NewsFlash
Volume 8, Issue 7-05/06 - March 2006
A Singapore American School community service publication
MICA (P) 234/08/2005
resources and materials easy to find, easy to use – the libraries at sas – The SECOND in a series of articles about the libraries at SAS
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News Flash Contents
In This Issue 03 06 07 08 11 13 16 17 18
Robert Gross Superintentend of Schools
Mark Boyer Asst. Superintendent Curriculum and Instruction
Rhonda Norris Asst. Superintendent Business
David Hoss Principal Primary School
Marian DeGroot Principal Intermediate School
Robert Godley Principal Middle School
Paul Chmelik Principal High School
We welcome input from the community associated with Singapore American School APRIL NEWSFLASH Deadline: April 7, 2006 Publication Date: April 24, 2006 MAY NEWSFLASH Deadline: May 11, 2006 Publication Date: May 29, 2006 Email Community News Input to bgribbon@sas.edu.sg Email Trading Post Input to trade@sas.edu.sg Trading Post advertising is restricted to non-commercial items only from SAS students, parents and staff
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Libraries at SAS New Website Calendar Highlights 50th Anniversary at SAS Boosters PTA MS Writers Camp Really Rosie MS Scuba Club Chain of Kindness Shave-A-Thon Community Service Asian Studies IS Student Council Faculty IASAS
Are You Receiving What’s Happening at SAS? We are sending all parents and guardians a regular weekly What’s Happening at SAS newsletter by email. If you have not been receiving the weekly email it probably means that we do not have your correct email address. Send us an email at communications@sas.edu.sg to let us know that you have not been hearing from us. We can add one or both parents emails to our distribution. The weekly What’s Happening at SAS will also be posted on the website at http://www.sas.edu.sg. NEWSFLASH is published monthly by the Communications Office of the Singapore American School. It is distributed free of charge to the parents, faculty members and organizations served by the school.
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Singapore American School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Tel: 6360-6303 SAS Website: http://www.sas.edu.sg Editor: Beth Gribbon Assistant: Joey Lew
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Libraries at SAS Find It @ the SAS Libraries
By Intermediate School Librarian, Tim Ramsey Part Two of a Four Part Series on SAS Libraries • What resources are available from the libraries? • Where are those items located? • How can they be used? The librarians at SAS strive to make all of our materials and resources easy to find and simple to use. With the renovations to the libraries over the past two years and the recent upgrading of our software, the facilities and services now can be of benefit to all members of the community from beginning readers to professionals seeking to further their education. As always, we invite all SAS families to come in or log on and see what we can do to provide for your library and informational needs. This year the libraries have upgraded their online catalog with many added features that help us keep up with the needs of our users. Currently, all of our services are available online for easier access to parents, students and teachers. In addition, we have combined the databases so that patrons can search all libraries at SAS simply by using the ‘Look In’ drop-down menu on the main search menu from any library web page. Searches are now more user friendly because they are similar to what we are accustomed to when using search engines on the Internet. With these upgrades, patrons can be successful at finding what they want with minimal effort. Parents and students who want access to their own library information can simply press the login button on the upper right corner of the library’s main page. (See picture below). Each division’s website provides a link to the library webpage. When patrons log in, they are able to place books on hold, create a personal booklist, view the materials that they have checked out and also see the books’ due dates. Parents can only log on from the library web site that services their youngest child. If you would like to take advantage of this service, please contact the appropriate library for your account name, password, and features that are available. One option for parents who are looking for a list of appropriate books for themselves and their children is the visual search in our catalog. On the left hand side of the catalog page, most of the libraries have a visual search option. Librarians have created a list of topics that will be of interest to patrons. For instance, in the Intermediate Library’s visual search, you can find reading lists created by the librarian, books selected by the students as their favorites and the fifty books that have been the most popular over recent years. Main search page with Look in, Login, Visual Search, and One Search shown
Another feature found in this visual search is that hundreds of books are sorted by levels called continuums. These continuum lists were specifically generated after several faculty workshops given by Bonnie Campbell Hill, a leading consultant in the field of developmental levels for student reading and writing. Although most books in our collection have reading levels in their description, they only take into account factors such as length of sentences and the length of words. By leveling books using continuums, books are sorted not only by their reading level, but also by the subject matter and the concepts introduced. Students, teachers, and parents needing to do research will find the One Search option an invaluable tool. One Search combines most of our online databases into one easy search. Instead of having to memorize many different
Libraries at SAS
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passwords and search the databases one at a time, you only need to know one set of login information. The databases searched contain full-text articles from thousands of magazines, newspapers, and journals as well as resources from the World Wide Web. Click on the button labeled One Search on the main search page of the library to open up this link or go directly to the site at http://onesearch.fsc.follett.com/onesearch. You can contact any divisional library to get your own personal account with the service. If our records do not give you the information that you are looking for, use the added feature called TitlePeek, which provides additional information on most of our books. Use TitlePeek to find a summary of the book, reviews, a list of characters, and much more. Some of the entries even display the first chapter of the book online so that you can determine if this book is of interest to you. To access this feature, simply click on the picture of the book in our databases and a new window will appear with all of this information. Many parents have shared their concern about using search engines like Google with their children. If you would like a more detailed and defined search, please give WebPath Express a try. WebPath Express presents thousands of age-appropriate websites which are arranged by subjects. These websites are assessed daily to ensure that they have educational value, ease of use, credibility, and worthwhile content. To use this service, simply type the subject in the search field along with the word WebPath on any library’s search page and press enter. Click on any of the resulting links and a new window will appear with a list of websites related to the selected subject. Along with the grade level approximations, you will also be given brief summaries written by reviewers rather than just text taken from the website that most search engines provide. These resources, along with many others are available to the Singapore American School community. The media specialists and their staff will gladly assist any patron in utilizing the different services mentioned in the article. In addition, we would be most happy to assist you with whatever your personal information needs may be. With so many services and materials available to our patrons, the libraries are great places to fill one’s educational, recreational, and informational needs. We are very fortunate to have world-class facilities at SAS and the libraries are no exception. We hope the brief description provided by the division librarian makes your visit to the library a pleasant experience:
Libraries at SAS High School LMC As you walk up the front steps to the high school you will see the library entrance on the second floor. As you enter the library you will walk past our Circulation Desk where you can return or check out books or obtain general assistance. Just beyond the Circulation Desk is our art and poster collection, followed by our magazine collection, a photo copy room and then our reference books. At the end of the reference section is our collection of music CD’s, our multimedia theater and the librarian’s Office. As you descend the stairs to the first floor, on your right you will see our drop-in computer lab which is available to all patrons throughout the day. Next to the lab are a conference room and then two group rooms housing a Career and College collection as well as a Modern Languages collection. All of these rooms are open to all patrons and may be booked for meetings and presentations. In the main reading area you will see a Reference Desk for research assistance and then a Silent Reading room which also houses our archive collection. Our fiction collection is also on this floor at the end of the 900’s. Middle School LMC Just inside the library doors, on the right, is the Community Library Center, a collection of books, specially selected for parents, on topics that range from the toddler years to seeing your senior off to college. Prominent near the entrance is the Circulation Desk, where our two library assistants sit, ready to help. The large room on that side of the library contains the magazine and newspaper collections, the computers, audiobooks and our large fiction collection. The other large room, behind the Circulation Desk, contains the Reference collection and most of the library’s non-fiction books. This side of the room tends to be the best place for quiet study, while there is usually a buzz of activity surrounding the magazines and the computers. The library also has a classroom, a conference room, and a Professional Library which contains materials for teachers. Near the Circulation Desk are the librarian’s office and the library staff workroom. Opposite the Circ Desk is one of our Destiny catalog stations; the second is located in the Reference area. The Intermediate LMC Entering the library from the front of the school, the periodicals are displayed to the right of the doorway. After passing the display unit, the circulation desk is on the left with the self-checkout area on the right. Our large nonfiction spans along the right side with history and geography section including all of the biographies (900s) upstairs. Behind this section is the new research room where classes come to work on special projects. In the back portion of the library is the fiction section which is divided into three parts. The picture books start on the left and continue to wrap around the wall towards the main section of fiction books. By the windows facing the gymnasiums, are three audio listening centers that have been recently added, so students can sit and enjoy audio books while in the library. The audiobook selection can be found on two display racks in front of the librarian’s office. Books in many popular series are available around the corner in the fiction area. Down the hallway next to the librarian’s office you will find the newly created showroom that provides a perfect venue for class-sized presentations. The Primary LMC The Primary Library has books in four sections, all materials available for parents and students are on the main floor of the library. If you enter through the doors closest to the bus drop-off in the big parking lot along the windows are all the novels or chapter books. These books are shelved by author with the first letter of the author’s last name shown on a large white marker in red. Walking past the Cool Cow in Sunglasses you will enter the fiction books or picture book area and the markers for these also have letters but they are in blue on white markers. To find nonfiction books turn left past the books on tape rack and go into the annex where the books with Dewey numbers from 000-620 are here. By walking through the room and out the other door the rest of nonfiction from 621-999 will be found. At the very end of the nonfiction to the left is a special collection of award winning books shown with white markers with green letters or numbers. These include the Caldecott winners and honor books; Coretta Scott King Award books; and other major book award winners. This brings the library patron to the circulation counter ready to check out their choices. Intermediate School Librarian, Tim Ramsey, demonstrated SAS Library resources at a parent coffee on March 6. He is available to meet with any parent that was unable to attend the coffee. Contact Mr Ramsey at 6360-6231 or tramsey@sas.edu.sg to arrange an appointment.
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New Website http://www.sas.edu.sg
In late January, just after students returned from the winter break, SAS launched a new website. The new look is designed to be more user friendly, easier to navigate and to include more up-to-date news and photos. Later in January the new website for the Early Childhood Center was introduced and then in February the new High School and Primary School sites went online. Work continues and the remaining division sites will be up and running before the end of the school year. Because our website exists to help SAS communicate with students, parents, our broader community as well as those that are interested in joining us here in the future, the website design and layout is coordinated by the Communications Office. Web Communications Specialist, Eric So, has worked with the division Technology Coordinators to design the new website. With his guidance, they gathered input from administrators, teachers, parents and other users of the site before finalizing the new design. This effort helped to make the SAS website the best possible for every one of our users. If you think of a way we can make it even better, please let us know. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out the new website, start by logging on to the SAS homepage at http://www.sas.edu.sg. There you will find links for current school news as well as a main menu that addresses all the SAS topics of interest that are common across the divisions. You will find the SAS curriculum, school board information, links to SAS parent organizations such as PTA and Boosters, photo and video galleries, and the most recent issue of the “What’s Happening at SAS” parent email that is sent out every Friday. There is a special “Parent” link that takes you to a page with SAS parent information, news and additional links to community organizations in Singapore. Need to update your email or mailing address? You can do it using an online form found on the “Parent” page. Navigate to the Division sites from the homepage to find division specific news, photos and special links to other parent information such as PowerSchool, the SAS libraries and teacher webpages. It’s certainly not possible to include all the information found on the website in this brief overview, but hopefully this introduction will encourage you, very soon, to navigate through the new site. Even if you have already taken a look, tomorrow there will be new news, photos and maybe something else that we haven’t even thought of yet. Checking the SAS website every day is a great way to stay on top of what is going on at school. Better yet, make www.sas.edu.sg the “Homepage” on your computer. If you don’t know how to do that, drop us a line at communications@sas.edu.sg and we would be happy to step you through the setup.
Re-enrollment for the 2006/07 School Year The 2006/07 re-enrollment and family information forms were sent to all parents and companies on March 1. The deadline for the re-enrollment is May 2, 2006. All outstanding 2005/06 school fees must be settled first before re-enrollment is allowed. For enquiries, please contact the Admissions office at 6360-6309 for re-enrollment or Debra at 6360-6324 for outstanding fees.
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Calendar Highlights
March 2006 13 14
HS PTA Parent Coffee 10:00am (H301) MS Pi Day PTA Board Meeting 9:30am (PTA Office) 15 Booster Club Meeting 9:30am (H301) MS Musical “Really Rosie”3:10pm (Drama Theater) 16 HS Coffee House MS Musical “Really Rosie” 7:00pm (Drama Theater) 17 HS/IS St. Patrick’s Day – Holiday Alternate Dress Day That Dance Thing (7th Grade) 6:30pm - 8:30pm (American Club - Colonial Room) That Dance Thing (8th Grade) 7:30pm - 9:30pm (American Club - Colonial Room) 17-19 HS BEIMUN in Beijing 18 HS Girls Softball Exchange in Kuala Lumpur 18-19 HS Golf Exchange in Bangkok 20 PS Report Cards Go Home
20-24 Celebrating Our Alumni Series: Dance & Drama 21 NHS Induction 3:15pm (H301) HS Cultural Convention Awards Night 7:00pm (Auditorium/Drama Theater) IS Report Cards Go Home 22 Alternate Dress Day Celebrating our Alumni Series: 7:00pm Mysteries of the Mask (Drama Theater) 23 Pre-K/PS/IS Early Dismissal 11:30am – Parent-Teacher Conferences No school for Pre-School – Parent Teacher Conferences 24 ECC/PS/IS No School – Parent-Teacher Conferences MS Report Cards Go Home 25-31 SPRING BREAK (NO SCHOOL) MARCH 25 - APRIL 2
April 2006 SPRING BREAK (NO SCHOOL) MARCH 25 - APRIL 2 Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm IS Grade Level Parent Coffee for Grade 3 8:15am – 9:15am (5th Grade Grouproom, I311) PTA Board Meeting 9:30am (PTA Office) 2006-07 Budget Presentation 7:00pm (H301) Faculty Follics 7:00pm (Auditorium) 5 IS Grade Level Parent Coffee for Grade 4 8:15am – 9:15am (5th Grade Grouproom, I311) Spanish Honor Society Inductions 3:30pm (HS Library) 6 IS Grade Level Parent Coffee for Grade 5 8:15am – 9:15am (5th Grade Grouproom, I311) HS College Admission Committee – A Parent Stimulation 9:00am French Honor Society Inductions 3:30pm (H301) 6-7 Celebrating Our Alumni Series: Music 8 HS ACT HS AP French Mock PM Badminton/Track & Field Exchanges in Singapore That Dance Thing (6th Grade) 6:30pm – 9:00pm (American Club, Colonial Room) 9 Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm HS AP World History Mock PM 10 PS Parent Coffee 8:30am (Primary Faculty Lounge, P220) HS PTA Coffee 10:00am (H301) Reunion Dinner/Dance 7:00pm (American Club?) 10-11 Celebrating Our Alumni Series: Music 1-2 2 4
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SAS 50th Anniversary Celebration 11:30am – 2:00pm Celebrating Our Alumni Series: Music Extravaganza with Inbal Megiddo 7:00pm (Victoria Hall) 12 Alternate Dress Day Booster Bake Sale Superintendent/Parent Forum 1:30pm (H301) 13 All School and Alumni Birthday Party and Closing Ceremony 5:00pm – 9:00pm (Stadium) 14 GOOD FRIDAY (NO SCHOOL) HS AP Physics Mock AM HS AP Environmental Science Mock PM HS AP English Literature Mock PM 15 HS AP Calculus Mock AM HS AP English Language Mock PM 16 Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm 19 Booster Club Meeting 9:30am (H301) PTA Staff Appreciation Day 20 HS Dance Showcase Preview 3:45pm (Auditorium) Grade 5 Parent Orientation 7:00pm (Elementary Theater) 20-22 IASAS Badminton in Kuala Lumpur IASAS Softball in Jakarta IASAS Track & Field in Manila 21 MS Dance 7:00pm – 9:00pm (IS/MS Cafeteria) 21-22 HS Dance Showcase 7:00pm (Auditorium) 22 HS AP World History Mock AM HS AP Computer Science Mock PM 23 HS AP Art History Mock PM Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm
50th Anniversary at SAS
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Singapore’s Eagles: The Singapore American School 1956-2006
Commissioned by Singapore American School in celebration of the 50th Anniversary; Singapore Eagles: The Singapore American School 1956-2006 is now available for purchase. This coffee table book is a written and pictorial history of the school from its inception to today. Written by SAS high school faculty member and alumnus, Jim Baker, and edited by Gillian Han, past member of the SAS Board of Governors and Director of Communications at SAS for many years, the book tells the story of the history of SAS with a personal touch of those that have lived it. The book may be purchased in the SAS Development Office, at the Booster Booth, and at the American Association Office. The price is S$50. Call the SAS Development Office at 6360-6329 for more information.
Looking Ahead! April 11-13 sees the Culmination of the Yearlong Celebration of our 50th Anniversary—Plan to be a Part of it! April 11, 2006 Singapore American School Commemorates its Founding in 1956 The ceremony includes guest speakers Singapore Minister Mentor, Lee Kwan Yew, American Ambassador Patricia Herbold, and SAS historian and teacher, James Baker. 11:30am: SAS High School Auditorium and Drama Theater. For tickets and information inquire at the Development Office: 6360-6329. Gala Concert: An Evening with Inbal Megiddo Starring concert cellist and SAS Alumna Inbal Megiddo and featuring Singapore American School High School Orchestra and Choirs. Champagne and Chocolate Reception immediately following 7:00pm: Gala Concert, Victoria Concert Hall. Tickets available through SISTIC. 9:30pm: Champagne and Chocolate Reception, Asian Civilization Museum. Tickets and Information, call SAS Development Office at 6360-6329. April 13, 2006 All School BBQ and Birthday Bash! Everyone’s invited! Vendors from all over Singapore will provide food for purchase while you are entertained by the Talents of SAS. Performers of every type and age will take to the stage to help us celebrate Singapore American School’s 50 years of educational excellence. The party concludes at the High School Stadium with a parade of students and alumni, the filling of the time capsule and other closing events. It’s all capped off by a small but special firework display! 5:00pm – 7:00pm: BBQ and Entertainment, Girl’s Softball field ~ If you are interested in performing, please contact Raelene Card at 6884-0436 or 9220-0788 or email to raelenecard@hotmail.com. 7:30pm: Closing Ceremonies, HS School stadium.
50th Anniversary at SAS SAS is the Written Word By Bob Dodge, HS Faculty
It was apparent to all why Brittani Sonnenberg and Siddharth Mohandas had been invited to return to SAS. The occasion was the Fiftieth Anniversary’s “Celebrating Our Alumni Series: The Written Word,” and the two brought with them not only their achievements but also their insights. The two former SAS standouts met with a total of 46 classes, spoke at a reception at the American Club, and gave a major presentation after school. Both expressed great pleasure with the experience and enjoyed interacting with their audiences. Siddharth, class of ’96, concentrated on social studies classes in the areas of foreign policy or international relations. He allowed for considerable interaction time in all his presentations, as he demonstrated his broad grasp on the subject matter. Teacher Brian Donalson said, “He knows so much off the top of his head and can use history to make his points in such an elegant way.” Siddharth graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and had served as a speech-writer for Kofi Anan briefly before finishing first in his class in the College of Government. He has a master’s degree in international relations from Cambridge and was associate editor of the prestigious journal Foreign Affairs. Brittani, class of ’99, spoke mainly to English classes on topics relating to her considerable and varied experience as a writer. Her award-winning short story, “Tierney’s Gourmet” received recognition as “Distinguished Story” in Best American Short Stories 2004. She found class discussions very inspiring and said the level of understanding of the students on some issues was profound. Brittani, a Harvard graduate in English literature and Mandarin, was able to speak with students on their level and use stories she’d written that were relative to their life experiences. Senior Hannah Fells commented that Brittani is, “open to you and always listens.” Both alumni had interesting comments and thoughts about SAS of 2006. Britanni said that her observations, discussions, and continuing contacts with friends had lead her to believe the focus on “American-ness” sometimes drowns out the voices of other students. She suggested getting local artists and writers to speak and be involved at the school as one way of beginning to create a more international and open environment. Siddharth questioned whether a sense of community could be maintained when the school became such a large institution. However, he stated SAS had worked well for him. He found great benefit in being educated in an American school with its promotion of American values, “located in a culture that is critical of those values.” The successful visit got a got a positive response from those who were at the presentations. Teacher Bill Rives and parent Clarissa Batista felt that, as returning alumni, the speakers were in ideal positions to be effective – recent enough to be connected, yet far enough away to have something to say that students would find meaningful. They suggested it be the start of a tradition. Mrs. Batista added that it was good exposure for the students at school to see grads who had been successful, as it might inspire them, and it was good for the grads themselves to return. For those of us who were here back in the years of these students and had the opportunity to have them in class, it was a reminder of “what went right.” Britanni and Siddharth both spoke of the impressive changes in facilities since their years, but recalled getting prepared well in the conditions as they existed then and were appreciative of it. Their next visits will no doubt provide new insights.
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50th Anniversary at SAS
The Celebrating Our Alumni Series Announces
MYSTERIES OF THE MASK: AN EVENING OF DANCE AND DRAMA Since the beginning of time, man has used masks to express himself in ritual, drama and religion. Many traditional dramatic works, especially those of Asia and Europe, rely heavily on masks to characterize and express the persona of the actor.
DRAMA:
5 Clowns, a performance piece created by the North Carolina School of the Arts, examines the search for identity in the modern world. Using techniques of physical comedy and theatrical masks, universal themes are explored. Designed to entertain and delight a wide variety of audiences and age groups, “the twinkle behind the mask is satire-a universally shared experience.”
DANCE:
Choreographed by Alumna Cheryl Quek and performed by Middle, High School and Faculty Dancers, Losing Face is literally translated from the Chinese phrase “diu lian”. In today’s world media and advertising tell us how we should look and present ourselves to the point where many of us put on a mask. Who are we really and how do we compromise to conform to society?
TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY:
Open dress rehearsal (students only) Wednesday March 22, 3:15pm. This performance is free but students must have tickets. Wednesday, 7:00pm - Tickets $20 adults, $10 students All tickets are available at the Booster Booth and the Development Office from March 1.
Meet the Actors: Join Assistant Dean of the North Carolina School of the Arts and world recognized expert on the use of mask in drama and performance training, Robert Francesconi, along with SAS Alumna Sarah Murray and other actors from NCSA as they talk about acting and theater as a career and industry. An afternoon session open to the students and community of Singapore American School. Monday March 20, 3:15pm - 4:15pm High School Library Theater (second floor)
Booster Club News Booster meeting March 15 at 9:30am in H301. Nominations for 2006-7 Booster Board. Booster Booth closed during Spring break March 25 to April 2
Booster Club
March Madness Sale
Black Tote Bag $12
March 6 to 17 only On Selected items
Eagle shirt $3 Shophouse Mugs $5
Green is the Thing….at the Booster Booth… CANDY Buy your St. Patrick’s Day green skittles, green mentos. Sour carmel apple pops and more March 13-17. Limited supply so hurry in!
Blue umbrella tote $18
Four season card packets $1
Visors $10 Sweat bands $5
SAS Fleece Blanket Sale $18
Pewter Frame $22
Interested in being on the Booster Club Executive Board or chairing a committee for the 2006/2007 school year, please e-mail your name to: boosternominations2006@ gmail.com before April 18.
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PTA
From the PTA President
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et me start off this month’s letter with a huge ‘Thank You’ to Tracy Perez-Menendez, our 2006 County Fair Chair. Tracy and her dedicated committee of volunteers organized a great event that was a success in helping raise funds for the PTA and other organizations, and in providing a fun-filled day for many SAS families. The Fair seems to grow larger each year, but there is always a group of individuals that will step forward to help in various ways. I would also like to thank the many people who spent part of their day helping in many of the various booths and games that provided a festive atmosphere for the whole community. It is inspiring to be able to walk around campus and see families enjoying a day together, and continuing to build our strong expatriate community. When talking about the various PTA events, parents often ask what the PTA does with the funds raised at functions such as County Fair and Food Fest. Let me first start by providing some examples of how we work with various groups to help organize the raising of funds. If you attended County Fair, you most likely noticed that some of the booths selling food or running games were run by various High School Clubs. Prior to the event, PTA High School Representatives work with these Clubs to develop booth ideas and to obtain sponsorship. The students are responsible to set up and man the booths during the event. PTA will provide most of the supplies needed, and the proceeds of the event are split with 75% going to the Club and 25% going back to PTA. As Clubs often find it difficult to raise funds here in Singapore, this provides them an opportunity to gain their much needed financial support, which is then typically channeled back into the local charities that they choose to support. The funds that are raised by PTA are dispersed throughout the school in the form of Fund Spending Requests. In January of each year, the Division Principals are asked to compile their list of requests, while teachers are given the opportunity to request funding to purchase items not covered in their regular budget. This special funding is the ‘icing on the cake’ for our teachers and staff. In 2005, we were able to provide over $100,000 to support these requests. Some examples of items covered by PTA funds include photography equipment, modern language books, musical instruments, a life size skeleton, pediatric wheelchair, pre-school trikes and many other items. In addition, we have also sponsored events and awards such as visiting authors, guest speakers, High School Interim Semester Scholarship and some High School Senior scholarships. All this good work would not be possible without the support of the school community either in volunteering to help at events or by attending these functions. We have had a great year and appreciate all the hard work our members have done and the support from the SAS community. We look forward to receiving future funding requests from teachers and staff so that we can continue to help improve the quality of education for all our children. As always, we encourage you to contact us with questions or suggestions that you may have for PTA. Susan Fay PTA President
MS Activities
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Middle School Writers Camp
By Jo Anne Clemens, Middle School RLA Teacher Photos by Paula St. James, Middle School RLA Teacher
In a setting ready made for television’s Survivor, 19 seventh and eighth grade students and 5 teachers trekked to Telunas Beach in the Riau Islands of Indonesia for a five-day writer’s camp over Chinese New Year holiday, organized by RLA coordinator, Paula St. James. They met with Richard Tulloch, an Australian screen-writer and author of the Weird Stuff novels for 10 to 14 year olds published by Random House. He led students in motivational writing exercises and consulted with them one-on-one about their writing. “The thing I enjoyed the most was learning from an expert, eighth grader J.C. Kim said. He gave me useful advice that helped me a lot.”
During their first session, Mr. Tulloch asked student to write and present an introduction after interviewing another student. They were instructed to add one false fact to their biography. Everyone enjoyed guessing which fact wasn’t true. The local culture and planned activities stimulated plenty of ideas for student writing. On the first day, students sailed to a deserted island for a morning hike with the task of finding five details that perhaps no one else noticed. Back in camp, they incorporated one of those details into a piece of writing. During a share session, students tried to recognize the detail from their own experience. On the second day, students hiked to the Black Pool Waterfall. Its name is derived from its unusual Coca-Cola colored water. There were also scorpions, monkeys, and an unscripted wrong turn in the path. Seventh-grader, Valerie Graybeal said it was hilarious when the camp leader missed the turn on the hike, even though they were pretty upset at the time. “This trip was truly amazing! Working with Mr.Tulloch really helped me to become a stronger writer. Also, I got to do things I had never done before. My favorite part was seeing the black waterfall, but I loved it all,” eighth grader, Bayley Flint said. “When we journeyed to a nearby fishing village, this two-year old boy approached me, dressed in rags, and gave me a high five,” seventh-grader, Lindsey Witte said. “That was so touching.” Students watched villagers use a well and clean fish. They also took a peek at the village school. During free time, students combed the beach, jumped off the dock into the ocean and snorkeled. The changing tide made the dock higher and the jump more thrilling at different times of the day. Some students just enjoyed a good book on a lounge chair under a palm tree and some even continued writing. “My favorite part about the camp was shrimping late at night with local village workers,” said Conor McGurk, sev-
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MS Activities Middle School Writers Camp (cont’) enth grader. “The trip was awesome! I loved sleeping outside under the stars,” said Kalie Reimer, eighth grader. Each evening, writing tribe members gathered round the bonfire, watched the sunset, chatted, and enjoyed the vastness of the night. On the last night, students divided into groups and entertained each other with original skits about the whole experience. Mrs. St. James, Mr. Riley, Mr. Diebley, Ms. Arnold, Mrs. Clemens, and Mr. Tulloch surprised students with their own version of Survivor. A tribal council, including torches, a coconut shell voting box and sniping between teachers delighted the audience. The Telunas Tribe has spoken!
“Explore a deserted island, hike to a remote waterfall, travel through a traditional village, stay near a beach, and write with a professional all miles and miles from anywhere. It was an altogether amazing experience.” Seventhgrader, Nicholas Gentry wrote.
Really Rosie – Your Middle School Musical! By Tracy Meyer, Middle School Drama Teacher
Are you looking for something entertaining and fun for your upper-Primary and Intermediate-age sons and daughters? The Middle School musical, Really Rosie, is coming your way soon! On Wednesday, March 15, there will be a special show, targeting Grade 2 to 5 students (and their accompanying parents), starting at 3:10pm in the Drama Theater. About the show: While there are 10 “principal” players, no less than 30 seventh and eighth graders – along with 48 sixth grade alligators! – will be acting, singing and otherwise entertaining you with this wonderful musical, created by Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) with melodies by Carole King (“You’ve Got a Friend”). It chronicles the dreams and impressive imagination of the wistful – and sometimes willful – Rosie, as she (one by one) enlists her inner-city friends to take roles in the movie of her life. They don’t possess a lot of material toys with which to pass the time, but her friends long ago figured out that Rosie “has what it takes” to make life fun! Two sets are being constructed by Jeff Koltutsky (Middle School Art) and his talented students. The nine songs will be accompanied by live music (piano, guitar, bass and percussion). This show, directed by Middle School Drama teacher Tracy Meyer and stage-managed by SAS tech-savvy senior Jade Jack, runs about 65 minutes. There is also an evening show Thursday, March 16 at 7:00pm, but we thought adding an afternoon show might encourage younger ones and their parents to attend. We look forward to seeing you at Really Rosie this March! Really Rosie Special Elementary Student Performance Wednesday, March 15 at 3:10pm Evening Show – Thursday, March 16 at 7:00pm In the Drama Theater at SAS Really Rosie Poster created by Alex Rebeck, 8th grader
MS Activities/ Community Service
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MS Scuba Club
Visit by U.S. Navy Commander
By Jim Diebley, MS Faculty and Scuba Club Sponsor
Matt Long, Commander, U.S. Navy visited the Middle School Scuba Club after school on February 22. A Navy Deep Sea diver, Commander Long, was there to talk about his experiences, share pictures, movie clips and answering questions about this very adventuresome profession. Working as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Maintenance and Engineering, M r . Long has 20 years in the Navy, 21 years of diving experience and 10 years as a Navy diver. In Singapore he is attached to the Commander Logistic Group Western Pacific (COMLOG WESTPAC). During the afternoon presentation, students learned that while stationed in Bahrain, he was one of the Navy divers that help salvage and patch the USS Cole which was bombed in a terrorist attack. During his career he has also helped to recover several downed Navy choppers and miscellaneous ships. The Scuba Club members were impressed with the fact that what they have enjoyed as a recreational activity is also something that is a part of a very important and exciting career.
Chain of Kindness
By Kathryn Cullen, Fourth Grade Teacher One of the things the Counselors at IS do is ask students to begin a “chain of kindness.” Based on the belief that kindness begets kindness, Susan Bennett asked Ms. Cullen’s 4th graders to do something that would help others who were less fortunate. There were many acts of heartfelt kindness throughout 4th graders as a result of her lesson. One group of girls, Sarah Anderson, Lan Otani, and their friend, Paris Cullen from Mrs. Walker’s class, decided to sell cookies and treats one Saturday morning to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Foundation here in Singapore. Cold, fresh lemonade, homemade cookies and brownies were very popular as they raised over $120 in just a few hours! Later, they happily handed the money over to the Executive Director of the foundation, Samuel Ang. (The only disappointment came when they learned that they have a few more years to wait before they can volunteer at the hospital for the kids because you have to be 18 years old!) These girls really learned the lesson that giving is receiving.
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Community Service Shave-A-Thon
Raising Funds and Building Houses in Cambodia By Kurt Johnson, MS Faculty Photos by Jerry Szombathy, MS Technology Coordinator In early May, a group of 30 students, parents and teachers from four 8th grade homebases will be traveling to Cambodia to build six houses in a rural area outside of Phnom Penh. In order to raise some of the funds to purchase materials to build these houses, the group organized a Shave-A-Thon in the Middle School. As certain fundraising goals were met, six students volunteered to go under the razor followed by six teachers - free hair cuts for all! The Shave-A-Thon was capped off by two very brave ladies: 8th grader Chelsea DuBois, who agreed to have her head shaved if the $5000 mark was reached, and 6th grade teacher Sandy Hill, who put herself on the line at $10,000. Fortunately, the SAS community contributed very generously and both Chelsea (whose hair was The mother and child who moved donated to the Locks for Love organization, a charity that provides hairpieces to into one of the homes build during last year’s trip. children with long-term medical hair loss) and Mrs. Hill lost their hair. When you see them, tell them how great they look! Thanks to all who gave money and lost hair for this worthy cause!
Chelsea DuBois and Sandy Hill
Chelsea DuBois
8 grader th
Sandy Hill, 6th grade teacher
Students(L-R): Michael Osachoff, Scott DeNoma, Simon Filice, Omar Yaghi, Andrew Warshawsky and Andrew Wilson (all 8th graders except Simon)
Teachers(L-R): (Back row) Craig Olsen, Mike Hardinge and Kurt Johnson. (Front row) Greg Reynen, Patrick Green and Anthony Selley
Community Service
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The Children’s Gamelan Orchestra and Balinese Dancing Troupe Come to SAS By Kim Tay, SAS Parent
Of all the music and dance in the world, surely the sounds of the gamelan orchestra and the movements of the traditional Balinese dance must be among the most elegant and enchanting. SAS students, parents, and staff were treated to live examples of both in a series of afternoon and evening concerts and workshops held in the school auditorium on the fifteenth and sixteenth of this month. The performances were presented by the Children’s Gamelan Orchestra and Balinese Dancing Troupe of Bali, Indonesia. This remarkable orchestra and dance troupe represent one of several current projects set up and sustained by the non-profit organization REACT (http://www.react-react.org/mission.htm). While the effective exhibition of Balinese music and dance is certainly one of the group’s objectives, it is not its most important one. The members of the group—all twenty-three of them—are orphans dependent on donations from foundations and individuals for their food, shelter, and clothing. Their main objective, then, is to make more people aware that children such as themselves—children in dire need of support—exist in large numbers throughout Bali. None of the twenty-three had ever traveled beyond their beautiful island, so of course another important purpose of their visit to SAS was to get to know people here, to make as many new friends as possible, and to see for themselves what a regular day at SAS is like. Naturally, SAS folks were eager to meet them, too. On the morning of their first day, fellow Indonesians—representatives from the Indonesian Club—greeted them at their arrival and presented them with welcome gifts. The entire group then went for an extended tour of the SAS campus. For much of the second day, our guests spent time in classrooms immersed in English and indeed experiencing education at an American school. At the conclusion of their stay, along with appreciation for their brilliant performance and gratitude for their warm friendship, we expressed a sincere hope for their future welfare and assured them that we would not forget.
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PS Asian Studies Asia Fest
By Cathy Berg, Second Grade Teacher Pictures by Loke Poh San, Technology Assistant
Second graders were treated to a taste of Asian culture right here at Singapore American School. As part of the social studies curriculum each second grade classroom studies Asia. Teachers and parents work together to set up Asia Fest for the entire second grade to enjoy. Starting out this year’s Asia Fest a troupe of dragon dancers entertained us with dancing and acrobats out in the school parking lot. Students were then whisked away up to the second grade classrooms which had been turned into an Asian experience where for two hours the students learned about the cultures of Asia. There were booths galore to explore. Parents from our second grade classes graciously donate their time and expertise to show the students a bit of their home culture. The booths varied from arts and crafts such as calligraphy, brush painting, and origami to learning how to cook Chinese dumplings or Japanese sushi. Along with that children could try on Korean costumes, get hand henna or taste satay, roti prata or dragon beard candy. Children tried their hand at playing Chinese checkers, an Indonesian shell game or a Filipino dance and some tried their best at counting in Thai and Hindi! Second grade students have been studying the diversity of Asia and Asia Fest is a perfect way to bring some of that culture directly to the students. Our parents here at Singapore American School are a wonderful resource for us and truly love sharing their talents with the children here at school. Nothing reaches students like tasting local foods, playing local games or trying on costumes. They learn ďŹ rst hand what they have read or studied in books. The children’s enthusiasm at Asia Fest is a true testimony that they were excited about learning!
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PS/IS Asian Studies Chinese Brothers
Article and photos contributed by Second Grade Teachers, David Yowell and Barbara Procida On Tuesday, February 7, 2006 the children from Mr. Yowell’s and Mrs. Procida’s second grade classes entertained their audiences with their performance of The Five Chinese Brothers and The Seven Chinese Brothers. These delightful stories tell of brothers with amazing talents and how we can help each other by working t o g e t h e r. The stories tie into the second grade Social Studies theme on Asia. The children also were able to use their Mandarin skills through song. It was a performance enjoyed by all.
IS Students Welcome the Year of the Dog By David Ma – Mandarin Teacher
From January 18 to 20, all our IS students gathered together to learn how to make dumplings, a traditional Chinese food, and tasted the ones they made themselves. Students also learned customs about Chinese New Year and joined the Mandarin teachers in practicing Kongfu. The grouproom was filled with songs and laughter and a lot of bright colors too.
The IS Mandarin Chinese New Year celebration reached its climax on January 27 during the Chinese Carnival. With the help of some parents, the students participated in different activities related to Chinese New Year such as Chinese calligraphy, Chinese traditional games and paper cutting, to name only a few. Each student got a Hongbao from the Mandarin teachers. In the afternoon, a Lion and Dragon Dance performance attracted all the students to the Elementary Theater. “Wow, this is the best Lion Dance I have ever seen,” said many students and teachers.
IS Student Council
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Intermediate School Student Council By Jennifer Koltutsky, Fifth Grade Teacher
The 2005/06 Intermediate School Student Council is made up of 26 5th grade students. From each 5th grade class, students vote for a representative and an alternate. The representatives attend fortnightly meetings, with the alternate attending when the representative cannot. Representatives are assigned to a grade 3 and 4 class, as well as being responsible for reporting information to their homerooms. The Student Council meets to plan and discuss ideas for school activities that promote community spirit in the Intermediate school. The activities are the ideas of the Student council reps as well as ideas shared by 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. The activities that were successfully carried out by the Student Council during the 1st and 2nd quarter were a Thanksgiving Door Decorating competition and a dress up day called “Future Day”. Photos from these events can be viewed in the Intermediate School lobby. As of February 28, there will be a new group of Student Council representatives eager to start planning new activities for the rest of the school year. The IS Student Council is under the guidance and supervision of Ian Woodfield (grade 3 teacher), Susan Shaw (grade 3 teacher) and Jennifer Koltutsky (grade 5 teacher). The following 5th grade students being the representative to the IS Student Council for the first semester are Lauren McMullen, Autumn Reay, Ciara Salg, Alyssa San Jose, Rachel Jackson, Alexander Shay, Caitlin Mulligan, Faran Hannani, Nicole Love, Vijay Rajkumar, Keegan Train, Annika Hvide and Anna Kook. The following 5th grade students who served as alternates are Iishaan Shekar, Kyushik Nam, Greg Toth, James Khoo, Ayesha Agarwal, Kevin Wang, Rachel Fulton, Maria Theodara Starling, Shashank Jejurikar, Yuka Moroishi, Sky Lalwani, Isabelle Mulder and Kelsey DeBerry.
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Faculty SAS Faculty Soccer
By Brian White, Middle School Teacher “What a game folks, it’s still 1 to 1 with only three minutes left to go.… wait… something could be happening here….. number four is taking it down the sideline, he avoids a defender… makes a well placed cross to the center… eighteen makes a great trap to his feet… he fakes to his left… he shoots…… GOOOAAAALL!!! SAS gets a GOAL!” Just a second, isn’t the IASAS soccer season over? Come to think of it, those guys out there look a little too old to be in high school. There are a few too many grey hairs out there as well. Those guys aren’t students, they’re members of the SAS faculty and staff! The SAS staff soccer team has been playing regularly for the past six years starting in 2000 when high school teacher Duane Melsom began organizing occasional games. In 2001 former middle school principal, Allan Bredy, and Intermediate School psychologist, Bill Hanagan, took over and started scheduling two games per month as well as regular after school small side pick up games. During his first year in Singapore, Hanagan played with a local team from Chua Chu Kang. He kept in touch with the locals on that team as well as their opponents. This connection offered him the opportunity to arrange some challenging opponents for the SAS team. In the last two years the SAS staff team has played teams from Woodlands and Jurong police forces, Chua Chu Kang, and international schools UWC, OFS, and the French school. This year the team is challenging itself with games against veteran league teams like the Orchard Rovers and high school soccer coach, Tim Zitur’s, Hibernian team. When Bredy moved to Nepal at the end of last year, Mark Forgeron stepped in to take over the position as the organizer for practices and games. Forgeron is proud of the team and its diversity. “We have had eighteen different guys play with us this year. Our players come from all four school divisions, as well as custodial staff, security staff, and the tech department. We are a very mixed-ability team, with some fairly beginner players as well as some players that have played university level soccer or are in the Singapore Ex-pat leagues. The chance to hang out with staff from all divisions has also been a great social outlet for us.” One of the top goal scorers, intermediate school computer integration specialist Keith Ferrell, last played organized soccer in high school. He said “I think the most interesting thing about our level of play is that, although it seems like the teams we go up against are more experienced, have better passing skills and are more cohesive as a team unit. We always seem to defend strongly and make our shots count, enabling us to pile up the wins.” Each year the team gets a little older and a little wiser…. a trait that they like to think helps them beat their younger opponents. Despite the physical deterioration of its members, they keep winning. Last year the record was 11 wins, 3 losses, and 3 draws and this year the team sits at 7 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw. With still more games to come, including a much anticipated tournament at the French school, the SAS staff soccer team is excited about the rest of the season.
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IASAS IASAS Rugby – SAS Brings Home the Gold By Peter Cuthbert, MS Teacher and Team Coach
After a disjointed season full of interruptions due to holidays, in-term trips, injuries and inconsistent play, the boys’ Varsity Rugby team left for Taipei on a high note, winning their last game soundly at home. Having only played Jakarta International School in a preseason exchange, there was a great deal of anticipation as we played the other 4 IASAS teams for the first time during the round robin. The coaches and Final Score: SAS 39, ISKL 10 returning players knew from last year’s tough lesson, that Scorers: Adam Anderson (3 tries, 1 conversion), Tarik each round robin game is very important when the goal Stafford (2 tries, 1 conversion), Dave McNicol (1 try) and is gold. Paul Charbonnet (1 try) Pushing nervous energy aside, SAS started well against ISKL from the kick-off. Paul Charbonnet, Adam Schwarz, Peter Vaz and Mike Loscalzo led the way upfront with some spirited forward play. SAS played their style of game by opening it up and spreading the ball wide. Good ball handling and loads of selfless team play led to great tries out on the wing and the exciting brand of running rugby SAS is best known for. Final Score: SAS 31, TAS 5 Scorers: Adam Anderson (2 tries, 3 conversions), Tarik Stafford (1 try), Adam Schwarz (1 try) and Mike Loscalzo (1 try) The great team focus with strong individual efforts continued in the afternoon game against the home-side TAS. Going against the crowd and the wind in the first half, SAS players fought hard in the scrums and rucks to produce clean, fast ball to our scrumhalf, Katsuki Kikui, who had another superb game spinning passes out wide as well as pressuring his opposite number at each breakdown. Runaway tries again from Tarik Stafford and Adam Anderson silenced the crowd and pushed SAS towards top spot in the round robin. The forwards were well awarded with a couple of their own tries after playing smart and physical rugby against the pack from TAS with Mike Loscalzo and heavy hitter Adam Swartz both bursting over the try line for the first scores of the weekend. Final Score: SAS 10, ISM 10 Scorers: Tarik Stafford (2 tries) In their 4th match SAS, now in sole possession of first play in the pool, met IS Manila. After a slow start, simple mistakes stripped away scoring chances and played into Manila’s hands. A forwards game ensued with tough physical play from both sides as SAS played Manila’s style of game for most of the match. Thankfully, winger Tarik Stafford ran in two more tries and SAS got away with a tie, and a lesson about the importance of match preparation.
Final Score: SAS 12, JIS 0 Scorers: Braden Betts (1 try), Scott West (1 try) and Adam Anderson (1 conversion) Friday morning brought some sun to chilly Taipei, and with it an important game against JIS who had beaten SAS in the preseason exchange in November. The game started well for SAS as they got inside their opponent’s 22 meter line and pressured throughout the first half. JIS showed excellent defense and some strong forward play matching SAS’s front 5. Captain Scott West was able to calm the coach’s nerves before halftime with a brilliant run past their winger and fullback who could not match his pace. The second half was no different from the first with both teams pressuring and then countering with great tackles and cover defense. Then, with 4 minutes to go, Braden Betts made a colossal tackle on his man deep inside their 22 meter line causing him to spill the ball. Ever-present first-five, Dave McNicol, collected the spilled ball, drew his man and offloaded a nice pass back to Betts who deservedly scored the try. SAS’s stellar defense held strong and solidified the shutout. Final Score: SAS 19, ISB 26 Scorers: Adam Anderson (1 try, 2 conversions), Tarik Stafford (1 try), Rob Whitehead (1 try) Already knowing they had a birth in the Championship game; SAS rested players and made multiple substitutions as they took on ISB. Fuelled by the need for a win to play in the finals, ISB played a tight game keeping the ball among their forwards and strong running backs. Defense again played a big part in this match as bodies were becoming battered and tired after 5 games of rugby. As the game wore on ISB pounded in tries from forward pressure while SAS tried to find its open style game. Rob Whitehead had a strong game from lock making some tough tackles and scoring a try while the duo of Stafford and Anderson ran in the rest of the points from the backs.
IASAS
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IASAS Rugby – SAS Brings Home the Gold (cont’) CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Final Score: SAS 31, ISB 10 Scorers: Adam Anderson (1 try, 3 conversions), Dave McNicol (2 tries), Kasuki Kikui (1 try) and Scott West (1 try) The Championship game was déjà vu only in terms of who was playing. After a very positive and focused team warm up, SAS hit the field and played their best game of the season against ISB. Paul Reay, Peter Vaz and Paul Charbonnet connected well in the line-outs and the scrum controlled the set pieces well. The forwards did a superb job winning rucks and scrums and helped set up Katsuki Kikui’s blindside try from just inside ISB’s half for the first score of the game. Confidence grew with points on the board but it was ISB that controlled the rest of the half and SAS showed true grit in defense for over 4 straight minutes before ISB squeezed in a try. In the second half SAS’s attacking rugby was too much for ISB’s solid defense and the tries starting pouring in. Dave McNicol controlled the middle of the field scoring two nice tries under the posts, while Scott West scored from fullback and Anderson continued his dominance out wide. It was a terrific culmination to the season as it truly was a team effort and a team win. Congratulations to all the players and especially our all tournament selections: Adam Anderson, Dave McNicol, Mike Loscalzo and Paul Charbonnet.
Touch Rugby IASAS
By Bill Hanagan, PS/IS Psychologist and Team Coach Photo by Sue Calvert, SAS Parent and Faculty Member The SAS girls’ Touch Rugby team headed to Taipei with great anticipation this year to play in the IASAS tournament. The 4th place finish was somewhat disappointing considering our expectations; however we came away feeling we had played better than our record reflected in the end. The SAS girls’ team had a successful season overall, often playing against stronger opposition than is found at IASAS; finishing the season with an 18-12- 3 record. In the IASAS tournament the SAS girls came in 4th this year but actually had the same record 3-2-1 as the 2nd and 3rd place teams. The way the competition is designed, it is a matter of when and who you lose to early on that can either knock your team out or, if lucky, let them through to the finals. We only had one bad game this year at IASAS, but it was at the wrong time against the wrong team. The level of play at the touch rugby competition has improved dramatically over the past several years. This year it was extremely even between ISB (1st place), TAS, JIS and SAS. Every team can and has beaten the other at some point this year either at IASAS or at an exchange. Sara Calvert was selected to the All-IASAS team for the second consecutive year. Meghan Dwyer (co-captain with Sara) injured her knee in the first game of the tournament so was unable to play near her usual ability. Other outstanding play was seen from Kacey Whitaker grade 11 and Alex Shaulis grade 10. We were only allowed one All-IASAS selection because of our 4th place finish, otherwise one or both of them very likely would have been selected as well. TAS did a great job of hosting and the location of the school made it easy to find interesting things to do within walking distance.
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IASAS IASAS Swimming – Both Teams Bring Home the Gold! By Steve Betts, HS Faculty and Swim Coach Photos by Sue and John Pitfield, SAS Parent
The SAS boys’ Swim Team won their third consecutive IASAS Swimming title and the girls’ Team rolled to their eighth straight win at this year’s IASAS Championships in Jakarta. This year’s meet was one of the fastest in IASAS history with new records set in 10 of the 32 IASAS events. JIS made a particularly strong showing with three records and 13 individual event victories coming from their five top boys and girls, performing very well in front of the home crowd. The tone of the girls’ meet was set in the opening event, when Natty Chalermpalanupap of JIS won the race and scored 7 points for her team. SAS placed 2-3-5-6 and scored 12 points in the event, however, moving into the lead on the first event. The depth of our team was remarkable, as every one of the 12 SAS girls in the meet scored points and won medals. Each team is allowed four participants in each individual event, and to have all four swimmers make the final (6 swimmers) and score points is a rare accomplishment for a team. The SAS girls achieved this feat in three different events, while no other boys’ or girls’ team was able to get four swimmers into a final of an individual event. The SAS girls finished with 178 points, well ahead of the runner-ups from JIS with 100. On the boys’ side, JIS’ David Round defended his title in the 200 Freestyle while SAS sophomores Richie Pavone and Kristian Danorwayan finished second and third. The boys’ title race was much closer, with Jakarta giving Singapore’s boys a definite run for their money. Final score in the boys’ meet was SAS 149 and JIS 124, with TAS and ISM tied for third at 52. JIS actually won eight of the 16 events in the boys’ meet, with SAS winning seven and ISM taking one, but once again SAS’ superior depth proved to be the difference. The IASAS Swimming Championships was a bit of a two-team meet, as SAS and JIS won 31 of the 32 events. SAS swimmers broke seven IASAS records, led by senior All-American Whitney Taylor. For the third consecutive year Whitney won five gold medals at IASAS and this year she broke five IASAS records and five SAS records at the meet. Last year Whitney’s time in the 100-meter Backstroke earned her High School All-American status, and since she went faster this year it is likely that Whitney will be named to the All-American team once again. Whitney broke IASAS records in the 100 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, and 400 Freestyle. She and Michelle Ong (IASAS champion in the 50 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly) teamed up with Kathy De La Hoz and Courtney Taylor to set a new IASAS record in the 4x50 meter Freestyle Relay, then Michelle and Whitney joined Ruth Norwinda and Kirstie Parkinson for an IASAS record in the 4x100 Medley Relay. The SAS boys’ relay team of Thomas Brisson, Mark Fordney, Richie Pavone, and Brad Bordwell set new IASAS records in the 4x50 Freestyle Relay and the 4x100 Medley Relay as well.
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IASAS SAS Boys’ Tennis Team @ IASAS in Kuala Lumpur By Frans Grimbergen, PS/IS Faculty and Boys Tennis’ Coach
This year’s IASAS Tennis Tournament, hosted by ISKL, was a well organized tournament at a great tennis facility; The National Malaysian Tennis Centre. The tournament had the use of 8 outdoor and 3 indoor courts including stands and bleachers with “royal seating” sections. Despite a few hours of rain delay on Friday afternoon, all matches were completed in time thanks to the three indoor courts. With the Bangkok boys as the clear favorites, loosing only one match in the entire competition (1st doubles vs. SAS), SAS and JIS were fighting for the silver. JIS took the two 3-sets “key matches” (1st singles and 2nd doubles) to beat our boys in an impressive manner, exhibiting great sportsmanship. Only three of the SAS team members, Aseem Nambiar, Thomas Lindh and Shintaro Masuno, were returning IASAS players with five IASAS “new newcomers”; Kyohei Morita, Philip Kwee, Shogo Kikui, Andrew Ni and Michael He. The SAS 1st doubles team, Shintaro Masuno (grade 11) and Andrew Ni (grade 9), was named All Tournament. They turned out to be a perfect doubles combination with Shintaro’s powerful topspin serve and drives and Andrew’s fine volley skills at the net. - Day 1: A loss vs. ISB (1-4) and a win vs. ISKL (4-1) - Day 2: A win vs. TAS (4-1) and a rain delayed match vs. JIS - Day 3: A loss vs. JIS (1-4) and a final win vs. ISM (4-1) Final SAS Bronze
Boys
result:
Final IASAS Boys Tennis results: 1st: 2nd: 3rd: 4th: 5th: 6th:
ISB JIS SAS ISKL TAS ISM
Girls’ Tennis – IASAS Tournament at ISKL By Tim Thompson, HS Faculty and Team Coach
The girls’ Varsity Tennis Team finished with the bronze in the IASAS tournament played at the KL National Stadium. The silver was within reach with the 2nd singles, Meiko Masuno, and the 3rd singles, Jennifer Gamez, winning easily. The three remaining matches were closely lost to a steady Bangkok team. Jakarta won convincingly with their number one player rated at 320 in the world of juniors. Sarah Yang lost to her 6-3, 6-3 with many coaches saying it was one of the highlights of the tournament. All the players competed well against the remaining teams of ISKL, ISM, and TAS. They had the opportunity to play indoors on three courts that were provided to the tournament. It was probably the finest venue IASAS Tennis has ever been played on and we thank ISKL for the efforts in utilizing this facility.
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IASAS From Worst to First Place Finish Girls’ IASAS Basketball By Kelsey Heiner, HS Student Photos By Brian Riady
The girls’ Varsity Basketball team beat Jakarta International School 52 - 45 in the IASAS championship game, winning their second gold medal in three years. The gold medal finish completed a comeback season that saw the team go from sixth place last year to first place this year. We never questioned that we could win the gold,” coach Brian Combes said. SAS dominated during the rod robin play finishing with an overall record of 4 - 1. Their only defeat came in a 40 - 43 loss to Jakarta during the first day of the tournament. The Eagles quickly rebounded Saturday morning and secured their spot in the final by beating the International School of Bangkok. “We knew that we had it together by the time we played Bangkok,” Combes said. “The glue and the chemistry that we had been working toward all season had finally happened. We were ready for the championship.” The final pitted the defending champions, the Jakarta Dragons, against the host school. The lady Dragons jumped out to an early eight point lead in the first quarter, but an aggressive fullcourt press that created 21 turnovers helped the Eagles make their way back into the game. Key baskets by sophomore Barbara Lodwick and junior co-captain Cat Ward gave the Eagles a three point advantage going into the half-time. Led by junior All-Tournament Kelsey Heiner’s 18 points, and senior All-Tournament Katie Fusco’s team high five steals, the Eagles were able to survive several momentum shifts in the second half. “We had the luxury of being able to use different combinations of players during the game,” Combes said. “We were truly a championship team.”
RESULTS GIRLS 1. SAS 2. JIS 3. TAS 4. ISM 5. ISKL 6. ISB
FINAL SAS - 52 JIS - 45
ALL TOURNAMENT Katie Fusco Kelsey Heiner Nicole Bannister
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IASAS Boys’ Basketball Wins 8th Consecutive Gold By Kelsey Heiner, HS Student Photo By Laura Imkamp
age of 33 points.
The boys’ Varsity Basketball team won their eighth consecutive gold medal, beating the International School of Manila 74 - 66 in front of a boisterous home crowd. After graduating five seniors last year, the boys’ team returned to IASAS determined to continue their dominant winning streak. “We knew what our competition was going to be like because Manila had four returning starters,” All-tournament senior captain David Bywater said. “We knew it was going to be tough.” The win avenged the Eagles earlier loss to Manila in round-robin play. “The loss was frustrating, but we knew we were going to probably see them in the final,” Bywater said. Besides the loss to Manila, the Eagles breezed through roundrobin play – winning by an aver-
The final game pitted the sharp-shooting Bearcats against the well-balanced Eagles team. The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead and maintained a three point advantage at the beginning of the fourth q u a r t e r. “Our game plan was to give them only one shot with a hand in their face,” Bywater added. After a timeout was called, the Eagles rebounded to go up by eight points with less than two minutes remaining. Crucial free throw shots by junior Clay Crawford sealed the victory and the Eagles went on to win by eight points. “With our backs against the wall we were able to overcome the obstacles and keep the legacy of Eagle basketball intact,” Bywater
BOYS 1. SAS 2. ISM 3. ISB 4. ISKL 5. TAS 6. JIS
RESULTS FINAL SAS - 74 ISM - 66
ALL TOURNAMENT David Bywater Colin Lee Ian Gillis