Tanglin Talk

We are coming to the end of another school year, but in the meantime here’s what our community has achieved lately.

Samuel Bella Harry

TOP IN THE WORLD

Our students have often done us proud with their academic achievements. This time, three of them have achieved ‘Top in the World’ for the June 2021 Cambridge AS exam series. They are Year 13’s Samuel (Computer Science), Bella (Geography) and Harry (Music). Natasha, who had previously achieved the same title in her AS Geography exam in November 2020, also won ‘Top in the World’ for her overall A levels.

Why is it such an important achievement? ‘Top in the World’ is an award issued by the Cambridge Assessment International Education. It’s part of the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards that recognises exceptional learner achievements in Cambridge examinations around the world. ‘Top in the World’ in particular refers to ‘the learner* who has gained the highest standard mark in the world for a single subject’ so it’s indeed an achievement worth celebrating!

Bella said, “I’m really proud of winning the award and being able to receive it on behalf of this school. My Geography teachers have been amazing and have given me the learning experience to help me achieve my best potential. I’m thankful for all the hard work they put into seeing us thrive.”

Well done, everyone. Natasha has since graduated from Tanglin but if you see Samuel, Bella, and Harry at school, don’t forget to congratulate them and give them a socially distanced hi-5!

*https://bit.ly/3BraiAp

TANGLIN CHAMPIONS

The Merlions were in action at the recent Singapore National Short Course championships held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre over the 25m laps. The two-day swim meet saw athletes, schools and clubs from around the country come together to showcase their skills in numerous strokes and distances. Tanglin’s Katie, who is in her final year, snagged two bronze medals while Chloe (Year 9), bagged a bronze.

In addition, Stella (Year 10) and Annie (Year 4) both emerged as winners of their respective age groups at the Metasprint National Aquathlon competition.

“We are very proud of Team Merlion’s performance and look forward to many more opportunities for our swim team to gain competitive experience with the easing of Singapore’s safe management measures,” said Andrew Hailey, Director of Aquatics. » 3

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Congratulations to all the talented bands who participated in Battle of the Bands - an annual musical affair that sees our senior students performing a variety of music that range from 80s ballads to heavy metal. This year, 17 bands and approximately 80 students from Years 7 to 13 were involved as they contended for the top spots. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the participants had to record a video piece that would be reviewed by a panel of judges but that didn’t stop them from performing their best!

The judges, which included Tanglin alumni music graduates, Senior School staff members and students, as well as Roo Pigott (internationally renowned songwriter and producer), were impressed by the performances. Helen Owain, Head of Senior Music, said, “I was genuinely blown away by the quality of the performances. It was tough for the judges to make a decision, but we are definitely proud of all the Senior Music students who participated. Well done, everyone!”

The winners who emerged victorious from the Battle of the Bands are: The Bin Rats for the Middle School category and Ukiyo for the Upper School/Sixth Form category. The winning band videos from the Middle School and Upper School/Sixth Form competitions will be entered into the FOBISIA Battle of the Bands to compete with bands from other schools across Asia so let’s wish them the very best of luck! In the meantime, you can catch our students’ performance at youtu.be/Rvcd4hbgnmY.

ARTICULATION

Communication skills have become very important in a world where remote learning and interactions are the norm. At Tanglin, students are often given opportunities to master and hone their ability to articulate their ideas clearly, coherently, and persuasively. One such opportunity is ARTiculation Asia 2022, the Roche Court Educational Trust’s nationally acclaimed public speaking initiative designed to promote the appreciation and discussion of visual culture. Tanglin brought this prestigious public speaking event to Asia last year and is thrilled to be organising it again this year. This initiative engages young people between the ages of 14 and 23 by encouraging them to develop their confidence and ability to express themselves through art. The event recently climaxed in March as our students pitted their skills against participants from Garden School (Kuala Lumpur) during the online finals and we are proud to say that our students outdid themselves. Congratulations to Year 12’s Aanika for winning second place and well done!

Cara and Tamara (right)

SPORTING TALENTS

We have many sporting talents here at Tanglin, and Cara (Year 8) along with her sister Tamara (Year 7) are two fine examples. Both girls have been selected to represent the Singapore National Women’s Football Team in 2022 so a huge congratulations to them! Cara will join the U16 team in preparation for the ASEAN Football Federation Championships in July, while Tamara will play for the U14 team.

Dave Radcliffe, Director of Sport, said, “The passion Cara and Tamara have for football really shines through and we are very proud to see them rewarded with national team selection. Alongside their very considerable talent, the girls’ hard work and dedication serves as a great example to others, and we hope their success will inspire all our young football players.”

We are sure Cara and Tamara will have a bright future on the football field, and we can’t wait to read all about their sporting achievements!

A SMASHING RETURN

The Alpha Age Group Badminton Series, hosted by Tanglin Trust School, is one of the longest running Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) sanctioned tournaments. Now in its seventh year, the latest tournament in December 2021 would be remembered as one held in the most challenging of circumstances, after a twoyear hiatus due to safe management restrictions brought on by the pandemic.

Tanglin’s Director of Sport, Dave Radcliffe, was delighted at the opportunity the tournament presented to our own badminton players, “in addition to players from over 100 badminton clubs and schools, the tournament saw a record-high 25 Tanglin Lions players who enjoyed the opportunity to test themselves at such a high level”.

Players from the Singapore Sports School (SSP) and National Intermediate Squad (NIS) dominated the competition, recording multiple successes across the different age groups and formats. This level of competition inspired and opened our players’ eyes to the high standards of youth badminton in Singapore and how they could bridge this gap by investing time and consistent effort towards perfecting their craft. It was a bold step forward for many of our players, some of whom had never competed before this. The experience gained will no doubt be invaluable to all players as they continue on their path to achieving their personal best. Congratulations to all who competed. Tanglin is already looking forward to partnering Alpha Badminton Academy in hosting next year’s event!

Public speaking skills and the ability to “ communicate with the utmost confidence are integral to the success of our students

NURTURING FUTURE LEADERS

If you know of someone who has been preparing for a poetry performance or presentation in Junior School, they may have just taken part in an English Speaking Board (ESB) examination. What is ESB and how does it help our Junior children? According to Jessica Cheung, ESB leader and Year 6 teacher, the programme was first introduced by Mrs Harrington-Wilcox, Head of the Junior School, and Mr O’Brien, then Head of Junior English (now Deputy Head of Pastoral in Junior School). They had identified speaking and listening as an area for development and discovered that the ESB examinations provided an opportunity for children to take part in high quality, accredited qualifications which would have a lasting impact on their future success.

She explained, “public speaking skills and the ability to communicate with the utmost confidence are integral to the success of our students as aspiring future leaders. ESB was initially introduced in Year 3 and 4 before becoming embedded to complement our curriculum from Year 3 to Year 6. As our relationship with ESB grows, we have seen the award and our approach evolve, with our students consistently achieving outstanding results. The programme progresses from reciting poetry and reading aloud, to presenting on an area of interest from their school curriculum and building persuasive arguments. Children carry out their own research to participate in a formal debate with their peers in Year 6 at the end of their time in Junior School.”

As the first school in Asia to offer the ESB award, we have been able to grow the programme and continually raise our standards of speaking and listening. Jessica said, “new members of staff and parents often comment on how beautifully our children express themselves and we believe that our commitment to the progression of our speaking and listening, alongside the ESB examinations, are significant factors in achieving this.” ■