Charting The Way Forward

Charting the

Way Forward

Opposite page L to R: Matt, Maia, Phoenix, Hannah C, Kush, Nina, Hannah G, Finn, Hannah B

Every new school year brings with it new blood and fresh ideas. The same goes for the Senior Head Team. We catch up with the newly elected student leaders to find out what they have planned for 2021-22.

Aave you met Matt (Head Boy), Maia (Head Girl), Nina, Hannah G, Hannah C, Hannah B, Phoenix, Finn and Kush? They have ambitious plans to improve student morale and boost Tanglin’s community spirit. Here’s what they have to say.

How do you feel about being elected to the Head Team?

It’s a huge honour to be selected for the Head Team. Most of us have been at Tanglin for several years. Because of the array of opportunities we have been given through the arts, academics, school trips etc, we believe that it’s time for us to give back to the community and there’s no better way to do this than through the Head Team. The respect and trust we receive as a member of the Head Team also comes with responsibility. In fact, each of us want to foster community spirit as much as possible while also following COVID restrictions.

What is your collective team vision for the school year?

Although we all have our own visions for what we want to achieve this year, we do have a team vision. Everybody has struggled during COVID over the last few years. There isn’t a single individual who has been unaffected. This manifests itself in numerous ways but we think most prominently it has affected the community spirit for people within the school. Most would agree that it’s far harder to foster that sense of home within an environment that has to adhere to the necessary regulations where people cannot form groups larger than x number of people.

This can prove to be isolating for everyone. Collectively as the Head Team, our vision for this school year is to help Tanglin students integrate better with their respective year group so as to boost morale and foster the sense of community that has been so sorely missed during these trying times.

Share with us some of your upcoming plans – how will they benefit the school community at large?

Finn: My main plan is to implement what I like to call Tanglin TV, which I envision to be a news-styled show that showcases everything that is going on in Tanglin, whether it’s events that are coming up, reporting on events that have happened or talking to students who have achieved extraordinary things.

It would be a fantastic opportunity to bring the three schools together, by having some students writing, filming and editing and some students reporting and speaking in front of the camera, regardless of age. Being aware of what is going on in the school community is an excellent way to create a sense of unity among everyone in the community, and Tanglin TV is a fantastic way of achieving this. Maia: We recently started to plan the annual school Christmas Panto. It might sound like a trivial event but the school Christmas Panto brings the whole school together for an hour to laugh at the jokes made and dances performed by the entire Year 13 cohort. With COVID restrictions, there is an element of uncertainty as to whether we will be able to perform the play live.

However, as a team we decided that we must adapt to the changing circumstances and record or livestream the performance if necessary. With students getting caught up in these difficult times, we feel that it’s important for them to sit down with their peers to laugh and smile. Even if it’s just for an hour, it will bring the school closer together in a currently isolating situation.

What kind of life skills have you picked up since joining the Head Team?

Hannah C: One of the most important skills I’ve learned from being on the Head Team so far is organisation and time management. When planning activities or events, it’s necessary to start the process a few weeks in advance and liaise with multiple people. This requires good organisational skills to make sure that everything goes smoothly. I also have to balance my Head Team responsibilities with all of my other commitments which, although challenging, has been really rewarding because it helps me manage my time more effectively in order to stay balanced. Maia: One of the skills I’ve developed since becoming a member of the Head Team is active listening. I think it’s important to make sure that each person feels heard (whether it’s another team member or a student who wants to make a suggestion) and that their input is taken into account. Another skill I’ve learned, which I believe will really help me in the future, is setting clear goals. As a team, it’s important that we all share the same vision and the outcome is clear so that each action we take is a step towards achieving the goal. This means that we can be more efficient with our time. ■ Well said, team. The current times may be more challenging due to the pandemic, but as author and business historian Nancy Koehn said: “Leaders become ‘real’ when they practise a few key behaviors that gird and inspire people through difficult times.”