merchandise to alumni, parents, educators, and friends.

Proceeds support the SAS Interim Semester Scholarship Fund which helps students with financial need select the Interim Semester trip of their choice.

We ship globally so the entire SAS community can show their Eagle pride!

SASALUMNISTORE.COM

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AUGUST

EM SEPT BER

2021 634 new students and 3,372 returning Singapore American School students

NOVEMBER

SAS PTA annual Book Fair took place in elementary school

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SAS celebrated the groundbreaking of our new elementary school

JULY

2022 290 seniors (including four early graduates) received their diplomas, forming our 64th graduating class

Summer Semester begins at SAS with over 100 course offerings

MAY

OCTOBER

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee—SAS high school performing arts students were able to perform live for the first time in two years

DECEMBER

JANUARY

Over 300 care packs were put together for security staff, custodians, housekeeping staff, and construction workers through this year’s holiday donation drive

134 new students joined Singapore American School in the second semester

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JUNE

APRIL

FEBRUARY

Elementary school students explored 26 play stations with their friends on Eagle Day

After two and a half years, the middle school performing arts students put on their first live performance, The Internet is Distract—Oh Look a Kitten!

Timed with this year’s Earth Day celebration, SAS celebrated the opening of a new community garden

MARCH

1,200 high school students learned about Singapore through Interim Semester’s 60 on-island courses

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CHOOL S N A IC R E M A E R O SINGAP

sas.edu.sg/journeys We are excited to share that we will be taking Journeys from a bi-annual print publication to a hybrid of an on-demand digital publication and an annual print publication!

& S L DEA PROMOS

SCAN THE Q R C O DE B E LO W TO CHE CK O UT PRO MOTI O NS AND DE ALS FO R THE SAS C O M MUNI T Y!

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40 woodlands street 41 Singapore 738547 Phone: (65) 6363 3403 WEB: WWW.SAS.EDU.SG QUESTIONS? EMAIL US AT COMMUNICATIONS@SAS.EDU.SG CPE Registration No.: 196400340R Registration Period: 22 June 2017 to 21 June 2023 Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) © 2022 Singapore American School All rights reserved.