The Voice Vol 34

‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય κοινότητα сообщество ชุ ม ชน ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ समु द ाय Pobail Samfélag સમુ દ ાય Gemeinschaft 社区 κοινότητα Pobail сообщество 커뮤니티 ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય κοινότητα сообщество ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag

‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય of Tanglin κοινότητα Trust School Vol 34 / 2020: The Global Community Issue сообщество ชุ ม ชน ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ समु द ाय Pobail Samfélag સમુ દ ાય Gemeinschaft 社区 κοινότητα Pobail сообщество 커뮤니티 ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય κοινότητα сообщество ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag 1

THE VOICE

MCI (P) 094/07/2019

VOLUME 34 The Global Community Issue

Contents

Editor

Regular Features

Georgina James, Marketing & Communications

06 Tanglin Talk

Design

08 People of Tanglin

Alex Ridley, Marketing & Communications

40 Student Art Showcase

Photography

- Marketing & Communications - Contributors from across the school

What’s New at Tanglin

10 Class Acts Fraser Brill & Kate Good

“The Voice” herein refers to “The Voice

12 Gymnastics Director Lauren Sweeney

of Tanglin Trust School”

14 Sports’ Bold New Approach

All students’ year groups referenced

16 Tanglin’s Head Team for 2020/21

in this issue are accurate at time of print.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue.

Innovative Education

18 The Infant School Reaches Out

20 The Junior School Gets Gold

tts.edu.sg

22 Teams Talk with the Senior School

95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299 Tel: 6778 0771 Email: communications@tts.edu.sg

From Our Global Community

24 Thriving in the World’s New Normal

Follow us!

26 A Tanglin Teacher’s COVID-19 Picture Book

28 Alumni Stories From the NHS Front Line

30 Helping Children to Be Resilient

32 “Growing Strong’” with a Tanglin Family

34 A Missive from the Maldives

36 Confronting Racism in the Workplace

38 Alumni Interns’ Future Thinking

Tanglin Lifestyle

tanglintrustschool

#tanglintrust

46 From the Archives: Back to Weyhill

with Alumnus Daryl Goh

48 Outside: The Healing Powers of a Garden

50 Travel: Starting University in a Pandemic

52 The Arts: Behind the Scenes of the Senior Ensembles Concert

Tanglin Trust School

@tanglintrust

54 Futurescape: The Gate C Project

Foreword

by Craig Considine, CEO

Above and right: Helping young people adjust to the “new normal” has been at the forefront of many of our minds this year.

The tumult of recent months has defined 2020. Natural disasters, presidential elections, economic markets in disarray, lockdowns, travel restrictions and working from home as a result of COVID-19 have all collided to create anxiety, upset, a new world order and the “new normal”.

The Tanglin Trust School community has, like so many other schools and organisations around the world, struggled to cope with the demands of societal, familial, economic, climatic and political change. The business, wellbeing and pop-psychology manuals are full of great advice. On a broad systemic level, however, we hope that communication from Tanglin has been able to assure and support members of our community throughout this time.

In this edition of The Voice, authors from our community provide some backstory to the significant events that transpired this year. Technology of course, offered a foundation for our education. It was the medium that allowed us to communicate, and on-going review and analysis will allow us to further augment its role in our teaching and learning. Some new initiatives are brilliantly positive; on page 22, Mike Roberts and Kayzad Byramjee outline how we have used Teams as a platform to support the use of OneNote in the Senior School.

The “new normal” impacts mental health; in the special Global Community section, our Educational Psychologist, Clare Lancaster, discusses the term and provides some excellent thoughts to alleviate the pressures young people face. In the same section, we explain how the Black Lives Matter movement and associated initiatives around the world are being considered at Tanglin; Benyna Richards provides some

thoughts surrounding the diversity and inclusion discourse at present.

As a school that spans the 3-18 age range, Tanglin oversees a number of formal transition points, therefore it is nice to see how last year’s Head Girl, Sophie Riley, has adjusted to her transition to university in the UK; turn to page 50 for more.

Tanglin, in its 95th year, continues to evolve and provide an outstanding education for children in Singapore. The stories contained within this magazine continue to tell the story of how that education is shaped. Our editors, authors, photographers and other contributors have enjoyed putting it together – thank you to them all. We all hope you enjoy reading it.

3

Tanglin Talk Tanglin Alumna nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year and talented. I am very proud to be recognised alongside them.”

We were thrilled to learn that Annie McCullough (Class of 2016) was recently shortlisted for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s 2020 Woman of the Year Award.

This prestigious US award honours the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from Division I, II and III universities across all sports, and this year Annie was selected as one of only nine finalists from more than 600 nominees.

The Alumna, who attended Tanglin with her twin sister Caitlin, was nominated by Tusculum University, Tennessee, for the work she has ploughed into her studies there (she received the 2020 Northeast

4

Tennessee Section of the American Chemical Society Graduating Student Award), alongside her achievements in tennis (she ranks second in the US in doubles and seventh in singles) and her community activities (taking the role of student tutor in chemistry, and leading tennis drills for local children, to name just two).

The Voice recently caught up with Annie, who was still reeling from the news. “I first heard about it from my tennis coach, and I was in considerable shock!” she tells.

“It’s particularly special for a small Division II university such as Tusculum. I recently had the opportunity to meet some of my fellow honourees on Zoom, and all of them are so inspiring

While Annie’s achievements so far are manifold, there is one she is particularly delighted with. “After our first years at separate universities in the US, my sister Caitlin transferred over to Tusculum and we were able to play doubles with each other – as we have done our whole lives.

We had one goal we aspired to: being All-American in doubles.

This meant we had to be ranked in the top 10 of all doubles pairings in Division II. Recently, in our senior season, we achieved this and were national runners-up! There could be nothing more special than achieving this dream with Caitlin.”

Like many of us, Annie has been unable to travel this year due to COVID-19, but she remembers Tanglin and Singapore, where she was born, with fondness. “Tanglin is a big part of who I am today,” she says. “I have so many memories from the FOBISIA and SEASAC meets that I participated in, while the academic side of the curriculum provided me with a significant advantage when I progressed on in my academic journey in the UK. It will always hold a very special place in my heart!”

To find out more about the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, visit ncaa.org

The Mane Event

N GL

L

S

TA

IN

If you visit the Tanglin campus soon, watch out – a lion is prowling about! Last year, Tanglin introduced its Lions logo to the school community and, this year, it’s been brought to life in the shape of our six-foot-tall and absolutely roar-some mascot (left, with Head of Infant School Paula Craigie). So far, our lion has made star appearances at Infant and Junior school assemblies, and is also expected to bring some Tanglin pride to open houses and sporting events in the future, too. While our lion may be fierce, it’s also a real softie – and is in need of a name!

I O N

If you would like to suggest a name for our Lion, please contact us at communications@tts.edu.sg

On Our Community Cover...

Making it Merry and Bright!

At Tanglin, we know that for many of our families, the school’s Christmas events mark the start of the festive season; the magic of the service at St George’s Church and the bazaar-like atmosphere of our annual fair are guaranteed ways of getting into the Christmas spirit. With our usual program on pause due to the pandemic, the Development Team are preparing something very special: 12 Days of Christmas at Tanglin!

The virtual Tanglin advent calendar will first open on December 1 and deliver surprises until the end of Term 1.

Each day, a seasonal video featuring our students and staff will be released onto the school’s website to spread some festive cheer. Now all of our community – including extended family overseas – will be able to take part in a Tanglin Christmas! Go to tts.edu.sg for more.

For this very special issue, The Voice handed over creative control of its cover to an artist from our community, Year 13 student Alex.

His design incorporates the recognisable façade of Tanglin’s Nixon Building, alongside emblems representing the locales of our contributors – the UK, Maldives and Singapore. Says Alex, “I drew my inspiration from travel prints of the 1930s that captured a world most people could only dream of. Through our communities and friendships, we can all now appreciate ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ ‫لصاوت‬ ‫يعامتجا‬ a world that is tantalisingly close. The graphics Gemeinschaft Gemeinschaft team is honoured to have had the chance Samfélag Samfélag to work સમુ દ ાય on the first ever graphical illustrator સમુ દ ાય based magazine cover for The Voice.”κοινότητα κοινότητα сообщество ชุ ม ชน ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ समु द ाय Pobail Samfélag સમુ દ ાય Gemeinschaft 社区 κοινότητα Pobail сообщество 커뮤니티 ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય κοινότητα сообщество ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય

сообщество ชุ ม ชน ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ समु द ाय Pobail Samfélag સમુ દ ાય Gemeinschaft 社区 κοινότητα Pobail сообщество 커뮤니티 ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય κοινότητα сообщество ‫يعامتجا لصاوت‬ Gemeinschaft Samfélag સમુ દ ાય

5

People of Tanglin Members of our school community come from all different backgrounds and parts of the world, and each has a story that captivates and inspires. Meet just a few of them here...

Jean Festin Senior Teaching and Learning Assistant (Learning Support) – Infant School What’s the best thing about working at Tanglin?

You are surrounded by such talented people who would do anything in their power to make each and every student learn, and feel loved and valued! Our students and their families are very positive, supportive and appreciative, too. It’s heartwarming that many of them still remember their days in the Infant School. At Tanglin, everyone feels they belong to one big family.

6

Tell us about yourself!

I was born and raised in the Philippines.

I was brought up by a very strong and vibrant mother who cooked all sorts of cuisine, gardened, and spoke a number of dialects. She loved hosting parties and our home was open to anyone. Papa, on the other hand, travelled a lot and is a huge collector of all kinds of fascinating things from different parts of the world.

At a very young age, my parents opened my eyes to the beauty and diversity of languages and culture.

What is your passion?

Children are the funniest, loveliest, most genuine and most fascinating human beings. Though small and vulnerable, they are most capable of so many things – they can both challenge you and inspire you. We are so fortunate to be part of their learning.

Mohd. Afandi Lead Reprographics Technician Tell us about yourself!

When I first joined Tanglin, most of the community were single. Now I am a grandfather of three! My grandchildren are eight, three and one, and while I try to keep up with them, my energy is not quite what it was – it’s tough! I’ve been married to my wife Rosminah Abdul Sawi since 1985. We invited almost all the Tanglin teachers to our wedding dinner, held at a venue inside the Kampong village. At the time, there were only around 30 teaching staff, but I was still very surprised they all found it!

When did you join Tanglin?

I joined Tanglin on February 1, 1980, as an admin messenger.

I may have been at Tanglin over 40 years, but when you are enjoying your work, the time really flies.

What is your passion?

I love the sea. It makes me feel cool and calm – it’s like therapy!

I remember once bringing all the teaching staff to a remote island off Batam – Pulau Lengkang. It had no electricity or running water; you had to catch fish or crabs for food, and bring water from the nearest island that had a well. When we reported to the head of the village to tell him we were staying for a couple of days, he told us we were the first group of foreigners to come to the island! It was a very enjoyable time.

What’s the best thing about working at Tanglin?

I have gained lots of experience here. One of the most fulfilling things is that former Tanglin staff come to see me when they visit Singapore – maybe it’s just to see if I’m still here! Most

importantly, every day at Tanglin is a happy day.

What are your hopes for the future?

That Tanglin continues to be an environmentally friendly school: we need to keep the world as free from pollution as possible.

That was our hope from the beginning, when Tanglin was really small. I hope we will continue to keep our impact on the natural world to a minimum.

Adam Cotton Academic Enrichment Coordinator When did you join Tanglin, and what did you do before that?

I joined in August 2018 – it’s the second school I’ve taught at. Previously, I worked at Whitgift School in London for six years, including a spell as Head of French. Prior to that, I studied French and Linguistics at the University of Oxford.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I’m primarily a classroom teacher; jumping from Year 8 French to Year 13 Theory of Knowledge and then back to French is all good fun, and keeps me on my toes. I also spend lots of time visiting Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs), and discussing new Academic Enrichment ideas and strategies with colleagues from all over Tanglin. The school keeps me busy!

What is your passion?

I’m a language nerd – I like patterns and codes, and how complex and yet elegant all languages are. I get particularly

excited about explaining technical points of grammar to my older students, to their amusement (and occasional despair).

I’ve recently started learning Mandarin and Thai.

What’s the best thing about working at Tanglin?

It’s surely the fact that every day is different.

While the job can definitely be exhausting at times, it is never, ever dull! Students can say both the funniest and most profound things you’ll ever hear – it’s a source of unending enjoyment.

7

Wanazman Bin Abdul Aziz (Wan) Theatre and Events Technician Tell us about yourself!

I have a special, loving family, with three challenging but fun children. As a father, There is always a sense of moving on and moving forward, and never giving up!

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day would involve collaborating with other staff who are supporting school events; meeting with logistics staff and vendors for troubleshooting when necessary; meeting with technicians to ensure that power to the event space area meets the needs of the event, and of course meets safety requirements.

It’s very personally fulfilling when each event ends successfully and, most importantly, safely – and it’s great to see all the behind-the-scenes work take place.

What is the best thing about working at Tanglin?

It is wonderful to see children being

nurtured in this protected and safe environment. I think of Tanglin as a lighthouse; young people are guided and supported in acquiring skills that will set them on the right course for adulthood.

To see their achievements is fulfilling and has given me many lasting memories.

Vicky Singham Teaching and Learning Assistant – Infant School What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day starts off waiting for the children to come in – as part of my role, I assist in welcoming them to the class and greeting them. This is followed by assisting them throughout the day.

What is your passion?

Gardening! Gardening is my passion or rather, my hobby. From a very young age, I watched my mother tend to her plants tirelessly and tasted the fruits of her labour – literally. She sowed the seeds of my interest; I just hope she passed on her green fingers, too!

What’s been the most fulfilling part of your career at Tanglin?

Meeting families and children from different cultures. Working in a school also lets us share our ideas and opinions about the world, and to help each other.

What would your friends tell us about you?

I believe they would agree that I am friendly, helpful and thoughtful, and always willing to help.

What are your hopes for the future?

Health and prosperity for all, not just for me. In these somewhat troubling times, that’s a vital aspiration for everyone to have.

8

What are your hopes for the future?

My hope for the school is that it will keep moving forward in line with its aims and values. Also, it’s a point of pride when our students go on to do big things that are recognised by the wider world – I wish that for all of them!

Bilal Saddik Senior Teaching and Learning Assistant (PE) – Infant School When did you join Tanglin? What did you do before joining?

I started working at Tanglin on April 13, 2020. Prior to that, I coached football part-time in Singapore. Before that, I was director of the British Football Academy in Kuwait. I am Lebanese and moved to the UK to study sports coaching.

In 2008, I was named the Red Bull Street Style (Freestyle football) Champion of Kuwait. I was also Bolton Wanders FC Skills School Winner in 2010.

What’s the best thing about working at Tanglin?

Due to the Circuit Breaker period, my first two months at Tanglin were virtual, so it was amazing to create enjoyable PE videos for students to do at home, and to finally meet everyone face to face. It’s great to be able to teach sport to children through activities that make learning fun.

What is your passion?

I enjoy participating in all sports and teaching sport through fun. Obviously, I love football, but also cooking (especially barbecuing), creating videos, and learning new languages.

I like to learn new skills – essentially, my passion is trying different things out!

What would your friends tell us about you?

My best friends would say that I am reliable, a team player, optimistic and always there when they need me.

Sophia Lazzari Safeguarding Officer What would your friends tell us about you?

They would tell you I’m too serious about most things, and my commitment to a cause is usually absolute and passionate!

That, when I’m not holding a passionate conversation about something or another, I’m probably hiding away with one of my antique poetry books or practising my cello. That I’m a complete coffee snob. And that I love cake almost as much as my yoga practice!

What is the best thing about working at Tanglin?

The commitment of the pastoral care teams across the school. It is wonderful to be part of a multidisciplinary team in which everyone is so willing to collaborate and graciously share their knowledge of caring for students in a genuine, holistic way.

What is your passion? Where does it come from?

I am infinitely curious about human

behaviour, social justice, and human rights issues, and I have a particular interest in certain historical events. I have vivid memories of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and its aftermath, in regard to the children who were involved.

That was the first time I felt I wanted to work in a field where there were tough questions to be answered and creative solutions required. On a lighter note, I’m also passionate about tiramisu!

9

What’s New at Tanglin

Ahead of the Curve This year, Tanglin appointed its first ever Gymnastics Director, Lauren Sweeney.

Here, Lauren tells us what this exciting development means for our students – and how it’s helping to smash stereotypes in the sport Lauren Sweeney speaks with such passion about her sport, even an armchair enthusiast might believe they can brave the balance beam.

Having led Tanglin’s program for three years as a manager at outside provider Gym With Me, the ex-competitive gymnast has now moved “in house” to the Co-Curriculum faculty and is excited to broaden the school’s gymnastics programme.

to Dublin and her first love, gymnastics. Coaching still forms part of her remit at Tanglin.

“I will always love coaching, but it’s important to me that I continue evolving,” she says. “I’ve moved from being a coach, to a program manager and now director, and having that oversight into the different pathways for our students and avoiding tunnel vision is very important.”

“Although, I’d say it’s less ‘expansion’ and more ‘exposure’,” she clarifies. “We have a very successful program already here at Tanglin; I believe gymnastics is one of the most popular sports. My goal as director is really to maintain the standard that we’ve been providing and, in addition, to expose as many young people as possible to the sport.”

Contrary to popular belief, Lauren believes gymnastics is a sport you can become involved in at any age and it’s a message she’s keen for everyone to hear – particularly girls and young women.

“The trend for teenage girls competing really only started with Nadia Comaneci in 1976; she competed for Romania at the Summer Olympics in Montreal when she was only 14 [scoring a perfect 10.0 – a first in the sport – and later winning three gold medals]. Previously to that, competitors were in their twenties.”

Lauren studied Sport Sciences at University College Dublin in her native Ireland, before later training as a Strength and Conditioning coach. Over the course of her career, she has explored all angles of sports coaching: working at a fitness retreat in Thailand, with young athletes at a small club in Queenstown, New Zealand, and as a personal trainer here in Singapore, among other roles. It was a back injury that took her back

“It’s been 40 years, but the gymnastics culture is now starting to shift. We’re seeing college gymnastics getting really popular in the US, and adult competitions are popping up in Australia and the UK. There were plans to hold a similar event here in Singapore, but unfortunately those were abandoned due to COVID-19. Ultimately, we’re moving away from the image of that young gymnast we’re all familiar with – and with that,

years, and is keen for all students to take part in whichever way appeals to them. To that end, other styles of gymnastics are being explored. Choreography gymnastics and acro gymnastics – a discipline in which gymnasts work together to perform acrobatic moves, dancing and tumbling, set to music – are just two.

Trampolining is also now being offered to Senior School students. “It’s no longer that intense style only,” she explains.

Running the gymnastics program from inside the school, then, will impact on everybody: from the sport’s elite performers to those who have never tried it before. It’s something Lauren is very conscious of. “I’m really excited to work at Tanglin as faculty staff, rather than as an ‘outsider’. When you are a business, your priorities have to be slightly different by necessity. Now, our only goal is to service the school and its community.”

“The more initiatives we run and the more children we reach, the more everybody will reap the benefits of this sport.”

Heads of Sport in 2020

by Richard Shuttleworth, Director of Sport and Methodology Our newly-appointed Heads of Sport have made a very productive start in their roles despite the unconventional circumstances. Kirsty Robinson (Netball), Vicky Paterson (Touch), Andy Martin (Rugby) and Jon Baker (Football) have all designed excellent development sessions aimed at improving players’ tactical and technical skills, while integrating sport-specific fitness and preparation work through the introduction of athletic development training.

This has been conducted in conjunction with Arun Kumar, our athletic development specialist.

the lifespan of the sport is increasing.”

“It’s a shift that requires every coach and every training centre, such as Tanglin, to initiate. If you are only following the mold of producing young athletes, you’re not dedicating [adequate] time and resources to older athletes, and the sport continues on its status quo.”

“I don’t want there to be a ceiling for when children can begin gymnastics. I’d like to open up more senior classes and allow those who didn’t start when they were young to have a go – and to continue with it. Just because you’re not competitive by 12, doesn’t mean your ‘time’ is over. We recently had a female student who competed at SEASAC right up until she graduated. It was amazing for all the gymnasts to see a young woman stay in competition for so long, and juggle her academic studies alongside that. And I really want that ideal to become the norm at Tanglin, and the sport as a whole: that everyone, no matter who they are, can compete for as long as they have the drive to.”

Lauren’s main aim is simply engaging greater numbers in the sport, no matter what their skill level; this is what she means by “exposure”. She extols the physical and mental benefits of gymnastics for young people, particularly in the stressful teenage

A key priority of these new leadership roles is to ensure the development of whole-school sport pathways from 3-18.

This involves integrating aspects of basic movement skill development at Infant and Junior levels, in order to support sport-specific, skill-based training at Senior level. It is important that all students gain equal and free access to specialist coaching of foundation movement skills during their early years, and to develop ongoing sport-specific skills through an array of purposefully designed physical activities and playing opportunities.

Here, our new Heads of Sport discuss these developments.

Kirsty: Our newly-evolved netball programme has hit the ground running this term. Our sessions ensure our players are continuously making decisions, maximising their time in contact with the ball, and can reflect on their performance.

Vicky: Touch has got off to a flying start and I have been impressed with the students’ ability to adapt and perform in the current climate. The highlight of these sessions has been seeing the girls enjoying the company of their fellow teammates and challenging themselves to succeed.

Andy: Despite the restrictions, our whole-school rugby pathway is well underway, aiming to develop creative players who are capable of interpreting, making decisions and self-organising within the game.

Jon: Students have benefited from having more touches of the ball in smaller groups this term, while still being able to compete in small-sided games. Their commitment has been exemplary and it’s been refreshing to see their continued enjoyment in the game.

11

What’s New at Tanglin

Moving On Up

Athletic Development in PE

by Ian Farr, Head of PE (Senior School) “The introduction of Athletic Development into the Key Stage 3 PE curriculum for Years 7-9 is a central feature of our integrated Sport and PE programme.

Athletic Development integrates the physical and tactical elements of sport, and offers students a richer, more enjoyable experience than traditional fitness training methods. Performance related fitness, coupled with enhanced tactical knowledge, supports effective decision-making in the pressured environment of competitive sport.

Activities such as receiving a ball under

12

‘physical pressure’ challenges our young athletes to develop and apply their strength in a true sporting context, promoting transfer into the game itself.

Our Year 7s focus on the ‘10 Basic Movement Skills’, which include rolling, balancing, jumping, landing and dodging; meanwhile, our Year 8 students develop coordinative abilities such as balance, adaptability, and spatial awareness. By Year 9, our students focus on conditions of movement, which include agility and power, coupled with athletic movement skills such as acceleration and changes of direction.

We aim to challenge students beyond their comfort zones and place them in situations where they must coordinate their physical actions and make decisions under pressure. Evading moving obstacles whilst trying to receive and distribute a pass is infinitely more challenging (and realistic) than performing a pass in isolation. Such challenge makes each practise relevant and transferrable into the sports that our students play.

Staff and students have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to experience exciting and innovative lessons and, as athletic development takes on greater emphasis throughout the whole-school PE curriculum, we look forward to collaborating on this exciting learning journey.”

13

What’s New at Tanglin

Class Acts

“I moved to Singapore very recently – July 31 was the day I landed. I’ve only ever visited Singapore once before, so the country feels very new to me.

Head of Year 1 Fraser Brill is new to both Tanglin and Singapore. Here, he tells us how he’s helping to drive achievement in the Infant School – and what it’s been like to join us in the midst of a pandemic

14

Like many arrivals, I had to complete a two-week Stay-Home Notice at a hotel before I could explore the island. I’m happy to say it was a fairly straightforward, stress-free experience; I was well looked after by the staff and the school made sure I was taken care of. Of course, it wasn’t how you would normally envision starting life in a new country, but I’m thankful to be here. There is a feeling of stability in Singapore that, sadly, there might not be some other parts of the world currently.

It is an unusual time to start a new role, but everyone has made me feel very welcome. Despite the restrictions, life on campus is busy. One unexpected success was when I used Teams to lead the first Infant School assembly of the year. The children could see me on the Interactive Whiteboards in their classrooms, while I delivered the assembly with a series of slides in another room.

It worked surprisingly well, and showed that these aspects of school life can still exist – they just require some

creative thinking!

I’m originally from the UK and Tanglin, in a way, feels like a home from home, albeit with an international flavour.

I completed my teacher training at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, South London, before teaching a school in nearby Sutton for two years. Later, I took a role at Dulwich College in Suzhou, China – a city around 100 kilometres west of Shanghai.

During my third year at Dulwich, I was appointed Head of Key Stage 1 [Years 1 and 2]; Year 1 at Tanglin is a similar size to the cohort I oversaw in China.

My focus for Year 1 is on the academic side, however we now have a Deputy Head in the Infant School who is its pastoral lead, and as a school we are giving that a huge amount of importance. It’s now about pulling that focus through each year group and, especially for me, for Year 1.

Standards are already high at Tanglin.

For me, this academic year will be about maintaining those standards, and ensuring all the children are thriving and making the right progress, particularly in these unprecedented times. I’m looking forward to it!”

Kate Good joined Tanglin in 2018 and was recently appointed Acting Head of English to the Junior School.

The Voice talks to Kate about her new role – and why she’s not afraid to be “cheesy”!

“This is my third year at Tanglin; I joined as a Year 6 Class Teacher, then became Assistant Head of Year for Year 4. This year, I’ve stayed with the Year 4 team and I’m now also Acting Head of English.

I’m originally from the UK and moved here with my husband Ben, who works in banking. He has always worked some of the week from home, but the Remote Learning period forced us to share an office full time – our living room! Managing a timetable of Teams calls with the children (me) and conference calls (him) was an interesting experience. Happily, we are a good balance. I am the creative half of the partnership; my degree was in Foreign Languages (French and Spanish) at the University of Nottingham, and my passions are in literature and music.

Perhaps inevitably, I was a little apprehensive in taking on the Acting Head of English role this year. I’m very passionate about English itself and enabling the children to develop and consolidate their skills in their subject, but I’m also filling big shoes – and, of course, the current situation adds an additional challenge.

The first half of Term 1 was more intensive than usual – we carried out more assessments than we would ordinarily so we could ensure we have a good understanding of the students’ knowledge and skills post-Circuit Breaker. While the children had amazing provision for the Remote Learning period, a virtual classroom can never replace having a teacher in the room to support and guide.

To that end, we started with the assessments in Term 1 that would usually have been completed in the previous Term 3, and we moved onto the Term 1 assessments in its second half. The idea was to give our students some time to embed their learning in the first few weeks; it wasn’t about playing catch-up, but rather making sure those key skills were consolidated. The assessments have been moderated in teams and we have been over the results really carefully together. It’s been a very positive step; it means even more consideration has been going into what we teach.

As a curriculum leader, I am conscious there are several targets I need to meet over the course of the year, but also there has been a requirement, due to COVID-19, to help maintain balance for the students.

Because, while it might sound cheesy, they are why we’re all here! Our number one priority will always be making sure they have the help and support they need.”

“Tanglin, in a way, feels like a home from home” 15

What’s New at Tanglin

Leading Lights Talking purpose, planning and positivity with Tanglin’s new Head Team

If not for the fact The Voice is speaking with the eight students who make up this year’s Head Team via a laptop screen, one would think this is a school year like any other. Certainly, the Coronavirus pandemic has done nothing to curb the enthusiasm or aspirations of the team as they explain their ambitious – and joyful! – plans for 2020/21

Alex

Llinos

Munique

Llinos

16

“In 2020/21, my goal is to drive the issues of diversity and mental health, that other Head Team members are working to develop, through Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) and clubs. We have so many enrichment opportunities already at Tanglin and I would like to see more clubs that are focused on student inclusion and making everybody feel valued. Clubs that are open to multiple year groups, for example, or Arts clubs that promote mindfulness and positive mental health. The Senior Dance Showcase in Term 1 was an ideal time to push the message that going to clubs can help boost your mental health. It’s important, especially at this time, that people are aware of that.”

Kaysha

Head Girl Munique

“Milly and I have been exploring how we can better support members of our community – and that includes staff as well as students. During the Circuit Breaker period, it came to our attention that several staff were unable to reach Tanglin to work due to travel restrictions; deeply impacting their daily lives and also the day-to-day functioning of the school.

We felt there could be improvements in the way we as students show appreciation for those staff and have been working with managers in the Business Support Team to find ways to better support them.

As a team – and despite the restrictions on events – we pushed ahead with preparing for the school’s annual Christmas festivities in Term 1; we wanted to keep students looking ahead.

Head Boy Alex

“Myself and Taha are focusing on mental health awareness and, more specifically, awareness around male mental health. International Men’s Day was November 19, so we spent some time in advance of that organising events that would inform students about more sensitive and taboo subjects, such as male body dysmorphia and suicide. In Term 1, the Head Team also completed safeTALK training; it’s a course delivered by Senior School teachers that touches on aspects of preventing suicide, such as how to identify early signs and how to approach peers who may be having suicidal thoughts. Our goal is to open up conversation about these issues across our community and remove the stigma that can still be attached to them.”

Navyansh

“My main focus for this year is on developing the community and social spaces at Tanglin. In the short term, we are actively proposing and receiving approvals for improvements to the current Sixth Form Common Room.

With the exciting Gate C building due to open in January 2022, we’re also discussing how this space can be utilised to its full potential.

The new space allows for a GCSE Common Room – a first for the school. It’s exciting to have a hand in deciding what that space will look like.”

Sean Taha

Navyansh Milly

Sean & Kaysha

Milly

“One of our key goals for the year, and especially in Term 1, has been keeping up student morale, and making sure everybody is positive and focused. Of course, we haven’t been able to hold many ‘live’ events, but we are continuing to plan in the hope they will be possible in the future.

It’s important to be realistic, but perhaps even more so to keep everybody encouraged!”

“The Black Lives Matter movement is one that has affected us all in 2020 and has encouraged healthy discussions within Tanglin, too. Currently, we are liaising with the Humanities, PSHE and Lifeskills faculties to ensure that diversity, and other issues related to the BLM movement, are represented in the curriculum. We’d like to explore the much-discussed idea that the traditional British curriculum is heavily Eurocentric, but most importantly we want to foster robust discourse in the classroom about these issues.

We are already aware of strides being made by staff across different areas of the school, so our goal this year is to continue to voice our perspective as students. International Day was sadly cancelled last year due to COVID-19. We’d like to see that event – which very much celebrates the diversity in our community – return in the future.”

17

Innovative Education

All Together Now

Tanglin Infant School’s open-door policy has been key to supporting its positive relationships with families. So, when those doors were forced to close due to COVID-19, staff had to find new ways to make connections with the community. Recently, The Voice joined a roundtable discussion between Deputy Head Angela Dawson, Head of PSHCE Laura Holmes, and School Counsellors Pippa Gresham and Jo Bush, about the experience

18

Angela: When we first moved to Remote Learning, being able to maintain a connection between home and school was of paramount importance. As we have always been proactive in our approach, we looked for opportunities to stay connected with parents. During those early weeks, Friends of Tanglin phoned every household to ask, “Are you OK?” and “How are you coping?”, and most families really appreciated those check-ins.

Our Pastoral Team began to meet online every week, whereas previously we had met once a fortnight. We wanted to ensure we understood which children might be vulnerable at that time and, most importantly, what we could do to support them and their families.

Laura: We wanted all teachers to ask the children in their class questions such as, “Are you eating well?” or “Have you had breakfast this morning?”, and “Are you dressed today?” We felt it was really important for us to acknowledge those things and to put aside – even for only a few moments – the lessons we were about to teach. For us, our primary concern was ensuring the children were safe and happy, and having those conversations was essential to doing that.

Angela: We also created a bank of resources to support families. Jo introduced all the children to Charlie the orangutan and, together with colleagues, she put together a series of videos with Charlie for families to watch at home.

The videos covered topics such as the importance of drinking plenty of water, or having enough sleep. In addition, every week the Head and Deputies of School broadcast an assembly that addressed each one of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing.

Despite the physical separation, we endeavoured to keep our families very much under our wing during that time.

Pippa: COVID-19, in a way, prompted an interesting change in the way we operate.

Whereas before we would do lots of one-on-one work, there was a shift to counselling the whole family. Parents across the board – not only in the Infant School – were noticing behaviours at home they hadn’t seen before due to the whole gamut of change the children were experiencing. We had to put our heads together and think about how we could be most useful, and we’re now moving towards being much more transcendent.

Rather than looking at the individual child, we’re examining how some issues can be shared by many children, and how we can be more adaptive in addressing, for example, what a whole year group might need. There’s a real partnership now

with PSHCE, Heads of Year and Assistant Heads of Year in that we’re all presenting the same message to the children, while understanding we have different expertise.

Laura: As a school, we are known for our holistic approach and I believe it was also very welcomed that teachers rang every household in their class. We would ask, “Is there anything you want us to know about your child?”, or, “Is there anything you are concerned about?” The idea was to give parents a space in which they could voice any worries or questions they might have, and also to reassure them that the person their child spends the day with is aware of the challenges they might be facing.

For the same reason, we post photos onto Vidigami each week, so parents have that window into what their children are doing.

Angela: One request we received from a parent was that they would like to see what the inside of their child’s classroom looks like through a video. While parents have had conversations with their children’s teachers, both on the phone and during the online Parent Teacher Conference, it’s true they won’t have seen their children’s classroom or unit. We took that on board: it’s another way of giving parents

a window into our world.

Jo: One issue that came to light recently was in the transition from Reception to Year 1; those children are now playing in a different area of the school and their play looks very different from that aspect.

So, as a Pastoral Team, we’ve needed to extend our talk about values out from the classroom and into the playground, and support those children with conflict resolution. Sharing the language we use with the children with each of their teachers is important so that all the adults they connect with during the day use that same language. We also need to consider how we share that with parents to help them support their child at home.

Pippa: There is obviously some anxiety for parents that comes with not being permitted onsite; there is a vulnerability in not knowing where their children are learning. In the Infant School, the children are very little and perhaps won’t have the communication skills to convey that information. For a parent, that can feel like a lonely place. As Jo said, it’s vital that, more than ever, we have a common language – and that we keep talking – so positive communication continues to flow.

19

Innovative Education

Good as Gold

This year, Tanglin Junior School was awarded Unicef’s Rights Respecting Schools Gold accreditation – a first for a school outside the UK. Here, The Voice speaks with just some of the people involved in the award campaign to find out exactly what the achievement means for our community As with many important occasions in 2020, when staff from Tanglin Junior School presented a portfolio of evidence to UNICEF, hoping to be awarded Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) Gold status, they did so virtually. The presentation itself, running at more than 100 slides long, detailed every facet of an impressive body of work, from whole-school events and activities, to assemblies and specially-created spaces – all interwoven with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

“I think we blew their socks off a little bit,” says Cameron Davidson, Assistant Head of Year 5 and RRSA Coordinator, “and, obviously, we were delighted to receive the award!”

The RRSA encourages schools to place the UNCRC at the heart of its ethos and curriculum. Cameron’s involvement in the initiative started in late 2018, when the school had already achieved Bronze under the stewardship of Katie Valerio Morris, now Assistant Head of Year 3. While moving from Bronze to Gold accreditation in two academic years is considered rapid progress – and is unheard of outside the

20

UK – Cameron is keen to stress the award is absolutely not about “box ticking”.

“As a school, we are incredibly proud of the pastoral care that we provide for our children,” he tells. “The RRSA initiative is an excellent framework for further educating children on their rights. The award provides so many relevant learning opportunities within the curriculum, sparks interest in global issues and, most importantly, empowers children to enjoy and exercise their rights; lead happy, healthy lives; and be responsible, active citizens.”

“It celebrates and highlights the pastoral care that we offer in the Junior School, and kickstarts our intentions for the academic year,” explains Cameron. “Last year, one of our themes for the day was ‘Rights Respecting’, and our activities linked to different aspects of that. For example, each year group did an activity based on its chosen charity; the Year 5 charity is Guide Dogs Singapore, so the children practised writing their names in braille using Blu Tack. There were other focal points: health and mental wellbeing were central, too.”

In order to achieve Gold status, the school had to think beyond the knowledge staff and students already had of the UNCRC’s 54 rights, or articles. “At Gold level, it’s expected children will be aware of the deeper-thinking articles that relate to children from minority or indigenous groups, or refugees,” explains Cameron.

“There’s a sense, too, of a deeper embedding of these rights across the school; making sure they are integrated across the wider community. It’s not a case of something that’s only for classroom discussion – these are rights we genuinely believe in.”

Impact Day proved such a success, it was held again this September. “We considered that, given the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, it would be beneficial to highlight to both the children and the staff that it’s important to have an awareness of our own and others’ mental health at this time,” tells Cameron.

One of the features of the presentation that particularly impressed UNICEF was the specially-curated section of the Junior Library that’s dedicated exclusively to stories relating to the 54 rights, possibly the first of its kind (see right for more information on this). Another was Impact Day, a school-wide event held at the beginning of Term 1.

He explains that, while the day was planned by the Junior Heads of Pastoral team, it would have been impossible to pull off without the enthusiastic engagement of the wider school.

“In the same way, we wouldn’t have achieved the RRSA Gold award without the support of everyone, not only the staff. Our children are very worldly and well-rounded in terms of their exposure to different cultures, so they threw themselves at it – as did parents. It’s such a powerful initiative, and everyone got on board right away. This is very much a collective achievement.”

“This is very much a collective achievement”

Opening Windows on the World

by Janine Murphy, Head of Junior Library “The Junior Library has a permanent collection of over 500 books dedicated to raising children’s awareness of the UNCRC’s articles. The collection, consisting primarily of picture books, has been developed through research with UNICEF, agencies and leading publishers. In a series of lessons, children learn about their rights and borrow books to read at home. Our children are really interested in learning about other children’s experiences of their rights worldwide and have received the books with enthusiasm.

Each book is labelled so children can relate the UNCRC right with the stories easily.

For example, the BBC series Seeking Refuge opens a window onto the rights of children who have experienced life as refugees. By exposing children to these

global issues, our children will deepen their understanding of the Rights of the Child, respecting both their own rights and those of others. These rights protect all of us and by reading about them, our children learn to cherish and uphold them.

As our children’s knowledge of the articles develops, we will expand the library collection. Particularly in light of everything our children have faced this year, the more they know about their rights, the more they will be able to understand and negotiate the world around them.”

21

Innovative Education

Teams on Task

In March 2020, Microsoft Teams became a lynchpin for the Senior School, needed to facilitate the learning of more than 1,300 students during the Remote Learning period.

Today, Assistant Headteacher Mike Roberts and Head of Technology for Learning Kayzad Byramjee explain how they’re building on their work with the platform into 2021 For many of us, the very action of video conferencing colleagues and clients through platforms such as Microsoft Teams represented a steep learning curve this year. But for Mike and Kayzad of Tanglin’s Senior School, rolling out Teams was simply an acceleration of their plan for the academic year.

Tells Mike, “We’ve always aimed to bring in Teams, but the Circuit Breaker period really sped that up – we had to bring it in all at once, for everyone.”

Kayzad agrees. “It was on our trajectory of what we were planning to do for the year anyway,” he tells. “Teams has been something we’ve looked at for supporting teachers to work ‘smarter’ and more collaboratively. That was the always the end goal.”

Since the return to campus in June, Teams has become an integral part of Senior School life. All classes now have a designated Team in case another period of Remote Learning should be required and, thanks to that, the many possibilities of expanding the use of the platform have opened up.

“This is the first year that we’ve been using Teams since Day One,” says Mike.

“We’re discovering the opportunities

22

within it are pretty much limitless.”

“It borders on an LMS – a Learning Management System,” adds Kayzad.

“Tanglin Senior School previously used an LMS called Moodle, but it was very much static content – it’s time-intensive to curate and manage content on a platform like that. Teams allows you to do that more easily, and you can incorporate other elements within your lesson while having them all in one place.”

One of the applications Teams has proved particularly useful for is homework. The use of the assignment function within Teams has replaced the platform previously used by the school, Edmodo, and has

eliminated the need for a separate sign-on for staff and students. It also integrates with OneNote, currently used as a school notebook and textbook rolled into one.

Explains Mike, “All the information is there in the same place, which means it’s a great tool for parents to communicate with their child about the work they are doing at school. As a parent myself of a student in the Senior School, it’s really useful to be able to look at his Teams and find out what homework he’s got, and to be able to talk about his homework.

“It’s a little like a digital version of the homework diary most parents would be familiar with from their own school

days. As teachers, we create an assignment and then add it to the Team Calendar, and a weekly summary is sent home.

As a parent, you can see what homework tasks are outstanding for your child, and when they are due. It’s also easier for a student to communicate with their teachers through Chat if they have a question. It’s a one-stop shop.”

It’s the efficiency of Teams that Mike is particularly keen to emphasise. “We’ve all, throughout our working lives, spent a certain amount of time trawling through emails looking for a piece of information from six months ago. That’s no longer necessary thanks to Teams. Recently, I used [the platform] to organise the Year 11 assessments; staff in Learning Support, the Curriculum Office, Operations and across faculties all had their own individual channels, and I could easily communicate and share files with them all.”

The next step for the Technology for Learning faculty, says Kayzad, is to explore the apps and bots that can be used within Teams. One that was explored during the Circuit Breaker period for Senior School students was the Insights tab. Says Mike, “It can show you the time an individual student or a whole class spends on a task. That data is ideal for supporting conversations with students; are they spending too much time on a task because they are struggling? Have they put in a poor performance because they are rushing?

It’s knowledge we’ve never had before.”

One thing that Kayzad is keen to point out is how willing staff have been so far to take these new technologies on board. He credits his fellow teachers in the Senior School for having made the Remote Learning period last year such a success.

“They were very willing to experiment,” he tells. “The reason we had such an amazing

uptake is because teachers would try out the software and share their practice within their faculties. Ideas spread via a ‘virtual’ word of mouth.”

For now, the main goal is to work on and refine the use of the homework function.

“That’s a big driver for the year – to review and evaluate that, and seek out ways in which it can be improved,” explains Mike.

“We find whenever we introduce new technology, there can be resistance.

When we replaced the homework diary with Edmodo 10 years ago, several people expressed the desire to go back to pen and paper. In schooling in particular, it’s uncomfortable when things aren’t being done as we ourselves remember them.

It’s important we speak to both parents and students about their experiences so we can make the most of the opportunities this technology can afford us.”

23

Global Community

Business as Usual?

24

Adapting to the “New Normal”,

by Clare Lancaster, Educational Psychologist at Tanglin Trust School “Stress and anxiety at varying levels are familiar feelings to most of us throughout this pandemic, and it is important to remember that an increased level of stress or anxiety can impact greatly on our day-to-day responses to other situations – we may be less patient, or quicker to anger; we may want to ignore the threat, or try to numb the feeling through other means. Background stress and anxiety may still be present, even with talk of a ‘new normal’ – which may seem very different from the normality we crave.

Our brains are highly evolved to respond to immediate threats in ways that increase safety and survival, however we are not nearly as well adapted to cope with prolonged stress, and this can have detrimental effects on our mental and physical health. Many of us will identify with the feeling of COVID-19 fatigue: frustration that some rules are still in place, lower motivation to comply with precautionary measures, and perhaps even an urge to break rules.

Recognising and acknowledging this in ourselves and our children is important.

Reflecting on the bigger picture and what has been learned in other countries where these things have also taken place is vital in talking to ourselves and our children about why we must continue to practise safe distancing, and wear masks or face shields. It is essential to take active steps in looking after ourselves, even when we feel like we have enough to deal with.

Looking after ourselves lets us function at our best..

As we adapt to the ‘new normal’, our mindset and intentions can make a huge difference.

Be a Role Model

By taking the steps advised to avoid

COVID-19, we not only protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community, but we also act as a positive role model to others, showing them how to behave.

This is important for our own friends and colleagues, as much as for our children.

Social Learning theory tells us that when we observe someone doing something, we are more likely to do it ourselves, so our actions can have a big impact on those around us. Furthermore, research done during this Coronavirus pandemic has shown that a shared identity – thinking of ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ – is important for community safety and cohesion. In those moments where frustration strikes, take a breath and think about what you want for your children and community, and then role model that.

Choose ‘Kind’

It is important to practise kindness wherever we can – towards ourselves and others. Reminding ourselves that most people have good intentions, and that we don’t know what situations they are in or facing, can help us cultivate compassion for others. Research shows that kindness bestowed on others not only helps the recipient feel good, but also the giver, and anyone who witnesses it. What’s more, witnessing an act of kindness makes people much more likely to be kind to others; we really can create a ripple of kindness.

Try smiling at other runners next time you’re out exercising, or buy a friend a coffee, and see how it impacts your mood.

If you can’t do something actively kind, practise being compassionate towards those you see. Even just thinking kind thoughts about others can have benefits.

Practise Gratitude

Sometimes it can be hard to find the good in a situation, but the more we practice and cultivate an attitude of gratitude, the better we become. We don’t always have to look

for big things to be grateful for and in fact, research suggests that finding moments of pleasure in the little things may be more beneficial than only celebrating the big ones. So, at the end of each day, try to think of three good things that have happened – you could even try writing them down, so that you have a log of all the good things that have happened in the last week, month or year.

Was your family time fulfilling? Did you stop and admire a rainbow on the way home? Did you call a loved one in a different country? In recognising the good we discover in the everyday, we can boost our mood, reduce our stress and support our mental health.

Take Stock

As much as we all hope that we will wave goodbye to COVID-19 soon, it is important to accept that things may change for good. We may never return to the way things were before; we might return partially; or we may return fully, only to have to revert to Circuit Breaker measures. Take a moment to reflect on what you and your family and friends have learned over the duration of this pandemic.

What has gone well? What do you want to continue doing, even if we do go ‘back to normal’? What would you want to have in place if we go through another Circuit Breaker period? Reflecting like this can both help with our gratitude practice and can help us feel more prepared, should we be thrust back into a lockdown or early Phase 2 measures.

Reach Out

As a general rule, if you feel that stress or anxiety is impacting daily function and becoming overwhelming, reach out for help. Speak to your doctor or mental health provider, or if the person struggling is a student, reach out to us in school via your child’s tutor or Head of Year.”

25

Global Community

Teaching Toddlers about COVID-19

When the UK was plunged into its first lockdown, Tanglin Alumna Nicky Nash turned life’s proverbial lemons into lemonade, writing a successful book for young children that’s so far helped hundreds of families When The Voice catches up with former Tanglin Infant School teacher Nicky Nash, it is early morning in the UK and – like many parents juggling business and childcare at home during this pandemic – Nicky has tucked herself away in a quiet corner of her house so we can talk.

Buoyed by its success at home, Nicky began to share the story with family and friends. Her sister suggested that other parents might find it a useful resource, so Nicky uploaded it to a popular Facebook resource group. Among the many positive comments on her post was one that immediately stood out, asking Nicky whether she would be interested in having her story published via an app called Fonetti.

In Nicky’s case, however, it’s impossible to separate her latest project from family life: her new book, Our World Needs a Clean, was inspired by her two children: threeyear-old daughter Anna and son Charlie (1).

Fonetti calls itself the Listening Bookshop.

It is a platform endorsed by the UK’s Department for Education that encourages children to read the stories in its digital library out loud, turning words green if they are read correctly and turning them grey if they are not. By clicking on grey words, children can hear them pronounced correctly. Says Nicky, “It can produce assessment reports for parents or teachers, and star ratings for the children.

I liked that it had that educational aspect to it; the technology behind it is very clever.”

“It all started when it was clear the UK would need to enter lockdown,” she tells.

“I was thinking about how I would explain the situation to my daughter. I knew she would have a lot of questions and I wanted to answer them as honestly as I could without frightening her.

Normally, I would seek out stories that could help her understand big changes, but of course there were none – because this had never happened in the UK before.”

Instead, Nicky – who taught at Tanglin as Nicky Bullard, before leaving in 2012 – searched online for resources, discovering a poem written by Louise Gribbons about the pandemic: The Day We Spring-Cleaned the World. Nicky, who completed a degree in Fine Art prior to teacher training, dusted off her drawing materials and set about reworking the poem into an illustrated story for her daughter. She sketched during the evenings while her children slept, “hoping to help [Anna] process it all,” she says.

26

Nicky’s “lockdown project” has supported many young families like her own and also helped “reignite” her love of drawing.

The gentle tale explains why children must stay inside in an age-appropriate way: the world is being cleaned up by kings and queens – “perhaps with a great big scrubbing brush”. The places the children cannot visit – nursery, the playground, and so on – reflect the closures that were affecting her daughter at the time.

“I wanted her to have some understanding of [the situation] being about germs, but without the scariness that was [on the news],” Nicky recalls. “She took the story in her stride. I think it helped her to accept the changes she was seeing. At the heart of the story is the message that things will go back to normal at some point [...]

There’s a kind of safety in reading it on a page and being able to revisit it.”

Fonetti helped Nicky reformat her story to make it more appropriate for a digital platform and supported Nicky’s fundraising campaign by adding a donation feature.

For every download of Our World Needs a Clean, Fonetti would donate 10p (18c) to NHS Charities Together’s COVID-19 Urgent Appeal.

While delighted that the book would appear on the app, Nicky yearned to have a hard copy made for her daughter; another contact from the Facebook group explained how to self-publish her story for sale on Amazon. “After uploading the PDF of my book, I had several schools and nurseries, and children’s health services

Nicky (above, with her family), initially wrote the book for daughter Anna.

Below: “Love got us through”; The story aims to provide young children with a sense of hope for the future.

asking me if they could use it, and of course I said ‘yes’. The idea that the book could help even more children was what spurred me on to pursue mass publishing. I knew that some people would prefer to pick up a ‘real’ book, and I was excited by the idea of raising money for the NHS from any sales.”

Since helping her book reach a wider audience, Nicky has received several messages from grateful parents who say it’s helped them to navigate difficult conversations with their own children.

As for Nicky’s daughter, Anna, the author explains that, while it’s been some time since Anna last picked up the book, the premise of the story is something she still talks about on a daily basis.

“We used to see her grandparents very frequently, but we’ve only seen them a few times since the first lockdown eased, and in a socially-distanced way.

Anna will say, ‘We can have a cuddle when the kings and queens say it’s OK.’ I felt this was a gentler and more relatable way for her to think about it all.”

While the story has made a tangible difference in several ways – Nicky is now two-thirds of the way to achieving her fundraising goal for NHS Charities Together, and there are the many positive messages from parents – it has also had an unforeseen benefit: to Nicky herself.

“I think it really helped me to have a focus

at the beginning of lockdown,” she tells.

“It was such a rollercoaster, emotionally, and it helped my mental health to focus on something I knew was going to have a really positive impact.

“It’s reignited a love of drawing in me.

After I became a teacher, I put that to one side. It’s been wonderful to know I can still ‘do it’. The experience in itself has opened a new door for me.”

Our World Needs a Clean can be purchased from Amazon.sg.

To find out more about the story on Fonetti, visit fonetti.com/ourworld-needs-a-clean/

27

Global Community

Stories from the Front Line

While the Coronavirus pandemic has presented numerous challenges to us all, it has also kindled extraordinary acts of kindness and courage. Earlier in the year, we spoke to three Tanglin Alumni who had risen to the task of confronting COVID-19 head on in the UK. Now, as the country experiences a second wave of the virus, we find out how they are getting on 28

Kathleen Bowskill (Class of 2017) Role: Registered Nurse Location: Lincolnshire “When COVID-19 first arrived in the UK, I was still a nursing student at the University of Lincoln. However, due to the escalation in infections, the NHS needed more staff on the front line, so all of us students were called in and asked whether we were willing to be deployed there.

Of two options – working on the front line for three months in lieu of our usual three-month management placement, or working for six months, paid – I chose the latter.

As the summer approached, I was working twelve-and-a-half hour shifts on an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The days were long and busy; it certainly was ‘intensive’, as the name suggests. On the ward, we worked in PPE, which is an unusual experience. After around an hour or so into my shift, I did get used to wearing it as I was so busy doing my jobs. But, I did have had some sores on my

Laurence Gardner (Class of 2013) Role: Junior Doctor Location: Liverpool “Back in May, I was working on a respiratory ward at a hospital in London, where I helped care for patients who were recovering from COVID-19; it was right in the ‘hot zone’, so to speak. In a respiratory ward, every bay is an ‘Amber’ bay – that means the patient is presumed to have COVID-19. So, whenever we spoke to patients, we were fully masked up, and wore gloves and aprons.

At that time, the first wave of COVID-19 was subsiding, so the hospital was fairly quiet and there was plenty of time for learning.

It was actually a really unique opportunity for me. Staff numbers had been increased as much as they could – in anticipation of either a second wave of the Coronavirus, or elective surgeries that were put on hold starting up again – and so in the meantime, the

Varnika Kaushik (Head Girl, Class of 2013) Role: Medical Student and NHS 111 Call Handler Location: London “I was in the fourth year of my medical degree at Barts in London when all clinical placements for students were ceased due to the first UK-wide lockdown. After two weeks of being at home, I was ready to get out and help; it felt weird to be sitting around when there was so much that could be done.

I decided to become a call handler for the NHS 111 service.

A free-to-call medical helpline for non-emergencies, it had been recruiting medical students in London Central and West, and I worked at one of its call centres between three and six days a week. On an average day, there were around 30 members of staff there working in rolling shifts; between us we received around 1600 calls every 24 hours.

nose from the mask – and it could feel like a furnace under there some days.

I am now a qualified nurse and have since been transferred to a renal/diabetes ward within the same hospital. It has taken some adjustment to transition from being a student, but I am enjoying it. Currently, I am applying to the Army and have intentions of attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

This has always been my goal, but it will likely be delayed due to the pandemic. For now, I am focusing on the job in hand; while I am no longer working in active COVID-19 areas, this could change over the coming months should the predicted rise in infections occur.

For the most part, I am well and trying to do my bit in helping to keep our community safe. It’s certainly been a tough year, as I’m sure it has been for most. My sister – who also attended Tanglin – is a student teacher, and we are both looking forward to some time off over the Christmas period. Unfortunately, we will be unable to see our parents this year, but with both our graduations scheduled for early 2021, we still have hope that we will be able to reunite with them then.”

team I worked in taught me as much as possible; normally I’d only have a week to learn each specialty.

I’ve recently started working as a doctor in Liverpool, so I’m currently in one of the worst-affected areas of the UK [at the time of writing, the city was in the midst of a local Tier 3 lockdown].

We’re fortunate in that the increased infection rate hasn’t yet translated into an overwhelming amount of COVID-19-related admissions, however another more central Liverpool hospital is already struggling with capacity. We’re hoping that won’t become the case here too.

At the moment, I’m working on an Elderly Care ward. I have been enjoying the job a lot so far and, until recently, loving the move from London. Hospital management are trying to avoid putting us back onto an emergency rota; that would mean redeploying us and potentially making half our shifts night shifts. While there hasn’t been any sign of that so far, we have been warned the situation might change quite quickly. For now, aside from the pubs, bars and gyms shutting down, and not being able to meet with anyone outside our household, life feels relatively normal.”

Happily, placements have now resumed and in six months, I’ll be a qualified doctor! As you can imagine, it’s not an easy time to be a final year medic as Coronavirus threatens hospitals again. Currently, I am working in Accident & Emergency at the Royal London Hospital, so I really am on the front line. Royal London is the largest tertiary trauma centre in the country; it’s fantastic to be learning emergency medicine here.

There are strict rules about exposure to COVID-19 patients here, including designated zones to minimise cross contamination.

Accident & Emergency is an ‘Amber’ zone, which means we do not yet know the COVID-19 status of our patients.

I still work for NHS 111 on the weekends as we are seeing that call volumes are surging again – there are greater numbers of children and young people at schools and universities who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms in comparison to the first wave.

I think it’s going to be a long and arduous winter here, but we are braced for it, and ready to support as always.”

29

Global Community

Growing Strong

Resilience gives us the ability to manage stress and hardship – an especially useful tool in our busy and unstable world. In this article, Head of School Counselling Claire Holmes shares some ideas to help parents foster resilience in the young 30

“Plants become strong when they experience storm and wind. In the same way, children become resilient through experiencing and growing from challenge. Resilience is the ability to overcome difficult experiences and be shaped positively by them. While we cannot remove challenge, seeing obstacles as teachable moments to be learnt from builds resilience.

Kenneth Ginsburg outlines the Seven Cs of resilience in A Parent’s Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Your Child Roots and Wings. Let’s look at how we can foster resilience though this lens.

1. Control

4. Confidence

Resilient children have a sense of agency.

Being resilient takes confidence.

Provide opportunities that lend a sense of control by offering your child choices. This helps children trust they can make good decisions. Offer just two choices to keep things simple, ensuring you are comfortable with both. Couch these within a boundary of expectation, for example: ‘What do you think would help you feel calmer (the expectation is that your child can calm down): sitting here with me, or spending some time in your room?’ If they are not keen on either choice, ask them what ideas they have.

Notice when your child overcomes obstacles and let them know. Attribute this to something the child has done and/or a character strength used, as opposed to ‘good luck.’

Resilience building also happens when children appreciate they cannot always have what they want immediately. One way to teach delayed gratification is through playing board games, which require impulse control, turn taking and mental flexibility.

Other methods include learning a musical instrument; listening to whole albums, instead of skipping from track to track; mastering a new sport; or watching a TV series together week by week, rather than binge-watching it in its entirety.

2. Competence Resilient children feel capable.

Notice when teachable moments arise and let your child know they can deal with it: ‘I can see this is tough, but I know you can handle it.’ Each time you do this, you plant seeds of competence.

Resist the urge to take over your child’s problem – this is an opportunity for them to learn and grow. A resilience-building question after a difficulty could be, ‘What have you learnt for next time?’ Let your child know it’s okay not to know exactly how things will turn out.

Children can get fixated on what they can’t do. Encourage a growth mindset by teaching them the ‘power of yet’. Encourage them to add ‘yet’ to their self-talk: ‘I don’t know how to do this – yet.’ Let them know that competence is grown through practice.

3. Coping Resilient children have healthy coping strategies.

Ask your child what they notice in their body when they feel stressed. This is their ‘stress signature,’ a signpost for them to engage in one of their coping strategies. Ask them what works best for them. You might like to offer ideas or share some of your own, such as journal writing, art, music, meditation, yoga, art, or exercise.

Eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated, sleeping well and being physically active are all important coping strategies for resilience:

• • • •

Good-quality food changes the composition of our gut, which sends calming signals to the brain.

When we are hydrated, we can think more clearly and are more likely to be able to handle challenge better; carrying a water bottle helps.

Getting enough sleep aids memory, concentration, cognitive function, and decision making. Try limiting screen time before bed and having a set bedtime routine.

Exercise temporarily raises stress hormones and so teaches our bodies to respond more efficiently, boosting resilience.

Be aware that what you say to your child becomes their inner voice. Keep calm, speak kindly, and ask your child resilience-fostering questions such as, ‘What would give you the confidence to get through this?’ When teachable moments arise, help your child to recall past successes.

5. Connection Resilience comes from positive relationships.

Have one-on-one time with each child, without distractions.

Work these into your day; make bath time, car journeys, meals and even queues count. Chat, listen, talk about your feelings and encourage children to express theirs. Feeling heard helps strengthen emotional bonds. Once these one-to-ones become regular, your children will know they always have a safe space to talk.

Encourage your child to keep connected with their peers and never underestimate the power of family unity. Family rituals and routines help children to feel connected and safe, all of which builds resilience. To be fully present, consider putting phones out of reach, especially at mealtimes.

6. Character Resilient children have a strong sense of self.

Strengthen a child’s sense of character by ‘strength spotting’; notice character strengths and let them know. Teaching an ‘attitude of gratitude’ boosts resilience, helping your child to see the good even when things are tough. Some children like to write things they are grateful for in a journal, while some families share what they are thankful for at mealtimes. Kindness is another character strength worth cultivating. When children practice kindness with themselves and others, their character grows.

7. Contribution Resilient children feel that the world is a better place because they are in it.

Encourage your child to take on roles at home and at school that help them to contribute in a positive way.

Help your children to be aware of how they contribute, perhaps by asking; ‘What did you do that was helpful today?’

You might like to start with one of the 7 Cs as a focus for your resilience building, or begin by experimenting with some of the strategies here. Know that you are gifting your child with the ability to deal with and learn from life’s twists and turns, and that it’s never too young to start planting the seeds of resilience.”

Turn the page to read about how a Tanglin family use humour and an “attitude of gratitude” to help their young daughter grow strong.

31

Global Community

Lion Heart

Tanglin student Rand underwent a ground-breaking liver transplant as an infant. Now, she and her family reveal how the experience helped them harness the power of positivity When The Voice asks Tanglin student Rand about her week, she tells us the following: that friendships can be tricky, that she has plenty of homework these days, and that she’s steeling herself for her upcoming cycling lessons. What the seven-year-old doesn’t immediately share is the strict diet and exercise regime she must follow to stay healthy.

For Rand has lived with a complex condition since she was an infant and underwent a liver transplant at just eight months old.

“She’s doing great, though,” says mum Grace, of Rand’s daily swim goal. “I’m dragging her back these days – I’m usually a whole length behind!”

“I have to do 25 laps each day – that’s 600 metres,” says Rand, who is currently drinking an avocado milkshake (another daily goal ticked off). “Yesterday, I beat my best time by 10 minutes! And I’m learning to do planks and push-ups, too – I do a ‘five by five’ ... Sometimes, I have to be bribed to do it, though!” she laughs.

While the regimen seems challenging for a Year 3 student, it’s vitally important that Rand stays fit and healthy. When The Voice last spoke to Rand, during the Circuit Breaker period, she had recently returned from a stay in Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, some of which she spent nil by mouth. Today, she is conscious of the kinds of foods her body needs – “healthy fats!”, she says, pointing at her milkshake – and is very excited she could bake some

32

treats for her “anniversary” just the day before. “It’s been seven years since I had my transplant,” she explains, “so I made some Rice Krispies treats for my friends with modelling chocolate, candy melts and sprinkles. Pastel sprinkles – my favourite!”

The anniversary itself, September 24, is one the family will certainly never forget: the surgery in 2013 also involved dad Cole.

Explains Grace, “He donated a piece of his liver, so Rand now has a piece of Daddy’s liver in her.” Cole’s liver was placed in the right-hand side of Rand’s body in a ground-breaking procedure known as a paediatric flipped live liver transplant; Rand is the youngest person ever to have undergone the surgery.

“I like to call September 24 ‘Heroes’ Day’, for the ‘person’ who donated their liver,” quips Cole, tongue firmly in cheek.

Humour has been central to the family’s

approach to Rand’s condition. Born healthy, baby Rand appeared to be thriving when at her three-month check-up, the family’s paediatrician noticed her complexion was jaundiced and referred her to the hospital for a blood test. Not long after, the worried parents were ushered into a “room full of surgeons” and told Rand’s liver was failing.

The infant would immediately undergo the Kasai procedure, an operation in which the blocked gall bladder and bile ducts are replaced with a section of small intestine to help slow liver damage.

The procedure would buy Rand some time, but ultimately she would require a liver transplant. “As first-time parents, obviously our world turned upside down in that very moment,” recalls Grace.

On the advice of a doctor friend, the couple conducted a global search for a liver and finally decided to take Rand to Japan for her surgery, staying in Kobe for around

Invictus

by William Ernest Henley (1875) a month under the care of one of the pioneers of live liver transplant. It was during their hospital stay that Cole and Grace began laying the foundations for Rand in using positivity and humour as powerful tools of resilience.

“I didn’t want her first memories to be dour,” says Cole. “I thought, ‘She may not remember the details, but she definitely picks up the energetic impressions. So, I went out and bought a stereo – and we danced every night. The nurses would come in and boom, ‘What’s going on in here?!’ And there I’d be” – he mimics holding a baby Rand to his chest – “dancing to [Taio Cruz’s] Dynamite.”

It was later that year, when Rand was still only eight months old, that the same surgical team from Japan performed her liver transplant in Singapore. And while Rand has recovered remarkably well in the years since, there can be ups and downs, or “the good, the bad and the ugly,” as Cole puts it.

“I have to take medication, and I have to take multiple blood tests – that’s the ugly,” Rand told us in May. “Iron pills taste disgusting. And the fasting is annoying;

crazy annoying!” But the youngster, with the support of her parents, tries to focus her attention on the lessons her condition has taught her. “There’s things I wouldn’t appreciate without the transplant,” she explained. “[Fasting] gives me the time to realise just how much a single meal is worth. I appreciate it when I’m allowed to eat more than one meal a day.”

For now, Rand is well and continues to thrive. She proudly tells The Voice she is now a Class Rep and that, with the encouragement of her parents, she recently overcame her stage-fright to perform a poem at school, William Ernest Henley’s Invictus. Rand is aware of the context: Henley suffered from tuberculosis of the bone from the age of 12, and endured periods of extreme pain in his lifetime. She starts to recite from the opening stanza: ”I thank whatever gods may be / For my unconquerable soul.”

“My dad suggested the poem to me and I can see why he did – it’s about a man who is in a situation that he doesn’t want to be in, but he’s not going to let it beat him. Just like I’m not going to let what happened with my liver beat me.”

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

Claire Holmes, Tanglin’s Head of School Counselling, has created a video for parents to help support their children in growing up resilient: Gifting Your Child with a Strength Shower.

To watch the video, simply scan the QR code on the right.

33

Global Community

Into the Blue This year, COVID-19 has driven creativity and innovation worldwide. Here, Tanglin Alumna Leanna Crowley (Class of 2013) explains how she turned the trials of the pandemic into an opportunity – remotely supporting children across 20 countries to become junior marine biologists

A typical day at work for Leanna Crowley might seem unusual to some; for one, her uniform resembles pyjamas and requires bare feet, and her commute – a three-minute bicycle ride – takes her through the lush surrounds of a small island in the Maldives’ Laamu Atoll.

March 28, 2020, was a very different day: Leanna was stranded in Abu Dhabi, UAE, while over the horizon, her workplace of six months – Six Senses Laamu – was in the process of closing its doors for a four-month hiatus. Leanna, who is both a marketing manager at the resort and a marine biologist for the Maldives Underwater Initative (MUI), had been visiting her parents at their home in the Middle East when local borders shut, leaving her marooned more than 2,000 miles away from her usual home.

Across the globe, the implications of COVID-19 had forced many countries into lockdown, and many more to restrict travel. Despite the constraints, Leanna and the MUI team hoped to continue offering the experience the resort’s youngest guests had been enjoying so much – becoming junior marine biologists through its bespoke educational program. But how to teach children about the wonders of the ocean when they are unable to access it?

34

over its full 10 weeks were a small but dedicated group scattered across 20 countries. Many of them, aged from toddlers to teens, tuned in from the UK and Australia, including a few who had previously visited the resort. All in all, it was a huge success, receiving significant attention after it featured in an article in The Guardian in April, and clocking up more than 10,000 views.

Happily, Leanna was able to return to the resort in August. Her current role requires her to work six days out of seven, from early morning into the night, but is one she knows many would envy.

A typical morning involves running through emails at the office, before putting on a snorkel to guide guests through the reef, or joining the marine biology team as they check on the local environment – “looking for manta rays, or collecting data of our seagrass meadows”. Some days she might visit schools on other islands as part of a community outreach programme; on others, she might give an after-dinner presentation to guests about her work, or participate in a sunset dolphin cruise.

“We decided to create an online version of the program,” says Leanna, who is Communications Coordinator for the MUI. “The hope was to help kids get through this period and to help families to reconnect. We set out to provide high quality, engaging and free content to any child who had an interest in marine biology.”

In line with the in-person program offered to guests, the web version consisted of 10 modules, each containing four to six video segments, and released to the public each Monday.

Themes included manta rays, sea turtles and sustainable fishing, and each one featured a practical activity such as drawing, planning, researching or building, modified for the different ages and stages of its audience. Each week, marine biologists still on the island would film the content and send it to Leanna, who would edit their footage, and develop animations and design worksheets to accompany it, in preparation of the next “class”.

All of the work was completed at a desk in her bedroom.

One of the most popular parts of each module were the filming bloopers Leanna would edit together. Her email inbox was connected to the project, and she often received “homework”, and enthusiastic messages and stories from the children. “Their emails were the highlight of my lockdown!” she says.

The children that followed the Junior Marine Biology program

“The days are busy and long, but I love my life here,” Leanna tells. “It’s great to be active and outdoors, and the guests we interact with everyday are amazing. I definitely make the most of my day off. I might hire a boat with friends, or go surfing on our local break. I’ve had a few really cool adventures; a highlight was spending 24 hours on a local tuna-fishing boat.”

Leanna, who graduated Tanglin in 2013, says her love of the ocean originated from her time in Singapore. She went on to study Marine Biology at the University of Southampton, UK, before completing a Masters in Science Communication at Imperial College London.

“My ‘eureka’ moment came when I joined the Sentosa Beach Patrol team,” she recalls. “There, when days were quiet, it was one person’s job to survey marine life, remove trash, and try to figure out where the more dangerous species, such stonefish and jellyfish, might be hiding. I loved finding the best spots for marine life – there’s more out there than you would imagine! – and helping to clean up the areas I was spending so much time in. That helped make my decision clear.”

While Six Senses has restarted its in-person Junior Marine Biology program, Leanna is keen to stress the online version can still be viewed from the Little Red Dot. “It will remain online indefinitely, and kids can tune in whenever and wherever,” she says. “The inbox the ‘homework’ is directed to is mine, and I would love to see children from Tanglin join in!”

To find out more about the Junior Marine Biology program, go to sixsenses.com/en/junior-marine-biology

35

Global Community

Confronting Racism in the Workplace In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement forced all of us to consider the inequalities present in every facet of our society. Here, Continuing Professional Development Director Benyna Richards – who is currently leading Tanglin’s Anti-Racism Working Party – reflects candidly on the lessons she has learned so far

36

“Empowered by the words of Ijeoma Oluo (right), I want to start this article by owning my mistakes and sharing with you three ways in which I have either had to confront my own racial biases, failed in fighting racism or been complicit in structures that support it.

While these examples are all very recent, I am aware there have been many more.

In a conscious effort to diversify what I read, I sat down in September to read the winner of the Booker Prize 2019, Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo, a novel that follows 12 – primarily black, female – characters. Early on, we are told the story of Carole, born in London to Nigerian parents. Carole is tirelessly supported by her teacher Mrs King as she pursues a scholarship at the University of Oxford. I was surprised to later find the teacher had her own chapter; without thinking, I had assumed Mrs King to be white.

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to be free of racism to be anti-racist.

Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward” – Ijeoma Oluo

One morning in Term 1, I was supporting the arrival of the Nursery children at Gate C, where children are assisted in getting out of their cars and putting on their backpacks by our amazing team of Operational Support Assistants (OSAs). All of our OSAs are either Singaporean or Malay, and I had been observing their kindness and patience when a parent pulled up and shouted at one of our OSAs to ‘not touch the car’. The OSA stood back and waited as the parent came around the vehicle and shouted at him again to ‘not touch’. After the parent had left, I apologised to the OSA, who shook his head and smiled as to suggest the incident had not surprised him. Why didn’t I do anything in the moment? In all honesty, I was probably more worried about upsetting a parent than supporting my colleague. I am committed to doing better should it happen again.

Somewhat ironically, I managed to exclude the voices which matter most from the Anti-Racism Working Party I am currently leading at school. When the working party was initially set up, a blanket email was sent out asking people who were interested to join. As someone who has always had the privilege of being listened to, I had failed to acknowledge that some of my colleagues who have lived with racism all their lives may not feel as confident to raise their hands to speak. That my colleagues whose lives are punctuated with racial micro-aggressions would like to be heard without the expectation to act. This mistake was helpfully pointed out to me and, thankfully, my apology was graciously accepted.

Why do I want to share these three examples with you?

Primarily, because I would like you to do the same: to be cautious of a narrative that says ‘this isn’t my problem’ or ‘we have already solved this’, or to rely on the actions of a working party implementing change for us. We must all take on some of the responsibility for our own education.

A very brave colleague sent me an email recently that articulated an issue I have also been struggling with; namely, ‘The idea of an anti-racism committee being comprised primarily of, and being led by, white people, is hilarious; but had the school asked people of colour to take on that responsibility, that would have been infuriating as well.’ Neither she nor I have a solution to this, so we find ourselves in the messy middle, trying our best to avoid

tokenistic or surface-level responses, being open to making mistakes and hoping to make real progress. I think the analogy of the tortoise and the hare is helpful here. The hare in this situation posts their black square on Instagram in solidarity with BLM, and instructs an external agency to audit their provision and provide them with a list of changes to be made. The anti-racism agenda can be marked complete, and the hare moves on. We are the tortoise.

The tortoise may have had a few false starts, but we are starting to move forward. The working party has been divided into three smaller groups: staff, students and wider community.

In Term 1, I met with the student Head Team to ensure we are aligned in our aims, and we have begun to review our recruitment practices, and start a process of education and awareness training for staff, students and parents.

For staff, this will include training on what do when you experience or see others experience racism in the workplace, and for our extended leadership team, this will include bringing in experts in this area. Parentwise workshops will look at why we need to move on from teaching our children that skin colour does not matter, to instead helping them to understand that skin colour deeply affects the experiences we have and the opportunities we are afforded in life.

Our work has already begun in the Sixth Form core programme: all Year 12 CAS students are undertaking a new component, Identity Matters, that is designed to promote critical global thinking and enrich students with our sense of shared values.

IB students are also exploring a new Theory of Knowledge course that encourages them to reflect on the fact there are no simple answers, that tensions can often be left unresolved, and there may be limitations on our own perspectives. In this way, the Sixth Form core programme continues to foster international mindedness, and a recognition and celebration of difference.

I feel passionate about creating long-term, sustainable change.

If you have a story that needs to be heard, I would love to hear from you.”

Recommended Reading Fiction Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

Non-Fiction Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race,

by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Me and White Supremacy, by Layla F Saad White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo How to be an Antiracist, by Ibram X Kend This is What Inequality Looks Like, by Teo You Yenn The Myth of the Lazy Native, by Syed Hussein Alatas

37

Global Community

Happy Returns

Through our Alumni, the school strives to facilitate lifelong, mutually beneficial connections between Tanglin and its former students.

There are many ways that Alumni can get involved with the school, through work experience opportunities, internships and – through donations to the TTS Foundation – the opportunity to learn or improve a skill, or complete a service activity Here, three Tanglin Alumni who have completed internships within the Senior School this term tell us about their experiences so far, the skills they’ve learnt and their exciting next steps.

Sean Nolan (Class of 2015) Internship: History and Politics departments “I recently graduated with a First in Politics from the University of Warwick, UK. While at Tanglin, I took Politics at A Level and it was the subject I most enjoyed.

I learned of my First while quarantining at a hotel in Singapore – I suppose that’s the ‘new normal’! Luckily for me, my parents were able to get a small bottle of champagne delivered to the hotel and we managed to celebrate over a video call. Over the course of my internship, several of my former Sixth Form teachers congratulated me on my degree; it really meant a lot that they were still invested and cared about my education beyond Tanglin.

While still at university, I knew of friends and former classmates who had taken part in the internship scheme and I was always interested to get involved; as I was due to return to Singapore this year, the timing worked out perfectly.

I’m a firm believer that, as someone who is a little bit further along in life, speaking to young people with similar interests can be really educational and useful for them.

38

I wanted to be able to assist current Tanglin students; whether that was supporting them to make decisions about their future, or simply helping out in the classroom.

And of course, I wanted to give back to the school and stay connected to a community that is very dear to me. What I didn’t expect was how enjoyable it would be to spend time with my former teachers; it was great to form positive relationships with them as a colleague as well as a student.

Within the History and Politics departments, I liked being able to discuss complex aspects of the course with students, and I even had the opportunity to lead some IB and A Level classes. I really enjoyed seeing what the teaching profession is like first hand, and I’m glad I was able to have a positive effect on students’ learning while doing so.

My aspirations, career-wise, are in journalism and media. I’m currently working with a TV production company here in Singapore on a few projects for local news channels. I hope to be able to carry on working in this industry, either in Singapore or back in the UK. Outside that, I have a great group of friends from my Tanglin days; I hope to stay in contact with them wherever I am based in the world.”

To donate to the TTS Foundation, go to tts.edu.sg/giving

Stephania Yiannouka (Class of 2016) Internship: Drama department “Before returning to Tanglin, I was studying Drama and Music at the University of Exeter, UK, and working with a voice teacher who has also been mentoring me to teach voice. Shortly before leaving, I was cast as Mimi Marquez [a principal role] in a production of RENT. We’re due to open in Exeter in May, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the performance can still go ahead.

During Term 1, I’ve been working one-to-one with students on their singing for the school musical Grease. Singing technique has evolved over time, and new ways are continually being found to use the voice efficiently and safely. I want the students to learn how to control their voices properly, while also pushing the boundaries of where they can take it.

Over the course of my education, I’ve been lucky enough to have performed in several musicals, such as Sweeney Todd, Oliver, and Jekyll and Hyde, and I’ve played everything from ensemble parts to principal roles. I teach students that every experience is a good one; as Konstantin Stanislavski said, ‘There are no small parts, only small actors.’

In addition to RENT, I plan to audition for

masters programs at various UK drama schools in hopes of starting a course next September. It is my wish that by the time I head out into the world of professional theatre, the industry will recovered from the devastation caused by COVID-19.”

To find out more about Stephania’s work on Grease, turn to The Show Must Go On!, on page 52.

Alice Bajaj (Class of 2017) Internship: Design & Technology department “I am currently in my third year of a BA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, London [the infamous art school is known for its accomplished Alumni, including sculptor Anthony Gormley and fashion designer Alexander McQueen]. I’m at the stage where I’m considering my future more seriously and exploring my options; my aspirations are to be an artist and university lecturer, or a creative director in advertising.

When I studied at Tanglin, the Design & Technology department didn’t exist, so I was very keen to explore the equipment that’s available in there; and of course, I wanted to help out because I really enjoy teaching! I learned several new skills during my internship; I am now able to operate a laser cutter and know how to 3D print.

The Design & Technology department is involved in a number of projects around the school that really make the most of the workshop and the recycled materials we have, and we completed several tasks I’m particularly proud of. For example,

we made an engraved Harry Potter-themed sign for the English Faculty, a window and other props for a Film department set, and enough face shields for every child in the Nursery (two each)!

Now that my internship has come to an end, I’m ‘back’ at Central Saint Martins, although I’ve been completing my first term remotely from Singapore. My aim is to return to London to complete my degree in person once it feels safe enough for me to do so.”

Share Your Story!

If you have an interesting tale to tell about where you are and what you’ve been up to since leaving Tanglin – or would like to make a birth or marriage announcement – please get in touch with us at alumni@tts.edu.sg. To find out more about Tanglin Trust Alumni, go to alumni.tts.edu.sg

39

SHOWCASE

About Face!

by Libby Henderson, Head of Art & Design (Infant School) “As part of our ‘Who Am I?’ topic, Year 1 looked at the similarities and differences in our appearance such as in hair, eye, and skin colour, as well as hairstyles, glasses, and even missing teeth! The children carefully selected and mixed colours to create the most suitable tones to match their appearance. They had to be patient in allowing the paint to dry between applications and understanding that artwork does not always happen in one sitting.

Year 2 concentrated on proportions when drawing their self-portraits.

They were introduced to the grid method, understanding that their eyes are in the middle of their face. Close observational skills were needed to draw a true likeness.”

40

Branching Out

by Peter Hinckley, Head of Art & Design (Junior School) “This term in Art, Year 5 focused on the environment through the theme of ‘Pristine Planet’. Using the natural environment as a stimulus, the children were inspired to create their own watercolour-style paintings of trees. This provided an opportunity for the children to use thin, watered tempera paint to create beautiful, semi-transparent colours, and to develop their own style of brush technique. The project focused on nurturing observational and technical skills in the representation of 3D objects, through changes in the value and vibrancy of colours. This also enhanced the children’s perception of objects commonly seen in their daily lives. The completed paintings reflect the children’s confidence and creativity in the use of colour.”

41

SHOWCASE

Making the Ordinary Extraordinary This year, the Coronavirus pandemic has prompted shifts in learning across the school and this is also true of the Senior Art department. In 2020, the department shifted its approach with Year 9 students from project-based artwork to what Head of Art Rob Le Grice calls “short, sharp art”. The shift, in part due to the pandemic, sees students working in five-week blocks to engage in technique-based learning across the disciplines of drawing, 3D art, Art History and digital media.

“The students are relishing it,” tells Rob. “In Year 9, Art shares curriculum time with Design & Technology, so the kind of extended work we complete in Years 7 and 8 is unsustainable; instead, we have created small ‘pockets’ of creativity in which the students can build upon their core skills.”

“You could also say it is a reaction to the limitations of the Circuit Breaker period. During that time, many of the students engaged in Remote Learning wouldn’t have had access to the art materials they have the opportunity to use at school. This unit counters that; we have moved to very tactile experiences that build on foundational art techniques.”

The “pockets” of learning demonstrate how the everyday can be elevated through art. “We tend to do that quite a bit at Tanglin: taking what we regard as the found object and, through a mastery of technique, making them into something spectacular,” explains Rob. He gives the example of a class of Year 9 students who have created “beautifully rendered” drawings of chisels, while another has focused on glass bottles.

“This the core of artwork, which is to look around us and recreate what we see. Sometimes, our world can be surrounded by ordinariness; the artist is engaged in examining that more closely than most.

That’s the pedagogical framework that underpins these masterclasses – that we can turn average objects into amazing ones.”

Working in such an intensely hands-on way can be a challenge, however, when the movement of students and sharing of materials is restricted, and this is an issue that has needed to be addressed at all stages of the Senior School Art curriculum. “We have had to rethink the ways in which students work this year and be inventive in how we go about them,” says Rob. “Equipment that might be commonly used in art, such as a glue gun, is off-limits because it is something several students might share.”

“One solution has been that students have started working at their own personalised stations and, in several cases, we have simply moved the equipment to those stations. Students have not been able to share sinks to wash their brushes, for example, so the sinks have had to come to them!”

42

Opposite, you can see just some examples of the “short, sharp art” approach with Year 9 while, over the page, an A Level artist gives us a tour of her work station and the art she has created in it this term.

43

SHOWCASE

44

Art in Action Year 13 student Heddwen talks The Voice through her recent work – and shows us her specially set up Art workstation: “Some of the principles that I have been taught here at Tanglin are:

• •

•

To put an emphasis on the physical processes of making artwork; experimenting and adapting to new techniques as we go.

The observation of things around us and how we can read between the lines, for example, ‘What’s special about the way material folds?’, or ‘What inspiration can we draw from a construction site?’

How to create something extraordinary out of something ordinary, whether that be string, skin, tyres or scaffolding. It’s having the ability to see an everyday object and re-imagine it.”

45

Tanglin Lifestyle

From the Archives

In each issue of The Voice, we will be featuring an artefact from a time in the school’s 95-year history, explained by a member of our community who lived through it. Here, Alumnus Darryl Goh – who attended Winchester Nursery, Weyhill Preparatory School and Tanglin Junior School before leaving for London with his family in 1985 – tells us of the memories evoked by some recent finds from his school days “My time with Tanglin Trust School started at Winchester Nursery, in Alexandra Park.

As a Singaporean, my parents had to get permission from the government for me to attend; it was granted on the basis that my mother was British.

As a former British Army Officers’ quarters, I remember Winchester as the most imposing building, with high ceilings – all the more since we were such tiny things. I have vivid memories of enforced nap times there; I’d lie under the whirring ceiling fans bored senseless – I never slept during the day!

I recently found a gym top from Weyhill that brought back so many memories.

Weyhill, situated in a former British Army school, was famous for its musicals – my first school play there required me to dress as a bee! School would finish at lunchtime and was always punctuated by a glass of milk at morning break... unless there had been an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Malaysia. I remember I always chose chocolate milk and got most upset if it wasn’t available.

The railway line to Malaysia ran near the school and there was no security or fencing to speak of to stop us walking freely along it. Sometimes we would place coins on the tracks, hoping to return the following

46

that all the classrooms had air conditioning!

Mine was the first cohort to complete all four years of the Junior School. In my final year, options for the school trip were climbing Mount Kinabalu or exploring Pulau Tioman [Tioman Island]. I remember some of the other children worrying about the leeches on Kinabalu, so I opted for Tioman! In those days, the drive to nearby Mersing was incredibly long and winding, and the only hotel on the island was very run down. We spent our days fishing and calculating the heights of the coconut trees.

Daryl, pictured with dog Maru, works as a wine merchant in London, UK. The Alumnus has a clear memory of the year he was a bee in the school play (opposite)! day to find them flattened by a train!

Power cuts were common back then and, during those times, the lights and fans would go off. If it wasn’t raining, we would leave our classrooms and sit outside. On days when it did rain, the area might flood and the school buses would get stuck.

In 1981, Weyhill was merged with other local schools to form Tanglin Infant and Junior schools; it was interesting for us to see the new Junior School being built.

When it first opened, I recall it felt strange taking a different turning off Portsdown Road; the approach was through thick woodland then. The biggest novelty was

Another trip I have clear memories of is a Scouts residential to the camp grounds in Lim Chu Kang: we slept under tarpaulins and washed in open showers in the swamps, where we were told to keep an eye out for crocodiles! I came home with around a hundred mosquito bites. There was plenty of wildlife to be found back on campus, too. A large portion of the school grounds was covered in grass and, during the monsoon rains, pools would form that housed the tiniest little frogs. You could quite easily scoop them out, so some of the children would carry them back to the classrooms in their pockets and then let them loose!

There was also the risk of pythons and cobras on site; they would slither out of the storm drains on the far side of the playing field and find shelter in a huge banyan tree nearby. If the groundmen spotted any snakes, we’d be confined to the tarmac at break times. I remember one of the

Unfortunately, my old yearbooks are currently in storage while I renovate my house here in London, where I am working as a wine merchant.

Historically, I’ve returned to Singapore often since 1985 – many friends and family still live there, and I spent five years working for local restaurant group Les Amis.

Above: The Upper Infant School.

Below: Daryl’s parents pictured in Malaysia, in 1970.

It’s great to take a moment to look back but, gosh – it all seems like a really long time ago now!”

Below: Daryl’s copy of the Weyhill Yearbook from 1980.

teachers had a huge pet python that she once brought into show us – alongside the chick embryos she fed it on.

On my last day of school in 1985, my friends decorated my school shirt, which I also recently discovered! My mother kept everything from my time at school in Singapore – somewhere, there’s every outfit from every play I was in at Weyhill and Tanglin, and even the videos of the plays themselves.

Do you have a “Tanglin artefact” you would like to share with the community? Please get in touch with us at communications@ tts.edu.sg, for attention of The Voice.

47

Tanglin Lifestyle

Happiness is a Butterfly It’s the first day of Term 1, and the Tanglin campus is bursting with life. As students and teachers meet and reconnect after the summer break, another convention of sorts is taking place on a grassy bank behind the Senior School building.

We are greeted by a changeable lizard – “there are two families that live on the astroturf,” Martin explains – and observe a small flowerpecker bird in the tops of a banyan tree. The wildflower patch itself is very active; Martin identifies the lemon-coloured Grass Yellows, silvery Grass Blues, and Tawny Costers, whose black markings resemble the dots and dashes of morse code.

Head of Outdoor Education Martin Foakes points to a five-by-five-metre patch of wildflowers in the shade of a tree; above it, pale butterfly wings catch the morning light. The small oasis is cause for celebration; Martin and Senior Facilities Manager Claren Chong have collaborated to preserve this area from the mowing, cutting and trimming that recently took place across the site in anticipation of the new school year.

“The great thing about a garden like this that you don’t need to ‘make’ it,” Martin points out. “Nature will do that all by itself.

For health and safety reasons, we can’t allow the entire campus to overgrow, but we can soften its appearance and create more balance.”

Martin takes The Voice for a closer look. The triangular section that surrounds the area, incorporating bench seating and a small grove of memorial trees, is also teeming with flora and fauna.

48

One of these reasons is the risk that snakes will visit. This very morning, an 8cm-long Flowerpot Snake – so called because the species is transported from country to country in the pots of house plants – was discovered in the Year 5 unit. Martin took it to his office and placed it under a piece of bark inside

a Tupperware box. While the tiny snake is harmless, it underscores the need for an equilibrium between strict maintenance and a more laissez-faire approach. As Aristotle said, “Moderation in all things.”

Ours is not the first tour Martin has conducted; during the TTS Foundation Summer Programme, he led a group of student volunteers from Key Stage 3 in conducting NParks’ butterfly survey in this area. He is considering opening up this experience to Infant School children, too. The therapeutic power of growing, and of slow and steady observation, is something Martin is keen to praise and one that many people caught onto during the escalation of the Coronavirus pandemic.

In the week before the UK’s first lockdown, for instance, sales of plants, seeds and bulbs in the country were up 35% from the same week in 2019. Globally, as lives became forcibly more domesticated, it was inevitable that traditional pleasures would fall into focus, and small acts of creation would bring wide-scale joy.

Martin himself engaged in this activity during the Circuit Breaker period, observing the seeds of watermelon and papayas his wife discarded in the garden, and repotting them as they grew.

“My oldest papaya ‘child’ is now this high,” he says, gesturing to a sliver of air around one metre off the ground. “We now have chillies, tomatoes, sweet potatoes… It’s one of those bucket-list items, isn’t it – planting something from scratch and watching it grow? If you looked at Facebook during Eco Week, it was photo after photo of people growing greens on their balconies, and children crowding round them excitedly. It’s very important for children to be see that: it’s a really big part of life.”

void space, and a six-foot-high banana tree, planted in the ground, is thriving. Most impressive of all is a papaya tree that, despite sitting in shadow, is already double the height of the men and bearing eight large fruits.

Martin likes the idea of giving staff and students the opportunity to grow in this way, for example Year 12 students, who are required to take part in the school’s CAS programme but are unable to complete projects off campus due to current restrictions. There is also the possibility of a wellbeing garden; JTC Corporation has offered the school the use of a rectangular plot of land near the One-North MRT Station for growing purposes, which at the time of writing is awaiting a delivery of topsoil.

A point of pride is that Tanglin is the only large international school to hold the Singapore Green Schools Award. Martin has observed that some schools who share this accolade have constructed a biodiversity trail on their sites; it is his hope that a similar project could be undertaken at Tanglin. His first step will be to link the wildflower patch to a butterfly garden by the swimming pool with a nature corridor; Tanglin’s own “green loop”.

It is the end of our tour; Martin, in addition to his regular schedule, is hoping to identify a butterfly we have seen – fast-flying, with the vibrant colours of a yellow hibiscus flower. It is a new discovery on the site, and one that sought us out rather than the other way around. The Voice is reminded of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous comparison: “Happiness is a butterfly”. Indeed.

Tanglin has its own fruit and vegetable patch. As we turn a corner – past the nutmeg tree, flowering for the first time ever – we move into a narrow section that butts up against the large barrier surrounding the Gate C project. In this cool, dark space, Tanglin’s then gardener Mr Salam is cultivating a flourishing nursery.

Pots containing grape and soursop saplings sit on a shady patch of grass, large green chillies dangle from a plant growing in a small

49

Tanglin Lifestyle

Notes from a (Not So) Small Island For many young people hoping to start university, this year has proved especially daunting. Former Tanglin Head Girl Sophie Riley (Class of 2020) tells us about her transition to tertiary education and provides some words of inspiration to the Class of 2021 and beyond

“In September, I started a BSc in International Business at the University of Leeds. Prior to starting the course, I completed a 14-day quarantine in the UK. I was very fortunate in that my mum and brother were both living in Southampton so, while that is some distance from Leeds (a little under 400km), I was able to enlist them in helping me prepare to move in.

During my time in isolation, I placed several online orders and did plenty of organising.

Due to mitigating circumstances, many students couldn’t have their parents help them move in, so I count myself very lucky.

It will be difficult when my mum returns to Singapore, but I am extremely grateful for all of her help.

On move-in day, I was pleasantly surprised at how organised and safe the entire process felt. Before arriving, I had booked a two-hour move-in slot, and when I turned up, I was greeted by helpful staff and student ambassadors wearing masks and offering hand sanitiser. For any parent, seeing a child make the move to university is a huge milestone and I was so grateful

50

I am aware of some apartments in our block that are self-isolating, so going out in the evening can feel a little quiet – and there is also a 10pm curfew that necessitates being home early. We have all been reassured that if we develop any symptoms of Coronavirus, we can go online and order a self-test kit that will be delivered to us the following day, with results returning within 48 hours.

Sophie and her mum mask up for movein day at the University of Leeds, UK. to have my mum there with me.

Naturally, I was excited yet somewhat nervous to meet my flatmates. After only a few days, though, we became joined at the hip and were very willing to get what we could out of the traditional Freshers’ Week! At the time of writing, there is no need for us to self-isolate as none of us have developed any symptoms of COVID-19. However, if any one of us visits family, we take it upon ourselves to get tested.

As all the students are part of the same community, we have all become more aware of each other’s safety and the ways in which we go about our daily interactions.

Being conscious and careful is especially important for the other students who share your apartment: a positive test would require everyone to self-isolate for 14 days.

At the University of Leeds, there is an online resource called Minerva: I would describe it as a cross between OneNote and Firefly. As a student, this is where you can find everything from lectures, to seminar prep and reading lists. During Introduction Week, there were several induction sessions and resources available that would help you prepare to study online; many students who completed their secondary education in the UK won’t have used apps like these before.

Currently, I ‘attend’ 10 hours of lectures

each week, and my timetable is rounded out with lots of reading and prep work for seminars. While some of my lectures are streamed live, most are pre-recorded.

I do enjoy some aspects of that: one is that it allows me to work through each week’s workload at my own pace, so I can fully absorb the information I need and not feel rushed.

Initially, I did find it somewhat daunting that, because the majority of my degree is currently being conducted online, I would be left to manage my work alone.

However, there are live question and answer discussions I can join if I choose.

Also, lecturers are very eager for students to email them with any questions, and they are always very responsive!

Seminars are a little different to lectures – you are expected to come prepared by completing any tasks or reading set so you are able to engage with your peers.

Some days I might attend a live online seminar, while on others I will be on campus with a small group of students.

Whether I attend a seminar online or face-to-face is dependent on the lecturer’s preference and how many students are taking the module.

No matter what your next step is – and wherever you choose to take it – the best advice I could give to any prospective student this year is to remember the experience is what you make of it.

Above: The University of Leeds’ Parkinson Building is a prominent landmark in the UK city that’s famous for its clock tower.

Left and below: New digs! Despite the rise of COVID-19 cases in the UK during the Autumn, Sophie says her move-in day at the university felt “organised and safe”.

“Remember, the experience is what you make of it” Even during this Coronavirus pandemic, my flatmates and I are conscious we must make the effort to meet new people, whether that’s simply by texting students who are taking the same course as us, spending time with each other in our accommodation, or playing approved social sport.

Going to university will of course be a different experience for the foreseeable future, but a new and exciting chapter in your life is quickly about to open up.

Enjoy the time you have left at school – whether that’s a year, or several years – and soak up every last bit of the Tanglin experience!”

51

Tanglin Lifestyle

The Show Must Go On!

In 2020, group singing, and the playing of woodwind and brass instruments, was curtailed at Tanglin due to local restrictions. The Term 1 Senior Ensembles Concert might have been cancelled, were it not for some very creative thinking by the Senior School’s Music Department.

Here’s how they pulled it off...

52

This year’s Senior Ensembles Concert, Music Around the World, was a huge success: broadcast on the school’s website and YouTube channel, the spectacular video performance had, at the time of writing, been viewed almost 10,000 times – more than any other show in Tanglin’s history.

But, it also represented a huge task for a number of reasons.

singers due to a bar on group singing.

Firstly, the concert comprised of 19 separate performances, spanning from Romanian Folk Dances performed by the Chamber Orchestra, an Argentinian tango performed by the Guitar Group, and Japanese folk song Sakura as sung by the Chamber Choir.

One key part of the concert was a performance by the new Year 7 cohort – a tradition of the annual show. Says Head of Arts Richie Baxter, “Usually, the year group would all sing together; that’s around 200 students, performing three songs. Obviously, that’s not been possible this year. Instead, each class did its own performance; most were filmed in The Berrick Hall, but we also recorded a gamelan under the school’s banyan tree.”

Secondly, each performance had to be carefully reworked to adhere to local restrictions: the Chamber Orchestra became a strings-only group in light of a ban on flute and clarinet; the Guitar Group was capped at 20 players to ensure social distancing; and the Chamber Choir performed as individual

Thirdly (and by no means lastly), to create a cohesive show, all the performances had to be separately recorded and then painstakingly edited together.

“It has been a massive, massive job,” says Head of Music Helen Owain, “Usually, our concerts at Tanglin are a well-oiled machine: we know exactly what we have to do and when it needs to be done – there’s a system. Of course, we’ve had to find new ways to do things this time around!”

Other important elements of the show that needed rethinking were the individual introductions that would preface each performance. For this, cross-faculty

teamwork was vital, as was having some external support. Tells Helen, “The introductions were recorded in the Film department; the students stood in front of a green screen on which we projected images from the country each piece of music originated from [...]

Of course, there was a lot of filming and editing that had to be done overall. Our technicians put together the individual Chamber Choir performances, while an outside company edited the Senior Choir performances, and a professional videographer worked on others.”

While the process was extensive, Head of Arts Richie Baxter assures The Voice that both staff and students were keen to go ahead. “I do know of schools that have ‘shut up shop’ this term due to the restrictions, but here there is definitely the enthusiasm to carry on.

For us, it’s a real positive that The Arts are thriving in such creative ways.”

While at the time of writing the faculty is hoping an ease in restrictions will be announced soon, it is continuing to prepare for future performances in ways that are possible today. “The Drama department is still very active,” explains Richie, “but rehearsals and performances are socially distanced. In the case of Grease [currently slated for Term 2], the cast are rehearsing in bigger spaces and avoiding certain elements of the show, such as partner dancing; they have been practicing chorus sequences and individual parts.”

“Auditions took place at the end of September, and we had to come up with a creative solution for those, too. At that time, auditions were not permitted, but one-to-one singing lessons were;

Stephania Yiannouka, an intern in the Drama department, worked with each of the students who expressed interest in a part and recorded their sessions, and roles for Grease were assigned by the teachers who then watched those videos.

It was a sort of backwards way of doing it, I suppose!”

Stephania, an Alumna whose internship at Tanglin is sponsored by the TTS Foundation, was cast prior to the pandemic as one of the principal roles in an Exeter production of musical RENT. She will be working with students at the school until the end of term, after which she hopes to return to the UK for rehearsals.

“While we have only able to hold one-to-one sessions due to COVID-19, it’s been a blessing in disguise,” she tells.

“Everyone’s voice is different, and it’s nice to be able to focus on one person at a time and help them in the way they need.

There is nothing more wonderful than your students discovering they can sing something they never thought they could.”

Not only working with the restrictions, but using them to an advantage, is a theme across the faculty. Richie talks The Voice through one more performance, The Mayflower, that has been rethought in a similar way. The piece, which marks the 400th anniversary of the eponymous boat’s journey across the Atlantic, compares the hardships of its passengers to the modern struggle of refugees. “Since we weren’t able to perform en masse, Sixth Formers worked with the student cast in groups of five. The Sixth Formers were able to use the experience of devising scenes as part of their CAS programme, while the student actors were given more freedom and creativity – the scenes they created didn’t have to ‘fit’ into a singular show anymore.”

“While several of our performances won’t ‘look’ like the Tanglin norm this year, what’s most important is that all our students are still learning and utilising all the skills they would usually gain from these kinds of experiences.”

“Creativity at the school is very much alive!”

53

Tanglin Lifestyle

Fast Forward: Looking Ahead to the Gate C Project The 11-storey building in development at Gate C will significantly impact teaching and learning across Tanglin when it opens in January 2022.

Incorporating a 50-metre swimming pool and gymnastics centre, music school, Infant dining area, Parent Café, Professional Development spaces for staff and much more, it’s an exciting and ambitious project that is continuing to take shape despite the disruption of COVID-19.

By the time you read this, it is expected that the 37 columns needed for the first floor will have been completed, as well as two link bridges that connect the Gate C building to the Infant and Junior schools.

It’s also hoped the site will have returned to 100% manpower, representing 34 reinforced concrete (RC) workers; at the time of writing, midway through Term 1, only 55% of these workers were permitted on site due to local restrictions and lack of manpower resources.

The building work continues to make good progress despite the two-month shutdown that was imposed during the Circuit Breaker period. On the right is an architect’s drawing of the building’s exterior, while opposite are some artist’s impressions of the brand new spaces.

54

Above, left to right: The first- and second-storey drop-off; the second-storey atrium; an alternate view of the atrium.

Above, left to right: The second-storey reception area; the counselling area on Level 11; an impression of the new gymnasium.

Above, left to right: The infant dining area on Level 3; alternative views of the Level 7 cafĂŠ.

Above, left to right: A fourth-storey Infant music classroom ; a recital space on Level 8; the training kitchen on Level 10.

Above, left to right: The new 50-metre-long swimming pool; gym and training facilities; The Institute on Level 11.

Disclaimer: Images are artists’ impressions only and subject to change.

55

56

57

Financial planning for generations

www.thefrygroup.sg The Fry Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd is authorised to act as a financial adviser by the 58 Monetary Authority of Singapore - licence number FA100057.

Looking forward Book with confidence

We know you’re looking forward to travelling again soon and we’re here to bring your bucket list to life.

We also understand that peace of mind and flexibility are key to ensuring that you feel confident booking a trip with us, safe in the knowledge that you can flex your travel plans if you need to. Our team will look after you every step of the way, from start to finish, with 24/7 support wherever you are in the world.

Call us on +65 3165 4050 or visit www.scottdunn.com/sg

60

95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299 www.tts.edu.sg Tel: 6778 0771 Email: communications@tts.edu.sg CPE Registration No.: 196100114C CPE Registration Period: 7 June 2017 to 6 June 2023