Singapore American School Newsflash, March 2011

MICA (P)107/09/2010

A Singapore American School community service publication

March 2011 Volume 13, Issue 5-10/11

MS Choristers Sing in Qatar

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he Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) annually hosts music festivals that celebrate students’ musical achievements and promote excellence in music education. Recently, six SAS middle school students auditioned and were selected to participate in the AMIS Mixed Honor Choir Festival at Doha American School in Doha, Qatar. These fine young singers were required to demonstrate to a panel of judges their outstanding sightsinging abilities, pitch memory, and ear training skills, as well as

By Kristin Symes MS Choir Director

exceptional artistry in performing memorized solos.

Upon their acceptance to the mixed honor choir, the students learned, memorized and crafted eight soprano/ alto/bass vocal works in preparation for the festival. The six singers joined students from 20 international schools for three intense days of practice and performance. A guest conductor led the group through long rehearsals of eight pieces that culminated in a finale concert for families and Continued on page 4

Highlights 6 New SASCard Features

19 Don’t Try This At Home

24 13th Straight Gold for Girls Swim

Editor’s Note

From Inspiration to Action

By Tamara Black Assoc. Dir. of Communications

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nspiration can strike with lightning speed, especially for those of us who live in the Little Red Dot. It might be a young boy posing for a photo beside the Merlion, a flowering fuschia orchid at the Botanic Gardens, or the line of eager tourists pouring out of the Singapore Flyer. For me, the stories behind these events inspire putting fingers to keyboard. What occasion brought the boy and his family to Singapore? Do any of the Flyer patrons have a fear of heights? Is the hot pink of that orchid the same shade as my Aunt Fern’s favorite lipstick?

The Singapore American School community also offers rich opportunities for inspiration—a teacher and her students basking in applause after a show stopping performance, a first grader savoring that first book read entirely on his own, a counselor sending off a high school graduate to college. And what could be a challenge for some–namely taking that inspiration and doing something with it–happens quite regularly in our community.

SAS is home to so many talented people who can transform their inspirations into actions. Nowhere is this more evident than with the events organized each year by our Parent Teacher Association. Take this year’s PTA Gala Dinner as an example. A group of committed parents coordinated an extraordinary event filled with food, fun, and friends. But more importantly, they hosted an event that brought our community together to raise funds in support of our children and their learning. If you want to be truly inspired, read Mae Anderson’s letter on page 20 and find out how those funds help our teachers and students take learning to the next level.

This month’s NewsFlash is certainly filled with stories of inspiration and action. You can read about middle school musicians who were selected to perform at honor festivals in the region (cover and page 8). You’ll discover how our teachers keep learning relevant and engaging by renewing the curriculum (page 5) and by hosting a writerin-residence for our eighth graders (page 13). On page 10, you’ll learn about actions that the SAVE Club took in celebration of the International Year of Forests. And on page 25 you can share in the thrill of the girls and boys varsity basketball teams bringing home the gold.

Are you looking for a source of inspiration? Perhaps your very own muse? You’re in luck. At Singapore American School, you will experience just how inspiring a community dedicated to learning can be.

Contents Regular Features 3

From the Superintendent’s Office

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From the SAS PTA

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Booster Club News

Highlights 5

Curriculum Revisions and Renewal

7

Harvard Model Congression Asia 2011

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High Five for PE

12

A Festival of Stories

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The Eye: Bodies to Die For

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Breaking Boundaries With Art

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Boys and Girls Basketball Gold

NewsFlash is published monthly during the academic year except September and January by the communications office of Singapore American School.

It is distributed free of charge to the parents, faculty members and organizations served by the school. We welcome input from the community associated with Singapore American School.

Editor: Tamara Black, Associate Director of Communications Layout Design: Alfi Dino Photography: Karen Cortezano

Contacts General Inquiries and Comments communications@sas.edu.sg NewsFlash Submissions Tamara Black, tblack@sas.edu.sg Deadline for NewsFlash submissions is the first of the month prior to the proposed month of publication.

Singapore American School 40 Woodlands Street 41, Singapore 738547 Tel: 6360-6303 www.sas.edu.sg

NewsFlash is printed on 100% recycled paper.

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From the Superintendent’s Office

From Boston to San Francisco, I shared with prospective teachers three distinct traits that make for a rich and rewarding professional experience at SAS. First, our faculty and staff enjoy the opportunity to work with an amazing group of young people who are actively engaged in their learning experiences.

On a daily basis I observe students appropriately assuming significant responsibility for their learning and giving evidence that they’re working both as independent and collaborative learners. These skills will contribute to success throughout their lives.

Our students demonstrate genuine curiosity and construct a deep understanding of the world in which they live. During the recent high school interim program, well over 1,100 students traveled literally across the world and approached unique opportunities in a conscientious manner. Their wide range of experiences will further shape them for a lifetime, and the responsible manner in which they traveled and learned underscores how our students exhibit behaviors that are aligned with the SAS Core Values of compassion, fairness, honesty, respect and responsibility.

At SAS we are fortunate to enjoy a partnership with parents who are well educated and who understand the importance of an exemplary education for their children. Caring parents—who are deeply committed to providing their children with the opportunity to develop their full

potential—contribute to creating the conditions for an amazing partnership between home and school. This was so much in evidence when recently attending my first PTA Gala event.

(In previous years, the annual facultyrecruiting trip has always been in conflict with this particular event.)

As I observed the turnout of nearly 300 people at the Gala, the strong sense of community permeating the evening reminded me how fortunate I am to be an educator at SAS. Parents enthusiastically supported the PTA, knowing that the proceeds would be dedicated to further improving the quality of students’ learning experiences. The intersection of events that brings our school community together in Singapore is unique.

Finally, the third trait that distinguishes life at SAS is the quality of the dedicated and deeply committed teachers, support staff and administrators who bring their professional preparation, experiences and skills to their interactions with students, parents and one another on a daily basis. I inform prospective teachers that they are potentially joining a community of learners that benefits from colleagues who are consistently looking for ways in which they can improve their professional practice for the express purpose of improving the quality of the learning experience provided to their students. New faculty will find themselves working with professional peers who will support, encourage and challenge them to be better educators.

Dr. and Mrs. Mutsch at the recent PTA Gala Dinner.

often take “ We for granted the

very things that most deserve our gratitude.

“

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recently returned from the United States after nearly two weeks of interviewing faculty candidates to potentially join SAS at the beginning of the 2011-12 school year. The process of identifying and interviewing outstanding candidates is professionally rewarding, and annually serves as the catalyst for reflection on what makes SAS such an attractive environment in which to work as a professional educator.

Photo by Annie Hamby

By Brent Mutsch, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

Cynthia Ozick

Indeed, the opportunity to be associated with the learning community known as Singapore American School is not something to be taken for granted. Thank you for what you do to make this learning community a special and unique place for our students! Hopefully, we won’t take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.

www.sas.edu.sg

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Continued from front cover members of the expat community. Among the repertoire performed at the concert were songs such as Jubilate (O Be Joyful), Momoshiki Ya (In This Ancient House), and Mack the Knife. Below are testimonials from these talented singers.

“AMIS was intense. I’m going to sound very hard here but it was hours of excruciating pain over three days of just belting our hearts out to the point where I just wanted it to end. But then the concert came and, it was pretty phenomenal.

However, it was not just pain. It was all about friendship. That is why it is named AMIS. Over the course of three days, our choir group has made an immense group of friends and it was pretty sad when we had to leave to go back to Singapore. However, I hope this is not the end.

Also, on the first two days we just had tons of fun.

We went camel riding, sandboarding, ice skating, and ate at TGIF’s. If I have to sum it up I guess the whole trip was amazing. AMIS forever.” - Nathan “I really had a wonderful time at AMIS! It was great to sing with so many people. These people were all chosen as the best of their middle schools so the singing we did there was amazing. I think the best part of my AMIS experience was the new people I met! I met so many new people and I am still in touch with them now that we are back in Singapore. I had a great time in AMIS and hope that there is something in High School I can do that is like AMIS.” - Benjamin “I had a great time in Doha and it was just awesome.

We went sandboarding, camel riding, and the hotel was amazing. Although we had to stand up and sing for seven hours a day it sure beats school.

And I personally think the best part was making new friends. We met people from Brussels, Saudi Aramco, Mozambique, Dhaka and so much more. If I had the chance, I’d definitely go again.” - Sean “AMIS means friends. I made many on my adventure to Qatar, ones that will be there forever. Although we may be separated by miles, we are close at heart…and Facebook, of course! But AMIS isn’t just about friends; it’s about the music and the memories created. I really bonded with my group members and we had a lot of fun riding camels, running around the theme park, ice skating, or even just talking at the breakfast table. Every moment was filled with excitement! The music was phenomenal. We had a great conductor, and a great group of teenagers who knew how to act professionally. Off the risers, however, we were crazy. Jumping around and having fun every chance we got! Our performance was nerve-racking; how could it not be? We were broadcast on the Internet! But that didn’t stop us for giving it our all.

From my perspective, we sounded awesome, though I’m not sure how the live-stream sounded. Many tears were

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shed afterwards when our friends had to catch their planes to go back home. Half way around the world is a long way I soon learned. Time differences don’t help either. And now we’re all back home, resuming our regular schedules, pretending like nothing happened. Though, something did happen, something life-changing, something that will never leave our minds. This trip has definitely brought out some confidence in me. I hope everyone and anyone who is a part of AMIS feels the same way.” - Alison “It was a real privilege to be on such a trip. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun. This AMIS group was amazing. We had a lot of fun just hanging out together.

A trip definitely worth trying out for if you sing.

The kids there were awesome. Overall an amazing trip and definitely worth it. It was great, it was fun working with singers from other schools.” - Kam “The AMIS festival was very challenging to me. We worked for six hours every day standing for most of the time. Most people think that when someone says challenging they mean it was annoying or exhausting or even boring. That’s not at all what I mean. I learned so much technique and skill from the conductor, from Mrs. Symes and other teachers from other schools. I auditioned for a solo for the AMIS festival event and learned the pressure from auditions with people whose talents were unknown to me. That to me was the most meaningful thing from this whole experience. I also made important and meaningful friendships. I must have made over 50 new friends on this trip. It was so much fun at lunch because we would all eat together and just act like ourselves and didn’t have to be anything that we were not.

It was amazing to meet kids from all around the world who were so different from me but that we could connect by singing. This trip was completely worth every moment that we soaked in. I loved every moment of every day.” - Kennedy

Curriculum Revisions and Renewal

By Louise Perdana Director of Curriculum

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aculty representatives from social studies and modern languages (French, Spanish and Japanese) are currently engaged in revising their respective written curricula. Guiding these revisions are the recommendations that emerged from the evaluation of these subjects during the research and recommendations phase of the Subject Area Renewal Cycle.

As a basis for this evaluation, we gathered data on the existing programs through parent, student and faculty surveys, observation protocols and parent input sessions.

Faculty representatives examined subject-related research and attended relevant conferences to learn the latest developments within these disciplines. An analysis of the information collected revealed areas of both strength and improvement for each subject from which recommendations were determined for renewing the curriculum.

These recommendations are setting a clear course as we build on the strengths of our current program in our continued commitment to provide an exemplary curriculum for all students.

Modern Languages Recommendations 1. Recraft the modern languages philosophy to reflect program updates and incorporate language specific program goals.

2. Establish explicit benchmarks for language proficiency at each level and collaboratively develop quality common assessments for measuring these to inform placement and instruction.

3. Provide students with developmentally appropriate language learning experiences that balance the different modalities of communication— interpretative, interpersonal, and presentational— and offer opportunities for both planned and spontaneous activities while preparing students for the next level.

4. Clarify best practices, including expectations for use of target language by both students and teachers.

5. Explore external measures of language proficiency beyond those currently in use.

In an additional development, the Grade 6 language wheel will be redesigned to offer French, Spanish and Japanese beginning in 2011-12.

Social Studies Recommendations 1. Ensure that civics and economics are reflected explicitly within the social studies philosophy and curriculum in balance with history, geography and society.

2. Articulate a school-wide scope and sequence of social studies skills and strategies, especially those essential to thinking, reading, writing and analyzing evidence as a historian.

3. Ensure the curriculum focuses on depth while providing essential concepts and content across grades and courses.

www.sas.edu.sg

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Coming Soon: New SASCard Features

By Victoria Anne Camelio Facilities & Business Office

account, however, please remember that those funds, unlike the SASCard funds, are stored directly on the card.

Therefore, if the card is lost, the NETS money cannot be recovered.

Online Top-up Available in March

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newly implemented Smart Card, commonly known as the SASCard, has fast become the standard campus identification card. The SASCard is currently issued to all Middle and High School students as well as faculty, staff, and contractors at SAS. The SASCard increasingly will serve as a consistent form of identification for all individuals entering the school campus.

The SASCard, however, is much more than just an ID card. In fact, it offers many other conveniences to SAS students and their families.

Currently, all Middle and High School students are eligible to use the SASCard instead of cash at any of the food and beverage outlets on campus. Soon, they also will have the option of using their SASCard for Booster Booth purchases and student group fundraisers in the High School atrium.

In addition to these campus-based features, the SASCard can also serve as a NETS FlashPay card. A separate NETS account allows cardholders to use their SASCards off campus anywhere in Singapore that accepts NETS FlashPay—on the MRT, LRT, public buses, in many taxis and at more than 8,000 merchants islandwide. The NETS FlashPay account can be topped up at the iNETS Kiosk in the High School atrium or at off campus top up points such as 7-Eleven, Cheers and bank ATMs. If your child wants to use the NETS

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Until recently, students and their parents were only able to add funds to the SASCard by using cash at any one of three top up machines on campus or at the Student Store (M103).

Starting this month, however, online credit card top up for the SASCard cafeteria accounts will become available. This feature will allow for much more flexibility, as parents can top up SASCards directly through the SAS website, no longer requiring them to be physically on campus to add money to a student’s account.

In addition, parents will be able to register and access multiple student accounts with a single login and password (great news for families with more than one student at the school) and to view their children’s food to purchase activity online.

With the automatic low balance notification feature and online top up in place, parents will not have to worry about their child having enough money for school lunch.

Integration with Yeap Transportation Services

As the SASCard continues to be integrated into other school-related services, this month also marks an exciting change in bus access for older students. Beginning in midMarch, Middle and High School students will no longer be required to use separate bus cards for entrance onto the Yeap Transportation buses.

Instead, students in these divisions will use their SASCards for bus entrance. This will eliminate the need for students to carry multiple cards when traveling to and from school.

If you are the parent of a Middle or High School student, please ensure that your child carries the SASCard

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

daily beginning in March. The former bus card for these two divisions will not be accepted on the Yeap Transportation buses after April 2011.

Intermediate School rollout this semester

As the school-wide roll out of the SASCard continues, we are pleased to announce that the card, and all of its features, will be extended to Intermediate School students this semester. The primary goal is to create greater convenience for parents by eliminating the meal coupon system and reducing the amount of cash handled by students at the Intermediate School level. We believe that a cash free and paperless system will translate to smoother cafeteria transitions for students and therefore, more time for them to eat and enjoy meals!

But don’t worry; if your child misplaces the SASCard, any funds placed on the card remain safe in the child’s account and cannot be used off campus.

For parents and household staff, too As we look ahead to the 2011-12 academic year, campus security will continue to be a top priority.

As part of the school’s ongoing efforts to ensure a safe and secure campus, SASCards will be issued to all parents as well as household help during the course of the next six to nine months. Once fully implemented, SASCards will be required at the gates to access the campus. Further information regarding improved security measures at SAS as well as obtaining SASCards for all family members and household help will be provided in the months to come.

For more information on the use of the SASCard, please visit http://www.sas.edu.sg/SASCard or email sascard@sas.edu.sg with any questions.

Harvard Model Congress Asia 2011

By Sharmishta Sivaramakrishnan Grade 11 Student

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s an adolescent, all one really desires is a channel to voice one’s opinions and make a difference in this world. Fulfilling this, as well as several other purposes, Harvard Model Congress Asia (HMCA) is a high school organization with the aim of providing students with an outlet for expressing their viewpoints on the actions of the U.S. government as well as other topical world issues. HMCA thrives under the leadership of student officers Sharmishta (Mishti) Sivaramakrishnan, Barbara Hoffer, and Sejal Singh, and under the guidance of three teacher-sponsors Rick Bisset, Erik Torjesen, and Jack Fee, and with support from the curriculum office.

Twenty-five club members attended the 2011 HMCA Conference for the second time in the history of the club. Held at the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus between January 14-16, the conference had several committees, both international and domestic, headed and organized by Harvard undergraduate students.

Several of our committee members were placed in committees such as APEC, Supreme Court, Presidential Cabinet, House of Representatives, and the Senate with the sole goal of representing their specific roles with wellprepared research and neatly-crafted speeches. Some of our members even participated in special branches such as Press Corps, another way of channeling their passion for politics through newspaper-related activities.

The conference itself was a resounding success and

the members were able to extract some quintessential experiences. In addition, seven members of our team were given commendation awards for their accomplishments in their respective committees: Barbara Hoffer, Kelsey DeBerry, Tyler Stuart, Rohan Desai, Preeti Varathan, Karel Abdi, and Olivia Kotha.

From making new friends to passionate speaking skills and new perspectives, HMCA members were well-trained in the art of being high-profile diplomats and politicians with key lessons of subtlety, leadership, and organization. Without a doubt, HMCA members are eagerly awaiting next year’s conference and another year of fun-filled scholarship.

www.sas.edu.sg

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MS Tiger Band Students Honored at AMIS Festival

By Brian White MS Band Director

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his past January, nineteen Middle School Tiger Band students along with directors Brian White and Rebecca Davidson travelled to Bangkok to participate in the annual Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) Asian Middle School Honor Band Festival. Students who were accepted to this festival had to complete a rigorous audition process. While at the festival, students had the chance to perform the world premier performance of In the Name of Pele, a composition that was written specifically for this honor band. Upon their return, students were asked to reflect upon their experiences.

The Audition

The results of the auditions came out in the beginning of November.

On the day when the results were out, Mr. White posted a list of the students from SAS who had made it into AMIS. When I saw my name on the list, I was ecstatic. I knew that my hard work had paid off. - Varun

Host Families

AMIS 2011 was a very great experience. The finishing piece to this wonderful trip was our host family. After a long day of playing the euphonium, I could always count on going back to my host family’s house to have fun and relax. - Craig One aspect that I really liked about AMIS was my host family and all the good care they took of me. They were so nice! - Ashley Going on the AMIS trip to Bangkok was all round awesome, but one thing that I really enjoyed, possibly the best thing during the trip, was hanging out with my host. - Rohan

The Music

I have been fortunate enough to take part in two AMIS Honor Band Festivals in my middle school career.

The pieces of music performed at both the festivals were spectacular as well—but in my opinion, this year’s was more so. Our conductor,

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Mr. Demo had certainly taken great care in choosing the works of art that were to be mastered and performed in Bangkok. - Derek

Making Friends

I roomed with one of my friends from SAS; we were friends but we weren’t too close. After this trip she and I have gotten about as close as two people can get over five days. - Eshaya I also met a friend on stage. He sat right next to me and was from China.

We made jokes together and I really liked him. AMIS means “friends” in French and that’s exactly what the whole experience was about to me. I made more friends and I got to know my old friends better. - Joey

The World Premier

Having the composer with us was also really exciting. Becca Schack, a world famous composer, wrote a music piece just for us, the AMIS honor band. She was with us the whole time, which was quite interesting because she could make revisions on her piece In the Name of Pele. - Joseph I think being the first band to play the piece In the Name of Pele was a really great experience. - Sean

The Festival Experience

People may think it’s all about just playing music and learning.

But it’s not. I mean, we do play a lot of music, but it’s about being a better person. This trip was a lot of fun and I will never forget it! It was a great opportunity to become a better musician, to be

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

a better friend, and best of all, become a better person. That’s what AMIS is all about. - Jennifer Performing at the AMIS festival was a great opportunity for me and I appreciate it. It was amazing how students from different cultures and schools could come together on the stage and bring the pieces to life through harmony and melody.

Before the AMIS experience, to me, music meant playing notes and beats correctly. But through the trip, I found out that music was about expressing yourself, communicating feelings and representing our interpretation of an event. - Sam A few years from now, I probably won’t remember the names of the songs we played. I won’t remember the name of the guest conductor. The point is, in a few years, I will look back on this trip as an amazing time when I got to play great music with talented students, a time when I got to experience a different country, and most of all (cliché as it may sound) a time when I got to have fun with both my new and old friends. I will never forget AMIS 2011. - Nadia I actually wanted to get in AMIS because this was my dream as a musician. AMIS has changed me as a person to actually be proud of what I accomplished and desired. - Sung Hwan Even though we had to practice for hours and hours until we were exhausted, I have to admit that all of this practice was worth it.

We wouldn’t have done as well as we did in the concert. - WooHo

High Five for PE

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By Louise Perdana, Director of Curriculum, Laura Schuster, PS/IS PE Teacher, Peter Cuthbert, MS PE Dept. Chair, and Chuck Shriner, HS PE Dept. Chair

n sync with the SAS Subject Area Renewal Cycle, the Physical Education (PE) department began implementation of a revised curriculum in August 2009. Underpinning the PE program at SAS is the school-wide physical education philosophy that—together with the written curriculum—provides a shared mission and articulated targets for student learning.

Drawing on their collective experience and expertise, PE teachers collaboratively designed units to translate the philosophy and curriculum into practice.

Eighteen months on, what are some key highlights of implementation? Below are each division’s High Five highlights.

With parent satisfaction ratings for our PE program consistently well over 90%, it is evident from these High Fives that, in keeping with its philosophy, the SAS Physical Education department is truly committed to continuously improving what is already recognized as an exemplary program.

Primary and Intermediate School 1. Key concepts that transfer across all sports and physical activities identified and reinforced throughout the program 2. Greater depth of learning by adjusting unit length from four to six lessons while maintaining a breadth of experiences 3. Assessment tools revised to align with specific grade level learning goals and recommended best practice in assessment for PE 4. Increased variety and use of formative assessments to monitor student progress and provide timely feedback 5. Enhanced quality of feedback to students through use of technology such as DVD videos, Flip video cameras and pedometers

Middle School 1. Doubling of student activity time in Grade 6 thanks to the new middle school schedule, with PE now a core subject throughout middle school 2. Alignment of the curriculum both vertically and horizontally for all 18 sports taught as a result of the collaborative unit development 3. Exit skills identified and common assessments utilized for all three grade levels 4. Promotion of lifelong enjoyment of physical activity through a twice-yearly Fitnessblast program 5. Technology integration such as use of pedometers for students to self-monitor their own activity level, and plans to pilot the use of instant video feedback for skill development in 2011-12

High School 1. Collaboration and agreement among teachers on outcomes and common assessments to provide students with clearer, more consistent expectations and feedback 2. Building on from middle school with increasing emphasis on students taking responsibility for self-assessment and recording to monitor progress and performance 3. Technology integration to support self-assessment progress from pedometers to use of heart rate monitors with future plans to include a digitalized Fitnessgram and the use of iPads 4. Personal Defense introduced as a new course, which has proven the second most popular PE course 5. Models of differentiation specific to PE are being explored, with particular focus on identifying ways to engage students in leadership or mentoring roles

www.sas.edu.sg

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Kickoff to International Year of Forests

By Holly Wood, Grade 10 and Martha Began, SAVE Club co-sponsor

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nce engulfed in evergreen trees, with moist fresh air that filled every square meter of the land, the primary and secondary forests that covered this island now only make up roughly 3.4% of the land. Yes, Singapore was once entirely blanketed by lush, primary tropical rain forest and was home to an enormous variety of species.

Today, the thick canopied forest has been replaced by industrial and commercial centers, roads, buildings, HDBs, and a Merlion sitting somewhere in its midst.

There are a few fragments of secondary forest in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, around MacRitchie Reservoir and in the Central Catchment Area. However, even these forest patches have been degraded over time due to fragmentation. Forest restoration is vital to sustain the integrity of Singapore’s natural heritage.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. The theme Celebrating Forests for People celebrates people’s actions to sustainably mange the world’s forests, and sustainabilityminded students have begun to take action. The idea for tree planting on Sentosa started with volunteers planning the 21st World International Association of Volunteer Effort (IAVE) Conferences. They wanted to partner with an environmentally focused youth group. They contacted the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) (JGIS) Roots & Shoots. The goal was to involve IAVE conference delegates in an action-oriented volunteer project. On January 22, 35 high school members of JGIS Students Against Violation of the Environment (SAVE) Club and 40 student delegates attending the IAVE Conference converged on Sentosa for one cause—restoration of a degraded patch of secondary forest in Imbiah forest.

Before breaking a sweat, we all gathered in a room where representatives from UBS (sponsors of hundreds of endemic tree saplings from Malaysia) and the Sustainability Director on Sentosa highlighted the importance of reforestation in Singapore. UBS representative Patricia Enslow explained why and how UBS donated the 50 endemic trees we planted that day, for which we are all incredibly grateful. Sentosa representative Chun Mei Wei described Sentosa’s Green Plan to conserve at least 60% of its currently existing secondary rain forests. SAS senior and president of SAVE Club Roots & Shoots Zach Nelson explained the value of tropical rain forests in providing watershed management, habitats for endangered species, building materials, job employment, medicine, food diversity and carbon storage and sequestration to help mitigate climate change.

After a brief demonstration on how to plant the trees

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properly—as planting incorrectly would deter the trees’ growth—the participants formed small groups of three to four SAS and IAVE volunteers. They began to plant the trees by digging two and a half feet into the soil, putting handfuls of compost in the soil, cutting off the plastic holding the trees’ roots and carefully placing them in the holes, making wells around the plants in order to allow them to hold in more water, adding more compost, and then nourishing it with water. By the end of the day, our nails were filled with dirt—some of which got into our hair—and many of us were covered in dripping sweat.

Although it was a back-breaking effort, the volunteers from different countries and backgrounds helped to nurse a degraded part of Imbiah forest back to life.

SAVE club has decided to take further action in celebration of the International Year of Forests. Zach Nelson is working with UBS and Sentosa to set up an SAS Earth Day tree planting event in April. We have already started dialogs with other Roots & Shoots clubs and NGOs such as Animal Concerns, Research and Education Society, World Wildlife Fund, National Parks, World Conservation Society, Nature Society (Singapore) and others to support the campaign and collaborate on a major celebration in June to mark the return visit to Singapore of Dr. Jane Goodall. SAVE club would like to you join us in celebrating Forests for People during 2011. If you already have plans to celebrate, please share your plans with the SAVE club so that we may showcase your stories and initiatives on campus during Earth Day. Contact SAVE Club sponsors Martha Began at mbegan@sas.edu.sg and Steve Early at searly@sas.edu.sg for more information on how you can be a part of our celebration.

Raising Kids in a Wired World

By Jeff Devens, Ph.D. HS Psychologist

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oday’s teenagers, better known as screenagers, have grown up with the Internet. To a large degree their social lives are dependent on devices that enable them to stay connected to people and media.

They spend much of their time in front of screens of various sizes ranging from mobile phones and video game consoles to personal computers and high definition televisions. A 2009 Kaiser report surveying 8-18 year old students found that the total amount of leisure time American kids devote to media/technology is on par with a full-time job. Screenagers keep in touch with friends, family and even strangers through texting, email, blogs, websites and social networks. These interactions often include the sharing and viewing of photos, video clips and other personal content.

One of the more interesting features of screenagers is their purported efficiency at multitasking. There has been much hype regarding this perceived advantage; however, looking more closely at this gives rise to a number of concerns. For example, studies have demonstrated that engaging in multiple activities while online actually decreases overall efficiency. While it is indeed true that today’s teens are able to access more information than previous generations, the quality of thinking that goes into determining the validity of the content is often shallow. In essence, kids wander about the Internet in search of facts without a strong basis for determining what is factual.

Surfing for content without understanding is a recipe for producing learners with memories a mile wide and an inch deep. A key skill therefore is knowing where to look online and then rapidly analyzing the information. Sadly, the mantra click, copy, paste characterizes a portion of the academic work screenagers produce. This may explain why sites such as Turnitin.com have seen a marked rise in popularity. Using a student’s submitted paper, Turnitin scours the Internet for sentences, quotes, paragraphs and complete papers that students have lifted and taken credit for. This information is then compiled and a report is generated for the teacher that shows all areas of a student’s work that are suspect. Such online tools have become a powerful aid in helping kids understand boundaries when it comes to digital plagiarism.

Another interesting developmental aspect of screenagers is their lack of patience as they expect replies to texts or email without delay. Waiting is perceived as a form of disrespect, disinterest or outright rejection. Never mind the reality that the recipient of said text/email may be engaged in some other pressing matter. When the phone vibrates or the email bell chimes, all other activities must cease. It should come as no surprise that a Nielsen study (2009) found that 13-17 year olds send on average 2,742 texts per month! That’s about 91 texts per day. Texting has

become a primary tool of communication between many parents and their children, and this is just fine with teens.

Richard Watson, author of Future Minds, humorously describes cell phones as “proximity devices that allow teens to reshape time and space,” and indeed they are.

When it comes to raising kids in a wired world, a challenge parents and educators face is helping them be digitally disciplined, which involves training that corrects and molds mental faculties as well as moral character.

Parents spend incalculable hours instructing children on moral responsibilities and duties, yet when it comes to digital discipline are we doing the same?

Another challenge parents face is staying connected in such a way that kids recognize there are responsibilities that extend into the reaches of cyberspace. Schools and homes should embrace digital learning, notes Watson, “…but they should primarily celebrate their physical spaces and the people, objects and artifacts contained within them.”

Two Suggestions for Parents 1. Find out what your kids are doing online. Many parents have no idea what their kids are doing online. By the time the doorknob turns to your screenagers’ rooms, their fingers have already moved into overdrive, collapsing windows, erasing histories and closing objectionable sites.

If the computer consumes much of your screenager’s time and contributes to infighting at home, you need to find out what they are doing.

I can assure you, it’s not all homework.

Monitoring software is an excellent starting point. Check out Top Ten Reviews (http:// monitoring-software-review.toptenreviews.com/) for a listing of software and reviews. This isn’t about controlling; it’s about helping them become disciplined with their heads and hearts.

2. Keep the cell phones out of the bedroom at night.

A colleague and friend shared this principle, and I think it’s a great one. Make it a rule that all family members (that includes parents) put their cell phones in one central location before bed. I know of screenagers who sleep with their phones.

If your teen resists, stop paying the bill. Yes, your child will experience the painful effects of withdrawal, but what is the bigger principle you are trying to instill?

www.sas.edu.sg

11

A Festival of Stories

By Kirk Palmer PS Librarian

G

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! POETRY BREAK! The Best Book to Read. These are just some of the words, phrases and sounds that came from the Primary School during the annual Festival of Stories—The Best Book to Read, held January 17th through 28th.

To celebrate the successes in literacy of students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade, the Primary School library sponsored the annual Festival of Stories. PS Librarian Kirk Palmer and his festival committee, Barbara Procida, Pat Quick, Debra Joyce, Robyn Schwarz, Sarah Poland and Trent Williams, met regularly to plan the two week celebration with great results.

The objective of this festival is to celebrate successes and generate excitement and enthusiasm in our early learners to enjoy reading and writing in all its forms and continue to be motivated and eager learners.

The entire festival was kicked off on Friday, January 14th with a Hop-ALong Hoss and Shoo-Fly Schunk show. This year those little guys worked very hard to show the Dumb Bunnies just how to choose books, what to do with them and where they can go to get good books. Four student helpers—Alyssa, Rohit, Alya, and Ben—helped Hop and Shoo explain to Mama, Papa and Baby Dumb Bunny how to choose books.

They also explained that books are not always the best just because they are big or thick or tasty, but because

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they have great words and pictures in them.

Ben the Bear growled at specific times to signal that it was time to Drop Everything And Read (or DEAR) time. Fortunately, Deputy Principal Ken Schunk was able to articulate to listeners that Ben’s message is to find a book and read alone for ten minutes. Each grade level had activities scheduled which included diorama- making to tell a favorite class story, author studies, and making READ posters for every student. Pajama Day on Friday, January 21st was a particular favorite.

What is more fun than curling up in snuggly pajamas with a good book?

Poetry Break is a short interruption to class activities by someone who shares a short poem or two with the class, just to take a short break.

Parent volunteers from all grade levels took time from their busy days to share favorite poems with classes on four different days during the festival. It was certainly a big hit as evidenced by comments from students on days when there wasn’t a Poetry Break asking, “Where are those people reading poems? I really like that.”

One very special event was a visit by author Sarah Brennan on Tuesday, January 18th. Ms. Brennan is the author of a series of books incorporating the Chinese New Year Zodiac animals, and she used her visit to launch her newest book The

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

Tale of Rhonda Rabbit. Incorporating rhyme and meter in her stories, she had all three grades listening and anxious to hear more about Rhonda’s adventures. Funds for her visit were generously provided by the PTA through the Visiting Author program.

Ms. Brennan also met with all three grades of the Intermediate School on Monday, January 17th.

To build interest in the upcoming festival, specially wrapped packages were put in all grade classrooms and in certain specials classes indicating they weren’t to be unwrapped until Monday, January 17th at 8:10AM. The closing ceremony was held in the Kindergarten courtyard on Friday, January 28th with classes looking into the courtyard from their floors.

Mr. Palmer complimented all the participants on their successes and encouraged them to find the best places, times and books to keep on reading.

Watch for other library-sponsored events coming up. PTA Visiting author Linda Sue Park will be at SAS working with all divisions from February 28th through March 4th. April is poetry month and the primary library will be asking for volunteers to help with another round of Poetry Breaks at that time.

Remember there is always a Best Book to Read, A Best Time to Read, and A Best Place to Read.

Author Sparks Curiosity and Creativity

By Brian Arleth Grade 8 Teacher

H

istorical fiction is a unique genre that weaves events from the past with fictional characters to create an engaging story that transports readers to a specific time and place. Readers sit on the shoulder of the protagonist as the story’s action unfolds.

Ms. Candace Fleming, Chicago resident and awardwinning writer for children and young adults, recently concluded a month long writer-in-residence with the eighth grade Reading Language Arts (RLA) classes.

She taught skills and strategies for writing historical fiction, including the necessity of grounding stories in accuracy. She also modeled how writers are inherently snoopy, asking questions before they seek plot lines.

Students and RLA teachers began their own work as writers of historical fiction by heightening their sense of curiosity and wonder. Simultaneously, both social studies and RLA classes introduced students to the specific time period for their historical fiction short stories—the events that occurred in North America surrounding the U.S. Civil War. Immersion into this specific historical period helped students create original and credible plots. Students read primary sources ranging from slave and slave owner narratives to Union and Confederate soldier diaries. They also studied character development, setting, conflict, and author craft in illustrated historical fiction books such as Follow the Drinking Gourd, Pink and Say, Nettie’s Trip South, and Henry’s Freedom Box. The themes in the students’ stories were often heart-breaking. Like the literature they researched, these themes echoed the larger historical concerns of the time period.

A few weeks into the unit and after many workshop sessions, it became clear that there was no shortage of interest or ideas to write about. In fact, the challenge became how to pull the reader right into the action through a focused and engaging plot. Ms. Fleming demonstrated a strategy used by writers to leap past a series of events and jump right into the story’s key action, trusting the reader to make inferences based on clues from earlier scenes. This lesson came in handy as students moved their stories forward by compressing time, allowing a three to five page story to span weeks, months, even years of action.

By the conclusion of Ms. Fleming’s writing residency, students saw their stories emerge and their characters grow and change. The students’ feedback was revealing: “Writing and research doesn’t have to be boring but can be a good outlet for our creativity. [I learned] how you make friends with whom you’re writing about and how

much easier [it is] to write about topics I care about.”

- Teaguen S. “All of the lessons were so helpful. Especially the one about leaping. It helps us to keep the story within the three to five-page limit. It also helps us to not put too much detail in and bore the reader. . . [O]ne of the best things I took away from the lessons is asking questions and always being curious.” - Justin “I feel like the characters from my story are actually people that I know, my friends. I feel like a movie director, directing my own story. I am even starting to feel like it must be impossible my characters aren’t real people.”

- Sophie Eighth grade RLA teachers and students would like to thank Ms. Fleming for sharing her sense of humor and expertise and the SAS PTA for sponsoring Ms. Fleming’s month-long visit.

www.sas.edu.sg

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the eye Singapore American School

www.saseye.com

December 15, 2010

Vol. 30 No. 3

PURGED. Forced vomiting may cause dehydration, anemia and ulcers to name a few effects.

Posed photo by Kathryn Fischer

Bodies to die for

By Hannah L’Heureux They fight to be thinner. According to the National Institute of Mental Health more than 1.6 percent of the entire U.S. population, about 8 million ( 7 million girls and 1 million boys) has a serious eating disorder. What is it that drives adolescents to starvation, to binging and purging, depriving their bodies of the important nutrients they need to grow and function normally?

In the last 20 years, the prevalence of eating disorders has not only increased, but has affected younger victims.

According to government data contained

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in the American Academy of Pediatrics, the hospitalization of children younger than 12 with eating disorders has soared 119 percent between 1999 and 2006.

Irish nutritionist and dietitian Anne Collins says that 50 percent of girls between ages 8-10 are unhappy with their size and five percent of girls aged 9-15 admit to using parents’ laxatives and diet pills to lose weight.

“Increasingly over the last 20 years, younger kids have been exposed to more adult type information,” elementary school psychologist Bill Hanagan said.

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

“And some of that information really pushes that idealized perfection of physical form.”

IMPOSSIBLE TO PINPOINT ONE FACTOR There are many factors that can spark an eating disorder. It may be societal measures and media pressure, family pressures, a rigid personality or even abuse. “[An eating disorder] is a way of having control when people lose control,” counselor Dawn Betts said.

The media fills magazines and screens with glamorous images of skinny, “perfect” people to sell gym memberships, exercise machines, weightloss pills and exciting new diets. The media screams at adolescents and children to be thinner.

“Women are expected to be a size zero because that’s what you see on TV,” counselor Sue Nesbit said.

It is ingrained in many kids’ minds that to be good-looking, they have to be stick skinny.

“The biggest image drive that we have is the media; girls are lifted up as icons and they are underweight. Many girls actually starve themselves to death trying to look like Posh Spice or Nicole Richey,” said U.S. television-psychologist Dr. Phil.

Along with pressure from the media, family dynamics play a huge role in the way a child thinks about his or her body when growing up. If the parents constantly comment about a child’s weight and what he or she is eating, the child will likely grow up with the mindset that one can’t be thin enough.

“How you are treating your kids around dinner time, around food in general and their body image [plays a part],” Betts said. “Some parents want their kids to not ever get a little bit chubby, and they start putting them on diets when they are really little I mean like 9 and 10. Parents start worrying. Are they going to get overweight, because they want this perfect child.”

SIGNS OF AN EATING DISORDER The two most prevalent eating disorders are anorexia, the refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, and bulimia, the cycle of binging and purging to lose weight. A victim of these disorders may start off by trying to lose weight using a harmless diet. Initially harmless, the dieting becomes an uncontrollable obsession over body image.

There is disordered eating, and there are eating disorders. It starts with the yo-yo dieter who is constantly dieting to lose weight. It becomes more serious when the person does not have control over what they are doing anymore; when they are addicted to losing weight. It is hard to pinpoint when a disorder starts.

Katie Metcalfe, a university student in the U.K. , had anorexia from 15-19. After being bullied by boys in her class, she made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. She continuously cut things out of her diet and started exercising obsessively.

“It became a power thing for me. I suddenly had this new control and it was wonderful,” Katie said.

When Katie had a heart attack, she ended up in a hospital, finally getting treatment for her disorder.

Though there is no black-and-white definition that identifies the precise beginning of an eating disorder, Betts said, counseling is easier and more likely to be successful at the “disordered eating” stage.

SEEKING HELP: IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK If a student senses a peer having trouble with his or her body image it’s always better to talk to them about it than let it potentially progress. Signs of an eating disorder may consist of constant dieting, visible weight loss, constant talk about food and leaving at lunch time to purge.

Talking to someone if they are suspected to have an eating disorder will not make it worse.

“It’s almost never worse. It’s going to get worse anyways, almost always. The sooner you can treat it, the better chances of recovery,” Betts said.

United States 1.6%

A SERIOUS MENTAL DISORDER

that’s about

Students with eating disorders may struggle in school because of their lack of energy. Depression and paranoia about gaining weight are regularly seen indicators. Because it is a serious mental problem, someone who has an eating disorder may not notice what they are doing to their body. A 60-pound, 16-year-old may look into the mirror and see an obese person staring back at them.

“When I was at very low weight, and I was looking at pictures, to be honest, I still saw this fat, blubbery mass. I didn’t see the bones; I didn’t see the thinness or the emaciation. To me it was just a big lump basically,” Katie said.

At SAS alone there is a higher rate of eating disorders than the estimated 1.6 percent of Americans. In an Eye survey of 357 high school students, 6 percent said that they have had or have an eating disorder.

More than half, 55 percent, said they wanted want to slim down, and 22 percent said they have either starved themselves or purged to lose weight.

According to the Eye’s survey, only 14 percent of respondents are comfortable with their weight.

A study by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health found that eating disorders had the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. For females, it has a 12 times higher death rate than any other cause of death. Only 30-40 percent of all people with an eating disorder will fully recover.

Betts said that there is documented evidence proving that it is more likely that she would be able to help a suicidal person than someone with an eating disorder.

“If I have somebody that walks in and says ‘I’m severely depressed. I’m suicidal,’ and if I have somebody who has a full blown eating disorder, I’m honestly more worried about the eating disorder person than I am about somebody who is suicidal.” lheureux10891@saseagles.edu.sg

This article is excerpted from The EYE, a student-written and edited high school newspaper that is produced by the journalism students of Mark Clemens.

of the population has a serious eating disorder

8 million (7m girls and 1m boys)

in

SAS

6%

have said they have had an eating disorder*

55% said they wanted to slim down

22% said they have either starved themselves or purged to lose weight

14%

are comfortable with their weight

*from an Eye sample of 357 HS students

www.sas.edu.sg

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Putting the Service into Service Learning

By Christopher Strance Grade 8 Teacher

A

group of 18 students spent their Chinese New Year vacation volunteering for the Gawad Kalinga (GKHi) organization in Manila, Philippines.

Through the leadership of two eighth grade students, Bianca and Justin, the middle school (MS) GK Club was formed as a result of research for their eighth grade service learning project.

Both Justin and Bianca were looking for a meaningful way to give back to their Filipino roots. The idea for the MS GK Club is a direct result of collaboration with the HS GK Club, from which both Bianca and Justin have friends that used their Interim experience to help support the goals of Gawad Kalinga. Once they started spreading the news of this amazing opportunity, Bianca and Justin were able to recruit 16 other eighth graders to join them for this valuable

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service-learning experience. Through personal research and educational training provided by Rina Marie Ananda of the Singapore Chapter of GKHi (http://www.gkhopeinitiative. org/), the MS GK Club embarked upon an adventure that truly put the service into service learning.

Gawad Kalinga means to “give care” in Filipino. GKHi is a growing global movement that builds holistic communities for the poorest of the poor, based on a culture of caring and sharing. Gawad Kalinga’s vision is a nation empowered by people with passion, faith and patriotism; a nation made up of caring and sharing communities, dedicated to eradicating poverty and restoring human dignity. Since 2003, GKHi has built over 2,000 communities in 362 towns in the Philippines as well as in Cambodia, Indonesia, India, and Papua New Guinea. Its mission to

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

eradicate poverty and help strengthen the spiritual lives in communities from all religious backgrounds (Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc.) demonstrates an exceptionally humanistic nature to bring people together and make a real difference in making the world a better place for all.

Student participants included Bianca, Justin, Gabe, Kaela, Rachel, Rachel, Sofia, Sophia, Toorjo, Asim, Michael, Katherine, Vivian, Khenda, Rigas, Ken, Eden, and Julia.

A huge thank you goes to parent chaperones Anna Peterson and Aura Antonio for their unwavering support of Bianca and Justin and helping them to realize their vision. Mr. Strance and Mr. Peterson also lent their support and completed the team of chaperones.

Breaking Boundaries With Art

By Aditi Gang Grade 12 Student

A

fter the success of last year’s Weave Exhibition, the SAS chapter of the National Art Honor Society decided to organize another silent auction cum exhibition to raise money for the Caring For Cambodia Club.

Held at the beautiful Art Loft above the Volvo Dealership on Alexandra Road from November 16th to December 4th, the exhibition displayed artwork from all 55 of the AP Studio Art students. On December 4th, the artists and bidders gathered to discuss, enjoy, appreciate, and bid on the fantastic work.

A few minutes before the auction wrapped up, the amount of bidding was on a superior high, with people trying to obtain the pieces they wanted. After the successful auction concluded, people stuck around to get their artwork and pay their deposits, with Caring for Cambodia Club representatives there to help with the total calculation. Although our initial goal was to raise enough money to print a book for each primary school child in the CFC schools, we raised so much money (over $10,000!) that we can proudly say that we are now able to put a roof over a school. Overall, this exhibition surpassed all our expectations and we are very happy to lend our hand to the Caring for Cambodia Club.

www.sas.edu.sg

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Boy Scouting in Singapore with Troop 07

By Shen Helmueller Boy Scouts of America Publicity Chair

F

or many boys in Singapore, scouting has become a fantastic opportunity for exploring their tropical home and its surrounding countries. Camping in the primary rain forests of Taman Negara, Malaysia, bike riding along the Singapore coast, and long boating down rivers are just a few examples of activities that the Boy Scouts of Troop 07 have participated in during the past several months.

Boy Scout Troop 07 also recently hosted their annual Webelos Night on January 25th, during which time they welcomed incoming Webelos and shared with them a taste of the experiences awaiting them in Boy Scouts. During the evening, the boys eagerly rotated through stations including orienteering, first aid, lashing & knots, cooking and medical evacuation, while parents were given an overview of the troop structure and goals by the committee and the Scoutmaster, Mr. Stephan Talon. They emphasized that Troop 07 is a boy-led organization, meaning the Scouts plan the agendas for their weekly meetings themselves through

monthly Patrol Leader Committee meetings. The Scouts then facilitate the meetings with the guidance of the Scoutmaster and several Assistant Scoutmasters.

If you are a Boy Scout who is new to Singapore, or perhaps totally new to scouting, Troop 07 invites you to join us. Boys ages 11-18 are welcomed and encouraged to take on the challenge of scouting with us.

If you are interested in joining the troop, we invite you to stop by one of the weekly meetings held most Tuesdays from 6:15-7:30pm at the Singapore American School, High School room 301. Alternatively you can contact us or visit our website at www.bsatroop07.org. We look forward to an opportunity to share new adventures with you.

John Reuter, Visiting Photographer

By Paul Griffin HS Photography Teacher

D

uring the two weeks from March 7 through March 18, American artist and photographer John Reuter will be conducting a series of workshops for photography and digital photography students from the Middle and High School art and photography programs.

John Reuter has a career spanning over 30 years in creative photography.

He received an MFA degree from the University of Iowa in the late 70s and always intended to be a

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college professor. Destiny intervened and he instead began working for Polaroid Corporation, first as a research photographer and later as senior photographer and manager of the fabled 20x24 Studio. He moved from Boston to New York in 1986, managing the 20x24 studio and working with numerous artists such as Chuck Close, William Wegman, and Mary Ellen Mark. He now is executive director of 20x24 Holdings, LLC, a company formed to continue 20x24 instant imaging when Polaroid exited the film business.

He began teaching workshops in the 1980s at the International

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

Center of Photography in New York, the Santa Fe Workshops, Maine Media Workshops and the Palm Beach Photographic Center.

These workshops range from the Polaroid Transfer technique, all forms of digital photography and software, and unique workshops that combine digital imaging with encaustic painting. He has been a relentless experimenter in all of the areas he has approached. Teaching remains a passion and he enjoys nothing more than sharing his experiences with new students.

Don’t Try This At Home!

By Aman Gill Grade 11 Student

O

n Thursday, January 20th, over 80 students from various history classes (AP World History, History of Malaysia and Singapore, and History of India) participated in an afterschool field trip. This optional field trip offered students the opportunity to experience the Hindu festival of Thaipusam.

Thaipusam is a South Indian Hindu festival of “faith, endurance and penance” that falls on the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai. It celebrates the birthday of Lord Murugan—the son of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and fertility—and also celebrates the day Lord Murugan defeated the demon Soorapadman using the vel (spear) he had been given by his mother, Parvati. On Thaipusam, Hindu devotees also come to seek blessings from Lord Murugan, or to thank him for past blessings. These prayers often ask for extreme outcomes, such as the recovery from a fatal disease. Hence, the methods used to demonstrate devotion are traditionally extreme: fasting for 48 days, piercing the body with numerous vels, and carrying heavy kavadis—an ornate portable alter. Despite the recent efforts by the Singaporean government to regulate the Thaipusam procession, the festival was celebrated with traditional vigor this year. As in the past, the religious procession of the kavadis began at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and ended four kilometers later at the Tank Road Temple.

The students who went to see the procession were accompanied by Mr. Coppell, Mr. Torjesen and Mr. Stagg (a.k.a. Staggo). As one of the more than 80 students who saw the procession, I can attest to the incredible sights, smells and sounds that surrounded us.

From the moment we arrived at the Sri Srinivasa Permual Temple, there was no question of the intense energy we felt as we walked through the temple gates. Immediately, the

pungent swirls of incense and the deep pulse of the drums enveloped us. It felt as if these sensuous feelings unified the huge crowd. Looking around, it was apparent that the devotees were not alone in their painful penance. Rather, each devotee was supported and surrounded by family members. In one case, we saw an elderly lady, encouraged by the overwhelming incense surrounding her, enter into a trance. In her trance, she made various snake-like movements before collapsing into her family’s arms. As we made our way through other parts of the crowd, we were aware of the hundreds of eyes that were upon us—peacock feather eyes atop the kavadis. Another highlight of the afternoon was when we saw the piercing of devotees’ bodies with vels. What surprised us was that there was no evidence of blood or pain during the piercing.

According to a devotee, the pierced pilgrim would not bleed or suffer pain under the protection of the diety, and would have “renounced the gift of speech” in order to focus on his worship.

After observing the festivities at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, we headed to the Tank Road Temple to observe the ending of the procession.

In contrast to the atmosphere of the earlier location, this temple was enveloped by a solemn sense of calm. Here, devotees removed their piercings and were attended to by their family and friends. They, as well as we, left the temple invigorated and inspired to live life from the new perspectives we gained during Thaipusam.

www.sas.edu.sg

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From the SAS PTA

By Mae Anderson PTA President

L

et me begin this month’s letter with a huge thank you to the event chairs of two of the PTA’s largest events of the school year.

Kim Rowe and Deb Christian and their dedicated team worked incredibly hard to put on a fabulous evening on February 19 at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel. I would like to thank all Gala Dinner volunteers for their tremendous efforts in pulling off another successful auction and dinner.

Jodie Stone and her enthusiastic committee of volunteers organized the wonderful County Fair on February 26. It was successful in bringing the entire SAS community together for a day of fun and enjoyment of an American tradition. Many people may not realize the toll that a large-scale event like this exacts on the time of volunteers and their families, and to this end, I’d like to extend my deepest appreciation for everyone who worked at the Fair.

When talking about the various PTA events, parents often ask what the PTA does with the funds raised at County Fair, Food Fest and the Gala Dinner Dance. Let me first provide some examples of how we work with various groups to raise funds. At the County Fair, you most likely noticed that some of the food and game booths were run by high school clubs. PTA representatives work with these clubs to develop booth ideas and obtain sponsorships. The students, under the guidance of their teacher sponsors, are responsible for setting up and manning the booths. The PTA provides most of the supplies for each club, and the sale proceeds of the booth are split, with 75% going to the clubs and 25% to the PTA. Food Fest and County Fair provide the clubs with opportunities to garner financial

support, which is then typically channeled back into their local charities.

Funds that are raised by the PTA are allocated through each division’s Fund Spending Requests. At the end of the last school year, the PTA contributed over $338,000 to support these requests, including LCD projectors, 57 digital presenters, an outdoor classroom for the Intermediate Division, $20,250 for primary students to attend a local theater production, $30,000 for a Middle School author-in-residence, $43,650 for school-wide visiting authors, and $40,000 for dance and theater artistsin-residence. Each year, the PTA also sponsors class parties, visiting artists and musicians, Interim Semester scholarships, and HS senior scholarships and underwrites many other SAS programs.

All this would not be possible without the support of the SAS community either by volunteering at events, attending PTA functions or offering sponsorships. We have had a great year so far and appreciate all the hard work and support from the PTA membership and wider SAS community. As always, we encourage you to contact us with questions or suggestions that you may have for the PTA. Mae Anderson PTA President mae.anderson@mac.com

2011-12 PTA Executive Committee Nominations & Requests for Volunteers

T

he PTA Nominating Committee is seeking nominees for 2011-12 PTA executive committee positions: president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. A slate of candidates will be submitted at the PTA Annual General Meeting on May 10.

Nominations will be accepted until April 26, two weeks prior to the election. If you would like to submit your name or nominate someone, please contact one of the following Nominating Committee members: Shelby Pazos (Committee Chair), shelbypazos@ yahoo.com; Kim Rowe, rowest3@gmail.com; Deb Christian, dmhchristian@yahoo.com.

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NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

The PTA is also seeking volunteers for the 2011-12 academic year to chair or work with various committees.

Detailed descriptions of the committees are available on the PTA website at http://pta.sas.edu.sg/Board/ CommitteeStructure/tabid/60/Default.asp. To express an interest in volunteering, please contact PTA president Mae Anderson by email at mae.anderson@mac.com.

From the Khoo Teck Puat High School Library

By John Johnson HS Librarian

P

art of the recent holiday season decoration in the Khoo Teck Puat High School Library was a giant book tree. Library assistants and parent volunteers constructed the monument from reference books —alas, seldom used in this age of digital resources. No one thought to count the books during the building process but, once it was completed,

patrons asked, “How many books did you use?” A contest was born!

Students were invited to submit their guesses with a chance to win a $30 gift certificate for (what else?) books from Borders.

The winners were Eunice Ng and Abraham Selby. After meticulous measurement and careful calculation,

they deduced that the tree contained 965 books. Not far off the real count—951—which was made as we deconstructed the tree. Good work and congratulations, Eunice and Abe! With the holidays behind us, thoughts turn to Spring Break and then summer, glorious summer.

Until then, here’s three new library books for those cold winter nights.

The Magicians

by Lev Grossman

The Magicians is the New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world. Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn’t real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in the joys of college, and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn’t bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin’s yearning.

Love Songs from a Shallow Grave

by Colin Cotterill

Pirates, Ports, and Coasts in Asia: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives Edited

by John Kleinen

“The authors highlight a variety of activities ranging from raiding, destroying and pillaging coastal villages and capturing inhabitants to attacking and taking over vessels, robbing and then trading the cargo and its people. Generally speaking, what connects these activities is the fact that they are carried out at sea, often in the coastal inshore waters, by vessels attacking other vessels or raiding coastal settlements.”

- from Select Books.

“Cotterill’s mordant mystery series set in 1970s Southeast Asia features septuagenarian Siri Paiboun, national coroner of the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. In this dark seventh entry, Dr. Paiboun investigates the deaths of three Laotian women who have died of fencing wounds. The killer, the doctor presumes, must be someone proficient with an épée, a rarity in his country, to be sure.

Connections are found between the women— all pursued advanced studies in Eastern bloc countries—but that link doesn’t bring Paiboun much closer to solving the crimes. The offer of an all-expenses paid junket to Cambodia puts a fire under Paiboun, and he hastily cracks the case (or so he thinks).” – from Booklist.

www.sas.edu.sg

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BOOSTER CLUB’S SASSY SOCIAL : ART TOUR & LUNCH

The Art in Transit program represents a journey in time as well as an effort to curate the collective consciousness along the Northeast MRT line. The site-specific artworks reflect the cultural and historical heritage of the area and its community. The Northeast line artworks are a novel attraction that evoke the past character of each neighborhood and provide the means to better understand the many changes which Singapore has experienced over the decades. The tour will start at Dhoby Ghaut station and run through Clarke Quay and Chinatown stations before ending at Outram Park station. A modern Cantonese lunch awaits at the chic Majestic Restaurant, located in the New Majestic Hotel, steps away from Outram Park station.

Date: Wed. March 16, 2011

Tour: 10am till 12pm

Lunch: 12.15pm till 2.30pm

Tickets: $50 per person (at the Booster Booth)

Need more information? Contact: Shelby Pazos - 81187912 or shelbypazos@yahoo.com

S

Brought to you by the Booster Club

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a S

truttin’

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tylin’

.... Fashion and Fun FRIDAY, APRIL 1st 7pm HS GYM Price: Students $2 Adults $10 VIP Seating $15 BBQ and Prizes

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

Booster Club

The Booster Club has been enjoying another year supporting and encouraging school spirit in the High School. If you have been by the Booster Booth you have seen the many spirit items and SAS logo items for sale with new items added regularly. Be sure and stop by.

For the second year the Booster Club held barbeques for the students and staff during the school day in conjunction with the Pep Assemblies, as a send off to our IASAS athletes. Volunteers grill hotdogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers along with selling baked goods. The students seem to really enjoy something different and it adds to the celebration.

As the year is drawing to a close we are in the process of forming the board for next year. If you would be interested in being on the slate of next year’s Executive Booster Board, which consists of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, please contact Michele Goulding, the Chair of the Nominating Committee, at mgouldi@yahoo.com.

If you are interested in any other Booster volunteer opportunities please contact me directly at susanfay@aol.com.

Tuesday, March 8th 10am H301

Booster Club

Booster Club

Susan Fay 9657-0691 susanfay@aol.com

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

10 Claymore Hill, Singapore 229573 Tel: +65 6733 9249 E-mail: admin@sacac.com Fax: +65 6733 9321 Web: www.sacac.sg

SACAC Counselling offers psychological and counselling assistance for individuals, couples and families who require support. SACAC also runs a range of community workshops. Please contact SACAC on 6733-9249 or admin@sacac.com if interested in registering for any of the workshops.

SACAC Workshops MARCH 2011 Raising Children with Privilege: Asset or Liability?

Date: Monday, 7 March 2011 Time: 9:30am – 11:30am Cost: $80 SACAC member / $95 non-member Venue: The American Club Atrium Room Facilitator: Suzanne Anderson, SACAC Counsellor Homeward Bound: Workshop on Repatriation Date: Thursday, 17 March 2011 Time: 9:30am – 1:30pm Cost: $80 SACAC member / $95 non-member Venue: The American Club Atrium Room Facilitator: Suzanne Anderson, SACAC Counsellor Attachment – Building a Positive Relationship with Your Child Date: Monday, 28 March 2011 Time: 9:30am – 11:30am Cost: $80 SACAC member / $95 non-member Venue: The American Club Atrium Room Facilitator: Tonya Schwab, SACAC Counsellor

www.sas.edu.sg

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Varsity Swim Team Earns Silver and Gold

By Peter Clarke HS Swim Coach

T

he SAS varsity swim team completed their season by attending the IASAS swim meet in Kuala Lumpur. In the final score, the boys’ team won silver and the girls again won gold for the 13th straight time. Both teams performed well in an extremely exciting meet that saw the competition lead change a number of times.

The girls’ team had a very competitive team from the host school International School of Kuala Lumpur to contend with and it wasn’t until the final two events that the SAS team pulled clear to win the championship. The team captains, Therese Vainius and Maya Kale, proved to be our top performers with Therese winning two golds in the 50m and 200m freestyle relay, silver in the medley relay, and bronze in the 100 and 200 freestyle; Maya Kale earned two golds in the 200m IM and 400m IM, and silver in the 50fly, 100 fly and the medley relay.

The 4 x 50m free relay team of Monica Chritton, Mallika Choudhary, Lucy Howard and Therese Vainius won the gold medal to complete day one of competition. Other fine individual performances over the three days came from Tanvi Ahuja, second in the 800 free, and Carolyn Koh third in the 200m IM. The girls’ team proved too strong and recorded another championship for the SAS Eagles—13 years and still going strong.

The boys’ team had a fantastic meet.

This year’s team was young, with five freshmen on the team, and it was terrific to see them perform at such a high level. Our super freshman, Kei Hyogo, in his first ever IASAS championship won five gold medals from five events. Kei set a new IASAS record in the 800m free and also won the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle and the 400m IM. In the 4 x 100m medley relay Kei was joined

by Kevin Tung, Aditya Raikar and

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Dan Yamamoto, and all boys swam superbly to take the gold medal. This team shows a great deal of promise and the future looks bright for the coming seasons.

Other boys to make their marks at the championships were Dan Yamamoto, silver in the 200 IM and 100 fly and bronze in the 100m backstroke, as well as the ever-improving Kevin Tung, silver in the 200 backstroke.

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

Dan has been an outstanding competitor for the boys’ team and his presence will be missed next year.

This year’s seniors, Liz, Therese, Abby, Han Young, Chris, Ryan, Michael and Kai, have all been strong role models for our team. Next year’s team will miss the support and guidance given by these athletes who are leaving us as they head off to college. We pass on our best wishes and a big thank you.

Boys Win Gold

By Mike Molly HS Athletic Director

The SAS boys’ basketball team won the recent IASAS basketball tournament in Manila by defeating ISKL 69-60. The Eagles went undefeated in the tournament, rolling up wins against ISKL (59-27), TAS (70-59), JIS (61-32), ISB (84-58), and ISM (59-39) in the round-robin phase of the competition.

The championship game was a fiercely contested game in which the Eagles had to fight off a determined fourth quarter comeback by ISKL. Dustin Sodano’s three-point shot with three minutes left put the game out of reach for the Eagles. In the final, the team was led in scoring

by Rauson Clower with 20, Dustin Sodano with 16, Robert Barber with 12 and Andrew Farrell with 10. Throughout the tournament the Eagles’ depth again proved to be a major factor as the team got timely contributions from Peter Zampa, Andrew Blackmon, Alex Schindele,

Jack McCabe, Matt Crema, and Philip Lee. Named to the All-Tournament team were Farrell, Sodano and Clower.

In addition, Rauson Clower became the first boy in the 29 year history of the IASAS basketball to finish his career with four gold medals.

The Eagles concluded the season with a record of 30-4 that included a third place finish in the Hong Kong International School Holiday Tournament where Rauson Clower was also named to the AllTournament team.

Gold for Girls

By Mike Molly HS Athletic Director

The SAS girls’ varsity basketball team completed a historic season this year. Their season achievements include a remarkable overall final season record of 27 and 1. Led by team captains Hannah Goode, Michelle Bywater and Emma Graddy, the team also included Bri Goulding, Chris Schindele, Emily Moran, Lakshmi Batachari, Tayla Marsh, Linda Kim Alex McConaghy, Monica Scieszka, Kerry Remson, and Celeste Marsh. Coaching the girls was Jim Goode and Rick Bisset.

At the HKIS tournament in Hong Kong, the team won six games in three days and played against several Department of Defense schools.

During the semi-finals the SAS team faced Faith Academy, the defending champions with a team made up of all returning players; our girls beat them by 21 points. Finally, they

faced the 17-time defending Hong Kong Girls Champions Heep Yuun in the final and won a physical game to become the HKIS tournament champions. This was the first time in 21 years that an SAS girls’ team won the championship, and only the second time in the 41-year history of the tournament. Emma Graddy and Michelle Bywater were named to the All-Tournament Team along with Celeste Marsh who was named the MVP.

Finally, they went to Manila for the IASAS championships. They beat all of the IASAS teams winning six games again in three days by no fewer than 15 points. They beat Jakarta International School in the finals by 24 points to claim their third straight IASAS championship gold medal which has only been done once before in IASAS history. Emma Graddy, Michelle Bywater and Hannah Goode were named to the All-Tournament team for IASAS.

www.sas.edu.sg

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CAREERS @ SINGAPORE A MERICAN SCHOOL From The Human Resource Department

We are looking for Support Staff Substitutes Do you:

Have office skills (e.g., computer, phone, accounting, data entry)?

Enjoy working with children and supporting the classroom teacher?

Have technical skills (e.g. knowledge of technical systems, software) Have a dependent pass or are a permanent resident of Singapore?

We are looking for Substitute Teachers Do you:

Enjoy working with children and making a difference in their lives?

Have an educational degree or certificate?

Have professional, fulltime teaching experience?

Want a rewarding job that has a flexible work schedule?

Interested in learning new skills?

Want a rewarding job that has a flexible work schedule?

Apply to become an SAS substitute teacher or SAS support staff substitute at www.sas.edu.sg/career .

Gear Up for Summer 2011

By Martha Began Summer Program Director

P

arents, are you looking for activities for your children this summer? Look no further than your own backyard! SAS Summer Program is thrilled to offer an array of enrichment opportunities for students currently enrolled in pre-kindergarten through grade 8 and possibly through grade 12. The programs are designed to develop skills and provide challenge, enrichment, recreation and fun.

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The Summer Program will run June 13 to July 15 with hours from 8:30am to 1:30pm. Lunch will be provided.

mail of children from ECC through Middle School during the last week of March.

The 2011 Summer Program modules are designed based on analysis of community and faculty surveys.

To find out more, visit our website at http://www.sas.edu.sg/summer and view Summer Program 2011 offerings. Also look for Summer Program information in backpack

This year, for the first time, we are offering a 5% discount during Early Bird registration from April 4 through April 30. In addition, a special 10% discount price will be offered to families with children registered for all five weeks.

NewsFlash SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

Air-con Efficiency Improves, Energy Consumption Increases

A

rigorous hardware overhaul, combined with optimized building management software (BMS) and good, oldfashioned elbow grease, helped SAS save energy and money on air-conditioning from August to December. Our central airconditioning system was able to save nearly 12,000 kWh compared to the same five months in 2009. The savings are all the more impressive when we realize that air-con operations actually increased by 76 hours—a change necessitated by longer/more after-school activities, including Basketball Without Borders. On an average school day, the air-con plant operates for 13 hours and consumes 15,000 kWh. Increasing operations by 76 hours, therefore, could have increased our energy consumption by as much as 88,000 kWh—but that didn’t happen.

What allowed us to save instead? One reason is that three of our chillers, which were installed 14 years ago, were recently overhauled. They achieve desired temperatures faster and are more responsive to changes in load, such as spikes in ambient temperature as well as the heat emitted by people or equipment. SAS staff on the ground closely monitored statistics and user feedback to identify problem areas and make additional improvements beyond the automatic adjustments implemented by the BMS.

Low-hanging fruit already picked

By Jamie Alarcon Facilities & Services

redesign are in the pipeline, and the administration continues to explore investment in renewable energy, but these are long-term solutions that will take years to come to fruition.

In the meantime, we request that the SAS community remain vigilant and use electricity conscientiously. BMS data showed that during the dead hours between midnight and 6:30am, SAS consumed about 230 kWh more every day compared to 2009. Part of this, certainly, can be attributed to new or additional equipment such as surveillance cameras, closedcircuit TVs, and infrastructure for SASCards, catering, and IT. Let us reduce our non-essential electricity consumption so that we can focus more of our energy on the missioncritical components of our campus.

What’s another 25,000 kWh? Consuming 25,000 kWh of electricity in Singapore generates the same amount of carbon dioxide as driving 79,000 kilometers in a 2009 Hyundai Avante. That’s like driving 28 times from LAX to JFK, or (theoretically) driving around the equator twice.

Our electricity bills are $33,000 higher now compared to the same six months last year—but only $3,700 was directly caused by the increased consumption. The rest was caused by higher prices; in August 2010, our tariff increased from 13.80 cents/kWh to 15.43 cents/kWh.

SAS monthly energy consumption - 2009 vs. 2010

kWh

1,200,000

Total energy savings after 6 months: -­25,044 kWh or -­0.5%

1,000,000

2009 2010

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

0

July

August

September

October

November

December

Unfortunately, however, air-con savings did not translate into savings for the entire school. In fact, we consumed about 15,000 kWh more overall compared to August through December 2009. If we include July, that bumps the energy budget deficit up to about 25,000 kWh. While it is not a large deficit—SAS can consume 40,000 kWh in a single school day— it indicates that we may have hit a temporary technological wall after saving nearly four million kWh in the past two years. Major tech fixes such as chiller replacement and plant room

www.sas.edu.sg

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SAS Alumni Events, February 2011 Boston, MA New York, NY San Francisco, CA Washington, DC