June 2021
UWCSEA: 50 YEARS UNITED
EXPLORING INNOVATING IN EDUCATION
CLASS OF 2021 CELEBRATES GRADUATION
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The power of your being able to write your story is the power of being human. And that’s what a good education helps you do; to chart your pathway forward, not to prescribe it, but to help you get there.” Jeff Bradley, Director of the NEASC Commission on International Education in his closing remarks at the fourth Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series event, ‘Human-centred curriculum: redefining measures of success’ on 22 April 2021.
June 2021
02 LEARNING TO SHAPE THE FUTURE
10 SENI BUDAYA
16 GRADUATION
Arts Showcase
Celebrating the Class of 2021
Carma Elliot CMG OBE, College President
11 SPOTLIGHT ON …
04 50 YEARS UNITED Reflecting on the moments that made us
06 INNOVATION IN EDUCATION Moving slowly to build things
08 PEACE BEGINS WITH ME DEI learning in early childhood
Dover Green Heart
12 LANGUAGE MATTERS Embracing multilingual learning
14 FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE An interview with High School Principal Damian Bacchoo
15 A WELCOME LIKE NO OTHER Reflecting on a first year in Dover Boarding
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A SCHOLARS JOURNEY
Phuza ’21 shares his UWCSEA story
20 BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM OF INNOVATION Showcasing the Smart City Programme and Challenge and UWCSEA East Innovation
22 FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION A year-long quest
23 CONNECTING WITH SINGAPORE IPS Perspectives conference
24 BUILDING BACK GREEN A Singapore context for UWC Climate Compact
26 WORDS TO LIVE BY Putting UWCSEA values into action
28 KEEPING CONNECTIONS ALIVE Finding solutions in online service
30 WHAT’S YOUR UWCSEA STORY? Building our digital anthology
32 AGAINST THE GALE Rob Storey reflects on the challenging year in Tampines House
COVER IMAGES
Front: East Campus Graduation Day Back: Grade 8 abseiling in last week of school
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Editors: Sarah Begum, Sinéad Collins, Tara Diong, Molly Fassbender, Shaiful Rashid, Lucie Snape and Kate Woodford Photography: Sabrina Lone, Janrius Rogers, Joseph Tan and members of the UWCSEA community Design: Nandita Gupta UWCSEA Dover is registered by the Committee for Private Education (CPE), part of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) CPE Registration No. 197000825H | CPE Registration Period 18 July 2017–17 July 2023 | Charity Registration No. 00142 UWCSEA East is registered by the Committee for Private Education (CPE), part of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) CPE Registration No. 200801795N | CPE Registration Period 10 March 2017–9 March 2023 | Charity Registration No. 002104 Printed on 100% recycled paper with environmentally friendly inks | MCI (P) 095/02/2020 | MKT-2021
OPINION
There is more in us
50 years of the UWC spirit in Singapore By Carma Elliot CMG OBE, College President Anniversaries are at their heart reminders, dates in our calendars when we pause and reflect on events and milestones which matter to us. Events to mark the College’s 50th anniversary, which we will kick off in August 2021 and which will resonate throughout the school year, are an ideal opportunity for us to remember and honour how far we have come since our founding in December 1971. But for communities like ours, anniversaries are more than just celebrations of the past: they provide an opportunity to think together about what our mission might look like in a vision for our next 50 years, and to recommit to our mission with a renewed sense of purpose.
Our community has achieved extraordinary things over the last 50 years. Together, we have built one of the world’s largest not for profit international schools and graduated more than 20,000 alumni who live the UWC mission and values in countless global communities, contributing in multiple ways to shaping a better world. We have grown and developed alongside our host country Singapore, building partnerships and learning together, becoming embedded in the life of Singapore as a key partner for the present and the future. Our growth as a school has in many ways mirrored Singapore’s own growth as a nation, and we are proud to have been shaped by this country that is our home. Over the years, we have also had the privilege of working with remarkable students who have turned their talent, their commitment and their energy to bringing our mission to life. We have developed a truly missionaligned curriculum, learning from and partnering with others. Today we continue to benefit from a world-class community of teachers and educational leaders. Our community thrives on our strength and depth of community spirit: from our administrative and support staff, volunteers, and a parent community that continually requires us to do our very best for the young people in our care. Reading the draft of the UWCSEA 50th anniversary book (to be published in December 2021), we find stories of adventure, of risk, of courage, of success and failure, but above all, an unswerving commitment to the vision of Kurt Hahn and a mission that has guided us for 50 years. Indeed, the stories in the book bring to mind Kurt Hahn’s remark, which resonates now as much as it did 50 years ago, particularly in light of our whole community’s response to the pandemic,“I regard it as the foremost task of education to ensure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity;
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an undefeatable spirit; tenacity in pursuit; readiness for sensible self-denial—and above all, compassion.” Nevertheless, and acknowledging our success, for our anniversary celebrations we chose as our theme another of Hahn’s well-known sayings Plus est en vous or There is more in us. Our theme is a call to action for all of us: indeed this is the phrase I chose to decorate my office when I arrived at the College two years ago. It reminds me every day of the mission which shapes our work,“There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.” Our anniversary is a moment to recommit to what should never change—our mission—but it is also a time to recognise that, while we have come a long way, there is much more to do before we can say that our education is a model and a means by which our community will create more peaceful and sustainable futures for all. Our mission calls on us to build a more equitable and inclusive society, to be innovative and bold and to ensure that our impact extends beyond our immediate community. Our vision for the next 50 years must push us to honour the past by building a better future for the generations to come, in partnership with those with whom we share common values and common purpose. But even as we begin to think about our vision for the future, there is a year of celebration and community connection ahead. As I write, we are still receiving ideas from students, staff, alumni and parents for ways to bring our mission to life through the events programme. The opportunity to bring our community together in celebration and with hope cannot be missed, and together we are planning events and markers, big and small, that will help us to share positive and joyful experiences, strengthening our connections to one
another. Our campuses will be ‘dressed’ and archival exhibitions will showcase pictures, documents, publications—and uniforms!—from the past. It is fitting then, given their role in shaping the history we will celebrate throughout the next year, that we will begin with our annual Alumni Reunion in August, launching a Values in Action award to honour those alumni who make mission-aligned contributions in their communities. We will have events for parents, staff, students and alumni throughout the year, including a youth peace forum on UWC Day in September and a focused series of celebrations during Founders’ Week in December, when we will launch our 50th anniversary book, express our gratitude to Singapore and honour those who have made us who we are today. We are launching a podcast series showcasing our Singapore service partners, and recording a song written for the College by alumni. Our key themes of peace, sustainability, innovation, inclusion and partnership will build throughout the year: all our activities will have a sprinkling of 50th gold dust as we take every opportunity to acknowledge this very special year. Re-establishing our legacy as true innovators in education, and in line with the aspiration of our mission, we will also be focusing on sharing what we have learned in key areas of focus for the College over the last 50 years: in peace education; in environmental sustainability amid a growing climate crisis; in outdoor education; in service learning; and in how we equip students with mission-aligned competencies in readiness for their futures and the world of work. Our Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series will continue to host important conversations on topics exploring key themes that are important as we reimagine what learning at UWCSEA will look like in the next 50 years. Our first Speaker Series event will be with former UWCSEA
Board Chair Kishore Mahbubani himself, talking through his career as a diplomat, writer and academic, including his involvement in establishing the Asian Peace Programme at the NUS Asia Research Institute. We look forward to our community joining these and other discussions as we bring together the learning and key achievements of our past to identify how we can amplify our future impact. As a member of a global community of educators and thinkers and with our future designed and defined in partnership with others, we will continue to work on strengthening connections with individuals and organisations to further our shared purpose. In April 2022, the College will host a forum on the theme of Learning to Shape the Future, bringing our community of students, teachers, parents and alumni, together with leading figures in the global education community, to discuss the future of education alongside current and potential partners and the wider UWC movement. There is more planned than can be easily described here. I encourage all of you to find your part in our celebrations and conversations. Remembering the past and our shared memories is an important part of understanding who we are. Understanding where we are now helps us to reflect and shape where we need to go next, to plan how we might get there and to identify those who will travel with us. The power of our collective energy and the ripple effect of our efforts can propel us forward to the next 50 years of the UWC spirit in Singapore, with a strong aspiration for a peaceful and sustainable future.
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OPINION
50 Years United By Graham Silverthorne, Author, UWCSEA 50th anniversary book More years ago than I care to remember, I sat in a lecture theatre and listened to a very famous historian addressing the topic of historiography. As the Fenland flies droned amongst the ceiling fans, I admit that it was a challenging discourse for this young man to hold on to. The distinguished lecturer was named G.R. Elton and on this particular afternoon he was getting stuck into E.H. Carr’s seminal work, What is History?. Very little of what he said stayed with me longer than it took to cross the street and unlock my bicycle but one thing did. Elton referenced the work of another luminary, Hugh Trevor-Roper, who had criticised Carr for dismissing history’s ‘might have beens’ as an irrelevance. As I cycled home, thinking about ‘might have beens’ was a pleasantly fulfilling diversion and the habit embedded itself. If Lord Mountbatten had got his way, UWCSEA ‘might have been’ founded at the Royal Airforce base in Changi. Mountbatten and the founding Head of Atlantic College in Wales, Desmond Hoare, had set their hearts on replicating the British sea school experience in an Asian setting. After establishing the first United World College in Wales in 1962 (a name not actually adopted until 1967 when Mountbatten became involved with the nascent movement), Hoare resigned his post in 1969 and set out for South East Asia to establish new National Committees and scout possible locations for a second UWC. Discussions were already advancing with Lester Pearson in Canada; the family was growing.
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The push for Changi was met with a firm rebuff by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who had other plans for growing the infrastructure needed to support a young economy. Dover Road and the soon-to-be vacated St. John’s British Army School was the final destination. As they say, the rest is history—but what if? What if the UWC pioneers had been met with a ‘yes’, rather than a ‘firm shake of the head’ from the Prime Minister? A two-year Changi UWC serving 250 scholars? A Singaporean Li Po Chun? No Dover; no East; no K-12. Where would that have left a history of 50 years of UWCSEA? One answer to that question is that it would have been a lot less complicated to write! When I was appointed as the author of the College’s 50th anniversary book, a number of conflicting emotions passed through me. I was approaching the end of my time as Head of East Campus and the pain of imminent separation was growing. UWCSEA is not an easy place to leave. I was excited and flattered to be considered for the task of compiling a record of 50 years but those emotions came and went, to be replaced with an awareness of the enormity of the task. Seriously, where do you begin to capture an appropriate, an accurate, a balanced reflection of everything that has happened since that September day in 1971 when the gates to the newly renamed Singapore International School swung open for the first time? Our story is the story of all of the people who have inspired us, guided us, at times rescued us, challenged us, supported us and eventually defined who we are as a College in 2021. The complexity of capturing that proposition was immense.
For each contributor that I spoke to, ‘who we are’ was not the same thing. People’s lives shaped and in turn were shaped by the College. As the British Chamber of Commerce desperately sought a school for their children in the face of the imminent and rapid British withdrawal, it was people like Robert Lutton who helped to forge a new future for the Dover Road campus, his actions indelibly imprinting the lives of his own family in the process. As our inconveniently urbanised setting threatened to impact on the Hahnian vision of engagement with nature, it was people like Brian Green who set off with the blind optimism of an Indiana Jones to find a site that became our fabled Beluntu Outdoor Centre across the straits in Johor, Malaysia. As Singapore grappled with the financial crisis of 2008 and the College was caught mid-project in the planning of a second campus, it was people like Charles Ormiston and Kishore Mahbubani who lent their hands to the tiller and helped to steer us through the storm. Our College is what it is because of these people and so many, many more. All of those changemakers who founded and developed our College commitment to service, which has come to characterise us; the Maths teacher who irritated Anthony Skillicorn into establishing the Initiative for Peace; ‘John the Pirate’ who taught topper sailing off a Tioman beach; a determined group of cyclists setting off from Dover Road, heading for Thailand to raise relief funds for the victims of the tsunami disaster in 2004. It was daunting to try to do justice to all of the people who have made us. I have been a part of UWCSEA long enough to know that the audience is not always forgiving when a
line is crossed. There have been times when I have imagined the disapproving faces and shaking heads of those who will see mistakes or wonder why about some glaring omissions. Times, too, when I have regretted not being able to write the alternative history of UWCSEA featuring all of the stories that people told me with the caveat ‘don’t put this in the book, but …’ So the fascinating tales of our haunted Dover Campus, a few loveable miscreants and the occasional close miss that we scraped away from will not be found in our official record of 50 years. It has been an enormous privilege and pleasure to interview so many distinguished actors from our story. I have treasured those connections and been enormously grateful for the warmth and engagement from every single person I have spoken to. What links every one of them together is a sense that UWCSEA is more than a school, more than a job, more than a chapter in a life story. The College means something to each of them and I hope that I have been able to capture that meaning in what I have written. History written becomes historiography for those who follow. The ‘what if’ of history might also one day include: what if someone different had written the 50th book …
OPINION
Innovation in education Moving deliberately to build a better future By Nick Alchin, Head of East Campus Historian Benot Godin recounts the tale that in 1636, Henry Burton, a Church of England minister was found guilty of innovating, against King Edwards VI’s earlier Proclamation against Those that Doeth Innovate. While Burton had his ears cut and was sentenced to life imprisonment, innovation is now a central value of our society—and this small tale shows how attitudes can utterly transform over time. It’s not just attitudes, however, that change—most social and economic norms do, and we are all living the results. One innovation, for example, has been the move from general to highly specialised work. As author Matt Ridley writes, we sometimes forget the vast benefits that this brings us; we now only need work for a fraction of a second so as to be able to afford to turn on an electric lamp for an hour, providing the quantity of light that would have required a whole day’s work if you had to make it yourself (by collecting and refining sesame oil or lamb fat to burn in a simple lamp), as much of humanity did in the not so distant past. Innovation makes this possible; and the modern world could not be built without meaningful innovation. The trick is in the world ‘meaningful’—because of course in any marketplace of ideas there are some that are not worth following; Adrian Daub writes one of the internet age’s greatest works of collective satire may be the 5,875 Amazon reviews for the Hutzler 571 banana slicer, which make mockery of the mania for buzzy innovative solutions in search of a problem and remind us that new is not necessarily better. I’m always looking at other sectors, because something that works in manufacturing, finance or tech may also work for education. Or it may not. The current preoccupation with ‘disruptive innovation’ created by the tech boom seems to have become the model for how many think about innovation. Of course, some things about the tech industry are indeed unprecedented (the technology bit, for instance); others are business as usual (the industry bit). It seems to me that while we rejoice in the opportunities provided by technology, we should also note the downsides, for example 6 | Dunia June 2021
in exacerbating rather than closing existing inequalities, or being used to empower extremists. Caveat emptor! So in that light, we can cast Mark Zuckerburg’s famous motto of move fast and break things as a marketing slogan applying more to software (or arguably, democracy, sadly!) than to the physical world of things and people. It may not, for example, apply to the design of a new elevator, bridge, aeroplane or surgical procedure. Might it apply to schools? Sectors as different as education, power generation, finance and software deal with things as different as children’s minds, factories, balance sheets and programming languages; there are natural and appropriate differences. So there are questions to ask when we are (frequently) contacted by tech wizards selling innovation and disruption; or by those in other industries encouraging us to copy what they are doing because it works in their sector. Sometimes it works (thank goodness for video conferencing) but often it does not (we really do not want to track students’ typing rates on laptops). Rather than moving fast and breaking things, schools take the approach of building things. Which is usually slower— and a good deal harder—than breaking them. But that’s okay because it’s how innovation works over the long haul. In How Innovation Works, Matt Ridley compellingly draws on examples from agriculture to artificial intelligence in demonstrating that, in general, we expect too much of an innovation in the first 10 years—and too little in the first 20. The reason for this, he suggests, is that until the innovation is made practical, reliable, and affordable—a process of many years—its promise remains unfulfilled. So what does innovation look like in schools? A lot depends on what level you are thinking about. A school that travels in a boat from country to country is highly innovative in one sense—but might have a very traditional curriculum or very traditional teacher-student relationships. Similarly, a more traditional looking school (classrooms and desks) might hide a lot of innovation in these areas. I’d suggest that this is often the case; that schools have been
through a lot of innovation, despite the sometimes similar physical spaces. If you are over 40, then what you will find in many schools today is likely to be very different from what you experienced, the results of many interlocking innovations. Much of this will be invisible to the casual observer but together it has formed a quiet revolution. If we are to name them, these changes include: • greater freedom for students • more focus on growth and less on control • far greater attention to wellbeing and overall health • more explicit attention to values and ethics • much less individual work, and much more group work • more presentations and projects • discussion of global problems such as sustainability, inequality and development • a conceptual focus that seeks to create transferable skills and understandings • a desire for student agency and input • a move from punishment to restorative justice • a move to develop critical skills • a rebalancing toward mastery/competence from simply knowledge acquisition • a rebalancing toward interdisciplinary learning from pure subject specialism • a move towards personalised over standardised education • less hierarchical student-teacher relationships There may be no one thing that’s utterly different from the past—good teachers have often embraced these ideas in their classrooms—but they are now explicit, embedded, and very much the topic of conversation and foci for deliberate, incremental improvement. That’s not to say we have gotten things completely right; of course there is plenty to do and improve; but these and other things really do add up to a radically improved experience and outcomes for our students over time. And that, as much as anything else, is innovation.
Over this year a series of events involving our students and global thinkers in education explored some key ideas and examined some of the ways that UWCSEA has brought innovation to our educational model: • Event 1: Navigating Learning in the 21st Century • Event 2: Digital learning and disruption • Event 3: If not now, when? From access to equity • Event 4: Human-centred curriculum: redefining measures of success
Scan the QR code to find out more and watch our webinars
References Daub, A,. (2020) What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley FSG Original. | Rogers, E. (2003) Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press. | Godin, B (2010) ’Meddle Not With Them That Are Given to Change’: Innovation as Evil Project on the Intellectual History of Innovation Working Paper No. 6 | Ridley, M (2020). How Innovation Works and why it Flourishes in Freedom. Harper Books. | Vinsel, L. and Russell, A. (2020) The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most. Currency Books.
Adapted from original blog post on 3 February 2021—visit Nicks blog Education, Schools and Culture to explore more: June 2021 Dunia | 7
FEATURE
Peace begins with me Exploring identity in early childhood By Andrea Strachan, K1 Head of Grade and Catherine Malone, K1 Curriculum Coordinator, Dover Campus This has been an extraordinary year for the world due to COVID-19. Traditionally, each grade level at UWCSEA has connected with community-based voluntary welfare organisations throughout Singapore as part of our College’s commitment to place-based learning. Place-based education aims to connect a student’s learning to the communities and the world around them. At UWCSEA, our programme of immersive place-based learning means that each year our students have myriad opportunities to engage with and experience Singapore’s rich heritage, diverse cultures and unique landscapes, and that they use this real-life knowledge and experience as a foundation for their study of subjects across our curriculum. In previous years, K1 has partnered with Child@Street 11 in their service learning. A Singapore community preschool that serves children from disadvantaged backgrounds, UWCSEA students from across the College have been visiting the centre for almost 20 years. When reviewing our K1 Unit of Study focused on Service this year, we began to realise that this component of our place-based learning programme, built around hosting the students of Child@ Street11 for a series of visits to our school, could not be delivered as it had been in the past, due to COVID-19 constraints. We realised that a switch 8 | Dunia June 2021
to an online format might not be as powerful, as the children would not have the opportunity to engage with others “in person”, and the teachers at Child@Street 11 agreed. With challenge, however, comes opportunity. The past year has also highlighted for us the need to be more proactive in terms of speaking about, teaching about, learning about, and taking action regarding issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Educators and parents have searched for the right things to say and do as the world has emotionally processed ongoing acts of systemic racial injustice. As an internationallyminded community of learners, UWCSEA embarked on a journey of both reflection and action in terms of how we are addressing these important issues. An example of how our reflection has resulted in action was the introduction of a K1 language survey for parents to complete prior to the start of school, so as to provide us with more nuanced information on the linguistic profiles of the children coming into our care and classrooms. As educators, we used this information to find new ways of bringing home languages into the classroom, which included deliberately creating language buddies within our classrooms as we created K1 class groups, to support both a feeling of belonging and the development of literacy skills. The K1 team re-evaluated our Service Unit of Study, taking the opportunity to consider other ways in which we
begin to develop an understanding of “service” that would be meaningful and relevant to our youngest learners in the context of our pandemic-prescribed world. In collaboration with members of the DEI Pod, we decided to develop a pilot Unit of Study framed under the theme of “Peacebuilding”, focusing on the idea that “Peace Begins With Me”. The concept of peace-building, one of the ‘mission competencies’ outlined in our new College guiding statements, understands that peace can’t be achieved without knowing how to appreciate and engage with diversity, and that without understanding how to interact and negotiate with others, it is impossible to engage in meaningful service. We started this Unit of Study by helping students to further explore the concept of “identity”, focusing on what makes us the “same” and what makes us “different”. We worked with Primary School Librarian Pamela Males to curate a collection of books that connected to our DEI topics of diversity, inclusion, identity and belonging. In K1, DEI learning often begins with an appreciation of diversity, celebrating the different people in the room. This is followed by a focus on inclusion, ensuring everyone in the room feels like they belong. Finally, we explore equity by examining the structures we put in place to ensure that diversity and inclusion happen. The intention was for this Unit of Study to lay the framework in which our K1
students can begin to better understand how to be open-minded and inclusive members of our community, happy and well within themselves, so that they are better ready and able to engage in service to others. As a K1 Team, we feel that we have only just started to scratch the surface in terms of uncovering new teaching and learning resources connected to issues of DEI that we had not previously been familiar with. This year, we held more deliberate and specific conversations with students about topics of culture, language and race that we had not engaged in before with our youngest learners. We took the opportunity to gently explore how we might engage students in discussion and celebration of physical differences, by challenging ourselves as educators to identify activities which could introduce concepts for discussion in age-appropriate ways. For example, we decided to challenge the oft-quoted assertion that young children don’t see colour. As demonstrated in the now famous ‘doll test’ (first conducted by researchers in the USA in the 1940’s) young children do see colour—and are already internalising messages about colour, many of which come from the structures and systems around them. Applying a UWCSEA context, in one lesson the K1 children were invited to dress felt dolls. They were provided with five different shades of skin tone dolls from which to choose. All of the students chose the lightest skin tone
for their doll. To adapt the lesson, we then removed the lightest skin tones from the options. Rather than choose one of the darker tones, some children asked, “Where are all of the light ones?” Moreover, we also noticed that children were not choosing the dolls that most accurately matched their own skin tones, in favour of lighter ones. This provided us with an opportunity to talk to the children specifically about skin tone and draw attention to our physical differences and the many ways in which we are each special. We read stories that celebrated different skin tones and included more physical diversity in the characters. We provided the students with pictures of themselves and their classmates so that they could make note of their hair colour, eye colour, skin tone and ensured appropriate colouring tools were on hand that would allow them to represent this in their drawings. This Unit of Study has excited us as a teaching and learning community and we have been awarded a UWCSEA 50th Anniversary Innovation Grant to support this important work. We are looking forward to further curating and developing additional resources focused on exploring issues of DEI with young children that can be shared within our College community, and beyond.
UWCSEA 50th anniversary innovation grants These programmes, selected for their potential to result in significant gains for our learners, will be piloted during next school year and shared at the UWCSEA Forum in April 2022. Our aim is to encourage development of innovative, scalable practice aligned with the UWCSEA Strategy, and to look for opportunities to extend their reach via strategic partnerships within and beyond the College. 2021/2022 projects include: • facilitate a technology solution to provide access to music for our Singapore-based service partners to improve client wellbeing • curation of developmentally appropriate DEI resources for Infant School classrooms and students • development of a Dover-East Virtual Reality portal in the campus libraries • Ready Learner One Alumni Project connecting our alumni network with existing students • prototyping innovative learning spaces that serve introverted and extroverted learners • broaden opportunities to participate in mathematics by diversifying community activities and focus beyond competitions
COMMUNITY NEWS
Seni Budaya
Middle School students bringing culture alive By Rebecca Maynard, Head of Art and Ian Tymms, Head of English, East Campus Middle School Seni Budaya is an annual festival celebrating the arts and culture across the Middle School at East Campus. At least that’s what it’s meant to be: after a joyous inaugural festival in 2019, 2020 was lost to the vagaries of COVID-19. In 2021 there were high hopes for a second live celebration late in Term 3. A new element was a collaboration between Art and English to bring Grade 8 poetry into the mix and early in the school year the curriculum was adapted to have students exploring connections. This work was particularly inspired by the work of ceramicist Todd Barricklow in art and by Singaporean poet Neil Daswani and photographer Anita Thomas. And then came COVID … again; initially creating limitations on live performances and then, after reversion to homebased learning in mid-May, ensuring there was no possibility of anything live at all. By this time, however, Anita Thomas had joined us as a visiting artist to run a 10 week Activity preparing for Seni Budaya. The original brief was for Anita to use her skills as a filmmaker to work with a group of Middle School students creating a film to open the Seni Budaya event. Somewhere during this activity, it became clear that we needed more than an introductory film and the Middle School Seni Budaya website is the result. The arts are a celebration of creativity and talent, but they are also a celebration of the hard work, perseverance and resilience of those who create. COVID-19 has demanded levels of resilience many of us didn’t know we had, but it has also brought out the best of our creativity as we have worked to find new ways to do things and solutions to the challenges of a world turned upside down. The Seni Budaya website, and the work it showcases, is a testament to the spirit of our Middle School students; to their resilience, determination and creativity. We are enormously grateful to Anita Thomas and the many individuals who contributed to this project.
Explore the exhibition website, which is organised across the disciplines of Art, Dance, Drama, Food, Music and Poetry: 10 | Dunia June 2021
SPOTLIGHT
SPOTLIGHT ON …
DOVER GREEN HEART
CENTRING SUSTAINABILITY LEARNING UWCSEA’s teaching, sustainability and facilities teams have spent much time planning how to maximise the rare gift of a large outdoor space throughout the past year, with a vision to create a vibrant and dynamic learning environment that can be enjoyed by students in all grades. In addition to supporting both the academic and service learning programmes, the new space for imaginative play and relaxation will help to grow our students’ appreciation for the outdoors while providing valuable additional opportunities to connect with nature.
FEATURE
Language matters
Supporting and celebrating our community of multilingual learners Respect for diversity lies at the heart of the UWC mission and linguistic diversity is an important component of how we define diversity. A growing body of research shows that bi- and multilingualism brings cognitive, linguistic, socio-cultural and emotional benefits and that all members of a community benefit from being in a multilingual environment because it provides increased opportunities to develop intercultural understanding. As we have come to further understand the value of promoting multilingualism, we are working intentionally to ensure all languages are equally valued by our community. Annual events, such as Mother Tongue Language Day, have become important annual celebrations that raise awareness of the rich diversity of culture and language in our community. The changing make-up of the expat community in Singapore and other external factors outside our control have also prompted some shifts. At UWCSEA, we strive to develop both intercultural understanding and communicative competence in our students. We also know how important it is for students to have a strong first language for learning and wellbeing. Because English is the lingua franca of our community and we are an Englishmedium international school, our challenge is to ensure we are proactive in supporting our bi- and multilingual learners to build and develop the vital connection to their culture through their home language. Particularly as there are now more families in our community who speak at least one language other than English at home than there are those who speak English only at home. 12 | Dunia June 2021
We also understand that our bi- and multilingual students are facing the challenge of a school day in which they are learning English in tandem with the challenge of learning the concepts and content of our learning programme. Not working in a dominant language can be both tiring and stressful, and so we are actively developing our classroom practice, our available resources, and our learning environment to support students to use all their available languages while learning. Our focus on better supporting a students’ first language development has seen far-reaching long term programme development, through initiatives such as the Home Language Programme (HLP), which supports learners as young as K1 to maintain their home language through lessons in small classes with a qualified teacher. In the Infant School, we have begun surveying all incoming families about their child’s language profile so that we can, where possible, place incoming students in the K1 cohort with a ‘language buddy’ in their class. Whether the student speaks English fluently or not, the presence of a peer who speaks the same home language can be leveraged by the class teacher to help our youngest learners to retain their home language skills—and their self confidence and identity—by providing them with opportunities to use, and reinforce, their learning in their home language. We have now extended the language survey to all families, so that we can better understand our students linguistic profile and the aspirations and goals that parents have for their
child’s linguistic development while at UWCSEA. This survey data will help to inform future planning for language provision and teacher recruitment. For individual students, it means class teachers will be able to identify opportunities to encourage students to utilise their dominant language to support their learning when planning lessons. This ‘translanguaging approach’ is not delivered as a whole class lesson to all students. Rather, it is an intentional strategy that teachers draw on as necessary in personalising the classroom experience for each student, helping them play to their strengths by allowing them to access and process their learning by using their home language. This enhances their conceptual understanding of the subject, whilst helping them maintain and develop their academic knowledge in, and of, their home language. We have also undertaken some exciting curriculum development work this year in the High School. A new first language course for those Grade 9 and 10 students who are speakers of Dutch, French, German, Japanese and Korean, co-created by our first language teachers, launches this August. The decision of Cambridge International Examinations board to discontinue IGCSE First Language courses in Japanese, Korean, French and Dutch provided the initial impetus for us to create this bespoke first language course, which has been several years in careful development. The result is a course for our first language students that not only better prepares them for their IB language courses, but allows a more academically rigorous and explicitly mission-aligned course. It is
A selection of posters being installed on our campuses as part of a linguistic landscaping project.
organised into six core units, which are common across all languages. The two skills-based foundational units, covering linguistic and literary competence, are integrated with the remaining four units which are organised around the themes of identity and language, culture and contexts, sustainability and environmental issues, and global citizenship. All students are working to attain the same conceptual understandings and skills, but do so through learning in their own first language. Across our campuses, the first stages of an extensive linguistic landscaping project will be installed over the long break, in readiness for August 2021. Linguistic landscaping refers to how public spaces ‘feel’ and includes both what we see and hear. It is important both functionally and symbolically; even what appear to be small changes, such as installing multilingual signage, send a significant message that the linguistic identities of all community
members are important to us all. In the long term, by paying attention to our linguistic landscape at UWCSEA we are challenging prevailing notions of which languages have high status, and increasing the likelihood that our bilingual students will feel proud to speak their home languages at school. In turn, increased opportunities to use their language in authentic contexts will encourage all of our students to develop stronger linguistic identities.
And what about monolingual students? Well, the good news is that research has shown that there are immense benefits for all members of a community who implement positive approaches to bi- and multilingualism. In this environment, our monolingual students develop greater crosslinguistic awareness and intercultural understanding, which in turn supports their development as bilingual learners of a new foreign language.
Some of the more visible signs of all this activity will include installation of multilingual signage, including functional and mission-aligned messaging. The translation of the new signage gathered input from the student councils and staff. A collective effort to translate the selected text was followed by student-teacher discussion to ensure each translation captured the meaning in our context. In the coming year, we hope to provide additional multilingual materials for families.
All of these changes are guided by our five-year UWCSEA Strategy, which aims to bring our practice into greater alignment with our mission. We realise, as a College, that some practices no longer support the needs of our students and that by adjusting aspects of our programme which were rooted in monolingual assumptions, the College will move closer to achieving our mission: to use education as a force for peace in the world.
June 2021 Dunia | 13
INTERVIEW
Focused on the future
Creating conditions for peace “There’s no luck involved in me coming to a school focused on peace.” By Fauzan Aryaputra, Grade 11, East Campus Damian Bacchoo joined UWCSEA East as High School Principal in February 2021. He was interviewed by students from the service Capturing East who found his answers were insightful, his demeanour warm, and his investment in the wellbeing of the student body incontestable. Before joining UWCSEA, Damian’s most recent positions had been leading a project to set up a new international school in Switzerland and as Global Head of Programme for the International Baccalaureate (IB). What drew him to UWCSEA were the overlaps between the work he was doing at the IB and the UWC mission statement: “[…] the mission for the International Baccalaureate was almost identical to the UWC mission.” For Damian, the draw of UWCSEA was that the College’s values not only drive learning, but the equal treatment of all five elements of the learning programme. As a parent whose children will be attending this school come August 2021 he hopes that, “they will find meaning, and I want them to be busy doing stuff that they love.” One area that Damian is particularly passionate in tackling is the issue of mental health. He believes that our mental health is one of the components that build up that idea of one’s best self, and that actively speaking about mental health is a key step in moving forward. Another area which Damian feels is important to address is the issue of relevance: is what students are learning about in their classrooms relevant? Will students use this knowledge in their futures? One’s educational journey is rarely ever complete without hearing a classmate grumbling about the impracticality of a topic being taught in class, and as Damian believes, rightly so, “That question of relevance has always
been in my head—is that relevant? Do I need to know this? And I always question that [asking] “what are the jobs? Where is the future of work? What skills will employers need?”” Looking forward, he hopes to move towards more diversity in the academic opportunities offered in the High School, allowing students to freely follow their passions and interests. Damian spent nine years in the British Army, gaining a perceptive understanding of the need for peace-keeping: “I had to see what non-peace looks like to understand why it’s worth fighting for [a peaceful world]. That means we have to create an environment where people understand each other, respect each other, and accept each other’s differences.” Damian went on to emphasise the importance of the UWC mission and being mission-driven as a school, saying that the best way to create the conditions for peace is through education. When asked about what advice he would give to a younger version of himself, Damian talked about the satisfaction he receives from doing service and wishes it could have been a part of his life earlier on. Giving up his time for something that makes a difference is very rewarding; and while he knows that his actions alone aren’t going to change the world, it is the ability to make a small difference in someone else’s life that he feels is important. To students, his advice is be to be kind to themselves: “Being kind, sometimes, to yourself might just be as simple as focusing on being happy for yourself.” Damian has observed that students are so often focused on trying to meet expectations set by external sources that they lose sight of their own wellbeing. “Until you can respect yourself, it’s very difficult to find it within yourself to look outwards and be able to lead with compassion. When you are in balance, you are then capable of doing what needs to be done.”
Arina Bugrova Grade 11, Karim Idrissov Grade 9 and Jayden Thakrar Grade 6 interviewed Damian as part of the Capturing East Service Group. Find out more about Damian and other UWCSEA East community members on the student-published website: 14 | Dunia June 2021
COMMUNITY NEWS
A welcome like no other
Reflecting on my first year
“My positivity has sprung from working with these inspiring young people.” By Nick Allison, Director of Residential Life, Dover Campus When arriving at Dover Campus in August 2020, I was overwhelmed by the genuine welcome and support offered by everyone across the campus. A number of people commented to me about how tough it must be to start in the role being both new to the UWCSEA and starting the job during the era of COVID-19. In retrospect, this COVID-disrupted year has presented some challenges but since I have never known the UWCSEA boarding houses other than during COVID-19, this is my normal. I know we are all sensitive to how disruptive the pandemic has been to the planned year which normally takes place for the boarding community, and to the experience and expectations of the newer boarders. They have seen many of the key events and highlights lost due to travel restrictions, the unavoidable restraints of social distancing and lockdowns in the wider community. While there have been understandable moments of disappointment and frustration, there has been an overarching spirit of finding alternatives, adapting existing activities or events and a stoical acceptance that some things are simply beyond our control. Whilst there may have been some legitimate reasons for the boarding community to complain about the 2020/2021 school year, there have been some unexpected positives coming from the three-month-long staggered arrival of the residential community, and even from the confines of quarantine and the experiences of remote learning. Many of our new boarders found their integration into the community easier as they had been attending online pastoral welfare group meetings for weeks. The boarding staff team had used these as a forum to support those who were feeling trapped at home or in quarantine, and these evolved into social platforms where new and returning boarders got to meet each other and their houseparents. As new and existing students arrived at the boarding house integration progressed remarkably well.
This meant that as the remaining boarders arrived over the course of months (our last Dover boarder arrived on campus in October 2020!) I was able to get to know everyone by name. If there was a challenge, it was working with the community to manage the ever-changing group dynamic, as we welcomed new arrivals not all at once but individually. This again proceeded with remarkable goodwill and humour. With the end of year holidays fast approaching, we are once again planning for a much-needed break from the boarding house for our boarders. With assistance from the wider College community we have been generously supported with offers from UWCSEA families to host boarders. We are mindful that a minority of the boarders have not been home for a year now and host families are generously offering an alternative home environment. Whilst staying in Singapore will be different, it presents an opportunity to build new relationships and to experience Singapore with their friends and the wider UWCSEA boarding family. Overall it has been a very positive and enjoyable experience more often because of the way that the boarding community approached the restrictions and limitations of the year. My positivity has sprung from the reflection that if this is a difficult year, working with these inspiring young people, then I am certainly looking forward to a normal year!
In a non-COVID-19 year I would have been getting to know all our boarders at once. As it was, I started with around 50. June 2021 Dunia | 15
GRADUATI
#UWCSEA
DOVER
As graduation returned to campus for the first t students wore their national dress to receive th for celebration, determination and tireless effo of 2021 had a ceremony to mark the moment measures across Singap
321 students
25 scholars
52 countries
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that bonds of love and friendship don’t need physical proximity to remain strong. So as we depart and join the vast alumni network, remember to look out for one another. Check in with people that you haven’t spoken to in a while. Say thank you and goodbye to those that have made a difference in your life. Be kind to yourself and others because you never know the impact it may have. Elena Chesser ’21 and Erynn Lau ’21 Student speakers
Now more than ever our choices and actions matter. I believe we can be symbols of the openness and commitment to diversity that is characteristic of the UWC movement. As the world seeks to divide, you can continue to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. I am hopeful and optimistic because in front of me are the people who can redefine success as we know it. Rebecca Butterworth High School Principal, Dover Campus
ION 2021
AFOREVER
EAST
time since 2011, many of our 583 graduating heir UWCSEA High School Diploma. A cause ort from our community ensured the Class t, despite the tightening of safe-distancing pore just days before.
262 students
Class of 2021 I have suggested to you that if you make room for moments of wonder, and if you adopt a dignity culture then you have every chance of creating the sort of life where you’ll leave things better than you found them, for you and for those fortunate enough to know you. Across a lifetime, that’s a noble goal. We hope we have helped you start on a good path. Nick Alchin Head of East Campus
This is the end of the end and the beginning of the beginning. We should remember the people that have made us stronger by making us more vulnerable. There’s just so many of you that have made this whole journey worth every bit of the ups and downs and that goes for all of us. It’s because of you that we have graduated despite the odds. There’s something uniquely vibrant about a moment of pure joy during a period of hardship. Look around you–this is that moment. I think it’s fair to say good times never felt so good. Phunziro Phuza ’21 Student speaker
27 scholars
57 countries
FEATURE
A scholars journey For a scholar, a UWC education provides a remarkable opportunity to gain qualifications that will set them on a lifelong path toward success, along the way developing the qualities and skills that will help them to enact the mission in their communities as their bias for action is enhanced. Despite the current global challenges, our UWCSEA Scholarship Programme continues to receive tremendous support from our community. This support means we can continue to welcome this group of exceptional and resilient students to our UWC global family. In the face of the current pandemic, which has impacted vulnerable communities the most, we are grateful that we can continue to offer scholarships to students who are drawn from these communities around the world, and to welcome them into ours. What does this mean for an individuals journey with UWCSEA? And beyond boarding, who else do these students connect with while here? Our graduating scholar from Malawi, Phuza ’21 shares his journey to, and through, UWCSEA:
ONE
TWO
THREE
Becoming a scholar
Life far from home
Connecting on campus
“The way I found out about the UWC scholarships was through the Principal at my old school. He told me about it while I was working as an assistant teacher in my gap year, having finished my IGSCEs. I applied, I went to the interviews, and it was a fun time, something new. Then there was a period of silence where it was just guessing whether I got in or not. And then I got in.
“So with boarding, there’s the part of leaving your family. But what boarding does is that it gives you another one. It gives you a whole new support system and in ways that you wouldn’t get from your family at home.
Kim Duffy, Primary School Teamer on East Campus explains, ‘The buddy program is where our younger students get to connect with our boarder buddies and scholars staying in the boarding house. Phuza is our boarder buddy, and we’ve been really lucky to be able to connect with him. He’s shared his culture, a little bit about his life and his perspective on life in the boarding house. The children love to get together with him, whether it is on a Google Meet or it’s a big wave across the playground when they see him.”
Finding out was overwhelming. When I heard which school I was going to, I was, like, “Sign me up. I’m going.” No questions asked. I found out when I was at work, and instantly, I just asked my boss, “Can I take a minute break? I want to call my parents.” Screaming through the phone, they were so happy.”
You learn things about countries you’d never have known, you learn about cultures you didn’t know could exist. You also learn to accept them as well because you see the beauty inside those cultures, and you learn how to think differently as well. And it’s so beautiful because you start questioning yourself, like, “How could I have never realised that in the beginning?” Your mind just opens so much. I honestly believe that you can’t come to UWC and leave as the same person.”
Phuza describes the connection he has built with his class this year as, “really heartwarming; even though we can’t meet in a physical classroom at the moment, doing the dance from afar, and them showing their support for my exams. It was so nice just to see that even though we can’t physically be in the same room. It’s so nice.”
You can’t come to UWC and leave as the same person.”
18 | Dunia June 2021
How is a scholar selected? Leon Toh ’06 is a UWC Adriatic alumnus who volunteers on the Singapore UWC National Committee and the UWCSEA Board of Governors. Leon explains how most scholars come to be selected, “UWC has the national committee system with around 150 countries represented by volunteers who run independent annual scholarship award processes so as to select high potential students from their own geography. We take them to UWC where they meet other scholars and changemakers—live, learn and work alongside them. Hopefully, we take them from a very local scale and widen their perspective.”
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
Engaging the community
Graduation and beyond
Long term impact
UWCSEA Foundation Parent Ambassador, Eleanor Great describes the community engagement activities organised for the scholars to connect with the UWCSEA community outside the school day as, “important because they really help to extend the reach of the UWC mission. It’s a lovely way for families to connect with scholars and the impact that they make. And it makes it a bit of a family affair. It has a kind of a ripple effect to a much wider audience.”
“I am praying that I do get to go back home and see my family before I go to university. Because it’s been long and the phone doesn’t do justice for everything I’ve experienced and learned. Then after that I’ve been blessed with a scholarship to the US to study business.
Phuza will attend the University of Richmond in the US on a full scholarship, funded in part by the generous long-running Davis UWC Scholars programme.
Phuza adds, “I can’t even count the amount of new friends that I have made and all have different stories; some are scholars like me, others are boarders, and some are day students. The community here at UWCSEA is incredibly positive and comforting and I can’t think of a better place to have spent this part of my life.”
I came in wanting to do business, and I still want to do business. It’s just the reason and motive behind it has changed because of what I’ve learned. The thinking back at home is that you can do business to make money, have a good life and all. But since learning about ethics and sustainability, this has changed the reason why you’d want to do something. So I want to do something to help people and to make sure I do it ethically and sustainably.”
“After I’ve done everything I need to do in terms of my education in university and UWC, I know I definitely want to go back home [to Malawi] and make a difference there.” Zikomo kwambiri, ndiku sangalatsa.
Thank you on behalf of our scholars for your continued support.
Learn more about our scholarship programme and meet more of our scholars:
June 2021 Dunia | 19
COMMUNITY NEWS
Building an ecosystem of innovation and Innovation initiatives at UWCSEA support students to take their original concepts from ideation to launch, learning from both their successes and mistakes as they are encouraged to develop an entrepreneurial mindset as they seek opportunities and possibilities to: • make the world a better place • design products, services, and systems of value • reduce our impact on the planet
Smart City Programme and Challenge In February and March 2021, UWCSEA hosted the Smart City Programme and Challenge in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation (HMC/KIA). Over 40 High School students from both campuses attended the programme, which kicked off with an interactive lecture series. Delivered by experts, the six-hour launch programme addressed themes of new mobility solutions, cleantech, energy, new smart services and smart infrastructure in relation to smart cities. Culminating in a hackathon on Saturday, 27 March at the IDEASHub, 11 teams of students were supported by HMC/KIA and UWCSEA staff as they created a business case for an initiative on a smart city topic of their choice. A panel of experts judged the final projects with students competing for prizes generously supplied by HMC/KIA. The combination of lecture series and hackathon gave students both insights and hands-on experience of how technology is changing the world around them— and how they can help to develop viable solutions for the future. Congratulations to all students who took part. Thank you to our partners at HMC/KIA for helping to deliver this programme for our students.
Winning ideas Congratulations to our student teams: 1st place: SocioPonics, a modular, smart, affordable, and configurable hydroponic unit to promote social gardening and provide smart communities with clean and healthy sources of nutrition. Rehaan and Winston (Grade 12) 2nd place: Smart Fitness, new workout experience through smart technology and infrastructure. Nicolau, Samh, Rasmus, Shreya and Pei (Grade 11) 3rd place: Optimisation of tree distribution, using data analytics to optimise planting outcomes. Uditi, Aakash, Anvay and Yuri (Grade 11)
20 | Dunia June 2021
collaboration The IDEAS Hub at Dover and the newly established UWCSEA East Innovation ecosystem encourage students of all ages to internalise an innovator’s mindset, think critically and to connect and collaborate with their local community as they seek to create solutions to real-world issues. This year, we were pleased to host the Smart City Programme and Challenge at the IDEAS Hub, and see the development of a number of strands under the UWCSEA East Innovation, which included establishing infrastructure such as Tinkering Pods for Junior School students and supporting students to participate in range of activities—see a write up on page 22 from Wall-East #8540 on their rookie year in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
UWCSEA East Innovation launch year This year the aim has been to establish innovation as a focus of creative community engagement and entrepreneurial student activity across the campus. A range of existing student initiatives were brought together and nurtured under the umbrella of East Innovation, while a number of new ideas were explored or expanded, such as the identification of locations around campus where a maker community mindset can be encouraged. Junior School Tinkering Pods As part of the Maker Community initiative, the Junior School now enjoys a tinkering area in the Grade 4 and 5 shared pod space. This provides students with daily access to hand tools and recycled materials, encouraging their creativity and STEM skills. Planning for the future While the longer term may see the establishment of a dedicated innovation space on East Campus, for the moment the focus is on supporting students to take their original concepts from ideation to launch—in essence, using their ideas to create solutions to realworld problems and needs within their own community as they are empowered to create innovative products, services and systems:
Developing products with distinguishing features and functionality
Making a product or process easier to try, use, and enjoy for a purpose
Designing complementary products and services to create robust, scalable systems
Examples may include:
Examples may include:
Examples may include:
• • • • • •
• • • • • •
• • • • • •
Circular Design Modular Design Game Design Robotics Industrial Design eTextiles
Sharing Economy UX Experience Augmented Reality Community Partnership Coding Social Startups
Sustainable Food Planet Centric Design Open-Source Platforms Internet of Things Smart City eWaste
June 2021 Dunia | 21
COMMUNITY NEWS
FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION By Wall-East #8540, East Campus We are a group of 31 High School students who have just completed our rookie season in the “FIRST Robotics Competition” (FRC). Our team, Wall-East #8540, is passionate about building robots and we have been privileged to share our enthusiasm and promote STEM in our community through the FRC this year. During the summer of 2020, we participated in a skill-building session in Java programming and Fusion 360 (computer-aided design software) organised by FRC team Elev8 from Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai, India. We also joined webinars and learned how to approach our school, conduct outreach and about the design and development process for building our robot. We presented our ideas to the school at the start of the year and in late August registered our team—6 members in outreach, 15 in programming, and 10 in construction. Having laid the groundwork, we began tackling the challenges. We interacted with numerous veteran teams in Singapore and India for advice regarding robot construction and team management, including Team Elev8 and Singapore-based Beyond the Flames from NPSI and One Degree North from SAS. These partnerships were crucial, allowing us to improve our technical skills and learn the intricacies of the competition.
Outreach Outreach is a significant aspect of the FIRST Robotics Competition. We wanted to do our part by spreading STEM awareness as far as we could, so team members became teaching assistants for courses in CAD and Java being offered to girls in India through one of our GC partners. We helped them gain skills that enhanced their STEM education and mentored them as they entered their FIRST Tech Challenge by designing and building robots using the skills we helped teach them. We also conducted webinars about FRC with schools in Singapore, India and Hong Kong, with many now planning to start robotics programs next year with our help. To ensure girls are represented and aware of STEM opportunities we also launched a “Girls for STEM” campaign and plan to conduct webinars with female industry leaders.
Programming and electricals We fumbled our way through the circuitry and programming tasks at the start of the year. However as the competition drew closer, our team stepped up to the challenge to get the robot driving, coming out the other side 22 | Dunia June 2021
with a much deeper understanding of both the technical and collaborative skills required to make this competition successful. There are still many challenges we haven’t been able to overcome, such as pneumatics and autonomous control, but we are excited to tackle those problems next year.
Construction Our lack of experience in designing and building robots was a major drawback. Through a series of mishaps, iterative loops, and quite a bit of “scuffing” we faced hundreds of challenges—ranging from technical issues (we blew a fuse and couldn’t identify the problem for an hour), to setting up outreach—and achieved what we had previously thought to be unthinkable. Our mentors helped us with every step of this journey: from indecisiveness regarding the robot’s design to an unfortunate, near-fatal fall of the robot from a table, we learned from the experience and with a refined perspective, we look forward to next year’s competition.
Results Team Wall-East #8540 had a successful rookie year: we completed
construction of a robot, competed in several challenges, collaborated with other teams, and conducted successful outreach activities. All our hard work paid off when we were awarded the FRC Rookie Game Changer Award in the pacific region, and Team Captain Vedant earned the Dean’s List Award across the pacific region. At the time of writing, we are awaiting the results of the world championships.
What is the FIRST Robotics Competition? Combining timed team challenges with the rigors of science and technology, the FIRST Robotics Competition is billed as the ‘ultimate Sport for the Mind’. Working to strict rules, with limited time and resources, teams of High School students worldwide are challenged to raise funds, hone teamwork and collaboration skills, while they build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against likeminded competitors.
COMMUNITY NEWS
CONNECTING WITH SINGAPORE
Reflecting on IPS Singapore Perspectives By Linh and Meira, East Campus and Valeria, Dover Campus The annual flagship Singapore Perspectives conference by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) was held from 12 to 25 January 2021. Underpinned by the current COVID-19 crisis, the conference explored decision making for the future—in line with the overarching theme of the conference, “Reset”. Split over the course of three days, most sessions were held over interactive zoom calls, with the focus for each day framed around the key values articulated in the Singapore Pledge: progress and prosperity; happiness, justice and equality; and a democratic society. The final conference day featured in-person plenary sessions, which we had the privilege of attending. Valeria describes the final hybrid conference day featuring in-person plenary sessions: Arriving at the venue we initially felt out of place. Three in 250, around us a socially distanced sea of blazers and pencil skirts. Once we found our name cards, we had our rapid COVID-19 test. Expecting a painful experience, we were pleasantly surprised when it felt more like a tickle. 20 minutes later we got a text message declaring us healthy! May the conference begin. Finding our seat we entered an enormous conference hall. The first panel began shortly after, all about the future of business in Singapore. Conversations talking about the potential of Singapore taking a more active role as an entrepreneurship hub (rather than remaining as a travel/ connection hub) were most intriguing. We then had lunch, which was followed by a session about politics in Singapore. With representatives from different political parties answering contentious questions. The day concluded with a statement by the Minister of Education. Linh shares her thoughts on the forums related to ‘Politics and Governance: To Build a Democratic Society’: The last three virtual forums on 19 January were the ones that I enjoyed the most, perhaps because the topics were more relatable to a global politics student like me. The COVID-19 pandemic put a pause to almost everything and brought about challenges that we had and still have to face in the most unexpected and unprepared way. I liked how in the last forum of ‘Global Trends, Social Movement and Democracy,’ the guest speakers provided a lot of interesting data on how democratic trends or populism were changing in a more drastic and evident way due to the COVID-19 situation.
Overall, even though the approaches to the topics varied among guest speakers, I can still see a shared optimistic view on the political trends in Singapore 2030 and the potential signs, particularly an ever‐increasing amount of civic participation among younger generations of the country. All the knowledge and opinions were valuable to me, especially because I came to Singapore only four months before the conference, and it was a great opportunity to learn more about the country in terms of its politics and governance. Meira describes the forums related to ‘Society: To Bring Happiness; Based on Justice and Equality’: I thoroughly enjoyed all the days of the conference and found that I learnt most about Singapore’s inclusive approach to jobs and employment during this time of economic recession—as demonstrated through initiatives such as fiscal support to low-income workers, subsidies for local employment and a progressive wage model. However, forum 4: identities and cohesion, struck me as the most interesting, particularly because of the social issues discussed related to a multicultural and racially diverse place like Singapore. Some of the most intriguing discussions were around rising social movements of exclusivism and intolerance (things like ‘cancel culture’ and the politicisation of religion) as well as the role of the state in matters such as religion (digital literacy, censorship, policies). A point was mentioned about the importation of new ideas by the youth, and how there was a rise of more heated exchanges of ideas. In particular, I recall a question being proposed to the panellists about Chinese privilege in Singapore, and there was a consensus that it was a Western concept not relevant to Singapore’s history and context. While I do understand the opposition to the label, I hoped for more discussion around how Singapore has specifically addressed inequalities between the races, and the pros and cons of Singapore’s system of meritocracy in these issues. All in all, this conference has been greatly beneficial in allowing me to listen to all kinds of professionals from different sectors, exposing me to a variety of views on current contentious topics and plans for the future. I also learnt from the audience who posed well-thought-out questions to the panellists.
June 2021 Dunia | 23
FEATURE
Building back green Our Singapore context for the UWC climate compact Wellbeing for all, within the means of nature.” UWCSEA definition of sustainable development, adopted from Global Footprint Network As the world prepares for COP26 in November 2021, the 18 UWC schools and colleges have united to issue a joint commitment to tackling the threat of global climate change. Together, we have pledged to name how we intend to contribute to a resilient, net zero global economy that protects, values and rebuilds the natural world. By COP26, we have committed to sharing how our communities will work towards a series of aims which seek to maximise our contribution to all three dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental and social. Collectively, our aims are to: • equip students with concrete skills, experiences and pathways that will maximise their personal contribution towards the Paris Goals and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSGDs) • work to further create and promote educational programmes that radically alter our view of the planet as a resource in the service of economic development • develop climate action programming with a solutions focus rather than simply problem identification • clearly signal the role climate justice has in addressing global disparities and inequities related to management of resources, land rights, consumerism, corporate responsibility and social justice generally • report our own climate impact, as a basis to inform our solution-based efforts, and enable cooperation among the UWC schools and colleges in implementing individual climate strategies
Aligning with Singapore For UWCSEA, our contribution to the global UWC compact will be enhanced by our location, as we look to play our part in creating a sustainable Singapore and align our actions with the SG Green Plan 2030. This ambitious, whole-ofnation sustainable development agenda, announced by the Singapore Government in 2021, supports the UN’s 2030 Agenda and adopts the UNSDGs as priorities. The five pillars of the SG Green Plan also cut across all three dimensions of sustainable development: City in Nature; Energy Reset; Green Economy; Resilient Future; and Sustainable Living. 24 | Dunia June 2021
Both of these initiatives align with the UWCSEA Strategy 2018–2023, which identified Peace and a Sustainable Future as one of the four key Areas of Focus. The progress we have already made in this area has served to highlight the interwoven nature of working for peace and creating a sustainable future–and underlined how we can only be effective in either domain in the long term if we frame our actions as a systemic response. In the UWCSEA Strategy, we aligned our response with the UNSDGs to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all within the means of nature. Guiding our work since 2018, our commitment to activities that will align our actions with our aspiration have included defining our approach to sustainable development and making explicit links in both our educational programme and our operational behaviours. Students learn and engage with sustainable development from K–12 and recognise their role as stewards of the environment. Following a systemic review of our practices, the lens of sustainability is used to support ethical decision making across the College. Student learning is directly connected to many of our initiatives, as we seek to connect students with real-world examples of sustainable practice in action.
Marking our progress, planning our future As we look for ways to further embed and accelerate our already extensive commitment to creating a sustainable future, a sustainability workshop on Earth Day 2021 brought together educational and operational leaders from both campuses to share thinking and map our progress. The day served to highlight the many ways in which UWCSEA is already working to fulfil our commitment, and to align with the aims of the UWC climate compact. In particular, we celebrated the way that UWCSEA’s curriculum has been articulated strategically to have sustainable development embedded throughout all five elements of the learning programme. Students are connected with opportunities to become aware of the issues and to build a personal changemaker toolkit so that they are equipped to make informed, purposeful action in support of the UNSDGs. Our student-led initiatives in solar panel installations are an
example of the success of this approach—what started as a Grade 5 student asking why his school didn’t install more solar panels and investigating options for his Grade 5 Expo has resulted in a multi-year project that has seen hundreds of our students involved in learning about, raising funds for and installing over 1,700 solar panels on the roofs of both campuses. The learning is experienced by students through the numerous activities that make up the Service and Sustainable Development programmes on our campuses. Students are guided in their understanding of the issues and challenges that face those working to address the UNSGDs and are empowered to find and test solutions on campus, under the umbrellas of Conversation, Permaculture and Zero Waste. Through the combined efforts of students and teachers working alongside our gardening staff and landscaping teams, our campuses have become noticeably greener places that provide more opportunities for all in our community to connect with nature. Our long term commitment to initiatives such as the Rainforest Restoration Project sees students and staff working alongside our partners at NParks and the National University of Singapore to help preserve the biodiversity in Singapore by raising endangered rainforest species from seed. Our students can also complete a twoyear UWCSEA Certificate in Tropical Rainforest Restoration. Our commitment to accountability for the impact of our physical facilities and operational decisions also began over a decade ago as we launched ambitious multi-year projects to
design and build East Campus and to renovate and rejuvenate the aging Dover Campus. Our industry-leading innovations in technology and green design mean we continue to operate both campuses as Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Platinum Super Low Energy sites. Used as educational resources for our students, in partnership with the BCA, both sites are also showcased to industry and organisations across Singapore and beyond as working models of successful sustainable building design, retro-fitting and management. Initiatives such as the 3for2 energy smart office prototype which was successfully trialed in the construction of the High School building on Dover Campus, recycled water collection and use strategies, and food waste management through student composting activities and oil recycling for biofuel are all examples of our long-term vision for ensuring our campuses are functioning models for student learning in an environment that places all decisions in the frame of sustainable development. (Even this magazine is printed on recycled paper with environmentally friendly ink, and was mailed to readers in a bag made from recycled material.) The collective discussion at the Earth Day workshop was, we hope, a springboard to leverage the extensive framework already in place. In our 50th year we will celebrate our progress to date, even as we seek to identify ways we can extend it into the future. As the world “builds back better” from COVID-19, we appeal to all to “build back green” through sustainable practice—together we can build new systems to support wellbeing for all, including nature. June 2021 Dunia | 25
FEATURE
WORDS TO LIVE BY Putting our UWCSEA Values into Action If you ask any student, staff or parent at the College about the UWC mission, they will likely all be able to speak, many compellingly, about what the mission says and why it matters. But if you ask the same people about the College values, you may get many different answers. Not everyone can identify the values, let alone name them or explain why they make a difference. And yet the values, even more than the mission, define the behaviours we expect from ourselves and each other and build culture for our whole community. In 2020, under the leadership of Carma Elliot, College President, the College embarked on a review of our values, which were inherited from the UWC movement as a series of long sentences in an unusual mixture of values, dispositions and behaviours. The movement had reviewed and updated their model, but the College had yet to
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follow suit. From the start, the project was conceived as a ‘Values in Action’ project, which would result in not just a revised set of values, but clarity around the behaviours that would bring those values to life. Through a series of interactive consultations with students, staff and parents, Carma and the team identified the elements of the existing values that resonated most with our community members, as well as what was missing and what needed more prominence. Extensive analysis of the input, led by the Directors of Teaching and Learning on each campus, resulted in just seven words that captured the concepts within the feedback and together, clearly and unapologetically, expressed the types of behaviour we collectively believed we wanted to see in our community. The values ‘unpacked’ in the table on the opposite page include explanations
and elaborations of each of the seven words. Through the 2020/2021 school year, the values have been ‘tested’ in various scenarios. Lizzie Bray, Head of Dover Campus, describes how she was bringing staff members from across Dover Campus—who did not know each other well—to work together on a new project that was guaranteed to stimulate conflicting views. In the kickoff meeting, the staff spent some time working with the values, to establish the behaviours they would bring to the meetings to allow for conflict while ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes. At the same time groups involved in a review of the medical provision for staff relied on the values to set up the principles of negotiation. The 50th anniversary planning team uses the values as a lens through which to select activities and events. Each time the values have ‘stood up’ as being fit for purpose.
In the final months of the year, parent communities came together in small groups online and face to face (in the brief hiatus when that was allowed!) to identify how those values might play out as a set of community agreements for the parent community. The workshops explored the link between these values (what we expect from ourselves and each other) and the behaviours (actions) that will demonstrate they are being lived on campus and supporting the culture of the College. Parents completed the sentence “In our parent community, the value of x can be seen in such behaviours as y.” A follow-up survey for the whole community gave others the opportunity to input and a set of Community Agreements will be put in draft, for testing and launch in the 2021/2022 school year in honour of our 50th! Creating and then living by school values can be difficult. It would be far easier to rely on each individual to interpret the meaning of the values as they see fit, rather than engage in the complex negotiation required to agree on the nuances of meaning in order to come to a collective agreement on what we expect from ourselves and each other as a community. But creating shared meaning is exactly what will make the process successful. The Values in Action process provides all of us with a set of values, and accompanying behaviours and agreements, that will ultimately hold each of us to account for the culture we are building as a community. And that makes them words to live by.
UWCSEA Values
Creating shared meaning: elaborating on the concepts underpinning each value
Commitment
• embracing challenge • engagement • perseverance • dedication to the mission • resilience • purpose • grit • diligence • passion • autonomy
Compassion
• empathy • kindness • help • compassionate • caring • support • forgiveness • encouragement • generosity • balance • happiness • gratitude
Inclusion
• diversity • belonging • acceptance • equity • equality • collaboration • teamwork • multicultural • avoid prejudice • fairness • unity • community • intercultural competence • identity • friendship • local community • harmony
Integrity
• principled • honesty • accountability • authenticity • being your best self • maximising your potential • idealism • challenging status quo • courage • independence • self management • authenticity • evidence-based • critical thinking
Openness
• willingness to listen • withholding judgement • humility • openness to other ways of being • curiosity • changing one’s perspective based on new evidence • perspectives • tolerance • flexibility
Responsibility
• to one another, to the planet and to future generations • action orientation • morally responsible • duty • moral and ethical service obligation • agency • minimising harmful impacts • empowerment • leadership for positive change
Trust
• presumption of positive intent • do no harm • building and maintaining relationships • connection • self awareness • loyalty • respect
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COMMUNITY NEWS
Our service learning programme provides students with opportunities to create mutual understanding and deep personal connections. Pictured: Apex Harmony Lodge, 2012
Community relationships and student service learning
Opportunities during the global pandemic As we look ahead to the College’s 50th anniversary in 2021/2022, we celebrate the important role Service has played in our history. At the heart of the UWC mission, Service enables students to actively contribute to resolving social and environmental problems, both locally and globally. When students deepen their understanding of why these problems exist, they realise that everyone can play a part in taking informed, purposeful action. All students, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, are involved in our Service Learning programme every year. UWCSEA has partnerships with over 50 local Singapore service organisations, some of whom we have worked with for over 30 years. These long-term relationships have allowed the UWCSEA community to connect with Singapore, creating pathways for intercultural learning and mutual understanding. For many students some of their most memorable experiences come through their Service commitments during their time at the College. The social distancing requirements necessitated by the global pandemic have presented a challenge to our Service programme. But because community relationships are at the heart of UWCSEA, the College and our students were determined to find ways to continue to connect and to be of service to our partners.
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Phase One When Singapore’s circuit breaker commenced in March 2020, students were challenged to think critically and creatively about how they could continue to serve their partner organisations. Students chose to use this time to extend their learning; they conducted in-depth research and reflected about how they truly could be of use to the local community. “Through my research I realised that I knew a lot less than I thought I did about people with intellectual disabilities and I really wanted to improve the activities we offer every week so the clients can enjoy themselves and we can be as helpful as possible,” said Blanca ’21, an East Campus student who was challenged to reimagine her local service contribution at the midpoint of her year-long Grade 11 service commitment.
Phase Two and Three As safe distancing measures continued throughout 2020 and, at the time of writing, well into 2021, many student groups pivoted to delivering online Service via video conferencing tools. They rethought their weekly activities and figured out ways to engage clients online; not a straightforward task, when dealing with differing physical, mental and learning abilities. In many cases, students relied on the staff at the partner organisations to assist with the set-up of iPads and laptops and for feedback about how the new activities were
SUN-DAC service group students have been challenged to design and deliver creative, engaging activities for their clients.
In this time of safe-distancing, residents have really appreciated and looked forward to the online sessions run by the UWCSEA students. When we are able to have sessions in person again, we would like to have both physical and virtual sessions, so we can include more residents, and continue to put to use everything we have learned about technology.” Nikki Goh, Associate Psychologist, APEX Harmony Lodge, East Campus partner
received and what could be improved. Although the loss of in-person interaction was disappointing, students rose to the challenge, and have become comfortable with running online sessions for their partners. Arshiya, a Grade 10 student on East Campus reflects, “Initially, with the sudden transition to online Service, our service group were challenged to come up with engaging activities for our clients (SUN-DAC). Devising in-person sessions that were allinclusive and fun for all was already challenging. Grabbing our client’s attention online was even harder, and we had to bring a great deal of enthusiasm and work through all the technical challenges. We were challenged to become innovative, creative and better critical thinkers.” Kate Levy, Head of High School English and SUN-DAC Service supervisor, says,“It has been quite remarkable to hear students independently critiquing and adjusting what they do in the sessions, as they observe the reactions of our buddies and constantly assess whether they are engaged, happy, and learning with us. A steep, deep and powerful learning curve for our students.” During periods of safe distancing, many of the residential homes that our students visit regularly were closed to visitors, leaving the clients without in-person visits from family members or friends. As a result, making weekly connections with the seniors online has become even more vital to support
well-being in these challenging times, and the clients looked forward to these sessions, perhaps even more so than before. As Nikki Goh, Associate Psychologist at APEX Harmony Lodge, notes, “In this time of safe-distancing, residents have really appreciated and looked forward to the online sessions run by the UWCSEA students. When we are able to have sessions in person again, we would like to have both physical and virtual sessions, so we can include more residents, and continue to put to use everything we have learned about technology.” Although offering an online Service programme was initially daunting for students, their perseverance has helped to deepen the College’s relationships with our Singaporean partner organisations. Community engagement has never been more important and students have shown that it is still possible to be of service to others, despite being far apart. As part of UWCSEA’s 50th anniversary celebrations, in recognition of the powerful role of Service in our community, the College will launch a new podcast series, UWCSEA Stories. Hosts Nisha Farah, Rick Hannah and Frankie Meehan will explore our partnerships with local organisations through interviews with students, alumni, teachers and partners. It will be available on all podcast platforms in the 2021/2022 school year. Stay tuned!
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ALUMNI STORIES
What’s your UWCSEA story? Building our digital anthology
We invite our global community to share their UWCSEA stories of special people, places, ideas and moments that made your UWCSEA experience unique, or shaped your life’s journey beyond the College. To be shared and celebrated throughout our 50th year celebrations, and beyond, we hope your memories will serve to enrich and strengthen the strong connections our community have to each other, to the College and to our mission. Do you have a memory to share? Please email us your story. Not a writer? That’s ok too! Send us a photo or a few details and we’ll be happy to draft on your behalf – alumni@uwcsea.edu.sg
These stories don’t have to be of milestones or momentous occasions but if they are memorable to you, they are part of the story of UWCSEA and how we became who we are today. Examples could be: • personal anecdote or memory of an event or trip • an artefact with a unique story attached • inspiration from a classmate, a teacher or staff member • a reflection on the impact that UWCSEA has made on you Below are a selection of stories from our alumni:
Community: True love at UWCSEA! “Who knew I was sitting next to my future husband, Kris Gourlay, back in the 70’s when UWCSEA was still SIS!”
Sue Gourlay (née Ayres) ’80 We were such lucky kids growing up in a fast changing 70’s Singapore and attending UWCSEA. The opportunities it offered and has continued to give us, in some form, throughout our lives, are what come to mind the most. We will always be grateful for the experience and the life long friendships forged there. Celebrating 50 glorious years of UWCSEA and we both want to say how happy we are to have been part of it.
Campus Life: The Library “I still have my UWCSEA library card. It will always have a spot in my wallet to remind me of this amazing school, the amazing classmates and teachers and how being a student there was a game-changer.”
Hendra Wardi Awaluddin ’98 The UWCSEA library holds many memories for me. Popular books from that era such as Fear Street, Goosebumps and even comics like Cathy and The Far Side were all available there. It was my safe spot when I needed some time for myself. Plus the blasting aircons were a god-send on hot days. Libraries these days are equipped with computers with full speed access to the internet, but when I was there, my “internet” was the microfiche readers with access to an archive of old newspapers. The UWCSEA library is the only place I’ve ever seen that nifty device in person and most likely the only time ever I’ll see one this lifetime. UWCSEA was the place where character defining traits, personality and life long friends were made. My period there was one of the happiest moments of my life so far. Thank you UWC.
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Milestones: First Women’s Football Team “UWCSEA allowed me to explore my own footballing enthusiasm and supported my initiative to be a change-maker for young women, who wanted to play football, but had nowhere to go.”
Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg ’95 I remember when I set up the first UWCSEA women’s football team with my classmate Salina Frohlich ’95. We both loved football but there wasn’t a team for us girls at the time, so we approached the football coach Mr Niedermeyer. He already had his hands very full with the many boys teams who were doing very well, but suggested we ask some of the senior boys to coach us, and so we did. Andrew McLelland ’95 and Aditya Beri ’95 took it upon themselves to train us and UWCSEA’s first women’s football team was born. I still kick about a ball with other women every now and again and get a tear in my eye when I see the next generation of female players train on the field. Thanks UWCSEA for being part of this and my own (very modest and local) footballing history.
Traditions: Multi-generational UWCSEA families “I wore my own UWCSEA uniform to attend my daughter’s K1 Student-led Conference on Dover Campus in May 2021. It still fits!”
Yoonah Shin ’03 It’s wonderful to welcome back so many of our alumni as current parents, committed to providing their children with the same exceptional educational experience that they enjoyed. You can imagine how delightful it was to see Yoonah ’03 being guided around the Infant School Campus by her daughter, Lana ’34, wearing her old uniform. We are thrilled to see the growing number of multigenerational families at UWCSEA.
Community: Teacher Hubert May (1976-1987) “My experience with Mr. May inspired me to seek a career as a medical doctor; he showed how one can make a difference in this world.”
Kenneth Wu ’90 I first met Mr May when I became a boarder at Junior House many years ago. Mr May ran an after school session for First Aid, and resuscitation practice on “Resusci Anne” was at times hilarious as we attempted basic life support. What made Mr May’s sessions “come to life” was his experience as a soldier in the French Special Forces. The techniques he taught us had been used in the forge of battle. My experience with Mr May inspired me to seek a career as a medical doctor; he showed how one can make a difference in this world.
Traditions: UN Night “UWCSEA taught me to dream bigger and seek the unexpected. There are countless times I had to take a leap of faith. UN Night is one of them.”
Ny Ony Razafindrabe ’16 UWCSEA was filled with many small moments like these that built my confidence. Reminding me that taking leaps of faith brings you closer to discovering yourself. And what better way to see your own growth through the eyes of your loved ones? The first time I came back home to Madagascar, my heart was so full seeing how delighted my family were to see me bloom.
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OPINION
Against the gale By Rob Storey, Boarding Houseparent and IB Economics Teacher, East Campus
still. There has been a great sense of loss and a feeling of missing out.
Boarding houses are busy, lively and full of activity, discussion, argument, resolution and most importantly, connection … well, in a normal year they are. A boarding house operating within COVID-19 guidelines in Singapore, is a vastly different environment. Connections are at the very core of human existence. We are incredibly fortunate in boarding to have our connections constantly around us and as a houseparent I feel a great sense of privilege in having conversations within the network of connections every day. Despite this privilege, it has been a very different experience this year, full of challenges and lost connections; connections to family, connections to friends, connections to hobbies and most importantly, connections to purpose.
Yes, our students have missed out on a great many things, from sport to travel to arts, to drama and to traditions; in some ways they have been robbed of experience. Experience from which so many before them have derived great meaning and purpose.
A study in 2015, conducted by the Medical Schools of Brighton and Sussex found that human beings watching others submerge their hand in cold water found their own body temperatures drop significantly. This temperature contagion marked an important step forward in understanding human connection. Human beings empathise with others in pain; unconsciously we connect with those who suffer and we experience physiological changes in this connection. Some have even linked the success of our species to our ability to notice other’s pain and to experience deeply felt physiological and emotional empathy. It is precisely this empathy that strengthens our ability to work and thrive in complex, diverse communities and to drive social change in our environments. However, it is also the very strength of this connection that has led to emotional exhaustion, burnout and numbness as the pandemic has dragged on. I am reminded of the Kae Tempest message on numbness as “a logical response to the onslaught of the age. Numbness, or disconnection, is a lack of true feeling. Maintaining a surface engagement with whatever is going on while at the same time being entirely elsewhere. So consumed with the concerns of the day, the actual events of the day pass unnoticed.” I think everyone who works with children will have connected to this statement in some way this year. I have had many conversations this year about student motivation, boredom and frustration. It has not been easy for them and it has not been easy for us. I derive great purpose and meaning in seeing students flourish and grow, in seeing them develop independence and find their voice. Instead this year we have explored the idea of “languishing”, a feeling of paddling against the gale almost eternally. At times it has felt as though the little boarding world that we inhabit has stood 32 | Dunia June 2021
Yet what I have seen from the students has been incredibly rewarding, they have illustrated time and time again their capacity to endure, to overcome, and to be greater than the challenges that face them. They have expressed frustration at the loss, but have not been overwhelmed by it. Instead they have found new ways to experience life in the constraints of their environment. They have forged friendships and found pleasure in community. Yes they have spent time gaming, a great many hours in fact, but they have done it together—connected. They have gone out in pairs to run, play football, collect comfort food—they have built connections this time of disconnect. They have a lot to be proud of this year, overcoming academic, social and global challenges. Of course, it has not all been easy, and many have struggled with significant challenges. Adolescence is turbulent enough without the added stresses of a global pandemic. While the majority of our students are shielded from the stark impacts, contextually they have experienced significant pressures. It has been a real encouragement to see them develop, and I am incredibly proud of their resilience. I do hope that many of them will be able to see their families over the holiday and reconnect in person. If they are not able to, we will continue to do our best to ensure that they continue to equip themselves with the skills and perspective necessary to escape the languish. I hope that when parents next see their children, who are our boarders, they will be proud of the people that they have become. I have been re-reading books from my childhood in an attempt to stay connected whilst also not being physically with my family. “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac was given to me on my 18th birthday and provides a beautifully blunt solution to the difficulties of the mind in reflecting on the past year, “Nothing behind me, everything in front of me, as is ever so on the road.” I hope you all have a fantastic summer holiday and are able to reconnect with loved ones.
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HYPERLOCAL OUTDOOR EDUCATION In the last week of school our dedicated team of specialist educators salvaged a half day of the COVID-19 interrupted Grade 8 local expedition, leading mentor groups through a half-day of outdoor skills activities on the East Campus. Four mentor groups abseiled the fivestorey stairwell of the Infant School block.