Crossroads April 2014, volume 20

20 issue 1 14/15 MIC(P) 147/08/2014

CWW pg 16

Fully Developed Frontal Lobes

pg 28

international Coastal Cleanup pg 43

A Singapore American School community service publication

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EDITOR’S NOTE/CONTENTS

Vanessa Spier Director of Communications This summer my husband and I took our two kids to Disneyland. I know, I know…it didn’t impart incredible intellectual lessons, test our physical limits, or give us the kind of cultural insights that backpacking through Bhutan could have. But it did provide a lot of lighthearted family fun and lifelong memories with grandparents.

They were exhibiting several of the desired student learning outcomes that we seek for all students at SAS: character, collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation, critical thinking, cultural competence, and core knowledge.

Both of our kids were enthralled with the design of every ride and took in the experience it offered and how each was built. As we waited for each turn to board, they discussed how rides were created, how they might recreate them out of Legos, and what they would do differently in their own versions.

We are now back on campus and well into the school year. I am inspired each and every day at SAS watching our incredible students from preschool through twelfth grade as they start with a thought, a question, or an inquiry and then go on to explore, work hard, and push themselves beyond what they thought was possible within a topic of interest.

I loved hearing their exchange, and not just because they were getting along standing in line.

We highlight a few of these inspring stories here in this year’s first issue of Crossroads. Check out the

article about the Chinese summer immersion program, reflections from this year’s middle school Classroom Without Walls experience, and a village building story about the high school’s Gawad Kalinga service club. And for an entire section on newsworthy bites about students and faculty, don’t miss the Notable Mentions feature! We are proud to feature student journeys throughout our pages and hope that you, too, enjoy the issue.

And if you are looking for something to do after you finish reading Crossroads, take a turn at creating your first prototype of a Lego rollercoaster – you never know where the journey might take you!

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EDITOR’S NOTE/CONTENTS

Our mission

From the superintendent

Five Minutes

The learning environment

Early Childhood center

Elementary SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

BOOSTER club & PTA

Community

CAMPUS SCENE

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OUR MISSION

05

From the Superintendent

The Strategi c Anchors for a Culture of Learnin g

By Dr. Chip Kimball, Superintendent

Since our founding in 1956, one of the hallmarks of SAS is our deep commitment to providing our students with the best educational experience possible.

Our commitment to excellence has served our students well throughout the years, and continues to drive our future-oriented work.

Our daily work and strategic planning is done within the context of our vision: a world leader in education, cultivating exceptional thinkers, prepared for the future. Our vision is best accomplished when we collectively work together on behalf of students to promote and facilitate learning. In the last two years, our community has contributed to important strategic work designed to enhance learning, ensuring that student have the skills they will need to be successful, no matter what their futures bring.

Last year, through a process of research and community engagement, we defined seven desired student learning outcomes (DSLOs) for our students. These skills and attributes - character,

collaboration, communication, creativity and innovation, critical thinking, cultural competence, and core knowledge – are critical for students both in college and in the professional world they will eventually join and lead. It is the development of these skills that focuses our work as a school, and is at the heart of our strategic plan.

Our success is dependent upon not only a clear vision and defined outcomes, but also requires deliberate and focused strategies for implementation. At SAS we are committed to six institutional commitments that will enable us to successfully teach and assess our DSLOs. These commitments are to: • Deliver great teaching for every student, every day; • Implement a common, guaranteed viable curriculum; • Use evidence of learning (data) to inform practice;

• Integrate technology; • Foster a healthy organizational culture; and • Collaborate through professional learning communities (PLC).

More broadly we have discovered that to be truly exemplary we need to have an organizational culture that is well defined and deliberate.

As such, we have identified three essential cultural components that we call our strategic anchors. Every decision and every activity is filtered through these strategic anchors, and it is when all three strategic anchors are fully utilized that our vision can be realized. The SAS strategic anchors characterize the DNA of our school and will help us continue to be a world leader.

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From the Superintendent

SAS 2020 STRATEGIC PLAN OVERVIEW

Culture of Possibilities Personalized Learning: Each student has the time and opportunity to explore, pursue, and demonstrate his/her interests and passions.

Commitment to Innovation: SAS continually seeks to improve and/or develop new ways to more effectively impact student learning.

Culture of Possibilities

Culture of Excellence A world leader in education cultivating exceptional thinkers prepared for the future

Culture of Extraordinary Care

Culture of Extraordinary Care Culture: High levels of trust, respect, and belonging characterize the SAS culture.

Relationships: SAS community members care for each other, the community, the country and region, and the environment.

Culture of Excellence Student: Every student learns at high levels.

Professional: Employees are committed to demonstrating current “best practice� in their work and, as a system, SAS reflects a standard of excellence that sets us apart.

07 The SAS strategic anchors that we find essential are a culture of excellence, a culture of extraordinary care, and a culture of possibilities. These anchors make possible our vision where students will think, learn, and lead; and in turn will be able to positively impact the world.

Culture of Extraordinary Care Singapore American School has long been known for its extraordinary care; in fact, this is one of the most commonly referred to traits that parents and students recount from their experience with us. Every decision we make will continue to be anchored in extraordinary care – in our culture, in the relationships fostered through advisory and mentoring programs, in community building, through service learning, with our alumni, and in service of the health and well-being of our students, faculty, and our community.

Extraordinary care goes beyond kind words of encouragement on a difficult day. Extraordinary care requires going above and beyond to support a student, surrounding a community member with physical and emotional support in a time of need, sharing scarce resources with those less fortunate, or having that difficult conversation with a colleague because we care about what is best for each other. SAS breathes extraordinary care in everything that we do.

Culture of Excellence Another hallmark trait of Singapore American School is our culture of excellence. As we look forward we will build upon this tradition of excellence for students, for faculty and staff, and build structures to support excellence even in times of change.

From the Superintendent

SAS students are successful by most every measure. Our students continue to score higher on standardized tests than most other schools in the world, they are accepted to outstanding universities, and are fully engaged in the life of the school. At SAS excellence means that any and all of our students can learn at high levels. It also means that although we have great accomplishments across the school, we are constantly looking for ways to improve.

This level of excellence is only possible if we recruit, retain, and develop great people. But even with great people, excellence is best attained when we commit to working together. In the classroom our teachers are committed to instructional best practices, working together to ensure that students are successful, and reflecting upon what we can do to improve.

And because we value our diversity as a community, we understand that excellence can be demonstrated in many different ways for students depending upon their interests and passion. Excellence at SAS sets us apart and establishes a new standard as a world leader.

Culture of Possibilities Our third strategic anchor is a culture of possibilities, and this is where the best of what SAS has always done intersects with the future-oriented work that has taken place over the last two years.

As we plan for future teaching, programs, and courses, we know that personalized learning will be at the heart of creating truly great student results.

With personalized learning comes the opportunity to pursue interests, and ultimately passion, which in turn inspires students to work harder, become more focused, learn more, and have more fun doing it.

We believe that the best learning environments are those where students are challenged to think, and where learning aligns with their strengths and interests.

As we develop a culture of possibilities, we know that it requires an environment where innovation is supported and encouraged. This is where hard questions are asked and failure is part of the learning process.

As such we continue to invest in flexible, creative spaces where students can plan, build, refine ideas, and present learning. This includes a resource-rich and supportive environment where exploration is encouraged and students can unearth new pathways and ideas.

This kind of personalized learning requires flexibility, and we are already making strides to that end.

Flexibility in scheduling allows students to take part in off-campus internships or work in uninterrupted blocks on research, building and testing prototypes, and creating unique products. It allows students to work in ways and times that are productive and meaningful for them.

With a commitment to the research and development process, we are already innovating without compromising the excellence we already enjoy. While innovation is future oriented, it is also something SAS has always done. At SAS we seek to improve and develop new ways to more effectively impact student learning, and that commitment continues to deepen.

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Five minutes

Minutes

with Dennis Steigerwald HIGH SCHOOL CENTER OF INNOVATION COORDINATOR Coming from Cleveland, Ohio, Dennis Steigerwald has been working at SAS for the past 16 years. Dennis started off as a science teacher and department chair in middle school, later moving into the high school division as a science teacher and then the science department chair. Dennis has been living in Singapore since ​1999 with his wife and two sons. Dennis was on the high school research and development teams and serves on the K-12 Advisory Panel for The College Board. Currently, Dennis is the High School Center of Innovation coordinator, ​department chairperson for ​technology, electives and Capstone,​as well as​​the AP coordinator.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

If I’m taking my wife out on a date, we like to go to Balanced Living because it’s a ​new​, healthy, fun, ​ and relaxing place to hang out. If ​ I'm not worrying about the health factor, it would have to be the Singapore hawker stalls. Nowhere in the world can you experience such a diversity in food, yet know what you’re eating is safe.

If you could only eat one food item for the rest of your life, what food would it be?

Putting health aside, my mom’s homemade cheesecake.

How do you envision the future of the makerspace room?

The makerspace is unique because it’s a movement of education that’s all about the participant. It is a place where ​anyone can come explore, ​ideate, and try to c​ reate or ​produce something​meaningful.

It’s a fantastic platform for what we are trying to do with the Center of Innovation. To envision it forward, ​ the space would be the epicenter of ​available r​ esources and services,​ but everything in it would be portable, and therefore, the maker movement can have impact anywhere in SAS.

What is your favorite Singlish term?

“Can can lah!”

What was your very first job?

When I was in middle school​,​ I was a caddy, a driving range worker, and a golf club cleaner at a ​local ​ golf course.

What is do you find unique about SAS? I truly feel that the kids make SAS unique. They form a great community, they’re intelligent, they’ve got the right amount of ambition, a ​ nd ​the right amount of sense of humor. Even when they’re struggling, they’re still, for some reason, very positive. I think ​the combination of great students and an outstanding faculty is the driving force that makes us excellent.

Describe your high school experience in one word.

Relevance?

Favorite computer app?

I'm gonna be cheesy…the App Store.

Which class would you take if you were a high school student at SAS? Senior project, without a doubt, because it would be all about my interests. Even with ​all of the challenges, I think it’s the type of course students gravitate to when procrastinating​ ​in ​their other courses. If I were in high school right now, my senior project would probably explore real estate agency and property investment.

What would your dream vacation be?

My dream vacation with children is being with them on an adventure somewhere where we are pushing our limits and experiencing culture.

It could be biking through Bhutan or hiking through Africa. Without kids, I’d take three months skiing in Switzerland. I would just sit there in a cozy little cabin ​with my wife and spend my days s​ kiing.

Center of Innovation Website http://www.sas.edu.sg/page. cfm?p=2120 Write up by Sandy Bala and Clara Fong. Read more about these two high schoolers on page 55!

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The learning environment

Enjoyable MomentS in Wuxi, China 2014 Summer Chinese Immersion Experience

By Dr. Susan Zhang Director of Chinese Language Another summer has come and gone. We have so much to share with you all. This past summer, 11 middle and high school students led by two SAS Chinese teachers and the director of the Chinese program started their learning journey as soon as school was out in June.

This was the third year for us to run the summer Chinese immersion program. Students who signed up for it were very excited about the learning experience they expected to encounter.

The experience for our students was incredible. It is impossible to describe in words how much they enjoyed their learning, how much they appreciated the opportunity to interact with native Chinese speaking students their age, how much their language skills improved, and how much cultural understanding they gained.

One seventh grade student who participated in the program two years ago and again this year told the teachers that he could not believe how much he could express himself this summer when he was interacting with the Chinese students, how much more confident he felt this time compared to the first time he was in

China, and how much he appreciated the opportunity to better himself in applying Chinese language in real life and understanding the Chinese culture.

Students had their intensive language classes in the morning that emphasized oral communication and comprehension skills. In the afternoon, they had opportunities to take specialists’ classes with native Chinese middle school students – in art, music, or physical education.

They were each paired with a Chinese student and pairs worked collaboratively on tasks and skills while practicing Chinese at the same time.

To give back, our students gave English lessons to their peer Chinese students. Our young students planned and taught lessons wonderfully. They worked in groups playing the role of teachers, being very encouraging and personable using visuals created with their own hands and actions to make their input comprehensible.

The feedback we received from the Chinese teacher who observed the class was overwhelmingly positive.

She said that SAS students could

definitely teach better than the Chinese teachers there at their school.

Another one of the highlights was the soccer game our six boys played against the local students and faculty.

They formed one team and they were among the four teams including a team of faculty from the hosting school. Our team played two games and beat both of the opponent teams, one of which was the faculty team. Girls cheered for them “加油! 加油! Go SAS! Go SAS!” Our students will not likely forget the farewell they received as we left for the airport. Many Chinese students came to say goodbye because they had become good friends over the two weeks. An eighth-grade boy started running along side the bus as our bus was pulling out of the school gate. He was waving his arms and saying “再见” with tears in his eyes.

What an enjoyable moment and what an experience!

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The learning environment

announcementS SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL RECEIVES WASC ACCREDITATION Singapore American School has once again received the fullest term of accreditation possible under the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

SAS has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for more than 50 years. Being accredited is important for a school because many postsecondary schools will only accept graduates from accredited high schools.

Superintendent Chip Kimball said about the accreditation, “We are very pleased to receive their approval with our focus on learning as well as our current and future programs. Our WASC leadership team did a great job preparing for and sharing with the WASC accreditation team our philosophy, values, and strengths, and our faculty and staff work tirelessly to deliver a phenomenal educational experience for our students.”

In April of 2014, a visiting committee comprised of twelve educators from other international schools in Asia as well as California visited SAS. Based on their findings, SAS was granted another six-year term, which will expire in 2020. Findings from the self-study and visit have been incorporated into the strategic plan that will guide the work of SAS for the next six years.

SAS received permission from WASC to conduct a focused process on SAS learning by focusing the selfstudy on five of the desired student learning outcomes: character, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation, and critical thinking. Professional learning communities acted as home groups, completing a deep dive into the learning outcomes to identify where each one is currently explicitly taught and assessed. Divisions acted as focus groups and met to analyze the results and identify areas of strength and areas for growth. The entire process was guided by a

WASC leadership team that was represented by faculty, classified staff, parents, administrators, and board members.

WASC is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States.

Through its review processes, WASC confirms that an institution has substantially met the Commission's Core Commitments and Standards of Accreditation and associated Criteria for Review and, thus, possesses the resources, policies, and practices to achieve its educational goals and has provided evidence of the quality of its educational programs.

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The learning environment

Jennifer Sparrow

Louise Donaghey

Assistant Superintendent

Summer Semester Directors

Jennifer Sparrow has been selected as assistant superintendent for SAS beginning in the summer of 2015. Jennifer was the number one candidate after a worldwide search and was recommended by teachers, staff, and administrators who helped with the search. Jennifer will replace Robert Landau who is planning to return to a head of school position.

Dan Skimin and Louise Donaghey have been selected as summer semester directors for the summer of 2015. Dan and Louise, under the guidance of Executive Director of Research & Development and Strategic Programs Dr. Tim Stuart, will create a new conception of summer term.

The June 8 to July 3 program aligns with what we have learned through the research and development process and will extend learning in exciting and innovative ways.

Classes will be interdisciplinary, relevant, challenging, and engaging. We plan to offer programming for K-8 students, as well as high school students who can receive SAS high school credit.

Jennifer’s career in education spans more than twenty years. She began as a middle school social studies and RLA teacher at Singapore American School, then moved to Hong Kong International School where she spent three years as a teacher and five years as an administrator. At HKIS she served as director of strategic initiatives and director of assessment and educational data.

In 2009, Jennifer returned to SAS to serve as director of assessment and educational data, and this year has been serving as the Executive Director of the Office of Learning.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Kansas State University, a masters degree from University of South Carolina. In addition to her role at SAS, Jennifer is a sought after speaker and consultant in the region due to her deep knowledge in assessment, curriculum, and teaching. She is certified as a trainer for the data-driven decisionmaking protocol (Douglas Reeves) as well as a trainer for data retreats.

Jennifer's mom, Pat Schaeffer, taught at SAS from 1987 to 1998 and her sister graduated from SAS in 1993.

Jennifer and her husband Nick have two children, Hayley who is a senior at SAS, and Thomas who is a certified dog behaviorist and owns a dog training and behavior business in the US.

Dan Skimin

Louise Donaghey Born in Australia, Louise has lived and worked abroad for 18 years. This is her tenth year at SAS. Louise joined SAS as a grade 1 teacher before moving into the role of grade 1 coordinator. She worked as the primary division literacy coach for seven years and is now an instructional coach in the elementary school. Louise was a part of the elementary division R&D team and is a Strengths Practitioner. She recently completed a Certificate of International School Leadership through the Principals’ Training Center. Louise’s husband, Kevin, is completing a degree in education and is an instructional assistant in the kindergarten perceptual motor program, and they have two daughters.

Dan Skimin This the fifth year Dan has worked at SAS. For three years he taught business management and accounting in the high school, and for the past two years has taught mathematics. Dan has been in international education for 17 years, teaching in Japan, China, Philippines, Senegal, and India before coming to Singapore. He has a keen interest in basketball and has spent the past three years coaching the SAS girls' varsity team and this year will coach the boys' varsity team. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he is hopeful that during summer semester, the Cleveland Cavs will be playing in the NBA Finals.

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The learning environment

Befriending Our Neighbors and Touching Their Hearts

By Major Isaac Benjamin Security Manager

While most of the SAS community was away for summer break, the SAS facilities office embarked on a project to touch the hearts of our closest neighbors, the residents at Woodgrove HDB Block 436 and 429. These really are our closest neighbors and we believe if anyone has been aggrieved more by our traffic, noise, and other inconveniences, they must be the ones.

On June 24 and 25, we went the extra mile to knock on their doors and deliver to each one a goodie bag packed with an invitation card to attend the US Independence Day Celebration at SAS on June 28, coupons for games, and cash value in the souvenir card to purchase food during the event. We also presented them with a complimentary umbrella embossed with the SAS logo.

Meeting the residents personally and seeing their reaction to our gesture made the effort worthwhile. We were indeed pleased to see many residents turn up for the event.

This was the first step SAS has taken to meet the people who live next to our campus. The American Club was generous in offering free coupons for the games.

Maintaining a good relationship with our neighbors is a crucial step in enhancing the security of the school and provides an avenue for dialogue should the need arise.

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Early childhood center

what we can

By Jo McIlroy ECC Coordinator

We have had a wonderful, smooth start to the school year in the SAS Early Childhood Center (ECC). Our students come to school each day full of wonder, joy, and curiosity. It's hard to have a bad day when our youngest learners arrive with big smiles and such enthusiasm every morning!

It is a unique and exciting time to be at SAS as we continue development work in the elementary school and embark on the research phase in the ECC. A group of ECC teachers recently returned from the ECC research and development trip that traveled to Australia and New Zealand. It was an incredible professional development opportunity and highly thought provoking for us all.

We spent time with passionate and inspiring educators who stretched our thinking. As the team considered aspects of 21st century learning and the application to an early childhood setting, a significant takeaway for us was 'what is powerful learning?' and 'what is powerful to learn?'

A highlight was exploring customized modern learning environments that were created with purpose and intention around young children's learning. Our team was particularly interested in visiting early learning environments that have been inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. We were impressed with depth of learning and high levels of engagement that this approach generates in young children. Our trip has incited meaningful conversations and we look forward to our work ahead as we explore possibilities and determine what we can become.

become

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Elementary SCHOOL

Our iPad Journey

By Robyn Lynchy Elementary School (3-5) Technology Coordinator

Our iPad Journey

The first four months of the school year for the upper elementary school technology department was a whirlwind! We set up and distributed 873 family-managed iPads to students; conducted a grade five technology boot camp; a grade three iPad launch; and a parent coffee to address specific questions regarding our program.

With the initial setup and communication complete, it is time to reflect on our iPad journey, evaluate our progress, and determine our course for the rest of the year and beyond.

So when did our iPad journey begin?

During the 2011-12 school year, we piloted a 1:1 iPad program with a class of grade four students to see how this new device could be used to improve teaching and learning.

It is incredible to think that the iPad was initially launched in 2010, and it has since become a ubiquitous device in education. Our grade four pilot was a success. As educators, we have always known that a key to learning is engagement, and we found that iPads enabled us to draw on that engagement in a profound way. The students that were involved in the pilot were engaged differently.

They were being creative and innovative in ways we could not have imagined. Students frequently self-initiated collaborative sessions, working together to share ideas, information, and skills. They also were able to showcase, document, and demonstrate their thinking and learning in ways that supported their learning styles, interests, and abilities.

The pilot was such a success it was expanded in the following year to include three classes in grades three and four. Two of the classes in each grade level were 1:1, while the other class piloted a model of one device between two students. It quickly became apparent that the iPad was not as transformational when shared.

We concluded that our program would utilize the iPad as an individual learning device.

Another need that arose from our pilot was for the iPads to be personalized to support the individual learning needs of the user. A one-size-fits-all approach to apps did not fit with our school’s philosophy of differentiated instruction. With the help of a leader in iPad education and researching the experiences of

other the international schools, we embarked upon the most important change to our iPad program - the implementation of family-managed devices. This change has enabled the iPad to be a personalized tool for learning, empowering us to individualize instruction. For example, if a child is in a support class, the teacher may suggest an app that will help that child with their particular learning needs. The same is true for students in enrichment classes - or in any class! Having a family-managed device means that each child has an iTunes account on their iPad, which parents control.

This was not the easiest solution to implement, but we believe it is the best to support student learning.

Now that the core apps have been gifted and teachers are getting to know each child, we are providing teachers with strategies to locate and evaluate apps to target specific student needs. In the next month we will be in a position to see how Apple’s new ‘Family Sharing’ will impact our program, hopefully making the gifting process even easier and the sharing apps straightforward!

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MIDDLE school

Splash, Camera, Action:

Making Memories on CWW

By Naina S. Grade 6 Student

The sound of laughter filled my ears as I waded through the water.

Splashes that were meant to go to others came and hit me. My friends were spread all over the shallow end, talking, chatting, and playing. I swam to the wall, where a few of my friends were lingering around. The air was lighthearted, as if I was actually on vacation, a vacation where all my friends were with me.

In addition to the laughter, I could hear our game of Marco Polo continue on. I dove out of the way of the person who was ‘it’ and looked to see what other people were doing.

Some of us were just goofing around.

I saw a few people having a chicken fight in the corner. A few guys had even joined our group and started pestering a few girls who were chatting animatedly about something that happened during our nature walk at Pulau Ubin. I suppressed a laugh as one of the people who was being annoyed dove underwater and resurfaced away from them.

Suddenly, a white flash came into my vision. My homebase teacher stood at the opposite side of the pool, a huge Nikon camera in his hands, ready to snap a photo for anyone; apparently I had been looking right at him as some kids I didn’t know jumped into the pool. ‘We have to take a picture’ I thought to myself.

After all, we were never going to come back to sixth grade CWW at East Coast Park, and we need the memories to last.

I yelled for my friends to come out onto the wall of the pool. Slowly, they all surfaced and joined me in making a line. Soon, there were about ten of us all lined up, some of which I barely talked to, but it didn’t matter.

Friends of friends were joining our line, which had 20 people now, and the last few people were joining. At the beginning of the year, my group of close friends consisted of maybe five people, but now there were over 20 who I could trust, and who would stick by my side.

“On the count of three!” someone yelled from my right.

I moved to the edge of the pool.

“One...”

Water dripped down my back.

“...two...”

My leg flexed to jump.

“...three!”

My hair flew up, and I was airborne for one second, and my body was not the only thing flying. A grin broke out on my face, and my heart felt like it had sprouted wings and flown out of body. Despite the cold water that I had just plunged into, I felt warmth and happiness spreading down my body, lighting my eyes up, and making me feel as if molten gold was running in my veins. I had amazing, beautiful friends that always stuck by each other, teased each other, and loved each other. We were all one part of a beating heart, and that was the only heart I needed.

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MIDDLE school

Not a Dip, Just a Swim

By Ushmil S. Grade 7 Student

All my friends have been to the ocean and have swam in it. I was the odd one out. My whole family was scared of swimming in the ocean.

My dad had always told me, “Just dip your feet in the water, nothing more, or else you will drift away in the sea.” So to my parents and seven year old brother, dipping our feet in the ocean was fun. I never knew that I was missing out until CWW 2014.

When I first found out that during CWW we would swim in the ocean, I freaked. I yelled with fear, “Are you nuts, or out of your mind?!” My friends replied with, “What do you mean? We do this a lot.” That was when I realized I was missing out on a lot.

One of my good friends slowly took me into the ocean. My feet started hurting so bad because there were rocks under my feet. I kept on jumping up and down because of my aching feet. But, before I knew it, there I was with ocean water up to my neck and soft muddy sand below my feet. I was amazed…

Of course, I didn’t know what to do when a wave came, so I freaked when I saw a huge wave coming towards me. My friend shouted, “Jump!” I was confused, thinking, “What does she mean by that?” Then, bam, my head was under water and my eyes were stinging like crazy! That’s also when I realized that she meant for me to jump when the wave came.

The longer I stayed in, the more I got used to it.

I LOVED IT. When I went back home from CWW, my dad was schocked when I told him about swimming in the ocean, and so was my brother. My dad asked me, “You swam? Was it fun?”

I replied, saying, “Yes and yes!” I had a huge smile on my face. I am the first one in my whole family who has swam in the ocean.

Now I am the odd one out, but because I have swam in the ocean.

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MIDDLE school

20

MIDDLE school

No 8th Grader is an Island!

By Olivia P. Grade 8 Student

In late August, I – along with over 300 other grade eight students – embarked on a five-day expedition to Telunas Island, Indonesia. Going for this amount of time with the whole grade had never been done before. Being the first group gave us many advantages and I think overall everyone had a very memorable time, myself in particular.

My name is Olivia and, as a new student at SAS, I was slightly apprehensive about the upcoming trip due to the fact I didn’t know many people very well. Luckily for me, it was strategically placed at the beginning of the year specifically to give us the opportunity to strengthen the relationships with the people in our grade and in our homebases. It also allowed for some new friendships to be established. Because everyone was so welcoming and inclusive towards me, I really took full advantage of this. We participated in many teambuilding activities with everyone in our homebases, during which I really got a sense of their personalities and discovered things about them that I didn’t already know. I am very grateful for this experience because now we are so much more comfortable with each other and the “awkward silence” in the mornings has since been eradicated.

There was much contrast between our Telunas trip and the outdoor education expedition I participated in last year at my previous school in Canada. For one thing, passports and identification cards were not required. We simply boarded a bus from Toronto, my hometown, 100 miles north to a school-owned

summer camp in a town near Haliburton, Ontario. There was certainly no jungle hike or swimming in the ocean there.

the waterfall was a lot of fun, and I thought about how the fact that it was a natural landmark instead of a man-made structure was pretty cool.

One of the biggest differences, however, was SAS’s dedication to service whilst on our Classroom Without Walls (CWW) trip. A personal highlight for me was our second day on the island, during which we traveled to a nearby island and helped build a boundary wall for a local school. It was a really eyeopening experience interacting with the kids there, whose families had very little yet they still always had smiles on their faces and were content with what they had. I was concerned that the language barrier would be an issue, but we could communicate with them on so many different levels - using hand motions or just simply by smiling.

We typically had around two to three hours of free time during the day and so I usually would go down to the beach or jump off the high tower with my friends. Swimming in the ocean or lounging on a hammock made me feel as if I were on a vacation as opposed to just a school trip. We also had the option to stay in our cabins and read or take a nap, which was much appreciated and needed especially towards the end of the trip.

I felt like this was important for us to be exposed to so that we could reflect upon how lucky we are to live where we do and be born into the families that we were. We all live very privileged lives, especially compared to these kids who struggle to get access to their very basic needs.

We can almost afford to expect more, however one thing these kids showed me was that happiness can be achieved simply by focusing on the small things in life.

Another one of my favorite memories was brainstorming a skit for talent night with my homebase.

We decided upon doing a spoof on the reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians with each of us comically assuming the role of a family member and mocking their public behavior. Though the intention of this activity was simply for entertainment and fun, I felt like everyone in my homebase began to enjoy each other’s company to an even larger extent. I also was in my prime, as I love all theatrics, especially improv, which was a large aspect of our performance. I contributed many ideas to the group which we later executed on stage.

On our third day, we headed off on a waterfall hike and mangrove exploration. I surprisingly enjoyed learning about the rich ecosystem of Indonesia. The hike itself was very peaceful and I felt connected to nature instead of technology like usual. Being able to go and jump off

This year’s grade eight CWW was a widely enjoyed trip and I believe it helped us to develop fundamental relationships with many people in our grade and on our side. I am looking forward to spending the rest of the year with all of my peers and teachers!

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MIDDLE school

Eighth Grade Classroom Without Walls Upgrade

By Peter Cuthbert 8th Grade CWW Coordinator

This year’s eighth grade Classroom Without Walls (CWW) experience was significantly different from previous years. While we stayed true to the goal for students to build positive relationships, trust, and cooperation with their peers and teachers by facing unique challenges outside of the classroom, there were additional experiences that enriched an already popular program.

Cultural competence was strengthened through the fullday community service projects at local Indonesian island schools neighboring Telunas Beach. Our students worked hand-in-hand to carry building supplies from the dock, mix cement with shovels, and

dig out foundations in order to build a brick wall that now protects the school lands from encroachment and loss of community space. It was a perfect way to introduce service learning - a key component of the eighth grade learning experience back at SAS. An eco adventure in the mangroves capped off with a rainforest hike to a freshwater swimming lagoon was another new challenge that brought students together.

It was the first time that all 318 eighth grade students and 41 faculty traveled together to Indonesia’s Telunas Beach. It was also a first that the program was extended from a three-day to a full five-day team

building adventure.

We thank the eighth grade teachers for their support of a more intensive CWW and for giving up their family and personal time to make it such a success for all our students. This massive undertaking could not have been possible without the tireless work and exceptional preparation by fellow coordinators Jared Bildfell and Ana Marie Gach.

Having been involved in ten years of eighth grade CWW experiences, it is fair to say that this year’s program offered the most challenging and unique experiences for our students, which set the stage for a fantastic final year of middle school.

CWW: Looking Back What's one thing you miss about CWW that's different from Interim?

I remember…

"I miss how it wasn't graded."

"I miss having a lot more kids."

"I remember the dock jump!"

- Migs Dimayacyac, Grade 9

"I remember getting really sick and the nurse couldn't help me."

"I miss how we stuck together with one side."

"I miss rooming with more people."

- Howard Chan, Grade 12

"I remember getting really close with the homebase."

"I remember the wasps and all those bugs!"

"I miss how all your friends stuck together on one side."

“I miss bonding with people that you actually see again when you come back to school.”

"I remember getting to know the whole side better."

- Danial Venema, Grade 11

- Caroline Indebraekt, Grade 11

- Ella Cheng-Bradshaw, Grade 11

- Lexa Risjad, Grade 10

"I miss how I had more friends on one trip."

- Aylin Erdamar, Grade 11

"I miss how you stay with your class."

- Sanya Seth, Grade 12

- Ethan Fisher, Grade 12

"I miss sharing new experiences with more people."

- Yana Mihova, Grade 9

- Diya Navlakha, Grade 9

- Hannah Bradshaw, Grade 9

- Celine Fan, Grade 9

"I remember the nice rooms we had!"

- Andrea Horn, Grade 9

"I remember all the free time we got to relax."

- Christine Chan, Grade 9

- Kayla Conatay, Grade 10

"I miss how the whole side went together."

- Sasha Wodtke, Grade 10

Eleventh grade student and Communications and Alumni Relations Work Study Intern Kelly Chung asks fellow high school students about their favorite CWW memories and what they miss most. Kelly is involved in several service clubs and interim council and has a keen interest in journalism, economics, and business.

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MIDDLE school

Middle School Spanish:

A Program Of Internal and External Success

By Felipe Sanchez, Ed.M. Middle School Spanish Coordinator

In the May 2014 issue of Crossroads, the middle school Spanish department proudly presented the launch of a new Spanish program with proficiency-based courses by design.

At that moment in time, we were still waiting to hear about our students’ external results from the experts in American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), one of the most relevant language learning organizations in the world.

While we had a very strong internal understanding of how our middle school students were successfully advancing their proficiency in Spanish, we were professionally committed to analyzing their external results, learning from the external expert feedback provided, and polishing our teaching craft as needed on behalf of student learning.

External results became available toward the end of the school year, and today we can proudly announce that the external results our middle school students of Spanish achieved last year were extraordinary both from an internal and an external point of view. Congratulations, middle school students!

As we have learned in our professional learning community (PLC) work in the middle school, the heart of all PLC work is the collection and analysis of student achievement data. The beauty of working with data is that it allows you to both celebrate accomplishments and identify areas for growth. This is what we ask our students to do on a daily basis, and this is why the middle school Spanish team is already working on several evidence-based protocols that will help continue to build success for all students of Spanish in the division.

I thank both Ms. Johnson and Mrs. Gach for their incredibly valuable contributions to the Spanish department in previous years, and to welcome our two new team members, Ms. Heather Cline and Ms. Paloma Julian. ¡Bienvenidas maestras!

The new Spanish team looks forward to another school year full of exciting learning and remarkable internal and external accomplishments by all our middle school students of Spanish. ¡Adelante estudiantes!

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MIDDLE school

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH 2013-14:

*AAPPL RESULTS APRIL 2014 *ACTFL ASSESSMENT OF PERFORMANCE TOWARD PROFICIENCY IN LANGUAGES

A Level classes (Grades 6 - 8)

Reached Intermediate Mid Proficiency Reached Intermediate Low Proficiency Reached Novice High Proficiency Approached Novice High Proficiency

B Level classes (Grades 6 - 8)

Reached Intermediate Mid Proficiency Reached Intermediate Low Proficiency Reached Novice High Proficiency Approached Novice High Proficiency

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High school

The SAS Center of Innovation

By Dennis Steigerwald High School Center of Innovation Coordinator

Center of Innovation: An Introduction Singapore American School is pleased to announce the introduction of a Center of Innovation concept this year where everyone (students, teachers, administration, and surrounding community) can explore interests and pursue passions in new and flexible ways. The center is a conceptual and physical space where ideation, research, development, prototyping, evaluation, and implementation of projects, instruction, and programs can occur. Although it currently takes up the physical space of the Khoo Tech Puat Library, its conceptual space is much greater in scope and impact. To better understand, imagine a central hub-like platform supporting your personalized and relevant learning with a web of collaborative disciplines and networks branching out to help provide information, resources, and mentorship when needed.

Ultimately, the Center of Innovation concept (please note that even the name is in a prototype phase) will be ever evolving in order to provide relevance and personalized learning for all.

The HUB Concept: Information, Innovation, Impact Our conceptual and physical spaces incorporate three major themes at this point: information, innovation, and impact. We still value library resources and employing a library team yet‌

we are transforming (designing, constructing, and repurposing) the library into an information hub where flexible learning spaces enhance literacy, facilitate research, and expand technology integration, therefore optimizing opportunities to personalize learning and explore interests.The library team members are revisioning their roles where service is the central focus as they maintain up-to-date resources that are easy to access. The innovation hub will be an incubator for research, development, prototyping, testing, and implementing student projects, as well as educational programs, using the process of design thinking.

Design thinking emphasizes a sense of empathy in the innovation process, and therefore helps integrate more personalization and relevance into project and program development.

Finally, the impact hub will focus on personalized learning networks, mentorship programs, and a portfolio of strategic partners to help further support the exploration of interests and pursuit of passions well beyond the gates of SAS, assisting students in building and sustaining professional networks for the future.

Once again, imagine a central hub within a school where everyone can come to share and learn about ideas, find supportive services, and develop a learning network for exploring and/ or pursuing interests.

The Team Concept: Theory into Practice Currently, there are a number of initiatives from SAS’s recent research and development work that are incubating and being supported by the Center of Innovation concept. A team of three SAS faculty and two consultants are helping 57 students (48 seniors and nine juniors) complete indepth explorations in their areas of interest. The 57 independent projects are 100 percent student centered and directed where the teachers guide from the side with the goal of developing and assessing the students’ 21st century skills (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity/innovation, and cultural competence). All students are provided essential tools for project development, as well as a venue with an authentic audience to present their final product.

In addition, SAS is one of the 120 schools worldwide to be asked to pilot the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Program. Year one of the pilot, the AP Seminar Course is currently being developed and implemented by an interdisciplinary team of five teachers who work within and are supported by an international network of 18 expert teachers. Thirty-eight students are enrolled in this inquiry-based course that aims to engage students in cross-curricular conversations; explore real-world topics and issues from multiple perspectives; and ultimately submit individual and

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collaborative research projects that will be assessed and validated by AP. In order to help SAS expand beyond AP, SAS has begun to build teams of teachers, counselors, administrators, and strategic partners in order to develop and implement advanced topic courses. The key rationale for building an advanced topic program is to guarantee that all students and teachers have access to more relevant (interdisciplinary) and rigorous courses beyond the AP courses hosted by SAS. Finally, other innovations (still in the research phase) include, yet are not limited to, online/hybrid learning, studentled literacy programs, concurrent enrollments with universities, and maker education.

Criteria for Success: Extraordinary Care, Excellence, and Opportunity Singapore American School is committed to providing a culture of extraordinary care, excellence, and possibilities for every student, teacher, administrator, and surrounding community (the vital few).

It is through these three lenses that all research, development, and implementation teams will assess the desirability, feasibility, and viability of programs supported by the Center of Innovation.

A culture of extraordinary care is inculcated by developing programs that build trusting relationships

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where everyone feels high levels of trust, respect, and belonging.

For example, we will only focus on online/hybrid learning environments that provide context for building and nurturing relationships.

A culture of excellence is supported by providing student and professional learning experiences that encourage high levels of learning through best practice.

Therefore, when we develop a student-led literacy program, a set of standards and systems will be constructed that maintain high levels of learning and student/professional excellence.

A culture of possibilities is fostered by ensuring personalized learning experiences where each student has the opportunity to explore, pursue, and demonstrate interests in new and flexible ways.

A K-12 maker education program is being explored because it embodies all aspects of personalized learning while providing a highly flexible environment. By achieving all three of the vital few (extraordinary care, excellence, and possibilities), SAS exemplifies our vision of being a world leader in education, cultivating exceptional thinkers, prepared for the future.

Conclusion: Ongoing Innovation Innovation can range from applying an old concept in a new context to developing a ground breaking

idea. In order to be successful, the concept must be desirable, feasible, and viable for its community, organization, and/or economy.

Although we have a set vision for providing everyone with the opportunity to explore interest and pursue passions in new and flexible ways, we are currently engaged in a full spectrum of innovative development. Implementing a Center of Innovation within SAS not only provides more innovative opportunities for everyone within the school, it also demonstrates a commitment to ongoing research and development that paves the way for a future filled with personalized and relevant learning experiences.

Therefore, we invite anyone from the SAS community to come in and explore ideas, pursue interests, and celebrate achievement.

We are also looking for partners to provide input and support as we continually develop information, innovation, and impact hubs throughout the school. You can stop imagining... SAS now provides a real Center of Innovation where everyone can come to share and learn about ideas; find supportive resources; and celebrate their achievements.

Sources: 1 - Design Thinking (dSchool), David Kelly 2 - Singapore HUB 3 - AP Capstone Website 4 - SAS Strategic Plan 5 - Art of Innovation, Tim Brown

26 My Debate Hero:

High school

Hillary Rodham Clinton

By Sunita Srivatsan Grade 10 Student

When asked what debate truly entails, most people may associate it with giving speeches about your point of view. However, debate pursuits are not limited to their public speaking component. After two years of being part of the SAS debate program and several debate tournaments, I can attest to the fact that debate has had a large effect on many aspects of my high school life.

The Singapore Debate Essay Competition, which took place this past summer, is an example of an opportunity to apply debate knowledge outside of the public speaking realm. This contest, conducted by the Singapore National Debate Team, involved writing a 500 word essay on a given prompt. As a participant, I chose to write about Hillary Clinton in response to the question, “As a debater, who is your hero?” At the conclusion of the competition, my essay was awarded the “Highly Commended” Judges’ Award in recognition for being among the top five essays submitted. The essay which I wrote is attached below: Hillary Rodham Clinton, my hero as a debater, is known to many as a ‘lady of firsts.’ Not only was she the first woman to become a frontrunner for a major party's presidential nomination, she was also the first person to simultaneously serve in both the legislative and executive branches of government, and the first female Senator from New York. In relation to debate, she is an excellent speaker, with experience as a lawyer and in Democratic primary debates.

But she uses debate skills for more than just public speaking. Her roles in government have shown her poise, confidence, and determination traits that all debaters should have in overcoming challenging situations.

My hero is naturally comfortable

in a public speaking role. Named twice by the National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America, she manages to resonate with audiences, and her humorous quips never fail to entertain. Also a presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 election, she was assured and confident during primary debates. This was shown in her presidential campaign, during which she made statements such as “It did take a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush.” These bold and assertive mannerisms and her strong speaking style played a major role in her ability to gain a wide following during this campaign. Her public speaking abilities are one reason why I value Clinton.

Her confident and poised speaking style is a model for me since I myself am working to improve upon these skills. This was portrayed best during her endurance through multiple political challenges. While serving as First Lady, media sensationalization of events such as the Lewinsky scandal and Whitewater controversy placed pressure on the Clinton administration. Despite this, she maintained composure in dealing with the situation. Seeing her ability to remain level-headed even during hard times is inspirational in encouraging me to do the same.

However, debate isn’t limited to the debate room. Another reason Clinton is my hero is because of her ability to apply her debate knowledge to other aspects of life in order to create a positive social impact. This is demonstrated in Clinton’s passion for female empowerment, a subject that is very important to me. She has advocated for women’s rights as a US representative in over 80 other countries worldwide, from engaging

women in the peace process in Liberia, to promoting equal employment at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. As a female debater myself, I hope to be able to utilize my own skills to empower women and create positive social change.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s composure during political hardships and her perseverance in applying her skills to accomplish her goals serve as an inspiring exemplar of good leadership. This makes her a role model and a hero to debaters worldwide, myself included.

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MUSIC FESTIVAL WEEK

SLATED FOR OCTOBER 27 - NOVEMBER 4, 2014

By Stephen J Bonnette Performing Arts Department Chair

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The SAS music faculty and their student-musicians cordially invite you to the culminating performances of the 18th Annual Music Festival Week. The vision we share for our student’s musical education at SAS includes providing experiences that are both enriching and inspirational. Each year, we play host to three outstanding conductors from around the world. This artistin-residence aspect of the Music Festival has evolved into an integral part of our program and is something for which we are extremely grateful.

In addition to the amazing professional development that occurs during this magical week, nearly 1,000 student-musicians are directly impacted as well. Our talented ensembles polishing challenging repertoire under the direction of a master is a beautiful thing to behold. Music Festival Week is a deeply moving experience at both an intellectual and emotional level for everyone involved and the results of this great work is not to be missed!

As you make your plans, please refer to the following schedule to read about this year’s Maestros. All performances will be held in the SAS auditorium and are free of charge.

Choir Concert – November 1, 2014 4:00 p.m.

Timothy Peter is director of choral activities at Stetson University.

He is a native of Minnesota, received his undergraduate degree from Luther College, and completed his doctorate of musical arts degree at the University of Arizona. Before coming to Stetson University, he was professor of music at Luther College and served as the head of the music department. He has been a high school choral director and church musician in Minnesota, Iowa, and Arizona.

Strings Concert – Monday, November 3, 2014 6:00 p.m.

Peter Stark has conducted some of the world’s leading ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra and has assisted the finest conductors including Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, and Lord Yehudi Menuhin. As professor of conducting at the Royal College of Music and rehearsal director of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Peter’s reputation as a consultant and trainer is renowned. Peter’s involvement in the two BBC 2 series of 'Maestro’ has further intensified a strong media profile. He states that music, with its benefit to humanity, is his driving force.

Band Concert – Tuesday, November 4, 2014 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Matthew Schlomer conducts the Interlochen Arts Academy Band in Interlochen, Michigan, and is resident conductor of the avant-garde percussion group, Clocks in Motion. Previous positions include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Luther College, Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School, Audubon Middle School, and Sheboygan North High School. As a collaborative artist he regularly performs with artists in dance, film, theater, and creative writing and has presented his research on movement and artistry at national conferences.

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High school

Fully Developed Frontal Lobes: A Parental Dilemma

Steve marched into my office loaded for bear (a colloquial expression commonly used to describe someone ready for battle). His intended target: me.

“I knew your advice wouldn’t work!” Steve said.

Hastily, I fumbled for a large book, cushion, or anything else that might provide a buffer between Steve’s tone and my personal space.

“What do you mean, ‘it didn’t work?’” I replied.

“Just like you advised, I told Calvin (his 14 year old son) anything that plugs-in or runs on batteries would be out of his room by 10:00 p.m., and that we were no longer going to be getting him up for school, that he needed to do this on his own,” Steve said.

“How did you tell him and when did you tell him?” I asked.

“Why does that matter?” Steve retorted.

That’s when it occurred to me, Steve was dealing with a full-blown case of F.D.F.L.

By Jeff Devens Ph.D. High School Psychologist

Fully Developed Frontal Lobes (F.D.F.L.) is a condition in which healthy functioning parents attempt to use logic, reason, and common sense to persuade their child to make course corrections in behaviors and attitudes. Many adults would prefer not to remember those awkward underdeveloped frontal lobe adolescent years. Some even go so far as to deny that their frontal lobes were ever underdeveloped. In such instances, only the intervention of all too willing family members will be of help.

Steve and Shelly, like so many other caring parents, have plans for Calvin. When he graduates they would like for him to be a

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healthy, confident, assertive, logical thinking young man. To this end, they have formulated rules and consequences. The problem: it all makes sense. For his part, Calvin too wants to be independent, but he wants this on his own terms and he is willing to use his emotions to achieve this. When parents fail to account for the lack of F.D.F.L. in their teenager, they wrongly assume that if they continue to reason, dialogue, and debate that eventually their teen will come around to their way of thinking (and they will...eventually).

However, when this doesn’t occur on the timeline that parents determine, conflict ensues.

Why the differences in thinking?

Physiologically, by age six the brain is about 95% developed, but the gray matter, or thinking parts of the brain, are far from fully developed.

There is a pruning process that occurs from ages 11 or 12 onwards that refines the higher thinking processes commonly associated with adulthood. Dr. Jay Giedd, neuroscientist at the National Institute of Mental Health notes, “In the teen years the part of the brain that is helping organizing, planning, and strategizing is not done being built yet, it is not that teens are stupid or incapable of things, but it is sort of unfair to expect them to have adult levels of organizational skills or decision making before their brain is finished being built.”

Further, researchers have found that during adolescence, teens rely heavily on their amygdala (the part of the brain primarily responsible for emotions) to weigh decisions.

Knowing the physiology and neuroscience of adolescent brains may be informative, but what’s a parent to do in the interim?

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1) Think like a teen without acting like one: The primary filter teens use to make sense of their world is emotion. They process their actions and others emotionally before moving to the logical implications of their behaviors and attitudes.

When parents begin discussions with their teen by questioning the “why” behind their actions, instead of the emotions, parents miss a golden opportunity to instruct and learn something about what’s motivating their child. What does this mean practically? The next time your teen does something resulting in notso-good consequences, instead of asking, “What were your thinking?," try, “Help me understand what you were feeling when you made that choice/decision?” This shift is subtle but profound. It gets to the heart of the matter. When I ask teens such questions I am often met with an emotional response (i.e., crying, anger, prolonged silence). When this occurs I know I am moving in the right direction.

2) Validate their emotions: When you validate another’s emotions (i.e., I’m sorry you feel this way, I can understand why you would be upset when…etc.) this in no way implies you agree with them. We validate because we want to get to the “head” of a matter; but we must acknowledge the matters of the heart in order to do so. *A note of caution: don’t get roped into a drawn out emotional diatribe.

Doing so will result in something you say becoming the issue instead of something your child did. Many parents struggle with this, believing the time to teach the lesson is when their child is emotional, it’s not. Allow for a cooling off period then come back and address the issue. Also, remember that conflicts are often the precursor to change.

3) Stick with your game plan: Sometimes I work with parents, like Steve, who are worn out emotionally.

They wonder if the proverbial battles with their kids are worth it. To which I say a resounding “Yes!” No one promised this parenting gig was going to be easy, that resolutions would occur in movie dramatic fashion, or that all matters would work out with kids thinking, “Gee, my parents do really care about my best interest,” but we keep parenting. Be willing to work through the emotions, keeping your focus on the long term.

Your kids are relying on you to see the future and chart the course when the path is unclear. Along the way, be open to their input. As they grow and develop, most kids will come to understand that parenting isn’t all about control, dominance, and power.

4) Don’t be so critical…of yourself: In a vulnerable moment, Steve asked, “Am I responsible for all this?” (at which point, I breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the cushion I was clutching). According to Steve, prior to the move to Singapore, there weren’t as many problems. The kids were adjusted; life was predictable and relatively stable. Now, problems seemed to be the norm. To be sure, there are some issues we have to own as parents. We don’t always get it right, we make mistakes, we regret doing or saying things. In such moments, healthy reflection can be a good thing; however, when guilt becomes a driving motivator, and not love, this turns homes into places where no one wants to spend time.

Mom and dad, when you are in the wrong, own up to this, but continue with goals you have set out for the kids.

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High school

Gawad Kalinga Service Club:

Gawad Kalinga Gawad Kalinga Building a Village

andGawad Relationships Kalinga

Gawad Kalinga

By Kiana Baghaie Grade 12 Student

Mission Statement: To involve the SAS community in helping alleviate poverty in the Philippines by working with Gawad Kalinga, a non-governmental organization that provides a holistic approach to poverty eradication by providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, and food for the hungry.

Our club plans to raise SGD$100,000 to build our own SAS GK Village in the Philippines.

History: Singapore American School High School's Gawad Kalinga Service Club was started in 2009, with about 20 members and an annual service trip to the Philippines as the main club activity. In that same year, a Middle School GK Club was created, giving eighth graders the chance to work with GK and go on service trips as well. Because the club believes in direct service and building relationships with the organization's beneficiaries, to this day, both the High School and Middle School GK Clubs continue to go on service trips to the Philippines. Since its founding, the SAS GK Club has evolved to be one of the most active service organizations in the high school, with over 50 active members and schoolwide events such as the Zombie Run and Laser Wars Tournament to raise awareness and funds for its cause. Additionally, the club has begun to achieve its goal of building an SAS GK Village: this year, SAS students will be breaking ground for a children's school in a

province of the Philippines, which was completely funded by the SAS club. With the school in place, the club hopes to expand the village by building more homes and playgrounds. The SAS GK Club hopes to continue supporting and working with this village in the future so that its members can form more concrete bonds with the village's beneficiaries.

Fun Facts!

Justin Peterson (GK president 201415) and Bianca Antonio (president 2013-14) both started the Middle School Gawad Kalinga Club Gawad Kalinga has only been at SAS for five years!

Last year alone, GK raised more than $27,000!

Active members throughout the last four years: 2011-12: 33 2012-13: 54 2013-14: 110 2014-15: 122 GK SAS has sponsored SGD$23,600 to build a school GK’s village Bayanihan in Cavite, Philippines Goal is to raise SGD$100,000 to sponsor the building of houses for 20 families in this village Service trips have conducted builds at villages Bayanihan, Mangahan, and Aya, as well as Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm

Ken Yen’s anecdote: In eighth grade (my first GK trip), while I was playing around with some of the GK village’s kids, one cute boy with an oversized shirt, rugged jeans, and men’s flip-flops, came up to me and placed his forehead on the top of my hand. As soon as he lifted his head up, he looked right into my eyes with a sense of vulnerability – and then started giggling. I was confused; it looked as if he had just respected me, but it also looked like he was making fun of me. A few moments later, the other cute kids that I was playing around with started surrounding and forming a line around me, and began mimicking what the first boy did; placing their foreheads on the top of my hand.

I was still baffled; it felt as if they were making fun of me, but then again it felt as if they were praising me. I looked around to see several mothers laughing with each other, all looking straight towards me.

Now if the mothers were laughing, something must’ve been going on! I blushed in embarrassment, told them to catch me if they could, and ran away playfully.

After I safely got away from the crowd of jokesters, I asked our parent sponsors to see what it really meant. As I began explaining the hand-on-the-forehead experience, they started laughing. Agh, great!

Now they knew I was the laughing stock of the town. But as soon as

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they stopped laughing, they told me the gesture was a sign of respect, but it was usually done towards the elderly: grandmothers, grandfathers, etc. Initially, I didn’t know what to think; were they trying to get the point across that I resembled their grandfather? Or did they respect me?

When I went back to the kids, they all crowded around me and gave me a hug. As the kids began suffocating me with happiness, I started to understand the true intention of their gesture: respect. I was astounded by the fact that they were able to respect a total stranger. I was astounded by the fact that they were able to love someone despite only knowing them for a few hours. I was astounded by the fact that their happiness was so contagious. As they continued to laugh because of my embarrassment, I began to laugh too. I started to feel like I was part of the community already, even if I had only been there for a few hours. I started to feel like I was a part of GK. From that moment on, I started to understand the importance of having GK in our lives. GK is not just a service club that allows for a break in the poverty cycle; GK is a club that allows people from around the globe to easily build relationships with the beneficiaries. But most importantly, GK helps remind us the true meaning of respect, love, and happiness.

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High school

Jakarta Soccer Exchange

By Geoffrey Rodocker SAS Varsity Girls Soccer Coach

Over the September 12-14 weekend, the varsity girls soccer team traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia to compete against Jakarta International School (JIS), International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), and International School of Bangkok (ISB) in preparation for the IASAS tournament held by ISKL October 15 to 19.

Our first game was against a very tough and physical JIS team at their home field shortly after we arrived on Friday night. After the girls gathered themselves from the day spent traveling, they began to possess the ball and create scoring chances, while our defense limited JIS to only a few shots on goal. The final result was 2-0 in favor of SAS. Our next game was the morning of September 13 against ISKL. We all watched ISKL the night before against ISB and knew that we were going to be in for tougher competition; however, from the start, the girls asserted themselves with aggressive, tough tackling and winning 50/50 balls. This kept ISKL pinned into their defensive third for the majority of the game with very few opportunities to cross midfield.

The final result was 3-0 in favor of SAS. Our final game was against ISB. Again, right from the start, ISB was under immense pressure from our aggressive, pressing style of soccer

and our defenders shut down any of their opportunities to get into our defensive third. ISB was not able to handle this physical and relentless pressure that kept them on their back heels for the entire game. The final result was 4-0 in favor of SAS. The team’s steady improvement individually and collectively during the Soccer Exchange was impressive.

We won all three of our games, and scored nine goals and allowed zero.

Our high pressure, aggressive brand of soccer allowed the other teams very few offensive opportunities and coupled with our ability to put the ball in the back of the opposing team’s net, this team will be well positioned to compete for honors at IASAS.

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A Shining Summer

By Chris Marriott Golf Coach to SAS Student Kaho Monica Matsubara

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Kaho Monica Matsubara, currently a senior at Singapore American School, recorded a fantastic five-stroke victory at the PGA Of America’s Junior Series in Nebraska this summer.

Monica opened the tournament with a solid 74 to share the first round lead with a group of three other players. A brilliant fourunder 68 in the second round at ArborLinks pulled Monica four shots ahead of the field and in a commanding position to claim the title. The third and final round saw California’s Michelle Xie mount an early challenge with birdies on her opening three holes to eat away at Monica’s lead until Monica bounced back with birdies of her own on the fourth and fifth. Monica added to this with birdies on the 10th and 13th holes. A dropped shot for Monica at the final hole did not matter, as she closed out the tournament with a round of 71 and a commanding fiveshot margin of victory.

With this win, Monica qualified for the 39th Junior PGA Championship, which was played at Miramont Country Club, Texas, from July 29 to August 1. There, Monica attempted to add her name to the trophy alongside past champions such as Cristie Kerr, Grace Park, In-Bee Park, and Alexis Thompson.

Following the victory in Nebraska, Monica went up against a very strong field of amateurs in California, all vying for a coveted spot in the 2014 US Women’s Amateur Championship. Despite two 3-putts for the day, Monica played some solid golf during the 18-hole qualifier and recorded a commendable even par round of 71 at the difficult Palos Verdes Golf Club to earn one of the 156 places on offer in this year’s championship alongside the very best female amateur golfers in the world.

The US Women’s Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious championships for female amateurs, with this year’s tournament attracting a record 1,209 qualifying entries from around the world. The 114th US Women’s Amateur Championship ran from August 4 to10 at the Nassau Golf Country Club, New York. The Nassau Country Club was founded in 1896 and is the origin of the $2 Nassau, a popular betting game for golfers of every skill level.

Monica also earned herself a place in the 2014 Callaway Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, which was held from July 14 to 18. This was the sixth time Monica competed at the Junior World.

What is remarkable about Monica’s play this summer is the fact that it had come after a comparatively uneventful year of golf. Following the summer after her freshman year – in which one of her accomplishments was placing third in a big international junior tournament – she was very excited about the future and what it meant for her growing golf game. However, a week into her sophomore year she dislocated her shoulder twice and needed to have surgery, effectively restraining her from playing any golf for the next six months. Understandably, she did not see much success the next summer, and came back to Singapore worried about how behind she was. Yet instead of giving up and letting the injury define her, she buckled down and practiced hard throughout the school year, and was rewarded with this year’s great summer. Her dedication to the game and her self-improvement is admirable, and I hope she will continue to work hard, both in school and out.

Well done Monica, and best of luck with everything you choose to do!

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Lab Report: International Coas

By Sarah Lua Grade 10 Student

At 8.30 a.m. on September 13, wafts of sulphur hung in the humid air of Sungei Buloh’s mangroves. This is so different from the fresh breeze at the SAS high school steps where 60 plus students and adults gathered just an hour before. Leading this group of participants was Students Against the Violation of the Environment – or SAVE – Club, which organized and prepared every detail in making this event a successful one.

Wheelbarrows, trash bags, rope, gloves, and first aid kits were loaded onto the two yellow school buses first, and then the participants – including some first timers and many returnees. For the returnees, this annual event is no doubt memorable, and for the first timers, like me, it was an eye-opener.

International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS) is a global organization, which assigns each participating group an area to clean up. For SAS’s SAVE Club, this year was the mangroves in Sungei Buloh, Singapore. The 30-minute bus ride from school into Lim Chu Kang’s industrial warehouse area revealed a whole different side of Singapore.

In place of Orchard Road’s shopping boulevard, stood an orchard plantation, and in place of St. Regis Hotel stood a worn-down worker’s quarters. As if the contrast wasn’t great enough, the bus continued deeper and deeper along a road to a dead-end. In front of us and beside us was a towering flora party. Tall trees and wild grass grew in each and every direction. The bus’s halt signalled for us to file out.

SAVE Club had to collect participants’ information like name and grade in case police

officials actually thought we were trespassers, and now I understand why. Our method of entrance over a padlocked fence, along a 100-metre dirt trail, and into the muddy mangroves would seem pretty illegal to by-passers – if there were any. Still, we pushed on. At the end of the 100-metre trail was another fence – this one impossible to climb over. So there, participants were handed each a pair of gloves.

A clipboard with a tally sheet and two large, black trash bags were also distributed to each group. As groups of three or four, we spread out across the mangrove plain and straight into the one-foot deep mud. If you stepped into it, which for us wasn’t a choice, immediately your foot would be enveloped and sometimes even if you effectively pull your foot out, your foot may be missing a shoe!

One of the tree species growing in the mangrove, the Rhizophora, has roots that look like stilts in order to help prop itself up against tides in the midst of such soft mud. This wasn’t the ordinary backyard kind of mud, but neither are mangroves.

Mangroves are forms of estuaries, containing rich species diversity.

Singapore’s mangroves have been greatly reduced from its biodiversitysaturated form to a trash-littered eyesore that it is today. In Singapore, the density of wildlife and nature has decreased significantly over the past few years due to skyrocketing land demand. From covering over 13 percent of Singapore’s land in 1820, mangroves are now limited to only 0.5 percent of the total area.

As a result, the biodiversity of over 30 different vegetation species that inhabited the mangroves also declined drastically. What is becoming a feature of the area

though, is litter, also known as flotsam. Flotsams are the bits and pieces of wreckage or trash, which float into the mangroves with the tidal waves and get knotted in the vegetation roots.

In fact, that is the reason why the 60 of us were out there today: to clean up this once-beautiful sanctuary of flora and fauna. For the two hours in the mangroves, we got dirty.

Bending down to pick up piece after piece, often having to squat and use both hands to tug and twist the plastic bags out of their knot, we were shocked and by the extensive conglomeration of litter found.

Photo by: Aditi Mahesh

Photo by: Alexis Mountcastle

Photo by: Alexis Mountcastle

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astal Cleanup Singapore 2014 From the data, it is noticeable that a majority of items collected were plastic by-products. Although foam and plastic pieces made up most of the data, their high numbers may simply be due to intact, larger pieces of plastic being broken up into separate fragments from the force of tidal waves. As a result, when we collect the trash, we tally more of them. In other words, the pieces vary greatly in size. Nevertheless, plastics in general were on the top of the list. Plastic bags, especially the kind with a coloured, tie string across the top primarily used in Singapore’s hawker centres as disposable drink bags, were found almost everywhere.

By observation, the activity in close proximity of the mangroves were low cost lodging for foreign workers and industrial work sites. The hawkers serving these workers would primarily use the low-cost drinking bags, which may get tossed carelessly into the waters after use. Many of these pieces were tattered, wrapped tightly around the suffocating mangrove shoots. The vegetation would be affected as flotsam would degrade soil quality and hence, also be degrading plant growth conditions.

As a result, plant growth may be stunted, decreasing local biodiversity in the long run. Another way nature is damaged is simply by birds and other animals that would gulp down these plastic bits thinking that they are food.

In fact, a TED talk by Charles Moore speaking on the topic of ocean plastic pollution, showed horrifying graphics of dissected birds, revealing some birds with more than five bottle caps stuffed in their belly. While he referred specifically to ocean gyre pollution, this wildlife-killing scenario could very well be occurring in Sungei Buloh’s mangroves too.

Looking through a wider lens, all of the top ten findings are used as daily life products by ordinary civilians.

This means that the pollution isn’t to be blamed wholly at the ohso-horrible industrial companies.

Instead, these bottle caps and straws are being trapped in the mangroves by littering! Bottle caps and food wrappers are thrown into the nearby waters as if they are convenient trash bins. Furthermore, plastic bags are used so extensively in almost every food market and store in Singapore that the data isn’t much of a surprise.

By visiting NTUC (Singapore’s Worker’s Union-supported grocer) at any point of time, one will see the liberal issuance of plastic bags to the customers. On the contrary, there’s Denmark who does not even provide a single plastic bag for consumers within the entire country. This has to do with stopping the problem at its root, and Denmark is doing just that.

After all, consumers can’t litter what’s not in their hands in the first place.

However, while a majority of our findings were the sort likely to be littered by daily usage, there were still a couple of industrial processing pollution debris here and there.

Some items like a large fish net and a tire were spotted. With the help of Kaelan, Shivani, Mrs. Alice Early, some others, and myself, we cut and tore the fish net into smaller, more manageable pieces and painstakingly, through the uncooperative mud, lugged it back to the trail for weighing-in. Many tried their hand at tugging the tire out, but to no avail. The tire was three-quarters covered with mud and had roots growing through the hole. So, unfortunately, the tire had to be left behind. While most of us picked up flotsam, eight guys had

the tiresome duty as transporters, carrying filled trash bags from the mangroves to the trail where SAVE club had a weighing in system.

Though they didn’t see as much of the contents of the bags, they must have been equally shocked at the quantity of trash collected: 68 bags, totalling to 542kg.

Indeed, the condition of Sungei Buloh’s mangrove is not pristine.

However, in the cases like Sungei Buloh’s, the existence of mangroves (though, trash-filled) is better than total destruction. Mangrove clearance rates in some nations like Philippines are even higher than rain forest logging. The perceived outlook of mangroves is that they are useless, smelly-sulphur regions.

Thing is, mangroves have a great significance as one of the most productive ecosystems in terms of ecological primary productivity and also in terms of human profit, churning around US$186 billion each year as a source of fishery, timber wood, and tourism. Another caveat to take note of is that mangroves lower damage caused by hurricanes and tornados on costal villages, and preventing waves from eroding coastlines. Mangroves are unique and are extremely important for a stable regional and global ecosystem. As an inhabitant on Earth, we must play our part in conserving our extant mangroves from further degradation.

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IASAS Volleyball Exchange Singapore American School varsity volleyball players jumped, spiked, and bumped their way to first place at the IASAS Volleyball Exchange in September. Natalie Carroll, who is in the SAS Communications and Alumni Relations Work Study Program, photographed the action.

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From Singapore to Carnegie Hall:

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

By Priyanka Aiyer Grade 9 Student

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is one of the United States’ longest running and furthest-reaching competitions. Dating back to 1923, the awards have left an impressive legacy of recognizing creative teens all around the world – many of whom have grown into some of the most prestigious writers and artists of all time (you might have heard of Andy Warhol or Sylvia Plath).

Many SAS students have been recipients of regional awards for the Southeast Asian branch of the competition, and a few have even gone on to win national awards, being recognized for their creativity in none other than New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall.

I was introduced to the Scholastic Awards when my eighth grade English teacher, Mrs. Erin Tewsley, spoke about them to my class. I decided, on nothing more than a passing whim, to submit a few of my pieces to the competition – in the Humor, Poetry, and Flash Fiction categories – expecting never to hear back again.

However, much to my surprise, once the results for the regional awards were released, it turned out that not only I, but quite a few of my peers had won regional awards. We celebrated within our classes, patting each other on the back and joking

about the far-off possibility of some of us winning national awards for our pieces.

But once the fateful day arrived – the day when the results for the national competition would be released – it seemed that no one was joking anymore. All of us were uptight and nervous, hoping against hope that maybe – perhaps under some minuscule chance – our pieces had been chosen for a prestigious gold or silver medal at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Although none of us said it out loud, all eyes were trained on their computer screens that day, constantly refreshing the webpage that would post the results. All of us harbored the hope that we might be spirited away to a glamorous New York awards ceremony, a medal hung around our necks and pride glowing in our chests.

All of us, that is, except for me.

It’s not that I didn’t care about the Scholastic Awards – I simply had more important things on my mind, such as an upcoming science test.

The awards had somehow been pushed to the back of my memory, buried underneath the overdue library books and the milk that needed to be bought. I, for one, was too engrossed in last minute cramming of alleles, phenotypes, and Punnett Squares to register the whispers in the hallways and the nervous tension in the air.

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Except then someone tapped on my shoulder in the hallway and asked if I had seen the Scholastic website.

I rushed to my computer, fingers trembling just the slightest bit, as I logged on – and there it was.

Unassuming black print, just another name in a 20-page long table, and yet, it seemed to turn the world upside down. I had won a silver medal for my poetry.

I stumbled through the rest of the day in a bit of a haze, writing the science test on auto-pilot, smiling and nodding to the congratulations sent my way, still unable to believe that it had happened. It only really hit me when I got home and found an email sitting in my inbox reminding me to reserve tickets to the Carnegie Hall awards ceremony on Friday, June 6: I had won a national award, and I was going to New York.

Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep that night.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I was boarding the plane to New York City, not entirely sure if the butterflies in my stomach were the result of nervousness or excitement.

The awards ceremony loomed on the horizon.

But as it turned out, the ceremony was only one part of a much bigger whole. From an advertisement on a Times Square Jumbotron to turning Continued on page 40

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the Empire State Building’s lights golden to organizing a dance for all the students, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards were far from over at Carnegie Hall. The highlight was seeing First Lady Michelle Obama, who had recorded a congratulations video for the winners.

The ceremony itself, however, seemed to pass in a blur of new faces, handshakes, a heavy medal on my chest. It turned out that everyone else was just as nervous as I was, and that seemed to tie us together, even beyond our shared writing and art.

I talked to eleventh graders about the most effective brush styles and seventh graders about different rhyme schemes in poetry. I laughed and exchanged phone numbers and took photographs of the winning writing and artwork, and then I talked to the people who had created the pieces and learned that really, they weren’t so different from me. By the time we were all standing in Carnegie Hall listening to the first speaker present, it seemed that the lines of nationality, of age, of all the infinitesimal differences that could add up to such boundaries between us, had dissolved. We weren’t just a group of kids shoved together – we were connected, somehow.

I didn’t know what I was expecting to find in New York. But what I did find – a group of people with the same interests as me; an afternoon in one of New York’s legendary monuments; a community that truly recognised the oft-underappreciated value of art in our society; a gallery of work that displayed impressive talent – exceeded all expectations, and added up to an experience that I won’t soon forget.

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Singapore American School Presents

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Booster Club

Mission WELCOME TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

By Lan Fisher Booster Club President Welcome back to all returning families and a warm WELCOME to all new families joining SAS High School!

The Booster Club is excited about the upcoming school year and we are already off to a great start!

As the cornerstone of SAS High School community, Booster Club is a parent-led organization dedicated to supporting extracurricular, cultural and scholastic activities. We partner with administration, teachers, staff, and community on many levels to bring programs, events, services, and opportunities to our children to enrich their academic experience.

Throughout the year, we raise funds through the sales of uniforms, school supplies, spirit merchandise, BBQs, bake sales, and social fundraising events. With the generous support of the parent community, Booster annually awards more than $105,000 to fund various high school student programs and activities. See the chart below for fund distribution for the 2014-15 school year:

ATHLETICS 28%

STUDENT GOVT MURALS 2%

SENIOR CELEBRATION 13%

A big THANK YOU to the following committees for all their hard work and for making Open House a success for Booster Club!

And thank you to our parent volunteers who came out to help! We could not have done it without you!

Booster Welcome Coffee

our fund distribution

SCHOLARSHIP 36%

A long established custom at SAS, Open House is an event that is well attended by students and parents.

After being away for the summer, many students look forward to connecting with their friends and meeting their new teachers. The planning for Open House takes months and coordination involves the entire school community. For Booster, planning starts in April for the Uniform Committee and the Booster Booth.

These committees spend countless hours to make sure 1,200 high school students have uniforms and school supplies ready for the new school year. Four years ago, Booster began the tradition of BBQ at Open House welcoming families with their enticing grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. A sure crowd pleaser, the gathering fosters a sense of togetherness, community, and school spirit and it is a great way to start the school year.

Uniform Chair: Mary Kate Wallace Booth Manager: Kendall Jackson BBQ Crew: Henrietta Hurst, Tonya Ford and Karen Gunn

THE ARTS 11% SCHOLAR’S LIST LUNCH 3%

Thank You For A Successful open house

STUDENT CLUBS 8%

Thank you to all the high school parents who came to our Booster Welcome Coffee on September 9.

Our committees will be contacting you throughout the year to help out on upcoming events. And thank you to Lael Stanczak, our Hospitality Chair, for organizing the yummy baked goods and drinks. If you were not able to attend and would like more information about the Booster Club and volunteering opportunities, please contact Lan Fisher, Booster Club President at sasboosterpres@ gmail.com.

43 Hari Raya Lunch Celebration The Social Fundraising Committee kicked off the school year with a Hari Raya lunch celebration at the Screening Room on September 12.

Before sitting down to a scrumptious Southeast Asian lunch, guests participated in a 30-minute aerobic Bollywood dance choreographed

by Namrta, a professional dance instructor. It was a fun afternoon spent catching up with friends and meeting new people. Thank you to our Social Fundraisers Co-chairs, Sonia Kureishi and Huma Vaqar, for organizing a fantastic lunch. Looking ahead, the committee is already busy planning for the 4th Annual Trivia Night on November 15. Gather your friends and get ready for an evening of fun, competition, food, drinks, and prizes!

BOOSTER club

Congratulations to our boys and girls volleyball teams for a great tournament!

Taking the Booster Booth on the Road If you happened to be at the American Club on September 12 and 13, you may have noticed some SAS merchandise featured at the Christmas in September Fair. The initiatives of our Special Projects Co-Chairs, Doreen Chou and Chantal Wong, make it easy and convenient for our community to purchase SAS spirit items and gifts outside of school campus. Doreen and Chantal will be on the road again promoting at various hotel fancy fairs throughout the school year so please stop by and give them your support or just to say hello. A very special thank you to Hanis Hussey for generously sponsoring the Booster Club.

Bake Sale and Korean Food Sale Volleyball Exchange at SAS SAS enthusiastically welcomed students from Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Subic Bay on September 12 and 13. Our BBQ crew broke out the grills and barbecued both days in the punishing heat for our players, visiting students, and parents.

In addition to BBQs, our Spirit Sales Committee rolled out our portable Booster Booth table to the area outside the high school gym selling SAS water bottles, tank tops, t-shirts, and other SAS spirit merchandise.

Thank you Adeline Norton de Matos and Kie Young for making this shopping spree available to visiting students.

The Bake Sale Committee would like to express a sincere thank you to our volunteers who baked and volunteered at our first back-to-school bake sale on September 18. A very special thank you to our Korean moms who generously donated delicious homemade Korean food. Our high school students really look forward to the treats and ethnic specialties.

The next Bake Sale is on December 4 featuring western baked goods and Japanese food. If you would like to send in homemade desserts or volunteer at the bake sale, contact Co-Chairs Sarah Clark and Lorraine Hadley at boosterbake@gmail.com.

Interim Scholarships In collaboration with SAS administration and faculty, Booster Club and PTA continued to support the Interim Scholarship program. In

early October, Booster awarded five full and five $2,500 scholarships and PTA awarded five full interim semester scholarships. Interim scholarships are granted based on financial need.

Qualified applicants were asked to fill out an application and submit an essay. Using an anonymous system known as blind grading, a committee consisting of faculty, Booster Board members, and PTA Board members evaluated the essays. The recipients were notified prior to the interim selection process. This opportunity is one of the many ways Booster Club strives to enhance students’ school experience. Congratulations to the 15 winners and we hope you have a memorable journey!

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By Morgan Frontczak PTA Secretary Welcome back to SAS and welcome to all the new families. The PTA is excited for another great year at SAS! The PTA started the year off with a successful ice cream social at Open House, thanks to Jodi Jonis, as well as back-to-school uniform sales. Big thanks go to Jen Loi and to Angelique Dittrich and her sales team for their endless hours organizing and managing the uniform sales effort.

Thus far this year, the PTA has sold 15,000 items equating to $297,000 in sales. While still new, the PTA online store sales already account for 15% of total sales. Don’t forget to take a look at our online store site at http:// sasptastore.myshopify.com for all your future uniform needs.

New to this school year was a push by the PTA’s Welcoming Committee, headed by Wendy Weiss, to welcome new families to SAS. Over 300 new families were contacted and welcomed to SAS and to Singapore by more than 70 PTA Welcoming volunteers. In an effort to create environments for new families to feel comfortable and connected, new families were sent key information on Singapore and were invited to coffees, walks play dates and socias. Check out and like the Welcoming page on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/groups/712936865387464/ for important SAS and Singapore updates and event information!

As many of you may have seen, the PTA office was renovated over the summer. The PTA store is now larger

PTA

and more functional for our ever increasing uniform sales. In addition, the PTA is working on creating a welcoming space where SAS parents can come for a coffee, chat with friends, or meet other parents.

The PTA is also working with the school’s art departments so that the PTA office can showcase all of the amazingly creative efforts of our children. Please be sure to stop in to see the new look of the PTA! Looking forward, the PTA has organized several great events to take place this fall. The PTA’s International Food Fest takes place on November 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. SAS families can share the cuisines of their various cultures, as well as shop at the Vendor Fair. It is a fun-filled day that also includes entertainment and the ever-popular theme basket raffle.

Jodie Stone is the Food Fest Chair.

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit the signup page at http://www.signupgenius.com/ go/8050d48aba72da20-international2 or contact Jodie at saspta.foodfest@ gmail.com with any questions.

Book Fair will be held December 3, 4, and 5. Stop by and do some early holiday shopping. All sorts of wonderful books will be available on campus, from picture books for the little ones to travel books and cookbooks for the grownups.

There will a bookmark contest held in conjunction with the Book Fair. Elementary students will have the opportunity to create a winning bookmarkthat is printed and distributed throughout the fair.

Please contact Lauren Krespik at saspta.bookfair@gmail.com to help.

We hope to see all of you during what promises to be an exciting semester at SAS. Morgan Frontczak PTA Secretary saspta.secretary@gmail.com See us and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SASPTA!

Reading Is A Gift December 3-5

Book Fair

Mark your calendars for this year’s Elementary School Book Fair. A great selection of new releases and kid favorites are on their way for your holiday shopping needs. And we haven't forgotten about the adults out there. To help plan your next trip or dinner party, a vast selection of travel and cookbooks have also been ordered.

Info on bookmark contest deadlines and volunteer sign ups will be out soon.

If you would like to help out please email saspta.bookfair@gmail.com.

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SAS PTA FOOD FEST

Saturday, Nov. 8th, 2014 ,11am to 3pm Middle School & High School Gyms Delicious! Botachar! Oishii! Sarap! KeKou! Enak! Matitseoyo!

Whatever your language, you’ll LOVE Food Fest where you’ll find: Exquisite AROMAS and TASTES from around the world!

Exciting THEME BASKET RAFFLE with something for everyone!

Enticing VENDOR FAIR to start your holiday shopping!

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Community

Girl Scouts Aim High

By Lael Stanczak USA Girl Scouts Overseas Singapore

Having worked with Girl Scouts in Singapore since 2006, I have enjoyed my share of watching sweet Daisies learn all about the ways of Girl Scouts while covered in glitter glue. I reveled in helping Brownies create fantastic art projects while flashing those ‘great big Brownie smiles’ minus the front teeth. I delighted in facilitating Junior Girl Scouts in learning how to plan their own Girl Scout journey. Many of our almost 300 Girl Scouts attended the Opening Songfest Ceremonies, showcasing many of those formerly gap-toothed Brownies who are now Cadettes with braces and big plans.

It has been wonderful to watch these younger girls plant the seeds of their own leadership, creativity, and power to make a difference in the world.

earn these awards. Since 2012 we have had ten girls at SAS earn these awards: nine fantastic middle school students and one dedicated high school Girl Scout with two more girls working toward earning the Gold Award.

My favorite part has been helping our older Girl Scouts – the middle school Cadettes and high school Seniors and Ambassadors – take all of those skills learned as younger girls to embark on projects of their own design in their quest to earn the Silver and Gold Awards, the highest awards in Girl Scouts. Quietly, but determinately, these girls have taken the Girl Scout Law and Promise to the logical conclusion, making the world a better place through their work. The key to these projects is that they cannot simply be a onetime community service project; they must have a component of sustainability in order to successfully

Roopal’s passion for animals led her to seek out a shelter in Singapore that would allow her, at 13, to help. Many doors closed but she persevered to find the Animal Lovers League (ALL). The depressing sights and smells of the kennel area led Roopal to find the focus of her project; raising money for desperately needed supplies as a start with the larger project of building awareness for the ALL to find more volunteers, more donations, and the hope that no one will find the shelter in such a condition ever again.

Troop 10 – Ahissa, Jaclyn, Grace, and Megan – approached me wanting to work as a group before two of the girls moved away. Although as seventh graders they were a year younger than most, I was completely blown away by their organization, openness, ability to work together (including the times when they didn’t necessarily agree), and taking their project of working with adults living in the Silra Leprosy Home further than I ever thought.

Mariel came to us with a whirlwind of ideas and energy, bursting with possibilities and passion. Although opportunities for working with children suffering from cancer were difficult to find, Mariel moved along undaunted eventually creating (through donated DVDs) a child-appropriate video library for the families living at the Ronald McDonald House. Additionally, she took her passion for cooking into creating a cooking club for the Children’s Cancer Foundation complete with recipe books, kitchen supplies, and cookware to continue long after her project’s completion.

Lena devised a program of befriending and teaching the children living at Pertapis, many of whom have been treated poorly by family members and caregivers.

Drawing from her personal supply of books and those donated by others she organized a mini library in addition to creating a workbook for the children to use to enhance their basic fundamental literacy skills.

Sarah created one of the most unique projects I have seen; she employed her passion for art in creating bilingual coloring books to help the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in Vietnam. Not only did she come up with the idea, she produced the books herself. Sarah created all of the artwork and English text for the books by herself.

gh Julia also filled a need for an organization she encountered on holiday. After many iterations, Julia determined that to best help the children of New Bridge for Cambodia was to treat them to a playground.

Julia’s playground, largely designed and sourced from Singapore, provides a safe area for the children to play like kids for the first time in their lives, returning a small part of childhood to these children.

Reina has a passion for literacy as evidenced by her eighth grade Silver Award project that established a library for the children in the YWCA’s Kids Club. When it came time to plan her Gold Award project she drew upon her experience in Singapore to establish a library for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in Vietnam.

With the help of her interim trip leader, Reina organized her library project wholly separate from the trip’s curriculum. This fantastic 10th grader worked with her peers and adults, both here and in Vietnam, bringing her quiet leadership to realize great success in her project.

Watching these Girl Scouts through setbacks and successes has genuinely inspired me, giving me so much more than my small role in their journey has warranted. I take great pride in sharing these girls’ fantastic projects and celebrating their achievements.

For more information, see our brand new website: www. singaporeusagirlscouts.org

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Notable Mentions

By Kristina Doss Communications Specialist

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By Rhea Jain

Erica Song’s Thorns in the Shadows

Erica Sehyun Song was sitting by the River Thames in London, England, eating ice cream. Birds soared around her as she stared at the Tower Bridge, watching the leaves of the bridge move up and down.

As she soaked in the beauty of the area around her, her mind wandered to thoughts of the book she was in the middle of writing. The book, Thorns in the Shadow, was set in the same place in England, 200 years earlier. It was in this moment that the idea of making the famous Victorian bridge the location of the climax in her book came to her. As the rest of the details fell into place, the scene in the fantasy-adventure novel was formed.

The setting in Song’s book, which was recently published, may be stunning. But what is even more remarkable is that the author isn’t a writer or researcher with decades of experience behind her. She is a 16-year old junior at Singapore American School, writing purely to fulfill her passion and dream.

“I have always dreamed of writing books because I loved the idea of escaping into another world,” Song said. “So when I was eleven, I started writing books.”

Song’s first completed story, The Pax Valley, is focused on adventures in the ocean. The

Rhea Jain is a sophomore at Singapore American School and an intern in the SAS Communications and Alumni Relations Program. She enjoys activities such as debate and MUN after school, and her favorite classes are math, science, and history.

protagonist discovers that her life is intertwined with that of a siren’s.

She describes her second book, Thorns in the Shadow, as a “fantasy-adventure novel that revolves around the story of a girl called Lucille Rinehart who is on the road to self-discovery.”

According to Song, the main character thinks she is an ordinary girl, but soon discovers that she is part of another realm called the Outerworld and her role in it. “The story is set in the Victorian era when women were more oppressed than they are now,” Song said.

It’s this second book that strongly reflects Song’s interests and has affected her in many ways.

Many of the authors whose work Song enjoys reading – including William Shakespeare, Ally Carter, and Maria V. Snyder – have influenced her writing style and served as inspiration to her. At age eight, she traveled to Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England, where she saw an old portrait of him hanging on a wall. The portrait had a “Mona Lisa effect” on her, and it was in that moment that she decided to write professionally, rather than simply writing small little stories with an aspiration to be the “next Shakespeare.”

Along with these authors and Song’s travels around the world, her fascination with older eras also influenced the story in Thorns in the Shadow; she decided to set the story in the 19th century in order to research an era that she had not explored before.

“The most challenging part was doing the background research,” Song said.

“Although I already had some knowledge about the Victorian era, I did not know about the specific locations back then and the inventions that were not available then.”

With Thorns in the Shadow published, Song doesn’t plan to stop writing. In fact, she is already planning a sequel to her second book.

“When I am older, whatever job I have, I will always continue to write,” Song said.

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ImaGINe

Imagine the collaboration of exceptional young minds empowered to create innovative solutions for an interconnected world.

Students and teachers from all around Singapore gathered at SAS on September 27 for the Global Issues Network Symposium entitled ImaGINe, which featured numerous keynote speakers, workshops, a networking session, and a simulation.

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Teacher’s Lesson in New York Times

Eighth Grade RLA Teacher Rebecca Clark had one of her teaching lessons published in The New York Times blog The Learning Network.

Her lesson, called Get to Know Your Introverts, Extroverts and Ambiverts, demonstrates a number of current best practices in teaching literacy skills that the middle school RLA teachers have been implementing in their professional learning communities. Among these are integrated word study, learner reflection and metacognition, and getting to know the individual students as people and readers and writers. In addition, her lesson ties current professional writing into the student experience.

SAS in New York Times

The New York Times reached out to Singapore American School for an article about companies shifting their headquarters to Singapore from China. The article – Looking Beyond China, Some Companies Shift Personnel – refers to SAS as "highly regarded" and as the benchmark for schools in Singapore.

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Robotics Team Qualifies for World Championship Congratulations to the SAS Robotics Science team for being one of 30 teams worldwide to qualify for the World Championship event in Alpena, Michigan, that took place this June. They sent a robot, along with representatives, to the event this summer, to represent this region.

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SAS Teacher’s Book is Published

Eric Burnett, a SAS high school social studies teacher, in May published a book called 50 Questions Every Graduate Must Answer. Using stories from history, psychology, economics, literature, and a lifetime of answering incorrectly, Mr. Burnett in his book throws out the key questions all graduates must face, while giving them the ammunition they’ll need to choose wisely. A 2013 graduate of Stanford University describes his book as “a refreshingly honest, hilarious and heartfelt guidebook for anyone in that confusing, awkward postgrad stage of life. The book is a perfect blend of wit and wisdom.

I loved Burnett’s humorous advice on dating and marriage and found myself taking mental-notes on subjects like career risk-taking and personal finance.”

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National History Day Finals 2014

Beating 92 other projects, the top two entries in a category from each state, Hana Matsudaira and Ruth Jaensubhakij finished in second place overall with their amazing Junior Group Exhibit titled, The Loss and Restoration of Rights: Japanese-Americans of WWII. Priyanka Aiyer and Tanvi Dutta Gupta, who created a performance titled, The Brown Dog Affair: Connecting Rights and Responsibilities won the award for Best Entry from South Asia, Junior Division. Making it into the top 14 finalist of 84 projects, they placed eleventh overall.

Also, congratulations goes to Charan Ravikumar for his project, Winning the War and Winning Their Rights: American Military Women of WWII and Pranav Ravikumar, China's One Child Policy: Right, Wrong or Responsible Governance? for their individual documentaries. While they didn't place, they put together very solid efforts.

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Student’s Documentary Featured in The eTorch

A documentary called Japanese American Service WWII, which SAS Student Aleksi Solorio crafted, was featured in The eTorch – a digital newsletter for Go For Broke National Education Center. The organization raises awareness of Japanese American soldiers who served in World War II. Aleksi created the documentary while covering a civil rights unit in Grade 8 Social Studies Teacher Matthew Elms’ class.

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Students Present at Hemispheres Foundation

Alex Cuozzo, Sarah Shaker, Julia Walker, Serena Sung-Clarke, and Maddy Casey-Ashton presented at the Hemispheres Foundation, September Global Youth Summit, hosted at the Singapore Polytechnic. The group of SAS students made the presentation in September, nine months after presenting their aeroponics project at the January Global Youth Summit and winning the grand prize of $2,500. In this recent September presentation, they were able to present what they had done so far, hoping to inspire many young delegates to “act locally and think globally.”

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SAS Students Participate in Dance Exchange

This year, Dance Exchange was held at International School Bangkok and ten of our dancers were able to travel and participate in the workshops. The workshops included, Zumba, Hip Hop, Bollywood, Polynesian, Salsa, Contemporary, and finally a DanceTheatre Workshop. Our dancers enjoyed the diversity of dance styles and the opportunity to make connections with other dancers from the other IASAS schools. Enjoy the video of some of the workshops that the students participated in at http://youtu.be/cxuQvi2jgJE

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Bridget Gambell and Ian Page welcomed the birth of their second son Graham Mitchell Page who was born on Saturday, September 6. Mr. Page is a high school physics teacher at SAS.

Mitch Douglas Madsen joined Crystal Madsen's family on August 27, 2014 weighing in at 7.41 pounds and 51cm long.

He joins a very excited big brother, Mark. Ms. Madsen is a middle school PE/health teacher at Singapore American School.

SAS Faculty Celebrate Family Additions

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Students in Launch of Creations Etc.

Two middle school students, Rohan and Rahul Kothari, on Sept.

25 participated in the media launch of Singapore Creations Etc. – a new, non-profit performing arts organization for young people.

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Student Council Donates Money to Telunas School

Monies raised by fifth grade students in Student Council last year were recently donated to fund teacher training at a village school in Telunas, Indonesia. The $1,000 donation will help teachers in Telunas who are updating their pedagogy to learn more about childcentered teaching strategies. The donation comes on the heels of another donation of $2,000 in sports gear, equipment, and textbooks made in the beginning of the year.

SAS Hosts Google Apps for Ed Summit

Singapore American School on September 6 and 7 hosted the third annual Google Apps for Ed Summit, which brings together world-class education technology leaders. “It is an honor to be recognized for our innovative work utilizing and incorporating technology into our everyday learning curriculum that our students and teachers can actually use,” said SAS High School Educational Technology Coordinator Jay Atwood, who was a spotlight speaker at the summit. “I’m grateful to be representing all the Google certified teachers at SAS.”

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Immersive Journalist Visits SAS

On September 19, Nonny de la Pena visited SAS and spoke to high school digital app development, journalism, filmmaking, media literacy, and senior project students about her groundbreaking work in immersive journalism.

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SAS Voice

By Sandy Bala and Clara Fong

What is your greatest fear?

Aarya M. 1st Grade

Maya M. 4th grade

Lauren L. 7th grade

“Bad guys.”

Not doing well in life ... and riots and fighting.”

“I’m afraid of being afraid.”

Kirupa S. 11th grade

Luke G. Pre-K

Elena K. 10th Grade

“Being in a room with flying cockroaches.”

“You! And ghosts that go like, OOOOOOOO!”

“Everything that I don't have control over.”

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Sandy Bala is a sophomore at the Singapore American School and a member of the SAS Communications and Alumni Relations Work Study Program. Sandy enjoys writing, photography, and visiting new places with the hopes of joining the active journalism field in the future.

Clara Fong is a sophomore at Singapore American School and is currently involved in the SAS Communications and Alumni Relations Work Study Program. She is outgoing, athletic, and also likes to work alongside with others.

John H. 9th grade

Aaron B. 3rd Grade

Isi M. 12th Grade

“A B+.”

“Heights - I don't want to fall off the Eiffel Tower.”

“Mice, bugs, etc.”

Agastya T. 6th Grade

Alan S. 5th Grade

Caitlyn E. 2nd Grade

“Dying by global warming.”

“Math tests.”

“Trick or treating.”

SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Phone: (65) 6363 3403 Web: www.sas.edu.sg Questions? Email us at communications@sas.edu.sg CPE Registration Number: 196400340R Registration Period: 22 June 2011 to 21 June 2017 Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)