JOURNEYS MICA (P) 056/04/2011
SAS
Volume 10 September 2011
Singapore American School Alumni Magazine
Lauri’s Letter
Staying Connected
I
’m often asked if I can relate to why alumni love this school and have such strong ties with their friends and with Singapore. My answer is unequivocally yes, and here is why. As a member of the SAS community and a parent of an SAS student, I see it every day. My daughter is getting a world-class education and is afforded amazing opportuniOne of the treats of being an alum ties because she is living in is returning to school and enjoying the Singapore and in Asia. local culture. But I’m also a third culture kid, and though the countries I lived in and the schools I attended were different, the experience was strikingly similar. India was my Singapore, and Woodstock School, located in the Himalayas, was my SAS. As students, we went on interim (activity week), and we traveled throughout Asia. We also had our version of IASAS. We talked about the school food (not as good as Mr. Hoe’s). We had amazing teachers who inspired us and friendships that ran deep. So I get it. Your relationship with this school is important and is part of who you are. Every visit to campus and Singapore, every alumni gathering you attend, every volunteer project you work on, and every issue of Journeys you receive matters. It keeps you connected. I hope you enjoy the newly redesigned Journeys. Themes that resonate throughout this issue are the commitment of the community to SAS and the teachers who have made a difference in the lives of their students for more than 55 years. We want to hear from you. We invite you to share your stories, photos and updates for future issues of Journeys. And as always, we encourage you to stay connected. You can reach us and one another through visits to school, the alumni website, email, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Lauri Coulter Associate Director of Alumni Relations
JOURNEYS SAS
SUPERINTENDENT breNT MUTSCH CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER MICHAEL K. KINGAN ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS LAURI COULTER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS TAMara BLACK GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALFI DINO SAS Journeys is published twice a year by the advancement office of Singapore American School. It is distributed free of charge to alumni, parents, faculty and organizations served by the school. We welcome input from the community associated with Singapore American School.
Contacts General inquiries, comments and submissions to SAS Journeys go to alumni@sas.edu.sg. Singapore American School CPE Registration Number: 196400340R Registration Period: 22 June 2011 to 21 June 2017 Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
CONTENTS Features
page 10
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What You Do Makes a Difference
by Brent Mutsch, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
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Thank You for Your Support
Thank you for giving to Singapore American School in 2010-11
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Generations of Generosity
SAS is the product of more than 50 years of support
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Connecting Community for Every Child
by Michael K. Kingan, SAS Chief Advancement Officer
10 Graduation 2011
Congratulations to the graduates of the SAS Class of 2011
12 Volunteering in South Africa
by Casey DeFord (07)
14 Indonesia: Art, Culture and Dance by Christina Neuner Narendra (95)
16 Rescuing Women and Girls in Nepal by Aparna Thadani (05)
page 34
18 The Old Music Kings
by Sophia Cheng (11)
20 Teachers Who Inspired and Challenged
Alumni stories about teachers who had an impact on their lives
24 Reflections on Expat Life page 40
page 14
by Karen Kreiling Middleton, Alumni Parent and Faculty (74-80)
29 The Art of Teaching
by Bob Wopert, Faculty (73-75)
30 A Place to Meet & Eat
by Junia Baker, Alumnus Parent and Faculty Spouse
34 Quilting in the Theme of Third Grade
An annual quilting project brings happiness and teaches life skills
35 Ho-Hoe Cinnamon Buns
A recipe for a favorite treat of alumni and students alike
Columns page 12
SEPTEMBER 2011
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Fond Farewell
55 Published
40
Alumni Gatherings
56
The Last Word: Letters
44
In Memory
from Alumni
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Notes & Quotes
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The High School Jazz Combo set the mood during the reception at Star Appeal, our annual fundraising event, on April 9, 2011.
MCs for Star Appeal were high school students Thomas McBrien and Alexander Amstrup.
High school students entertained Star Appeal guests with a number from their production of the musical Grease. 2
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What You Do Makes a Difference Brent Mutsch, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
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t Singapore American School we daily seek to fulfill our vision, which is to inspire a passion for learning, encourage emotional and intellectual vitality, and empower students with the confidence and courage to contribute to the global community and to achieve their dreams. Or stated another way, since our founding in 1956 our vision has been to provide students with a range of learning experiences that develop the qualities and characteristics necessary for success in life. Today we recognize there’s a particularly critical but important balance between developing intellectual vitality (matters of the head) and emotional vitality (matters of the heart). Although it’s so very important to develop the intellectual capacity of our students, we must instill lessons of compassion and commitment to making the world a better place. Making a Difference How do we create these transformative experiences for students at SAS? Some are embedded in day to day life through our school curriculum and our classrooms. Others are woven into the wide range of extracurricular opportunities that are available before, during and after school across each of our four divisions. Our service clubs and renowned high school interim program further serve as firsthand experiences that bring together community and make a positive difference in the lives of others. Enhancing students’ learning
Superintendent of Schools Brent Mutsch thanks donors at the annual Star Appeal dinner held at the Goodwood Park Hotel in April 2011.
Star Appeal Dinner, our major annual fundraising event. Proceeds from these collective efforts fund learning experiences focused on the development of both intellectual and emotional vitality. As our advancement efforts—which include alumni relations, communications, community relations and development—become more mature, our ability to create and expand extended learning opportunities for students will be enhanced. Changing Lives
As we look to the future, we recognize that our capacity to provide students with quality transformative experiences is dependent upon the generosity of our community to supplement tuition revenue through charitable giving. We are grateful for the long-standing and generous support from organizations such as PTA, Booster Club and donors to
For many of us, our experiences as members of the SAS community have shaped how we see both the world and ourselves. Our lives have been transformed by the very nature of these experiences. As you reflect upon your time at SAS, I encourage you to think about how you can reach back and make a difference today. In the words of William James, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
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2010-11 Donations to Singapore American School 1956 Circle (S$50,000–above) Hano Maeloa & Monita Harianto
Richard & Jacqueline Seow
EAGLE Circle (S$20,000–$49,999) Jonathan & Jessika Auerbach Hae Jin & Young Rim Lee
Stephen Riady & Shincee Leonardi Kim & Birgitte Rosenkilde Sean & Lisa Wallace
TIGER Circle (S$10,000–$19,999) Anonymous William Bollinger & Judith Lee Yeow Ming Choo & Angelina Zheng Oral & Vida Dawe Michael & Shelly Dee Steve Diamond & Sarah Jeffries GETCO Asia Pte Ltd – Robert Smith Brent & Maggie Mutsch Y.S. & Suzie Nam
ORCHID Circle (S$1,000–$4,999) Lars & Nene Amstrup Peng Huat & Swat Ang Richard & Ashley Barry Masoud & Maria Bassiri Deepa Bharadwaj Jungkiu Choi & Hyesook Cho Jun Won & Yoon Hee Choi Douglas & Clara Choo Kwang Hyuk Choi & Yun Kyung Park Michael & Kendall Connors Kenneth & Lauri Coulter Edward & Rachel Farrell
TRAVELER’S PALM Circle (up to S$999) Anonymous John Eric & Christina Advento Mark & Marianne Boyer Douglas Brown Mark & Lana Chauvin John & Susan Dankowski Brian Combes & Emiko Enomotos
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Mark Nelson & Margrit Benton Neil & Mika Parekh Edan & Bon Park Tandean Rustandy & Susan Sujanto Brent & Sandra Smith Gerry & Michelle Smith Yonggi Tanuwidjaja & Melina Tanusaputra Ee Lim & Sofina Wee Raymond & Kaori Zage David Zemans & Catherine Poyen
GECKO Circle (S$5,000–$9,999) Beecher & Robin Abeles Ravi & Sunanda Agarwal Joe & Mae Anderson Jeff Bang & Young Joo Lee Bart & Valerie Broadman Wing Kwong Chan & Vivian Liu Goldman Sachs Gives
Lim Meng Keng Departmental Store Rudy & Andrea Muller Janie Darmadi Ooi Iwan Sardjono & Ingrid Prasatya Helman & Maria Sitohang SAS PTA Steven & Asa Tucker Phillip & Patricia Widjaja
Fujiwara Advisory Singapore Pte Ltd Eck Kheng Goh & Anita Fam Kyu Shik Hahn & Eui Jeong Song Bryan & Christine Henning Christopher & Lisa Hogan David Hoss William & Katherine Johnson Joosang Kim & Junga Lee Devin Kimble & Amy Sittler Michael & Maribeth Kingan Indriati Latief
Shahryar Mahbub & Shazia Khawaja David Makarechian & Sue Neufeld Michael & Anne McBrien Thomas & Kate McCabe Sanjiv & Devika Misra Alvin Nathan & Sachiko Watanabe Doug & Maureen Neihart Wai Kin Ooi Wong & Stella Manicka Vasagar Bill & Shelby Pazos Adrian & Susan Peh Tri Pham & Kelly Won Namuh & Younsoo Rhee Samuel & Heejin Rhee William & Martha Scarborough
Ravi & Priya Seshadri Keum Shik-Jimmy Shin & Seung Hee Lim Abidinsyah & Bonita Siregar Lawrence & Jane Sperling Hadiran Sridjaja & Kyung Ye Kang Tim & Mona Stuart United Parcel Services Christopher & Chantal Tan Harrison & Sheila Wang Ellen White Anthony & Rachel Wong Kwan Nga & Rosa Wong Robert Yenko & Margaret Ng
Ed & Nao Gilbreath Shawn & Marian Graham Kisul Huh & Yunghi Kim Geri Johnson Zunaid Kazi & Tamara Black Marc & Heidi L’Heureux Khushro & Meher Mehta Lands’ End Direct Merchants Paul Welsh & Lauren Mehrbach
Allan & Vicki Mitchell Kaori Ikeda Rajkumar Narayanan & Jaya Rajkumar Hanatha & Louise Perdana Judy Potter Deacon & Jennifer Powell Devin & Dianna Pratt Tom & Heather Presnail Lyn Reed Ken Schunk
Dale Smith & Tracy Meyer Nick & Jennifer Sparrow Richard & Debra Surrency Ann Tan Matthew & Agnes Wagner David & Anne Wilhoit Ed and Jill Wu Tetsuo & Shoka Yoshikoshi Jun Zhao & Kelly Tan
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Thank You for Your Support Donations from the 2010-11 academic year supported a wide variety of in-class and extracurricular programs in every division at Singapore American School. With your help, we are making a difference for every child.
Community Service Programs
Financial Aid for Students
Athletic, Intramural and Extracurricular Programs
Donations support SAS families who experience financial difficulties. In addition to tuition support, financial aid helps students who have been selected for teams, competitions or honors programs outside of Singapore but are unable to participate due to financial constraints.
Academic Programs
Funding goes toward enhancing student academic programs. Funds also support the Community Library, which provides educational programs and speakers for parents and the school community.
Visual and Performing Arts
Your donations underwrite the costs of bringing guest conductors, clinicians and artists to work with students, as well as providing schoolwide cultural experiences.
Financial support is available for student community service projects, including challenge grants to augment student fundraising by community service clubs and class-based programs. Donations support enhancements to intramural programs by funding additional equipment and coaching staff. Funding also supports additional teams and adds activities when needs arise.
Special Projects
Donations provide support, wholly or in part, for special projects such as adding to the library collection, supporting professional development for faculty members, or supporting student participation in leadership conferences.
Endowment Fund
Donors may request that their donations be directed solely or in part to the endowment to support the long-term financial health of the school.
GENERATIONS of Generosity T
he product of more than 50 years of private and public financial support as well as volunteer efforts, Singapore American School is the jewel in the crown of American community activism in Singapore. 1950s & 60s: vision, commitment and support In 1955, the American community in Singapore was growing and the need for an American school was becoming increasingly pronounced. With significant financial support from the American business community and individual parents—and with tremendous volunteer effort—the school opened its doors on Rochalie Drive in January 1956 to 105 students. The fledgling school quickly outgrew its premises and the community recognized the need for a larger, purpose-built facility. In 1962, 300 students
moved into a new campus on King’s Road. The facility was the pride and joy of those directly connected with it and of the numerous American business firms and other organizations that provided part of the funding. Citibank provided the King’s Road land to the school at 15% of its value, and AIA offered a lowinterest loan. American companies donated everything from drinking fountains and movie projectors
The first SAS campus on Rochalie Drive, 1956–62
King’s Road campus, 1962–96
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to library books and fuel for the bulldozers. In all, 37 parents and 42 companies raised $150,000. With the move to King’s Road, the school transformed from a schoolhouse into a full K-12 program, and within the next eight years the school’s population quadrupled to 1,200. At each phase of growth, the parent-school community led the school forward with vision, commitment and financial support to create an ever-improving center of educational excellence. 1970s & 80s: community spirit and action In the early 1970s, student enrollment at King’s Road was so great that a second campus, Ulu Pandan, was built for grades K-8. Fittingly, Ulu Pandan was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1973 and quickly became the venue for community and school activities such as 4th of July celebrations, football games and county fairs. At the campus dedication, U.S. Ambassador Edwin Cronk said, “Through community interest and action we can give our young people the opportunity to enjoy a full and interesting life in this wonderful country.” 1990s & 2000s: looking to the future The student population continued to grow, and in the early 1990s further expansion was again necessary. For several years a satellite school (BayTree) provided additional capacity while plans were made to lease a 37-acre property in Woodlands. Once again, parents, companies, the PTA, the Booster Club and even the bus operators contributed to the building fund. In 1994, elementary principal Pete Larson commented, “Everywhere you look, volunteer action and community initiative are in ready evidence, and as a result, the American community exudes an ambience kindred to our
Ulu Pandan campus, 1972–96
SEPTEMBER 2011
very best childhood memories.” The Woodlands campus officially opened in 1996. Designed for 2,800 students, the campus was expected to be sufficient for at least fifteen years, but dramatic growth soon persuaded the Board of Governors to expand, “very much in keeping with the tradition of the boards that had preceded it. Like each successive school board, the 2002 governors looked beyond the school’s present needs and challenges with an optimistic vision of the future.” The resulting three-year construction phase contributed an early childhood center and a new high school building, in addition to more classrooms, athletics facilities and an array of visual and performing arts venues. our most valuable asset SAS is what it is today because of a community that cares. With a population of more than 3,885 students, it is the largest single-campus international school with one of the finest reputations in the world. Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew, in his remarks at the school’s 50th anniversary commemoration in 2006, proclaimed the American “can-do” spirit as the school’s most valuable asset. At the same event, teacher and alumnus Jim Baker said, “The dreams of the SAS founders have been kept alive by succeeding generations of supportive Americans.” The vision, commitment and philanthropy of the school community—and the community members’ ability to act as visionaries and plan for the future— will ensure that Singapore American School continues to prepare students for generations to come. Text compiled from Singapore’s Eagles 1956-2006 and Singapore American Newspaper.
The current SAS campus at the Woodlands, 1996–present
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CONNECTING COMMUNITY for Every Child Michael K. Kingan, Chief Advancement Officer
C
aring, thoughtful people make our community remarkable. This was my first impression at Singapore American School, and it remains true today. I see time and again our students, parents, teachers, and staff reaching out to the world—providing opportunities for students to grow beyond the classroom. In advancement, our job is to connect people, ideas and resources. We help to build a stronger, nurturing community, which in turn focuses its efforts on educating our children. First, we are reaching out in new and more meaningful ways to alumni worldwide to connect you to the school and to one another. Another way we make a difference in advancement is through fundraising that supports the school’s mission. Singapore is one of the great global crossroads of cultural diversity. We want our children to grow and learn from their unique time at SAS. Funds raised by and through our community will be used for experiential programs that connect our students to Singapore and the world around us. We are pleased to launch this year’s annual fundraising efforts. Singapore American School has a long history of charitable giving. SAS today is the result of the generosity of our predecessors, starting with gifts to establish the school in 1956. 8
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Among the most notable was a substantial gift in the 1960s that ultimately funded the land for our campus in the Woodlands. We are not starting these efforts from scratch. We’re expanding to gain broader participation from our worldwide SAS community. Already hundreds of volunteers through organizations such as the PTA and Booster Club lend their time and talent to raise funds for SAS. Every child at SAS benefits from our giving, whether it be for a visiting author, an artist-in-residence, an extracurricular or sports activity, or making Interim Semester affordable for all students. Philanthropy connects our community and makes SAS a strong, dynamic, inviting place for our children to grow. We need your help. Please join us with your support. Your gift will benefit our children today and the communities in which they will lead and live tomorrow. Contact me at mkingan@sas.edu.sg with your ideas on how we can better connect the SAS community. Make a gift today at www.sas.edu.sg/giving. Michael K. Kingan joined SAS in 2010 and leads the school’s advancement office. Advancement comprises alumni relations, communications, community relations and development. SEPTEMBER 2011
Graduation 2011 Lauri Coulter Associate Director of Alumni Relations
O
n Thursday, June 2, Singapore American School celebrated the graduation of the class of 2011 in the auditorium of the National University of Singapore. Two hundred sixtyfour students graduated. With well over 2,000 guests at the ceremony, some of whom had traveled thousands of miles to attend, there was a wonderful feeling of community celebration. This year’s featured speaker was social studies teacher Ian Coppell. He spoke humorously about friends, family and teachers, and concluded with, “Work hard every day you can. Play hard every day you can. Work hard but have fun doing it.” The student speakers, Alex Armstrup and Zachary Nelson, talked about the world-class education they received at SAS and asked their peers to treasure the time they had together because, “In a short while, we’ll have to take care of ourselves with nothing more than our high school experiences and our dads’ trust funds.” High school principal Tim Stuart asked the students to reflect on three questions as they moved on: Who am I? How have I been shaped by being at SAS? What am I going to do about it? He concluded, “You have been given much. Now go and make this world a better place.” The national anthems of Singapore and the Unites States were sung by Shreya Padmanabhan, Emilyn Yeon and Sharon Yoo. Following the senior class speech, Simon Felice, Willow Johnston, Mary Liebermann, Shreya Padmanabhan, Jeffrey Sabol, Emily Yeon, Sharon Yoo and Peter Zampa performed Fields of Gold by Sting. This year’s graduation ceremony was streamed live on the web, with 554 viewers watching from 153 cities on six continents. The ceremony was followed by a brief reception.
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“
“
I will always remember the experience I had in South Africa and believe that it has shaped my future..
VOLUNTEERING in South Africa L
Casey DeFord (07)
ast summer I ventured off to Muzinberg, South Africa, an area just outside of Cape Town known for its great surf and beautiful sites. I went there through Living Hope, a volunteer organization that has several communities in South Africa and focuses its efforts on health, education and support in the poorest of townships. A township is a huge area of land filled with tinroof shacks and immense amounts of poverty. I volunteered in Ithemba School, which was set up by Lufthansa Airlines. I worked in the grade 4-5 class, and the experience changed my life. Every morning I woke up at seven o’clock and walked 50 minutes, passing by the beautiful houses of Muzinberg into the complete poverty of the township. The children at Ithemba fended for themselves. They walked to school on their own and lived off one meal a day, but still managed to be some of the most positive and optimistic kids I have ever met. I worked with the children on the alphabet, coloring and crafts. It was interesting to see how careful and respectful they were of paper and pens and other things that we take for granted. They realize even at a young age that these things are hard to come by and don’t treat any material objects lightly. While in South Africa I also started a program in one of the middle schools, talking with girls about issues that they were facing at home and at school. These girls were dealing with abuse, neglect, substance abuse and emotional issues that no one should ever have
to face. Since I will soon leave college and have the “real world” as a close awakening, I wanted to do something that would hopefully inspire my future. Going to South Africa by myself with a volunteer organization that had people from the ages of 18 to 55 was definitely outside my comfort zone, but I learned so much. I lived in an apartment with 17 other volunteers, sharing one bathroom and barrack-style bunks. At first it was a bit shocking going from the luxuries of my normal life to living with the bare minimum, but I truly believe that it made me a stronger person. I will always remember the experience I had in South Africa and believe that it has shaped my future. After college, I plan to apply for Teach for America, pursue a master’s degree in education and then work in inner-city schools.
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SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
Casey DeFord (07) is at the University of Oregon. Check out her blog at http://caseydeford.wordpress.com.
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I
ronically, I began learning Balinese dance after I moved back to the United States from Singapore. I started first with a Balinese dance group in the Bay Area, and then continued my studies in Indonesian dance with a Sundanese (West Javanese) group in San Francisco. Christina Narendra and her eldest My plan was to daughter, Sutjiati Narendra. move to Bandung, West Java in 2001 to study dance, but fortunately I packed my bags for New York City instead. It was in New York where I met my husband Andy who is from Indonesia. He was coordinating a dance project at the time and was looking for a Westerner who performed Indonesian dances. The next year, I wrote, assistant-directed, cochoreographed and performed in the dance drama Gadjah Mada at Lincoln Center, which encompassed different forms of dances from across the Indonesian archipelago. Afterward, I helped establish the formal dance sector of Dharmaswara, the Balinese ensemble at the Indonesian consulate in New York. Our first daughter, Sutjiati, was born in New York in 2004, and I took time away from dancing to be with her. Our second daughter, Innocent, was born in Jogjakarta, Central Java, in 2006.
In 2007 our family moved to San Diego, California. There I began Balinese dancing every week with a woman who came down from Los Angeles. I also started my own dance group, Nusantara, which refers to the old Javanese term for the Indonesian archipelago. This reflects my goal of studying dances from all the Indonesian islands. Andy and I also started the Indonesian Arts Center (IAC), an organization dedicated to the exposure and promotion of different forms of Indonesian art and culture. The IAC strives to enrich lives by preserving Indonesian art and supporting artists in their native communities. We sell hand-drawn batik tulis from Solo and Lampung and promote Indonesia at various community events and festivals. My dance group performs regularly at these events. This summer we returned to Indonesia for a few weeks so I could continue my dance studies and to record new dance material to put on our website. I have been fortunate to have studied Balinese, Sundanese, Javanese, and Sumatran dance. I hope to continue my studies throughout Indonesia and throughout my lifetime, and to pass my knowledge on to my children. My girls are already studying Indonesian dance, and Sutjiati performed a Sundanese piece with me last year. My dream is to have them one day perform the famous Balinese Legong dance (the heavenly dance of divine nymphs) together. Photo on right: Christina Narendra and Casey Lee-Sims performing at the People of Color Conference in December 2010. Learn more about the Indonesian Arts Center on its website at www.indonesianartscenter.org.
INDONESIA
Art, Culture and Dance Christina Neuner Narendra (95)
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Anuradha Koirala, founder of Maiti Nepal and CNN’s 2010 Hero of the Year
Rescuing Women and Girls in Nepal Aparna Thadani (05)
D
uring my time at SAS, I grew increasingly interested in changing the world. After graduation in 2005, this interest took me to Thailand to volunteer with impoverished families. From there I went on to the UK to study anthropology and international relations. Studying everything from tribes to politics, I wasn’t sure what to do after university. Eventually I decided upon philanthropic advising for Prospero World where we research the charity sector to identify the most outstanding and innovative charities to recommend to our clients. We also hold events to take our research to the public. Prospero World became involved with Maiti Nepal, a world-renowned charity, during a field trip to Nepal in March 2011 to learn about its work and to research human trafficking. More than 10,000 girls between the ages of 9-16 are sold from Nepal into the brothels of India. Maiti Nepal rescues and rehabilitates trafficked girls and women, and works to prevent trafficking and illegal labor through educational programs for girls at high risk. To date, Maiti Nepal has rescued over 12,000 women. The visit had such a strong impact on us that it warranted hosting events to raise awareness in Singapore. These events took place in May 2011 with CNN’s 2010 Hero of the Year, Mrs. Anuradha Koirala, founder of Maiti Nepal, and Mr. Bishwo Ram Khadka, director of the organization. Our purpose was to start momentum for action and bring the reality of human trafficking to the public. Mrs. Koirala was greeted with incredible reverence by her audiences, and the local Nepal Society took great pride in hosting their local hero. A few SASers were spotted at the American Chamber of Commerce event. Both our UBS and INSEAD events were virtual conferences,
reaching audiences in countries across the world. Broadcasting these stories to global audiences exposed the enormity of the situation and showed that the lack of awareness is not limited to girls alone but pervades all strata of society. The roots of human trafficking stem from a range of socio-economic issues. The work of Maiti Nepal is not simple and the Singapore community responded quickly. When Mrs. Koirala fell sick, her doctor diagnosed and treated her for free. One attendee of the INSEAD event organized a donation drive in cash and kind direct to Maiti Nepal. The employees at Standard Chartered set up a sustainable fund to help Maiti Nepal fund its core costs. Moreover, from these events, Maiti Nepal received SG$20,000 in cash donations. The real power that fuels Maiti Nepal’s work comes from the strength of the survivors. Though Mrs. Koirala says that she dies everyday, it is the survivors that make her live again and will keep her going until Nepal is free from human trafficking.
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L to r: Maiti Nepal staff member Mrinalini, founder Anuradha Koirala, staff member Karishma, Aparna Thadani, and director Bishwo Ram Khadkha 17
The Old Kings in 2001: Jeff DeFlorio (01), Bryan Crabtree (02), Patrick Linton (03), Sean Nerney (02) and Dave D’Aranjo (02).
The Old Music Kings Sophia Cheng (11)
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A
decade later, most members of the Old Kings remain passionate about music. Dave D’Aranjo (02) is currently studying at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, while Sean Nerney (02) toured Japan for two years with Patrick Linton (03) as part of The World of Spy band and is now producing his own music. The Beginning—1998-2002 Dave D’Aranjo was frustrated because every time there was a school music show, the SAS Singers, strings or band SEPTEMBER 2011
dominated the stage. Don’t get him wrong—he liked the shows. The problem was that a lot of the musicians were there because they had to be, not because they were eager to perform. D’Aranjo himself was part of SAS Singers, Jazz Band and several independent student bands. He was aware of great talents in contemporary and rock genres, not just classical. He felt that they were not supported by the SAS music program. He started thinking. He thought about having a “collective” of contemporary musicians that didn’t include classical musicians. But former Band Coordinator Charles Angelo disagreed. “Why snub anyone at all?” he asked. Angelo taught him that the answer to elitism is openness, not more elitism. So three best friends, D’Arango, Andrew “Bud” McPherson and Sean Nerney, all bonded by the love of music, came together and formed the Independent Performing Artist’s Union (IPAU). At the end of their sophomore year they began composing what would later turn into their most valuable legacy to SAS. They gathered people with similar interests and salvaged old, unwanted sound equipment from all over the school. By the start of their junior years, they had created SAS’s first and only studentrun organization dedicated to performing artists. IPAU was ignited by passion. Members joined because they wanted to share their love of music. No one was forced into it; no one was there just to glam up their college applications. “You were there because you wanted
to be there; so you really did your best for it,” Nerney said. Nerney is an example of the kind of fired-up-music-die-hardfans who are in IPAU. The kind that feeds off music for life. Nine years after graduating from SAS, Nerney is still pursuing music. He combined his two interests, music and technology, to create the electronica/pop band I Hate This Place, and has released seven albums. Keeping IPAU alive Students come and go, and so do clubs. Most clubs at SAS have a lifespan of less than three years. This year marks IPAU’s tenth anniversary. The secret for its longevity? Find sponsors who share the same interest and passion. Theater engineer Paul Koebnick is the current sponsor of IPAU. Many students know him as the teacher who “helps out at all concerts.” Many also recognize him as “the teacher with the Harley Davidson and leather pants.” But Koebnick is more than just a sponsor in IPAU; he is what keeps it strong and alive. “He is a rock star at heart,” Nerney says. He is passionate about seeing kids pursue their musical interests and passionate about watching people perform. He loves to see people love music. He can talk about old IPAU members for an hour and can name talented musicians at SAS off the top of his head. And he treasures his copy of the ten-year-old album by The Old Kings. This story was originally published in The Eye, April 2011.
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Teachers Who Inspired and Challenged Lauri Coulter Associate Director of Alumni Relations
What do you think of when you think about of you over the years. Since 1956, SAS has your favorite teachers, the teachers who had countless exceptional teachers who inspired you, pushed you to dig deeper have had a huge impact on students’ lives. and challenge yourself? The teachers who To illustrate that point, we chose two of the helped you make the most of your time in stories you shared and as many quotes as Singapore and of your education? We asked possible to represent the feedback you proyou, our SAS alumni, to share your stories vided and the amazing spirit of our teachers with us, and you provided us with the most over the years. To all the fabulous teachers amazing feedback. More than we could pos- over the decades, both mentioned and not, sibly publish. Suffice it to say, Singapore is a thank you. You truly have a positive and special place, and SAS has played a unique enduring impact on the lives of students and important role in educating thousands in the SAS community. 20
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Encouraged My Best Thinking Sylvester Placid (00)
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Journalism teacher Mark Clemens with an SAS student.
alking to class in the breezy hallways of the high school, my mood often depended on which class was next. Algebra? Foreign language? Dull as a cloudy day. But filming a commercial in Mark Clemens’ audio/ video production class or writing for The Eagle Eye? Suddenly the sun would shine through the clouds. I’d smile as I entered his classroom, knowing the next hour and a half were going to be awesome. I love to write and am fascinated with media and advertising, due in no small part to my experiences in Clemens’ classes. Clemens had a way of encouraging my best thinking. When I wanted to write about a technical issue that SAS was having with its computers, he pushed me to get a quote from the IT department. I had never conducted an interview before, but with his encouragement I set off to do so. This skill has served me well as a management consultant, where I interview senior executives often. Because of Clemens, I was able to set and accomplish achievable goals. He helped me turn my curiosity into a career. This was particularly important as a third culture kid, constantly searching for the right path among my myriad experiences. We all know teachers matter, but the true quality of the education that SAS students receive cannot be overstated. I wouldn’t have read one of my favorite novels, The Catcher in the Rye, if it wasn’t for SEPTEMBER 2011
Jeri Kett’s English class. The book captured perfectly the feeling of being an outsider as an adolescent, an experience to which many of my third culture classmates and I could closely relate. I wouldn’t have seen one of my favorite films, Dead Poets Society, if it wasn’t for Dr. Roopa Dewan’s literature class. The film tells of a teacher who inspires his students in unorthodox ways. I couldn’t have realized the impact it would have on me later in life as I thought about becoming a teacher. I wouldn’t have scored well on the math sections of the SATs (not my strong suit) if it wasn’t for the extra help I received from Bob Gould, and geometry wouldn’t be my favorite type of math if Duane Melsom hadn’t made his classes so fun. These are just a few of the amazing teachers I was so fortunate to have. Living overseas at a crucial age of development can be strenuous without individuals to help you find your own voice and establish what makes you, you. SAS teachers play a critical role in this process. Good teachers have a way of inspiring us to give back. After the financial crisis of 2008, I was laid off. A master’s degree in communication, culture and technology allowed me to be an adjunct university instructor at George Mason University, teaching freshmen intercultural communication and public speaking. My lectures were heavily influenced by my time at SAS. I stressed the importance of intercultural understanding, and I encouraged students to express their uniqueness as individuals. I felt I had come full circle when one of my students, who had graduated from the International School Manila, told me that being able to relate to my experiences at SAS had helped him adjust to the current phase of his life—exactly as my favorite SAS teachers had done for me. I taught for two semesters before returning to management consulting, but having the opportunity to help shape young lives is an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
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A Precious Gift
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Laura Hon Barboriak (87)
graduated from SAS in 1987, so I have been reflecting for some time now on why the students and teachers of SAS made such a lasting impression on me. I reminisce about them often and am grateful for the technology that enables us to reconnect with one another on a sweeping scale. But what is it about our respective experiences at SAS that prompt us to try and find one another in the first place? In terms of my teachers, I have tried to distill why Jim Baker and Robert Dodge had the greatest impact on me. Both Mr. Baker and Mr. Dodge were beacons for me in high school. They clearly were substantive experts, Mr. Baker in economics and U.S. history (despite his misguided lecture about how Warren G. Harding was elected president) and Mr. Dodge in modern European history. However, I have had any number of classes since with professors of equal acumen. They also were good storytellers who brought history to life. Again, while unfortunately not common in the teaching profession, those skills are not unique to them. As I look back, I realize that their powerful impact had little to do with the subject matter. They challenged me to express and defend my opinions and to question information rather than accept it blindly. I think those aspects of my education piqued my 22
Joy at IASAS track in 2009 after breaking the medley relay record set 20 years ago. Hugging Coach Baker and one another are (l-r) Natasha Irani (11), Tolley St.Clair (09) , Jenny Alberts (11), and Isabella Shaulis (12).
interest in becoming a Foreign Service officer. As a diplomat, a key element of my job is analyzing significant quantities of information and then briefing or capturing them in written reports. I also wanted to earn their approval and knew it could only be acquired by hard work. While I am far from a Horatio Alger figure, my academic and professional successes are in large part due to that ethic. But while I was studying U.S. and European history and searching for those elusive 5s on my AP exams, I came away with something more important than knowledge. Both Mr. Dodge and Mr. Baker inspired me to accomplish things I didn’t think I could. I would never have tried out for the debate team without Mr. Baker’s prodding. They also broadened
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my horizons. I owe my continued interest in Impressionist and Modern Art to Mr. Dodge and, perhaps to his chagrin, have come to also like Jackson Pollack. These experiences have served me well since SAS. So, to Mr. Baker and Mr. Dodge in particular but also to Mr. Norman, the Abrahams, Mrs. Banwell, Mr. Imperi, Mr. Adams and too many others to name, thanks for always taking me seriously, for pushing me to do my best and for believing in my potential. Your gift has been a precious one that I have had with me all these years and that continues to inspire me to take on greater and greater challenges. I can only hope that my children will be fortunate enough to have even one teacher who inspires them the way you inspired me. SEPTEMBER 2011
Your Quotes When I went to college, I was prepared and had the skills to be successful. While the future was pretty limitless for me, I realized that many other high school graduates in the U.S. didn’t have the same options. In fact, only 50% of students in low-income communities graduate from high school, and those that do graduate perform at an eighth-grade level. Comparing that with my world-class education at SAS truly opened my eyes to the inequity that exists in American education. I became a member of the Teach for America corps and now work as its recruitment director. I get out of bed every morning because I MUST find exceptional teachers who will ensure that students are able to attend and succeed in college. Ana Wolfowicz (03)
I attended SAS middle school and high school and observed the teachers’ passion for their work. Their work ethic, compassion and overall ability to perform to high standards showed on a daily basis. My parents, Bill and Cathy Berg, were teachers at SAS, and they inspired me to go into teaching. I saw the enjoyment that teaching brought them. I remember the impact they had on some of my closest friends. When a good friend says, “Your dad is the best teacher ever!” it has a lasting impact. My English teacher Bryan Coole focused on relating what we learn in class to things around us. I want my history students to have a similar global understanding. I want them to realize it’s okay to try new things, go to new places, believe in different things and meet new people. Blair Berg (02)
Dr. Dewan wholeheartedly believed in everything she did and truly loved what she did, whether it was literature, teaching and mentoring students, or raising money to empower less privileged children. She was, simply put, passionate. She inspired me to strive for that passion and love in my life. Shruti Ayyar (07)
I was inspired to teach preschool by Rob Godley, my freshman year math teacher. He had a way of making math more enjoyable and not so confusing. I knew I wanted to work with struggling students, specifically in math, because I knew I would be able to provide fun and different approaches to solving problems. Jackie Hilimon Denzel (01)
When you entered the theater with Ms. Kuester, the steamy Singaporean world outside dissolved, as did the clamor of the school, and you fell into Ireland, or Italy, or small town America. She urged us to enter characters with abandon. In her acting classes, we discovered the characters within us that were clamoring to come out, and it made us richer people. Brittani Sonnenberg (99)
Why do I teach? I love the challenge of working with children who have a difficult time communicating their wants and needs, who can’t access their environment without a lot of help from others. I love finding the connection, making them laugh, giving them a voice, giving them the power to make a choice, to express themselves. Looking back, so much of what I did and experienced at SAS (Leprosy Home, teaching swimming at the Spastic Children’s Home, Interim Semester as a kindergarten teacher) had a huge impact on my career choice, but it wasn’t obvious until I was faced with questions. The excellent teachers I had at SAS are models of how to be dedicated and motivating teachers. The people I met through the afterschool programs showed me that there is worth in every type of body, in every culture, in every age group. Bianca Portella Collins (99)
Mr. Johnson made me fall in love with physics. I majored in physics and currently work as chief engineer in the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Matt Montoya (80)
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REFLECTIONS on Expat Life Karen Kreiling Middleton, Alumni Parent and Faculty (74-80)
Shaw House on Scotts Road in the 1970s and today
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e started our adventures overseas when my husband became the Asian service representative for his firm. Thus began our odyssey into the unknown. We had no idea what Singapore was like or what we needed to bring. We did not realize that my husband would be away from home more often than he was in the home. I became the single parent who held the family together and paid the bills while working a fulltime job. We had no email or cell phones to keep us close and were lucky to have one long-distance phone call per month as the firm considered it too expensive to call more often. Expatriate assignments are more often a family affair these days. The most important change in employee selection is the inclusion of the expatriate’s family
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in the decision process. This is the single most important change since our experience in the 1970s and 1980s. The spouses/partners are now often supported with training designed to help them adjust to in-country norms and behavioral expectations. This may even include language classes when the local language is not English. Some firms offer trips to examine schools, identify health care professionals and hold face-to-face visits with expatriates who have already made the move. The Big Move We arrived in Singapore without a single “look-see” trip or predeparture training. We were totally dependent on my husband to find us a home. We took the long way to Singapore, traveling through Manila, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei. The multi-stop trip was the only cross-cultural training we ever received. Our youngest had a meltdown on our first stop when we ordered tempura that included shrimp with the head, tail and eyes looking straight at her over the dinner table! She chose to go without dinner that night. We were picking up boiled peanuts and jelly squares with chopsticks by the time we arrived in our new home—on-the-job training! Many companies now have lengthy expatriate policies that sustain an employee’s international relocation. The policies cover home sales or rentals, household goods relocation or storage, car ownership, rental policies and utility coverage, income tax assistance, school funding, salary and benefits, especially home leave. Connections
with the families’ home countries and with the expat’s home office are now considered so important that the families have at least one home leave annually. The shopping requirements seem to remain the same: fill up the suitcases with clothes and shoes that are not found in the host country. Tucking in personal health care items and cooking necessities not found abroad is still common. Settling In We knew we were in a different world when our turbaned rental agent roared up to our gate on his motorcycle. We struggled to get our goods unpacked with no full-house air conditioning. We had to become accustomed to “chit chats” and giant cockroaches roaming the ceilings and walls. My husband famously said, “This isn’t like living in a hotel!” Getting about the city was tempered by the numbers of circuses and motor scooters that surged to the front to be the first to accelerate when the light turned green. Our children jumped the local buses or whistled down taxis. My first exposure to other expats occurred when I took a cooking lesson from Lee Kuan Yew’s mother. I still have her cookbook and still make her sweet and sour pork and cucumber-carrot salad. I ventured out to KK market and learned to buy curry paste and whole chickens. We often found special food items in Cold Storage. One son became known as “Captain Crunch” because he could eat an entire box of cereal at one sitting whenever it suddenly became available at Cold Storage. We longed for Big Macs, M&Ms and potato chips.
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One son became known as “Captain Crunch” because he could eat an entire box of Cap’n Crunch® cereal at one sitting whenever it suddenly became available at Cold Storage.
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We learned to love the local food—satay, all kinds of curries, especially when they were served on banana leaves, chicken rice, Peking Duck three ways, Chinese “hamburgers,” dim sum lunches, and candied apples and bananas with sesame seeds for dessert — you name it, we ate it. We ate at Newton Circus, at the food market in the Cold Storage parking
lot, and at the old Satay Club. We ate in Mr. Ho’s cafeteria. We enjoyed brunches and Friday night snacks at the American Club, gourmet dinners at prime Singapore restaurants, and holiday meals with friends. Today, Big Macs are ubiquitous in Asia, as are many other U.S. franchises. Expats still love the cross-cultural eating experience,
and many of their fondest memories are of food and wine partaken in their host countries. Cold Storage is no longer the only option for buying groceries, but favorite items remain dependent on long-distance shipments. “It’s disappeared off the island” is still a common refrain. Transportation options are plenty, including buses, cars, the MRT and taxis. The circuses are gone for the most part, and in their place are transisland expressways that move the traffic faster and farther than we ever imagined. Some Things Never Change The American Club remains at the heart of the U.S. expat community. It’s a place to see and
My Research: The Expatriate Experience Karen Kreiling Middleton, Ph.D.
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our score and, well, really not all that long ago, I was an expatriate wife and mother and worked as a music educator at the Singapore American School. Following our return to the United States, I pursued a Ph.D. in business administration and became a professor of management in my “second life.” I returned to Asia to teach undergraduate and MBA classes in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong 26
Kong, and Tianjin. Last year I went to Taiwan on a Fulbright scholarship to teach and do research at Yuan Ze University and to meet a new generation of expatriate families. International assignments are often viewed as opportunities for multinational corporations (MNCs) to attract and retain employees while remaining competitive with other global organizations. Relocating employees
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Buddy Byington (81) and Karen Kreiling Middleton at an SAS reunion in Austin, TX
overseas allows MNCs to support their business objectives and adapt to changing global business requirements. The expatriates who are shifted to international subsidiaries value the assignments as a means to obtain new positions and achieve quick promotion. Most MNCs select candidates based on managerial skills and technical competence, while a SEPTEMBER 2011
be seen, to play tennis and to bowl, to watch sports matches and observe national holidays and to socialize around the swimming pool and at the dining table. Singapore American School brings students and teachers from all parts of the world together for a learning experience that matches the best private schools in the world. Sports matches still bring us together, but now Southeast Asian international schools belong to a conference that promotes not only sports but the arts as well. We still make friends that we carry in our hearts no matter where we may go or how many miles apart we may be. We still don’t say “good-bye,” but instead declare “until we meet again.”
smaller percentage are chosen to build international management expertise. The majority are male. Fully 79% are accompanied by a spouse/partner, and nearly 50% have school-aged children. The adjustment of the entire family is crucial to the success of the overseas assignment. Expatriate adjustment is currently conceptualized as three types of adjustment: work/cultural, interaction, and general. Work adjustment is the degree of confidence and security the expatriate associates with the job assignment. Interaction adjustment is the favorable reception and well-being expatriates experience while interacting with host country nationals in work and non-work settings. General or cultural adjustment refers to SEPTEMBER 2011
Karen’s son, Kevin Kreiling (78) and his family
the ease with which the expatriate confronts non-work factors such as living conditions, local food, transportation, health care and entertainment options. Antecedents of expatriate adjustment include anticipatory factors (language ability, previous experience), individual factors (self-efficacy, relational skills), job factors (role clarity, role discretion, role conflict), organizational factors (co-worker support, logistical support), and non-work factors (spouse adjustment, cultural novelty). More recent research focuses on the expatriates’ motives for accepting an international assignment. Findings suggest that MNCs significantly underestimate the importance of the work/life balance and the need
for growth and development, while overweighting financial imperatives and some family motives. Others have found that strong subsidiary support and less culturally distant contexts enhance expatriate effectiveness. Strong networks and ties in the host country are also hypothesized to provide critical informational and emotional support resources. The Trailing Family The inability of the spouse/ partner and family to adjust to the international assignment has repeatedly been described as the principal reason for expatriate failure to complete an assignment in a satisfactory manner. Fifty percent of the trailing spouses are employed before the
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overseas assignment, while only 4% obtain jobs in the host country. These statistics suggest that many of them have interrupted or forgone careers and lost their financial independence, as well as the support of extended families and friends. The stay-at-home parent role is usually left to the trailing spouse/partner. The partner often takes on a new role comprised of difficult tasks and disparate expectations. It comes as no surprise that the willingness of the trailing spouse to move is one of the most critical factors influencing a family’s decision to accept an overseas’ assignment, yet little data exist to indicate if partners are involved in the selection. It is even more startling to learn that few studies have examined the factors that affect spouse/partner cross-cultural adjustment. A notable exception is a 1991 study of 321 upper level managers (86% were married) and their spouses (98% were female). The research found that the spouse’s interaction adjustment was positively related to inclusion in the decision, selfinitiated pre-departure training and social support from the immediate family and friends in the new country. The few studies that exist date back nearly ten years and, in most cases, the trailing spouses were not included in the surveys. Instead, the employees were asked about their spouses’ crosscultural adjustment. Research has also failed to examine the expatriates’ influence on their spouses/ partners. Clearly, marital satisfaction, family well-being, work-life balance and the potential for family conflict impose constraints on 28
family adjustment. Many firms still do not include the family in the cross-cultural training process. Nearly 80% of MNCs offer formal cross-cultural preparation, but only a third offer it to both employee and partner, and only half offer training for the entire family. The Children The most distressing outcome of my research is that few studies have focused on the children. These globally mobile children have been alternately described as global nomads, military brats, missionary kids and third-culture kids (TCKs). No research exists to indicate whether they are included in the relocation decision, and little is known about their adjustment process. Expatriate children often undergo anxiety and uncertainty related to the international moves. They may not look or act like others in their host country. When they visit or repatriate to their home country, they may look like others but think differently based on their global experiences. They often feel they have changed and matured while their friends from home have not changed. Expatriate children tend to integrate aspects of their home country culture and their host country culture to develop unique cultural identities. They live in a third culture that holds elements of their passport culture and the other cultures in which they lived. This third-culture identity makes them more likely to identify with other TCKs with whom they have more in common. Sadly, TCKs endure breakups of friendships, loss of lifestyles and familiar possessions,
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separations from extended family members and disruptions in their education. A majority of the TCK research has focused on them as adults. The good news is that adult TCKs exhibit a high level of educational attainment. The bad news is that they are at risk for feelings of cultural homelessness and low self-esteem. A little TCK research focuses on the teenage years but fails to address the issues that relate to TCKs of primary and middle school age. FUTURE RESEARCH The process of predicting crosscultural adjustment following an overseas assignment has recently been questioned. There is a tremendous need for answers and opinions directly from the families. The family as a resource—its structure, its organization, its level of cohesion, its communication skills—has not received the attention necessary to understand the full impact that it has on the adjustment process. I invite you to participate in my ongoing research by going to http://www.surveymonkey. com/S/HGBLW6X. The process of filling out family surveys must be started by expatriates. Your responses will mark the first time research has been undertaken to explore the experiences of expatriate families. Your input will help us understand your unique experiences and the impact on your work, your family and your overseas stay. All answers will be kept strictly anonymous, and the data will be aggregated to ensure your anonymity. I thank you in advance for participating in this project. SEPTEMBER 2011
The ART of Teaching Bob Wopert, Faculty (73-75)
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few years ago, I reconnected with Jean McKeen who was the leader of the Delta learning community at Ulu Pandan. Other Delta personalities included Terry Lewis (language arts), Maggie Gremli (science), Shani (Malay language), and the magnificent teacher aides—Loke Poh San and Liz Ng. The intelligent direction, sincere effort, and skillful execution of these wonderful educators set an extraordinarily high standard of excellence. Through example, these folks taught young people the rewards of a job well done. I vividly recall my early days at the Singapore American School. The year was 1973 and I had just completed a three-year stint with the Peace Corps in Malaysia. It was the first year of the Ulu Pandan campus and Individually Guided Education (IGE). Dr. Ted Gehrman was a guru of IGE. I applied for and got a job teaching at SAS. Within days, I moved from living in a bamboo house on stilts in my village in Malaysia to the mysterious world of IGE at SAS. My background and experience in IGE was zero. My learning curve was, to say the least, steep. Gehrman, Bonnie Leister, McKeen, Al Vanderway and many other wonderful teachers provided me with comfort and support, for which I will always be grateful. As a young teacher, I loved the freedom to experiment. If it worked, great . . . add it to the repertoire. If it didn’t, that was OK, too . . . just part of the learning experience. In my three years at SAS, I learned a lot about the school and the art of teaching. The school was committed to academic excellence. However, it also addressed needs beyond the classroom. In an increasingly complex society, SAS realized that education must focus not only on what to do in life, but
on what to be. As I strolled the learning communities of the Ulu Pandan campus, I watched a school continually broadening its definition of education as it proceeded down the road of positive growth and development. In an era of so many followers, SAS was a leader in the world of contemporary education. For three years, I took delight in observing teachers awaken young people to the joys of learning through creative expression. The school recognized that all young people have imagination, knowledge and talent. I watched in awe as the SAS teachers perpetually built an academic greenhouse. Talent is not easy to define, but when it grows, you know it. At Singapore American School, the talents of the students were always gloriously growing. In these few words, I am attempting the impossible—expressing my love, respect and gratitude for a school that had a profound impact on my being. After 40 wonderful years in international and U.S.-based schools, I retired from the noble profession of teaching just last year. Thank you SAS for continuing to take time.
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The 1970s concept of IGE featured open learning communities, which at SAS were named after the planets and the Greek alphabet.
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A Place to
MEET & EAT Junia Baker, Alumnus Parent and Faculty Spouse
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hen SAS alums head back to Singapore, likely first on the list of “must dos” is lunch with Mr. Hoe. A close second for many is surely an evening at the American Club. The alumni team in the advancement office has hosted the Young Alumni Reunion at The American Club’s Union Bar since 2006 for that very reason. The school appreciates the continued support of the American Club and looks forward to seeing alums from the classes of 2001-2011 in December for the sixth annual reunion.
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The American Club has been a part of SAS life since the school opened in 1956. The club’s continued support of a community service bowling program with SAS high school students and specialneeds students from local schools in Singapore is one example of a long-standing tradition of collaboration. Older alums have memories of openair Friday night movies, bowling and hanging out with “significant others” in the rain forest across the street. When the community—and the school— were small, SAS proms and fashion shows were held at the club, and members and non-members were welcome at American events, such as Thanksgiving and on presidential election days. More recently the club has offered a place to meet and eat before going out on the town. It continues to provide a connection with familiar things back home (i.e. cheeseburgers), as well as a place to make new friends with a diverse membership from all over the globe—not unlike the community at SAS, but with entertainment and dining the focus rather than math and science. Alums of all ages who return to Singapore for a visit always hope to connect with a family friend or school acquaintance who is a club member so that they can visit the club as well as see the sights. The American Club has changed over the years, as have SAS and Singapore, but much remains to remind visitors of days gone by. It’s no longer the only place in Singapore to find good pizza or a burger, but the club’s friendly atmosphere makes it a welcome haven for visiting alumni who cannot find the King’s Road campus or even the old Orchard Road they knew. And as is the case with SAS, many familiar, friendly faces are among the long-serving staff. It feels like coming home because of the people and traditions.
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The American Club has been a part of SAS life since the school opened in 1956.
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In the 1970s, The Eagle’s Nest (bottom, far right), which was named by alum parent Rev. John Nelson, was situated along the linkway between the main clubhouse on Claymore Hill and a smaller building on Scotts Road. It overlooked the swimming pool on one side and a driveway that connected Claymore and Scotts on the other. SASers hung out in the bowling alley and enjoyed the pinball machines in the teen room.
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QUILTING
In the Theme of Third Grade Junia Baker, Alumnus Parent and Faculty Spouse
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ach spring, third grade teacher Jane Dodge (1983-present) begins a quilt project with her class. She began this annual feature of her curriculum in the early 1990s because “art brings so much happiness,” and she believes quilting teaches life skills. At the beginning of the project, students come up with a theme for their quilt, which might come from a story they read or something they are studying. Each child designs an individual square using crayons and fabric paints and pens. Mothers, or on occasion grandmothers, help students quilt the individual pieces. In 1994, students made dragons after the class read the My
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Father’s Dragon books by Ruth Stiles Gannett. In 2001, each student made a millennium bug. When the quilt is finished, students use it in class for relaxing and reading, and they even take turns taking it home. Dodge notes that the quilts take on the personalities of the classes that make them. Two of the quilts were featured in Quilter’s Newsletter while another, created after 9/11, was selected along with one of Dodge’s personal quilts for a show that toured the United States. The 9/11 quilt now hangs in the SAS school board room in the central administration office. A quilt hanging outside the entrance to the central
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administration office commemorates the school’s 50th anniversary. It was the result of a collaborative community effort spearheaded by Dodge and colleague Karen O’Shaughnessy, and it showcases organizations and programs that are integral to the school. Dodge gives the quilts to graduating seniors who participated in making them as third graders. Among those who have received quilts are Stephanie Maissen (10) and Chris Thome (09). An exception was made for Chelsea Fairclough (16) who received a quilt when she was ill. Alumni visiting Dodge always ask if the class is still making quilts.
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Ho-Hoe CINNAMON BUNS T he morning seemed like just another school day. Then you walked into the cafeteria where the sweet fragrance of fresh cinnamon buns, warm from the oven and covered in frosting, beckoned you to enjoy a cinnamon-swirled start to your day. In response to the many requests we’ve received asking us to share the secret behind the goodness, we present the recipe for Mr. Ho’s (and Mr. Hoe’s) cinnamon buns.
Ingredients Buns
3 cups flour ½ cup wholemeal flour 1 ½ cups water 1 Tbs yeast ¼ cup olive oil ½ cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp salt
Cinnamon sugar 5 Tbs sugar 2 tsp cinnamon
Frosting
4 Tbs butter 2 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla ¼ cup milk
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Directions
1. Combine half the flour, wholemeal flour, water and yeast in a mixer and stir into dough for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 2. Add the remaining dough ingredients (olive oil, sugar and eggs) into the dough mixture. Stir about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth. 3. Knead the dough and form into a ball. Cover with a cloth and let dough rise for 45 minutes. 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 2.5-inch-thick rectangle. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. 5. Cut dough into 1.5-inch-wide strips. Roll each strip into 3-inch circles and place in baking pan with space between buns. 6. Let buns rise for 45 minutes. 7. Bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon buns from oven and cool completely. 8. Whip frosting ingredients together until smooth, adding small amounts of extra milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. Frost cooled cinnamon buns. 9. Enjoy! Makes about 20 buns.
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FOND FAREWELL
Faculty and staff who departed SAS at the end of 2010-11
Allan Mitchell, IS & Vicki Mitchell, PS, 1995-2011
The Mitchells are returning to New Zealand after 19 years teaching overseas. They say that they will greatly miss “living in Singapore and the joy of working with wonderful SAS students and colleagues.”
Bonetta Ramsey, MS Counselor, 1996-2011
Bonetta Ramsey, MS counselor, and Tim Ramsey, former eighth grade math teacher, are moving to Tokyo where she will be high school vice principal at St. Mary’s International School.
Joseph Lingle, HS Math, 1997-2011
Joe Lingle and his family are moving to Dhaka, Bangladesh where he will teach high school math and Joanie will teach preschool. He says, “Teaching at SAS has been THE highlight of my career. I will always be grateful for the incredible professional growth opportunities I had. Those opportunities came from simply observing the teachers. They challenge their students and colleagues to think critically, explore alternatives and engage in meaningful and powerful conversations. I have lost count of the number of students who demonstrated qualities that I hope my own children will one day have. They have created a culture of excellence at SAS that embodies the cornerstones of honesty, respect, tolerance, compassion and kindness. When students at SAS believe in something, they are truly capable of amazing things. I honestly cannot remember a day with students that was not a true pleasure.”
Karl Wischki, HS Math, 2000-11
Karl is returning home to Brisbane, Australia to spend quality time with his wife and son and “try something new.” He says, “Because people at SAS have high expectations, life here is demanding. As a teacher it requires you to reach deep within your understanding of the craft and produce more than you thought was possible. But to me the most important part was the daily interaction with the students. This is what it’s all about: the human factor. It’s been a fantastic and exceptional 10 years.” 36
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30 Years of Chemistry
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Mike Cox in the chemistry lab on the King’s Road campus in the mid 1980s.
Brad Moffatt and Steff Sanvik in 1999 when the SAS chapter of Habitat for Humanity was started, and being part of the team that built Habitat houses 2 and 3 in Thailand. Now, there are over 1,200 houses and I have been part of SAS groups in building 32 of them. I am confident that the tradition will continue under the helm of LeHing Tu and others. “Another satisfaction was sharing the experience with both daughters as they progressed through SAS from pre-K to graduation and to support their involvement in the founding of both Save Club and Peace Initiative. I will dearly miss the classroom and the daily
encounters with students. “Katherine and I are completely content with our upcoming retirement. We look forward to new and different opportunities to serve and to take an active part in a new community.”
Fond Farewell
hemistry teacher Mike Cox has retired after 30 years at SAS. He and wife Katherine, who was a familiar presence in the middle school cafeteria where she was lunchtime supervisor, have returned to the northwestern Ohio town of Bryan, where they plan some “long overdue giving back” by spending time with his 96-yearold mother. They also plan to visit their daughters in New York and Los Angeles and other family members spread around the U.S. and Europe. Mike says he wants, “to fulfill a dream of driving through the Canadian maritime provinces in the fall to see leaves changing color for the first time in 30 years. I want to be involved in Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer and I’ll look for opportunities to play my French horn in music ensembles and theater productions. Both Katherine and I want to do volunteer work with seniors at the county senior center.” About SAS: “The 30 years at SAS have been a good ride. I have had the privilege to teach some really extraordinary students and to teach alongside some truly phenomenal teachers like Abe Abraham, Roby Johnson, Brian Donalson, Bob Dodge, Rick Silverman, Jim Baker and John Hurst. I will always treasure their support and encouragement. “Two of the greatest satisfactions during my time at SAS were the privilege to be with
Katherine and Mike Cox with their daughters, who are both SAS alumni.
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37
Paul Welsh, HS TEC & Lauren Merbach, HS Deputy Principal, 1999-2011
Kurt and Rebekah are moving to Mumbai in the pursuit of new adventures and will be teaching at the American School of Bombay. He says, “Singapore has been very good to us these past ten years—two kids, great friends and many wonderful educational and travel experiences.”
Paul and Lauren are moving to the American Cooperative School of Tunis in Tunisia, where she will be a secondary school principal and he will be an IT integrationist. Singapore is where they became a family as they arrived as newlyweds and are leaving 12 years later with two sons. Lauren says, “I’ll miss the amazingly energetic and professional colleagues and friends, the balmy weather (but not the bad hair), Macritchie Reservoir and steamed dumplings.” Paul says, “The school has given my family a chance to grow and travel to amazing locations, great teaching tools and a chance for my wife and me to transition further into fields we love. The students are motivated and polite. I’m certain to miss that. I’ll also miss the greenery, the ability to motorcycle year-round and the variety of food, but not the crowds or permanently sweat-laden underwear.”
Other departing staff include Andy Donahue, HS math, and Shelly Donahue, MS/HS nurse (2003-11). They will be moving to the American Cooperative School of Tunis with their two children, Morgan and McKenna. Andy says he has enjoyed his time at SAS and is thankful for the opportunity to work in its “rich, collegial environment. I have many wonderful memories working with students and staff, and plan to maintain some of the
friendships for a long, long time.” Edwin Bywater, HS physics (2006-11) is headed for the American School of Doha in Qatar. He says, “My SAS experience has been amazing. The quality of teachers, students and parents is awesome.” Sarah Poland, PS (2003-11) is returning to the United States to teach in her hometown of Minneapolis. She says she will miss “the happy feeling that permeates the environment at SAS.”
Fond Farewell
Kurt Johnson, MS & Rebekah Johnson, IS, 2000-11
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SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
SEPTEMBER 2011
Mike Molly, HS Activities & Athletics Co-Director, 2003-11
After an amazing 42-year career in education, Mike has retired to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and plans to spend more time with his children and their families. Mike was a MS social studies teacher at SAS for five years and co-director of activities and athletics for three. Mimi Molchan, Mike’s wife, is currently co-director of HS activities and athletics, and plans to remain at SAS for a few more years so Mike will be visiting on a regular basis. His first return will be in October to help with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of IASAS. Mike says, “Working at SAS and living in Singapore have been wonderful experiences. Joining the middle school enabled me to
collaborate with excellent teachers. Developing a comprehensive instructional program with them was fun and I believe the students had fun learning. Working in the activities and athletics
office has been exciting and challenging. It is gratifying to look at these last eight years and be able to say that I can’t imagine a better way to have spent the time.”
Dale Smith, HS Social Studies & Tracy Meyer, HS Drama, 2002-11
SEPTEMBER 2011
and terrific students will remain with me. I found people who are truly experts in their areas and who love to exchange ideas. This is rarer than one might guess. The students are hard-working and possessed with drive and curiosity. I will miss the classroom conversations and the joys of coaching dedicated athletes. That said, I look forward to a return to a smaller school environment and the challenge of teaching new courses. SAS will always remain one of the highlights of my teaching experience.”
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
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Fond Farewell
Dale Smith and Tracy Meyer are moving to the International School of Kuala Lumpur. Tracy will be returning to grade 7 humanities and hopes to start an improvisation club and a casual choir. Tracy taught in the middle school for seven years, “followed
by three wonderful years in the high school. I have always appreciated the crossover of divisions; I taught grade 8 RLA while maintaining a competitive volleyball team at that level and coaching HS JV badminton and a developmental tennis team, then moved to the HS while still offering drama performances and assemblies for elementary audiences. My students and colleagues, many administrators and the parent community have been stellar.” Dale says, “I have enjoyed teaching at SAS. The facilities are wonderful but more importantly, the company of good colleagues
Annual Young Alumni Reunion at The American Club’s Union Bar. Pictured: Anish Jain (02), Azizah Sultan (SAS staff), Paula Silverman (SAS faculty), Justin Sumarta Mu (01), and Albert Gumilang (00).
ALUMNI Gatherings Lauri Coulter, Associate Director of Alumni Relations
T
he SAS Alumni Office sponsored another round of engaging alumni events over the last several months. In addition to the Young Alumni Reunion in Singapore in December 2010 and the alumni gatherings during February 2011 in Washington, DC, New York, Boston and San Francisco, we introduced a new series of roundtable discussions. Seventy alumni from the classes of 2001-10 attended the Young Alumni Reunion at the Union Bar at The American Club in Singapore, many of whom had just finished final exams at college and returned to Singapore for the holiday break. Teachers Jim Baker, Bob Dodge, Mike Cox, Paula and Rick Silverman, Mike Norman, Mark Guggisberg and Mark Clemens were on hand to chat with the graduates. Also present with her camera was the everpopular Azizah Sultan from the high school office who enjoyed visiting and taking pictures with all the former students. The roundtables in Washington, New York and Boston were a first for SAS. In each city, six to twelve people participated in a series of engaging conversations about alumni perspectives of SAS, what 40
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
they were looking for from the SAS alumni office, and ways they felt alums might like to be connected with the school and one another. The discussions generated some great ideas that the alumni office is working into its near- and long-term goals. As one example, look for a new career and mentoring section on the alumni website in the near future. The February alumni gatherings were held in four cities, overlapping with the roundtables in Washington, New York and Boston. All four events had a strong turnout in spite of challenging weather. Evening meet-and-great events were held at the Asia Nine Bar and Lounge in DC, Stone Creek Bar & Lounge in NYC, P.F. Chang’s in Boston, and Straits Kitchen in SF. Check www.facebook.com/singaporeamericanschoolalumni for a complete set of pictures to see if you know the people who were there. In the next issue of Journeys look for updates from the many fabulous reunions and gatherings that were held in the summer of 2011. We invite you to send photos for inclusion in the magazine or that you would like to have posted online to alumni@sas.edu.sg.
SEPTEMBER 2011
BOSTON, MA A
B
D
C
E
F
Alumni Gatherings
A Melissa Huston (10), Shawn Teng (10), Jamie Lim (10), Luigi Puno (10), John Liu (10), Victor Mahillon (03) and Valerie Mahillon (07) B Ellen Wuest (07) and Priya Ashok (06) C Karen Botcheller (98), Christine Botcheller (92) and John Paul Botcheller (95) D Dhruv Sahgal (08), Liz Bowers (06), Ben Spalter (06), Valerie Mahillon (07) and Jennifer Nockels (07) E Bill Rives (former faculty), Sneh Shah (07) and Aseem Nambier (07) F Mithila Mahesh (09), Meghna Vaidyanath (09) and Nita Vaidya (09)
SEPTEMBER 2011
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
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WASHINGTON, DC B
A
C
D
E
A Russell Kruetter (09), Adrian Bautista (09), Jhila Farzaneh (09) and Kyle Smith (09) B Stuart Lippe (56), Michael Kingan (SAS), Bob Gross (former SAS superintendent), Anokhi Kapasi (98), Eileen Roulier (70), Greg Smith (83), Nona Pucciariello (82) and Brack Boone (83) C Anokhi Kapasi (98), Bianca Collins (98), Miriam Bensky (99) and David Crespo (99) D Veronika Chan (03), Bob Gross (former SAS superintendent), Melanie Tu (03) and Wes Schmidt (03) E Michael Wenske (01), Paul Young (01) and Sylvester Placid (00)
NEW YORK, NY B
Alumni Gatherings
A
C
D
E
A Sandra Kwan (02), Tracy Wedan (02), Ashley Brenner (02), Ashley Lockett (02) and Jessica Coziner (02) B Mallika Rao (07), Alexander Lloyd (06), Vrutika Mody (06) and Silvia Bernardini (04) C Maria Castro (03), Molly Phillips (03) and Kristine Galassi (03) D Carrie McGrath-Redding (83), Martha Livingston (83), Ed Diess (83) and Francesco Zargani (86) E Kate Ryan (02), Sid Rao (04), Heather Wigmore (04) and Kathryn Kingman (02) 42
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
SEPTEMBER 2011
SAN FRANCISCO, CA A A
B
C
D
E
F
SEPTEMBER 2011
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
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Alumni Gatherings
A Alex Shaulis (08) and Ryan Fenwick (07) B John Zachry (76), Carolyn Zachry and Ginny Dawes (63) C Joanna Lawson-Matthew (00), Chris Roberts, Anita Pearson (former SAS staff) and Bill Pearson (former SAS staff) D Lauri Coulter (SAS associate director of alumni relations) and Ambert Yeung (01) E Kristin Searle (64), Elaine Wales Koch (70) and Brent Mutsch (SAS superintendent) E Lauren Felice (10), Ashan Fernando (10), Max Shaulis (10) and Casimir Fussner (09)
In 2010-11, SAS lost three very special
Wall in the SAS Memory Garden. The
teachers: Abe Abraham (1959-94), John
Memory Garden honors and celebrates
Hurst (1982-2007) and Edd Brown (1995- the rich history of the school, including 2010). The following pages contain
dedicated and inspiring teachers who
tributes from alumni, students and
will be remembered with love and
colleagues. These teachers will also be
admiration by generations of students
recognized with plaques on the Memory
and colleagues.
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SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
SEPTEMBER 2011
Lifelong Love of Literature now. He gave me the gifts of little gestures, passion for the written word and unfailing curiosity. Michael Norton (01): A hard but fair teacher who really cared about his students.
J
Scott Woodworth (94): He inspired me to read more deeply and planted the seed of theater in my consciousness. I often share with my students wonderful stories of SAS and one of my favorite teachers. Robert Frazier (96): He motivated me to be more confident in my artistic expression, and I will never forget the positive role he played in my life.
Francesco Zargani (86): Many teachers influenced me greatly in my life, but John Hurst stands out in particular. He taught me so much about literature and theater, but he most importantly allowed me to find my own voice and to be comfortable in my own individuality. He was a superb Teacher with a capital “T” and a great friend.
Mark Holtebeck (88): I’ve used the way he interacted and shared his passion with students as a model in my classroom.
Jessica Wilgus Stewart (99): I loved the quiet cross-questioning look he gave, with one eyebrow raised. The world has lost a great person and a wonderful teacher.
SEPTEMBER 2011
Sarah Gundle (04): Praise from him was hard to earn, but it meant the world to me when he gave it.
Liz Vikla (96): He was incredibly inspiring and I’m sure a part of the reason I majored in creative writing/English. Sean O’Brien (86): I remember enjoying literature for the first time in his class. Carol Pernikar (89): He guided me to become an English major in college, which paved the extraordinary road that I travel
Georgina Toriyama (95): He was one of the most amazing teachers I had at SAS. He taught us so much more than the appreciation of literature. He taught us how to be strong, independent, thinking individuals. Anne von Finckenstein (88): Mr. Hurst was a truly inspirational teacher and one of the reasons I work in communications today. I loved his teaching style: funny, empathetic and at the same time, matter-of-fact and demanding. Salvatore Sciandra (04): John Hurst was one of the formative figures in my life. There is not a week that goes by where I don’t think about him and appreciate all that he gave me. His wit, wisdom and counsel are deeply missed. Glen McEuen (93): What an honor to have known such a dynamic, caring and insightful man.
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In Memory
ohn Hurst, SAS English and drama teacher from 1982-2007, passed away in Westport, Ireland on December 13, 2010. His legacy is his lifelong love of literature that he shared with students for 30 years. Former students shared memories of Mr. Hurst and the ways that he influenced their lives.
In Memory
Every School Needs an Edd Brown Edd had a flair, a talent, a gift really, and it was his ability to tease you, to poke fun of you, to take the mickey out of you and to make you like him for doing it. It was his connection to people he liked. You sensed that when he bothered to tease you, Edd was signaling that he cared about you and appreciated who and what you were. He took his big affable love of all things good and honest and simple and he condensed it into stories, and when you had listened to enough of them, Edd became the best friend you had grown up with, the embodiment of all those important life lessons your parents wanted you to learn, the guy you would choose to spend an afternoon with and the kind of person you hoped you were and that you could help your children become. Ken Schunk (Primary School Deputy Principal)
He was loved by everyone. Teachers enjoyed working with him and students cheered when it was time for technology class. He would go out and greet the 46
Edd Brown, SAS technology teacher, passed away on November24, 2010 in Singapore. Edd, who began teaching at SAS in 1995, is pictured here with his wife, Pat, who is a former SAS choir teacher.
students each morning even when he didn’t have bus duty. Students went out of their way to say hi, give him a hug or shake his hand. He will be greatly missed by everyone. Anne Dodge Carroll (03 & current faculty)
lock the wheels and was very pleased with himself. Sometimes he’d be on the floor poking around the computers. I remember one student who clung to Edd’s leg while he was teaching. Patiently he continued teaching. Poh San Loke (former tech assistant)
What a wonderful educator dear Edd was! His love of children and his family was a role model for all of us. We feel blessed for having known Edd. Dale Yount (former faculty)
I loved Edd’s wit and his unending kindness. He made an effort to reach out to people during tough times. I will never forget his words of encouragement.
Karen O’Shaughnessy (former SAS teacher)
Every school needs an Edd Brown. Jo McIlroy (current faculty)
The Edd I remembered was so full of life—ever so helpful and genuinely kind to all. Memories of him flash by. When students zoomed across the lab on their chairs, he figured out a way to
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
Edd was my friend for nearly ten years. He was a great soundboard, a pessimist at times, a joker, a crazy thinking philosopher, a devoted husband and loving grandfather, but above all other things, he was my good friend. Leah Hevey (current faculty)
I still remember all the loving stories Mrs. Brown shared with our choir class about her and Edd growing up together. Sara Calvert (06)
Edd made my son feel special.
Paula Story (current faculty)
Not only was he a great teacher in the classroom, he was great at riding shotgun. I imagine he’s doing that right now. Michael Smith (99) and son of former teachers Dave and Peggy Smith SEPTEMBER 2011
Truth, Integrity and Fairness Jim Baker (66 and current faculty)
I
knew Abe Abraham as a teacher, a mentor, a colleague and a friend. I write for the thousands of students he taught and the hundreds of colleagues who worked with him. There is little doubt that his 35-year-legacy at SAS will last long after his passing. No matter what your relationship with Mr. Abraham, one thing we all can say is that he was a man of principle. About 15 years ago there was a reunion of SAS alumni in Singapore. One of the events was a dinner for Mr. and Mrs. Abraham. He had just retired and she was getting ready to retire. Besides the students who were physically at the dinner, messages came in from around the globe honoring their legacy of service and excellence. What struck me as I read and listened was that the gratitude for his work was not for math lessons but rather for the lessons in life that had endured long after the calculus or algebra books were closed. He taught the principles of math very effectively, but we learned them in the larger context of the principles of life. One of his former students, Cliff Groen (64), eloquently expresses those principles. “By his example, Mr. Abraham instilled respect for truth,
integrity and fairness in all matters. He stimulated life-long intellectual curiosity and rigor among his students. His enduring influence on generations of students is aptly captured by a Native American proverb, which says, ‘They are not gone who live in the hearts they left behind.’” As a young teacher, I heard Mr. Abraham continually champion high standards and the pursuit of excellence. These are laudable goals but over time and reflection I realized they meant little unless they were seen as manifestations of those larger, more important principles—truth, integrity, respect and fairness—Abe’s gifts to his students and his friends. As a union leader, I saw that, to Abe, the battles were over more than dollars and cents and contracts. They were over questions of fairness, truth and integrity. An important lesson was that sometimes we have to fight to preserve our principles. As Robert Kennedy said, “The work of our own hands matched to reason and principle will determine destiny.” Rest in peace Mr. Abraham. You have left behind large and indelible footprints on the sands of time.
In Memory
Dr. Mel Kuhbander (alum parent and superintendent 1981-90) and K.A. Abraham, who passed away on June 20, 2011. On hearing of his death, Kuhbander emailed, “Abe so fully believed in what he did as a teacher and friend of students. He was just so very, very good in so very many ways.”
SEPTEMBER 2011
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
47
Notes & Quotes 1950s
Stuart Lippe (59) continues to work at the Department of State in Washington, DC, where he is a senior adviser on issues related to Colombia, including human rights, counter narcotics, social and economic development and international cooperation. Quite a mixed bag. He and former SAS Superintendent Bob Gross met other SAS alumni, Lauri Coulter and Michael Kingan at the D.C. February reunion where stories ran the whole range from Rochalie Drive to Woodlands. Bob is also with the State Department and responsible for support to dozens of schools in Europe as a Regional Education Officer. However, in March he did an excursion visit to Rio, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. Nice work. Stuart would like to hear from other members of the 56-59 years at stuartlippe@hotmail.com.
in her first grade classroom and poured over yearbooks. They found Sharon in the 1966 yearbook as part of the Folk Singing Group that commemorated the opening of the Singapore Parliament.
Kevin Denton (82) was featured in a recent episode of “Build it Bigger” on Discovery Channel. You can download it on iTunes or see clips on YouTube. It was called Build it Bigger Azerbaijan, and featured the project he is heading up called the Baku Flame Towers Project. Martha Livingston (83) had her third child, Theo, in June 2009. She lives in New York City where she works as a program officer at the Starr Foundation. Carrie McGrath-Redding (83) is married and has two daughters. She lives in Connecticut and works for Hartford Financial Services as an audit analyst.
Sharon Poulson Woodland (67) and Jackie Armstrong (67) enjoyed a brief reunion at Heathrow Airport in August 2009.
Cindy Littleton-Jenkins (83) and husband Dennis visited Singapore for their 20th wedding anniversary. She said it was wonderful to be back “home.”
1960s
Enjoying lunch at the American Club are (l to r): Jolly Abraham, Tan Sian Ling (wife of Tan Boon Hian), Kathy Tan (67 and current staff), Abe Abraham (former teacher), Chuck Root (67), Tan Boon Hian (68) and Sarah Root (wife of Chuck Root). Michael Lippe (61), another survivor of the back porch at Rochalie Drive, is retired and living in Sheperdstown, West Virginia. His book, Pancreatic Cancer: A Patient and his Doctor Balance Hope and Truth written in collaboration with Dr. Le, has just been published by Johns Hopkins Press. Kristin Lundberg Searle (64) has retired after 37 years in education. She co-chaired the 50s, 60s and 70s SAS reunion in San Francisco with Elaine Wales Koch (70) in July. Sharon Poulson Woodland (67) lives in England with her husband Colin. They visited SAS last December with her parents, who still live in Singapore. They met with current teacher Kathy Tan (67) 48
Jerry “Bubba” Hegwood (76) and wife gave their youngest daughter, Kodi Michelle, to her fireman boyfriend, Shane Atkins, on April 10, 2010. The wedding ceremony took place at Good Hope Baptist Church and a fun reception was held at Lake Serene Clubhouse in Hattiesburg, MS. Back row: Elden & Gladys Atkins, Bubba, wife Gretchen, Kodi, son Shane, daughter Stacy, son in law Josh. Bottom row: grandchildren Jay, Sophie, David and Gage.
1970s
John Zachry (76) currently lives in Placerville, CA. Eight-year-old William is into wrestling, and 13-yearold Theresa has started a Kiwanissponsored “Builder’s Club” at her middle school. He has Singapore pictures that he is willing to share with anybody interested. jz@mm-press.com.
1980s
Craig Wood (80) is working for 3e Technologies International, a government contractor for the U.S. military.
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
Lisa Kukula (85) is in the U.S. Navy Reserve and currently in Afghanistan on deployment. She visited Singapore last spring and saw her nephew and family. Nephew Tristan Chung (18) is in sixth grade at SAS. Francesco Zargani (86) visited SAS in November 2010. He is the business operations manager for a semiconductor manufacturer in Boston, but his favorite destination is Singapore. He considers his time at SAS “an unforgettable journey.” While on campus, he visited the Memory Garden and ate Mr. Ho’s mee goreng with teacher Jim Baker. SEPTEMBER 2011
Sisters Deanna Rutherford (87), Tonya Rutherford (93), and Danae Rutherford (91) visited SAS on June 23, 2011. Both Tonya and Danae are stay-at-home moms. Tonya is expecting her fifth and sixth children in November. They were in Singapore for their mom’s 70th birthday.
remains amazed that so many of those friendships have endured.
1990s Daniel Coe’s (85) three children attended SAS for several years until the family moved to China 3 years ago. Mike Nelson’s (85) children also attended SAS until they moved to China in 2005. They both now live in Shanghai and their kids go to the Shanghai American School. When they saw the school’s eagle mascot, which is the same as their alma mater, they just had to take a picture! Dan’s on the left, Mike on the right.
Inhi Jung (91) is a freelance conference interpreter in English and Korean. Leigh Frampton (91) has recently taken a job with Grab Networks in Washington, DC, as web editor and multimedia manager. She sees Lily Boone Santos (92) regularly and is proud to be honorary aunt to Lily’s two kids. Lily is currently enjoying being a mom and catering. Nathalie Vo-Ta Antus (90) and her husband Scott, happily welcomed their daughter, Valerie Octavia-Trinh Antus (VO-TA!) on November 8, 2010. The family currently resides in northern California where Scott is a land surveyor and Nathalie is a stay-athome mom.
Chip Kelsey (86), Commanding Officer of the VT-21 Fighting Redhawks, was stationed in Kingsville, TX before leaving for his new posting in Germany. He says, “While it was challenging keeping up with the young top guns of the future, I enjoyed each and every minute of it and feel blessed to have the best job in the Navy.” Picture shows his wife Cathy and their three children. Saba Haq (86) and Gaja Krishna Vaidyanatha (85) visited SAS in July while they were in Singapore for business. Saba is currently working as a physician and Gaja is the CEO/Founder of Dperfmann LLC.
Randy Baker (92) is still in DC running Rorshach Theater. He is earning an MFA and teaching at American University. Tim Smith (89), former SAS rugby captain, visited Singapore in May with his wife and children. During their visit they met up with Coach Nat and Rose Bava at the Changi Beach Club. Tim and his family currently live in Manila.
SEPTEMBER 2011
David Steele (91) with son Alex, age 6. His other children are David, age 2 and baby Isabella. He recently left the army, where he served as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for 10 years. Bevan O’Ruland (91) had a great time at the New York City alumni gathering. He only spent a year in Singapore, and
Anthony Bianchi (95) started his own creative search firm in 2010, Bond Creative Search. Christine Botcheller (92) has recently changed careers from advertising to education. She teaches second grade in Newton, MA.
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
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Notes & Quotes
Steven Wang (92), Stephanie WangCampbell (94) and Richard Campbell (91) visited SAS in July. Steven has just opened his first Japanese yakitori restaurant in Taipei. Stephanie is currently an elementary school teacher at Cypress School District in California and her husband, Richard, is working for DHL Express as a senior industrial engineer.
Mariana Robillard (98) was married this past year. Her new name is Huiskamp-Robillard. Matthew Goossen (98) is a practicing attorney in Houston. He married Lacey Fluor in May, and the couple honeymooned in Turkey.
Mike Steele (91) is an F-16 jet fighter pilot currently serving in Afghanistan. Brandon Boey (96) is a litigation attorney at Willkie Farr in the Washington, DC area.
Kristen Miller (Young) (98) and Richard Miller (97) proudly welcomed their first child, Beckett Hideo Miller, on July 12, 2011 in Chicago, IL. Beckett weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and measured 21 inches long.
Suk Jin Chang (96) is working at Seoul Broadcasting Station in South Korea. Bede Anderson (97) married the love of his life, Vanessa Türcke, in Germany on July 9, 2009. They celebrated in October on Australia’s Garie Beach. Bede and Vanessa now have a lovely son, Noah Benjamin, born October 14, 2010.
Jeff Sundberg (97) and Laura Geshay Sundberg (98) joyfully announce the birth of their daughter Harper Quinn Sundberg, born on April 7, 2011, at 12:01 in the afternoon. Harper weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and measured 19.75 inches long. Godart van Gendt (98) and Susanne will be getting married on September 10, 2011 in Leiden, The Netherlands, after moving back from Singapore to The Netherlands in August 2011.
Notes & Quotes
Maddie Coles joined the family of Bonnie Loudon Coles (95) and husband Matt on January 10. The family resides in Shanghai, China, where Bonnie is a PE teacher at the Shanghai Community International School.
Mindy Eiermann (98) is proud to announce the birth of her first child Aurora Ruth Eiermann Collins, born August 27, 2010 in Los Angeles.
50
Miriam Bensky (99) works in Washington, DC for the World Bank.
Richard Liu (98) and his wife Suzanne welcomed the arrival their first child, Eleanor, in February. Richard proudly reports that Eleanor is a happy and healthy chubster (who doesn’t like being waited on hand and foot?), smiling all the time. Professionally, Richard is loving his second career loading up on free food at Facebook after making the leap from portfolio management a year ago, and in his spare time, learning how to kiteboard on the SF Bay. David Crespo (99) works at the Department of Commerce as an international trade analyst. He is recruiting fellow SASer, Brian Cook (00), to be on his soccer team.
Hendrik Lim (99) and his bride Diana were married in Jakarta in 2010. The couple lives in Jakarta. Pictured are Samuel Tanuwidjaja (98), Mey Tan, Hendrik Lim (99), Diana, Yuliana Widjaja, Jerry Hong (97). Current teachers Mark and Jo Ann Clemens, Bond Hawana (99) and Benz Hawana (99) attended the wedding.
SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
SEPTEMBER 2011
Laura Melvin Sample (00) earned an MHA from UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health in December 2010. She is a manager of strategic planning at the Duke University Health System.
Sergio Camara (99) and his wife Jill welcomed a baby boy to their family on June 17, 2011. They named him Adrian and he weighed 8 lbs 10 oz. Priyanka Dewan (99) was named in Billboard’s Power Players: 30 under 30 list last year. The recognition honored influential young people in the music and record label industry. She hopes to start her own music management company in Singapore soon. Cecilia Lam (99) is currently engaged and living happily in San Francisco. She works in finance by day and sings in vocal ensembles by night. Neha Jain (99) works in New York City as a physician’s assistant in oncology. She recently went to Ireland with her sister Vallerie Jain (92) for their yearly trip.
2000s Nicolas Dale (00), Justin Flowers (99), Scott Davidson (99), John Matchett (99), Nima Hedayati (00) and their significant others visited SAS last December. It was the first time they had been together since graduation. Scott lives in New Hampshire with wife Kathleen and works for the treasury department. Nicholas lives in LA and works for Fremantlemedia. Nima lives in Los Gatos, CA and is a small business owner.
Audrey Chan Slover (01) and daughter Calliope (born March 1, 2010) visited SAS last December. She is now with the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service after an initial career in investment banking. She is currently living in Kuala Lumpur. She met up with teachers Baker, Zitur, Adams, Clemens and Began. Her favorite SAS memories are spirit days. Bethany McCurley Hunter (01) visited SAS last December. She is an administrative assistant with Pan American Health Organization. She keeps in contact with Audrey Chan Slover (01), Winnie Leung (01), Albert Gumilang (00), Dara Barrett (03), Marie Reyes (01) and teachers Mike and Catherine Cox and Chip Miller. Paul Young (01) was married on September 12, 2010.
After 4 years at JP Morgan, Sandra Kwan (02) is now at Credit Suisse. She returned to Singapore for a school reunion. She has moved into a studio in Murray Hill, relocating every year because that’s what SASers do. Before her visit, she was last seen in Colombia horseback riding and trekking along coffee regents and cliffs.
Allen Merrill (02) is a NY investment banker for Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. He and wife Colleen visited Singapore and SAS on their honeymoon last spring.
Michael Wenske (01) is currently living and working in Washington, DC.
Karen Botcheller (03) is currently working as a high school guidance counselor in Massachusetts. She lives just outside of Boston.
Justin Bukunt (01) passed away last April in Honolulu, where he was employed as an environmental scientist by Parsons Corporation.
Chad Nelson (03) is a financial analyst at IBM in Rochester, MN. He recently married and visited SAS on his honeymoon last February.
Last March, Syed Arif (02) visited campus with his wife while they were on vacation. His family still lives in Singapore. Syed is in the military and stationed in Hawaii.
Lauryn Ishak (03) is a professional photographer in Singapore and occasionally substitutes at SAS.
Ashley Brenner (02) ran the New York City Marathon in November 2010. Elizabeth Botcheller (02) is working as a registered nurse at a hospital in Boston, MA.
Melanie Tu (03) manages executive compensation for The Washington Post. Manabu Kawamura (03) graduated from Temple University School of Tourism and Hospitality and is currently working for the Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo, Japan.
Anita Surendran (00) is working as an entertainment attorney for Gray Krauss Des Rochers LLP.
Steve Holtebeck (00) is working at Wells Fargo in downtown San Francisco. He recently visited Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
SEPTEMBER 2011
Notes & Quotes
Rebecca Schmidt (00) still enjoys teaching third and fourth grade at a bilingual Spanish-English public school in Washington, DC. She has run a half marathon in California, has visited Nepal and the Virgin Islands and her family in Australia during school breaks.
Caitlin Albany (05), Luc Nutter (05) and Kay Miyoshi (05) all met at SAS. They have a reunion every summer in Columbus, Ohio.
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Richard Norman (03) attended Napa Valley College and currently works in a winery in Napa, CA. Veronika Chan (03) is working for a global company that prides itself on diversity and global networks— synonymous with her experiences at SAS, a melting pot of many cultures. Victor Mahillon (03) is working as a recruiter at a venture capital firm. Wes Schmidt (03) is a certified floodplain manager for the FEMA Map Information exchange, helping to minimize flooding hazards around the United States. Andrew Bertasso (04) is working at DIRECTV in ad sales. He has been married for 4 years and had his first child last October. Elizabeth Gawlik (04) graduated in May 2008 from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently working at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Heather Wigmore (04) has just started a new job at the Trisha Brown Dance Company in New York. Silvia Bernardini (04) lives in New York and works at Ernst and Young. She frequently meets up with former SASers on weekends. Lesley Fredin (04) graduated from George Washington Law School this year and is working at Wilmer Hale in Washington, DC.
Notes & Quotes
Nicole DeFord (05) is happily employed at STATS. She is most active with their SportVU business and spends a lot of time in Green Bay for the NFL and Houston, Dallas and Oklahoma City for the NBA. She took a short trip home to Asia in April, visited Srinual in Chiang-Mai and checked in at SAS. Says her mom, Shelley, “Only third-culture Asian kids would fly to Asia for four days!”
Chelsea Park (06) visited Singapore over the Christmas holidays. She is an executive with Samsung Electronics in Korea. During her SAS days, she was a volunteer at the Leprosy Home, and she wanted to do something for the residents when she visited. The director of the home suggested that individual hong baos would be most appreciated, so Chelsea left a contribution at SAS, which the high school volunteers divided into individual packets and handed out to the residents. The director announced that the gift was from an SAS student who had visited them in years past and was still interested in their well-being. Pictured above is Lim Ah Lee receiving a hong bao from Gu Hyug Kwon (11) and Jason Li (12). Chantale Wilson (05) is a master’s/Ph.D. candidate in industrial/organizational psychology at the University of Akron. She keeps in touch with Kay Miyoshi (05) back home in Dallas. Alexander Lloyd (06) graduated from Dartmouth in June 2010 and now works for Healthcare Chaplaincy in New York City. He plans to attend medical school in the near future. Benjamin Spalter (06) is working in corporate development at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Joshua Velson (06) is currently at the Cornell Graduate School of Chemical Engineering in Ithaca, NY after graduating with a bachelor of science degree from MIT.
Caitlin Albany (05) and Kay Miyoshi (05) have been best friends since sixth grade. Caitlin attended Saint Mary’s College and is now working at JP Morgan Chase in Columbus, Ohio.
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University majoring in entomologist and environmental studies. Clare graduated from Lehigh University, majoring in global studies, English and Russian. Elizabeth is currently studying at Smith College, MA. Ellen Wuest (07) is in an occupational therapy graduate program at Boston University’s Sargent College. Mallika Rao (07) graduated in May 2010 from NYU with a degree in religious studies and minors in French and South Asian studies. She writes a food blog in her free time at www.maltartare.com. Nicole Schmitz (07) worked as a copy editor last summer at World Scientific in Singapore. She is studying history at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
Kristin Liu (06) lives in New York City and is interning at the Met in the education and Asian art departments. She loves it.
Ryan Fenwick (07) graduated from Santa Clara University in June 2010 with a major in finance and a minor in international business.
Liz Bowers (06) is working at Nexx Systems in Massachusetts.
Michelle Schmitz (07) received a grant from the University of Chicago Human Rights internship program to work with UNAIDS in Malawi. She graduated in June with a BS in biology and a minor in statistics and human rights.
Priya Ashok (06) is studying law at Northeastern University. Sarah Breeden (07), Clare Ryan (07) and Elizabeth Breeden (09) visited SAS in June. Sarah graduated from
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SEPTEMBER 2011
Pallavi Karunakaran (09) graduated from the University of Akron, OH in May 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in natural science and minor in chemistry and Spanish, as part of the six year combined BS/MD program. She is now in medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Akhilesh Pant (09) received an undergraduate research grant to do a short-term preliminary ethnographic study on third culture American students in Singapore. He will be interviewing American students at SAS as well as a handful of parents this fall.
Caitlin Cunningham (09) is studying at Colgate University. She got together with five fellow alums in DC over the winter break. Pictured are Jelita Adams (09), Krisna Bharvani (09), Caitlin, Adrian Bautista (09). Not pictured are Priyanka Arya (09) and Russell Kreuter (09). Julia Knight (07) is teaching English in Dallas with Teach for America and plans to go to grad school in a few years. Sneh Shah (07) just graduated from Boston University with a major in biomedical engineering. His research project looked at shoulder injuries suffered by baseball pitchers. Chan Lee (07) is at Washington University in St. Louis and worked last summer as a research assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital. Catelijne Meijer(08) graduated from Roosevelt Academy Middleburg with a BSc (honors) in pre-med. She will continue her education by studying for a master’s in genetic epidemiology at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Wu Wanwen (08) is attending Boston University and majoring in English. Lindsey Farris (08) is attending La Sierra University in Riverside, California.
Daniele Selby (09) is currently at Vassar College where she is majoring in music and psychology. Sanskriti Ayyar (09) is attending Claremont McKenna College, majoring in psychology and history. Adrian Bautista (09) is a design and communications assistant at the Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. SEPTEMBER 2011
Alan Chow (09) is studying at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.
Victoria Miranda (09) and Christina Miranda (09) visited SAS in June. Christina is studying at the Art Institute in Chicago and she also works at Nuveen International Student Center as a interviewer. Victoria is studying at Elon University as an acting major.
Brian Chow (09) majors in animation at the Academy of Art in San Francisco with a focus on character animation. Kyle Smith (09) is majoring in economics at Middlebury College. He is still dating Jhila Farzaneh (09). Currently at Harvard, Meng Chen (09) graduated from high school in Fort Bend, TX. She was in Singapore last January to run the Harvard Model Congress Asia Conference at NUS. Her favorite memory of SAS is listening to her classmates jam at Jazz Improve. Karen Ito (09) is studying at the International Christian University in Yokohama City. Allen Koh (09) is attending the Olin College of Engineering and recently completed a summer internship at General Electric. Eugene Wong (09) is studying at Carnegie-Mellon University. Elliot Miranda (09) is working toward a bachelor of fine arts at Elon University. Aasmrna Chopro (09) is studying drama and business at NYU. Lillianne Cadieux-Shaw (09) is at the University of King’s College, Halifax, and works for a radio station on a program called New Roots Radio.
Pomona College runner Annie Lydens (09) finished second in the 5000-m race at the NCAA Division III National Championships, May 26-28, with a time of 17:07.13. Her coach Kirk Reynolds said, “We’re sure enjoying Annie’s academic and athletic contributions here at Pomona. Please tell Coach Baker thanks for all of the great foundation and preparation work with Annie. She’s a gem.”
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Notes & Quotes
Dominique Wilson Smith (09) visited SAS last December. While a student at SAS, her nickname was Morning Show Girl, which is one of her favorite memories. She saw teachers Melsom and Clemens while visiting.
Adrienne Wilson (09) attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. She works as a professional web designer and industrial designer and has won several design competitions.
Mili Kale (09) interned at Hole-InThe-Wall-Education (HiWEL) in Delhi, India for 7 weeks this summer. HiWEL places learning stations (computers with programs and software to allow students to further their learning) in different areas of Delhi, more specifically various slum areas.
2010s
returning to Singapore over Chinese New Year. “We are sad to be leaving our 30-year home for the last time.” They are happily settled in Johnson City, TN.
Alexander Bakshi (10) attends the University of Edinburgh. His favorite memory of SAS is having Mr. Hoe’s food every day. John (Shou-Han) Liao (10) is studying communications with a concentration on advertising at Boston University. Max Shaulis (10) plays varsity rugby for Cal Berkeley. Melissa Huston (10) is at Bentley University, where she joined the women’s rugby team and started as scrumhalf. Her rugby team won nationals and was 15-0 undefeated. Stanton Yuwono (10) visited SAS over spring break. He is currently studying economics and is considering a major in international relations at the University of Rochester. He interned in the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development in Rochester. Kirsten Miranda (10) is attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and working as an interviewer at its Nuveen International Student Center. Sarah Chuah (10) is studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology and recently had a summer internship with an interior design company, Y2 Space, in Singapore. Jennifer Ho is attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and worked for the SAS Summer Program this year. Nico Daily (10) is at Texas A&M studying engineering but thinking about changing his major to sports management. He spent the summer interning with Chevron back home in Indonesia.
Rachel Lamb (11) and Connor Lamb (13) visited campus in June. Rachel recently finished high school and will be going to college at CU Denver in Colorado. Connor he is currently studying in Mead High School and has just started his junior year. Vanessa Ferguson (10), who attended SAS in grades 1-5, was back in Singapore for the first time last summer. She attends college in Nova Scotia. Sara Gaines (10) is currently attending Northeastern University in Boston. She has continued her “morning show” career by anchoring the News Show and producing/anchoring a sports show at Northeastern. See www.watchnutv.com. Retika Majed (11) is attending David Game College in London and misses her SAS classmates.
Faculty and Parents Cathy Cunningham (alum parent) and husband live in New Hampshire full-time and “really enjoying life on the lake.” Richard works out of the house, traveling to London and Asia occasionally, and she’s looking for writing work to do from home. Rosemary Farmer (music faculty 81-96) and husband Mel sold their holiday HDB apartment after many years of
Former Supt. Dick Lyden enjoys the news he gets from Karen Studebaker, his SAS alumni rep, about Singapore and SAS. He and his wife Marjorie are doing fine. They have two of their daughters and four grandchildren living in Columbus where he and Marjorie are located. Their other daughter lives in Oregon. Anita (former SAS staff) and Bill Pearson (former SAS administrator) live in Curitiba, Brazil, the 2010 “most sustainable” city in the world. They regularly see former SAS coworkers Don Bergman, Bob Connor, Mike Schramm and Paul Combs. Daughter Allie (99) is dean of students at a middle school in Thousand Oaks, CA. Daughter Amy (01) will marry Ethan Garrett in October 2011. Betty Garrett (King’s Rd. HS Counselor 1974-77), and husband, Guy, Methodist missionary faculty at Trinity College, Singapore (parents of Marc Garrett 73, Greg Garrett 77, and Allison Garrett Howes, who left SAS in 77 and married Tom Howes 79, in 1995) have their eyes on Cairo hoping that the recent activities there don’t erupt into something more serious. Allison, Tom and their two daughters are living there where Tom works for BP as an engineer. The Garretts enjoyed having the Howes family in Texas for six weeks this past summer. Marc and Greg, with their families, have continued to live in Jakarta, Indonesia for approximately 20 years where they both work as engineers with oil companies.
Notes & Quotes
Myles Fenwick (10) is studing international relations at the University of San Francisco. Kathryn Tinker (10) is at American University in Washington, DC and recently finished an internship in the media department of EMILY’s List, a political organization that helps elect pro-choice democratic women. James McAdam (10) is attending American University in Washington, DC. Prakhar Mehrotra (10) is studying at the Pratt Institute in NYC. Marjhan Emaan Kausar (10) is studying at the London College of Fashion. Audrey Hsia (10) is attending Northeastern University. Lee YunHwa (10) is at USC.
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Shari Sadler (faculty 82-87) and Jack Sadler of Sarasota, Florida met Jean Caskey (faculty 81-94), director of the Grand Cayman International School at Bangkok Restaurant in Sarasota, while Jean was in Florida during Spring Break.
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SEPTEMBER 2011
PUBLISHED Issac Allen (04) released his first album, Don’t Smoke, last October. He is donating 35% of all profits from the album to the Malaysian and Indonesian International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. A review of the album by Blogcritics says, “Like many of the classic bluesmen of the past, he has drawn upon his life’s experiences to paint his songs. ... If you are looking for an album of passionate and well-produced blues ... then this is an album that needs to grace your music collection.” Released October 2010 by Horizon Records
Andrew Hallam (HS English teacher) has written a book about managing finances, Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School. William Bernstein, author of The Investor’s Manifesto, states, “Do you spend too much and save too little? Do you wonder why your investments always seem to roll behind the eight ball? In clear, compelling, and highly entertaining prose Andrew Hallam will explain to you exactly why, and what to do about it.” Published September 2011 by Wiley
Michael Lippe (61) recently published the book Pancreatic Cancer: A Patient and his Doctor Balance Hope and Truth that was written in collaboration with Dr. Dung T. Le. The book offers clear explanations of what the disease is, describes what people with the disease will feel physically and mentally, and discusses current treatments and future directions of research. Published May 2011 by The Johns Hopkins University Press
Jelita McLeod (88) and husband James Munton have just published a book, The Con: How Scams Work, Why You’re Vulnerable, and How to Protect Yourself, which explores the world of scams through individual stories and perspectives. Reviews to date include “must read,” well written, informational, entertaining,” “a wake-up call for those who think they can’t be scammed, “essential and entertaining.” Published October 2011 by Rowan & Littlefield Publishers
Michael Murphree (00) recently co-published Run of the Red Queen: Government, Innovation, Globalization, and Economic Growth in China. Rawl Abdelal at Harvard Business School said, “In this impressive, insightful and now essential book, Breznitz and Murphree uncover and explain how China’s system of innovation fits into a world of fragmented production and a rapidly expanding technological frontier. No one in the West will have a comprehensive understanding of the rise of China and its place in the current era of globalization until reading Run of the Red Queen.” Published May 2011 by Yale University Press
SEPTEMBER 2011
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The Last Word Letters from Alumni
From Coach Kasi (Faculty 63-83): Thank you for printing the photo of my Dream Team. My granddaughter Keana and her friends were thrilled, and I had comments from a host of former SASers. Life goes on and the thrill of coaching is still there. From Jane Bell (Faculty 79-88): I am so thrilled that Journeys is there for all of us to enjoy and see what’s going on with the school and friends. Thank you for such a great article about the sports medicine trainers. I really appreciate that good things happened to them so many years after SAS. They all worked so hard and gave so much of themselves. It changed my life to be able to be in touch with them again, and it wouldn’t have happened without Karen Studebaker (faculty 75-81) and Laura Nicklas (82). From Wren Munsterman (Parent and School Board Member 8892): Upon visiting the Woodlands campus for the first time, Wren remarked: “What I witnessed today far exceeded what I envisioned when the Board of Governors grappled with the decision to move from the Ulu Pandan and King’s Road campuses. ... It is an honor to be part of the extended SAS community.”
Wren Munsterman, SAS parent and board member from 1988-92, recently visited Singapore American School.
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SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL JOURNEYS
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SAS Alumni Services Visits and Tours
SAS alumni online community
If you are in Singapore and would like a tour of the campus or to visit with former faculty and staff be sure to contact us at alumni@sas.edu.sg. We look forward to seeing you.
The SAS alumni website can be found at alumni. sas.edu.sg. The password-protected site has more than 7,000 members made up of former and current students, faculty and parents. Members can maintain their own profiles, search for and contact other registered members, post photos and blogs, and stay informed about news and events.
Reunions and get-togethers SAS hosts reunions in the Unites States and in selected cities around the world. Additionally the alumni office assists those who are interested in planning alumni get-togethers. SAS Journeys Twice a year, members of the SAS alumni community receive SAS Journeys alumni magazine. Published since 2006, it includes articles about alumni experiences and features on what is currently happening on campus. Please send contributions, photos, class notes updates and/or suggestions to alumni@sas.edu.sg.
Alumni E-Newsletter The alumni e-newsletter, emailed quarterly, contains news and information about the school, the alumni community, and upcoming events. Social Networking, Facebook, LinkedIn Connect with other SAS alumni on Facebook at www.facebook.com/singaporeamericanschoolalumni or at Singapore American School Alumni on LinkedIn, the professional networking site.
Singapore American School Online Community Number of registered members on the SAS alumni website by country ASIA China (43) Hong Kong (44) India (18) Indonesia (39) Israel (28) Japan (89) South Korea (88) Malaysia (15) Philippines (23) Saudi Arabia (5) Singapore (1,017) Taiwan (19) Thailand (21) Vietnam (6) United Arab Emirates (16)
AUSTRALIA & OCEANA Australia (158) New Zealand (18) EUROPE Belgium (5) Denmark (6) France (5) Germany (28) Greece (6) Italy (10) Netherlands (23) Norway (19) Scotland (6) Sweden (44)
Switzerland (15) Turkey (5) United Kingdom (71) NORTH AMERICA Canada (204) Mexico (7) United States (4,433) SOUTH AMERICA Brazil (6)
Other countries represented with fewer than five registered members: Aruba, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Finland, Grenada, Guam, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela
Then
Now CC
CC
property of
iasas ISB • JIS • ISKL • I S M • S A S • TA S
IASAS 30th Anniver
sary
October 20-22, 2011 Singapore American Scho
ol
IASAS 30th Anniversary Weekend Hosted by Singapore American School October 20-22, 2011 Cross-Country Soccer Volleyball
Open House for IASAS Alumni Friday, October 21, 2011, 4:00-7:00pm RSVP at http://sas4.me/iasas_rsvp. For more information and a schedule of events visit http://sas4.me/iasas.
SAS Journeys is published by the Singapore American School Advancement Office 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738457 +65 6360 6329 www.sas.edu.sg alumni.sas.edu.sg alumni@sas.edu.sg