The Light 2008 Volume 9

True Knowledge | Faith in Christ | Godly Character

9th Edition/2008

contents Editorial Team

9th Edition/2008

PUBLISHER Yayasan Pendidikan Pelita Harapan

4 Education & Eternity: Brian Cox

ADVISOR Brian Cox, Aileen H. Riady

6 Educating for Eternity: Dr. Janet Lowrie Nason 8 Education & Eternity: Michael Weider

MANAGING DIRECTOR Hana Herawati

10 What the preschoolers learn: Elizabeth Ong Juniana

EDITOR & TRANSLATOR Budi Alto, Anita Purwanti, Maureen Cox

14 Reflection from Student Council 2008-2009

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Iwan Werlin PHOTOGRAPHER Ugeng Agus, Hariyanto, Dewi, Clifford, Andreas

Address 2500 Bulevar Palem Raya, Lippo Karawaci Tangerang 15811, Banten Phone: (021) 546 0232-33 Fax: (021) 546 9663 www.sph.edu

12 Visual Arts Education and Eternity: Judi Harwin 18 Grade 8.3 Student’s Reflection on the School Theme 19 Alumni: Timothy Astandu and Kartika Limaho 20 Thank God ... in SPH Sentul: Shendy Engelina 21 My Best Summer: Brenda Filia Salim 22 A Gift for Eternity: Siusan Hermawan and Fifi Susanto 24 Strings Camp 2008: Therese Wirakesuma 26 SPH Sentul City Children’s Choir: Yulvita Hadi Yarti 31 Book Corner

COVER: Christina Cooper (Kindergarten 1) LOCATION: SPH Lippo Karawaci PHOTOGRAPHER: Ugeng Agus

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T’S commonly accepted by most people around the world that education is far more than schooling or university courses. Everyone now understands that education is lifelong. The major question then, is how long is life-long?

Obviously if we believe that life is simply the gap between birth and death then life-long is a matter of some seventy or eighty years. If that’s the life we’re talking about then we are now able to consider a few general responses to education. Firstly if my lifespan is only a matter of decades then I probably need to pack as much as possible into that time.

My education therefore needs to give me some assurance that I am able to gain good financial returns so that I can ensure maximum enjoyment in my brief life. Everything becomes focused on how much pleasure and enjoyment I can squeeze into each day. I must inevitably tend towards being self focused and self centered. This means that I will assess all things in life, including my education, according to their maximum benefit to me.

It may even mean that I begin to see relationships in this way.

Thus when my wife (or husband) ceases to provide me with the happiness I seek; I might simply trade up! My lifelong education can tend to be focused on independent achievement and pragmatism; my relationships may become self serving.

Brian Cox

Head of School Pelita Harapan Karawaci Coordinator of Pelita Harapan Schools

If I have a more melancholy personality, when viewing a lifetime as a short number of years, I may wonder whether anything significant can be achieved in that time. I may tend towards lethargy, disinterest and demotivation. My view of education could become cynical. Can education drag me out of my morose view; is it just a simple academic exercise filling in time between the cradle and the grave?

If my view of life is eternal − the educational journey is now able to take on a totally different perspective. Knowing that life is eternal takes the stress of daily problems away; they become less significant. I realize that an eternity with God is not going to be focused upon my career but on relationships. The educational journey is now more about how things are done, and with whom, and for what purpose rather than simply focusing on my test results. I can look forward to the fulfillment of restoration with God, with people and with Creation. More than that, I can be involved with these restorative attitudes and actions now!

With an eternal God as my guide, with a redeeming Jesus as my Saviour and an indwelling Spirit as my inspiration I can see purpose and joy.

The awful importance of this life is that it determines eternity -William Barclay How does our understanding of eternity affect our understanding of education; how does our understanding of education affect our understanding of eternity?

So how do we connect Education and Eternity? The goal of education must be to search for truth. When education genuinely purposes to search for truth it must arrive at the great uncaused origin – God Himself.

In the last paragraph of his brilliant book entitled Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis has these important lines.

regular “The principle runs through all of life, from top to bottom. Give up yourself and you will find your real self. Lose your life and it will be saved.

Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life.

Keep nothing back. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him, everything else thrown in.”

Education is a relational enterprise that should lead people to the greatest and most important eternal relationship of all.

John 17: 3, And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Blessings, Brian Cox

Pendidikan & Kekekalan Bagaimana pengertian kita berkenaan dengan kekekalan mempengaruhi pengertian kita mengenai pendidikan; bagaimana pengertian kita tentang pendidikan mempengaruhi pengertian kita akan kekekalan?

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RANG-orang di seluruh dunia pada umumnya menerima kenyataan kalau pendidikan lebih dari sekedar sekolah atau kelas-kelas di universitas. Setiap orang saat ini mengerti bahwa pendidikan bersifat seumur hidup. Pertanyaan utamanya adalah berapa lama seumur hidup tersebut?

Sangat jelas, apabila kita percaya bahwa hidup adalah rentang waktu antara kelahiran dan kematian maka lama dari kehidupan itu adalah sekitar tujuh puluh atau delapan puluh tahun. Jikalau demikian maka kita sekarang dapat memahami beberapa respon umum berkenaan dengan pendidikan. Pertama jikalau usia kehidupan saya hanyalah permasalahan beberapa dekade saja maka saya perlu mengumpulkan sebanyak di dalam periode waktu tersebut.

Pendidikan saya perlu memberikan jaminan agar mendapatkan manfaat finansial sehingga saya memperoleh kenikmatan maksimum dalam kehidupan saya yang singkat ini. Segala sesuatu menjadi fokus pada seberapa banyak kenikmatan dan kegembiraan yang dapat saya perah setiap harinya. Hal ini menyebabkan tendensi ke arah pementingan diri dan berpusatkan pada diri sendiri. Artinya saya akan menetapkan segala sesuatu dalam kehidupan ini termasuk pendidikan, menurut manfaat maksimum untuk diri saya.

Bahkan hal ini dapat berarti bahwa saya melihat suatu relasi dengan cara demikian, sehingga ketika istri saya (atau suami) berhenti menyediakan kesenangan yang saya cari; saya akan dengan mudah membelinya! Pendidikan seumur hidup saya cenderung berfokus pada pencapaian diri dan fungsional belaka; relasi saya menjadi bersifat melayani diri sendiri.

Jika saya memiliki personalitas yang lebih melankolik, ketika melihat umur kehidupan yang hanya beberapa tahun yang singkat tersebut, saya akan bertanya-tanya hal-hal penting apa yang dapat dicapai dalam waktu tersebut. Saya mungkin akan menjadi lesu, tidak memiliki keinginan dan motivasi. Pandangan saya akan pendidikan dapat menjadi sinis.

Dapatkah pendidikan mendorong saya keluar dari kemurungan ini; apakah hal ini sekedar pemenuhan latihan-latihan akademis antara ayunan bayi dan kuburan saja?

Jikalau pandangan saya akan kehidupan adalah kekal − perjalanan pendidikan sekarang dapat memiliki cara pandang yang berbeda sama sekali. Mengetahui bahwa kehidupan adalah kekal dapat menghilangkan tekanan permasalahan harian; hal tersebut menjadi kurang penting. Saya menyadari kalau kekekalan bersama Tuhan lebih bersifat relasi daripada fokus pada karir saya. Perjalanan pendidikan sekarang lebih ke arah bagaimana sesuatu hal dapat diselesaikan, dengan siapa dan untuk tujuan apa, daripada hanya fokus pada hasil ujian saya.

Saya dapat melihat ke depan ke arah pemenuhan akan pemulihan bersama Tuhan, bersama sesama, dan bersama ciptaanNya. Lebih dari pada itu, saya sekarang dapat terlibat dengan perilaku dan tindakantindakan pemulihan ini!

Bersama Tuhan yang kekal sebagai pembimbing saya, bersama Yesus Penebus sebagai Juru Selamat, dan

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bersama dengan Roh Kudus yang tidak tinggal diam sebagai inspirasi, saya dapat melihat tujuan dan kesukacitaan.

Maka bagaimana kita menghubungkan antara Pendidikan dan Kekekalan? Tujuan dari pendidikan haruslah untuk mencari kebenaran.

Ketika pendidikan secara murni ditujukan untuk mencari kebenaran, maka hal tersebut akan tiba kepada sang sumber agung − Tuhan sendiri.

Dalam alinea terakhir dari buku C.S. Lewis yang terkenal yang berjudul Mere Christianity ada beberapa baris yang penting. ”Prinsip mengalir melewati semua kehidupan, dari atas hingga ke bawah. Serahkan dirimu dan engkau akan menemukan diri yang sesungguhnya.

Bebaskan kehidupanmu dan akan diselamatkan.

Serahkan kepada kematian, kematian akan ambisimu dan hal yang paling diinginkan setiap hari serta kematian seluruh tubuhmu pada akhirnya: serahkan dengan semua getaran keberadaanmu dan kamu akan menemukan kehidupan yang kekal. Jangan mengambil kembali. Tidak ada yang engkau belum serahkan yang akan menjadi milikmu sepenuhnya. Tidak ada yang di dalam engkau yang yang belum dimatikan, yang akan dibangkitkan dari kematian.

Lihatlah pada dirimu dan engkau hanya akan menemukan kebencian, kesendirian, putus asa, dendam, kehancuran dan kerusakan belaka.

Tetapi lihatlah pada Kristus dan kamu akan menemukanNya dan bersama Dia, segala sesuatu yang lain akan ditambahkan kepadamu.”

Pendidikan adalah suatu usaha yang bersifat hubungan atau relasi yang seharusnya memimpin kepada relasi terbesar dan terpenting yang bersifat kekal.

Yohanes 17:3, Dan inilah hidup yang kekal itu, yaitu bahwa mereka mengenal Engkau, satusatunya Allah yang benar, dan mengenal Yesus Kristus yang telah Engkau utus.

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“Carpe Diem” the Latin phrase for, “Seize the Day” characterizes the educational philosophy in many cultures. Parents often use it to encourage their children to enjoy life and make the most of opportunities.

Teachers try to motivate students with it as they want children to focus attention and develop potential. In the movie, Dead Poets Society the actor Robin Williams as an English teacher inspires his students with “Carpe Diem” as a rallying cry to live beyond textbooks and school.

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HAT is the Christian school’s approach to students, curriculum, learning and outcomes? Do we have an exclusive “Seize the Day Vision” or are we preparing students for the world of tomorrow and beyond?

There is not a conflict between academic excellence and Biblical Christian faith. Dr. Roy W. Lowrie, Jr., founding president of the Association of Christian Schools International, often said, “Children should not have to take an academic penalty to get a Christian school education.” By that he meant as schools reflect Jesus Christ they should have educational rigor. There is no greater encouragement for wanting to do things well, than that we bear the name of Jesus Christ in all that we do.

Christian teachers view all knowledge from a biblio-centric or “truth centered” vantage point. Modern education assumes that the transmission of information is religiously neutral. This is a wrong assumption for there can be no neutral teacher or textbook. Every speaker and writer has a world view that includes or excludes God. A reporter who says Christ has no place in education is making a religious value judgment because they are saying Christ is not Lord of all and what the Bible teaches is wrong. However, Colossians 1:16-18 teaches that Jesus is the Creator and sustainer of everything in the world.

Education in the Christian school goes beyond the known of this daily world to the tomorrow of the future. Our perspective is holistic, viewing the beginning of time, this present day and the future eternity to come.

Dr. Janet Lowrie Nason, Ibu Aileen Riady, Mr. Brian Cox, Ishak Suhonggo, Ed.D.

Educating for Eternity

By Dr. Janet Lowrie Nason Asia Director, Association of Christian Schools International

We do not shelter children from the truth of biblically based principles and values like the sheltered education of other schools. We do not teach a partial curriculum without the Creator, but an integrated one where biblical truths and values are woven throughout knowledge and character building objectives.

A half baked curriculum traditionally imparts rote facts and de-contextualized information to be memorized and tested. But our schools present a truth based framework and world view through which to emphasize critical thinking skills.

Visualize a target with a center zone and concentric circles moving outward. Schools who are educating for eternity have the Bible at the very bull’s eye of curriculum, student policies, governance practices etc. We are aiming with eternity in mind.

Post modern culture assumes that the goal of education is an advancement of individuals through the passing on of information and skills. The majority of educators today believe that if teachers and students keep learning information they will become better and better. They have an “addition theory” that if we add more knowledge, man will improve his character and values. One only has to reflect on current society after thousands of years to realize man is not acting any more kindly!

Christian schools have a unique view of the learning community. They truly are a second home for students and parents work in genuine harmony with teachers and principals. Rev. Bob Frisken, Director of New Hope International in Sydney identifies the following characteristics of effective schools.  Governors acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and make policies and decisions prayerfully, independence on the Holy Spirit using biblical principles.  All members are valued as people created in God’s image, are encouraged to love each other as Christ loves them and to work cooperatively for God’s glory.  Teachers and staff members acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Parents are recognized as ones who have the God-given responsibility for their children.  Schools cooperate with other Christian schools to advance community and kingdom.  Students are loved, nurtured and encouraged to grow into Jesus Christ.

Teachers see beyond student’s grades, class rank, even misbehavior to the eternal souls they are. They truly love children, viewing them as individually gifted. Principals care about the spiritual, social and affective development of children. They are concerned about children’s hearts and attitudes towards

examples one another in the school community. The process of character development in the school family is a long one that sees beyond today’s children to mature men and women.

Parents and staff who love children, care enough to gently confront mistakes, seeking repentance and change. What a blessing for families to have teachers who focus on children, not just individual subjects.

Asia needs leaders who have positive character traits and personal integrity. It does not need “veneer Christians” with a form of faith an inch deep. People are crying out for authentic leaders who place the needs of children and the poor ahead of personal gain.

People long for leaders who keep their word and develop businesses and programs with operational integrity.

I’m encouraged that the leaders of the future are being educated with eternity in mind in our Christian schools today. I’m hopeful that our graduates will become the culture shaping leaders God intends them to be. They have the potential to make a world of difference!

“Carpe Diem”? That’s not enough. Let’s revise it to “Carpe Aeternitatum”−“Seize eternity”−Don’t just settle for a day!

Pendidikan untuk Kekekalan “Carpe Diem” frase bahasa Latin untuk “Raihlah harimu” memberi karakteristik pada filosofi pendidikan dalam berbagai budaya. Orangtua sering menggunakannya untuk mendorong anak-anak dalam menikmati hidup dan meraih kesempatan-kesempatan. Guru-guru mencoba memotivasi para siswa dengan frase tersebut agar mereka memberi perhatian secara khusus dan mengembangkan potensi. Dalam film, Dead Poets Society aktor Robin Williams yang berperan sebagai guru bahasa Inggris menginspirasi para siswanya dengan “Carpe Diem” sebagai suatu bentuk kerinduan yang berkepanjangan untuk terus hidup di luar buku pelajaran dan sekolah.

Apa pendekatan Sekolah Kristen kepada para siswa, kurikulum, proses pembelajaran dan hasil yang ingin dicapai? Apakah kita memiliki ”Visi meraih harimu” atau kita sedang mempersiapkan para siswa untuk hari esok?

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IDAK ada konflik antara kemampuan akademis yang tinggi dan iman Kristen yang berdasarkan Alkitab. Dr. Roy W. Lowrie, Jr., pendiri dan ketua dari Association of Christian Schools International, sering berkata, “bahwa anak-anak

tidak harus menerima hukuman akademis dalam mengikuti pendidikan di Sekolah Kristen”. Dengan ini beliau mengartikan bahwa sebagai sekolah yang merefleksikan Yesus Kristus mereka harus memiliki keteguhan dalam pendidikan. Tidak ada dorongan yang lebih besar dalam hal mengerjakan sesuatu dengan baik selain bahwa kita memuliakan nama Yesus Kristus dalam semua hal yang kita lakukan.

Guru-guru Kristen melihat manfaat dari semua pengetahuan dari sisi yang berpusatkan pada Alkitab atau kebenaran. Pendidikan modern berasumsi bahwa pemberian informasi adalah bersifat netral.

Ini adalah asumsi yang salah karena tidak ada guru atau buku acuan yang netral. Setiap pembicara dan penulis memiliki cara pandang yang menyertakan atau tidak menyertakan Tuhan. Seorang pembawa berita yang berkata bahwa Kristus tidak memiliki ruang dalam dunia pendidikan sedang menjatuhkan penilaian keagamaan karena mereka sedang berkata kalau Kristus bukanlah Tuhan atas semua dan apa yang Alkitab ajarkan adalah suatu kesalahan. Tetapi, Kolose 1:16-18 mengajarkan bahwa Yesus adalah pencipta dan penopang segala sesuatu dalam dunia.

Pendidikan dalam Sekolah Kristen lebih dari sekedar dunia keseharian ini dan memikirkan masa depan. Cara pandang kita adalah menyeluruh, memandang permulaan dari waktu, hari ini dan masa depan kekekalan yang akan tiba. Kita tidak menyembunyikan anak-anak dari kebenaran Alkitab berdasarkan prinsip-prinsip dan nilai seperti yang dilakukan sekolah-sekolah lain. Kita tidak mengajarkan kurikulum yang bersifat parsial tanpa kehadiran Sang Pencipta tetapi lebih bersifat menyeluruh dimana kebenaran alkitab dan nilainilainya terajut melalui tujuan pengetahuan dan pembentukan karakter. Kurikulum setengah matang pada umumnya menyampaikan fakta-fakta hafalan dan informasi yang harus diingat dan diuji yang lepas dari konteks yang ada. Tetapi kita menghadirkan kerangka dan cara pandang yang berdasarkan kebenaran melalui penekanan kepada kemampuan berpikir kritis.

Bayangkan suatu target dengan pusat dan lingkaranlingkaran yang bergerak keluar. Sekolah-sekolah mengajarkan kebenaran, berpusat pada Alkitab untuk semua kurikulum, kebijakan-kebijakan siswa, prakted kepemimpinan dan lain sebagainya. Kami memiliki tujuan kekekalan dalam pikiran kami.

Budaya post modern berasumsi bahwa tujuan pendidikan adalah untuk kemajuan individu melalui penyampaian informasi dan ketrampilan.

Mayoritas pendidik saat ini percaya kalau guru dan siswa terus mempelajari informasi maka mereka akan menjadi lebih baik dan lebih baik lagi. Mereka memiliki tambahan teori bahwa jika menambahkan pengetahuan lebih banyak, maka seseorang akan meningkatkan karakter dan nilai-nilai. Kita harus menyadari setelah ribuan tahun ternyata manusia tidaklah bertindak demikian.

Sekolah-sekolah Kristen memiliki pandangan yang unik akan komunitas pembelajar. Mereka sungguh

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adalah rumah kedua bagi para siswa dan orang tua, bekerja dalam harmoni yang sesungguhnya antar guru dan kepala sekolah. Pendeta Bob Frisken, Direktur dari New Hope International di Sydney mengidentifikasikan karakter unik dari sekolah yang efektif sebagai berikut:  Pemimpin mengakui Yesus Kristus sebagai Tuhan dan membuat kebijakan serta keputusan dengan doa, bergantung kepada Roh Kudus dan menggunakan prinsip-prinsip Alkitab.  Semua anggota dihargai sebagai seseorang yang dicipta dalam gambar dan rupa Allah, didorong untuk mengasihi satu sama lain seperti Kristus mengasihi mereka dan bekerja bersama untuk kemuliaan Tuhan.  Guru dan staf mengakui Yesus Kristus sebagai Tuhan dan Juru Selamat.  Orangtua dipandang sebagai orang yang diberi tanggung jawab oleh Tuhan akan anak-anak mereka.  Sekolah bekerja sama dengan sekolah Kristen lainnya untuk memperlebar komunitas dan kerajaan Tuhan.  Para siswa dikasihi, dipelihara, dan didorong untuk bertumbuh menjadi lebih serupa Yesus Kristus.

Guru melihat jiwa yang kekal dari seorang murid melampaui angka, peringkat kelas, bahkan perilaku yang buruk. Mereka sungguh mengasihi anak-anak, melihat mereka sebagai individu yang diberkati.

Kepala Sekolah memperhatikan keadaan spiritual, sosial, dan pengembangan dari anak-anak. Mereka memperhatikan hati dan perilaku dari anak-anak antar satu dengan yang lain dalam komunitas sekolah. Proses pengembangan karakter di sekolah memakan waktu yang panjang sampai akhirnya anak-anak tersebut menjadi pria dan wanita yang dewasa. Orangtua dan staf yang mengasihi anakanak, memperhatikan dengan lemah lembut, menghadapi kesalahan-kesalahan, mencari pertobatan dan perubahan. Merupakan suatu berkat bagi keluarga apabila memiliki guru yang fokus pada diri anak-anak, bukan sekedar subyek individu belaka.

Benua Asia memerlukan pemimpin-pemimpin yang memiliki karakter yang positif dan integritas pribadi. Dibutuhkan lebih dari sekedar orang Kristen yang beriman dangkal. Orang-orang sungguh membutuhkan pemimpin yang sebenarnya yang menempatkan kebutuhan anak-anak dan orang miskin di atas keuntungan pribadi. Masyarakat merindukan pemimpin yang memegang janji dan mengembangkan segala urusan serta program dengan pelaksanaan yang penuh integritas.

Saya mendorong agar para pemimpin masa depan dididik di sekolah-sekolah Kristen dengan pandangan akan kekekalan. Saya berharap para lulusan akan menjadi pemimpin yang membentuk budaya seperti yang diinginkan Tuhan. Mereka memiliki potensi untuk membuat dunia menjadi berbeda! ”Carpe Diem”? Tidaklah cukup. Mari kita ubah menjadi ”Carpe Aeternitatum”−”Raihlah kekekalan”−Jangan hanya untuk sehari!

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Sekolah Pelita Harapan is charged with educating students to succeed in life while also faithfully proclaiming God’s eternal purpose for their lives through Christ.

But just what do Education and Eternity have in common? Education readies students for life in this world. Eternity is where we’ll join God in heaven and leave this world behind. Perhaps SPH should be encouraging students to achieve academically at a high level and get a good job. But what of our responsibility to encourage them to remember that their earthly life isn’t that important because their real treasure is in heaven? These seem to be aiming at entirely different and perhaps even contradictory goals.

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HERE is a real danger of sending mixed messages to students about what our life in this world and our life in Christ are really about. Are we set free from our sins and failures OR are we on the hook to our boss, wife, kids, and teachers every time we make a mistake? Are we preparing for our

Education and Eternity

By Michael Weider, IB Coordinator

eternal life with God OR are we preparing to go to college, pay the bills, and raise a family?

Which one is it; or should we encourage both, seemingly opposite, objectives at the same time? How is a Christian school like SPH supposed to respond to these conflicting demands and goals?

The answer, I believe, lies in the rediscovery of Christian Vocation as well as a reminder of Jesus’ summary of the two greatest commandments.

Most of the time when we think of Vocation we think of a person’s job or the career that they end up choosing. However, in the Christian sense vocation means much more than your job. It means every responsibility you have wherever God has placed you in life.

This means that my vocation includes my IB Coordinator responsibilities, my duties to my wife, my children, my church, my friends, and even my household helpers. God has given

me a vocation in this life to love and serve all of these “neighbors”. I do this by helping them, supporting them, encouraging them and giving them what is due them. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, states that we have a “... continuing debt to love one another” (13:8). This is vocation and SPH must prepare students faithfully to fulfill theirs, whatever it may be.

However, the job of a Christian school also involves sharing the Gospel with students and preparing them for their eternal life with Christ. This requires helping students to see beyond this world into the next to realize that the things of this life will fade away because only God’s Word is eternal. Furthermore, we teach them about forgiveness; God’s amazing grace which declares the sinner innocent and as the Psalmist says, removes our failures, “as far as the east is from the west” (103:12). This freedom to boldly trust in God in spite of our misdeeds is a truly comforting word of God

found only in the living Word himself, Jesus Christ.

Sekolah Pelita Harapan should strive then to create a continual tension in the lives of students between their educational objectives and their eternal ones. When asked what was the greatest commandment Jesus replied in Mark’s Gospel, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength …” and to “… Love your neighbor as yourself” (12:30-31). Jesus makes clear that we have a dual obligation to love God and also to love our neighbor.

Unfortunately many people think that Christianity is just “me and God” and that our faith is best shown in our personal commitment to God. Sadly this common misunderstanding ignores the call to serve and love our neighbor right here and now.

We should never think of faith as some

examples monastic escape from the world. Quite to the contrary God calls His creation very good and places us here to love and serve one another.

Christian education, therefore, is continually directing students to both love and worship God as their Savior while also keeping their neighbor’s daily needs forefront in their minds. We are called to get our hands dirty and fulfill our God-given Earthly obligations.

Christians live with the tension of a future hope and a present responsibility. We are a “Now and Not Yet” people. We have a foot in both God’s Kingdom in this world and God’s Kingdom that is to come. SPH then has to faithfully prepare students for both of these worlds. Classroom education is absolutely essential for students vocational calling to love their neighbor. Faith education is absolutely essential to fulfill our Gospel call to pronounce the good news of God’s forgiveness in Christ.

In short, God has charged us with both EDUCATION and ETERNITY. This is the job of every Christian and the unique mission of Sekolah Pelita Harapan.

Education and Eternity Sekolah Pelita Harapan dituntut untuk mendidik para siswa agar berhasil dalam kehidupan di samping dengan setia mengabarkan tujuan kekal Allah melalui Kristus bagi kehidupan mereka.

Tetapi apakah kaitan antara Pendidikan dan Kekekalan tersebut? Pendidikan mempersiapkan para siswa untuk kehidupan di dunia ini. Kekekalan adalah di mana kita bersama dengan Tuhan di surga dan meninggalkan dunia ini. Mungkin SPH harus mendorong para siswa agar mencapai tingkat akademis yang tinggi dan mendapatkan pekerjaan yang baik. Tetapi apa tanggung jawab kita dalam rangka mendorong mereka untuk mengingat kalau kehidupan dunia ini tidaklah sedemikian pentingnya jika dibandingkan dengan harta yang sesungguhnya di surga nanti? Ada perbedaan yang mendasar dan bahkan tujuan yang mungkin bertolak belakang.

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DALAH suatu bahaya jika kita mengajarkan pesan ganda kepada para siswa mengenai apa yang menjadi kehidupan kita di dunia ini dan kehidupan dalam Kristus yang sesungguhnya. Apakah

kita dibebaskan dari dosa dan kegagalan atau apakah kita terpaku pada atasan, istri, anak, atau guru setiap kali kita berbuat kesalahan? Apakah kita mempersiapkan kehidupan kekal bersama dengan Tuhan ataukan kita mempersiapkan diri masuk ke universitas, membayar tagihantagihan serta membesarkan sebuah keluarga?

Yang mana? Ataukan keduanya, yang terlihat berlawanan, tetapi bertujuan sama? Bagaimana sebuah Sekolah Kristen seperti SPH diharapkan memberi respon atas konflik kepentingan dan tujuan ini?

Jawabannya, saya percaya, terletak pada bagaimana kita menemukan kembali panggilan kita sebagai orang Kristen serta mengingat pada dua hukum yang terutama yang diberikan oleh Yesus.

Seringkali ketika kita berpikir mengenai panggilan, seringkali pikiran kita mengarah pada pekerjaan atau karir yang dipilih oleh seseorang.

Tetapi di dalam iman Kristen, panggilan lebih daripada hanya sekedar pekerjaan saja. Itu artinya adalah setiap tanggung jawab yang kita miliki di manapun Tuhan menempatkan kita dalam kehidupan ini. Hal ini berarti panggilan saya termasuk tanggung jawab saya sebagai Koordinator IB, kewajiban saya kepada istri, anak-anak, gereja, sahabat, dan bahkan kepada pembantu rumah tangga. Tuhan telah memberikan panggilan kepada saya dalam kehidupan ini untuk mengasihi dan melayani sesama. Saya melakukan hal ini dengan membantu, mendukung, mendorong, dan memberi kepada mereka apa yang dibutuhkan.

Paulus dalam suratnya kepada jemaat di Roma, menyatakan bahwa kita memiliki ”... hutang secara terus menerus untuk mengasihi seorang dengan yang lain” (13:8). Ini adalah panggilan dan SPH harus mempersiapkan para siswa untuk dengan setia memenuhinya dalam keadaan apapun.

Tugas sebagai sebuah Sekolah Kristen juga termasuk mengabarkan Injil kepada para siswa dan mempersiapkan mereka untuk kehidupan kekal bersama dengan Kristus. Ini termasuk membantu para siswa melihat dan menyadari bahwa kesudahan kehidupan dunia ini akan berlalu dan hanya Firman Tuhan yang bersifat kekal. Lebih jauh kita mengajar mereka tentang pengampunan, anugrah Tuhan yang ajaib yang membersihkan dosa orang-orang berdosa seperti pemazmur berkata bahwa sejauh timur dari barat demikian dijauhkanNya dari pada kita pelanggaran kita (103:12). Kebebasan untuk secara berani percaya kepada Tuhan Yesus terlepas dari kesalahan-kesalahan kita, sungguh perkataan menghibur yang hanya ditemukan dalam Firman yang hidup itu sendiri, Yesus Kristus.

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Sekolah Pelita Harapan harus berjuang dan menekankan secara terus menerus dalam kehidupan siswa antara tujuan pendidikan dan kehidupan kekal mereka. Ketika ditanyakan apa yang menjadi hukum terutama, Yesus menjawab dalam Injil Markus, ”Kasihilah Tuhan Allahmu dengan segenap hatimu dan dengan segenap jiwamu dan dengan segenap akal budimu dan dengan segenap kekuatanmu ...” dan ”kasihilah sesamamu manusia seperti dirimu sendiri” (12:30-31). Yesus dengan jelas menyatakan kewajiban untuk mengasihi Tuhan dan mengasihi sesama.

Tetapi sayangnya banyak orang berpikir kalau kekristenan hanyalah masalah ”saya dan Tuhan” dan iman kita ditunjukkan dalam komitmen pribadi dengan Tuhan. Salah pengertian yang menyedihkan ini mengabaikan panggilan untuk melayani dan mengasihi sesama saat ini dan di sini. Jangan pernah berpikir tentang iman seperti melarikan diri dari dunia. Berlawanan dengan hal tersebut, Tuhan menyebut ciptaanNya dengan sangat baik dan menempatkan kita di sana untuk mengasihi dan melayani satu sama lain. Pendidik Kristen harus terus menerus mengarahkan para siswa untuk mengasihi dan menyembah Tuhan sebagai Juruselamat di samping juga melihat kebutuhan sehari-hari sesama mereka dalam pemikirannya. Kita dipanggil untuk membuat tangan kita menjadi kotor dan memenuhi kewajiban yang Tuhan berikan.

Orang Kristen hidup dengan harapan di masa depan dan tanggung jawab masa kini. Kita adalah orang-orang ”Sudah tetapi Belum”. Kita berpijak, baik di dalam Kerajaan Allah di dunia ini dan Kerajaan Allah yang akan datang.

SPH harus dengan setia mempersiapkan para siswa untuk kedua dunia ini. Pendidikan para siswa di kelas merupakan hal yang sangat mendasar bagi panggilan untuk mengasihi sesama. Pendidikan iman adalah hal yang sangat mendasar untuk memenuhi panggilan Injil mengabarkan kabar baik pengampunan dosa dalam Kristus.

Kesimpulannya adalah Tuhan menuntut kita untuk dua hal, Pendidikan dan Kekekalan. Ini adalah tugas setiap orang Kristen dan misi yang unik dari Sekolah Pelita Harapan.

Michael Weider and family

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examples

What the preschoolers learn

By Elizabeth Ong Juniana

Ms. Elizabeth with her student

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HILDREN as young as 3 years old often come to school for their first experience of teachers, helpers and other children. Sometimes it makes them “terrified”, especially when they have seldomly interacted with other children, except for neighbors or cousins. This situation will make them want to remain attached to their care givers, relatives or parents and usually they are not willing to follow class routines. It is good if the toddlers or babies sometimes come to school with their bigger siblings in Kindergarten/early primary informally, such as Family Gathering or some class events.

For Kindergarten children, it is a step to move outside their small community (home) into the wider community where they can not always get every thing they want. Here, they learn to share, to be tolerant with each other.

It is time for them to learn to be “part of the real world” where “sharing” and “tolerance” are expectations. They learn to take turns, respect others’ territories and belongings, learn about manners, focus for a particular time, pay

Children at a young age often feel insecure in surroundings which are different from their home. The people they deal with at home, such as parents, caregivers, siblings or other relatives usually give them comfort. Adults can presume that these children will be overwhelmed once they move out from this comfort zone.

attention to others, independent on some simple duties, and also master gross and soft motor skills.

Once they are accustomed to the morning routines at school, their bodies (and emotions) will easily follow what is being taught at school. They become more familiar and comfortable with the teachers and friends.

A lack of bed time routines is also another possible issue why the children look weary and cranky while they are at school. Children at an early age need about 10 hours sleeping in a day. They still need a nap time for about 2 hours, but not too long because they need to go to bed at around 8 o’clock in the evening in order to be fresh the next morning.

Parents are sometimes worried with the achievement their children make compared to other students at the same age. Children in the early years like to tear and scrunch paper before they learn to hold pencils or scissors.

Here, they practice their hand coordination prior to using simple tools to “write”. Don’t be surprised to see their “scribbles” on drawings.

It means something to them. Once they are familiar with concrete things in their minds, they can continue to draw more identifiable pictures. This stage comes prior writing skills.

Music, dance, listening to stories, retelling their stories and sports are other areas young children enjoy very much. Some songs they learn repeatedly may even inspire them to sing with the same tone but using their own words. They can be creative with vocabulary.

The choice to be a Kindergarten teacher requires a love for children and a passion for this young generation to be the fruitful seeds for God and for this country. Children in the early years can have unseen feelings of being loved or attention to their needs by even adults they have never met before. There are also ways to win or attract their hearts by positive encouragement or touching (children at this age are sensitive to touching,

examples since they are still strong on developing their 5 senses).

These are just some of the things that our preschoolers experience at school. They need to enjoy school in order to get the best results. Teachers’ and parents’ roles at home and school connect to make it happen.

Elizabeth Ong Juniana Kindergarten Teacher Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Karawaci

Apa saja yang dipelajari anak-anak prasekolah Anak-anak balita seringkali merasa tidak aman dengan lingkungan yang berbeda dengan keadaan rumah mereka. Orang-orang yang biasa mereka jumpai, seperti orangtua, pengasuh, saudara atau anggota keluarga lainnya membuat mereka merasa tentram untuk tetap berada di rumah. Seperti juga dengan orang dewasa, anak-anak ini juga akan merasa terganggu pada saat mereka harus keluar dari lingkungan nyamannya.

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INGKUNGAN sekolah sering merupakan pengalaman pertama bagi anak-anak usia 3 tahun. Figur guru dan anak-anak lain seringkali membuat mereka takut, khususnya bagi yang jarang berinteraksi dengan anak-anak lain sebelumnya, seperti tetangga atau sepupu yang usianya sebaya. Situasi ini akan membuat mereka tidak mau berpisah dengan pengasuh atau orang tuanya seta enggan untuk mengikuti kegiatan kelas. Adalah suatu hal yang baik apabila anak-anak usia tersebut kadang-kadang ikut datang ke sekolah menjemput saudara mereka yang lebih tua di Taman Kanak-kanak atau Sekolah Dasar atau saat kegiatan sosial lainnya, seperti acara keluarga atau acara lainnya.

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Merupakan suatu usaha yang tidak kecil bagi anak-anak yang bersekolah di Taman Kanakkanak untuk keluar dari komunitas mereka yang kecil (rumah) ke komunitas yang lebih besar dimana mereka tidak mendapatkan semua hal yang diinginkan. Di sini, mereka belajar untuk saling berbagi, bertoleransi dengan yang lain. Juga merupakan saat yang tepat bagi mereka untuk belajar menjadi “bagian dari dunia nyata” dimana “berbagi” dan “toleransi” adalah sesuatu yang perlu mereka lewati dalam hidup bermasyarakat nanti. Disini mereka juga belajar untuk menghargai “wilayah” dan milik orang lain, belajar berperilaku, belajar fokus, memperhatikan orang lain, mandiri pada tugas-tugas yang sederhana, di samping juga mengasah kemampuan motorik kasar dan halus.

Pada saat mereka terbiasa dengan kegiatan rutinitas pagi hari di sekolah, tubuh (dan emosi) mereka akan dengan mudah beradaptasi dengan kegiatan yang diajarkan. Mereka juga menjadi terbiasa berinteraksi dengan guru-guru dan teman-teman.

Kebiasaan tidur juga merupakan hal lain yang menyebabkan anak-anak terlihat letih dan uringuringan ketika di sekolah. Anak-anak usia balita perlu sepuluh jam tidur setiap harinya. Mereka masih memerlukan tidur siang sekitar dua jam.

Sebaiknya tidur siang tidak terlalu lama, karena mereka akan tidur malam sekitar pukul delapan supaya bisa bangun dengan segar keesokan harinya.

Kadangkala orangtua khawatir dengan prestasi anak-anak mereka yang berbeda jika dibandingkan dengan anak yang seusia lainnya.

Anak balita (tiga tahun) suka untuk merobek dan meremas kertas sebelum belajar untuk memegang pensil dan gunting. Di sini mereka melatih koordinasi tangan mereka sebelum menggunakan peralatan-peralatan sederhana untuk menulis. Jangan terkejut melihat coretan yang tidak beraturan pada gambar mereka yang tetap mempunyai arti bagi mereka sendiri. Pada saat mereka terbiasa dengan hal-hal yang lebih konkrit dalam pikirannya, mereka akan masuk dalam tingkatan menggambar lukisan yang lebih dapat dimengerti. Tahapan ini ada sebelum mereka sampai pada kemampuan menulis.

Musik, tarian, mendengar cerita, mengulang cerita dan berolahraga juga merupakan kegiatan yang disukai anak-anak.

Beberapa lagu yang diulangulang dapat menginspirasi

mereka untuk bernyanyi dengan nada yang sama tetapi dengan menggunakan kata-kata mereka sendiri. Mereka dapat kreatif dengan beberapa kosakata.

Pilihan menjadi guru TK tidak hanya karena menyukai anak-anak saja atau supaya bisa lebih dekat dengan mereka tetapi lebih dari itu adalah kasih dan kerinduan seorang guru agar generasi muda ini dapat berbuah bagi Tuhan dan berguna bagi negara. Anak-anak dalam usia ini memiliki perasaan peka akan limpahan kasih dan perhatian yang tidak pura-pura dari orang dewasa, bahkan yang belum dikenal sebelumnya. Tentu juga ada beberapa cara untuk memenangkan dan menarik hati mereka, seperti dengan pujian dan sentuhan (anak-anak usia ini sensitif pada sentuhan karena mereka masih dalam masa pengembangan kelima panca indranya).

Hal di atas adalah sebagian dari apa yang didapatkan oleh anak-anak usia prasekolah.

Mereka perlu menikmati bersekolah dalam upaya mendapatkan hasil terbaik dari kegiatan belajar mengajar. Hubungan yang sehat antar guru dan orang tua, rumah dan sekolah adalah penting untuk membuat ini dapat terlaksana.

Elizabeth Ong Juniana Guru Taman Kanak-kanak Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Karawaci

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examples

I didn’t ever consciously plan to become an artist … but I do remember a moment − something lighting up on the inside of me at the age of ten when I secretly entered into my aunt’s backyard wellequipped art studio for the first time. I thought then that it was a magical world tucked away, that only a few were privileged to enter. I eagerly explored its nooks and crannies and wondered about great studio “secrets”. My mother too, had been an artistic soul who lived in perpetual chaos and pursued with great gusto creative dressmaking and several crafts.

Tragically she discovered all too late that she was indeed a gifted painter and only began formal tuition at age fifty-three, just two years before she passed away unexpectedly on a holiday.

Visual Arts Education and Eternity

By Judi Harwin Lead Teacher - Visual Arts, Sekolah Pelita Harapan & Universitas Pelita Harapan Teachers’ College

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married my husband John at age 21, and four years later, I fell in love with Jesus Christ and suddenly found myself propelled into a different direction. I became surrounded by several new inspiring and artistic friends. I had trained to be an elementary teacher but all my spare time was now spent discovering a wonderful new world of art materials and classes. My focus shifted direction towards becoming an artist and Christian art educator. God is a mighty Creator, and as His image bearers we have various creative abilities that should be expressed to enrich the community of

faith. I completed various courses, studied art history, exhibited, entered shows and ran workshops, as well as teaching arts and crafts in several different schools. I felt I had a lot of catching up to do, and my output became quite prolific. I wanted to share this wonderful art discovery and help make it more accessible to all and sundry. All this, as well as being a busy wife and mother of three energetic children. What was I thinking?

In the past thirty years of art teaching, I have journeyed artistically from traditional

representational oils on board, to fabric quilt-making and textile art, to semi-abstract water-colours on paper, to hand-built earthen-ware ceramics, to conceptual mixed media works on various supports and am now working on hand-painted ceramics tableware and symbolic mixed media acrylics with repeated motifs on stretched canvases. I am influenced by the great masters Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Miro; as well as Indonesian artist Made Wianta and Mary Todd Beam from the U.S. I recently completed post graduate studies

examples Pendidikan Seni Visual dan Kekekalan Saya tidak pernah dengan sengaja berencana menjadi seorang seniwati … tetapi saya ingat suatu peristiwa − sesuatu yang membuka pikiran di dalam diri saya ketika saat berusia sepuluh tahun secara diam-diam masuk ke halaman belakang dari studio seni bibi saya untuk pertama kalinya. Ibu saya juga memiliki jiwa seni, seseorang yang terus menerus hidup dalam kekacauan dan dengan semangat mengejar kreativitas dalam pembuatan pakaian dan beberapa kerajinan tangan. Tetapi secara tragis semuanya telah terlambat ketika beliau menemukan talentanya sebagai seorang pelukis yang berbakat saat berusia limapuluh tiga tahun, hanya dua tahun sebelum meninggal secara tidak diharapkan pada suatu liburan.

at Tabor Bible College, and, as part of who I am in Christ, have noticed various Christian themes and concepts recurring in my work. My Lord and Saviour through the wonderful Holy Spirit communicates “deep unto deep”, and I have begun to realize than an image can have spiritual content and truth messages even if subject matter is not immediately recognizable. Even when the content is not overtly religious, viewers often can intuitively discern spiritual content. There is an anointing for this, rather than any particular skill or talent. To the amusement of my students, I always give myself permission to make a great mess and experiment widely, praying along as I work.

On several occasions I have seen a painting in a dream or vision before it was even considered and created!

The way I work liberates me to wait for true inspiration from God before getting started … even when I don’t know the final outcome. I have daily communion with Him in the Word and through prayer, and I desire for all my artwork to glorify God − the Creator of the universe.

My prayer for you today is that you will receive great personal blessing from viewing my work, I pray He reveals divine mysteries to you − deep unto deep. The exciting thing is I know this journey will continue on into eternity!

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AYA menikah dengan suami saya John saat berusia 21 dan empat tahun kemudian saya mengenal Yesus Kristus serta tiba-tiba menemukan diri saya terlempar jauh ke suatu arah yang berbeda. Dikelilingi oleh beberapa teman berjiwa seni yang memberi inspirasi, saya mengikuti pelatihan menjadi guru sekolah dasar tetapi seluruh waktu luang dihabiskan untuk menemukan dunia baru dari kelas dan materi seni. Fokus saya sekarang beralih menjadi seorang seniwati dan pendidik Kristen bidang seni. Tuhan adalah seorang Pencipta Agung dan sebagai gambarNya kita memiliki berbagai kemampuan kreatif yang harus diekspresikan untuk memperkaya komunitas iman. Saya menyelesaikan berbagai kursus, mempelajari sejarah seni, pertunjukan, mengikuti pameranpameran, dan menyelenggarakan pelatihanpelatihan, juga dalam bidang pengajaran seni dan kerajinan pada beberapa sekolah yang berbeda.

Saya merasa kalau masih banyak hal yang harus dikejar dan hasilnya menjadi cukup limpah. Saya ingin membagikan penemuan seni yang indah ini dan membantu untuk lebih dapat diakses bagi semua pihak. Semua hal ini di samping peranan saya sebagai seorang istri yang sibuk dan ibu dari tiga orang anak yang bersemangat. Apa yang saya pikirkan?

Dalam tiga puluh tahun terakhir mengajar seni, saya mengembara dari ke berbagai bentuk artistik dari seni yang tradisional, minyak, kain tenun, tekstil, kemudian juga yang semi abstrak, cat air dengan media kertas, keramik buatan tangan, serta berbagai konsep kerja gabungan. Sekarang saya sedang melukis perabot berbahan keramik dan media akrilik dengan motif pengulangan di kanvas. Saya dipengaruhi oleh seniman besar seperti Wassily Kandinsky dan Joan Miro; juga seniman Indonesia Made Wianta serta Mary Todd Beam dari Amerika Serikat.

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Baru-baru ini saya menyelesaikan studi pasca sarjana di Tabor Bible College dan sebagai orang Kristen, saya memperhatikan berbagai jenis tema dan konsep kekristenan dalam pekerjaan saya.

Tuhan saya dan karya penyelamatanNya melalui Roh Kudus berbicara sangat dalam. Saya mulai menyadari bahwa suatu gambar dapat memiliki materi spiritual dan pesan kebenaran walaupun hal tersebut tidak secara langsung dapat dipahami. Bahkan ketika suatu materi tidak secara terbuka bersifat keagamaan, pemirsa seringkali secara intuisi dapat melihat sisi spiritualnya.

Memang perlu adanya urapan untuk hal ini (dari sekedar kemampuan dan talenta biasa). Bagi para siswa, saya membuka kesempatan untuk membuat eksperimen secara luas dan berdoa sepanjang waktu saya bekerja. Dalam beberapa kesempatan saya sering melihat suatu lukisan dalam mimpi atau penglihatan bahkan sebelum hal tersebut dipahami dan diciptakan!

Dalam bekerja saya membebaskan diri untuk menunggu inspirasi yang benar dari Tuhan sebelum memulai segala sesuatunya … bahkan ketika saya tidak tahu akan hasil akhirnya. Saya memiliki persekutuan bersama Dia setiap hari dalam Firman dan melalui doa, serta saya rindu agar semua pekerjaan seni yang saya lakukan memuliakan Tuhan – Pencipta alam semesta.

Doa saya hari ini adalah agar kita semua menerima berkat yang besar secara pribadi dari pekerjaan saya. Saya berdoa agar Dia membukakan misteri ilahiNya kepada kita secara mendalam. Saya tahu kalau hal yang menarik dari pengembaraan ini akan terus berlanjut kepada kekekalan.

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Student Council

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SPH Lippo Karawaci 2008-2009 I’m sure I’m not the only person who is looking at this new academic year as a challenging time. There are almost one hundred of us that are beginning Grade 12 and already dreading the sleepless nights and daunting deadlines. Despite that, I know each and everyone of us is aware that we most definitely can survive the programme. We know we can and most probably will make it through, and it is this quiet but steadfast optimism that I hope to maintain in both my academics and in the Student Council Presidency.

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HAT optimism plunged a little bit though, as I began to write this article. I kept trying to rewrite it because it felt like I was leaving a lot of things unsaid. How do you begin to explain sixteen years’ worth of experiences and lessons? How do I tell other people how those experiences and lessons led me here, of all places, and turned me into the Student Council President? Now that I’m here, what am I doing this for? What am I striving towards?

Rachel Ho President of Student Council 2008/2009 SPH Lippo Karawaci

It is difficult for me, even now, to comprehend how I got this far. As a much younger child I struggled at school, and my main concern was simply passing into the next grade. I was the resident academic failure, and myself at eight or ten years old never would have anticipated becoming Student Council President. All I could think of when I thought of the future was that I would grow up to be a nobody, because I never did well in school, and consequently, I would never become anyone successful or be of any importance to anyone, much less be an influence to anybody.

Reflection from

Rachel Ho & Swedian Lie The way I viewed school and academic achievement at that time is not much different from the view most people in Indonesia seem to have. A common belief among Asian cultures is that you cannot hope to be anyone remotely successful if you do not succeed in your studies. And though I know now that it is not completely true, I spent my primary school years believing that I would never outlive my failures, and in running for Student Council, I think a part of me genuinely wanted to know that there is such a thing as a second chance, and that those six years I spent torturing myself for failure after failure would not scar me for life.

passed the EBTANAS. In my first year of high school, I passed with three academic excellence awards.

I owe a big part of the change in my academic life to a change in the people around me. How could I feel motivated to succeed when my primary school teachers sighed and humiliated me for every test I flunked? In seventh grade I was no longer under constant scorn. I was encouraged to ask questions; I was the subject of sympathy and support, not ridicule, when I failed my tests.

As I left primary school and began high school in SPH, I found myself praying fervently that I could be a different person. As a little child, I promised God that if He would change me, then I would dedicate my life for Him to use in service in whatever way He saw fit.

It took one year to undo the damage done inflicted by six long years, and today I find that I do have a realistic appreciation for what my academics mean for my future, but I know for certain that my character will decide my success, importance, and the extent of my influence in the lives of others.

Can you guess what happened next?

In my last year of primary school, I barely

My election into the presidential position is most probably (and hopefully) a show of

people’s good faith in my character instead of my academic record. On the topic of elections, I know people largely believe that charisma and social prominence make for an elected leader. I know that there are skeptics and cynics in the Student Body who think that the presidential campaign is a popularity contest where winners get bragging rights for their university applications. I also know that at some point in my years as an SPH student that the same thought has crossed my mind.

For the most part, I tried and managed to tell myself that all those people who had come and gone as presidents actually did care about the Student Body, but when my friends heard my opinion on the matter, they were convinced that I had a naive sense of faith in innate human good.

I had the chance to say “I told you so!” when Surya’s team came around and changed people’s opinions.

Years from now as they elect another Student Council president, the seventh graders of

Student Council

SPH Lippo Karawaci 2008-2009 2007-2008 will still be making comparisons between Surya and the candidates they are evaluating. My heartfelt thanks goes out to him for restoring people’s faith in the Student Council, but a small voice in my head wishes he had left smaller shoes to fill.

I had to stop for a moment at that thought.

After all, more than a handful of people have told me the same thing, but it seems to me as though one of the “legacies” each Student Council leaves is a challenge for the next year to do better. I think I shall naturally and subconsciously attempt to outdo Surya in my

down the hallways I am met with greetings of “Hello, Ms. President!” and the occasional gleeful salute. These small things that the other students do make me so exceedingly happy.

I am well aware that a big part of the Student Council presidency is being more than just a good boss. The leadership title is not a hat I can put on in meetings and take off as I enter the classroom. Whether I like it or not, what I do and say and act like everyday in my life will be attributed to and connected with the Student Council. These days, even as I walk

These small thing make me think that I’m right where I’m supposed to be, doing what I can to fulfill my end of the bargain for the glory of the Lord.

Last year’s Student Council success undoubtedly plays a part in this decision.

I think it would be a lie if I didn’t say that I was influenced and impressed by the success of last year’s Student Council. Surya and Sandra and the rest of the Student Council did a very impressive job to show the student body and the skeptics out there (i.e. me) that the Student Council is not just a name but an actual productive and efficient organization.

They proved themselves effective and, in the eyes of many, redeemed the tainted name of the Student Council.

I’m skeptical, maybe cynical and I’m critical. By nature, that’s who I am.

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RANKLY speaking, I have not had much faith in the Student Council over the five years I’ve been in Senior School. In my eyes, it had never amounted to anything and, especially in the Middle School years, it seemed like a distant organization reserved for seniority and seniority only. The Middle School and the Senior School felt like different continents, bridged only by the physical hallways and nothing more. So, truth be told, I grew up without believing in the Student Council and grew up becoming perhaps its greatest skeptic and critic.

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leadership of the Student Council, (and I’ll keep my hopes up on that one, despite how difficult it is), but I know that my focus is to give my best in my duties, do the right things in my life and let people say what they may.

So I’m asking myself, why is it that in my last year at this school that I ended up being the second-in-command of the organization that I had so strongly privately criticized and vowed never to a part of?

Swedian Lie Vice President Student Council 2008/2009 SPH Lippo Karawaci

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And yet midway through last school year I was still very much in doubt about the Student Council. There were still many faults and mistakes made by last year’s administration: the Student Council fee was doubled in spite of fervent protest by the students; the committee heads were said to be chosen with bias by the executive committees; and so on and so on. Despite being in the Fundraising Committee, I saw myself as being detached from the Student Council itself−for me the Fundraising Committee was a separate organization that did things for the benefit of others and had nothing to do with the Student Council. I was still seeing the Student Council as empty.

How is it then that at the eve of the 08-09 year I found myself in the running for the Student Council presidency? This was a

Rachel Ho President of Student Council 2008/2009 SPH Lippo Karawaci

position I never thought I’d be interested in, let alone actually apply for. Even right before the required interviews I was still questioning myself and wondering, “Why am I here?’”

I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since starting school at SPH in first grade, 11 years ago. In those early years all I remember about SPH was the long white corridors and the myriad of colored posters on the walls, all to entertain the inquisitive minds of the first, second, and third graders. From the beginning of my childhood education in SPH I’ve always remembered the cleanliness and the sparkling whiteness of the walls, the uniforms and the whiteboards. For me, SPH was the immaculate halls of education that I had to go to for the rest of my life. Maybe I see things more clearly now.

I grew up in a family that prioritized independence and free thought. My mother always taught my older sisters and me that education is the number one priority, and that learning and reading are lifelong missions. My mother never believed in private lessons when it comes to academic school subjects - she is a firm believer in a child’s innate ability to study anything, with proper concentration and motivation.

Instead she wanted us to pursue other educational avenues, most specifically music.

We were all tutored under one piano teacher and were all enrolled in the school’s strings program. My mother wanted us to be more than just academically adept; she also wanted us to excel musically. Furthermore we were all taking lessons in Chinese.

I was not as keen as my sisters. I drove my

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piano teacher mad, to the point where seven years (and many teachers) later my mother decided to cancel the piano lessons. I quit the school’s strings program after four years of participation. On the other hand, my sisters continued onwards in their musical education, all three achieving the highest standards in piano as well as becoming integral parts of the school’s orchestra for several years. Also, they participated in choirs in and outside of school. Needless to say I made sure people were aware of my lack of singing skills, and thus saved the trouble of torturing myself and another teacher.

I’m not musically inclined. I was much more interested in the other side of the creativity spectrum−the visual arts. I found myself doodling Pokemon® creatures and Donald Duck on scrap pieces of paper when I was in second grade. In third grade I added Chinese painting to my Chinese lessons, as my tutor was also an adept Chinese calligrapher and artist. Nine years on, I’m still doing Chinese lessons, and now have also been doing Chinese calligraphy for more than a year now. I’m still inept in any musical endeavors though - I failed my audition for a part in the Wizard of Oz musical production, to the relief of myself and others I’m sure!

To further outline the difference between myself and my three sisters, all three of them were part of the Executive Committee of the Student Council during their years at SPH. I, on the other hand, never wanted to be a part of the Executive Committee of the Student Council.

I was busy criticizing and discussing with my friends the failures and the ineptitude of the organization.

Needless to say, I’m not my sisters. I’m, really, the odd man out.

So I grew up not believing in the Student Council. I grew up

Student Council

SPH Lippo Karawaci 2008-2009 prioritizing only my academic achievements and my personal happiness. My sisters did their thing, I did mine. I’ve never felt like I needed to prove myself, or to emulate them.

I’ve always known that I’m different, that I’m not like them. So I never even considered being a leader in SPH because that was their territory, not mine.

Now, I find myself in their footsteps, in a position, in an organization that all three have been familiar with. I’m surrounded by people who believe in the Student Council, people who are passionate and determined to make the Student Council a success. I’m the nonbeliever among the believers. I feel slightly awkward. And yet, I feel right. I feel like I’m in the right place. I feel like I deserve to be here.

As part of the 2008-2009 Student Council Executive Committee. I feel right.

People have always assumed that living with three immensely successful older sisters that I would feel the pressure to achieve in the same way. True enough, they have deserved everything that came their way because they worked hard and proved themselves. Two got into Yale University; one got into the University of Chicago. While being very proud and happy for my sisters, I continue to live my life

undaunted by their successes, because I’ve always viewed myself as uniquely different from them: they conquered the musical and leadership fields, I’ve conquered the artistic field. In my family there has never been any pressure for me to be like my sisters, not from them, not from my parents, and certainly not from me. I have simply been living my life the way I want to. Unlike my sisters, I have frequently disagreed with many of the school’s ideas and I’ve always lived in my own way despite the obvious repercussions of doing so (the tie rebellion lives on!). I’m not necessarily a model image for the school, and I don’t seek to be one. On the other hand, my sisters did portray the perfect student image. I thought that they were essentially puppets of the school administration, shamelessly exploited for the school’s agenda. At the pinnacle of this agenda was the Student Council.

This was my philosophy for the better part of the 11 years I been at SPH. I loved my friends, I loved my teachers, and I loved my subjects. I didn’t love the school and its administration and its so-called “Student Council.” I’d never thought my view could actually change in one year.

My sisters never even pushed me to try for

Student Council

SPH Lippo Karawaci 2008-2009 the position. They left me with that decision to make on my own, based on my own wisdom. There was never any pressure from anyone. There were never any expectations from anyone. This was the last place I’ve always thought I’d be. And yet it feels correct.

I’m still very skeptical, cynical and critical. A part of me is still very suspicious about the Student Council and the real freedom it possesses and its real effectiveness. But I felt like I couldn’t be cynical or critical about it anymore. Last year had problems, had mistakes, but for the most part it was a tremendous success. As hard as I tried, it was difficult for me to continue being cynical. The Student Council didn’t seem so useless anymore. My philosophy didn’t seem so true anymore.

I stand before others trying to justify myself in my new position. Of course, in the eyes of my fellow cynics, I was a traitor. From their perspective they may think that I sold my soul for a deal that included prestige on my resume and power in my hands. But I don’t really care what they think. For me at least, I’m here to prove to myself that the

Student Council is not nonsense. I’m here to show myself that last year’s success was not down to Surya and Sandra’s administration.

I’m here to tell myself that the idea of the Student Council exists for a reason, for a justified and honorable reason, that it may become the vehicle for leadership and relationships for the student body, by the student body. I’m here to ask myself whether I’ve been on the wrong side of the fence for the past eleven years.

When I was asked to write this article about my life’s journey and how I got to this position, I was flabbergasted at the prospect of such an introspective assignment. I had no idea how to justify myself and how to share my life’s journey, especially considering that I’ve essentially lived my life in ignorance and self-satisfaction. So I wrote what I know and what I thought about my life and my time in SPH. Perhaps I was a tad harsh and unreasonable, but that was my philosophy, and that critical and cynical thinking continues to be part of my philosophy today.

But now, coming to terms with this new position, I am learning the biggest lesson

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I could learn away from school, away from private lessons, away from my family: I’m learning to grow up. At least I think I am. Part of growing up is making mistakes, and if this leadership position is a mistake, then so be it.

Before leaving high school, I need to know if my cynicism is justified or not.

I think I know why I’m here. Not because of my sisters, not just because I want to prove myself wrong, not just because of last year’s successes. But it is because my skepticism and cynicism is no longer correct. Last year’s administration proved my cynicism wrong, and this year I hope to do the same. There is no greater critic of me than myself, because I know that if I’m wrong, that means my eleven-year philosophy was correct; but if I’m right, that means it’s time to grow up. But that’s a risk I have to take to prove once and for all, that I belong here. That even a nonbeliever can be a believer, and be a leading believer.

Swedian Lie Vice President Student Council 2008/2009 SPH Lippo Karawaci

Student Council

SPH Sentul City 2008-2009

I

T has been an honor to serve as student council president and vice president this academic year. Through this experience we have uncovered many different life lessons and are made more aware of the potential in different people as well as in ourselves. A great amount of motivation is needed in becoming a member of the student council in order to overcome obstacles and challenges that might be faced as organization. In addition, a student council member has to keep up their academic motivation as well and manage their time wisely.

The main motivation of becoming student council president candidates is the experience that it offers as well as the fact that many universities and colleges appreciates extra curricular activities such as a student body organization. Another driving motivation is the love of being in an organization where making changes and innovation of ideas may take place. The employability skills that it offers, such as: time management, leadership, organization, public speaking, and teamwork, are also some of the benefits of becoming a student council member. One is exposed to the “real world” problems and is challenged to be creative in finding solutions and be able to compromise.

The greatest challenge, yet is also a motivation, is to mediate between the school administration and the student body. Even though this can prove to be a strenuous effort, it is very rewarding if we succeed to find an agreement between the school’s idea and the students’.

Overall, student council will train you in becoming better leaders as well as better people. It will put you through hardships that you will experience in the “real world” once you leave school, and also expose you to the happiness in obtaining achievements and successes.

Mikhael Yosia (the President of the Student Council) & Cindy Saroha (Vice President of the Student Council)

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Grade 8.3 SPH Lippo Karawaci Student’s Reflections on the School Theme 2008-2009

MOCHTAR (Grade 8.3)

Receive from God a Promise

I

N John 3:7 God says that we must be born again to see the kingdom of heaven. This means we must have a strong faith in God who leads and guides our life.

Everyone’s birth is like a wind blowing wherever it pleases. We do not know our life destiny; we do not know what will come up or happen next.

But we know that God knows our life schedule, He has planned every thing that will happen to us. We must not be afraid because God will not forget his promise.

In Mark 10:15, God promises that anyone who receives the kingdom of God like a little child will enter the kingdom of heaven. This means that we must take care of and love everything that God has given to us; our body, our environment, and the entire world. We must also accept his gifts happily like a little child opening a present. A little child always cheers up and respects someone who gives them a gift. On the other side, we must not receive God’s gift like teenagers or adults sometimes do. They usually accept them in a disrespectful way because they only receive and don’t take care or love them. −Sometimes, they don’t care what the present is because they think it is worthless. So we must receive everything like a little child for God had promised heaven.

In Ephesians 2:8 and Colossians 2:6, God promises to give faith to us. This faith doesn’t come from us but will save us from sins for it is by grace. Our job is to develop, expand and strengthen it by reading the gospel message of God. Our faith is just like a tree. If we develop it well, it will grow like a fertile tree which has strong roots growing deeply into the ground.

Roots of trees are just like our faith foundations.

Strong roots represent strong faith. We must also share our faith like trees. Trees expand their branches, flowers and fruits; they are all just like us sharing the gospel message of God with other people. So then, just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as we were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

God promises really are for eternity.

MICHELLE ANN (Grade 8.3) “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” That’s what Mark 10:15 says. This explains that we have to receive God’s gift, Jesus Christ, like a little child receives a present. They hold it wherever they go, kiss it, hug it, and love it so much.

Many believers only hold their present for a while then they find something more interesting and just leave the present that God gave. Teenagers will say that they love God and he is number one in their life. But the truth is they don’t care about religion when it comes down to their own happiness and desires. We do all we want, we say all we want and we make our friends first priority rather than God our Savior. That’s not what God wants.

He gave us salvation because he wants us to have a great connection with Him.

KENNETH (Grade 8.3)

W

E have to receive God’s gifts and use them for good by helping others. When we receive the word of God we must be like little children receiving gifts, because when we receive God’s gifts we should be overwhelmed with joy just like a kid. Children are curious. They open and receive gifts with thankfulness to the giver. God gave His one and only Son to sacrifice himself to wipe out all the sins that man created. Mankind has to live with God in our lives to be saved. God gave us all two path ways−one leads to God’s kingdom in Jesus and the other path is the way of unbelief.

PRAISTEN (Grade 8.3)

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OD has promised to give us the kingdom of Heaven, as a gift if we believe in Him. How do we take this promise? God, in Mark 10:15, says that we must “receive the kingdom of God like a little child.” He means that children, if they receive a gift, will receive it open−heartedly and say “Thank you.” Adults will think, “Is this gift a bribe?” or “Does this gift contain something dangerous?” Receiving a promise from God must be done whole−heartedly and willingly, because Jesus died and rose again to save us from hell; to reclaim His lost lambs. In Ephesians 2:8 God, through Paul, said that we must be gifted by God himself to be saved by Jesus Christ. God actually gives us a chance to believe in Him, not because of our good deeds, our smartness or our riches. It is a Very Important gift. Unfortunately, some people won’t accept Him. They don’t know what they’re missing.

We live by faith, not by sight 2 Corinthians 5:7

Timothy

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Timothy Astandu (graduated 2007) London School of Economics (UK)

Kartika Limaho (graduated 2006) University of Manchester (UK)

Hi Timothy and Kartika ... Nice to see you all! Would you please tell us about your study?

Kartika

Timothy : My major specialize in human resource management because I think Indonesia is a very labor intensive country economically but lacks of proper people management.

Kartika : I chose city and regional development studies because I think that it is something that Indonesia needs and the changes in terms of city development is necessary as we move to the globalization era. I am interested to study this area because it’s useful and gives a general understanding of my surroundings and how it came to be.

Any challenges in your study time?

Timothy : Not getting distracted Kartika : Discipline to perform self study. It’s a really independent environment where students are expected to do more personal study and to take initiative. This is a lot of difference to the teaching methods received in high school.

Do you think SPH has given enough preparation for your further study?

Timothy : Yes Kartika : Of course. SPH had gradually taught me to take initiative to do personal study. I think it was a good transition for me.

I was less shocked. The IB Programme prepared me well and very similar to the teaching methods that I receive in UK. What improvement could SPH put in place to be a better school?

Timothy : Just a frivolous idea, where are the horses?

Kartika : Improve the internet services/access for students and library.

Any message to SPH’s students?

Timothy : Serve the Lord through anything you can.

Kartika : Glorify and serve the Lord in whatever we do with wholeheartedly.

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Thank God

for The Opportunity to Study in SPH Sentul

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IRST of all, I would like to thank God and myparentsforgivingmetheopportunity to study in Sekolah Pelita Harapan (Bukit Sentul).SPHSentulwaslikeasecondhomeforme.

Theteacherswerealwaystheretoguideandhelp mewithmystudies;likeparentscaringfortheir children.Moreovertheschoolenvironmentwas verycomfortableandsafewhichmademefeellike Iwasathome.Iwassogladthatmyfriendswere alwaystheretosupportme.Oneofthethingsthat IamreallyproudofSPHwasthefactthateveryone getsalongwitheachotherreallywelleventhoughthereweredifferencesinraces, religion,andculture.EverySPHmemberrespectedeachotherandtheyalwaysdid their best to help anyone in times of need.

IlearnedmanyvaluablethingswhileIstudiedinSPH.SPHencouragedmetobecome anindependent,disciplinedandconfidentperson.Irealizedthatthesequalities areveryimportantandusefulformeinuniversityandfuturelife.Additionally, theEnglish-basedstudyandenvironmenthavehelpedmetoimprovemyEnglish Language;whichisparticularlyusefulinmycurrentstudyoverseas.Additionally,I feltthattheacademicqualitywasverygood.Ihavegainedalotofspiritualvalue fromchapelsessionsandreligionsubject.Itstrengthenedmyfaithandmademe want to know more about Jesus Christ.

AllthefacilitiesprovidedbySPH,forexampletheswimmingpoolandfootballfield wereofthehigheststandard.Frommypastexperiences,playingsportsafterschool was really effective in relieving stress from schoolwork.

Inconclusion,IhaveneverregrettedbeingeducatedatSPHanditwasoneofthe unforgettableexperiencesI’vehad.Lastbutnotleast,Iwouldliketosaythankyou forallteachersandfriendsfortheirsupportandcarethroughoutmytimeinSPH.

Shendy Engelina, SPH Sentul City

Puji Syukur kepada Tuhan untuk Kesempatan Belajar di SPH Sentul Saya bersyukur kepada Tuhan dan orangtua untuk kesempatan belajar di Sekolah Pelita Harapan (Bukit Sentul). SPH Sentul sudah seperti rumah kedua bagi saya. Guru-guru selalu membimbing dan menolong pelajaran saya seperti orangtua yang memperhatikan anak-anaknya. Lebih dari itu lingkungan sekolah sangat nyaman dan aman dimana membuat saya seperti di rumah sendiri. Kawankawan pun di sini mendukung saya. Satu hal yang membuat saya bangga akan SPH adalah kebersamaan seorang dengan yang lain walaupun berbeda ras, agama, dan budaya.

Setiap anggota SPH menghargai satu sama lain dan mereka selalu mengerjakan yang terbaik untuk menolong yang memerlukan.

Saya belajar banyak hal yang berharga ketika belajar di sini. SPH mendorong saya untuk menjadi mandiri, disiplin, dan percaya diri. Saya menyadari kalau hal-hal ini sangat penting dan berguna bagi saya untuk belajar di universitas dan kehidupan kelak nanti. Sebagai tambahan lingkungan dan proses pembelajaran berbahasa Inggris meningkatkan kemampuan berbahasa Inggris saya; dimana akan berguna untuk belajar ke luar negeri. Juga saya merasa kualitas akademis di sekolah ini sangat baik. Saya mendapatkan manfaat nilai-nilai kerohanian dari ibadah-ibadah dan pelajaranpelajaran agama yang kita ikuti. Hal-hal ini menguatkan iman dan membuat saya ingin mengenal Yesus Kristus lebih dalam lagi.

Semua fasilitas di SPH seperti kolam renang dan lapangan sepakbola berkualitas tinggi.

Dari pengalaman-pengalaman yang lalu, berolahraga seusai jam sekolah sungguh berguna untuk melepaskan stres akan pelajaran-pelajaran di sekolah.

Sebagai kesimpulan, saya tidak pernah menyesal belajar di SPH dan merupakan pengalaman yang tidak terlupakan yang saya miliki. Terakhir saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua guru dan teman-teman untuk dukungan dan perhatian mereka selama saya di SPH.

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My Best

Summer

and it kind of hurt. There were some times that I missed my parents and it felt bad, but I returned to happiness easily as my friend cheered me up when I was feeling bad.

Making friends from all around the world

Last summer was one of my best summers ever. I went to Sweden for a month, for a summer camp which was called “Pippi Village”. It was organized

by CISV, which stands for “Children International Summer Village”.

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E did lots of fun but meaningful activities for four weeks in a school in Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. There were 10 countries from all over the world that sent their delegations to Stockholm for this camp. I felt quite excited but also nervous when I was about to leave Indonesia because I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle everything by myself without my parents’ help. Although, I also felt very happy.

During the first week, the activities were basically just us having fun. Then, we started having activities that had a lesson to teach us or a meaning that comes with it. For example, we had this special day which was called “Poor and Rich”. There were also more special days like backward day or the day that we had to be handicapped. For example, we have to be blindfolded (being blind) or only using one foot or you have to be quiet all the time so you can’t talk. My handicap was not using my hand. It was really difficult

What I loved most about the camp was making friends from all around the world.

Some of my good friends are Sera−she’s from USA, Allison who is also from USA, Johanna from Germany, Iiris from Finland, Max and Zac from USA, Viktoria from Sweden (she was my first friend in camp) and many more.

I appreciate having friends from different parts of the world so that I can communicate with them in different ways and also can know what their cultures are like. Before this summer, I felt very empty and that I didn’t know much. In camp I learned about other countries’ culture, because each of the countries had a National Night, when they gave us a presentation and a special dinner that had the traditional food of their countries. I got to taste lots of new kinds of food, and now I know where each country is located.

I really love Sweden, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. They have an old town in Stockholm, which is called Gamla Stan, and a lot of tourists come to see.

I went there and it was really beautiful. I saw the “The Changing of the Royal Guards” in front of the royal castle. It was great. I also saw a lot of old buildings and they were beautiful. My delegation and I went sight-seeing in the archipelago and it was brilliant. There is a lot of water and islands in Stockholm. I think Stockholm must be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

What I learned from this camp is that I am able to be more responsible, more independent,

I really love Sweden

rely on God, to make new friends from all around the world and to have FUN!!!

I really enjoyed this summer−we usually sing “Leaving on a Jet plane” every night. It reminds me of my friends in my camp. I wish I could meet my friends again. What I know is they are always in my heart and I will never forget them.

I’ve really enjoyed this summer, and it’s a summer I will never forget.

Written by: Brenda Filia Salim, Grade 6A, SPH Lippo Karawaci

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little girl at the age of nineteen months was struck by an illness described by doctors as “an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain”, which could have possibly been scarlet fever or meningitis. The illness did not last for a particularly long time, but it left her deaf and blind. As a young girl, she was often frustrated as her parents were often unable to understand clearly what she was trying to say. As a result, she was constantly throwing her temper while her parents desperately tried to help her and comfort her with the everyday struggle. Later on, her mother, inspired by an account of the successful education of another deaf and blind child, dispatched the young girl, accompanied by her father, to an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist for advice. He, subsequently, put them in touch with someone who was working with deaf children at the time, who in turn advised the couple to contact a school for deaf and blind children.

The school delegated a teacher and former student, herself visually impaired and then only 20 years old, to become the young girl’s instructor. It was the beginning of a 49-yearlong relationship. The teacher got permission from the girl’s father to isolate the girl from the rest of the family in a little house in their garden. The teacher loved the young girl dearly and loved her like she was her child. Her first

task was to instill discipline in the spoiled girl.

The big breakthrough in communication came one day when she realized that the motions her teacher was making on her palm, while running cool water over her hand, symbolized the idea of “water”; she then nearly exhausted her teacher demanding the names of all the other familiar objects in her world (including her prized doll).

The young girl’s name was Helen Keller, a famous international spokesperson championing the causes of education, research and opportunity for the deaf and blind. Among her many accomplishments are publishing fourteen books, visiting thirty-five countries and meeting every U.S. President from Coolidge to Kennedy.

As with most parents, we are all trying hard and working even harder for our children’s well being. Wherever possible, we want to provide them with the best of everything in life. And education is among one of the most important things on the list. The problem now lies with what is our definition of “quality education”. We believe that teachers are by far the most important aspect that determines the success or failure of schooling.

When we ask our children about the “teacher issue”, most likely they will come

A Gift for Eternity “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops” -Henry Brooks Adams

up with responses which will differ from our responses as parents. While many parents tend to “measure” the quality of teachers only in terms of academic results, children would “measure” their teachers differently. Children tend to tell many stories about their teachers as ones who are close to their hearts.

Once, I asked my daughter, what does she like best about her teacher, she said, “When she explains to me something two or three times, she doesn’t use her angry voice.”

Having been involved in PAG has certainly been an eye-opening experience for us. As we were given the opportunity to watch more closely how the teachers work in school, the amount of workload they have to face and the high expectations they have to meet every single school day. We can’t help but develop an enormous respect and admiration for all that teachers have done for our children and the community. We’ve also come to realize that while academic achievements are important, there are other factors that are even more important. On top of the list would be how education shapes the eternal values in our children.

As we can see from the story of Helen Keller above, what Ms. Anne Sullivan did was not merely a simple “transfer of knowledge”. She worked her way to find the “door” to her students entire being first. And we believe that is the key to a successful education.

It is one that is able to unlock the hidden potential in children and after that able to motivate her to use it for the glory of our Lord. Today, we can see how Helen’s knowledge and learning experience did not just benefit herself. She has benefited all of the deaf and blind children in the whole world. What she did with what she had received from Ms. Sullivan is worth more than a lifetime. It is worth eternity. Her works are still remembered even today, almost four decades after her death. And all these started from the love and perseverance of her beloved teacher, Ms. Anne Sullivan and the support of her loving family.

The fact is some day, our children will grow up and step out into a bigger real world. They may forget the names of the kids they played with, their favorite toys, but they will never forget a good teacher. And they will look back and realize that the most important thing

pag that teachers have done is actually not how many facts were being transferred, but how they had taught them to see and think that had truly shaped their lives. And that is what we call “A Gift for Eternity” This article is dedicated to teachers, the ones who are carrying out one of the most important jobs in the world, planting the seeds of true knowledge, faith in Christ and Godly character into our children. Let us start this school year with the spirit of gratitude, not only to God Almighty but also to our beloved teachers.

Jointly by Siusan Hermawan and Fifi Susanto

Sebuah Hadiah untuk Kekekalan Seorang anak perempuan berusia sembilan belas bulan terserang penyakit yang digambarkan dokter sebagai ”penyakit perut dan otak yang akut”, yang mungkin menjadi penyakit infeksi dengan bintik-bintik merah atau radang selaput otak. Penyakit ini tidak lama tetapi dapat menyebabkan anak perempuan tersebut menjadi tuli dan buta. Sebagai seorang anak perempuan yang masih kecil, dia seringkali merasa frustasi ketika orang tuanya tidak dapat mengerti dengan jelas apa yang coba dia katakan.

Hasilnya dia menjadi emosi ketika orangtuanya putus asa dalam mencoba untuk membantu dan menghiburnya pada pergumulan sehari-hari.

Kemudian ibunya, diinspirasikan oleh sejumlah keberhasilan pendidikan bagi anak-anak tuli dan buta, melepaskan anak perempuan ini dengan didampingi oleh ayahnya pergi ke ahli spesialis mata, telinga, hidung, serta tenggorokan untuk mendapatkan nasihat. Sesudah itu, ahli spesialis tersebut memperkenalkan mereka kepada seseorang yang bekerja untuk anak-anak tuli, yang kemudian memberi nasehat agar mereka menghubungi sebuah sekolah untuk anak-anak tuli dan buta.

Sekolah tersebut mendelegasikan seorang guru dan alumni yang penglihatannya terganggu yang berusia dua puluh tahun menjadi instrukturnya.

Itulah awal dari suatu hubungan berusia empat puluh sembilan tahun. Guru tersebut meminta izin dari ayah anak perempuan tersebut untuk mengisolasi anaknya dari anggota keluarganya di sebuah rumah yang kecil dalam kebun mereka.

Guru tersebut mengasihi anak perempuan itu seperti anaknya sendiri. Tugas pertamanya adalah menanamkan disiplin pada diri anak yang manja itu. Terobosan besar dalam komunikasi terjadi ketika suatu hari dia menyadari gerakangerakan gurunya di atas telapak ketika air sejuk

mengalir melewati tangannya, yang menjadi simbol dari ide “air”; kemudian dia membuat gurunya kelelahan dengan meminta nama hampir semua obyek yang ada di sekitarnya (termasuk bonekanya).

Anak perempuan tersebut bernama Helen Keller, pembicara internasional yang terkenal dalam bidang pendidikan, riset dan kesempatan untuk yang tuli dan buta. Di antara banyak prestasinya adalah penerbitan empat belas buku, mengunjungi tiga puluh lima negara serta bertemu dengan setiap presiden Amerika Serikat dari Coolidge sampai Kennedy.

Sebagaimana kebanyakan orang tua, kita semua mencoba dan bekerja dengan lebih keras bagi kebaikan anak-anak kita. Sedapat mungkin, kita ingin menyediakan yang terbaik bagi hidup mereka. Dan pendidikan adalah satu di antara halhal yang terpenting tersebut. Permasalahannya sekarang adalah definisi kita akan pendidikan yang berkualitas. Kita percaya bahwa guru-guru adalah aspek terpenting yang menentukan keberhasilan atau kegagalan dari aktifitas sekolah.

Ketika kita bertanya kepada anak-anak tentang “topik guru”, biasanya responnya berbeda dengan respon orang tua. Ketika banyak orang tua cenderung untuk “mengukur” kualitas guru hanya dalam hal hasil-hasil akademis, anak-anak akan “mengukur” guru mereka secara berbeda.

Anak-anak cenderung untuk bercerita banyak mengenai guru sebagai orang yang dekat di hati mereka.

Suatu kali saya bertanya kepada anak perempuan saya, apa yang paling dia sukai dari gurunya, dan dia berkata, ”Ketika beliau menerangkan sesuatu kepada saya dua atau tiga kali, tidak ada nada marah darinya.”

Terlibat dalam PAG tentunya menjadi suatu pengalaman yang membuka mata kami. Kami diberi kesempatan untuk melihat dari dekat bagaimana guru bekerja di sekolah, sejumlah beban pekerjaan yang mereka hadapi, dan juga harapan-harapan yang tinggi yang harus mereka capai setiap hari. Kami tidak dapat membantu tetapi sangat menghormati dan menghargai untuk apa yang telah guruguru kerjakan bagi anak-anak dan komunitas. Kami juga menyadari bahwa pencapaian prestasi akademis adalah hal yang penting, tetapi ada yang lebih penting yang menempati urutan teratas yaitu bagaimana pendidikan membentuk nilai-nilai kekekalan dalam diri anak-anak kami.

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Seperti yang dapat kita lihat dari kisah Helen Keller di atas, apa yang dilakukan oleh Ms. Anne Sullivan bukanlah sekedar “transfer ilmu pengetahuan” saja. Tetapi beliau bekerja dengan caranya untuk pertama-tama menemukan “pintu” masuk ke keberadaan anak tersebut.

Dan kita percaya itulah kunci keberhasilan dari pendidikan. Itulah salah satu faktor yang dapat membuka potensi tersembunyi dalam diri anakanak dan setelah itu dapat memotivasi untuk menggunakannya bagi kemuliaan Tuhan. Hari ini, kita melihat bagaiman pengetahuan Helen dan pengalaman belajarnya tidak hanya bermanfaat bagi dirinya saja. Beliau menjadi berguna bagi semua anak-anak yang tuli dan buta di seluruh dunia. Apa yang beliau dapat dari Ms. Sullivan berharga lebih dari seumur hidupnya. Berharga dengan kekal. Pekerjaannya masih diingat bahkan sampai hari ini, setelah hampir empat puluh tahun setelah kematiannya. Semua ini diawali dari kasih dan pemeliharaan gurunya tercinta, Ms. Anne Sullivan dan dukungan dari keluarga terkasih.

Suatu hari anak-anak kita akan bertumbuh besar dan melangkah ke dunia yang lebih luas. Mereka mungkin lupa akan nama anak-anak teman sepermainannya, mainan kesukaannya, tetapi mereka tidak akan pernah lupa guru mereka yang baik. Dan mereka akan melihat ke belakang serta menyadari hal-hal yang terpenting yang guru mereka kerjakan, bukan seberapa banyak fakta yang ditransfer tetapi bagaimana mereka diajar untuk melihat dan berpikir yang membentuk membentuk hidup mereka. Inilah yang kita sebut “Sebuah Hadiah bagi Kekekalan’” Artikel ini dipersembahkan bagi guru-guru yang melakukan pekerjaan terpenting di dunia ini, menanam benih pengetahuan yang benar, iman dalam Kristus dan kesalehan dalam diri anakanak ktia. Marilah kita memulai tahun ajaran ini dengan semangat penghargaan, bukan hanya kepada Tuhan tetapi juga kepada guru-guru yang kami kasihi.

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special report From July 19-23, SPH Lippo Karawaci held Strings Camp 2008, an intensive program for strings teachers and students modeled on the Suzuki Institute.

Suzuki Institutes can be found all around the world during the holiday season. Parents, students and teachers gather together in a camp setting for an intensive learning experience of individual lessons, group lessons, concerts and training courses for teachers.

Strings Camp 2008: A Time to Twinkle!!

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HIS year we welcomed back Mrs. Val Thorburn and Mrs. Lynley Culliford from New Zealand as our guest violin teachers. We were also pleased to have a guest choir teacher Mr. Ade Hilman Rivaldi teach the children some great songs. Finally thanks to our UPH Music Education majors who volunteered and guided the camp participants in a daily dose of fun with some music theory mixed in!

What is the Suzuki method and who was Shinichi Suzuki? Suzuki was born in Nagoya Japan in 1898 to a family of seven children.

His father owned a music instrument shop and it was Suzuki’s job to fit the sound posts in violins (a small upright piece of wood

within the body of the instrument) in the violin factory. He started learning the violin on his own at the age of 17 after being inspired by the recordings of great violinist Mischa Elman. At 22 he persuaded his father to send him to Germany to study with Karl Klingler. He married a German woman, Waltraud, and returned to Japan to teach violin. After World War II he shaped a new philosophy and approach based on Asian philosophy and Western methods as he taught war orphans and very young children.

He was fascinated with how very young children learn language and developed the “Mother Tongue” method of teaching in early childhood music education. He has toured the world with his students and his method

is known and practiced in many countries. He died at the age of 100 in 1998.

Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s philosophy of teaching music is built the belief that every child can grow to become a beautiful person if given the right environment, training and love.

This philosophy coupled with our belief as Christian educators that every child is a remarkable individual created by God in His likeness, is powerful indeed! Every child has unique talents and gifts that God has planted within to be developed to the fullest. Children’s potential and abilities are reached with the right loving and supportive environment and the dynamic interaction and cooperation of both the teacher and

special report Dr. Shinichi Suzuki

the parent working together with the child. The parent’s role in learning is critical.

Suzuki says “The fate of a child is in the hands of the parents” (Suzuki 1981, p. 56).

Dr. Suzuki’s foremost objective in his method is to develop fine character (Suzuki 1983).

Suzuki stated, “I’m always saying that art becomes higher as humans develop higher. Also if everyone would study art, then art would

come into everyday life. I hope that you can now understand that great talent and a deep, beautiful feeling in the heart are closely tied together” (Suzuki 1983, p. 60). The objective of learning music therefore is not to develop professional musicians but young people who are highly skilled and sensitively tuned to what is beautiful in the world God created.

The Suzuki Philosophy is one that is holistic in nature and is inclusive. It draws on the love of family and humankind, a nurturing environment and the discipline to take action to develop one’s abilities to the fullest. It is

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a call to educate the children of the world to be better people who develop their God given abilities with discipline and joy. This I think is the main benefit of the Suzuki Philosophy. As the basis of teaching and learning of the violin it begins at an age when children can absorb incredible amounts of new ideas from their home environment, an environment that is filled with the sounds of music, laughter, fun and most important love. “Where love is deep, much can be accomplished” (Suzuki 1983).

Therese Wirakesuma, September 2008

References: Suzuki, Shinichi. Ability development from age zero. Athens, OH: Ability Development Associates, 1981.

Suzuki, Shinichi. Nurtured by love: the classic approach to talent education. 2nd ed. Athens, OH: Ability Development, 1983.

Pada tanggal 19-23 Juli lalu, SPH Lippo Karawaci menyelenggarakan Strings Camp 2008, suatu program intensif bagi para guru dan siswa alat musik gesek yang mengambil model dari Suzuki Institute. Suzuki Institute dapat dijumpai di seluruh dunia sepanjang musim liburan. Para orangtua, siswa dan guru bersama-sama masuk dalam camp untuk pengalaman belajar intensif baik pelajaran individu, kelompok, konser, maupun pelatihan-pelatihan guru.

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AHUN ini kami menyambut kembali Mrs. Val Thorburn dan Mrs. Lynley Culliford dari New Zealand sebagai guru tamu untuk alat musik biola. Juga guru tamu paduan suara Mr. Ade Hilman Rivaldi yang mengajarkan anak-anak lagu-lagu yang berkualitas. Juga kami berterima kasih kepada UPH bagian Pendidikan Musik yang secara sukarela memimpin acara kebersamaan dan teori musik bagi para peserta camp.

Apa yang disebut sebagai Metode Suzuki dan siapakah Shinichi Suzuki? Suzuki lahir di Nagoya Jepang pada tahun 1898 dalam keluarga dengan tujuh orang anak. Ayahnya memiliki toko alat musik dan pekerjaan Suzuki adalah memasang penyanggah suara pada biola (sepotong kayu kecil yang dipasang tegak pada badan biola) di pabrik biola. Beliau mulai belajar biola saat berusia 17 tahun terinspirasi oleh rekaman pemain biola terkenal Mischa Elman.

Saat usia 22 tahun beliau membujuk ayah untuk mengirimnya belajar di Jerman dengan Karl Klinger.

Menikah dengan seorang wanita Jerman, Waltraud dan kembali ke Jepang untuk mengajar biola.

Setelah perang dunia kedua, beliau mempertajam filosofi dan pendekatan baru yang berdasarkan pada filosofi Asia dan metode Barat seperti yang diajarkannya kepada anak-anak yatim piatu korban perang dan anak anak kecil. Beliau tertarik pada bagaimana seorang anak yang masih kecil belajar bahasa dan mengembangkan metode pengajaran bahasa ibu dalam pendidikan musik usia belia. Beliau telah berkeliling dunia bersama murid-muridnya dan metodenya dikenal serta dipelajari di banyak negara.

Beliau meninggal pada usia 100 tahun pada 1998.

Filosofi Dr. Shinichi Suzuki dalam mengajar musik dibangun di atas kepercayaan bahwa setiap anak dapat berkembang untuk menjadi seseorang yang baik jika diberikan lingkungan yang tepat, pelatihan dan kasih sayang. Filosofi ini kemudian digabungkan dengan keyakinan kita sebagai pendidik-pendidik Kristen bahwa setiap anak adalah pribadi yang unik yang dicipta oleh Tuhan di dalam rupaNya, sungguh sangat memiliki makna! Setiap anak memiliki talenta yang unik dan karunia yang ditanam oleh Tuhan untuk dikembangkan secara limpah. Potensi dan kemampuan anak dapat dicapai melalui kombinasi antara kasih yang tepat, lingkungan yang mendukung, interaksi yang dinamis dan kerjasama guru dan orang tua. Peranan orang tua dalam proses pembelajaran ini adalah sangat penting. Suzuki berkata bahwa nasib seorang anak berada di tangan orang tuanya. (Suzuki 1981, hal. 56) Tujuan utama Dr. Suzuki dalam metodenya adalah mengembangkan karakter yang baik (Suzuki 1983).

Suzuki mengungkapkan bahwa seni dapat lebih berkembang karena manusia lebih berkembang pula. Juga apabila setiap orang belajar seni maka kemudian seni hadir dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

Saya berharap kalau kita sekarang mengerti bahwa

talenta yang besar terikat bersama perasaan yang indah dalam di hati seseorang (Suzuki 1983, hal.

60). Tujuan belajar musik bukanlah untuk mencetak musisi professional tetapi adanya orang-orang muda yang sangat terampil dan peka pada keindahan dunia yang Tuhan ciptakan.

Filosofi Suzuki bersifat holistik dan inklusif. Mendorong kasih di dalam keluarga dan sesama, lingkungan yang membangun serta disiplin mengembangkan kemampuan seseorang menuju kelimpahannya.

Adalah suatu panggilan untuk mendidik anak-anak di dunia ini menjadi orang-orang yang lebih baik yang mengembangkan kemampuan yang Tuhan berikan dengan disiplin dan sukacita. Saya pikir ini adalah manfaat utama dari Filosofi Suzuki. Suatu dasar pengajaran dan pembelajaran akan biola yang dimulai sejak anak-anak dapat menerima sejumlah ide-ide baru dari lingkungan rumah mereka, suatu lingkungan yang diisi denga suara-suara musik, tawa, kegembiraan, dan juga yang terpenting kasih. Di mana ada kasih sayang yang mendalam, banyak hal dapat dicapai (Suzuki 1983).

Therese Wirakesuma, September 2008

Referensi: Suzuki, Shinichi. Ability development from age zero. Athens, OH: Ability Development Associates, 1981.

Suzuki, Shinichi. Nurtured by love: the classic approach to talent education. 2nd ed. Athens, OH: Ability Development, 1983.

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special report

Sekolah Pelita Harapan Sentul City

Children’s Choir

Performing at the 5th World Choir Games – Graz, Austria

By Yulvita Hadi Yarti “Alleluia … Alleluia … Alleluia …” the words filled the room at Arbeiterkamersaal, Graz. Only that one word, repeated over and over again in different notes, but the dynamic produced and the message communicated, was unavoidably touching every heart. There was a second of silence after the last and very soft (piano pianissimo) “Alleluia” was aired, and huge applause began the performance of the students, united as Sekolah Pelita Harapan Sentul City Children’s Choir.

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students movements based on a song’s theme. Then, few weeks after that, a distinguished singing coach is called-in to see if the interpretation of a song is in accordance to what the composer wants. Bapak Avip Priatna is among those commissioned to perform this task.

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EKOLAH Pelita Harapan Sentul City Children’s Choir is made up of students from 8-18 years old. This choir is in its infancy and as such its future is very bright.

At this moment, the Choir is regularly trained

by Mr. Daniel Dasalak. He is a former national champion of the “Radio and Television Star”.

He is also the conductor of Sekolah Pelita Harapan Sentul City Children’s Choir.

The Choir not only concentrates on classical compositions but also traditional, popular and national (patriotism type) compositions.

Preparation is the key to success: Practice, practice, practice It takes approximately 2 years for the choir to be ready for the World Choir Games (in China 2006 it was called Choir Olympics. The name was changed to avoid confusion with the World Olympics held in Beijing in 2008).

Over the years, the students practice after school every Monday, for 2 hours; and every Saturday for up to 5 hours. When a concert approaches, more rehearsal sessions are added; usually during the school-break.

Choir master Daniel starts well before

practice commences, to find songs according to the category they plan to enter. This is not a simple task, because the rules and regulations require an original song which needs to be ordered from abroad. Also some songs need special arrangements, which are usually done by a distinguished Indonesian arranger, such as Ronald Pohan and Bonar Sihombing.

What is obvious during the practice sessions is the students’ discipline, which is conveyed from the first day of the meetings. There are times when Daniel will joke or simply chat with the students, but practice times are definitely used efficiently. Discipline is important as, even a Grade 3 or 4 student needs to master a difficult piece in a short period of time.

Another result of their discipline is that wherever they perform at concerts or in competitions, it only takes a simple clap of hands, or a gesture to gain the students’ attention. During a performance, the students’ eyes focus upon every move of the conductor. The discipline from the students is impeccable.

The last 6 months before the competition, the students start their choreography; a special trainer is called-in to train the

Is that all? Absolutely not!

The process continues, and there is practice, practice and even more practice.

Even until the morning before the competition, the students continue to practice. Having a good voice is not enough, but singing in harmony, not only with your voice, but with your heart and soul, which can only be achieved by practice, this is what it takes to achieve success.

One of the things that is never forgotten during practice sessions is that we always start and conclude with prayer. Even throughout all the practices the students are always reminded that God is the One they serve. Because of Him, they will know how to sing right, and return the glory to the Lord.

Concerts and Competitions The 5th World Choir Games in Graz, Austria, was the third Choir Games in which this choir has competed. The first one was in Bremen, Germany, in 2004; in which the second took place in Xiamen, China, in 2006. For the first time July’s competition is called the 4th World Choir Games. Unlike some other new comers to the competition, this Choir always reached the second round, which means not only Diploma, but Medals were awarded. For more information regarding the awards, please visit www.musica-mundi.com.

Before the World Choir Games, for 2 years, a series of concerts and performances are held.

This is to gain practice for the students before an audience. Some performances are used to raise funds for the Choir.

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special report

Previous performances of the Choir include:  2008: Encounter Friendship Concert, Hauptplatz, Graz, Austria  2008: Vision and Mission seminar, Kemang Village, Jakarta  2008: The 5th Annual Concert, Haji Usmar Ismail, Jakarta  2008: Charity Night Concert, Goethe Haus, Jakarta  2007: National Conference of Real Estate Indonesia, Mutiara Ballroom, Hotel Gran Melia, Jakarta  2007: The 4th Annual Concert “Sing unto the Lord”, Goethe Haus, Jakarta  2006: Encounter Friendship Concert, Bailu Park, Xiamen, China  2006: The 3rd Annual Concert “Xiamen, for the glory of God”, Erasmus Huis, Jakarta  2006: Green on Valentine, Spring Hill, Plaza Senayan, Jakarta  2006: UNICEF for Indonesia, Plaza Senayan, Jakarta  2005: Starry Charity Night with Delon and Melly Guslow, Puri Agung, Sahid Jaya Hotel, Jakarta  2005: The 2nd Annual Concert “The Beauty of Music from Romantic and the 20th Music Period”, Balairung Sapta Pesona, Tourism and Cultural Department, Jakarta

 2004: Christmas Carol, Aston Hotel, Jakarta  2004: Christmas Carol and Soft Opening Casablanca Mansion Apartment, Jakarta  2004: Encounter Friendship Concert, Bremen, Germany  2004: The 1st Annual Concert “To Bremen and To Success”, Erasmus Huis, Jakarta  2004: Charity Night Concert “Peace on Earth”, Hotel Aryaduta, Jakarta  2004: Education Expo, Semanggi Expo, Sudirman, Jakarta  2003: Christmas Carol, Aston Hotel, Jakarta.  2003: Grand Launching Mercedes Benz, Ribenz Show Room, Fatmawati, Jakarta  2003: Christmas Carol, Hotel J.W. Marriot, Jakarta  2003: Game Zones TV Quiz Christmas Edition, TPI, Jakarta

Achievements

The achievement of Sekolah Pelita Harapan Sentul City Children’s Choir is also quite impressive despite the fact that this choir only was established in 2003. Their achievements include:  2008: Silver Medal in Gospel Category in the 5th World Choir Games, Graz, Austria  2008: Silver Medal in Music Religion Category in the 5th World Choir Games, Graz, Austria  2008: Silver Medal in Youth Category in the 5th World Choir Games, Graz, Austria  2007: Gold C Diploma in Youth Choir of Equal Voices Category in the 3rd International Choral Festival “A Voyage of Songs”, Pattaya, Thailand  2007: Silver C Diploma in Folklore Category in the 3rd International Choral Festival “A Voyage of Songs”, Pattaya, Thailand  2006: Silver Medal in Children’s Choir Category in the 4th World Choir Games, Xiamen, China.  2006: Silver Medal in Folklore a Cappella Category in the 4th World Choir Games, Xiamen, China.  2005: First Prize Winner in Jabotabek Elementary Schools Choir Competition  2005: First Prize Winner in Jabotabek Junior High Schools Choir Competition.  2004: Gold I Diploma and Bronze Medal in Folklore a Cappella Category in the 3rd Choir Olympics, Bremen, Germany

 2004: Silver VII Diploma in Children’s Choir Category in the 3rd Choir Olympics, Bremen, Germany  2004: Second Prize Winner in Jabotabek Elementary Schools Choir Competition  2003: First Prize Winner in Jabotabek Elementary Schools Choir Competition  2003: Second Prize Winner in Jabotabek Junior High Schools Choir Competition

Parent Involvement The involvement of parents is very important, starting from encouraging the students to practice at school and at home, helping students with make-up during performances, giving input for costumes, meeting deadlines of payment, accompanying the students not only during performances, but during the big competition itself. Their support is definitely irreplaceable.

Fund Support and Publication From the beginning, support was not easy to achieve. The commitment of every one involved has made it all possible. As the time went by, more support was gained, partly because the choir had proved itself to be a huge contribution, not only for the school, but for the country as well. Currently, the community sees more of the choir intro news and pictures. In the final analysis, the choir uses their talent to glorify the Lord.

book corner STILL EDUCATING FOR ETERNITY: The Case for Christian Schools

By Claude E. Schindler, Jr. & Pacheco Pyle Association of Christian Schools, 1997

The basis of Christian development is the application of the WORD of GOD in the lives of

upcoming event

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SPH Lippo Karawaci Bulan Bahasa SPH Cup: • Volleyball SMP & Basketball SMA • Soccer SD Open House SPH Lippo Karawaci MYP Retreat

12 Oct. - 6 Nov. 2008 16 Oct. - 24 Oct. 2008 26 Nov. - 29 Nov. 2008 16 Oct. 2008 27 Oct. - 31 Oct. 2008

children. This process is at the heart of Christian education and a major component of the mission of Christian schools.

This book shows how the application of a biblical philosophy of education should work in the day to day world of the Christian school, i.e. how the teachers honor GOD? When problems arise, do the teachers consult the Bible for answers?

This book goes beyond the philosophical basis to the realities of funding schools, assisting needy parents, supporting the staff, and encouraging families to deepen their commitment by trusting GOD for the resources to educate their children.

This book: Still educating for Eternity is an enthusiastic rationale for Christian education, it is thoroughly biblical in its content and is a concise treatise of encouragement to parents, teachers, administrators and board members about eternal significance of the ministry of educating children’s God’s way.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING STYLE: Every Child Can Succeed

By Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. Tyndale Huse, 1996.

As a parent we know that each of our children is a GOD-given gift with special talents and unique and wonderful characteristics. The same child who gives us so much joy can be our greatest challenge. Each child in our family presents a different challenge.

By identifying our child’s unique learning style, we will understand what makes our son or daughter respond or resist. Now, we can move our child from excuses to accountability, eliminate unnecessary frustration at home and school, and appreciate the unique gifts our child has to offer. With practical, proven techniques, we will learn to work with our child to achieve greater self-esteem and a pattern of success.

This book is a valuable resource for parents and anyone who interact with children, and also will encourage us to realize that no matter how different the style of personality, success is possible for every child.

SPH Sentul City Inauguration of Student Council (with flag ceremony) 8 Oct. 2008 Mid Semester Reports & Conference with Parents 8 Oct. 2008 Junior School−Report Day 8 Oct. 2008 MYP Job Alike 10 Oct. 2008 Visual Arts Field Trip 10-12 Oct. 2008 Open House 16 Oct. 2008 PYP−Workshop for Parents‘ Children’s Spiritual 17 Oct. 2008 and Character Development PYP Parents Night 18 Oct. 2008 New MYP Parents Meeting 24 Oct. 2008 about Assessment−Criteria & Others Pelita Harapan House (PHH)−Social Visit 25 Oct. 2008 Parents Night for Grade 7 - 9 1 Nov. 2008 PYP Book Week 3-7 Nov. 2008 OPEN HOUSE 4 Nov. 2008 MYP Evaluation Visit 4 Nov. 2008 Youth Camp 5-7 Nov. 2008 Blood Donor 10 Nov. 2008 Flag Ceremony: Heroes’ Day 10 Nov. 2008 MYP Evaluation Visit 10 Nov. 2008 ANPS−Workshop in Bali 13-15 Nov. 2008 PYP−Workshop for Parents about IT 14 Nov. 2008 Parents Night for 10-12 22 Nov. 2008 Spiritual Retreat for Staff & Teacher 29 Nov. 2008

SPH Lippo Cikarang Junior School Parent Teacher Senior School Bali Field Trip PaLs Assembly Grade 4 Senior School Flag Ceremony−Youth Pledge Day Book Month (Whole School) Art Fine Festival & OPEN HOUSE Assembly Grade 5 Senior School Padang Field Trip

10 15-17 24 28

Oct. 2008 Oct. 2008 Oct. 2008 Oct. 2008 November 7-8 Nov. 2008 11 Nov. 2008 3-5 Dec. 2008

One of Many Reasons to Enroll Your Child at SPH

Proud of our Music Program as part of our holistic education

• Exploring music from every style and culture • Dedicated music teachers from around the world • Developing students in solo and group music performance to international standard • Excellent music composition curriculum • Well designed music classrooms • Excellent student/teacher ratio • Regular quality concerts • Success in International Competitions • High quality musicals • Annual awards

OPEN HOUSE

08.30am - 11.00am 16 OCTOBER 2008 12.00noon - 02.30pm SPH Lippo Karawaci SPH Sentul City www.sph.edu SPH Pluit

SPH KARAWACI: (021) 5460233 ▪ SPH LIPPO CIKARANG: (021) 8972786 ▪ SPH SENTUL CITY: (021) 87960234 ▪ SPH PLUIT: (021) 66603652

True Knowledge • Faith in Christ • Godly Character