Heading to the Future
In our previous issue, we spoke to Tanglin’s Head Team about their ambitious plans for the year. With the team’s tenure now coming to a close, The Voice caught up with them to find out what progress they’ve made – and what the experience has taught them Head Boy Alex
“This year, I’ve personally been focusing on projects surrounding Male Mental Health Week and Movember. Having designated weeks in the school calendar for men and women alike is an initiative the team set up and one we hope future Head Teams will carry on. It’s my belief that Male Mental Health Week has encouraged the conversation around this topic to be less stigmatised and, of course, mental health as a broader subject is relevant to every member of the Tanglin community. I’ve enjoyed every moment as a member of the Head Team. The ability to represent the student body, and carry out initiatives that benefit them and their interests, has been a humbling experience – though not without its difficulties. Working within the local restrictions has been challenging, particularly around meetings. However, if one person at Tanglin has been able to better understand their mental health or help someone else to understand theirs because of our initiatives, then I will consider my time as Head Boy a success.”
54
Head Girl Munique
“Of all the great initiatives we’ve worked to push forward, the Christmas card project has significance for me [Milly explains more about this initiative opposite]. The project brought the whole school together in a joint pursuit, and reinforced the importance of appreciating those who do so much for us. To be stood with my teammates in a room flooded with Christmas cards and small gifts collated by every single tutor group in Tanglin for our staff, blew me away. It felt like, despite our separation from each other, we were all one team. I feel really lucky to have been a member of the Head Team. An obvious challenge has been thinking beyond the norm in terms of adapting our approach to school-wide projects. This year, we chose to focus on community inclusivity. That might not seem the most logical commitment, given it has been so difficult to all be together, but perhaps that’s what made it so impactful. The experience has added insight and lots of laughs to some of my most formative years at Tanglin.”
Navyansh
“My main focus this year was on redefining what social spaces mean at Tanglin. Considering this is how and where students spend the majority of their time outside lessons, this is sure to benefit each and every student for many years to come. My initiatives have included the new Sixth Form Common Room and the new GCSE Common Room, as well as smaller but no less impactful projects: revamping the kitchen and installing urinal walls in the boys’ bathrooms. Given the slight delay of the building work due to COVID-19, the plans for the new common rooms have not yet come to fruition, but I feel confident the next Head Team will see this through successfully. Being a member of this year’s team helped me to build upon the skills I developed during my time as Year 11 Lead Boy. Having to adapt to the changing restrictions and being flexible in my approach, while also working under strict deadlines, was a meaningful learning experience.”
