2015 in Review: SJII Alumni Association Report

2015 In Review

representation Cover: Minh Trinh (’09) at his Graduation from Harvard, May 2015.

2015 saw many more Alumni participate in major school events, like the Scholarship Awards Ceremony and Plant-a-Tree Campaign. Former Senior Council members Perry Kwan (’11), Ruru Hoong and Tuan Doan Nguyen (’14) returned for Founder’s Day Dinner on 14 May, and a number of former scholars and students supported SINGALA, SJI International’s inaugural gala dinner in support of the Scholarship Fund.

term 1 visits

The first term of school also saw Alumni coming back to school for various events.

Among these was an Alumni versus school team football match held on 8 May, a US/ Canada University sharing by Tuan Doan Nguyen and Pham Minh Tue (’14), and an Oxbridge sharing by Brian Theng (’12), Joshua Fung and Ruru Hoong (’14).

Besides these, the ACO welcomed Alumni who were back in school for a casual visit; in particular we had Alumni who returned on the last day of term to say farewell to some of the leaving teachers.

reunion The 2015 Reunion was held on 25 July at the IB Lounge – the first time that the venue had been used. It was also the first with information boards on Alumni activities, school events, and staff movements.

Yearbooks were also made available for viewing.

65 to 75 Alumni from all cohorts were present, as were around 15 former and current staff.

The Reunion was a fantastic opportunity to catch up and reminisce, and future editions will definitely work on building this experience!

alumni week The Reunion marked the start of Alumni Week – a new initiative to allow Alumni to be part of the vibrant SJI International Community. Alumni Week 2015 was held from 27 July to 30 July, with a range of activities, from University sharings to an Alumni Netball game. The pages that follow showcase these events.

lunchtime bakesale & concert

On 27 July, the Alumni held a lunchtime bakesale and concert, the first event of Alumni Week. Running the bakesale were Ruru Hoong, Laura Yee, and Alexandra Lim (’14). They sold out halfway through lunch period, and raised $375 for the Scholarship Fund.

Alongside them were our Alumni performers: Natalie Ang and Lim Yi Shuen (’13), Karen Leow, Andrea Michelle Lim, Nicholas Yoon, and Ruru Hoong (’14), and Sharanya Nair (’11) accompanied by Karen.

It was a wonderful to have Alumni back and “doing their thing” – a big thank you!

universit sharings The University Counsellors, Ms Daver and Ms Thompson, organised Alumni University sharings throughout Alumni Week. These were great opportunities for current students to find out about university studies and life from Alumni. Beyond these sharings, many other current students are currently connected to Alumni via email.

From the Class of 2010: Jeremiah James Pereira, Shaun Chua From the Class of 2011: Donovan Saw, Gerard Lee, Jason Hong, Ivor Tan From the Class of 2012: Katerina Liu From the Class of 2013: Claire Ong, Elizabeth Teo, Jedd Chiaw, Jonathan Leong, Jonathan Low, Megan Lam, Ng Kuok Wern, Prerna Kamath, Lim Yi Shuen, Natalie Ang

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netball Also part of Alumni Week, we had an Alumni-organised netball match with Alumnae and current school players.

The Alumnae players included Tanya Tan, Kimberley Khoo (’14), Jade Lee Sen and Charlotte Cheong (’13).

Thanks to Tanya for helping to gather the players, as well as the school Netball coach and team, and all who came down to watch and cheer them on.

publications The second issue of Infinitas, the annual magazine of the Alumni, was published in June. While maintaining Alumni features as the bulk of the publication, new sections were also included. These are the Opinion and Alma Mater Today pages.

Infinitas was mailed to over 140 Alumni all over the world, was made available during the Reunion, and will be given to the 165 graduands of the Class of 2015. It was also distributed to current and new staff, and can be found all over school.

Five Alumni who were the Scholars who achieved 45 points in the IB Diploma, were also featured in Humanitas, the annual report of the ACO. Furthermore, we produced this Year in Review Report that highlights Alumni activities of the past year, which also gives the wider community a better understanding of Alumni contributions to the school community.

term 2 Term 2 saw a number of Alumni assisting in the school community; their contributions have helped the school become a more varied and lively place for students. In particular, we thank the following Alumni.

On 13 August, Gerard Lee (’11) held a lunchtime workshop titled “An Introduction to Toastmasters and Public Speaking”, sharing his experiences and offering students tips on the power of language and effective communication.

Lim Yi Shuen (’13) performed two songs, including a wonderful rendition of Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down at Unplugged, the school’s acoustic night held on 20 August.

Bryan Oh (’12), Samuel Tan and Dhaneshan Thirugnanasambhandan (’14) are organising Camp De La Salle: Superheroes Assemble! which will be held in October. The camp is aimed at Grade 7 and 8 students, with Grade 9 and 11 students assisting as facilitators.

alumni staff We thank Tanya Tan and Andrea Michelle Lim (’14) for their contributions as Teaching Partners at the Elementary School for the first half of the year!

We also thank Brian Theng (’12), who was ACO Intern from March to August.

grade 12 introduction In September, we held our first Grade 12 Alumni briefing. The briefing gives incoming Alumni a chance to better understand what they can do as Alumni. Each student received a copy of this Alumni 2015 report.

Integrated into the briefing was an introduction to the Graduating Class Gift, where each graduating cohort supports the Scholarship Fund through a framed tile collage.

We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2015 into the Alumni family at Graduation!

moving forward A centralised Alumni database is in the works, as is establishing closer international networks. One of the ways to achieve these is to organise our first overseas Alumni gathering – tentatively, we’re looking at London in late January 2016.

Strengthened Alumni participation will go a long way in helping us make the Alumni community even more engaged and vibrant, so we look forward to welcoming and working with you!

Clockwise from top: Alumni in Auckland; Oregon (with Ms Daver); and Vancouver.

Afterword SJI International Alumni have blazed paths around the world like no other young school’s alumni have (over 150 institutions in 20 countries), finding new heights, places, cultures, ideas, and most importantly, friends. This is a real cause for celebration.

In particular, we celebrate the achievements of Shelby Koh (‘12), and Kalya Kee (‘13) during the SEA games earlier this year.

But remember that we’ll always be able to call SJI International home. This Year in Review report has chronicled some of the stories behind some of the people who have come home to contribute to and support the community.

With the class of 2015 joining us, we’ll number just over 800; 800 alumni with an overabundance of talents, gifts, and warmth. Which only means we can look forward to greater things to come for the SJI International community. Ora et Labora, and I hope you have a wonderful year ahead!

Ian Chai ’09

President SJI International Alumni Association

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Published September 2015