Singapore American School Journeys June 2010, Volume 8 by Singapore American School

MICA(P) 150/04/2010

SAS

Volume 8 June 2010

ourneys Singapore American School Alumni Magazine

Inside features: • TCKs and being different • Alumni follow their dreams • SAS & Singapore today • Fond farewells

Star Appeal Dinner raises $505,000 for SAS Foundation

SAS Cover Vol 8

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Vol 8 June 2010 Editor Junia Baker Superintendent Brent Mutsch Director of Communications and Development Beth Gribbon Associate Director of Alumni Relations Lauri Coulter Designer Josephine Yu

SAS Journeys is published by the SAS Office of Communications and Development.

Cover photo: Masters of Ceremonies Aisling Leow and Alvi Hasan (seated) with dancers Alistair Chew and Karina Lo at the fifth annual Star Appeal Dinner, which raises funds for the SAS Foundation, which in turn supports the performing arts, sports and other programs at the school. Back cover: Upcoming reunions and events for alumni.

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C o n t e n t s Farewell to Be

SAS Foundation and Star Appeal Dinner The SAS Foundation is intended to serve students today AND in the future

6-10

Three alumni use cross-cultural experiences as inspirations for their work Creative writing and the theater arts become tools for expressing multi-cultural identity

11-16

Following their dreams Alumni climb Everest, establish quirky businesses and even become baseball groupies in search of their dreams

17-23

Hop-A-Longâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Schoolhouse

24-25

Pages from the past: The Reporter in 1956

26-27

Leprosy Home A stigma becomes a heart-warming adventure for hundreds of SAS students

28-30

Fond farewell to some special people Rhonda & Will Norris and Linda Clarke are among those leaving SAS this year

31-37

Alumni Office hosts parties across USA

38-41

SAS & Singapore Today Snapshots of SASers 2009-2010

42-47

Notes & Quotes and Karenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corner

48-58

Alumni stats & services

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Welcome Alumni Dear SAS Alumni, meet many of you during your campus visits, at alumni gatherings and events, or on the alumni site and Facebook. I have been struck by the strength of your connections with SAS and with one another. I look forward to getting to know more of you and to providing you with opportunities via the alumni office to maintain and expand your connections with one another and with the school. SAS is what it is because of the time, talents and treasures that alumni, current students, family and staff share with the school and community. A special thank you and goodbye to Beth Gribbon, our Director of Communications and Development, who will be leaving after a 17 year relationship with the school. She has served graciously as PTA President, Board Representative and Chair, as well as Communications and Development Director. She has brought much to the table for the school both personally and professionally — and she will be sorely missed. Thank you Beth for your leadership, kindness and friendship. To all of you — please stay in touch. We can be reached via the alumni website, email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Warm regards,

As the 2009/2010 academic year comes to a close — we welcome our new 2010 graduates as well as departing families to our alumni community. While this may be an end of a significant chapter in their lives, they are and always will be part of the story that is SAS — as members of the SAS community and alumni family. We are excited about this issue of Journeys in which we share stories about SAS on campus and within the greater alumni community. In the spirit of giving and community service that are traditions at SAS, we have pictures and details of the 2010 Star Appeal Dinner, as well as pictures of this year’s County Fair and a great story on the Leprosy Home project in which the third grade and high school are involved. Among the collection of pieces we have from alums about their careers, educational pursuits and travels, we have vignettes on alums and their start-up businesses, an alum’s reflections on a trip through China and Tibet, and a fascinating article on Thaipusam in Singapore. And for those of you missing Singapore food, we have another mouthwatering Mr. Ho recipe. Last but not least we’ve added a page that shows where our alumni “online community” resides — along with a list of alumni services. On a personal note, I am very grateful to many of you for the warm welcome you have given me in my first semester on the Alumni Relations team. It has been a pleasure to

Lauri Coulter, Associate Director of Alumni Relations lcoulter@sas.edu.sg

Congratulations Class of 2010! Welcome to the alumni community! Have you registered on the SAS alumni website? Simply go to http://alumni.sas.edu.sg and click “Register” to become a member. Registering with the alumni website allows members to maintain their own profile pages, search for and contact other alumni, post photos and notes and stay updated regarding alumni and school news and events. So go ahead and register today!

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Letters & News

From Brent Mutsch, SAS Superintendent: I find that each issue of SAS Journeys is somehow better than previous issues. Such is the case for the December 2009 issue. I salute the excellent work in creating a publication that alumni and non-alumni alike look forward to receiving and reading.

and Rainer Kumbroch made my day. Memory is kind, you know, and as I march on, my time in Singapore is cherished more and more. Today for grins I pull out my 1977 Islander and remember. Keep up the great work! From Doris Rizkalla Calvert (91): I love looking at your magazine; it brings back so many memories. Seeing teachers in it that I had almost 20 years ago is very touching, especially since I’m a teacher now in Houston, TX.

From Mary Werthwein Poehler (66): I would like to identify myself and my sister in the 1959 photo of the Methodist Hostel on page 52 in the December 09 Journeys. I’m kneeling in the front row and my sister Sandra (64) is standing behind me with her arms folded. I remember that I so wanted to hold the dog but Paul Haines (65) got there first! I would love to connect with others in that photo. From Samuel Langham (77): When I received the December issue of Journeys, I shifted gears a bit and was quickly soaked in nostalgia by Nomads of King’s Road and the Bugis Street story. Seeing photos of two standouts Brad Cantrell

Doris Rizkalla Calvert (91), husband William and sons Sean, Tristan and Ethan.

Running marathons for charity Second Lt. Sophie Hilaire has raised thousands of dollars for U.S. military-related charities. At the Philadelphia Marathon last November, she raised over $4,000 for American Veterans with Brain Injuries and set the Guinness World Record as the fastest female to run a marathon in full military uniform (jacket, pants, boots, helmet and body armor with bulletproof plates). She was a student on the Ulu Pandan campus in 1995 and 1996, graduated from a Catholic school in Cleveland, Ohio and attended West Point, where she “fell in love with running.” She recently completed a course in explosive ordnance disposal and is stationed in Germany. Brother Philip and sister Nicole are both West Point cadets. ■ 4

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Communications and Development Office, May 2010: Heather Presnail, Alfi Dino, Karen Cortezano, Junia Baker, Beth Gribbon, Joey Lew, Lauri Coulter and Kathy Malacaman.

SAS is richer for her contributions Beth Gribbon has been SAS Director of Communications and Development for five years and is the proud parent of two alumni, Courtney (99) and Kerry (03). Before SAS, she was a volunteer on the Board of Governors, with the PTA and on the American Club board. Although she was most reluctant for this page to be included in Journeys, we felt that her contributions and her love for the school should be recognized. Turns out, a lot of people agreed with us! Someone once said, “how we work with others and how mindful we remain of others are important parts of our work.” Integrity, perspective and kindness are as much a part of Beth’s persona as doing a task or a project to the best of her ability. SAS will not be the same without her. Lauri Coulter, Alumni Relations and Junia Baker, Journeys

Beth gives of this sense that she finds real and lasting satisfaction and contentment in the things that money cannot buy — health, peace of mind, love and affection for family and friends and just doing what is right. SAS is poorer for her leaving but richer for her legacy. Bob Gross, Superintendent 1999-2007 Thank you, Beth, for having been such a unique contributor to SAS. I know you will continue to be a good friend to the school. Bart Broadman, current Board of Governors Beth’s love for SAS and determination to make it the best school it can be have been inspiring to those who have worked with her. Her contributions have strengthened the connections among the various members of the SAS community and have ensured that all of us can be proud of SAS. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with Beth. Margrit Benton, current Board of Governors

Beth’s contributions have been immeasurable. Her abiding commitment has been to improve the quality of the learning experiences at SAS. Thank you Beth for the positive impact your efforts have had on so many students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators and community members! Brent Mutsch, Superintendent 2007-present

Beth’s knowledge and love of our school and community have made her a valuable asset for SAS. SAS is so lucky to have had Beth in this role, and she will be sorely missed! Shelley DeFord, former Board of Governors

The lessons I learned from Beth the parent, the board member, the director of communications and my friend rival what my two kids Sam (07) and Emma (09) learned in grade school through graduation. Beth’s wisdom, compassion for others, overwhelming common sense and dedication to the institution have made SAS a better place. Garth Sheldon, former Board of Governors

I am going to miss working with Beth. She built a solid foundation for the Development Office and contributed so much to SAS. I am thankful for her work for the SAS community. Bon Park, Star Appeal Committee 5

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SAS Foundation Left, Rebecca Weinrauch, Amy Sittier, Rudy Muller, Andrea Muller, Edward Farrell and Edan Park cheer Rachel Farrell’s auction win of a customized portrait by SAS art students. Below, Many parents take the opportunity to thank teachers by purchasing entire tables and treating them to dinner at this event. Ragnar and Joey Horn’s table included (front) Joey and Mark and Joanne Clemens; (back) Scott and Lisa Riley, Jim and Nanette Ruhter, Ragnar, Deborah and Matthew Elms. Opposite, clockwise: Nicholas Sardjono, Ingrid Prasatya, Iwan Sardjono; Star Appeal Committee: Suzie Nam, Beth Gribbon, Bon Park, Mae Anderson, Fae Varinata, Andrea Muller, Jane Sperling. Not pictured: Monita Harianto and Sandra Smith; Auctioneer extraordinaire Devin Kimble; Shelly Dee and Susie Sadler. Photos by LiveStudios LLP.

Thank You

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Khoo family and Khoo Teck Puat Foundation for underwriting the evening • Star Appeal Committee • Hano and Monita Maeloa for the wine with dinner • Auction and raffle donations from Hano and Monita Maeloa, Devin Kimble, Joy and Raymond Ching, Aman Resorts, Aqua Voyage, AP Art Students • Masters of Ceremonies

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Aisling Leow and Alvi Hasan • High School Jazz Combo • Singer Julia Abueva • Dancers Ben Senneff, Karina Lo, Alistair Chew, Rebecca Tay, Mina Zorilla & Michael Too • Auctioneer Devin Kimble • Teachers Brian Hill, Tracy van der Linden, Tracy Meyer and Barbara Harvey • Tate Sonnack for SAS Foundation video

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SAS Foundation

The SAS Foundation makes a difference today AND tomorrow. It expands, extends and enhances the learning opportunities of students today, and it ensures the financial future of the school. Brent Mutsch SAS Superintendent

5th Annual Star Appeal Dinner The Star Appeal Dinner on March 13 at the Goodwood Park Hotel raised $505,000 for the SAS Foundation. This annual event is more than a fund-raiser — it is an opportunity to showcase talented students and to celebrate the spirit of giving at SAS as well as an evening for faculty and parents to gather together and have fun. If one of our goals at SAS is “continuous improvement,” the Star Appeal team has set a new standard by exceeding that goal. It did a spectacular job in creating an exciting, worthwhile and memorable evening. Everyone at my table had a wonderful time; the food was a hit, and the entertainment was an outstanding showcase of SAS talent … I was delighted and proud to be part of the evening. Margrit Benton, SAS Board of Governors

I’ve never had so much fun at a formal fundraising event. It was an intimate, optimistic and upbeat atmosphere of generosity and celebration. This event exemplifies the spirit of giving that many SAS families stand behind, and the student performances reminded us of why it’s so worthwhile to invest in developing the talent and gifts of each and every student at SAS. Maria Warner Wong, SAS Board of Governors 7

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SAS Foundation

For today AND tomorrow High school dancers Alistair Chew (12), Rebecca Tay (10), Mina Zorilla (10) and Michael Too (11) entertained Star Appeal guests with a dynamic, almost-aerobic original piece choreographed by Michael Too.

By Brent Mutsch, SAS Superintendent of Schools

Since relocating to the Woodlands campus, the school has grown from an initial enrollment of slightly more than 2,300 students to one of the largest American curriculum international schools in the world. Today, preschool through grade 12, enrollment is 3,866 students. As much as the goal of the SAS Foundation is to expand, extend and enhance the learning opportunities for SAS students today, there is an emerging recognition that a second and significant goal of the SAS Foundation is to secure the financial future of the Singapore American School for tomorrow. To reflect the organization’s commitment to further developing the financial stability of the school, the Board of Governors has established an endowment as one component of creating long term financial stability. In 2008-2009, the Board of Governors created a standing “Advancement Committee” to provide strategic leadership to this emerging priority for SAS. In June, 2009, the SAS Foundation was awarded Institute of Public Character status. As a result of this development, contributions to the SAS Foundation now have tax

On Saturday evening, March 13, 280 friends of SAS gathered in the Windsor Ballroom of the Goodwood Park Hotel to enjoy the fifth annual Star Appeal Dinner. This event has emerged as the primary fund-raiser for the SAS Foundation. In describing the SAS Foundation to those in attendance, I encouraged the audience to think about it as two sides of the same coin. On one side, the SAS Foundation is focused on making a difference at SAS today. Its goal is to expand, extend and enhance the ongoing learning opportunities that are available to SAS students. These activities include expanded athletics and intramural programs, increased support of student community service projects, funds for the Community Speaker Series for parents, financial aid and underwriting portions of an ever-growing visual and performing arts program. On the opposite side of the coin, I encouraged Star Appeal attendees to reflect upon the difference the SAS Foundation is focused on making at SAS tomorrow. 8

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SAS Foundation

SAS students Julia Abueva (Class of 14) and Ben Senneff (Class of 17) entertained Star Appeal diners with heartwarming songs and moon-walking dance.

Activities and projects funded by the SAS Foundation Financial Aid for Students Funds support SAS families who experience temporary financial difficulties. A scholarship program that sponsors a student from a developing country in Southeast Asia has also been established, and support is awarded to students who have been selected for teams, competitions or honors programs outside Singapore but are unable to participate due to financial constraints. Visual and Performing Arts SAS has a strong commitment to the visual and performing arts programs. Additional funding will underwrite the costs of bringing guest conductors, clinicians and artists to work with students and for cultural experiences school wide. Community Service Programs Financial support will be available for student community service projects, including challenge grants to augment student fundraising by community service clubs. Funds will also be available to support class-based service learning. Athletic, Intramural and Extracurricular Programs Donations support enhancements to intramural programs by funding additional equipment and coaching staff. Funding also supports additional teams and to add activities when the need arises. Academic Programs The SAS Foundation provides enhancements to academic programs coordinated through the Office of Learning. Special Projects Periodically there may be a need or interest in providing support, wholly or in part, for a special project, such as building a new classroom, upgrading a library or endowing a chair for a faculty member. Support for these special projects will be provided by the foundation. Endowment Fund A portion of donations to the SAS Foundation will be directed to the Endowment Fund to support the long-term financial health of the school. Donors may request that their gifts be directed to the fund.

benefits in Singapore. The SAS Foundation Limited has a Board of Directors consisting of current members of the SAS Board of Governors and current and former SAS parents. John Dewey said; “Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” SAS is not just preparing for the future but is daily creating the future through the quality of the learning experiences that shape its students today. The SAS Foundation plays an increasingly important role in creating that future through its impact today and tomorrow. ■

Please consider donating to the SAS Foundation The SAS Foundation welcomes alumni and parent donations for the numerous programs that it supports. On the alumni or SAS website, go to “Giving to SAS.” Download and fill out the donation form and mail it with your donation check to: Office of Communications and Development, Singapore American School, 40 Woodlands Street 41, Singapore 738547. Checks in Singapore and U.S. dollars should be made payable to SAS Foundation. All donations in Singapore and U.S. dollars are eligible for tax benefits in the respective countries. Email alumni@sas.edu.sg for more information.

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SAS Foundation Donations 2009-2010 Eagle Circle S$20,000-S$49,999 Richard & Michelle Chen •ICAP AP (Singapore) Pte Ltd •Khoo Teck Puat Foundation • Lippo China Resources Ltd Tandean Rustandy & Susan Sujanto • Billy Siu & Marianne Chua

Tiger Circle S$10,000-S$19,999 Fanny Barki •Crocs Asia Pte Ltd • Michael & Shelly Dee •Dell Global B.V. Singapore • Michael & Eva DeNoma •GETCO Asia Pte Ltd •Ragnar & Joey Horn • William & Lois Lydens • Brent & Maggie Mutsch • Y.S. & Suzie Nam • Mark Nelson & Margrit Benton • Janie Ooi • Edan & Bon Park• Richard & Jacqueline Seow • Silicon Valley Community Foundation • Helman Sitohang & Maria Praptanti • Gerry & Michelle Smith •The Amelio Foundation • Soejono & Fae Varinata • Ee Lim & Sofina Wee • Xu Quan & Xue Qiong Yao

Gecko Circle S$5,000-S$9,999 Beecher & Robin Abeles • Joe & Mae Anderson• Bart & Valerie Broadman • Jerome Cohen & Leonie Cohen-Willemsen Michael & Kendall Connors • Craig Irvine & Donna Meyer • Joosang Kim & Junga Lee • KMP Private Ltd Lim Meng Keng Department Store • Iwan Sardjono & Ingrid Prasatya • SAS PTA • Steven & Asa Tucker Phillip & Sandra Widjaja • Raymond & Kaori Zage •David Zemans & Catherine Poyen

Orchid Circle S$1,000-S$4,999 Ravi & Sunanda Agarwal • Nasser Ahmad & Romita Shetty •Bill & Jamie Amelio •Lars & Nene Amstrup • Peng Huat & Swat Ang •Jonathan & Jessika Auerbach • Sam & Dorothy Baker • Richard & Ashley Barry • Masoud & Maria Bassiri Shailesh & Jacquelyn Bettadapur • Capital International, Inc. (Matching Gift) • Wing Kwong Chan & Vivian Liu •Dong Woo Chang & Ah Jung Lee • Yi-Jen Chen & Min Yuan Yeh •Alrick Cheung •Jenny Chiam • Jungkiu Choi & Hyesook Cho Kwang Hyuk Choi & Yun Kyung Park • Dickon Corrado & Ito Toshima • Kenneth & Lauri Coulter • Oral & Vida Dawe Steven Diamond & Sarah Jeffries • Kenneth Fagan • Edward & Rachel Farrell • Fujiwara Advisory Singapore Pte Ltd Ed & Nao Gilbreath •Jim & Beth Gribbon • Bryan & Christine Henning • Kirk & Janice Hulse •Emad & Jasmine Khalil Chris & Elyse Khang • Devin Kimble & Amy Sittler •Lian Jie & Nina Li • Young Rim & Jin Lee • Shahryar Mahbub & Shazia Khawaja • Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd • Meher & Khush Mehta • Sanjay & Anjna Motwani • Rudy & Andrea Muller •Naphtha Information Services Pte Ltd •Deepa Pasumarty •Adrian & Susan Peh •Devin & Dianna Pratt Cameron Poetzscher & Varsha Rao •Namuh & Younsoo Rhee • Kim & Birgitte Rosenkilde • William & Martha Scarborough • SCDA Architects Pte Ltd • Garth & Roxana Sheldon • Jong Seok Shin & So Hyun Park •Keum Shik-Jimmy Shin & Seung Hee Lim • Brent & Sandra Smith • In Jun Song & Joo Hyun Lee • Lawrence & Jane Sperling Christopher Tan & Chantal Wong • Sadewa Tanudisastro & Sri Affandi • United Parcel Services Harrison & Sheila Wang • Ellen Wisner White • Jun Won & Yoon Hee Choi • Chiu Man Wong & Maria Warner Wong

Traveler’s Palm Circle S$100-S$999 John Eric & Christina Advento • Mark & Marianne Boyer Brian & Emiko Combes • Marian Graham • David Hoss Geri Johnson • Lands’ End Inc • Marc & Heidi L’Heureux Allan & Vicki Mitchell •Rajkumar Narayanan & Jaya Rajkumar • Doug & Maureen Neihart • David Norcott William & Rhonda Norris • Hanatha & Louise Perdana James & Heidi Ryan • Kathlyn Saich • Ken Schunk Dale Smith & Tracy Meyer • Nick & Jennifer Sparrow Paula St. James • Sheila Sung • Ron Starker & Kate Bucknall •Paul Welsh & Lauren Mehrbach •Ann Tan Anthony & Rachel Wong George Bach, Bill Amelio, Josh Symes at Star Appeal Dinner. 10

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Alumni get creative with their cross-cultural experiences Loosely defined, TCKs are those who grow up in foreign countries and experience a sense of not belonging in their passport countries when they return “home.” While it’s fun to be different — “I’m a TCK!” — it’s also not fun — “People treat me as if I’ve come from Mars.” In the next few pages, three alumni grapple with being different and not fitting the stereotypes of their home countries. Brittani sees it as renting a liminal space and inhabiting it with the desperate delusions of an exile. Jelita is secure in her mixed-ethnic identity but says that others are not. Dancer/choreographer Alaine examines the concepts of home, belonging and identity through dance and film.

Jelita McLeod and family

Brittani Sonnenberg

Alaine Handa

Sexual Orientation, a college textbook. See jelitamcleod.com. Jelita’s mother is Indonesian, and her father was Jack McLeod, SAS Superintendent 1969-1973. She grew up in Beirut, Egypt and Singapore. She is currently a freelance writer and editor, juggling work, family and fun. Jelita, James and Mirabai live in Plano, Texas, where they moved in 2007 after ten years in Washington, DC. Alaine Handa (01) grew up in Indonesia and Singapore, and now lives in New York. Alaine”s special interest is in articulating the ambiguities of global nomads through dance and film. Her most recent work, Chameleon, was performed in May at the University Settlement’s Speyer Hall in New York City and will be in the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, DC, July 8-25. In the show, the dancers tell poignant, restless stories of their crosscultural experiences. See alainehanda.com.

Brittani Sonnenberg (99) is an award-winning writer, whose works have appeared in O’Henry Prize Stories 2009, Ploughshares, Time Magazine, Associated Press and NPR. “Zwischenmiete” was first published in Denizen, a web magazine. Brittani grew up in Hamburg, Philadelphia, London, Shanghai, and Singapore. She has worked as a journalist in Phnom Penh, Hong Kong, and Berlin, and as a writing instructor at the University of Michigan and Carleton College. She is developing courses for expatriate students on how to use their overseas experiences in their adult lives. In April, she met with SAS students, faculty and parents — see page 16. Jelita McLeod (88) is an award-winning writer who wrote “Everybody’s ethnic enigma” for The Washington Post a few years ago. The article was reprinted in The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class and

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Across cultures: Everybody’s ethnic enigma lowed by “Where are you really from?” Why is it that people feel they can approach me for this personal information? Would they ask total strangers their age or marital status? What do they need the information for? Are they census takers? Once, in a truly surreal episode, a casino dealer stopped in the middle of a hand of poker to ask me, as if he couldn’t stand to wait a second longer. After I offered my usual answer, he shook his finger in my face and said he wasn’t convinced, that I didn’t look white enough. He was Asian. I wonder why, after having been subjected to this treatment for years, I still respond. I can’t remember a time when doing so has resulted in a pleasant encounter or a meaningful conversation. Yet I’ve never quite found the strength to meet such inquiries with “It’s none of your business” or better yet, silence. What’s quite strange is that people often feel the need to comment, as if what I’ve told them is an opinion they can’t quite agree with. Comedian Margaret Cho tells a story about a

By Jelita McLeod (88) The forty-something black man I was sharing an elevator with looked at me for a while before he asked the question I had been expecting. He wanted to know my ethnicity. “I’m mixed,” I told him. “Half-Caucasian, half-Asian.” “Oh,” he said, disappointed. “I thought you were one of us.” I knew what the question would be because people have been asking me the same thing as long as I can remember. I’ve found that curiosity easily overrides courtesy. I am asked in stores, on the bus, on the street, in line at McDonald’s, even in public bathrooms. Almost always the inquirers are total strangers, as if not knowing me allows them to abandon social graces they might otherwise feel the need to display. Sometimes they will ask me straight out, but very often they use coded language, as in “What’s your background?” Then there’s “Where are you from?” which is really a two-part question, to be fol-

Across cultures: Chameleon Alaine explores multi-cultural identity and cross-cultural relationships through film and dance Photos by William Hebert

The dancer’s fingers create a circle, making them appear as a person searching and seeming to travel the world as a wandering soul.

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The unfortunate consequence of this ambiguity is the misunderstanding I frequently encounter from those who haven’t gotten the full story. The Mexican immigration official who looks disgusted when I can’t understand Spanish, as I surely should. The kindly Vietnamese waiter who helps me “remember” how to pronounce the names of dishes. This puts me in the slightly ridiculous position of being apologetic for not being what people expect me to be, however unreasonable. When I think back to the man in the elevator, I feel disappointed too. The way he said “I thought you were one of us” made me feel as if we might have bonded but couldn’t, as if I’d been refused entry into a club because I didn’t have the right password. My immediate reaction was that I was missing out on something. But I see the artificiality of this classification mentality. If the opportunity for bonding existed before he knew my ethnic makeup, wasn’t it still there after he found out? After all, I was still the same person. When my parents were married, my grandfather was against the union. His objection was that the children of mixed marriages had no foothold in any one community but instead were doomed to a lifetime of identity crises and disorientation. If my grandfather were still alive, I’d tell him that the crisis comes not from within, but from without. I know who I am. It’s everyone else that’s having trouble.■

TV producer who asked her to act “a little more Chinese,” to which she replied, “But I’m Korean.” “Whatever,” the producer said. I had a similar experience with a man in a bookstore, who crept out from behind a shelf of cookbooks to ask me where I was from. Before I had a chance to say anything, he guessed: “Japan?” I could have said Oregon, where my father is from, but I knew he wouldn’t go for that, so I said, “Indonesia.” “Ah,” he said. “Close.” It’s not close. Not really. Not unless you consider London close to Djibouti. The distances are similar. In the game of “Name that Ethnicity,” I am the trick question. I have been mistaken for almost every Asian nationality, but also as Hispanic, Native American, Arab and of course, African American. There’s something in being a chameleon. It’s human nature to look for unifying bonds. When people think that they have something in common with you, particularly something so personal as identity, they feel they know you and they imagine that you have an innate understanding of them too. They will speak to you in a certain unguarded way. The idea that any person can be truly “colorblind” is a fallacy. As long as the human eye can detect differences in skin tone, eye shape, hair texture, these differences will play a role in how we interact with one another. Because of my ambiguous appearance, I have experienced from people the kind of familiarity they would normally reserve for one of their “own.”

Chameleon’s amalgamation of film and dance portrays a sense of homesickness and lack of belonging to one culture in a remarkable way. It brings awareness of a nomad-like lifestyle to the audience with true beauty and creativity.

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Across cultures: Zwischenmiete bewildered as the German infants beside me, as our mothers pause at a red light. We moved to Shanghai when I was twelve, and it was there, I believe, that I began to find the crease between cultures, its comfortable folds and soft, dark layers that I learned to use as blankets. More specifically: in the misunderstandings between others and myself, there was a relaxing, a breathing out, a sense of never being known that placated me. I existed as a representation of something: of whiteness, of American-ness, a cut out doll. At my international school or with local Shanghainese people, I was constantly forced to offer “truths” about my homeland, facts about the people and their habits, which everyone accepted despite the artifice of the setup, the preposterous nature of cultural diplomacy, as if my faded memories enabled me to explain a nation. As a foreigner, I began to live half there (back in Atlanta) and half here (in China), sinking into bubbling whirlpools of nostalgia with other “third culture kids” when discussing memories of home. None of us pictured the same place, the shared talk offered the feeling of camaraderie as one by one we drifted thousands of miles away from one another to Campinas, Brazil or Seoul, Korea, and my grandmother’s house in the North Georgia Mountains. Home became where you had left, where you were never going to live again.

By Brittani Sonnenberg (99) In my fourth sublet in Berlin in the past eight months, I am growing accustomed to another person’s things around me, to her life quietly insinuating itself into my own. Her pictures, of nieces and nephews, of best friends and boyfriend, become mine too, as I look at them every day with familiarity and a growing tenderness. Sometimes, I forget that it was not I who bought the plants and the curtains, but she. The lived-in feel of the place, the wear on the sofa and its fading floral print, convinces me that I have been here for years. The longest I have lived anywhere is Atlanta, Georgia, in the American South. The five years of childhood I spent there were characterized by a sense of belonging that I didn’t know I would never grasp again. I looked like the other kids on my block, I spoke like them — my only odd trait was my Nancy Drew addiction and considerable height that forced me into the role of “giant” in neighborhood performances. Perhaps even then I had a vague memory of difference from having attended a British kindergarten in London. As a baby in Germany, my birthplace, did I sense that my parents were foreigners? Before speech, what exists to shut you out from another culture? I like the image of myself being wheeled in a stroller in Hamburg, just as inarticulate and

Across cultures: Chameleon Chameleon dancers grab the air and move through space without a sense of stability or contentment. They have an edgy, tense quality that reinforces the sensation of always being on the move.

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The new country became the sublet, often quite literally. In Shanghai we lived in a furnished apartment suffused with anonymous gray hues: gray carpet, gray couch, mauve bed covers. In Singapore, where we moved next, the furniture was ours, but the various houses we lived in were always rented, the pool held the memory of other children diving and waited patiently for us to leave, for other children to come. I grew accustomed to my stark racial, linguistic and cultural differences from those surrounding me. I began to base my sense of belonging, my self pride, with how well I could snuggle into that crease — how much of my American-ness I could lose, how much of the Chinese culture I could gain… for there was never any danger that I would ever go entirely one way or the other. I would never be accepted as a Chinese person, and after we left Atlanta, I would never accept myself again as an American. Walter Benjamin, in The Task of the Translator, describes the notion of “pure language,” where, in the attempt of translation, the translator briefly accesses the exalted ground of a transcendent tongue that encompasses all languages. In the effort to translate, one speaks profoundly. Once the translation has been made, you come crashing back to earth, having performed the inevitable failure. Pure language — die Zwischenmiete — renting a liminal space that you will soon leave, but which you inhabit with the desperate delusions of an exile. Neither here nor there — open, sympathetic, offering everything in yourself to the culture you have plunged into, knowing you will always be safe and relatively unknown in the deep fjord between your homes. I feel

myself sailing across the gap, speaking excitedly with a new acquaintance about similarities between our cultures, finding the connections. Maybe I am speaking in English. Maybe it is halting Chinese, German, Khmer, or a laid-on Southern accent if I’m visiting relatives in Mississippi. Yet I am also looking up from the bottom of the trench, watching myself make the leap, watching myself re-fall. I feel most afraid of being in America or being among other Americans. I feel flattened, two-dimensional. In the presumption that there is no gap, I am lost in an open field. I don’t know what to say. I quickly try to establish myself as having grown up overseas, as Other. I try to paint over my whiteness with the Asian places I have lived. “Oh, I know Atlanta well,” another American says to me, at a party in Berlin, when I tell her that’s where I’m from. “Well, I’m not really from there,” I hurry to say. “It’s just what I say.” Just what I say. I expose the mask to put on another, thicker one. The task of masking, its inconveniences — barely seeing through the eyeholes, the difficulty of breathing through the plaster — feels important, noble, modern and sexy. There is something martyr-like about the discomfort, the homelessness I insist upon. In it I am always fumbling, searching for the right word, the right explanation. The joy, when it comes, is of finally being understood, despite language, despite culture, despite foreign-ness, mask ripped off. The opposite rapture, which is always there, in the depths of the trench, the mask my own skin, by now, is the thrill of being unknown, never settling down, dreaming about my old homes in other people’s beds. ■

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Home, belonging and identity for global students

Brittani challenges students to find the poem that best expresses their feelings about living in multiple countries.

Mark Boyer, Office of Learning and alumna Brittani Sonnenberg.

and ways in which these themes may be addressed at home and in the classroom before students are confronted with them in their home countries. She spoke as well on her experiences growing up overseas and how they had influenced her life and work. Engaging the skills and knowledge of the greater SAS community, especially its alumni, is a goal of the Office of Learning. Alumni have much to contribute because they bring the world that they discovered after leaving SAS, but with perspectives resulting from their SAS experiences. ■

Alumna Brittani Sonnenberg (99) met with current SAS students, parents and faculty on April 27-29 to explore the third culture differences that set expatriates apart from their peers. “Third culture kids,” according to the U.S. Department of State, are those who have spent time in a foreign country during childhood and experience a sense of not belonging in their passport countries when they return home. At SAS, Brittani held creative writing workshops for middle school and high school students on being third culture kids and making their overseas experiences and differences work for them. She discussed using their international backgrounds to produce powerful writing in poetry, college application essays, travel articles and fiction. She met with teachers from all divisions after school to discuss the curriculum she is developing with and for TCKs, giving the teachers ideas they might want to use in their classrooms. She also met with parents and faculty to discuss issues of diversity, displacement and cross-cultural communication

Brittani’s visit to SAS was supported in full by the SAS Foundation. SAS appreciates alumni gifts in the form of donations of their time, skills and knowledge. These contributions are valuable additions to student learning. Interested alumni should contact Mark Boyer, SAS Office of Learning, mboyer@sas.edu.sg.

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Following Dreams

T-shirts promote pride in city By Ed Gaffney (87) Sitting across a table from Chrissie Hynde discussing merchandise ideas for her vegan restaurant and details of her upcoming tour was an interesting way to spend a May afternoon in 2008. Totally random, wildly unnerving and altogether surreal are other ways I would describe our first conversation. That it would lead to many more conversations as well as designing and distributing her restaurant and tour merchandise was something I never saw coming. If you’d told me in 1987, when I was a senior at SAS, that in 2009 I would own an apparel design company in Akron, Ohio that counted Chrissie Hynde, LeBron James and DEVO as ardent fans, I’d have said you had too much chili in your char siew mee. I found my way to Akron after spending over a decade living between NYC and Singapore, working in a range of start-up companies. I acquired Rubber City Clothing in 2006. Rubber City is Akron’s nickname because of the myriad rubber companies founded here. Goodyear is still headquartered in Akron, and Goodrich, Firestone and a host of others were at one time started and based here. We think

condoms were also created here, but nobody can prove that. Rubber City Clothing promotes pride in the city of Akron with witty slogans about rubber, such as “Think Rubber” and “Made in Akron,” printed on t-shirts, hoodies and kids’ gear. Because of RCC, I began to meet Akron natives like Chrissie and LeBron James. I’m told LeBron visited our Christmas kiosk in a local mall and saw the “Akron WITNESSED First” t-shirt and asked what that design was about. I’m told that the college co-ed running the RCC kiosk sort of smiled, stammered and then looked him in the eye and said, “Well, silly, actually it’s about You.” Over the past year of managing Chrissie’s Akron projects, which range from her vegan restaurant to establishing an equine recovery center and growing the local theatre scene, I’ve been privileged to see how an aging world famous rock star keeps pushing forward with the same piss and vinegar approach that put her in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For someone who sang about how her City was Gone to come back to her hometown and give so willingly and openly to bring her city back, support local businesses and become involved is a message we can all learn from. ■

Ed with good friends Chrissie and Yasmin.

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Following Dreams

Retail in the Lion City I like to keep the future unknown and empty; with nothing there’s everything. range product lines, and Singapore, a place I already knew well, would be the ideal location. The motivation behind this decision to start my own company was the idea that I was able to craft my own reality. I wanted to influence people in some sort of way (consumer trends at this current time) and of course work for myself and my own goals. Several SASers have been involved with Sifr, including Mark Rivett-Camac (06), who became the face of our first lookbook, and Lauryn Ishak (04), who does great photo work. Sifr is currently being stocked at the following selected retailers in Singapore: Tangs Playlab, Know it Nothing and Rockstar, and we are partnering with Clear Channel, an outdoor advertising firm, to promote our products at bus stops and other unusual locations. While continuing to solidify our base in Singapore we’re looking at regional expansion. What’s after that I’m not too sure. I like to keep the future unknown and empty; with nothing there’s everything.Chris and business partner, Suraj Melwani. ■

Chris and business partner, Suraj Melwani.

By Chris Fussner (06)

Sifr is a ready to wear men’s clothing line with emphasis on a well-designed and crafted products at an affordable price. We source premium fabric from Japan and Thailand and have outstanding manufacturing facilities in Jakarta and Shenzhen. We’ve also launched a basics line that focuses on engineering basic garments of a luxe supima cotton and with a great contemporary fit; I can say hands down it’s one of the best basic lines in the world at the price points we offer. The stories goes: I was planning to take a year off college to pursue an internship somewhere in the world; the location and field were open ended; I just wanted some sort of industry experience. It just so happened that while I was doing a short internship at Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, the idea of starting up a menswear line came up in a conversation, and I decided to go for it. There were numerous factors that prompted my decision: the ones that stand out were: the endless learning curve (which is indeed endless), there was a niche market for well made and designed mid-level price

Bus shelter ad for Sifr cotton t-shirts.

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Following Dreams

3 Bees Paperie By Reena Vadehra (97) Like many former internationally based students, I am used to friends moving to far-away places. When two of my close friends moved from New York City to two different continents, we decided to launch a creative business that represented our diverse South Asian backgrounds as a way to remain close. We found there was a huge gap for high quality, unique stationery for South Asians in the United States. Many Indian American brides and grooms were purchasing their invitations from India, where the quality of paper is often poor and customer service is lacking. In addition, the we wanted to provide unique but modern designs for the larger non-Asian community. Hence 3 Bees Paperie was born! Launched in May 2009, 3 Bees Paperie is a wedding and social event stationery company that provides high quality and eco-friendly paper with contemporary, South Asian inspired designs. The company aims to provide unique inspirations for lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebrations through its three collections: Couture Weddings for ready-to-order wedding stationery; Baby Bees for ready-to-order baby announcements; and Made for You for custom-designed stationery. For more information, please visit www.3beespaperie.com. â&#x2013; Reena and friends formed a business to create paper products with South Asian inspired designs for weddings, births and other celebrations.

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Following Dreams

The life of a nerd in the Minor League By Seok Hyung “Chester” Lee (00) I love sports, but sports never loved me back. As a kid, I was a big baseball fan, so naturally I tried out for the JV softball team during my freshman year. I was one of the first people to get cut. By the end of my sophomore year, I had been cut from every single team that I tried out for (well, I made the JV rugby team, since it was the inaugural season of the team, and it was short of players, i.e., no tryouts). I concluded I am definitely not cut out to be an athlete. Instead, I focused on getting good grades, which proved to be a winning strategy. Still, I fell in love with the Boston Red Sox during my four years at Harvard and even wrote my undergraduate thesis on baseball statistics. I guess you could have called me a typical fanatic, irrational Red Sox fan. To my parents’ dismay, the dedication page on my thesis went, “For the Glory of the Boston Red Sox” instead of the more conventional, loving “For Mom and Dad.”

I joined the financial industry right after college and worked in Hong Kong and Tokyo for four years as a currency options trader, doing my share to contribute to the recent global financial crisis. The collapse of the financial system that I trusted so much forced me into months of soul searching. I decided to apply to business schools (essentially the procrastination of the soul searching process) and more importantly, for once in my life, to pursue my passion — baseball. I resigned from my job in February 2009 and started preparing for a season-long road trip visiting all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. My unemployment was short-lived though, as I received a call from a friend who informed me that the Texas Rangers were looking for an interpreter for a Korean pitcher in the Minor League. The Texas Rangers are not quite the Boston Red Sox, but after five seconds of hesitation (which involved reaffirming my allegiance to the Red Sox), I signed up for the job.

“Ms. Molchan, who cut me from the JV softball team 12 years ago, as well as Mr. Shriner (soccer and badminton), Mr. Norman (basketball) and the many other coaches who cut me from their teams would be proud to know that I finally joined a sports team at age 27.”

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Following Dreams So there I was, in the Rangers Spring Training facility in Arizona, surrounded by professional athletes. My job was to accompany the 19-year old pitcher from Korea as an interpreter and help him adjust to life in the U.S., which basically entailed watching practices and games, learning the plays and strategies of the Texas Rangers playbook, getting autographs from and taking pictures with Major League players and hanging out with Minor League players. The joke in the clubhouse was that I must be the lowest paid member of my college class, but I could not believe I was actually being paid for what I did! I had a chance to meet and chat with Nolan

possibility of making it to the Big League, playing in the World Series and winning the championship ring. For a disgruntled, disillusioned ex-finance guy, the spring and summer of 2009 was a magical time when I shared the dream of winning and getting my own World Series ring (as a staff of the Texas Rangers). Well, the dream is no more, as the Rangers failed to make the playoff. My Rangers may never win the World Series, but I will forever be indebted to the team that fed me, housed me, clothed me and took me as one of their own for a season. Ms. Molchan, who cut me from the JV softball team 12 years ago, as well as Mr. Shriner

The Texas Rangers are not quite the Boston Red Sox, but after five seconds of hesitation (which involved reaffirming my allegiance to the Red Sox), I signed up for the job. Ryan, the legendary pitcher and president of the Texas Rangers. I was conflicted; how can you not be a fan of the Rangers when Nolan Ryan thanks you for joining them? I found myself rooting for the Rangers against the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston. That is called Treason in the Red Sox Nation. Life was not always magical. After the Major League players left Arizona at the end of Spring Training, I had to face the reality of life in the Minor League. Every year, each Major League team drafts about 100 players. The Rangers have six Minor League teams in the US and a few teams in the Dominican Republic, and these young boys do everything in their abilities to move up the ladder and make it to the Major League. The reality is, more than 90% of these players will never play in the Major League. The teams provide opportunities for these young kids but are brutal to those who do not make the most out of their opportunities. In the world of absolute meritocracy, every pitch and every swing counts. Life in the Minor League is as horrible as it is portrayed in popular media (e.g. the movie Bull Durham). The bus rides, motels and cheap food are integral parts of everyday life. In Arizona, temperatures reached 120 degrees. It is so hot that you don’t even sweat – sweat just evaporates. You can die playing baseball in this kind of weather. The only thing that keeps these young athletes going in this rather hostile environment is the slim

(soccer and badminton), Mr. Norman (basketball) and the many other coaches who cut me from their teams would be proud to know that I finally joined a sports team at age 27.

Chester is currently a first year MBA student at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He was a vice president at Morgan Stanley’s Hybrid Trading Desk in Tokyo prior to joining the Texas Rangers.

Chester and the Korean pitcher he mentored for a season for the Texas Rangers.

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Following Dreams

All the places I want to see

Base camp at 18,000 feet. Ginny is on right.

until we reached Rongbuk Monastery at 15,000 feet. We chose the Tibetan side of Everest as it is far less traveled than the Nepalese side. We began our adventure by hiking the Badaling section of the Great Wall, north of Beijing, procuring visas for Tibet, and taking the train to Xian, where we biked on the flat top of the wall around the city. Then we took a short flight to Lhasa (Tibet Autonomous Region of China), where we spent five days acclimatizing before setting out for Everest. When we arrived in Rongbuk, the mountain had not been visible for two weeks, but the clouds and bad weather disappeared, and we were able to climb to 23,000 feet. It was most amazing. Then we spent just over a week making our way from Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal via a the very wet friendship road that was actually a washed out river in many places ... and very beautiful. ■

By Ginny Bordwell Daws (63) Growing up and having the privilege of living in Singapore and traveling throughout Asia led me to make a list of all the places I wanted to see in my life. Climbing as high as I could on the Tibetan side of Mt. Everest — without really being a climber — was a dream. Traveling from Tibet to Nepal was also on my list, and that was quite the adventure. I did both last summer, but I still have Bhutan on my dream list. Initially I happened to have a conversation with a professional Everest guide who gave me the name of a Tibetan guide in Lhasa with whom we worked for a number of months on plans for our small group of three to climb Everest toward the end of hiking season when the weather was still good. We wanted to hike at a comfortable pace past base camp and stop when we began to really feel the altitude. We also wanted to stay in monasteries, which we were able to do 22

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Following Dreams

The interior eating area of the Rongbuk Monastery, which is the highest monastery on the Everest climb, about 2,000 feet below base camp.

The bus from Tibet to Nepal was delayed by a fallen branch and overflowing stream.

Above: Rongbuk Monastery at 15,000 feet is the last building on the way up Everest. Right:Ginny on the ferry crossing the Yarlung Sangpo river to the Samye Monastery in Tibet.

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Hop-A-Long and Shoo-Fly take off Primary school librarian Kirk Palmer has been at SAS since 1978, guiding generations of children through the stories he reads and acts out as “Mr. Bookman” in Hop-A-Long performances.

Hoss removed the puppet heads, stood behind them and the idea for the show was born. Over the years, Hop-A-Long and his mischievous sidekick, Shoo-Fly, performed by Deputy Principal Ken Schunk, have delivered educational content, curriculum and light-hearted entertainment. The puppet-show characters primarily perform at student and faculty assemblies, but to the delight and bewilderment of the primary school students, sometimes the characters “come alive,” walking the halls and visiting classrooms. As Hop-A-Long and Shoo-Fly became increasingly popular and resonated with the children, supporting characters and educational content were added, and “Hop-A-Long’s Schoolhouse” was born. The shows grew to include teacher Wendy Liddell as “Ms. Wendy, the Science Lady” and librarian Kirk Palmer as “Mr. Bookman, the Librarian and also “Ms. Sugar”— the ever problem-causing ditz. Everyone working on the project is enthusiastically involved, and although it takes significant effort to put together each show, the team has always had a great deal of fun

By Lauri Coulter, Alumni Relations, with text from the September 08 NewsFlash

One of the treasures on the SAS campus is the Hop-aLong Schoolhouse program developed more than 12 years ago by David Hoss and Ken Schunk for the primary school division. Our students and alumni community often speak about how the experience of attending SAS and living in Singapore and Southeast Asia frames who they are and the choices they made in their lives. Hop-A-Long may well be one of those entertaining but meaningful experiences, as an entire generation of students has passed through the school since the program was initiated. The fantastical characters of Hop-A-Long and Shoo-Fly were created in 1997 by Primary School Principal David Hoss, when he stumbled upon two funny little puppets in a costume store in the U.S. Ever on the hunt for new and interesting ways to engage his primary school students — on a whim 24

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Ms. Wendy, the Science Lady (Wendy Liddell) and the ditzy Ms. Sugar (Kirk Palmer) discuss school “problems” with Hop-A-Long Hoss and Shoo-Fly Shunk.

producing it. Hoss and Palmer have mapped out most of the scripts, and Schunk has added much of the humor (both for the kids and adults). As on offshoot of the children’s assemblies, the team has done a handful of annual shows for staff and faculty. These shows have served as a chance for Hoss and Schunk to laugh at themselves, issues on campus and/or community folks whom they thought could handle some ribbing. They recalled with humor one of their favorite skits about the rumored blacklist of employees to be let go. Their characters snuck into the office of former superintendent Bob Gross and knocked over the list by mistake, which began with their names. To offer its educational program to those outside SAS and to

Hop-A-Long’s Schoolhouse DVD takes children on a “fabtacular” tour, encouraging them to be good caretakers of the planet.

Shunk and Hoss have been “characters” at SAS for 20 years.

make it available for families to use at home, the show was put to film in 2008, and its format was expanded to instill environmental awareness, global responsibility and a culture of character. Through a combination of literature, vocabulary, science, music, movement and laughter, Hop-A-Long’s Schoolhouse DVD takes children on a “fabtacular” tour of the world around them, reminding them to be good caretakers of the planet and to always “keep laughing and learning!” Hoss has also coauthored two children’s books, Manny the Monarch and For Pete’s Sake, which are eco-friendly stories about helping children to become good caretakers of the planet. The books and DVD are available through the PTA, which receives a portion of the sale, or visit www.hop-a-long.com. ■

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Then & Now

First SAS newspaper: The Reporter By Stuart Lippe (59) When SAS opened in January 1956, there were only seven of us in the upper grades (7-9) for that first year. Classes for the “big kids” were on the back porch of the old house on Rochalie Drive. We tried to begin normal school activities as quickly as possible, with sports teams, a student council and even a paper, which was called The Reporter. It was exciting to begin the next grade in a new school. We came from different experiences and backgrounds. My brother Michael (61) and I had been at the Anglo-Chinese School, and Elie Mizrahie was a refugee from Indonesia. Gary Voigt had just arrived fresh from the United States. Carolyn Chapman was British, and Chris Pixton and Narda Anderson were American. With encouragement from Principal Al Fisher, we all became the paper’s staff, joined also by Jean Chua and Han Keng Wah from what I assume was the 6th grade. SAS was already an international school. The Reporter was cranked out on a mimeograph machine. Nobody today will remember what they looked like or how they worked, but it was messy and we ended up with ink blotches all over us and on the paper too. My one remaining copy of The Reporter from that first year, the two-page June 15 edition, has been presented to SAS. Like The Eye of today, our paper reported on school sports teams (already winning, but not yet called the Eagles), the student council and other news. We didn’t have all the extracurricular activities reported today, such as theater, dance and political clubs. SAS was then small enough to include personal news, such as Roy Joshua’s broken arm and Mr. Fisher’s broken wrist, the Voigt’s holiday in Cameron Highlands, Simon White’s birthday and a welcome to Yoko, our first Japanese student. We also had a public service side, announcing that the nursery school needed donations of toys and opening a suggestion box. Students were encouraged to submit original work, and two short articles appeared in this issue. However, a word of explanation may be needed about

Stained June 15, 1956 edition of The Reporter, a rather remarkable achievement for a handful of middle schoolers.

the “Adventures in Outer Space” series. Our “Captain Sideo” was a takeoff on Captain Video and His Video Rangers, which premiered in 1949, and was the first science fiction, space adventure program on television (in the United States — we did not have TV in Singapore in 1956). Sputnik was still a few

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Then & Now

The Reporter became the Tuesday Forum, then the King’s Road Review, then the Eagle Eye and finally, today, The Eye. In the early years it was produced on a typewriter and a mimeograph machine. Photos by Karen Cortezano and from 1958 Islander.

years in the future, but there was a real fascination with anything to do with planetary exploration. In addition to Captain Sideo, the Stinky Lee character was an adaptation of another famous television personality, Pinky Lee. Go ahead and Google him. Even after 50 years I can still hum his theme song, “Yoo hoo it’s me, my name is Pinky Lee.” At that time, MAD magazine had just appeared, and the authors, in a creative writing exercise, may have been trying to emulate its zany style, which was widely popular. I do not recall that there was ever a second installment of

the series. Probably that was a good thing. I wonder how long The Reporter lasted under that name? Maybe The Eye can do some investigative journalism... When I started this article, I had expected to be just a bit apologetic about how our efforts were those of beginners. We never won the Colombia Gold Crown Award or the many other awards that The Eye has won recently, but I think we did a pretty good job, beginning a strong tradition that, along with Al Fisher and the other teachers, began to set the foundations for SAS growth. ■

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High schoolers have been visiting the Leprosy Home every Friday since 1992, bringing love and friendship to those who have been abandoned by their friends and families.

Stigma: You’re going to like these people By Robert Dodge (SAS teacher 83-06)

leprosy patients as the guest of a remarkable man, the jovial Fred Gibson, who told me, “You’re going to like these people.” Fred, the son of a Ku Klux Klan member, attended seminary with Martin Luther King, Jr. and became a champion of those treated unfairly. The ever-uplifting Fred was always on the side of those who suffered unequal treatment, regardless of the reason. Asked how he maintained such an attitude, he replied, “There’s something golden and wonderful about every person.” In Singapore Fred — who put four children through SAS — came to the aid of victims of leprosy and convinced me to bring SAS students to visit them. I did in part because I have epilepsy and a local survey had revealed a very strong stigma about epilepsy. Like leprosy, stigmatized views of epilepsy date back to ancient times. Epilepsy victims, long thought demonic, have also been considered either mentally ill or mentally retarded. Only in 1980 did the last U.S. state repeal its law forbidding marriage to a person with epilepsy. While

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prine was publicly condemned for adultery and her sentence was to wear a scarlet A on her breast, so that all would know her deeds. Three hundred years later and half a world away, labeling and ostracism continue. Not in fiction and a rigidly religious society, but in the very real world of Singapore. The old grey-haired lady had a distant, dejected look as she recalled the clothes she wore in her younger days, “We had a white kebaya and red sarong. On the left side of the kebaya was sewn a red ring. And in the middle was the letter “L” for leper. Peggy Arazoo, like Hester, was publicly branded an outcast, an undesirable. Unlike Hester, her brand didn’t come from the community’s view of sin but from fear and ignorance. Peggy has passed away, and labeled clothing is a thing of the past, but fear and ignorance remain. I met Peggy in 1991 when I first visited Singapore’s home for destitute recovered 28

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Top: The third grade raises thousands of dollars for the Leprosy Home each year, and a highlight is their annual visit, when they see the joy that their gifts and presence bring to the recipients. Right: Retired teacher Bob Dodge has a special empathy with the residents, but says that visits by children bring out the biggest smiles of all.

black America had been struggling since Rosa Parks for a seat at the front of the bus, the disabled were hoping for any seat on the bus. Leprosy’s stigma is different. Around the world, the belief about this most ancient of diseases is that it is not only a disease of the body, but of the soul. It is mentioned in the Bible more than 50 times in eight different books. In the Middle Ages in Europe lepers were required to wear special clothes, ring bells or shake clappers to warn others of their approach, never wash hands or garments in springs or streams and never talk to people unless down wind from them. Similar views existed worldwide. SAS students began weekly visits in 1992 and continue to the present. The residents told them their stories, and they became friends. Typical was Dominic, who was forced into government living in 1933 and died last year without ever being visited by a family member. He said, “Because maybe I committed some sin somewhere during that time. But I won’t believe all of that. The ones who got leprosy, we got fate. How did I get it? Once in a million. But that is a leper’s world.” As for his 75 years of ostracism, “I got this four words. L, O, V, E.”

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One third grader on his visit to the Leprosy Home:“Most of the residents smiled. I felt sad and scared for them. It was very sad seeing the residents. And scary because they did not have any toes or legs or arms or fingers. But a person is a person. When we left I wasn’t scared anymore. And I was very, very, very happy because I brought joy to people.”

He counted out on the stubs of his fingers, “L, Learn to control myself. O, my double smile. V, Very often, my tears will flow from my eyes. E, Every day I feel miserable or desperate while I sits alone. When I see and there’s no one here, I feel very, very desperate and miserable.” Many SAS students over the years valued Dominic’s gentle friendship and learned from it. Leprosy affects peripheral nerves, and damage sometimes leads to atrophy resulting from muscle weakness and deterioration. The loss of sensation in the hands and feet can lead to ulceration and infections from cuts and burns. We learned that it was common for residents to keep cats as pets, as they kept rats away from fingers and toes that could be gnawed on unfelt while they slept. My seizures worsened, so in 1996 I went to Johns Hopkins Hospital to have my right temporal lobe surgically removed. Many people sent flowers and greetings. The most touching gesture came in an envelope from Singapore that contained individual “get well” letters from the residents of Singapore’s Leprosy Home. I suppose there is some irony in receiving “get well” greetings from lepers, but it was a reminder to hold on. I’ll never be Fred Gibson, able to find something special inside of everyone, but I’ve learned things about stigma. While leprosy and epilepsy will always be stigmas, there are numerous conditions where the term is equally applicable. Many people are marginalized by stigma, and I believe that people only want to be seen as people, regardless of their health or

The ever-uplifting Fred [Gibson] was always on the side of those who suffered unequal treatment, regardless of the reason, because“There’s something golden and wonderful about every person.” lifestyle choices. They experience the same emotions and react to kindness, condescension, rudeness and interest that others do. Whether they are transgender, quadriplegic or stutter does not define them. Their conditions are part of a greater whole that is overlooked once “we” get to know “them.” I should have understood that from my own life, but it took a group of friends from the Leprosy Home to make it really clear. I really do like these people. ■ 30

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Fond Farewell

A pleasure and a privilege to work at SAS Some of the folks working at SAS, and I am one of them, sort of fly under the radar as we work to support the students at SAS. As director of communications and development I have been one of those employees. As I head off campus for the last time on June 4, I feel proud to have been a part of such an extraordinary community of individuals. I leave SAS echoing many of the same feelings articulated by Rhonda Norris. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to have served among the ranks of such a wonderful group of individuals. The students, parents and staff of SAS are unparalleled, and it has been my pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful institution. Beth Gribbon

Rhonda and Will Norris, HS math teacher, have been at SAS since 2001, and will continue their careers in education at the Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan.

Goodbye SAS Natasha and Nicholas, our two children, whom we met in Russia in March of our first year in Singapore and brought home to Texas and Singapore that summer. Like many families who come here, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize that our family would call Singapore home for almost a decade, a home that has been filled with incredible friendships and opportunities to experience rich and remarkable moments as well as every day, real life moments. Our entire family has connected with amazing and compassionate individuals from around the world. We have lived in and traveled Asia, being welcomed by many cultures of gracious, warm and proud people. Our children have friendships today that they formed eight years ago as well as friendships they have just made this year. The richness of the

By Rhonda Norris Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Saying good-bye and welcoming the new is a part of our lives, both as expatriates and host country staff members at the Singapore American School. As our family says good bye after nine years, we feel fortunate to have been a part of a community that has embraced our family and celebrated the significant moments in our lives. Arriving in Singapore as a couple, Will and I began our work in the way we always had, contributing wherever we saw opportunities to make a difference. Much of our first year is a distant memory at this point, except for one very memorable event. Our family grew to include 31

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The people and the relationships make the difference, and the relationships at SAS have been amazing, enriching and challenging made permanent impressions on how they view and interact in the world. They have experienced outstanding educational and extracurricular opportunities, giving them a passion for learning and developing a love for the arts as well as athletics. Their teachers practiced every day the extraordinary care for our children that parents envision for all students at SAS. Natasha and Nicholas have benefited from and contributed to this amazing experience, and it will forever be a part of who they are. Through our professional experiences, Will and I have grown as individuals. We have stretched our thinking, and we have had many exhausting days that at the time we didn’t know if we would survive. This school, this community and this country have shaped and changed us. We have worked with incredible colleagues, parents and students who have had positive and significant impacts on us. We have heard from students, parents and colleagues that we have made a difference in the lives of those in this school community. We hope that we have in fact left our fingerprints on this commu-

nity through our contributions. Finally, as an individual, I would like to express my significant gratitude for the opportunity to work beside board members, leadership team members, teachers, support staff members and parents who are so committed to the extraordinary children of our school community. For me, it is the people and the relationships that make the difference, and these relationships have been amazing, enriching and challenging, all in the interest of our children. We are fortunate to have such partnerships and passion. SAS is a great school, and our hope is that the future holds incredible opportunities for those who are a part of this community. As we leave Singapore, we look back with smiles on our faces, incredible memories in our minds and great connections in our hearts. As we look forward to our next adventure, both in time with our family in Texas and then on to the Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan, we know that our opportunities will be rich as we build on our experiences from SAS. ■

David Rops 1999-2010 Tracy and I have accepted jobs at the Munich International School. I’ll be teaching HS math (IB), and Tracy will be teaching kindergarten. As I reflect back on the last 11 years, a quarter of my life, wonderful things have happened to me both personally and professionally. From SAS I will take with me the memories of the incredible students that I’ve been fortunate enough to interact with and the fantastic teachers whom I respect, learned from and became friends with. I cherish the opportunities I’ve had to stretch kids’ minds and push their limits, whether along the mountain face of Tiger Leaping Gorge during Interim Semester or struggling through the inverse of the sine function. It has been a rich and full chapter of my life and in the future as I reflect on this time, I’m certain I will look back and smile.

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Fond Farewell Jerry Szombathy High School 2002-2010 I will be the director of learning technology at the Chinese International School in Hong Kong. SAS has been a terrific personal and professional experience for me. I have been here for eight years, longer than any other post I’ve held. My kids both graduated from SAS, and we all have fond memories of our friends and our time here. I am sad to be leaving the school and Singapore — a place I’ve loved from the beginning — but the time does eventually come when new opportunities are presented, and we have to grab them. I go with the awareness of how very lucky I’ve been to have spent some of my time on the planet here at SAS.

George Kaye Primary School 2001-2010 Next school year, I will be the upper primary information technology facilitator at the Hong Kong International School. I have thoroughly enjoyed my nine years at SAS and the privilege of working with bright and confident kids.

Jim and Gerri Kett High School 1996-2010 Back in 1996, we thought we would go overseas for two years. It turned into 14 years. We both have loved our time in Singapore and at SAS and will miss our interactions with students, parents and staff. The students at SAS are amazing and have made our lives enjoyable. It is our wish that SAS continues to challenge students for the future. Thank you SAS for giving us the opportunity to grow in so many ways. Please stay in touch! We are returning to our home in Michigan and will spend the winters in Florida. Both our son and daughter live in the U.S., and we are anxious to spend time with them. As far as jobs, we will do some part-time consulting in education and look forward to what else God has planned for us.

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Karen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shaughnessy, Intermediate School 2002-2010 I will be teaching fifth grade at the American Community School of Abu Dhabi. I am grateful to SAS for the wonderful learning opportunities provided my two children, Erika and Andy. I hope that my future students will have as much character as my kidlets at SAS. I will miss my crazy third grade team members, past and present. I wonder how I will manage without the daily contact of my dear friends whose humor, compassion and patience have made every day worthwhile.

Matthew Steuer Preschool 2001-2010 I am headed for Punta del Este in Uruguay, a gorgeous beach resort town about 120 km north of Montevideo. I hope to start my own early childhood center with a special focus on the arts and learning through play. If anyone would like to come for a visit, please let me know at msteuer1@mac.com. I hope to see some of my old SAS friends in my new Latin American home. I have spent nine wonderful years at SAS and am filled with a swirl of rich and meaningful memories. Most of all I will miss the extended preschool family that has found a home in my heart. 34

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Students will miss this principal By Jamie Lim (10) and Alvi Hasan (10)

Jamie Lim and Alvi Hasan with Principal Dave Norcott. Photo by Jessica Nguyen-Phuong (10).

After four years as deputy principal and another four as principal of the high school, David Norcott will be leaving SAS. “I’ve had a wonderful time and a wonderful experience at this school,” he said. “Coming to SAS gave me a chance to come to Singapore, which was a chance to experience Asia, which was an opportunity to discover a part of the world that I had little exposure to.” In his eight years in the high school, Norcott played an important role in the large-scale growth at SAS. Milestones between 2002-2010 include a significant increase in enrollment, the construction of the new high school building and the wireless initiative launched just two years ago. But to Norcott, his fondest memories will be of the people. “I got to work with world class faculty and world class kids,” he said. “This may be a cliché, but my favorite memories of my time here are the kids. I’ve enjoyed having an opportunity to get to know all the students as young adults.” And the feeling is reciprocated. Whether it was because of his frequent attendance at sports practices, games, drama productions, dance shows, art exhibits, concert performances

and events, such as County Fair and Homecoming, or because of his open door policy and willingness to engage in conversation with students, his warm and always-smiling attitude often inspired comparisons to Santa Claus. “There are very few people in the school who genuinely care about SAS and the students as much as Mr. Norcott does,” senior Alvi Hasan said. “I think that he knows more about the student body than even any other student does. SAS is truly going to miss him.” Norcott said that he will remember the Eagles’ double overtime victory in the IASAS rugby championships several years ago, last year’s third season pep rally, his first Winter Collage, the construction of the ropes course and Mr. Ho’s cashew chicken with veggies. Norcott will become Head of the Upper School at the International School of Amsterdam this fall and will be succeeded at SAS by the current Jakarta International School high school principal, Dr. Timothy Stuart. Norcott looks forward to the opportunities presented by his new school and the European culture, but expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the experiences and opportunities that were provided by SAS. “The only other thing I’d like to say is thank you,” Norcott said. “It’s been special from the beginning. And one last thing: go Eagles!” ■

Norcott’s warmth often inspired comparisons to Santa Claus 35

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It’s hard to imagine SAS without Linda known for years and sees every day and who mean a lot to her. She added, “Of course I’ll miss the food — I don’t even want to mention how I’ll miss that. But it’s the people I’ll miss, more than the place — the last graduation will be hard.” When asked what she felt best about her time here at SAS, Linda thought for a moment and said that when she went back to an SAS alumni gathering in Houston last July, she saw students she’d had back in the late 70s. They remembered things she’d taught them way back then, and they told her how they’d used those things in their lives, how they had felt prepared. “It validated what we do,” Linda said. “It made me feel good about my teaching over the years and the effect I’ve had on the kids. I am pleased that I was able to offer our students tips and skills on how to live life.” It’s hard to imagine SAS without Linda Clarke. ■

By Rick Silverman, English teacher 87-present Leaving a place after 34 years of commitment is hard. Now, after teaching thousands of students at SAS, after watching her children grow up here, and after attending 34 SAS graduations, Linda Clarke has decided that it is time for a change. Linda came to Singapore in 1976 from Athens, where she had been teaching for four years after graduating from Bowling Green University. She joined SAS as a high school business teacher on the King’s Road campus. Intimately involved with SAS as a teacher and parent, Linda has seen SAS change from a small organization with a family feel to the larger entity it is today. Linda first taught shorthand and typing and later accounting. When computers came on the scene a science teacher taught programming classes and the business department taught computer applications until the computer department formed. As a member of the business department Linda was involved with all of this and ultimately took on the keyboarding classes. When the home economics department was eliminated Linda also took over the Independent Living class, which had been taught by a home economics teacher. Linda and her husband adopted two children from the Philippines — Aisha (99) and Geoff (92), who attended SAS from pre-K through high school. Both are happily married, and Aisha has made Linda a grandmother. Linda has contributed to SAS in other ways as well. One of her passions is scuba diving and for years she ran the Advanced Scuba Diving Interim Semester trip; she considers that course to be one of her favorite contributions to the school. Linda has also been heavily involved in the Migrant Workers’ Computer Classes. This service program has been going on for eight years and has on average 200 students each semester. Now Linda believes it is time to move on — she wants to return to the U.S. and see what life brings her in Florida. Linda said she will miss the old timers: other teachers, Azizah, Rahim, the Hos and the cafeteria staff — people she has

Photo of Linda Clarke in her King’s Road office in 1977 taken by Rainer Kumbroch (77).

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Linda Clarke – My mentor and my friend I feel sad that future SAS students will not have the opportunity to benefit from her expertise, her example and her friendship to do the RIGHT thing; even if it wasn’t going to be the most POPULAR thing. She showed me that one’s integrity should never be sacrificed and that you must always stand up for what you believe. She believed her responsibilities extended beyond the classroom. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times Mrs. Clarke sat on the sidelines of soccer fields, basketball courts and other arenas to cheer us on. She was a patient teacher who always made herself available to her students if they needed extra help. I admired her dedication to her students and have tried to emulate it in my own teaching career. Over the past 30 years, my relationship with Mrs. Clarke has turned from student-to-teacher to friend-to-friend and mother-to-mother. Linda, as I call her now, was at our home shortly after the birth of our first daughter. We have seen each other only a few times since my graduation, but we have always kept in touch, and she continues to be my mentor, friend and personal cheerleader. We were fortunate to stay an extra day with Linda at the SAS reunion in Houston this past summer, and my three children now know the woman behind my many stories of Linda Clarke. I know that I am not the only student on whom she has had such a profound impact, and I feel sad that future SAS students will not have the opportunity to benefit from her expertise, her example and her friendship. An SAS legend is ending, but the stories about Linda Clarke and the impact she’s had on students’ lives will live on for many years to come. Thank you, Linda, for the presence you continue to have in MY life. ■

Linda Clarke and Leslie Babinec Trout at the 30th reunion of Class of 79 in Houston last summer.

By Leslie Babinec Trout (81) When I was asked to share my thoughts about Linda Clarke, I could not have been more honored or excited, as she is the teacher who had the most influence on my life. My relationship with Mrs. Clarke started over 30 years ago when I entered her classroom as a Typing I student. Over the next four years I took whatever else Mrs. Clarke taught at that time. Thanks to her guidance and influence, I decided to major in business administration in college, and I credit her with my success. I truly believe I was much better prepared for college than most others. Mrs. Clarke was definitely my mentor in high school, and I valued her opinion immensely. Although we were friends, I admired her for never letting me get away with anything! She had extremely high standards for all her students and an amazing ability to get the most out of each one — even those who were notorious for goofing off. Mrs. Clarke was a teacher and mentor who was not afraid 37

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SAS hosts alumni parties in four U.S. cities For the third year in a row, SAS held a series of well-attended and fun alumni gatherings in the United States in February of this year — with get-togethers in San Francisco, Washington, DC, New York City and Boston. New Associate Director of Alumni Relations Lauri Coulter was delighted to meet so many alums in her first few months on the job — and was pleased with the high turnout at each of the events, where former students, faculty and staff happily reconnected.

Straits Kitchen, San Francisco Our first event took place in San Francisco at the Straits Kitchen on February 1 — a fun location right downtown that served fabulous Asian appetizers and drinks. We were pleased to have a good turn out, with over 25 people attend-

ing. The group included alums from the early 60s and 70s through to the class of 2003. The group from the 60s and 70s included Corliss Harris, Elaine Wales Koch, Ginny Bordwell Daws and Emily Newell, who shared stories about 38

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the early years at SAS, as well as updates on their mini-gettogethers each year. Ambert Yeung (01) talked about his senior year at SAS and the tremendous impact SAS had on him, even though he attended for only one year. He spoke warmly of his Interim Semester experience and of the great teachers and fellow students he met at SAS. At each alumni gathering we raffled off a “sought-after” navy-blue SAS sweatshirt in exchange for updates for Journeys’ Notes & Quotes, and the raffle winner in San Francisco was Jean Chiao (02).

Singapore Bistro Washington, DC

Corliss Harris (64), Ginny Bordwell Daws (63), Elaine Wales Koch (70), David Baker (61), Joyce Small (faculty in the 60s) and Emily Newell (63).

The second alumni gathering took place at the Singapore Bistro in Washington, DC on February 3. In spite of the snow and cold weather, we had another good turn out, with 32 people in attendance. The restaurant served delicious

Mike Eppolito (03), Veronika Chan (03), Tad Gruman (04) and Priya Varghese (00).

Director of Alumni Relations Lauri Coulter, with former Superintendent Bob Gross.

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Asian appetizers and drinks, including Tiger beer for old timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake. Among the many students, staff and faculty in attendance was Bob Gross, the SAS superintendant from 19992007. In addition to attending the gathering, Bob was kind enough to take Lauri to the State Department for lunch and a tour. He currently works as the Regional Education Officer for Europe for the Office of Overseas Schools in the State Department. The Fitch brothers, Kim and George, were there from the 60s, along with a strong contingent from the 80s including Adrian Beline, Craig Wood, Matthew Montoya, Greg Smith, Matthew Arnold, Julianne Berg and Brack Boone. Also well represented were alums from the late 90s and early 00s. Once again there was high participation in the Notes & Quotes raffle, and the sweatshirt went to Melanie Tu (03).

Julianne Berg (88), Matthew Arnold (89), Brach Boone (83), Gregory Smith (83) and Craig Wood (80).

The New York City gathering took place at the ever-popular Stone Creek Bar & Lounge on the lower east side on Friday, February 5. Although there was a snow storm in the forecast (again), it held off, and we had a really strong turn

out, with well over 50 people in attendance. Once again everyone enjoyed catching up and sharing SAS and Singapore memories. Among the wide range of alums, faculty and staff in attendance were sisters Julie (07) and Helen (09) Knight and newly engaged Phoebe Choi (98) and Mark Tan (98). Although many of the alums were first time reunion attendees, repeat attendees included Albert Gumilang (00), Alaine Handa (01) and Francesco Zargani (86). Veronika Chan (03) attended our gatherings in DC and New York. Vanessa Chu (00) was our NYC sweatshirt raffle winner.

Vanessa Chu (00), Anita Surendarn (00), Charles Wheeler (00), Laurie Nelson (01) with Notes & Quotes raffle forms.

Albert Gumilang (00), Won Hee Chang (01) and Francesco Zargani (86).

Stone Creek Bar & Lounge, New York City

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Phil Haslett (05), Veronika Chan (03), Molly Phillips (03) and Chris Wong (04).

from 95-04, and Bill and Anita Pearson who were in central administration 90-01. The Pearsons are currently at the International School of Curitiba in Brazil. Bill Rives and Mary McDonald are both at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. Bill is teaching and Mary is director of college counseling. The former students in attendance were primarily from the 90s and 00s, and all had fun stories to share about SAS, their favorites haunts and the foods they missed. Among the former students in attendance were Victor Mahillion (03), who was also at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gathering, as well as Jennifer Nockels (07), who is currently attending Boston College and told Dr. Mutsch that SAS had prepared her well for college.

Kingston Station, Boston The final gathering took place in Boston on February 8 at Kingston Station. Both current Superintendent Brent Mutsch and MS Principal Devin Pratt were in town for a recruiting conference and were able to join the alumni gathering. Also present were HS teacher Bill Rives, who left SAS last year after 22 years of service, Mary McDonald a counselor at SAS

Below: The Boston alums included Dhruv Sahgal (06), Laura Imkamp (06), Devin Pratt (MS principal), Jennifer Nockels (07), Bill Pearson (administrator), Ben Spalter (06), Bill Rives (faculty 87-09), Anita Pearson (administration), Superintendent Brent Mutsch, Kalah Williams (03), Brent Arsenault, Sita Mehta (03), Kunal Mehta (10), Mary McDonald (faculty) and Anik Merchea.

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Laura Imkamp (06), Ben Spalter (06), Jennifer Nockels (07), Bill Rives (faculty 87-09), Alumni Director Lauri Coulter, Dhruv Sahgal (06) and Victor Mahillon (03).

5/18/10, 10:42 PM

Around Singapore

Alumna on Obama’s team President Obama greets Americans in Singapore in the ballroom of the Shangri-La Hotel on November 15, 2009.

U.S. President Barack Obama attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in Singapore last November 14-15. During his 24-hour-visit, President Obama attended a state dinner, met with economic leaders from 21 nations and with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members, gave a speech to regional CEOs and had a private talk with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He also managed to spend a half hour talking and shaking hands with families from the U.S. Military and Embassy. In person, he seemed relaxed, friendly and genuinely pleased by the welcoming crowd. He made an effort to shake everyone’s hand, especially the children, in the short time he had. In reply to one man’s comment that he was doing a good job, Obama simply said, “Thank you. I’m not sure everyone agrees with that … I’m trying.”

Jessica Blakemore (03) back on the SAS campus with teacher Anne Dodge Carroll (03).

Alumna Jessica Blakemore (03) also came to Singapore last November — on Obama’s advance team. In addition to her duties for the president’s visit, the advance team expected Jessica to be tour guide and social director since none of them had ever been to Singapore. She enlisted the help of her good friend and former classmate, Anne Dodge Carroll (03), who is a second grade teacher at SAS. Jessica previously worked on the president’s campaign and helped with inaugural events and then was asked to stay on as part of the White House team. Her duties include advance work on presidential visits to cities in the United States and around the world. She says that she loves her work! When she visited SAS, Jessica spoke with Anne’s students about her work, which they loved. She also visited the Alumni Office and met with favorite high school teachers Paul Koebnick, Chip Miller, Mark Clemens and Martha Began.

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Around Singapore

A family tradition in honor of Lord Muruga

SAS security guard Gunalan (center) helps balance the kavadi on his son’s chest and back.

By Ellen White, SAS Director of Admissions SAS security guard Gunalan carried his first kavadi in the Hindu festival Thaipusam when he was 18 years old. To prepare he fasted, prayed and meditated before going to the temple with his father, who pierced his body and helped him don the aluminium kavadi that devotees carry on their shoulders in honor of Lord Muruga. “You can’t deny there’s no pain, but on that particular day I felt very confident that in the eyes of God I had the strength to accept it,” recalls Gunalan. “My father was very experienced. He helped me in my mediations so that I could accept the spikes in my body.” At this year’s Thaipusam, Gunalan did the same for his 27-year-old son, Shankar. The ritual began January 30 at midnight at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road. It takes about three hours to prepare for the five-kilometer walk to Sri Thandayathia Temple on Tank Road. Families and priests support the devotees as they walk, along with musi-

Shankar begins the five-kilometer walk to Sri Thandayathia Temple bearing a 15-kg kavadi.

cians who sing and play drums to help them concentrate. Kavadi is the Tamil word for “burden.” Some devotees carry milk pots, others wooden yokes, and some pull chariots. However, the kavadi most associated with Thaipusam in Singapore is the iduban kavadi, which is supported by spikes that go directly into the flesh of the devotee’s stomach and back. These kavadis weigh about 15 kg (30 pounds) and are decorated with peacock feathers and religious images. On top there is often a milk pot, an offering to Lord Muruga.

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Around Singapore

SAS PTA County Fair 2010

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Around Singapore

JP Morgan Corporate Challenge Championships Four SAS teachers competed in the JP Morgan Chase & Co. Corporate Challenge Championships in Johannesburg on March 4, 2010 along with seven other representatives from Singapore. Crystal Madsen (MS), Ian Coppell (HS), Mark Forgeron (MS) and Jeneane Paxson (IS) are pictured with fellow Singapore competitors Adrian Ng, Melvin Wong, Wille Loo and Chung Tan from Bikelabz and Kai Fen Ong, Jasmine Wong and Chui Chin Tan from the Singapore Armed Forces. Andrew Hallam, Ian Coppell, Jeneane Paxon and Crystal Madsen won the mixed team race in Singapore last April, which qualified them for the Johannesburg races. Hallam, who also won the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s championship in Singapore, was unable to attend the championships because of an injury.

Mr. Hoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chicken Rice 2 kg (4-5 pounds) bone-in chicken 60 g (2 oz) spring onion cut into 1-inch pieces 60 g (2 oz) peeled fresh ginger 150 g (5 oz) slices shallots 60 g (2 oz) pandan leaves 3 cloves garlic 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1.5 chicken cube 1 tsp salt 2 tsp soya sauce 2 tsp sesame oil 3,000 ml water (12 cups) rice

1. Heat the oil. Saute garlic,shallots and ginger until fragrant. Add them to hot water, chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to boil. 2. When the water boils, add chicken and pandan leaves and simmer for 45 minutes. 3. Debone and take skin off the chicken. Cut it into small pieces and glaze with soya sauce and sesame oil. 4. Cook the rice in the chicken stock with 4 slices fresh ginger, 2 fresh pandan leaves, salt and pepper to taste. 5. Serve the chicken over rice. Garnish with cucumber and tomatoes. Serves 10. 45

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Around Singapore

SAS hosts annual reunion for recent graduates in the American Club Union Bar, December 17, 2009

Justin Sumarta Mu (01), Tate Sonnack (03), Lauryn Ishak (03), Lauren Thomas

Alex Hoffer (09) and Nicholas Chang (09)

Rachel Fink (09), Jeff Kreutter (07), Ryan Fenwick (07) 46

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Around Singapore

SAS teachers with Azizah Sultan in front: Dale Ford, Beth Kramer, Rick Silverman, Jim Baker, Tim Zitur.

Ahilya Kaul (09) and Priscilla Chan (09)

Jesal Parehk (08), Azizah Sultan, Chis Hussey (08), Raehenna Reed (09), Valerie Smart (09) and Zubin Chand (09)

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Notes & Quotes

1960s Ginny Bordwell Daws (63) is a school administrator, who loves to travel. She recently climbed Mt Everest from the Tibetan side. Corliss Harris (64) is retired, playing some tennis, traveling, volunteering for Meals on Wheels and married with a grown son and three step sons. George Fitch (65) has been mayor of Warrenton, VA for the last 10 years and says he has yet to be “tarred and feathered.” Jim Baker (66 and current faculty) says he was overwhelmed and grateful for the many e-mails he received after his heart attack in March.

1970s Elaine Wales Koch (70) recently broke her leg while hiking in the California hills and had to be airlifted out by helicopter. Danny Agustin Flores (76) does webbased technical research, consulting,

Benny Effendi (83) is living in Coral Springs, FL with wife Monica and son Bailee, who was born last August. Benny is working for Oracle Corporation as a consultant.

sales of informational services and publishing through his dot com company, Skye Blue Publications.

1980s Craig Wood (80) works for a video analytics software company in DC. Steve Holtebeck (83) is working at IBM Global Services in the SF Bay area and plans to return to Singapore soon. Penny Dowdy (83) has written a number of math and science books for elementary and middle school libraries and classrooms. She co-presented at the International Reading Assoc. annual conferrence in Chicago last April, discussing ways to incorporate literacy instruction into classes. She lives in Magnolia, TX with husband Robert and their two children. Francesco Zargani (86) has been living in the Boston area for the last 20 years and is working in the high-tech industry. Shannon Salter Burghardt (88) is “one step closer to finding out what I want to

be when I grow up! I’m finally licensed as a substitute teacher in Boyertown, PA. I had my first day in the classroom teaching 6 periods of 12th grade economics. (I hope I did you proud, Mr. Baker!) If I continue to like the next 100 or so days, I may return to the classroom as a student to add a teaching certificate to my poli sci degree. In the meantime, it’s great to have a job that I enjoy and lets me be home with my kids when they aren’t in school.” Jilianne Berg (88) lives in Herndon, VA. She married in 96, has 3 girls and is an expert in baking birthday cakes! A highlight last year was getting together with Lily Supardan (88) in DC.

1990s Nathalie VoTa Antus (90) is a city planner and filmmaker in San Francisco. She encourages classmates to attend their 20th reunion in Las Vegas this summer. See alumni.sas.edu.sg. Jonathan Hansen (92) and wife Anne

Michael Braaten (85) and wife Rosette Bradley Braaten (87) traveled to San Jose, CA for their son’s hockey game. During their down time, they were able to visit with Stacie Sadler Callaghan (88) and her new addition – Shelby.

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Notes & Quotes

Florida Aquarium Public Relations Manager Tom Wagner (90) Sad to report that Jason Rozakis (91) died in January of pulmonary received a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award in December 09 for hypertension. Jason was an avid sportsman, participating in many Eagles activities. Shane Dawson, Hal Marz (90) and Nathalie Vohis underwater visuals of the Nepture Memorial Reef. Ta (90) attended his memorial service in Danville, CA.

welcomed Lucas Finn Richardson Hansen on October 17, 2009 in NYC. Theo Nicolaides (93) is a pediatric neuro-oncologist at the University of California in San Francisco. Benjamin Rosenthal (93) and wife welcomed Jacob Franklin Rosenthal on October 15, 09. Dr. Mary Berlik Rice (95) and husband Edward had their first child in the fall of 2009. Hiroko Tsutsui Cruz (96) and husband Christian welcomed their first child, Tyler Kenji on January 14. Kelley Franz Wallace (97) and husband James are new parents of Jacob Allen, born April 11 in Atlanta, GA. Schuyler Houser House (97), husband Stewart and 3 children live in Singapore. Her oldest will attend SAS in the fall. Tracy Karplus (99) is proud to announce the arrival of her second child, Ruby, last November. David Crespo (99) works for a non-profit in DC and volunteers for DC Scores, an initiative that combines soccer instruction and poetry in urban schools. He says he still misses Mr. Ho’s kway teow. Ryan Manteuffel (99) and parents visited SAS last October after attending the

wedding of Chris Waugh (00) and Junia Djojonegoro (00) in Bali.

2000s Tiffany Tsao (00) was married last summer, and sister Amanda (08) was a bridesmaid. Anita Surendran (00) works in the legal department of Stuart Weitzman, designer of women’s footwear and handbags. Charles Wheeler (00) married Stefanie Sowers in 09. The couple lives in NYC. Tora Unuvar (00) misses SAS a lot. She’s living in NYC and getting married in June. Vanessa Chu (00) just moved to NYC from Hong Kong and is attending Columbia Business School. Erin Colleary (00) is married, has a twoyear-old and is living in Terryville, CT. Bailey Hampton (00) moved to the DC area after 2 years with Teach for America in rural NC and recently earned an MA in international education from George Washington U. Rebecca Schmidt (00) is teaching in DC public schools. She visited Kelsey Harmory (00) in Costa Rica last year. Kelsey is in the Peace Corps there. Justin Kramer (00) is a consultant with Gallup in NYC.

Tetsuro Kobayashi (00) is a junior resident at the Clinical Training Center, University of Tokyo Hospital. Pane Young (01) is managing a portion of the Census 2010 advertising campaign. Lauren McKenzie (01) works at the ASCO Cancer Foundation in DC, raising funds for research, patient information, physician education and access to quality care. She was delighted to run in to Bailey Hampton (00) at the DC Alumni party in February and discover they had attended the same HS after SAS and were both Delta Gammas. Ambert Yeung (01) lives in San Francisco but spent time this spring in Hong Kong exploring his family heritage and filming a documentary on his grandfather. See yeungproject.com. Alaine Handa (01) received a scholarship to present and attend the Families in Global Transitions conference in Houston. She will be on tour in PA and DC this year with her dance company. Julie Chow (02) has an MFA in film and is working on sets and student films in San Francisco. Jean Chiao (02) works in San Francisco as an IT consultant.

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Notes & Quotes

Christopher Thogmartin (94) married Stephanie Livingston on New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve. In attendance were Brenden Zeni (94) and wife Diana, Ryan Timms (93), brother Steven Thogmartin (89) and wife Amy Harrison Togmartin (90).

Jens Bergenser (94) and wife Ondie La Force welcomed their second child, Hayden James, on November 17.

Attending the marriage of Bonnie Loudon (95) and Matt Coles on August 5, 2009 in Austin, TX were Maggie, Barbara, Bonnie, Matt, Becky (90), Bryan (96) and Richard Loudon. Bonnie and Matt live and work in Shanghai. 50

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Notes & Quotes

Top: Summer Smith Shubert (98) and husband Robert are delighted to announce the arrival of Thomas on January 23.

Right: Claire Tan Liu (98) and Leon Liu (96) welcomed the arrival of their first child, Cristian Liu Ren-Jie on February 19.

Lizzy Benbow (02) works at Offspring, a design and commercial production company in NYC. Gilbert Landras (02) is based in Houston, where he is a compliance analyst for KBR and is active in Delta Sigma Pi. Kendall Hamilton (03) graduated from Johns Hopkins in 07 and is currently working for Chevron in the SF Bay area. Alex Chan (03) works for a boutique investment bank in San Francisco. Kalah Williams (03), who lives in Boston, visited Singapore for the first time last year. She says, “It was wonderful to visit the campus and have a flood of memories come back.” Sita Mehta (03) graduated from Bentley University and now works in Boston for Fidelity Investments as a financial analyst. Pawan Dhir (03) majored in economics and mathematics at Macalester College and now works at an economics consulting firm in Boston. Gautam Mehta (03) is an associate scientist with Pfizer Biotherapeutics

Research in San Francisco. He says that living in Singapore inspired him to travel, and his personal goal is to visit every country in the world — 45 countries so far! Veronika Chan (03) has been in DC for 8 years, attending George Washington U and then working as an IT consultant. Claire Muerdter (03) graduated from U of Washington in 07 with a BS in biology and is now in DC working as an environmental communications specialist. Molly Phillips (03) does marketing for a public relations firm in NYC. Daniel Liu (03) is in San Francisco. He works for a bank and designs management software for its customers. Katie Brooks (04) works in DC for an academic exchange organization. Jake Emerson (04) is working at EagleBank and on his MBA at the University of Maryland. Chris Wong (04) is working at a management consulting company in NYC. He and fellow SASers go out for Singaporean food every month.

Albert Gumilang (04) is a professional photographer for Miss USA and Miss Universe. He also works as an accountant in NYC and dances regularly with a salsa group. Scott Greene (04), who lives and works in NYC, says he visited 20 different countries around the world last year but that “none compared to being home in Singapore.” Alison Root (05) studied international relations and sociology and is now in DC looking for a job. Jessica Fries (05) works near DC for a non-profit that helps military families pay for child care. Cordelia Ross (05) is volunteering at the Beijing Stars & Rain Education Institute for Autism. Kay Miyoshi (05) recently moved to DC and is loving it! “There’s so much to do/ see here and it’s been great catching up with the SAS alums in the area.” Marisa Hale (05) graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a BS in economics and is now a software developer in DC.

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Notes & Quotes

Kelly Sonnack (98) was engaged to EJ Szymczak last August and plans to marry in La Jolla/San Diego in July. She has found a publisher for the second children’s book that she brought over from Singapore. The first book, The Elephant and the Tree by Jin Pyn Lee, was the first time a children’s book originally published in Singapore “made it” on the worldwide stage.

Bianca Portela Collins (98) and husband David welcomed Fraser Alexander on October 8, Bianca says, “My husband and I did meet in Singapore, so maybe Fraser is another SAS alumnus in the making.”

Mehrab Deboo (00) married Zarine Damkevala in Chicago, where they now live. In the photo are (back) Matt Packer (00), Zarine, Mehrab, Alex Eichstadt (00), Justin Kreamer (00), Dirk Jol (00), Anita Surendran (00); (front) Anita Black (00), Sonya Garg Tandon (00), Rohit Tandon and Chris Hoyes (00). Not shown: Sherry Deboo (98) and Jessie Imperi (98).

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Notes & Quotes Phil Haslett (05) completed a 4-month round the world trip with three other SASers: philscottearth.blogspot.com. Sera Yoshino (05) is in Paris pursuing a master’s in international affairs at Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and hopes to be interning at the UN in NY over the summer. Shanna Iacovino (05) is working in DC for Marriott International’s corporate sales office. Lena Ishak (05) is working as a marketing assistant for Sony Pictures in Berlin. She misses “Mr. Ho’s food, Singapore life and the perpetual summer.” Nigel Wylie (05) graduated from Purdue in December and is now working for a water/environmental engineering firm in Missouri. He is also an entrepreneur, working on a pure skincare/makeup called repurify.com. Whun Oh (05) is a financial accountant in Santa Monica and often sees classmates Jeff Bernowski and Doug Fagan, who are also in LA. Emily Lo (05) is in medical school at

Brown University. Cordelia Ross (05) is working as a research associate on autism intervention at UCLA. She often gets together with alums in the area, including Patti Grandidge (05), Valerie Ding (05), Mitch Olson (05), Allison Vaz (05), Samantha Pilcher (05), Claudia Codron (06) and Tiffany Too (06). Mitch Olson (05) is screen writing in LA and going for his masters in the fall of 2010. Gilmer McMillan (05) has graduated from the US Naval Academy with a BS in applied mathematics. He also received his commission as an officer, as does every graduate, but “only a few — and I say this with pride, a smirk and deep admiration for our sister services — are selected for the Marine Corps. I am now a 2nd Lt in the USMC. As a pilot, I will train for two years in Pensacola before heading to Afghanistan or wherever our brave servicemen and women are fighting. Definitely looking forward to it.”

Jane Lee (05) and David Castillo (05) are playing together in the Nashvillebased indie rock band, The Great Collide. At SAS Lee and Castillo performed in music ensembles and IPAU bands, were members of TRI-M and music delegates at Cultural Convention. Together with two friends, they will soon release their debut EP. Check them out at www.thegreatcollide.com. Jared Newton (05) recently graduated from Baylor University with a masters in accountancy and is working as an auditor for Deloitte & Touche in Houston. He plans to sit for the CPA exam this year as well as the CFE exam. Laura Imkamp (06) graduated in May from Emerson College and is pursuing a career in the news media. Ted Ho (06) graduated from Cambridge in 09 and is now in DC studying for a master’s in International Affairs at George Washington U and interning at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank. Ben Spalter (06) is studying music

Anya Padovano Martin (99) and husband welcomed their second baby girl, Naomi Juliette, on October 5. Naomi and her sister Sabine are Mark Tan (98) is engaged to Phoebe Choi (98). They both live in New York City. shown with Anya in photo.

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Notes & Quotes

Will Stanton (00) married Pratima Upadhyay on December 12, 09 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Pictured are Carter Stanton (06), Haywood and Joanne Blakemore (alumni parents), Bob Stanton, Pratima, Will, Maggie Stanton, Barclay Stanton (02).

Alums at the November wedding of Katie Young (02) and John Kingman in Hilton Head, SC were Kristen Young Miller (98), Richard Miller (97), Brittany Holt (02), Kate Lee (02), Katie, Kyle Aldous (02) and Deepti Singh (02).

Sabrina Peck (04) is engaged to Marcin Dziubek and planning a July 2011 wedding.

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Notes & Quotes management and working for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Julia Knight (07) is majoring in ethics, politics & economics at Yale and will be doing an internship this summer in public interest law in NYC. Jennifer Nockels (07) is double-majoring in finance and marketing at Boston College. She says SAS prepared her well and that the transition to college was smooth. Abigail Wong (07), daughter of SAS Director of Facilities Anthony Wong, is studying law and economics in Wellington, NZ.

2010s Sahil Livingia (10) has developed four applications that sell in the official

iPhone App Store — Taxi Lah, Color Stream, Color Stream Lite and Twizzle. Check them out. Kunal Mehta (10) is a high school senior in a Boston school, but enthusiastically attended the SAS alumni party last February in recognition of the two years he attended SAS — in preschool and pre-K.

Faculty & Parents Steve Emma (Ulu Pandan 83-86) lives in Phuket, Thailand, in the southern part of the island called “Rawai,” near Promthep Cape (Sunset Point). Steve worked in the Gamma community and taught social studies 7/8th grades for two years before relocating to Beta. Steve’s father and sister Patti also

worked at SAS, and sister Kathie Emma Morris currently teaches pre-K at the Woodlands campus. Mary McDonald is a director and college counselor at Portsmouth Abbey School and thoroughly enjoys the job as well as being near her three grandchildren in Boston. Anita and Bill Pearson (administration in 1990s) live in Curitiba, Brazil, where he is superintendent of a small international school. Daughters Hallie (89) and Amy (01) live in southern California. James and Susan Murray, parents of Sarah (03), Emily (05) and Abby (08), bought the Carolina Bed & Breakfast in Asheville, NC, and invite SASers to visit. Candy Brown (parent) is a high school guidance counselor in Livermore, CA.

Chris Waugh (00) and Junia Djojonegoro (00) were married last October. They celebrated with a family tea ceremony and prewedding dinner in Jakarta and a ceremony in Bali on October 8. The group photo with their attendants has five SAS grads: Rida Zafar (99), Chris, Junia, Wes Schad (00) and Josh Nobles (99). Not shown: Megan Waugh Bloem (04), Jordan Bloem (04).

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Karen’s Corner

News from the 70s and 80s (mostly) Front: Asia Rutledge (19); middle: Anne-Marie Tan (96), Mahaya Menon (faculty 68-94), Karen Studebaker (faculty 75-81), Susan Studebaker-Rutledge (80), Claire Tan Liu (98), Kathy Saludo Tan (67 and current faculty); back: Steven Studebaker (82), Gregory Rutledge (78), Leon Liu (96).

By Karen Studebaker (Ulu Pandan faculty 75-81) A Christmas letter from Diane Drengler, now known as Diane Mary Bush, arrived from Fort Myers, FL. where she has lived since 1987. She was a pre-K teacher, in Naples, FL until 1998. She married Paul in 1995 and inherited 8 grandchildren. She no doubt is still the same nurturing, fun and funny person as she was when she taught at Ulu Pandan from 1980 to 1986! Diane keeps in touch with Terri Stillman in Boca Raton and Terri’s daughter Nikole Stillman, who has just opened a business in Naples. Michelle Ricketts (63-95) reports that she and husband Ricky are back playing golf despite “a slight hiccup” with Ricky’s surgery. Their garden, her church commitments, the gym, occasional mahjong and lots of dinners with friends keep them busy. Linda Harley (art teacher 73-96) retired from teaching this year. She is selling her home in Dundee, Scotland, and as of press time, her plans for the future were uncertain. Anne Reizer, Ulu Pandan teacher 83-84, alumni parent and grandparent, runs into

Star McGivern, King’s Road teacher 7882 and alumni parent, from time to time. Anne’s son Kevin (88) lived in Singapore 03-07 with his wife and 3 little girls who attended SAS. The Reizers, the Emmas and the Studebakers are the only three-generation families I know of at SAS. The Emmas three generations consisted of a faculty parent — father Pat was an administrator at Ulu Pandan and King’s Road, three faculty offspring — son Steve and daughters Patti and Kathie — and Kathie’s now at Woodlands. The Reizers consisted of Anne on the faculty, Kevin and his three daughters. The Studebakers consisted of an Ulu Pandan faculty and administrator mother with alumni children who attended Ulu Pandan and King’s Road and now have a grandchild on the Woodlands campus. My trip to Singapore, Phuket and Saigon for 65 days brought many SAS faces back into my orbit and thoughts of others rushing into my head. It was great fun to finally meet Lauren Thomas, the departing SAS Alumni Relations person, and Lauri Coulter, her replacement. I was thrilled to learn that Lauri, whose step-father is from India, attended school there, so she has the experience of being an alumnus of an

overseas school and brings an insider’s perspective to her job. You’ll find Lauri on the www.sas.edu.sg alumni web site and do make friends with her on Facebook. Let her know if you are planning a visit to the campus so she can show you around. Lauren took me to a gathering in the library where it was fun to bump into teacher Mike Cox (81-present), a flashback to the early 80s when he taught at King’s Road and I was at Ulu Pandan. Library assistant Susan Sim told me that former librarian Mrs. Phua is still living near the old King’s Road campus. Grandparents-to-be Kathy Saludo Tan (67 & current faculty) and George hosted a dim sum lunch for their children and mine, retired SAS teacher Mahaya Menon (68-94) and me. We talked “baby talk” with Leon Liu (96) and Claire Tan Liu (98) who were temporarily in residence while they awaited the February arrival of their son. Auntie-inwaiting Anne-Marie Tan (96) was in from the USA for the holidays. Mahaya Menon Hassan, as her business card reads, is described on the card as educator, environmentalist, eco-guide, presenter, trainer, member INHS. On your next visit to Singapore, make an effort to take one of her free tours of the Botanic Gardens. She also does special programs on “healing greens.” Soon after Christmas our family took off for Phuket for 8 days, where I had planned to spend a few hours with Steve Emma (teacher 83) who lives in “diver heaven” at the south end of the island,

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Karen’s Corner but never saw him. Karen Kreiling Middleton is a Fulbright lecturer in Taiwan as visiting professor of management at Yuan Ze University. She spent time with son Kevin (78), his wife Candace and grandchildren Adra and Christian, who have been living there several years. She will finish at the end of June and be in Honolulu July 8-19 for her “ZERO” birthday celebration before heading home to Corpus Christie, TX. In Hawaii this summer, we’ll be “Three Karens and a Ronette” once again when Ronette Field Gurm and Karen Crocombe Guerin join us for the celebration. Karen got in lots of travel before her departure for Taipei. She went to Austin to help daughter Kathi Kreiling Whitley (81) and Al, an International School Bangkok alumnus, host an annual Christmas party, then flew with Kathi’s family to Madeira Beach and Tampa, Florida for Christmas with Kathi’s mother-in-law. We old gals with “ZERO” birthdays haven’t given up our gypsy ways. While in Singapore we Studebakers made a quick visit to Frank Wong’s former studio (now called Team 2 Photo Studio) in Holland Village for family group pictures, which brought us in contact with current

owner Richard Tay, a familiar face who used to assist Frank when photographing SAS students and their activities. Frank was also the photographer for SACAC football. He has retired in Johor Bahru after many years of compiling an historical pictorial record of the American community of the 70s and 80s. There is probably not a soul from that era who doesn’t have a Frank Wong photo. While in Holland Village in search of an alterations lady with my daughter Susan Studebaker-Rutledge (80), I picked one at random. The seamstress quickly took my measurements and Susan gave her my name for the ticket. The woman stared at it and said, “I know that name.” Susan pointed at me and said, “That is my Mother. She used to be at the American School.” The seamstress took a closer look at Susan and said, “Oh, you are Susan! I used to make your school uniforms when I was at New Kim’s” (which still exists down the hall). I added, “Now Susan has a little girl at SAS whose chosen uniform for her first day at school was Susan’s old favorite.” The woman replied, “I remember. Susan liked the blue jumper with the red zipper.” Needless to say, Susan and I were astonished. Yes, ladies and mothers, it was

Karen Studebaker with long-serving SAS staff. Front: Rosita Abrew Lee (mid 70spresent), ECC secretary, Teresa Sim (69-present), human resources officer, Aileen Tan (74-present), MS guidance office, Karen, Agnes Tan (71-present), IS admin. asst. Back: Mary Fernandez (96-present), instructional asst., Jennifer Ngerng (70s06), Ann Khong Tan (74-present),executive asst. to the superintendent, Sim Siew Tin (73-present), bookroom clerk, Liz Ng (70-present), library asst., Linda Tan (70s-present), curriculum asst., Sushila M. (70s-84), admin. asst.,Christina Siow, admin. asst., Sarah Jacob (70s-present), instructional asst.

Jennifer Lee. She also remembered “another blonde Susan,” and we guessed, “Susan Masavage,” my Susan’s classmate. She then asked if we knew what had happened to the Kirby girls. She was delighted to learn that we had seen both Ann (81) and Terri at the Houston reunion last summer and was pleased to hear about Terri’s recent honor as the most outstanding physical education instructor in the State of Texas. Ulu Pandan faculty oldies joined me at Susan’s house in early January for a lot of laughter: Diane Rada D’Aranjo (74-02), Nat Bava (71-08), Rose Bava (82present), Suthin Goyoaga, Jennie Klingberg, Pat Lui Liew (75-06), Cyril Pereira (70-01). A call to Kate Grace Thome (84-present) about a missing Dianne Peterson (75-93) revealed that she was in India. Calls and e-mails to Magdalene Lee (69-02) didn’t produce any results. She’s been known to frequent Seattle where one of her sons lives, so all of you in the area keep your eyes open for her and tell her she missed a great party. Farida Mallal (72) was reported to be in Los Angeles, where she spends a great deal of her time.

Faculty from Ulu Pandan days are Diane Rada D’Arango (74-02) and Rose Bava (82-present) in front and Karen, Cyril Pereira (70-01), Suthin Goyoaga (77-01), Jenny Klingberg (76-78) and Nat Bava (71-07) in back.

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Karen’s Corner

Farewell to “The Bus Lady,” Carolyn Kenney By Karen Studebaker (faculty 75-81) The Kenney family, Curtis and Carolyn with school-age children June (74), Eugene (78) and Robert (82), moved to Singapore in 1972 for Curtis’s job with Haliburton. Carolyn’s volunteer career as the PTA Volunteer Bus Coordinator, a full-time undertaking, began soon thereafter. In the early years of the school, transportation was the responsibility of each student’s parents. Many arrived at King’s Road, then Alexandra and finally Ulu Pandan campuses in cars driven by company drivers, taxis or even conveyances owned by the neighborhood grocers, called provisioners. Carolyn Kenney developed a bus program out of a small cadre of drivers and provisioners who provided buses of all descriptions, sizes and ages! Some were so unusual the students named them, such as “The Popcorn Popper.” There were no aides on the buses as there are today, so when the bus doors opened at the school, Carolyn had no idea what problems would tumble out with the students and drivers. But one thing was sure: the drivers and the students knew that Mrs. Kenney was a no-nonsense person, and it was best to keep your act together, at least when you were within her line of vision. Every driver and student understood that you didn’t mess with Mrs. Kenney or as SASers often referred to her, “The Bus Lady.” Her word was respected by the students, faculty and parents as everyone understood she made lives less chaotic at two of the most stressful times of the day. She met the buses in the morning, debriefed the drivers and did the same in the afternoon. She developed the everchanging routes, contending with the constant arrivals and departures throughout the year, and formalized the development of an organization for bus owners and drivers. She dealt with management issues regarding driver performance and behavior.

She dealt with student behavior until she could hand off to a duty teacher. Most of the drivers had limited experience with managing Western children, especially creative, independent-thinking and often loud children brimming with exuberance in the early morning and returning home irritable and eager to get home. Carolyn was the front line at the driveway with teachers and staff on duty to reinforce her efforts. She dealt with parent complaints, fees and any issues regarding the buses. The drivers appreciated the level of professionalism that she demanded of them and admired her. Thirtyseven years later, Carolyn Kenney and bus stories are still a frequent topic of school lore among the 70’s crowd. As a parent, I remember watching in horror as the school bus slowed down in front of our home on Namly Avenue, where four streets merged, and my children jumped from the bus. I was out the door in a flash. The story was that “for the past

two days YaYa hasn’t had brakes so he asked us to jump when he pulled up to our house.” I had Carolyn on the line in the bat of an eye. Needless to say those brakes were fixed by morning. Carolyn always got the job done! Ann Khong Tan, executive assistant to the superintendent, remembers Carolyn as a strong, resilient and efficient lady whose “office” consisted of one blue box file. All the bus lists, contracts and family information were in that file. Ann quotes Carolyn as having said, “if my house ever caught fire, the first and only thing I would salvage is that blue bus box file.” Ann said, “She was that dedicated and committed to her job. She made a very lasting impression on me.” Carolyn passed away on June 7, 2009. SAS bids farewell to a rare volunteer whose generosity of time and devotion was a special gift to the SAS community in the 70s.

Today SAS has over 100 luxury school buses, not the rag-tag caravan that Carolyn oversaw in the 1970s. Photo by Karen Cortezano 58

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Alumni Connections SAS alumni online community The SAS alumni online website http:// alumni.sas.edu.sg has over 6,000 members made up of former alumni, faculty and parents. The site is password-protected and allows members to maintain their own profiles, search for and contact other registered members, post photos and blogs and stay abreast of news and events.

contributions and/or suggestions to alumni@sas.edu.sg.

Alumni newsletter The alumni newsletter is e-mailed to all alumni community members every two months and contains brief news and information about the school, the alumni community and upcoming events and gatherings.

Reunions and get-togethers SAS plans reunions in the United States and in selected cities around the world several times a year. Additionally the alumni office assists those who are interested in planning get-togethers. Other class reunions and alumni gatherings planned by either SAS or alumni take place in various locations throughout the year.

Visits to the campus and Memory Garden

SAS Journeys

SAS alumni are able to interact online through a variety of formal and informal networking sites. You can join the Singapore American School Alumni on LinkedIn, the professional networking site. On Twitter, an up-to-the-minute micro-blogging site, see @SAS_Alumni. On Facebook

Members of the SAS alumni community will receive SAS Journeys, the SAS alumni magazine, twice a year. Published since 2006, it includes articles about alumni experiences and features on what is currently happening on campus. Please send

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Visitors who would like a tour of the campus and to visit with former faculty and staff are most welcome. Send requests for a tour to alumni@sas.edu.sg.

Social Networking, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube

members may â&#x20AC;&#x153;friendâ&#x20AC;? former SAS classmates/faculty or become members or fans of SAS groups or fan pages. Look for the new SAS Alumni official fan page or become friends with Alumni Director Lauri Coulter at alumni@sas.edu.sg for the latest updates, photos and news regarding alumni, school and Singapore happenings. There are also numerous class year groups and location groups, i.e., SAS class of 99, SAS Alumni in DC, that you may join.

Alumni giving of time, talent & treasures The Alumni Office connects alumni with the school community in a number of ways, and each year alumni contribute their time, experiences, expertise and financial support to the school. In recent years alumni have hosted presentations for students and parents and supported school projects, such as Career Day, Mentor for a Day and the Memory Garden. Financial donations to the SAS Foundation are made by the current parent and corporate community as well as many alumni.

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Reunions • Reunions • Reunions Class of 2000 10-Year Reunion in New York City, June 4 Vicki Chen (00) Njoy Weekend in Houston, June 17 Katie Hayes Jordan (79) Class of 1990, 20-Year Reunion/SAS Semi-annual Reunion, July 24, Las Vegas Nathalie Vo-Ta Antus (90) & Kelly Johns Barrios (88) Classes 2000-2010, Young Alum Party, Union Bar, American Club, December 16 Hosted by the Singapore American School Class of 1981 30-Year Reunion, Solidaridad, Mexico, June 23, 2011 Buddy Byington (81) & July Ellis Jolley (81) Information on all reunions: alumni.sas.edu.sg

Published by the Office of Communications and Development 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Tel: (65) 6363-3403 Fax: (65) 6363-3408 www.sas.edu.sg journeys@sas.edu.sg

SAS Cover Vol 8

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