Hahnian Connections

earth world Dunia universe MICA (P) 169/03/2009 December 2009

Hahnian Connections

Round Square is a worldwide association of more than 70 schools on five continents sharing a commitment to the educational principles of Dr Kurt Hahn. Their fundamental objective is the full individual development of each student beyond academic excellence, to personal development and responsibility. It also embraces the importance of service to others, adventure and leadership training, responsibility and international understanding, within the supportive school community. All these are essential in preparing young people to meet the challenges of the future with The theme of the conference was based (From left to right) Duncan Young, Aliya Khan, upon an Indian mantra: ‘Lead me from Shaan Varia, Monica Sharma, Maharaja K.R. Rai confidence and compassion. Rajpal Singh, Jose Luis Gallegos, Silpa Reddy, Enzo the darkness of ignorance to the light of Vasquez Toral and Daniel O"Connor. Membership offers the opportunity for knowledge’. Many of the keynote speak- collaboration between schools in regional ers, who ranged from social activists conferences, student exchanges, scholar- to politicians to motivational speakers, ships and Gap Year programmes and, addressed a need for empowerment, importantly, international service projects. particularly in line with democracy and “The first thing that comes to mind when I The service projects follow Hahn’s belief leadership (two of the Round Square think of the Round Square Conference is that bringing young people from differ- IDEALS). In particular, Democracy was the immense diversity in the people I met, ent backgrounds and cultures together in a heated topic of debate, with many and no matter the differences, I was al- service work is a valuable step towards speakers voicing differing opinions on the ways able to outweigh those differences international understanding. Round process of India’s democratisation. with similarities” Square schools are also committed to working closely with “Partner Schools” Delegates often broke up into 32 smaller Shaan Varia (10NCo) that are economically disadvantaged. discussion groups, named ‘Barazas’, a Swahili word for meeting or forum, where “The Round Square Conference, through This year’s international Round Square much debate took place, giving partici- close contact with the impassioned Conference took place during the Octo- pants a forum to voice opinions on issues speakers such as Aruna Roy and Mallika ber break and was co-hosted by Mayo raised. Sarabha, their messages made me College and Mayo College Girls’ School, feel empowered. It is this unparalleled in Rajasthan, India. The conference was The conference served to diffuse a politi- sensation from which I have derived a attended by 650 delegates from over 70 cal conscience among the students and compulsion to one day instill the same schools in 28 different countries across allowed them to engage with others of feeling in other human beings” six continents. UWCSEA’s delegation various backgrounds and principles over Daniel O’Connor (12HSa) included eight High School students. pressing social issues, with a centralized focus on India’s existing problems.

Music Junior School SEALinks Pages 4-5 Pages 26-29 Page 37

Drama Middle School Alumni Pages 9-10 Pages 30-31 Pages 38-39

Sports High School The Calendar Pages 14-21 Pages 32-35 Page 40 Content Infant School Parents Association Pages 22-25 Page 36 UNITED WORLD COLLEGES Dunia, December 2009 2

Letter from the head Round Square Gap Year Programme

After spending time with Spanish teachers, witnessing their dedication, we came close to understanding what teaching a language is like; and the effort and patience teachers put forth to teach a language to children living in a non-Spanish speaking society.

María and Benjamín

The philosophy of Round Square is en- capsulated in the acronym, IDEALS: In- ternationalism, Democracy, Environment, As part of the Round Square organiza- Adventure, Leadership and Service. tion, several schools worldwide offer Gap Year programmes of varying lengths. Given the close alignment of the UWC Many students take this opportunity to and Round Square philosophies, it gain experience of a new culture and or only seemed natural for the College to a new language. The work involved de- become a member of the Round Square. pends on the school, but this may range Since joining three years ago, students from being a teacher assistant, assist- from Grade 7 upwards have attended ing in boarding house duties, providing both international and regional confer- individual support to students, working in ences and been on exchange visits to outdoor adventure programmes and in other Round Square schools. We have service projects. hosted a regional conference at the Muchas Gracias, Chicos! College and another is scheduled for Thank you very much María and Ben and Maria are our first incoming Gap next June. In addition, the two Gap Year Year students. They both completed their Benjamín! students who are helping with Spanish at IB Diploma last year at Colegio Anglo different levels within the College come Colombiano in Bogota, Colombia. After It was a pleasure to have a couple of from a Round Square school in Colombia this GAP experience, Ben plans to study extra hands to help us organize our - opportunities exist for our students to be at Boston University, USA and Maria will involved in a similar way in other Round Spanish classes, especially at the return to Colombia to study medicine at Square schools. beginning of the school year when Los Andes University. there is so much to do to get started. Looking to the future, like the UWC I am very sure both the children and As a reciprocal exchange programme, movement, the Round Square has plans us, teachers, will miss the “Latin Colegio Anglo Colombiano have extend- to expand its membership to include ed an invitation to our students to go on Blood” in our future lessons. We regions of the world in which it is under- a GAP programme at their school which hope you have found the experience represented, including large parts of teaches both in English and Spanish. useful and we wish you the best in Asia. Allied to this expansion to include your future careers. schools that share a similar philosophy is Working with the Spanish Department as an aspiration to develop ‘partner schools’. Good Luck! teacher assistants in the Junior School of Current members of the Round Square UWCSEA has been an astounding expe- Susana and Gloria are being encouraged to develop relation- rience in a variety of ways. We were able ships with schools from disadvantaged to view the learning process and perceive communities and support them in their how it takes place in a classroom, in ad- development and programmes, an area dition to learning about child psychology we are considering. They also intend to and the crucial components of teaching. extend the membership so that Junior School students can become involved, a Upon arrival, the high number of kids who move we wholeheartedly support. are learning Spanish was flabbergasting. Dunia is published by United World College of South East Asia. Reproduction in any manner Considering it’s not widely spoken in the Julian Whiteley in English or any other language is prohibited region and that minimal practice is avail- without written consent. Please send feedback able, the number of students surpassed to our expectations. We were impressed [email protected] by their willingness to learn and the love Editor Joy Stevenson Sub Editor they had towards learning a different Kate Woodford Layout Lenca Yew language. www.uwcsea.edu.sg Dunia, December 2009 3

Dover UN Food Festival - not just for Primary School “The best day of the year!” ….” It shows our true community spirit”... These were comments made during our ninth Primary School Food Festival which was held in November. It has become an event that the whole community looks forward to, which was made clear as I stood at the door trying the hold back the wave of senior students who had raced from their lessons to make sure they did not miss out on the wonderful food that was on offer. This event only happens because of the goodwill and generosity of over 300 parents who come from all parts of the College. We also have a number of parents whose children have long since left the Primary School but they are still supporting this event. As well as the parent coordinators and helpers, there is also a large team of UWCSEA administra- tive and support staff who ensure that everything runs smoothly. In particular Margaret, assisted by Hani and Lousia, Sebastian and his estates team and Rafi’ee and his electricians, Boon Chye and Alan. A total of $3,612 was collected from staff and non-Pri- mary School students and this will be shared equally amongst the Primary School Global Concerns.

Chris Fensom

Photos by Joseph Tan and Chris Fensom

UWCSEA hosts TeachIT 2009 On Saturday, 21 November UWCSEA Dover hosted over 300 teachers from 11 different international schools in Singapore for the biennial TeachIT training day. During the day the teachers attended over 60 workshops dedicated to improving their IT skills to support teaching and learning. Over 40 presenters, the majority teachers themselves, provided the sessions on a diverse range of topics.

(Far right) Wendy Liao demonstrating use of iPods in the classroom. (Near right) Wayne Burnett (GESS) conducting a session on virtual Lego. Dunia, December 2009 4

November proved to be a busy month for our musicians.November Music

he Chamber Concert in early Novem- (bass guitar). As followers of UWCSEA’s Tber featured many truly magnificent Jazz Band have come to expect, the performances. The evening began with a band played with great style and panache vivid and thoroughly engaging perform- thrilling the large audience with their ance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Quartet musical artistry. No.3 in B minor which had been prepared under the direction of Roos Seeger. Of On the following Monday the Music the many notable solos heard, one must Department staged the first of two give special mention to John Park’s concerts in the Main Hall. ‘Prelude’ mellifluous clarinet tone which was began by focusing on the College’s perfect for his presentation of Debussy’s young string players. The Camerata, ‘Premiere Rhapsodie’. Minsu Byun’s led by Ros Lillywhite with the assistance perceptive reading of Liszt’s ‘Un Sospiro’ of Helen Leeming played the familiar, drew an enthusiastic response from the and appropriately seasonal, ‘Troika’ knowledgeable audience who clearly ap- from Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite preciated the subtle nuances and details and then an exquisite set of variations of both the playing and the music. After based on Thomas Moore’s ‘The Min- the interval, Ward Seeger gave an as- strel Boy’. Concert Strings, directed by sured performance of one of my personal Roos Seeger, presented two demand- favourites, Cesar Franck’s Violin Sonata, ing canonic pieces by Mozart before and we were also treated to an original heightening passions with the attractive song by Andrea Vazquez Zuckermann Tango D’Amour. The depth of musical Orchestra, ended with ‘Saxophonia’ which she performed herself. To end the talent in our community is truly astonish- highlighting the talents of the Symphonic concert, piano prodigy Aileen Gozali gave ing and was, once again, highlighted by Band’s saxophone section. an outstanding performance of Liszt’s the Orchestra’s performance of Bizet’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 leaving the L’Arlésienne Suite and Percy Grainger’s The ‘Fugue’ concert, held the next audience in awe of the extraordinary epic arrangement of the traditional tune evening, opened with Stefan Merchant’s talent on show. The concert was coordi- ‘Shepherd’s Hey’. The second half of the Guitar Ensemble in good form as they nated by Helen Rhodes and beautifully concert was no less spectacular both in presented a range of pieces, includ- hosted by Aliena Haig. terms of quality and quantity as the spot- ing Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’ and a lively light turned to our woodwind, brass and Baroque dance piece by Bach. The In- The Jazz Band under the direction of percussion instrumentalists. The Band, termediate Jazz Ensemble established Miles Tranter represented UWCSEA at conducted first by Carl Jenkins and then an upbeat feel to the concert with two the World-in-Singapore Concert 2009. by Miles Tranter, presented two evoca- well-known tunes, the Latin Jazz tune They played two numbers; ‘Splanky’ with tive programmatic pieces, ‘Desert Voices’ ‘Cubano Chant’ and ‘The Preacher’. improvisations by Ward Seeger (tenor and ‘Ghost Riders’ by Roland Barrett. The Jazz Band repeated their excellent saxophone), Rajeev Sanjeev (trombone) The concert was brought to a close by performance of the proceeding week with and ‘Pecking Order’ which featured Ken the Symphonic Band who after present- the addition of a fun shuffle piece, ‘Out Yoneda (alto saxophone) and Kyle Astill ing Stuart Johnson’s Sinfonietta for Wind of the Doghouse’ which featured solos Dunia, December 2009 5

November Music

by the irrepressible Ken Yoneda on alto The evening ended with a performance saxophone and George Ames on guitar. by Cantabile led by Karen Niedermeyer. They gave a first performance of student The second part of the evening focused composer Tasha Stoltz’s setting of the on the choral groups. Arioso, paid tribute ‘Kyrie Eleison’. Tasha’s composition was to Michael Jackson’s musical legacy inspired by the vocal writing of Palestrina as they presented two songs arranged and Gabrieli. especially for the ‘Fugue’ concert by the choir’s director, Michel Fox. ‘She’s Out Our musicians are already busily prepar- of My Life’ featured Maya Davidov as the ing for the OPUS 2010 concert to be soloist and the second song, ‘I just Can’t held on Tuesday, 9 March, 7.30pm at the Stop Loving You’ was stylishly sung as Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets for this a duet by Ginger Mayo and Jessica Ng. event will go on sale in January. The Singers, directed by Helen Rhodes and Michel Fox, presented an eclectic Adrian Hill mix of songs including the Korean folk song ‘Ahrirang’ featuring the beautiful Korean flute playing of Kwon Hong-Gu. Photos by Henry Chang Dunia, December 2009 6

China Cultural Immersion Trip I’ve been to many places and seen That night, we watched a show per- main highlight of the day for everyone. unforgettable things, and many of these formed on the lake itself and it was really Our performances were so different from were on a recent school trip to Southeast quite amazing. I’m not quite sure how theirs, but it all fitted together perfectly. China, when around 30 students went they did it, but the actors gave the illusion I really enjoyed my experiences in this to China in the first week of the October that they were walking on the surface of school. It taught me so much about Chi- break. the lake. I believe there was a big plat- nese culture, and I am proud to say that form right underneath the lake, because Tina and I are still in touch even after we Hangzhou was a beautiful place to start in the middle of the performance, a big left Hangzhou. our trip. The Chinese have a quote that building emerged from the water. says “In the sky there is heaven, and on Shanghai was our last stop. We visited earth there is Hangzhou and Suzhou.” Every day during our stay in Hangzhou, a really crowded night market, and went One of the teachers was originally from we visited a local Chinese school and up the Shanghai TV tower. When we got Hangzhou, and she helped me under- interacted with the pupils. Each day we to the top, we got to this room that was stand a lot about the Chinese culture in attended different classes such as Maths surrounded by a big corridor. There were Hangzhou. We spent a day on “West or Art and the last day we went to a pot- holes in the ceiling and walls so wind was Lake” and on a nearby hill stood the big- tery museum. The principal explained blowing in and it felt like we were outside gest pagoda of Hangzhou. Many legends this was like a second campus; students in the cold. The floor and the walls were are told about this very pagoda, and came once a week as part of the art transparent so we laid on the floor for some say it crumbled in 2006 because programme. I especially liked talking to hours looking through and watching all the citizens of Hangzhou did not like the my buddy Tina, whom I spent the most the lights flash and all the cars go by. structure and each took a brick after their time; we talked about family, school, That was our last night, and the next day prayers. Slowly, they say, it started to and things we liked to do. She taught we went to the airport and came back to break until it could stand no longer and me things in Chinese, and I taught her Singapore. fell. things in English. I really appreciated that even though we didn’t speak the same I was really proud to be a part of this trip language, we could still have a conversa- and I feel like I learnt a lot. I am excited tion like I would with someone I just met about going on next year’s trip and I hope who spoke English. On the third day, we everyone had as much fun as I did. Tiger Watch did some activities together like making dumplings and the talent show was the Saphia Petard, (7MSi) After the Round Square conference, a group of students travelled to Rantham- bhore National Park to meet the found- ers of Tiger Watch. Started to help save tigers from poachers, their work focuses on a number of projects, including training the men of the Moghiya tribe, who are expert trackers, to become nature guides for tourists visiting the park. Another is the growing of Guggal, a medicinal plant used in Ayurveda.

The women are also involved in an empowerment programme that encourages them to produce handicrafts for selling in the markets. We bought back as many as we could fit into our luggage, including many beautiful hand sewn and embroidered quilts.

Tiger Watch GC will sell these at the Community Fair. Don’t miss out! Dunia, December 2009 7

East Campus staff brighten Bali

In the October school break, 42 East Campus staff members and their families visited the Widhya Asih Orphanage in Blimbingsari, about five hours from Kuta, Bali. The trip was organised by Craig Coutts who set up the initiative ‘Bali Bridges’ that contributes to the running of the orphanage. Our plan was to paint a mural on the walls of the orphanage – a three-day project undertaken in collaboration with the resident children.

On arrival, we were treated to a welcome “Frog Prince” dance and a Gamelan recital. We spent the first few hours getting to know the children by playing board games, doing craft and drawings, and playing ball games with them (they are extremely good at soccer) while Hamish Betts (Grade 2 teacher and muralist) was busy sketching the mural outline. Later, the children showed us around the village pointing out their school, church, and the nearby cocoa plantations.

The next two days were spent painting vivid scenes - jungles, mountains, waterfalls, For some, going to work in an birds and animals. The atmosphere was buzzing with activity with everyone enthusi- orphanage during your half term astically getting involved in one way or the other. People took turns painting, mixing break would be somewhat of a paint, washing brushes and running errands! We also visited the Melaya orphanage to chore. But when you have visited inaugurate their-newly built kitchen, which was sponsored by DFS Galleria. and played, worked, and most importantly met the kids, you can Late on the final day, the mural was completed with the help of jeep light, and we all felt we had accomplished something wonderful together. Our departure was extremely really say it is the opposite of a emotional and we promised to return soon. We gave the orphanage a new vibrancy, chore. Just to see the smiles you and the experience gave us colourful memories that we will all cherish. can bring to them within four days is extraordinary. Poonam Thapar I know lots of people say that “if you do small things, greater things will lead” but in this case it is really true. Everyone put their heart and soul into helping these children. Seeing the smiles as we came and the tears as we left, shows that people really appreciate all the help we gave these children.

Kyla van der Heijden (Grade 7, Dover Campus)

Photos by Wendy Liao, Haidee Betts and Hamish Betts Dunia, December 2009 8

Motivation and mutual respect drives the Tsunami Education Fund

The Tsunami Education Fund (TEF) is forts in conjunction with the energy of a nearly half way through its mandate of UWCSEA alumni mother is inspiring. The helping school-aged children maintain team worked on each other’s strengths. their education despite being orphaned The UWCSEA students have felt the by the Tsunami of December 2004. Pres- desire to give back, to foster relation- ently 268 students are attending school in ships with youngsters of their own age. Banda Aceh with the help of money that They have started to realise some of the was raised by parents, students, teachers opportunities they have been given and and businesses. it has encouraged them to help facilitate those the TEF have identified. But what How does it sustain its goal of ensuring was truly inspiring is that the students Rudhian Putra, a Grade 11 Acehnese scholar every dollar raised will reach the recipi- from UWCSEA, the mum, the recipients updating information on TEF students. ents, the children who need it? and Ai, a true philanthropist from Banda Aceh, collectively benefited each other. tertiary education. That one TEF gradu- It is through the effort, time and physi- It was the dynamic, the common goal to ate is now in medical school, others are cal presence of those that strive to meet facilitate the education of the orphans training to be nurses, engineers and a need. They realise that through their that fostered the most positive and con- teachers…But for us, what has made the efforts, a small group of children fatefully structive energy from which all involved TEF work is that students from UWC- linked on the same day by a common gained inspiration. SEA have realised a passion. They have loss have been guaranteed the opportu- offered language, energy, and integrity; nity of an education. Yes, 195 orphans were “interviewed”; built upon their skills and so developed as yes, 90 schools and orphanages were young persons. The mum is as inspired Success breeds success visited and yes, 10-hour days were spent as she is inspirational; she has developed Projects only work when those involved by the Singapore team. The statistics, a bond not of compassion or benevo- are committed. The commitment of the funding, whilst significant, seem lence but offered a sincere hand to 488 the team working on the TEF is truly less important than the personal growth youngsters that lost so much nearly five extraordinary. The half term break for experienced by all. It is fantastic to know years ago. our UWCSEA Acehnese scholars was that approximately half the TEF students anything but. The synergy of their ef- who have graduated have moved onto Wayne Fozzard Photo by Pat Meyer

Aussie tennis champ inspires wheelchair athletes

Mark Woodforde, a retired professional tennis player from Australia, is most famously remembered as one half of “The Woodies”, a world-class doubles partnership with Todd Woodbridge in the 90s. Together they won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles in their career, and Woodforde won the 1989 US Open doubles with John McEnroe.

Mark visited Dover Campus on 26 November to conduct a tennis clinic for wheelchair athletes and UWCSEA Grade 10 Sports Stud- ies students. He was brought to UWCSEA with the support of Barclays Capital representative Kevin Burke. Barclays Capital sponsor the Wheelchair Basketball Association program which is based at UWCSEA.

During the tennis clinic, Woodforde was greatly impressed by the level of skill and mobility demonstrated by the handicapped athletes on the court. UWCSEA students gained insight into playing sports in a wheelchair by joining the drills and games. The morning clinic provided a memorable and valuable experience for all involved.

Ulli Niedermeyer Photos by Henry Chang Dunia, December 2009 9

‘Private Lives’

It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience working with the cast and crew of Private Lives. Even though the rehearsal schedule was hectic, we had great fun impro- vising around Noël Coward’s observance of middle class behaviour. As we became immersed in the world of 1930s English high life, we came that little bit closer to understanding and appreciating Noël Coward’s perspective on society through which he, at times, meandered, slunk, slithered, critiqued and often set behav- ioural and sartorial standards. friendly members of the cast and the What was particularly satisfying was crew, seeing all their hard work being “’Private Lives’ was such an amazing watching both the actors and our musi- paid off. My transformation into a pre- experience! I really liked the play and the cians coming to terms with Coward’s senter of Coward’s songs is after all, very music in it. At first, the music was chal- brand of humour and laughing a little, interesting. I look forward to any similar lenging to me as it was difficult to accom- then out loud at the observations (both opportunities in the future.” pany because Noel Coward’s songs are silly and serious) he makes. Some of the Jimmy Wu (Vocalist) very free in tempo. Gradually, I could see era-specific vocabulary was challenging, the improvement. In the performance, the and the accents to which the words are Having a small cast of only four, and per- music came together nicely, and it made set, like musical accompaniment. There forming in such an intimate space, was me forget all the tiredness from the re- is effervescence, romance and daring a very new experience and one that only hearsals. I really enjoyed the experience, inherent in Coward’s writing that is well became really apparent when performing and I will never forget it!” suited to the high-energy, emotional to a full studio. Being able to see the face Seung Hyun Suh (Pianist) sensitivity and sense of playfulness of the of every member of the audience, while young cast. Audiences clearly enjoyed practically sitting on the laps of the front I can barely imagine a week without a the cut and thrust of the ‘sport’ of Noël row, brought on a whole new meaning to gruelling rehearsal stuffed to the top with Coward. the idea of an ‘intimate comedy’. Playing witty insults, sarcasm and Noël Coward, Jamie Cant Amanda was like emptying a “nasty little who is in a category all by himself. If bottle” of all my bad traits, qualities and there’s one thing this play has taught me, Aussie tennis champ inspires wheelchair athletes “Over the course of putting together ‘Pri- emotions, and playing around with them it’s the wonder of finally falling into char- vate Lives’, I have not only developed as - I loved it.” acter, and the difficulty of falling out of it.” an actor, but also have had the privilege Georgia Simmonds (Actor - Amanda Prynne) Nikhil Mahapatra (Elyot Chase) of experiencing Noel Coward’s theatre. I was truly amazed at the timeless- ness of the wit and intention conveyed in Coward’s dialogue along with his The Spirit of Commedia dell’Arte unconventional ability to give the simplest characters an extremely complex and in- In October, Artist in Residence and Commedia dell’Arte artist Marco Luly, from Rome, timate importance. Performing this piece worked with a group of High School students in a series of intense workshops that of Coward’s work has been a thoroughly culminated in two performances in early November. These students worked very enjoyable experience, particularly the hard to bring what is a very challenging theatrical form to fruition. Commedia is a fun of embracing and being exposed to form of improvised Italian street theatre that requires physical ability and energy. It characters not quite like my own. The also exemplifies all that is valuable about live theatre performance; teamwork, trust, opportunity to work with a very supportive courage and communication with an audience. The students had the opportunity to and friendly cast and crew, from whom work with a world-class expert who is committed to passing on his skills in a mentor- I have learnt enormous amounts, and ing and teaching capacity. often having a good laugh with, has really made this journey all the more memora- Despite the short rehearsal time ble.” ,the skill level acquired by the stu- Nishad More (Actor - Victor Prynne) dent performers was outstanding. Audiences were also treated to “’Private Lives’ has been a very unique a performance by Marco himself experience for me. Twentieth century whose mastery of the tradition very music has never been my specialty, and clearly demonstrated the ease especially the style of Noel Coward. with which theatre is able to cross Towards the end of the production, I was language and cultural boundaries. saturated with mixed feelings deep inside me – not only thrilled by the success of Lynne Arrol the production, but also happy for all the Dunia, December 2009 10

The Woman in Black

There is something primeval about want- The play is told using just two actors to ing to scare and be scared. How many play all the parts while all the sets - the of us - with friends, with family – have at pony trap, the grand country house, the least once in our lives turned the lights graveyard - are recreated using little down low to tell of ghosts? As long as more than a trunk and a couple of chairs. there are people who are alarmed by the This minimalist approach is extremely dark and who fear the sound of unfamiliar successful in creating a sense of unease footsteps in the night, there is always and fear as the audience is lead in- room for a good old-fashioned ghost exorably towards the woman in black’s story. It is this central premise that has terrible secret. It is an incredible chal- made The Woman in Black so popular lenge for any actor and both Lodewijk since it first opened in London’s West Vriens and Nikhil Sambamurthy rose to End in 1987. that challenge with astonishing maturity and success. They were brilliantly and Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan atmospherically helped by the technical Hill’s novel is one of the world’s most virtuosity of the lighting and sound effects successful plays. Unanimously acclaimed teams (led by Nic Cater and Kate Jewitt by the critics, it combines the power and respectively) who created a nightmare intensity of live theatre with a cinematic world of shadows, darkness, strange quality inspired by the world of film noir. noises and terrifying revelations. Audi- More than three million people in more ences were held in breath-kept silence than 40 countries have seen it. For three and on the edge of their seats until nights in November, audiences of all they were jolted dramatically into loud ages were able to watch a production of screams and audible gasps the play in the Roy Bennett Theatre. The Woman in Black was a memorable The play tells the story of Young Arthur and hugely enjoyable production. As Kipps who is ordered to travel up from over 800 people who saw the produc- London to attend the funeral of a mysteri- tion can testify, there is something ous widow and then sort out her papers. unbeatable and unashamedly entertain- While there, he glimpses a young woman ing about being really scared. with a wasted face, dressed all in black. Text and photos by Jonathan Carter

From Six Feet Under

that are left behind after his death. It yra Devi’s sensitive interpretation of the revolves around Jake Milligia, played by bereaved Milligia mother and Lara van Callum Wilson, who defiantly strikes out der Heijden’s natural and sympathetic at everyone close to him, having been portrayal of Jake’s long suffering wife. deprived of attention when he needed it most. The actor portrayed his feelings of Able support was provided by a techni- loneliness and underlying guilt effectively, cal crew of Grade 11 and 12 Theatre making the audience sympathetic with his students, whose strong backstage work suffering and shocked with his sudden brought the play together. All in all, ‘From changes in attitude. Six Feet Under’ was a slick, well execut- Angela (Andrea Petitcollin) is interrogated by ed piece of theatre and particular credit Detective McCormick (Fraser Barton) as Jason Fraser Barton did a fine job as Detective must go to the writer/director Shloka (Jacopo di Marco) looks on. McCormick, bringing in the comic relief as Grover for bringing the show from page Photo by Avanti Narayanan he interrogated wary suspects and tried to stage so effectively. to solve the mystery. His stage voice was Written and directed by Grade 12 student unique and brought charm to his on-stage Arshiya Goel Shloka Grover, student production “From persona. Andrea Petitcollin delivered an Grade 11 Six Feet Under” was an enjoyable watch. intense and smouldering representation The story is told by a dead character, of the play’s ‘femme fatale’, Angela, while Jason Milligia, played with flair and con- Oliver Mangham’s understated menace, fidence by Jacopo di Marco, who shows as the unexpected villain of the piece the audience what happens to the people formed an effective contrast with Shai- Dunia, December 2009 11

Connecting with Cambodia Four East Campus staff - Margot Marks, also spent time at the offices of the BSDA Rob O’Toole, Mario Saez and Andrea (Buddhism and Society Development Naylor - recently visited several NGO’s Association) in Kampong Cham, which in and around Phnom Penh, Cambodia. supports education and social awareness The group travelled to investigate ways programmes focused on reaching the the East Campus Primary School can poorest of the poor by offering language provide support for the organisations in and computer training, and other educa- a coordinated effort as part of the Global tional opportunities, as well as assistance Concerns programme. for urgent social and community projects. well as the dump where the children live. Friday’s visits were to a maternity hospital On Saturday, the staff visited the All For The team also spent the afternoon at the and village schools run by Norwegian As- One Foundation shelter which assists football clinics sponsored by ISF, enjoy- sociation for Private Enterprise in Cam- girls rescued from the sex trade, as well ing the games and meeting the children bodia, escorted by parent Irene Rommen as the New Future for Children orphan- in the programme. who is involved in the organisation. They age. This facility provides care, education and vocational training for older orphans – one of whom is ap- plying for a UWCSEA scholar- ship.

The group spent their final day with Kate Griffin from the Indochina Starfish Founda- tion (ISF). Grade 6 on the East Campus will adopt ISF as their GC next year and in a precursor to establishing the GC, Kate recently visited the East Campus. On this return visit, the staff managed to visit School-wide action both the school established by ISF as

Following a visit from Kate Griffin of the Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF) in early November a number of grades on the East Campus began projects to support their programmes, which include education in English and Khmer, as well as a weekend football programme that attracts up to 1,000 children. While Grade 5 students (pictured at right) decided to take action to help Cambodian children through a collection drive to provide basic educational materials, the Student Coun- cil organised a clothing drive, and 2MGo began coordinating collection of football gear. Grade 5 students were encouraged to think about the ways they could contribute at home to earn the contents of the stationary packs, which were then donated to children.

K2 (pictured top left), who had also had The materials collected by the students a visit from parent Irene Rommen to talk were distributed in Cambodia the trip by about her work in Cambodia with the Nor- the East Campus staff. It is planned that wegian Association for Private Enterprise, the ISF will become the Grade 6 GC next also decided to help out – their idea was year, when the current Grade 5 students to put together packets of basic provi- move up to become the first-ever Grade 6 sions such as toothpaste and brush, soap cohort on the East Campus. and pencils and other stationary items. Margot Marks and Kate Woodford Photos by Andrea Naylor, Rob O’Toole, Louise Phinney and Kate Woodford Dunia, December 2009 12

UWC’s Got Talent…bags of it!

students, parents “I was in shock, because all the other and teachers and contestants were amazing. It was a cool to compete for experience.” the title of ‘UWC’s Got Talent 2009’. Kate Levy

Once the audience votes were counted, Grade 6 band Linus & the Lunchbuddies was declared the winning act, with band members Linus Lester- Hodges, Nicolas Vandenborre and Isabella Williams On Monday, 30 November, the ABT was taking home the title, trophy, and a big packed with talent…four singers, six basket of Hershey’s sponsored goodies. guitarists, two drummers, one pianist, “I thought the show had great people with seven dancers, four cross-dressers, one great talents. But I’m really happy that Introducing Linus & the Lunchbuddies. DJ, one magician and one Bollywood we won the first UWC’s Got Talent” said yo-yo-ist, from Grades 6 to 12…all there bass guitarist, Nicolas, whilst back up Photos by Meghna Chand (12SLu) to entertain an audience of almost 200 vocalist, Georgia Stannard, exclaimed,

Movember - the month formerly known as November The East Campus community em- braced the idea of growing moustaches on Monday, 30 November all in the name of a good cause – men’s health. While many male staff members took the month long challenge to cultivate a moustache in a design of their choos- ing, female staff and students joined in on the last day of the month for a token donation. A special thank you to Grade 1 parent Felipe Monassi Kedia who raised nearly $1,000 through sponsor- ship of his own moustache.

Staff on Dover Campus also got behind Movember, with teachers cultivating a moustache of their own design the month. Barry Daniels was crowned ‘Mo Bro of the Year’.

In all nearly $3,000 was raised and donated to assist in research and development work into men’s health issues. More information can be found on the website - www.movember.com.

Text by Karl Wilcox and Andy Carter; photos by Wendy Liao, George Peak and Marius Smits, and Henry Chang Dunia, December 2009 13

“You won’t regret it”

Three toothbrushes, seven countries You’d be hard pressed to find a place ago, my Gap Year was indisputably the friendlier than the Philippines. When I first best year ever. I started off in Phnom arrived here in early 2009, I was treated like a long lost brother, something I really Penh working with the NGO, Bridges was not used to. Total strangers would Across Borders South East Asia, on a come up to in the street and ask you project organised through UWCSEA. personal questions for no reason other I was with eight other graduates and than they saw you and were interested. together we taught in seven schools People here treat each other as brothers and sisters and it seems like everyone and orphanages and I also worked one knows everyone. Another thing I have night a week in a small bar, where I noticed about the Cebuano people is that met some incredibly interesting people. they are friendly and welcoming and not I think I can speak for all of us when at all shy to sing and dance whenever I say that it was an incredible four they feel like it. months. Teaching was difficult but However, they are shy when it comes rewarding; the kids were tiring but so to academics. It took me nearly a week much fun, and exploring the city and to get the students I was teaching to be the Khmer lifestyle was thrilling. confident enough to talk to me about their work and to answer questions in class. I I couldn’t have asked for a better I too was in Phnom Penh working was caught completely off-guard by this. I had trouble getting some students to way to spend a year and even I’m with the NGO, Bridges Across Bor- show me their written work and nearly ders South East Asia. I kept saying impressed that it all worked out and I all of them hid it from me until they were managed to organise everything in time that four months was the perfect finished. and with so few problems, something I amount of time since it was long would never have thought I could have enough for me to make a difference As a result of the Gap Year I have been for my students, yet not too long. done a year ago. accepted to study Human Rights and Law In the end, four months was far too at University in UK. I would really recom- Sophie Geoghegan (2008 - 2009) short. Leaving the children was ter- mend coming here to any Grade 12 who rible and I managed to keep my emo- wants to do something really worthwhile tions under control until it was time before university. You won’t regret it. for our final goodbyes. Some of my Jamie Jewitt (2009) children started crying as we hugged which really touched me and opened the floodgates.

I feel like I am the luckiest 18 year old alive, having the opportunity to make a difference as well as meeting the most adorable children ever. If I had the opportunity, I would adopt all 86 of them. I might still be young and ignorant but it never hurts to dream and wish for the impossible. Gustav Wessman (2008-2009)

Applications are now open for the 2010 Gap Year Programme. The application form can be downloaded from the GapYear website page where there are also details of all our exciting projects. For more information please contact [email protected]. Dunia, December 2009 14

ACSIS This is a very exciting time for the UWCSEA teams triumph at SEASAC development of boys’ football for the International Schools of Singapore. The introduction of the ACSIS leagues has expanded the number of schools involved in competitive football to 23. The 19&U league had three divisions with UWCSEA Dover competing in divisions 1 and 2.

The 19&U A team were confident of success following last year’s victory and two very successful warm up games. The team put together some excellent performances including victories over Overseas Family School 8-0 and Tanglin Trust 7-1. In fact, UWCSEA Dover topped the table winning all of the games scoring a total of 30 goals and conceding only 8. It was a whole team performance with 10 players scoring. Notable performances came from Rajorshi Maitra and Benjamin Price who were voted as “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) and Jamie Roberts who took the award for MVP in the league. hosts in a ‘winner goes The 19&U B team were placed in a very through’ match, under competitive division 2 against most of the torrential rain and amid other schools A teams. They had some the tense atmosphere, very tight games and were always in with UWCSEA triumphed 1-0. a chance of victory until the final whistle. Special mention must go A very creditable final place of 5th saw to Kyle Morris for some them winning one game and tying two. superb goalkeeping, mak- Well done to Sakdinont Nonthivetpong ing countless saves from who was voted MVP for division 2. pointblank range.

The 16&U A team were looking to defend The second day began the title they had earned since the incep- with a 2-0 win over GIS tion of the leagues in 2005. The team to secure our through to looked strong on paper and they proved the semi-final, with an en- too strong for all the opposing teams counter against the highly winning all of their six games scoring a skilful RIS next. We pulled total of 34 goals and conceding only 4. SEASAC off a gritty 2-1 win after a tense last This year’s tournament was held at BIS Notable performances came from Jack couple of minutes. The final was set for Jakarta. With both the UWCSEA girls’ Ryan and Gal Benami who were voted as a UWCSEA – Bangkok Patana classic, and boys’ teams going into the tourna- MVP’s by the league coaches. with the two teams waiting a whole year ment as joint holders the pressure was for this game to be played; there was no on as the teams everyone was looking to The 16&U B team also competed in chance of either team not being up for it. beat. The boys team was confident com- division 1 against all the large schools We began the match brilliantly, outplay- ing into the tournament off the back of a A teams. The team proved to be more ing Patana in every department, before very successful domestic season, and it than capable of holding their own in this Benjamin Price stepped up with a classy showed with a sterling 6-0 win in the first league and scored 19 goals in total. The strike into the top corner. Marc-Kevin game over MKIS, the pick of the bunch team finished the season in 6th place, Seigfried sealed the victory late on for a being a lofted cross-field pass from Riju winning two games. Peter Thomas, Joon deserved championship for UWCSEA. to Sahand at the back post who chested Ho and Jack Webster were voted MVP’s. and volleyed home expertly. Well done to the squad: Jamie Roberts The 16&U C team competed in division 2 (MVP), Marc-Kevin Seigfried (MVP), Kyle The second game followed much the and ended the season in 6th place scoring Morris (MVP), Sahand Bagheri (MVP), same pattern with a 4-0 victory over 21 goals. Congratulations to Nelson Htoo Ben Price, Alexander Cox, Rajorshi Mai- CDNIS. However a shock 3-0 defeat to a who was voted MVP for division 2. tra, Pierre Chalon, Zal Udwadia, Louis competitive NIST in the third game of the Speelmans, Ross Robertson and Sondre Mike Little day served as a reminder to the lads that Knutsen. winning SEASAC was going to be a battle. In the penultimate group game vs. the Jamie Roberts (Captain) Dunia, December 2009 15

UWCSEA teams triumph at SEASAC Girls Football determined to bring back the SEASAC trophy This has been one of the most successful seasons ever for U16 and U19 Girls’ Football at the College, with the girls’ teams winning virtually every tournament they have entered. It is a just reward for the commitment to training and playing our students have demonstrated from day one of the season. All of the 6:30am fitness sessions really paid off!

Two teams played at U16 level in the ACSIS Football League. After an outstanding season in Division One, the A team, coached by Gabriel Esswood, won silver behind a very strong SAS side. The U16 B team, coached by Kim Brumby, won every game in Division Two becom- ing champions in superb fashion. MVPs in this team were Amrita Deol, Nathalie Soo and Sabrina Wilson. The U16s also triumphed in Phuket at the British Inter- national School‘s Invitational Tournament with a 100% winning record. Buoyed by this success, the Senior A girls travelled to Jakarta determined to The U19 B team, coached by Neil Tett, bring back the SEASAC trophy. SEASAC ACSIS Touch played in the ACSIS League. This com- Football is a 7-a-side event,and the team The 12U touch team made great progress petition is populated by A teams from performed superbly throughout the tour- within this season. As season one com- other schools, and is one that our A team nament, winning all seven matches and menced, the majority of the players on played in previously. It was, therefore, a defeating a very strong NIST team from the team had never played touch before, fantastic achievement for our girls to win Bangkok 3-1 in the final. Siri Storeng, let alone touched a rugby ball. However, this league. They lost only one game on Alanna Murphy, Grace Rapp and Emily as the weeks went on, the growth that route to the title, clinching it in dramatic Webster all received MVP awards for could be seen within the team was style with a late equalizer against Tanglin their performances at SEASAC, with considerable, especially given the short Trust School in the final match. Grace and Emily scoring eight goals amount of time they had to develop their apiece. Once again, the tournament skills. Our U19 A team, coached by Steve victory was founded on wonderful group Webster, was unbeaten all season, solidarity, and it was lovely for us to have winning both the FAS Young Womens’ coaches from opposing teams making This was an ACSIS tournament. The League and the SEASAC tournament at such positive comments about our girls’ team found the tournament a challenge the British International School in Jakarta. performances and general attitude. at the beginning, as they faced far more The FAS competition is for U23s, so the experienced teams than themselves, UWCSEA girls were playing against op- The SEASAC weekend was made even such as Tanglin SAS, AIS and OFS. ponents sometimes as much as six years more special by the fact the UWCSEA Therefore, throughout the first weeks of older than them. We won nine games and boys won their tournament on the same these games, their strength as a team drew one to become FAS Young Wom- pitch straight after our final. The scenes was tested. They lost all their games in ens’ League champions for 2009, scoring of joint celebration by the two UWCSEA the first week. However, determined not 59 goals and conceding only four, thanks teams who had trained so hard, com- to give up so quickly, they worked harder to a very strong defence and our out- peted so well and supported each other at training, and came out with either vic- standing goalkeeper, Natasha Pedersen. so enthusiastically will stay in everyone’s tories or ties in the weeks that followed. Grace Rapp and Emily Webster finished memories for a very long time. The week after ACSIS, they entered right up with the league’s top goalscorers into another tournament - this time they with 19 and 15 goals respectively from Well done to all the girls who have would face the French School as well. In the 10 league games, which is some contributed to football this season, and a the finals for this tournament, they won achievement in an U23 league. However, special thanks to all those parents who 5-4 against OFS. The finals seemed to our overall success was founded on came to league matches and SEASAC to highlight the strengths of all our players, fantastic team spirit and a great willing- support the teams. be it their speed, agility, knowledge of the ness to work for each other shown by the game or their teamwork in general. It was whole squad of 17 players. The season’s Steve Webster amazing to see how they had grown; it is highlight was probably our win against easy to envision many of the team going second-placed NTU, but the girls may on to play touch at a higher level. well have enjoyed the 4-1 victory at the Singapore American School even more! Naherika Goyal and Hanayo Hasegawa Dunia, December 2009 16

Volleyball starts again

UWCSEA’s volleyball players had no time to sit back at the beginning of this school year. They were quickly immersed in practices and games commencing the second week back from the long summer break. The commitment of the players and their hard work paid off as they had many successful games. Most of all, each player’s skill level, from U14 to U18 improved dramatically. This year the volleyball programme had five teams involved: A and B team for Senior Girls, two boys team as well as one for 14U girls. The coaches were Andrea Mc- Donald (14U), Julia Matheson (Girls B), Matthew Taylor(Boys A and B), Pascale Rangoni (Girls A) and Hugh Richards (Boys A).

19&U Boys After a good turn-out at try-outs it was decided to enter two teams in to the ACSIS Considering that this was the first vol- We were not inclined to go down without boys Volleyball league. Although many of leyball season for most of the players on a fight for the bronze and they kept plug- the players had never played competitive the team; that UWCSEA boys haven’t ging away at Patana and defending vigor- volleyball before, they went from strength travelled to SEASAC for around 10 years; ously. Coaches Rangoni and Matheson to strength during their eight weeks of and the carnage we endured through the decided to bring on 14-year-old Alex training and playing. The highlight for season, it was a good result. Hansen midway through the second set the Boys 19&U B was beating SAS C and she had an immediate effect on the team during the ACSIS league. The A 19&U Girls team. We started the last set and crept team worked hard to get into competitive Many of this year’s 19&U A and B team into the lead following massive serves shape as most players were coming in for had never played before as volleyball by Stephanie Merchant and ended three their first season in this sport. They made is not taught in our PE programme. points ahead. Unfortunately, they couldn’t so much progress that they went into Considering the squad was entirely new convert the lead into a win. the ACSIS finals seeded #1 after being to the routines and techniques, they all unbeaten in the seven seasonal games. did tremendously well. By the end of 14&U Girls ACSIS, the B team reached a 3rd place This is the first year for 14&U volleyball On finals day the team was shocked finish, confidently lead by captain Bronte and the girls had an incredible season. when Mateusz Dubaniowsk went down Jong and our A team got a 2nd placed Many of the girls were new to the game early with a rolled ankle - on reflection an in a strong battle against University of but with determination and practice they omen for what was to come. However, al- Waseda. developed into very competent players. though they progressed to the final fairly In fact, they were so skilled that in their comfortably, Waseda proved just too In the SEASAC tournament, the U18 girls first game in the final ACSIS tourna- powerful for the seven remaining players led from start to finish in the first games ment, they beat SAS 25-17 for the first and we had to settle for silver after a of their pool play. The first two games set. Even though SAS came back, the tense 1-3 game. against MKI and Tanglin Trust were won girls played outstandingly well and set and Co-captains Eryn Tett and Natalie up some hits! More than half the team Mateusz did not recover from his injury Walker lead the team in a fantastic and was in Chiang Mai which made the before SEASAC and Kevin was also energetic way. result more impressive. In the concluding injured so we took the decision to travel ACSIS tournament, the team played OFS with just the starting six players and Eryn Harayda and Dalma Foldesi had the in the Bronze medallion match and won Shiven as libero. Unfortunately, we took honor of finishing the set with a series convincingly 25-18 and 25-15. The play- another two injuries on Day 1 in Bang- of stunning serves. Wins against Tan- ers made coach Andrea and her excel- kok. With tough games against the two glin school and ISY which gave rookie lent assistants - Steph, Stef, Eryn and eventual finalists, RIS and NIST, the boys players Sophie Warrens, Tasha Hun, Monica - very proud. Bravo girls! eventually wound up missing out on the Stephanie Ng a chance to shine. In the play-offs and came in 6th of the 10 teams. semis, the early exchanges against NIST Sylvan was voted a tournament All-Star were close, with UWCSEA getting good for his massive presence at the net, serves from new incredible recruits, Mal- teams went a long way to avoid hitting lika Miglianai and Stephanie Merchant the ball through the middle when he was and the valuable defense of libero Maria there! Da Silva. Dunia, December 2009 17

14&U netball

A team C team Congratulations for the 14&U A team girls The 14&U C team comprised of girls with for having a great season. Having won a range of experience, however, they all all their games convincingly in round one had the vital traits of a successful team of the ACSIS league, they went safely - great enthusiasm, determination and through to play their toughest matches a desire to win. The result being they in a semi-final and final on the same day finished 2nd in their group, beating CIS B at Tanglin Trust School (TTS). A closely and AIS C and losing to TTS A (although contested game in the semi-finals against they did give them a scare in the third TTS A saw them lose by two goals. At quarter, scoring four goals without reply). the end of the third quarter, they were The final stages of the league were down five goals and although they put disappointing, as we were given byes for in a huge effort to fight back, it was not two of our three matches, just when we’d enough by the time the final whistle blew. really got going. This team’s final placing Their final match against AIS B resulted of 5th in the cup (and 5th overall out of 16 in an 11-2 win, which meant they ended teams), was well earned. An outstanding up 3rd overall in the Cup Division of the achievement, of which they should all be 14&U ACSIS League. very proud!

The week before their ACSIS finals, the D team team played in a tournament hosted by Congratulations to the D team for their 3rd Netops Singapore at the Dover Campus. place in the 14&U ACSIS League Plate Thirteen teams in all, one from the AIS finals. It was an outstanding achieve- and the remainder from local Singapore ment for the girls who were the team schools, played in the 14&U division. The least likely to accomplish great results in girls played nine games in total, winning this tournament, but after their second all of them to become the champions of win, they were the team to watch and the the 14&U division. It was a great chance team to talk about! They narrowly missed for the players to mix with students from (by one point) in the quarter-finals to other schools and experience many dif- play-off for first and second position, but ferent playing styles. It was a fantastic were happy with the way they played. In day and the girls should be very proud of their final match against the OFS their their achievement. strong win was the result of the solid commitment and dedication they put into B team their last training sessions. For the ACSIS League, the 14&U B team were placed in a pool along with AIS B, Sharon Tett, Mandy Neil, Natalie Tett and CIS A and St Josephs. With a convinc- Karen Morris ing win over CIS A, their second match against AIS B proved to be a lot tougher. Even though the girls gave their best effort, their opposition made fewer errors and won on the day. A loss against St Climbing to the top Josephs, a well-drilled and somewhat taller team, placed the girls 3rd in the pool Congratulations to the UWCSEA Climbing and qualifiers for the plate final. With Team for a year of spectacular perform- wins in both the quarter and semis they ances at competitions! Each year, there went through to the final to defeat AIS C are many exciting nation-wide climbing 24-1. A convincing win and a fantastic competitions which are open to schools, victory! The players improved so much and the UWCSEA team has been actively during the season and it was great to see participating since 2002. From this year’s their camaraderie and love for the game competition circuit alone, the College team develop. bagged three gold medals, four silver medals and three bronze medals, the team’s strongest showing thus far! Congratula- tions especially to Zoe Petard, Ines Petard, Saphia Petard and Ian Magee, who have all worked very hard and contributed greatly the medal tally.

Kelly Lim Dunia, December 2009 18

Cross Country

ACSIS Throughout the season this Junior School Our 19&U Girls (Melanie Flury, Amy Fisher, UWCSEA Halloween Run Cross Country team have been training Zoe Petard, Prerna Bakshi, Emma Fisher This year UWCSEA decided to host their hard and working towards the ACSIS event, and Pippa Carter) have shown commitment first Cross Country event at Bukit Ba- which was held at MacRitchie Reservoir to training this season and their perform- tok Nature Park, to conclude the Cross in October. On a hot morning, the teams ances have improved. They all ran hard Country season for this year. Many of the were very excited and raring to go. Their on the day but SAS were a force to be International Schools took part, as well as hard work paid off and they achieved the reckoned with, and the team finished up in the Singapore Sports School and the Ca- following outstanding team results: a well-deserved 2nd place. nadian School of Hong Kong in some age categories. Over 300 participants took part Overall UWCSEA finished 1st in the boys The 14&U boys and girls teams delivered from 10&U through to 19&U. It was the first and girls 10&U category, 1st in the 12&U pleasing performances. Charlie Quin and time many of the students had run this hilly girls and 2nd in the 12&U boys. Livia Mueller set the pace for their races, course and the UWCSEA teams finished both finishing in an outstanding 1st place. the season on a high. Special congratula- Special congratulations go to the following With Tayla Murphy, Phoebe Hutchinson tions to Tsuyoshi Yoneda, Livia Mueller students who achieved top three individual and Natalie Ng all finishing in the top 10 and and Charlie Quin who were all champions placings in their races: Elizabeth Widder and MacKenzie Murphy in their age group. Kyra Van Den Muyzenberg (3rd), Jazmin finishing strong, it led the girls team to finish Zastera (2nd), Emma Day (1st), Harrison Hay in overall 1st place. The boys also had some The team results of the competition were (2nd), Ally Fisher (1st), Kimiko Raheem (1st), good performances from Pascal Flury (5th as follows: Hugo Nippress (3rd), Phoebe Hutchinson place), Jake Home, Dylan O’Toole, Jerome 10&U Boys 2nd place (1st), Harry Scott (3rd) Neale, Lester Hung, Tyler Harvey and Max 10&U Girls 2nd place McGrath. Unfortunately on the day, Tanglin 12&U Boys 3rd place 14&U and 19&U Trust School out ran us, resulting in the 14&U Boys 2nd place nd This year’s 14&U and 19&U ACSIS Cross team finishing in 2 place. 14&U Girls 1st place Country was hosted and held at the 19&U Boys 1st place Singapore American School (SAS). The teams had all been training hard during early morning sessions and were in good shape. They were ready to put up a strong fight against their opposition but unfortunately SAS yet again provided some tough competition.

In the 19&U boys event, Jamie Roberts had a strong run and with less than a kilometre to go looked like he was closing in on the lead runner. Unfortunately the SAS runner pulled away and Jamie finished in a com- mendable 2nd place. Congratulations to the whole team (Tsuyoshi Yoneda, Maru Mallee, Jan Hejl, Jonathan Quin, Ross Rob- ertson, Allen Navasero, Derek Li, Benjamin The Junior School ACSIS Cross Country team Text and photo by Vicki Hill Holz and Yansun Lim) for finishing 2nd.

UWCSEA tees off in inaugural SEASAC Golf tournament

In November, six UWCSEA Dover students took part in the inaugural SEASAC Golf tournament at Sawang Resort, Thailand. Six teams competed in the SEASAC event which was part of a larger invitational tournament hosting 12 schools from across South East Asia.

UWCSEA Dover placed 4th in the SEASAC team event which was won by a very strong team from New International School Thailand of Bangkok. The standard of golf was very high and UWCSEA’s strongest golfer was Charlotte Thomas who shot 78 and 82 and finished just out of the top three in the individual event.

This was the first international golfing tournament that UWCSEA Dover has entered and the enthusiasm of the students will ensure it is not the last. They have an eye on a top three finish next year!

UWCSEA Dover team: Akshat Sawhney, Aseem Mangaokar, Aarthi Sridhar, Charlotte Thomas, Pandit Dres Text and photo by John Bush and Chris Underwood. Dunia, December 2009 19

Rugby

The U12 rugby squad had a fine season. league title would definitely come out on Highlights from a coaching point of view top! The overall results show the qualities were undoubtedly the style and man- of this group of boys: Played 12, Won 10, ner of play which the boys produced Lost 0, Drew 2, Tries for 49, Tries against week in and week out and also the way 7. newcomers to the game were supported and included into an established squad A core of Grade 6 students deserves of experienced players. The running and particular praise for their leadership, handling game of this group of players commitment and sportsmanship. They made for attractive viewing and we had are Harrison Barkham, Cai Devine, Chris the potential to score from all corners of Lund, Andrew Meaney and Matt Grun- the field. dlingh, all of whom proved influential both U14 during training and in matches. However, Over 30 players from Grade 7 and 8 at- The statistics of the U12 International the entire squad should be proud of their tended trials at the beginning of the U14 Schools’ League also showed we efforts this season. It is important never rugby season, which is evidence of the conceded fewer tries than anyone else; to lose sight of the fact that the beginners growing strength of UWCSEA rugby at a great defensive effort all round. If the of today could become the stars of tomor- this level. The final squad of 20 were very players were asked to name the most row! Well done all. well led by Ben Watson (Captain) and the memorable occasion of the season, the other Grade 8 students: Thibault, Ryan, tight, three tries-apiece tie with OFS in Hugh Pollard Ian, Billy and Patrick. the final game of the season to clinch the The season was full of highlights - a dramatic comeback from 0-22 down against Overseas Family School (OFS) to win 26-22; an emphatic 47-20 victory over the Australian International School (AIS); performances in the return matches against both OFS and AIS which we narrowly lost. Tanglin Trust School and Lycee Francaise de Singapour were strong this season and so we were very pleased with our 3rd place in the ACSIS League. The end of season tournament pitched us against OFS in the 3rd - 4th place playoff, which was a thrilling match, eventually won by OFS.

The future is bright - at least ten Grade 7 players played in each match, and they all made significant progress. I am looking forward to Season 4 pre-season training!

Matt Singer

East Campus 10&U debut in ACSIS Rugby

In a fantastic performance the UWCSEA East Campus 10&U team bagged a silver medal in their first tournament in November. The first game against Tanglin Trust School was a great team performance, not producing many chances in the first half. Neither team gave anything away, and the score remained 0-0 at half-time. In the second half UWCSEA took the lead only for Tanglin to claw their way back into the game with a try before clinching the win with a last second try.

The second game against UWCSEA Dover was a lot more open with a really good team performance as well as some good individual tries. UWCSEA East finished comfortable winners allowing them to claim the silver.

Great performance boys!

Text and photo by David Smith Dunia, December 2009 20

Basketball..... Its Gold and more Gold for the U16 boys and girls teams

The 16&U ‘A’ girls team (pictured at able Player (MVP) right) gave a typically stellar perform- award for the league. ance through season one; and for the The core players third year running, coached by Dr Dale through the season Fisher, won the 16&U Division One showed the benefits League. They went into the finals having of working together won all their home and away games by and how commit- mercy rule (30 points ahead). Never one ment over the years to underestimate their opponents, they breeds success. All ‘stepped up’ a gear on the ACSIS finals players have devel- day which was held at UWCSEA Dover. oped a special sense The contenders were Tanglin, but the of awareness; with second best team in the league were Emma Fisher’s ‘out- sent packing in the final, highlighting the side’ shot and Emily vast gap between us and the rest of the Webster’s ‘speed’ and schools. It took just 12 minutes to end ‘accurate’ feeds being the game by mercy rule with TTS scoring particular keys to our just six points. Captain Amy Fisher went success. New guards a step further and claimed the Most Valu- Thida Sachathep and Jenny Huzell sis, making coaching an easy job. They have worked hard to earn were unlucky not to secure a place in the their place in the team, final after losing in extra time in the semi- and particularly in defence. final against Overseas Family School ‘A’ Bianca Letele has had a team. However, they beat the Australian great season, and along with International School and picked up the Emma Fisher, was rewarded bronze. There is still have plenty to work with an All Star MVP award. on, but the team can be very happy with their progress and results. Our 16&U Girls ‘B’ team (pictured at left) coached by The 16&U Girls ‘C’ team coached by Chris Huke came a long way Carrie Macdonald had a tough time of it, this season, developing not and learnt the hard way that in order to just their core skills acquiring succeed it takes hard work, determination a deeper understanding of and commitment. the game. The athletic team developed on a weekly ba- Denise Stevenson

And the boys....

16&U ‘A’ Team tience and perseverance finally hit the front on its youth (nearly every member of the The A team had a very good season losing to secure a great win of only four points. team was 14 years old) and began to look only two games - both of these when play- We went into the final against Catholic forward to next year when nearly everyone ers were away sick or injured. We faced High who play a disciplined game and returns. Improvement was seen in many Presbyterian High in the semi final at the are always a very tough opposition. They aspects of the game, especially concern- ACSIS tournament and they jumped off to jumped away to a great start while our boys, ing teamwork and hustle. Most importantly, a good start before UWCSEA, through pa- as in the semi final, took a while to get their enthusiasm for the game remained at a game going. Down by 12 points at one high level. The future looks bright for this stage the boys dug deep to overcome group of players! a determined opposition and snatch a well earned victory. The team worked 16&U ‘C’ Team extremely well together all year with The C team improved many areas of their several players being chosen to try out game over the season. The boys went with- for SEASAC selection, showing how out a win but remain very positive, as they hard they worked all season. had some close matches towards the end of the season against some strong opposi- 16&U ‘B’ Team tion. The boys train well and really started to The B team experienced a challenging work well as a team. It will be good to see year in terms of wins and losses. How- many of the boys return next year. ever, disappointment was replaced with optimism as the team reflected Andrew Sharpe Dunia, December 2009 21

ACSIS Swimming 2009

College swimmers hit the water for the ACSIS Swimming Championships held at home. This was the first year that different age groups were introduced in the meet, proving an excellent opportunity for swimmers of all ages to compete in a top level swim meet. Over 800 swimmers from 11 international schools all over Singapore were at the event.

High School Division First place finishes were achieved by Jan Hejl (50 Back), Mayumi Raheem (200 IM, 50 Breast) and Constance Tan (400 Free). Our 15 and over girls (Mayumi, Constance, Photo by Henry Chang Bethany Lane and Kalyani Basu) also won the 400 Free relay. Both girls and boys teams were runner ups behind the Singapore American School. Emaar swimming friendly Middle School Division Top swimmers who won their events were: Machiko Raheem (100 Fly, 50 Free), Lukas In October, the UWCSEA East Swim Ming Menkhoff (50 Free, 50 Breast), Francesca Ngu (100 Back, 50 Back), Christine Team competed in the Emaar Swim- O’Donnell (50 Fly), Nicholas Lewis (100 Fly), Lukas Ming Menkhoff (50 Back, 50 ming Friendly Carnival at the Emaar Breast), Christine O’Donnell (50 Fly), Charlie Quin (200 IM, 400 Free). This age group International School. Our team of 23 did very well in the relays with the girls (Christine, Machiko, Francesca, and Lea Groe- swimmers had an enjoyable afternoon bli) winning the 200 Medley and the 400 Free relay. The 13-14 boys (Lukas, Charlie, and swam to the best of their ability on Nicholas Lewis and Constantin Wedekind) won the 200 Medley and the 400 Free relay each event that they participated in. (Charlie, Bryan Lee, Nicholas, and Lukas). Congratulations to some of our individual and relay teams who either won Winners in the 11-12 age group were: Kimberley Alabaster (50 Back, 100 IM) and or placed in their events: Bradley Butler (50 Fly, 100 Free). Both the girls (Kimiko, Josephine Lefrancq, Frances Abhiraj Rana - 1st 8yrs 50m Butterfly, Darlow, and Kimberly) and boys (Matthew Day, Harry Scott, Bradley and Shaurya Atal) Jean-Luc Lefebvre - 1st 10yrs 50m But- won the 200 Free relay. The girls won the overall point score with the boys runner up. terfly and 2nd 10yrs Backstroke, Antara Verma - 3rd 10yrs 50m Butterfly, Shayan Junior School Division Contractor - 2nd 8yrs Backstroke, Chloe Winners in this division were: Raj Jaisinghani (100 IM), Alessandro Nanni (50 Free), Tallentire - 3rd 8yrs Backstroke, Christo- Kimiko Raheem (50 Breast, 100 Free). The combined score for both boys and girls pher Kelly - 3rd 10yrs Backstroke, Rob- placed them in 3rd place at the meet. bie (Robert Daly) - 3rd 8yrs Backstroke, Sarah Daly - 2nd 8yrs Backstroke, Antara Congratulations to all swimmers and thanks very much to the swim coaches and the Verma, Alexandra Roger and Elizabeth parents who helped organize the competition. Brown - 2nd 10yrs Freestyle Relay with only three swimmers (Antara swam Jason Bell twice), Shayan Contractor, Abhiraj Rana, Jackson Emerson and Robbie (Robert Daly) - 1st 8yrs Freestyle Relay, Jean-Luc Lefebvre, Shashank Aggar- wal, Jack Parker and Christopher Kelly Inauguiral ACSIS Swimming Championships for East Campus - 1st 10yrs Freestyle Relay.

Congratulations again to all the swim- Twenty two excited swimmers from UWC- Linda Meli-Lefebvre and Andreas Kohn mers and we look forward to hearing SEA East arrived at Dover Campus to who gave up watching their own children to more great results. compete in the 2009 ACSIS Swimming act as timekeepers for the morning. Championships. All our swimmers had Jackson English a great time, swimming their hardes and Although we were a very novice team many supporting each other. of our swimmers were placed well in their heats and congratulations must go to Throughout the five hours of non-stop races Cherie Kwong who achieved 3rd place in our swimmers were an asset to the school, the 8&U 50m Breaststroke and Alexandra swimming well and learning from their ex- Roger for placing3rd in the girls 10&U periences. Our parents were tremendous 100m Freestyle. - all pulling together to support the team. Particular mention should go to Nicky Tal- Well done UWCSEA East swim team! lentire who oversaw the organization of the swimmers making sure they were at Denise Richards the marshalling area for their races and keeping them from straying too far. Also Photo by Linda Meli-Lefebvre special thanks must go to the parents - Helen Brown, Manic Jacques Lefebvre, Dunia, December 2009 22 Primary School INFANTS

UN Day Celebrations K2 and Grade 1 show off their PE skills

The Infant UN Day celebrations involved Despite the setback of heavy monsoon rain and a last minute change of venue, the a mix of classroom based activities, a Dover K2 and Grade 1 Morning of Sport were once again a great success. The PE parade of nations and a grand finale of staff, led by Karen Morris, had put together an exciting programme of events and races songs from all thirteen Infant classes. to challenge the students and extend their skills. The children thoroughly enjoyed the Grade 1 focused on peace and harmony tabloid events but, as always, it was the races that were the highlight of the morning. between nations and what the United The support that the children and parents gave to the runners was fantastic. Thank you Nations stands for. The K2 teachers se- to the parents who came along to support their children, Infant PE teachers, particularly lected Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and the Karen Morris, who did the behind the scenes organisation, Henry Chang for taking Philippines as their focus countries and photographs, PE support staff for getting all the equipment ready and finally a big thank various activities enabled the children to you to all the class teachers and teacher assistants who helped in so many ways to discover more about the art and customs make the morning a huge success. of these lands. Variety was the key in K1 and the activities on offer reflected Chris Fensom some of the nationalities of children within each class. After enjoying the classroom activities parents joined their children in the Main Hall to celebrate in song the 45 different nationalities represented in the Infant School. The morning was a great success thanks to the support and hard work of many parents, teachers and teacher assistants, Infant music specialist Susanne Khalek, videographer Joseph Tan and technical assistants Nicholas and Anuar.

Text and photographs by Chris Fensom

Photos by Henry Chang Dunia, December 2009 23

Hat Day in K1

K1 East had a Hat Day in November to celebrate the letter ‘h’. This was a fun day K1 Challenge Themselves where children wore funny hats and put on a hat parade for parents. We danced in our hats and the teachers even joined in! at Jurong Lake Park

Beth Saez Photos by K1 teachers Exploring how the Dover K1 children have grown and changed is central to our year long unit “Me, Myself, I”. A visit to Jurong Lake Park allowed the children to discover what they can do and what they are still learning to do on the playground. The three different play areas in the park were a perfect opportunity for the children to challenge themselves on new equipment as well as simply enjoy themselves on more familiar apparatus. They are all very proud of the clever things K2 travel the world with Google Earth that they can achieve now they are in K1. K2 on the East Campus conducted a unit of inquiry with the following Central Idea: Tiara Lesslar Each of us has a unique personal history that in a group, contributes to a shared understanding of our world. The K2 team decided to use Google Earth to enhance the unit, and give the students an appre- ciation of the wonderful diversity that our world contains.

The great thing about using Google Earth was that it gave students practice with logging onto computers, keyboard familiarisation and mouse-control skills in a thoroughly engaging context.

The students really enjoyed experiment- ing with zooming, going to locations where they had been on holiday, and finding our school. They used task cards created by the teachers to ‘travel’ to a number of famous places throughout the world to get a stamp in their ‘passports’.

The task cards were an enormous success, as they helped build the learning process for the students. The text they had to type was on each task card, and a It also gave us an opportunity to talk picture of the place they had to find was about conventions of literacy, including also included. When their screen showed the use of commas and spaces, as both what they could see on the task card, were needed when typing in locations. they then got a stamp in their passport. We had very positive feedback from Some locations were more challenging to a number of parents saying how their Photos by K1 teachers find than others, requiring a bit of search- children are showing them how to use ing, zooming and clicking-and-dragging. Google Earth. It’s lovely to hear of the This helped reinforce the technology home-school connections that this type of operations and concepts we wanted to lesson is creating. address in the unit. Louise Phinney and Keri-Lee Beasley Dunia, December 2009 24

K2 Explore Their Local Henderson Centre visits K2 Environment The Henderson Centre came to spend part of the day with K2 on the East Campus on To learn more about the surrounding Wednesday, 11 November. All of K2 gathered together in the canteen to greet them areas of the Dover Campus, the K2 chil- with a song, “In My Room,” which had the guests smiling and clapping. The children dren walked down the drive, crossed over then had a chance to say hello to their new friends individually and welcome them to Dover Road to visit the HDB area op- the school. posite the entrance to the campus. This short trip was an important component The students invited the guests into the classrooms to join a language lessons; it was of the Unit of Inquiry “Our World”, which a fantastic opportunity for the children to practice their Mandarin skills. Children sang has the Central Idea “Going on a journey songs and played games that helped them to remember how to introduce themselves helps us understand the world we live in”. and make new friends. Other groups of students worked with the visitors to create ‘3-D Many of the children had never crossed writing’, making the Chinese characters jump right off the page! over Dover Road and consequently had no idea what was there. They discovered The children then invited their special friends to join in their first experience working a whole new world of homes, shops, eat- with clay. It was lovely to see the children learning from the experience of the visitors ing places, a dental surgery, a doctor’s and observing their techniques when working with this material. surgery, a hairdresser, a playground and more. Finally, the children had the opportunity to show off their reading skills, and share some books together. On a cloudy, breezy morning in mid- November, all the K2 classes set off for It was lovely to see how quickly the children developed relationships with the visitors another journey, this time to West Coast from the Henderson Centre. When it came time to say goodbye, the first questions Park. The weather was about as cool as asked were, “When will we see them again? Are they coming back tomorrow?” you can experience in Singapore! The children followed a map and explored and It was a very special day. investigated various areas of the park to discover new things about themselves K2 team and their surroundings. The children posed lots of questions; “How do I get down from here?” “Do leaves float?” “Why is the grass wet down there and dry up here?” The volunteer parents and teachers did their best to answer their inquiries and the children came back to school having had a real sense of adventure and excitement.

Helen Webster

Photos by Louise Phinney Photos by K2 teachers and Mariam Doyle Dunia, December 2009 25

Visiting Happy Lodge Grade 1 Students explore “Who they Are” Grade 1 East Campus students support elderly residents at ‘Happy Lodge’ based Dover Grade 1 has been using cel- in Tampines, as part of their social serv- ebrations as the catalyst to explore the ice. The visits benefit both the residents transdisciplinary theme of “Who We Are.” and our children - watching the connec- This is an inquiry into the nature of the tions that our six and seven year olds self; beliefs and values; personal, physi- make with the residents is quite remark- cal, mental, social and spiritual health; able. Some may think that language human relationships including family, could be a big barrier as many of this friends, communities and cultures; rights older generation only speak Mandarin or and responsibilities; what it means to be Hokkien, but nobody seems to find this a a human. Children in Grade 1 listened to problem. Actions really do speak louder Here are some other reflections: presentations from their classmates about than words! family celebrations that were important We make the old people glad by to them. They also visited local places The children are already excited about of worship to gain insight into how and starting their ‘Shoebox Appeal’, early in showing them pictures and stories that are interesting. why families celebrate and factors that Term 2. This annual event sees UWC- connect celebrations across all faiths and SEA Infant students and families filling cultures. shoeboxes with everyday essentials and It is a time for us to learn about goodies which the Grade One children somebody else and to meet some- Karen Masee personally deliver to the residents of body else. Happy Lodge at Chinese New Year. The children are already talking about how We go there so that they get to know they would like to decorate their boxes, new people, and that will make them and what they might put in them! happy. After their first visit to Happy Lodge, the children of 1CTh reflected on their It is nice to make friends with people. service: We bring them joy.

“When we go to Happy Lodge we go We go there because they are old there to be kind to the old people. We and we want to be respectful. want to make their day more interesting. It is fun talking to the old people. When we go there we give them Sometimes they don’t understand us company and stop them from being or hear us very well, but we can still lonely. talk to them. We sing songs in Man- darin and English, and one man sings us Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We take them a book that we can read to them and show them photos of things that we do at school.”

The smiles that we have seen on our visits make this a truly worthwhile service.

Cinders Thomas

Photos by Grade 1 teachers Photos by Casey Ranson, Cinders Thomas Dunia, December 2009 26 Primary School JUNIORS

“All together now“ for Dover Juniors

The Dover Junior School celebrated friendship and togetherness in their UN performances. Each grade sang songs from around the world with readings from students on the themes of the UN and togetherness. Photos by Joseph Tan

Not your usual swimming meet

Junior School students on the East Campus enjoyed a series of aquatic challenges on their annual Aquatics Day of Sport. Students were engaged in high energy adventure activities, team problem solving challenges and games, which saw participants spending maximum time in the water, rather than watching from the sidelines between races. The event was well received by all participants, as it allowed each student, regardless of ability, to enjoy their morning at the pool in a non-competitive environment.

Ben Hart

Photos by Oliver Ferry and Grade 2 staff Dunia, December 2009 27

Learning about ‘Location’ The legend of the Merlion and how it came to be Students in East Grade 4 recently Once in the Savanna there was completed the ‘Location’ Unit of Inquiry - a very hungry lion. He hadn’t eaten a decent based on the central idea ‘Countries have meal in months. He had sticks, leaves and a unique past, significant location and twigs which wasn’t appropriate for the king definite character.’ The unit was an ideal of the jungle. He walked up to the seashore opportunity for the students to explore and bathed. Suddenly a big fish jumped up in Singapore via a series of field trips that the air. The lions eyes widened; he licked his included a Singapore River walk and a chops! visit to the Chinatown Heritage Museum. The lion leaped desperately! He missed and ended up with a belly flop. The lion swan after These first hand experiences were used the fish with all high might. As he swam he as a basis for work which allowed the passed billions of fish, but only a sixteenth of students to use their observations and re- the size of the fish he was chasing after. search skills to present information about Singapore’s history, culture and geogra- The lion was just near the coast of Singapore. phy. This included inventing legends on The lion was tired. He wasn’t scared about not having a decent meal any more…he was the beginnings of Singapore, painting wa- scared about drowning! tercolours of the colourful buildings seen on the Chinatown trip and writing letters The lion prayed that had had a tail…then he home ‘from a recently arrived Chinese would be able to use his last bit of energy to immigrant in the 1870s’. swim up and take a breath. Amazingly, out of some pink smoke the God of Singapore ap- peared, the lion couldn’t believe his eyes! He granted the lion’s wish. With all his power the lion swam up and took a breath, or was he a mer…lion?

To show his thanks, the merlion stayed in Singapore. After 100 year the merlion got so old he turned to stone. Tibor Heskett (RoW)

Photos by Karen Maheshwary, Roxanne Walker and Bruce Home

Grade 2 Work Sharing

In November the East Campus Grade 2 students completed a Work Sharing morning where they were given the opportunity to share with their parents some of the work they have been completing since the mid-term break in October.

The students were able to show their parents the process they go through when completing in-class learning activities. Text and photos by Jackson English Dunia, December 2009 28

Grade 3’s Amazing Adventure

Recently, the East Campus Grade 3s enjoyed the Amazing Adventure around Singapore, where they needed to make their way to five different ‘road blocks’ all over the island, using different forms of public transport. The road blocks incorporated Changi Airport, Tanglin Mall and Sentosa, and students needed to read maps and timetables to plan each section of the journey. At each stop, the teams also had to complete a challenge, in order to have their passports stamped and be able to move on to the next leg of their journey. Road block five saw the teams involved in a Chinese language challenge. The students needed to ask for, receive and write down information on telephone numbers in Chinese. Those students studying Spanish videoed their peers, although one group, who were all taking Spanish, managed to improvise enough to get through the challenge! Well done to all the Grade 3s, and many thanks to the parents and patient shopkeepers who helped the students get the most from their day out and about.

‘The Amazing Adventure was very exciting. I liked it a lot! I think it was the best thing I did in Singapore! I really want everyone to try it.’ – Hanna 3DGo

‘I think the Amazing Adventure was meant to teach us how to use public transport, deal money and to cooperate with our group. It was very fun.’ – Dylan 3DGo

‘I liked the Amazing Adventure because I think it was a fantastic adventure and I learned about reading maps.’ – Ryan 3DGo

Text Deborah Gordon, photos Wendy Liao

East Campus giving students Global Voices and Kids Aloud! performances

Daniel in 4KrM donated his 10th birthday money to PACE The East Campus choirs - Grade 2 Kids Aloud! and the Grade charities. His donation will go towards building a toilet block 3 to 5 Global Voices - performed in the Kurt Hahn Hall on in a school in Nokor Klork village in Cambodia, as well as to Thursday, 5 November. The performance was a wonderful help pay for a year’s education for a PACE scholar in Cebu opportunity for families to enjoy and record some great musical in the Philippines. moments. There are around 130 students participating in the East Campus choral programme, enthusiastically supported by Emma in 2HBe also gifted her birthday money, to the Blue their parents on the evening. Dragons in Vietnam. This will help fund the equivalent of nearly six scholarships for children to attend school under Thanks to the parent helpers on the evening, and especially to a programme sponsored by the Underprivileged Children the children for their wonderful performances. of Vietnam (UCOV) Global Concern. Emma said she was motivated to donate her money as she was keen to help the Margaret Hess children who had to live on the streets.

Photo by Naoko Tan

Text and photos by Kate Woodford Dunia, December 2009 29

The Grade Four Dance-a-thon

In October, Dover Grade 4s took part mesmerizing beat of Oscar winning in a sponsored Dance-a-thon to raise song ‘Jai Ho’, was a big hit with all of money for our Global Concern, Bali us. Bombay plus Hollywood makes Bridges. It was a great experience for all Bollywood and symbolizes the danc- of us because we got to learn some very ing style associated with Indian films. interesting dance styles from France, It is now a popular aerobic workout Ireland, and India as well as a cool hip worldwide! hop routine. Hip-hop: In sync with the coolest The French Can-Can dance: fun and new hip-hop moves, our very own TA energetic dance involving high kicks and taught us this routine. We danced to twirls on set counts. Originally performed the beat of some catchy hip-hop mu- by women in flowing dresses in a chorus sic. This involved a lot of ‘attitude’ and line manipulating their skirts while danc- was ‘free style’ despite the choreo- ing, we had a fantastic time doing it! graphed routine.

Irish Dancing with Ms Forrow: by far my The Dance-a-thon was a great suc- favorite because of the vigorous tempo, cess and we raised over $12,000 for precise and rapid leg/feet movements. Bali Bridges. We were also able to Irish line dancing was made famous by take a peek into world culture through the world famous show ‘Riverdance’. At dance styles. A special thanks to the one point during the dance the whole Grade 4 teachers and the wonderful grade was dancing in rows together. dance instructors who helped make this Dance-a-thon a memorable one! The Indian Bollywood dance: coordinated movements involving the whole body to Arinjay Singhai (4SSf/4NKu)

East Campus squats for World Toilet Day

Students on the East Campus joined the big squat on Thursday, 19 November, as part of World Toilet Day. The Big Squat - ‘a movement for the toilet-less’ - helps to raise awareness for the 2.5 billion people who don’t have access to adequate sanitation.

Grade 5 students were also visited by parent Nikki Shaw, who works for the World Toilet Organisation. Nikki explained the importance of sanitation to the students, highlighting the need for sanitation to improve health, restore dignity, and reduce the effects of diseases brought about by lack of adequate sanitation, which some studies suggest is the world’s largest source of infection.

World Toilet Day is an initiative of the World Toilet Organisation, a Singapore-founded, global non-profit organisation committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions worldwide. Founded in 2001 it has 203 member organizations in 56 countries working towards eliminating the toilet taboo and delivering sustainable sanitation. More information is available on www.worldtoiletday.com.

Text and photo by Kate Woodford Dunia, December 2009 30 Middle School United World College of South East Asia

Grade 8 Chiang Mai adventure

n November and December the Grade 8 students have participated in the Chiang Mai was a great opportunity to IChiang Mai excursion in northern Thailand. The trip involves a week of discover different sides of other stu- experiential learning at the Prem Centre and an Adventure Week, where students dents in new situations. In school you do white water rafting, trekking and camping. The activities are designed to are only able to see one side of people as education is the main focus, while in develop independence and for many students, the Chiang Mai trip is the highlight Chiang Mai you have an insight into the of their Middle School experience at UWCSEA. real person and see what they are like in daily life. Adventure week also helps you to learn more about yourself and how you cope in certain situations. Zoe Carter

I’ve definitely learnt to appreciate my life more, especially during Adventure Week. It’s the small things that we take for granted and when we don’t have them, we figure out how significant they are. For example warm showers and home cooked food. Although I missed so many items and people, I enjoyed my time there. I gained many new friends during the trip and strangely, being together for only two weeks made us feel like a group, a family. Tara Davis

Chiang Mai takes you out of your seat and out of your classroom and lets you see and experience what you learn. Chi- ang Mai is not about imagining things; it is about getting up on your feet and learning the real way. Maya Filmeridis

It is more than just having fun, you really learn more about yourself and others and create memories that you’ll probably remember for the rest of your life. The elephants were one of my favourite parts. I never really gave much thought to the plight elephants are facing until we got up close and personal with them and learned about them as part of the Prem programme. Juen-Wei Ding

My experience at Prem was a very enriching one where I learnt about boarding school life and at the same time, got to experience learning in the outdoors rather than just within the classroom. Our experience at Adventure Week was entirely different but equally enriching. Our tough hikes definitely built a sense of teamwork; we had to learn to encourage each other when needed. I think we all took a lot out of this unforgettable experience. Sarah Wong Dunia, December 2009 31

A week in Vietnam

During the October holidays, 15 students our money was actually and three teachers went on the inaugu- going. ral Middle School trip to Vietnam. What made the trip unique for many was the Our experience at both opportunity to interact with underprivi- organisations was unfor- leged kids and make them smile. gettable, as we spent a day bowling and mak- After waking up for the first time in Ho Chi ing merry! What I loved Minh City, we departed on a city tour be- about these excursions fore travelling to the Cu Chi tunnels which was that we didn’t need are located amongst idyllic greenery and to be able to converse silence. A world away from life in Ho Chi with each other to have a great time. Minh City, the area of Cu Chi was the Facial expressions and the joy of be- perfect setting for an attack on the Ameri- ing together was enough for us and our can stronghold in Vietnam and arguably, buddies from the CNCF and BDCF to this is what won the Viet Cong right to develop a strong bond. I feel unbeliev- control Vietnam. The tunnels themselves ably lucky to have spent two days bowling are an immense system which spans with a great group of people my age and hundreds of kilometres. A highlight was never once did I think of any difference the opportunity to move around under- between us. We were all kids at the end ground ourselves. of the day, competition was strong and the bowling was great! Time truly did fly After several days in Ho Chi Minh City when we were having fun and this is my we took a flight to the Vietnamese capital personal highlight of the trip, to be able to of Hanoi. We had a great city tour before make friends without being able to con- travelling to the UNESCO World Heritage verse. This really shows the power Site of Halong Bay, where we spent the of interaction and is something that day cruising. Halong Bay is recognised makes me feel truly happy. the world over for its impeccable beauty and limestone caves, which are truly I left Vietnam with a tinge of sad- amazing. Stepping inside one of these ness to be leaving such a great vast, hollow structures brought us into a country, but came back to Singa- totally different and mystical environment. pore with 14 new friends and a new For many of us, one of our most unforget- understanding of the culture and table experiences was the opportunity history of a great nation. to jump in and swim around in the clear water of this natural wonder. Ishaan Srivastava (8AVa)

Being one of the main components of the trip and of our lives as students of UWC- SEA, service was something we couldn’t Middle School Day of Sport - swimming forget about. We had the opportunity, as members of the Underprivileged Children of Vietnam Global Concern, to take a In early October, UWCSEA Middle Results role in deciding how to raise funds for our School students could be found around Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 and in the College pool. The storm visits to the Christina Noble Children’s 1st MGa MSi PRa Foundation (CNCF) in Ho Chi Minh City clouds were kept at bay as the swim- nd and the Blue Dragon Children’s Founda- mers churned up the water. Each student 2 CMa FMe MLi tion (BDCF) in Hanoi. During our visit swam a minimum of three races with 3rd ChM PGa RWa we were fortunate enough to see where many swimming more. The relays are always a highlight; swimming in those big rugby shirts was a challenging task!

The sportsmanship among the students was excellent as many cheers could be heard around the pool area. It was another successful and fun day for all the Middle School students. Thanks to all the staff and parent support during the day and most of all congratulations to all the swimmers.

Jason Bell Photo by Henry Chang Dunia, December 2009 32 High School United World College of South East Asia

University Day for Grade 11

“A career is not a single decision you make - it’s a long journey”…“Study what you’re passionate about”…“Try new things!”…“Have a plan but be prepared to change it”…“Embrace uncertainty and risk, learn to love them both!”… “You will hit speed bumps...what’s important is how you pick yourself up and get on with life”… “You don’t have to go to a prestigious university to succeed in life.”

These were key ideas that a panel of seven speakers, whose careers ranged from business and medicine to journalism and documentary film-making, shared at “University Introduction Day.” This event, organized by the University Counselling team, launched the start of the advising program for Grade 11 students. Pan- elists emphasized that adaptability and resourcefulness were more important than the degree subject they had studied. Students asked probing questions and appreciated the advice to seize oppor- Photos by Henry Chang tunities to discover and develop their Clockwise from top left passions. • Students said: “This was more than worth the six periods it took up!” • Grade 11s informally interacting with the panelists The day continued with presentations • Panelists, from left to right - Risa Okamoto, Rashmy Chatterjee, Cynthia Owens, Julian Whiteley, Declan by university counsellors. Students were MacFadden and Dale Fisher (at lectern). Moderators: Di Smart and Gary Seston. introduced to different university systems worldwide and advised on how to become strong applicants. Videos by UWC gradu- Canon EOS Academy at Dover Campus ates gave everyone a “tangible perspective,” as one Grade 11 put it, enabling Canon’s EOS Academy trainer Russell Koh and professional freelance photographer current students to visualize themselves Jino Lee introduced twenty Grade 11 students to the difference between picture taking at university and reflect on their ideal and photography. Through the informative three-hour theory and practical session learning environment. The next session the students quickly learnt that photography means to draw or paint with light, which got students thinking about their interests involves far more creativity and technical skill than taking pictures. The course aim was and what they want from university, both to cover basic photography in a nutshell and tips on how to excel in photography - both academically and beyond the classroom. of which it achieved. The theory session covered practical details to encourage creativ- Counsellors outlined various resources ity in seeing, visualising, conceptualizing and expressing. Then, with loaned DSLR in to help students gain insights into their hand, they practiced skills of capturing and controlling light, seeing the campus in a interests and aptitudes, course and new way as they clicked away. career choices, as well as data on graduates’ application outcomes. University Soon these Grade 11s, along with the rest of their class, will be going on their Project Day ended with an open Q & A session Week. We look forward to seeing the photos of their adventures when they return. that touched on SATs, scholarships, and advice for gap year and National Service Kate Lewis and Gabriel Abad students. Students were then given their Photos by Gabriel Abad ‘University Handbook’ to get them started on their research.

The guidance program continues throughout Grades 11 and 12, with country-specific information sessions, es- say workshops, and individual meetings with students. Many universities also visit our campus each year - stay tuned to the weekly University Bulletin for details. Dunia, December 2009 33

Dutch Cultural Trip to Java

ndonesia, the world’s largest archipela- the state it was in (having recently been go, the world’s largest Muslim popula- struck by an earthquake) and the general Ition and also the destination for our lack of standard supplies. Despite this the IB Dutch A1 school trip. Early Saturday children were extremely active and cheer- morning during our half-term break, the ful during our day of teaching. eight of us flew to the nation’s capital on the island of Java for a week of travel and Finally during the last few days we stayed cultural study, in an effort to fully under- in Jogjakarta and visited world-famous stand the scope of influence our home sites such as the Buddhist Borobudur and country, The Netherlands, has had on the the Hindu Prambanan temples. We were former colony. For the seven days that also given an eventful tour (in Dutch!) of we were there we experienced a great the Kraton, the Sultan’s palace, and were variety of activities ranging from a visit to able to see just how much the Sultan’s Asia’s biggest mosque to sleeping in the influence has decreased since Indonesia guesthouse of a tea plantation which has gained independence. The class trip to been operational since colonial times. Singapore’s large neighbour was highly enjoyable and tremendously educational, Which leads onto the primary goal of our and we now all have a deeper insight trip, to study the links between the novels into the influence of The Netherlands on analysed in class and the situations expe- Indonesia. rienced by the authors Hella S. Haasse, F. Springer and Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Lodewijk Vriens (11RGe) and the characters of their literary works, Photos by Simone Goetschalckx and Louise Koortens during the time frame of their novels. This meant visiting various destinations, such as Batavia, the former capital of the Dutch East Indies and now Jakarta, the more rural areas of the island, and also Model United Nations - Conference Singapore 2009 the country’s cultural capital, Jogjakarta. 1,061 students was the official count for the number of delegates attending this year’s During our two-day stay in Jakarta we vis- THIMUN conference in Singapore at the Hwa Chong Institute. From South Korea to ited various sides of the city that I seldom Burma and even the United Arab Emirates, students came from just about everywhere saw during my six-year stay there. The around the region and beyond, capturing the spirit of the United Nations, present old tower and warehouse at the port used throughout the four days. by the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Com- pagnie (V.O.C.) to store spices before After weeks of preparation involving in-depth research on issues of global importance shipping them to Europe were first on and nations’ policies, students finally had their chance to apply their knowledge through the list. The former plaza of Batavia was discussions and formal debating. As a simulation of the United Nations, students were also extremely interesting, especially the eager to immerse themselves in diplomacy mindset and follow, as best they could, the various old colonial buildings transformed policies of their respective governments. There was still time however, for students to into museums. Perhaps the most ben- meet people with similar educational backgrounds and for some it was also an opportu- eficial activity in Jakarta was the visit to nity to meet friends made at past conferences. The experience on the whole was truly possibly Indonesia’s greatest writer’s resi- rewarding and one that is highly recommended for students who have any particular dence. Although Ananta Toer has already interest in the world of international relations and politics. passed away we were able to learn from the family that he suffered constantly at Pierre Chalon (12GAb) the hand of Indonesia’s previous governments for his work to be published.

Next on the agenda was the trip to the Malabar tea plantation, a neighbour to the plantation of our other novel, by Hella S. Haasse. Here we were able to experience some of the loneliness that the former residents must have experienced, before the arrival of mobile transport. Another aspect of our visit to Malabar, and without a doubt the most rewarding, was to teach English and basic hygiene at a primary school in the plantation. From our first visit to the school we were shocked at UWCSEA THIMUN delegates: Meghana Puri, Megan Jensen, Rachita Jain, Pierre Chalonm Manavi Sachdeva, Chris Kwan, Ishan Dutt, Akshata Suresh, Kenny Lee, Yae Woon Moon, Diwa Cody, Avanti Narayanan, Priyanka Hariharan, Ji Soo Kim, Lee Young-Sang and Chirag Soni. Dunia, December 2009 34

UWCSEA hosts SISMC MUN IASAS Conference he Singapore International School Mathematics Competition, or SISMC, brought Ttogether students in Grades 8 and 9 from seven Singapore international schools as well as Alice Smith, an international school that came all the way from Malaysia. Held in November, students came together with their love for Mathematics and in the spirit of some friendly competition. Our school team was chosen through the weekly Mathematics Competition Club, organized by Mr. Lumb. Having already done a few competitions, the top nine students with the highest scores were chosen to participate and formed three teams to compete in the various events. Resolutions passing in and out The schedule consisted of an icebreaker, three team competitions (including a relay) and an individual competition, all of which were held in the Exam Hall. The day dawned of committee rooms, delegates in good spirits with a paper plane making competition that allowed the students to get carefully picking diction to match to know each other. Teams with students from all the different schools tried to make their nation’s diplomatic aims and a paper airplane that would fly the furthest. The winning team constructed an airplane lots of adrenaline are what MUN that flew an amazing 29 metres. Next was the Energiser team round, which is similar to conferences are all about. The the competitions that the Mathematics department organizes for the whole of Grades IASAS MUN conference of 2009 7 and 8. After solving a problem, a team member ran to the front where a teacher was was held in Bangkok at the United seated. The teacher would tell them if they had the correct answer and, if they did, they Nations Convention Centre and received the next question and ran back to their group. If not, they could either try to included about 258 delegates from answer the question again or pass and go on to the next one. 11 schools across South East Asia. Students from the college were After lunch, the day continued with an individual competition followed by a relay where home staying with other students the answer to a question solved by a previous teammate would be a part of the ques- from the International School tion for the next team member. The final event was another team competition, the of Bangkok. The host families Lion Round, where one of our teams, with Jae Ryoung Koo, Akari Mikita, and Sameen extended warm hospitality towards Boparai ranked 3rd place. The full day of competitions was tough, however our school us and made the stay more than did well, ranking 5th place overall. Eugene Choe and Justin Lee both received awards for their joint 6th place finish in the individual round. comfortable. The quality of debate, and the intensity of the General As- SISMC made for a fun and challenging day that transformed Mathematics into an excit- sembly, was what made this MUN ing experience. conference special. All delegates that raised issues from differ- Sameen Boparai (9MNe) ent committees spoke extremely well and defended their country’s foreign policy until the end. The other special part about this MUN conference was the guest speaker who told us about the impact of the UN on today’s society, and how the UN is the United Nations and not the United Nothing. Listening to this speaker was a good learning experience for us as it relates to Theory of Knowledge and teaches us about how the United Nations helps society. Other plus points about the conference were the opportunity to stay in a home away from home, extending friendships with different people from various schools and, last but not least, trying to ensure diplomacy is in tomorrow’s future.

Rohan Arora (11SeJ)

UWCSEA MUN IASIS delegates: Rohan Arora, Melita Eustacia Bintoro, Shi Heng Michelle Yaw, Derek Yan Ting Li, Christine Athieno Odegi, Eun Jin Koh, Rohith Desikan, Alf Shen Lim, Radhika Todi and Tanushree Sahai. Dunia, December 2009 35

From Cape Naturaliste to Prevelley

From 11-16 October, a group of 26 cold it was. We camped at a cozy campsite too risky to cross individually. So, two by students participating in the NYAA (Na- at Yallingup - yes, campsites can be cozy. two, we crossed the river hand in hand, like tional Youth Achievement Award) went On the second day, our dream of a nice, animals in Noah’s ark. to Perth for a four-day trekking expedi- smooth trek was soon shattered when we arrived at an everlastingly long beach with The trip was amazingly fulfilling. Besides tion in South Western Australia. Those thick sand layers, taking twice the energy the enjoyment and sense of personal reaching for the gold award trekked 75 to negotiate. If it were not for the gorgeous achievement gained, one has to admit kilometers while 40 kilometers was the sea next to us, it would have been no differ- that this journey saw how individualism goal for the silver award seekers. ent than walking across the Sahara Desert. gave way to team spirit. We discovered the natural beauty of Western Australia. It During this half-term break, when you were On Wednesday we were looking forward opened our hearts to treasures - of sensory shopping at the mall… or maybe sitting in to seeing some civilization in Gracetown imagery beyond the description of human front of your television set… perhaps even after a gruelling Tuesday. We arrived at words and the portrayal of pictures. What spending some quality time with our dear Whaleback Rock, which was too danger- will you discover next time? “friend” Facebook - we 12 adventurers lived ous to climb but we were hoping that the an authentic NYAA experience. rocks were strong enough to withstand our Jimmy Wu (11ASC) and Joshua Kan (11SGo) weight… until one of our team members During the course of four days, we trekked fell and injured her ankle. This from Cape Naturaliste to Prevelley, West- was the moment that revealed ern Australia. We were virtually homeless our team spirit. Some carried - tents stuffed in bulky bags, which weighed her bag, while others comforted around 20 kilograms each. The amount of and assisted her with first aid. water and food we carried was astonishing. When we approached our At Cape Naturaliste the view of the bays final destination, the trek was was simply breathtaking, too astonishing shorter than the other days but to be true - which led us to look forward to the terrain was really difficult the next couple of days. We were to trek and exhausting. At the end we south along the coast after overcoming all found ourselves at mouth of the the cliffs and beaches along our way. On Margaret River where we had the first day the terrain was relatively easy to cross its strong currents to - mainly flat ground and sand. In the after- reach the other side. The cur- noon it started raining and we realized how rents were vigorous and it was

Lessons learned First and foremost, the expedition allowed us to push ourselves out of the comfort zones we have within civilization and especially during school breaks. Whether it be simply waking up at eight in the morning instead of noon, or hiking well over a dozen Ks instead of strolling from the front door of your house to the cab outside it. The trip drastically altered our (or at least my) holiday lifestyle. Such experiences may seem horrifying to others, but these drastic changes allow us to experience a new lifestyle and, more importantly, make us appreciate the one we have bake at home.

Secondly, the trip tested our social behaviour and nerves. Being assigned to groups with other students, several of whom hadn’t met, we were forced to work and plan with one another before onset of the trip towards a common goal. During the trip itself, these new relationships, and those between well-established friends, were weathered with arguments over route decisions and rest periods. I believe such experiences are beneficial since they strengthen friendships and also prepare us for the future, where we will most probably be required to work and cooperate with new people we have yet to befriend. Merely overcoming the trip without debasing to simple grunts and huffs was astounding to me.

Lastly, the trip was fun. Such as hiking along pristine beachfront with old and new friends, while engaging in varying conversations ranging from the latest blockbuster film release to the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

Lewis Okashimo (11TSh) Dunia, December 2009 36 Parents’ Association

Dover Parents’ Association East Parents’ Dear Parents, Association As I prepare for the December edition of Dunia, it’s good to Dear parents, look back on another exciting term for our children and for the Parents’ Association. Many of your children may have gone on You’d be their first expedition in their school careers this term. I hope they forgiven for had enjoyable and memorable experiences and you parents thinking that survived it too. the PA East has been The PA has had a busy first term with plenty of UN Day activities very quiet and other meeting and organising to keep us busy. since the AGM in Sep- The High School UN Food Festivals before the holidays and the Infants and Junior tember, but Food Fest in November couldn’t have taken place without the generous donations by behind the scenes there has been hundreds of parents of all nationalities. much work on building the founda- A big thank you to all parents who took part. There was a great friendly atmosphere tions of our Parents Association. The of camaraderie amongst the parents at the Junior Food Festival. I have always found process of registering our society is these events to be a popular volunteering opportunity for parents and I am sure the taking a little longer than we expected food tasting opportunities have nothing to do with it! in spite of the online facility available in Singapore. Our recent Holiday Shopping Fair was a huge success for the vendors and the shoppers. With a clear sky (perhaps the only one for a while) shoppers from inside and Members of the Managing Committee outside our community beat a steady path to the Main Hall. have volunteered for various roles: Outside a few GC’s and stall holders provided the sustenance while the shoppers got • Transport - Tracey Pickford on with their business. Since then there has been plenty of interest in our next vendor • Health and Safety – Viv Carter fair which will coincide with the Community Fair. • Uniform and Canteen – Kelly Hauber and Belinda Sircombe Thanks to the great organising work of Sudha Natrajan, Indira Pant and Vinita Parambi • Website – Ewan Makepeace the Holiday Fair raised over $4000 which will be donated to the Initiative for Peace • Nationalities – Maija Burtmanis Program - our selected charity. Great work ladies - once again! (Co-ordinator), Preeti Khande- wal, Peggy Wang, Nila Gibb and Yes, don’t forget to take note of the date for the upcoming Community Fair. This ‘all Aarti Lohia in’ event will take place on February 6th and the various GC’s are already starting • Social sub-committee – Viv to organise their fundraising stalls. With plenty of sponsors, vendors, parental and Carter (Chair), Sheetal Joshi community involvement, this Fair looks set to be as successful as the last. (Treasurer), Jennifer Chadam, Miranda Peak, Janet Chenery Before I head off for the holiday season, I would like to take this opportunity to thank • Activities – Preeti Khandewal the many parents who have contacted the PA lately offering their words of support, thanks and encouragement. The committee are very pleased to know that you A brainstorming session produced appreciate our efforts and that we are able to serve you with what you need. If you a long list of suggestions for social have any questions about the PA or its activities or would like to help out, please events, and from this list 6-8 events contact us. We would be happy to hear from you if you have any ideas for events or have been targeted for this year. Our parents’ activities. first official event in December is a Holiday Sock Hop for the students I hope you and yours have a happy and safe festive season, enjoy your break and to celebrate the upcoming holidays, recharge in time for an exciting term two. school and friendship.

Happy Christmas and Happy Holidays. If you have any suggestions or questions for the PA, please contact us at Lydia Astill [email protected]. Chair - PA Dover Campus May I wish you all a safe and happy holidays!

Lydia Abbey Chair - PA East Campus Dunia, December 2009 SEALinks 37

PACE Deepavali Lunch

This year’s PACE Deepavali Dawat was There was an outstanding group of Last, but not least, The British Club did a a fun and fabulous event, full of colour volunteers that helped with this event, wonderful job of feeding us and accom- and flavours of India that raised over the organizing committee, the decora- modating us in every possible way. $7,000 for PACE charities. tions group led by Revati Suresh and all the ladies taking part in the dancing and To everyone that helped with and sup- Held at the British Club, 150 people modelling. ported this event we send a heartfelt were entertained by the energetic Bol- thanks. lywood dance led by Sonali Mehta and We are also very grateful to our spon- the beautiful Lavani Folk Dance led by sors for their generous support; The Photos by Ulla Gratton Suvidha Bala. These were followed by Regent Singapore, Hershey’s, Casey’s a fashion show by Mantra boutique and Hair and Beauty, Mantra for the beautiful our very own gorgeous UWCSEA model clothes and fashion show, Make-up For- mothers, Angela Comer, Andrea Zinser, ever and Beauty Lane. Lakshmi Raju, Liz Vogtle, Midori Isozaki, Neeta Vithlani, Susan Xanthopoulos and Susana Zilliacus.

Throughout the whole event we had stalls selling unique and beautiful products thanks to Furnstyles and Indu Sudhakar, Evam Natually Yours and Crisy Vasan, Homelinens and Manisha Gattani, Kala Jayaraj and her lovely beaded bags and jewels.

When hands reach out in friendship, hearts are touched with joy

The PACE Bollywood Dancers hit the floor with the energetic “Daisy Girl” cho- reographed by Sonali and the HCA folk and volunteers needed little persuasion to join in for a few encores. This was followed with the graceful traditional Lavni Dance.

In November we had a Christmas craftwork session led by Susan (Christmas tree and bauble) and Andrea (German Papierstern/double-sided Paper Christ- mas Star). Each person made three The number of attendees at HCA Hospice In October we celebrated Deepavali. exquisite Christmas tree ornaments in a Day Care are growing thanks to the love Thank you to all the Indian volunteers scant hour! There was a lot of attention to and painstaking efforts of the volunteers. who shared their Festival of Light with us detail which required challenging manual This year they were challenged to take so generously and joyously through food, dexterity to fold paper, paint, string up on a session in small groups and come art and dance. The food was delicious, beads and bells and tie ribbons and bows up with interesting themes be it games, the Rangolis beautiful and the dancing but the old folk were game and took craftwork, celebrating festivals, organ- energetic. much pride in their craft. izing outings or exercises. Key element is creativity and fun for all. When we This was followed by a Sari wrapping Afterwards there was a procession to started in May 2008, typically had about demonstration modeled by three sport- dress the Christmas tree and the resi- 20 attendees and they would straggle in ing HCA volunteers and a hilarious dents were beaming with delight admiring after 10.30am.These days the average is photo opportunity when models found it their handiwork. around 35 enthusiatic participants - PACE challenging to walk in the saris wrapped Fridays have become very popular and in three different regional styles. Every- To volunteer please contact me via quite often they beat the volunteers, who one sported a red bindi on their forehead [email protected] arrive at 10am! whether male or female. Leng Holz Dunia, December 2009 38 Alumni

Alumni Newsbites Recent Reunions

Hal Quinn, Class of 2009, competed Second UWCSEA ‘80s Reunion in London in the Ironman 70.3 championships Alumni from the ‘80s met up once again in London, UK over a weekend in September in November 2009 in Florida, USA, 2009, thanks to Tim Foulkes (Class of 1986). There is talk of another one in March completing a 1.9 2010 so stay tuned! kilometre swim, 90 kilometre Class of 1979 Mini Reunion in London bike ride and 21 After the Reunion 2009 weekend in August, a few members of the Class of 1979 got together for another celebration of their 30th anniversary at a lunch gathering in kilometre run, London, UK in September. Some who had been unable to attend the reunion weekend in that order, in Singapore took this opportunity to meet up and celebrate. Thanks to Yuli Toh for th coming 13 organising the get-together! in the ’24 and under’ age group Auckland Alumni Reunion category. Hal Catriona Hitchman, Class of 1985, organised a UWCSEA alumni get-together in Auck- was one of the land, New Zealand in October 2009 for members of all classes. The group met up for two youngest dinner at Mutiara Malaysian Restaurant and shared stories and memories about their competitors. time in Singapore.

Michelle Cheung, Class of 2001, along with a friend founded a web project called The Discarded. The website is a visual archive of old business cards of people made redundant due to recession and a collage of their personal stories. The aim is to humanise the effect of the recession which until now has been circulated as mere statistics - http://www. thediscarded.org.

Paul Foster, Class of 1999, stars as Adrian in Polo Boys, a local television drama series which airs on Thursdays at 8:00pm on Channel 5.

Lucy Davis, Class of 1988, Artist and Assistant Professor, NTU’s School of Art Design and Media, she recently conducted an art show titled Together Again (Wood Cut) at the Substation Gallery in Singapore. Her artwork and shows carry an ecological message.

Patrick Rouxel, Class of 1984, makes films about rainforest conservation. His latest film, Green is available for download from www.greenthefilm.com. Upcoming Reunions 2009 21 December Singapore alumni get-together 2010 22 January London alumni get-together 23 January New York alumni get-together 29 January San Francisco alumni get-together 25-28 February Western Australia, Class of ‘78 27 - 30 August Reunion 2010! Dunia,Dunia, December June 20092007 39

Hawk Ostby UWCSEA 1983-1985 Academy Award-Nominated Screenwriter

awk Ostby from Oslo, Norway, Hcame to UWC- SEA as a boarder in 1983. After graduating in 1985, Hawk moved to the United States where he pursued a degree in film. When asked to describe the impact on him of his time at UWCSEA and the direction of his life and career since leaving Singapore, he says: “I really loved my years at UWC- SEA, and I credit the programme, the excellent teachers and my brilliant peers for making learning fun, and for showing me the value of a solid work ethic. What I took away from my two years there is an invaluable lesson that I use every day: with hard work, anything is possible. And let’s face it, once you’ve stared down the IB exam, everything else in life - like writer’s block, child birth and death - is pretty much a cakewalk!” Here is his story in his own words. It wasn’t until Boston University when I scripts for studios. Among these were worked up the courage to combine my Children of Men, which would ultimately When I left Singapore I was pretty clue- love for escapism with my mild allergy score us a pair of tickets to the Kodak less about what I wanted to do with my to reality. I just picked up a book on film Theatre on Oscar night. life. By chance I got stuck in the Com- writing, (Syd Field’s Screenwriting, I be- munications School at Boston University lieve), and started hacking away, thinking In 2007 we had the great privilege of writ- (which is where they stowed all the ‘weir- success was crouched just around the ing Iron Man for the amazing director Jon dos’ back in the day), and I happened to corner. Favreau, and spent four months weav- take a course in film. I just loved it. ing through Southern California, blowing In retrospect it was a crazy thing to things up with the production. The movie Four years later I proudly strutted into embark on, and if someone had warned opened 2 May 2008 and starred Rob- the workforce with a film degree, which I me about all the sweaty heartache I’d ert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff quickly realised is like trying to cross the have to expend to get a piece sold, I may Bridges and Terence Howard.” Atlantic in a leaky dinghy while afflicted have balked right then and there. I don’t with dysentery and a broken right arm. In recommend self-delusion to anyone, but Hawk currently lives in Vermont with his other words, my prospects of ever eating it’s really worked for me. Ultimately, the wife Monica and their three children, were less than enormous. awesome thing about being a writer is Aidan, Oliver and Elsa, along with what that you get to play God of your own little he describes as his four-legged assistant My mother’s hints, delivered with the make-believe world. You get to decide and foot warmer of the canine variety, sweet, gentle nudging of a sledgeham- who lives and dies, what sins get pun- Koda. mer, that ‘accountants make a great ished and what virtues get rewarded. It’s living’ were starting to take hold. In 1990 enormously satisfying and it feels stupid Iron Man was #1 at the box office over however, I managed to con myself into to call it ‘work’ because, really, it’s more its opening weekend, taking $201 mil- menial employment at Showtime Net- like play. lion world-wide, the second highest US works in New York City. In my spare grossing film for 2008. It was nominated time I started writing screenplays ‘on In 1996 we managed to jam our bony for two Academy Awards and nine Saturn spec,’ and was introduced to another feet in the door by selling a thriller script Awards, winning three Saturns. ‘loser’ there who was also trying to starve to HBO; what would later become the Hawk and his writing partner recently himself to death by writing. His name was ‘unremarkable’ movie Consequence. We co-wrote a Sci-fi Western called Cowboys Mark Fergus, and we’ve been collaborat- started making the rounds in Hollywood & Aliens for Dreamworks and Imagine ing for 12 years since. with a script that we had written and intended to film ourselves, called First Entertainment, which is currently in the production stages and set for release in I was always enamoured with the idea of Snow. We didn’t get financing for quite 2011. They are also presently working making a living wielding a pen, but had awhile, but in the meantime we fed our- on adapting a popular Japanese anime, no pedigree or confidence in that area. selves by adapting books and re-writing Akira, into a live-action feature film.” Dover Campus East Campus

JANUARY JANUARY 1 PUBLIC HOLIDAY: NEW YEAR’S DAY 1 PUBLIC HOLIDAY: NEW YEAR’S DAY 11 Start of Term 2 11 Start of Term 2 Term 2 CEP Activities start Term 2 CEP Activities start Principal’s Forum (Middle School) 20 Season 3 Activities signup opens Grade 9 Global Perspectives Exhibition starts 27 Season 3 Activities signup closes Grade 10 Mock Exams start 28 Kids Aloud! and Global Voices Choir perfromance 13 Grade 8 into Grade 9 Options Evening 29 Family Breakfast 18 Principal’s Forum (Infant School) Parents Forum Grade 10 Mock Exams continue Grade 12 Mock Exams start FEBRUARY 19 TOK Mini Week starts 8 Season 3 Activities start 20 Season 3 Activities signup opens 12 Student Led Conferences 22 Grade 9 Global Perspectives Exhibition ends 14 - 16 PUBLIC HOLIDAY: CHINESE NEW YEAR Grade 9/FIB Day of Sport 17 - 19 Chinese New Year school holiday TOK Mini Week ends 26 Family Breakfast 23 ACSIS Basketball 19U/Rugby 16U, 19U/Touch 16U, 19U/Tennis 19U/Volleyball 16U SAT Benefit Dinner for 25 Primary Bully Busters/Cyber Week Principal’s Forum (Junior School) Tabitha Ladies House Building Grade 12 Mock Exams continue Saturday, 6 March 27 Season 3 Activities signup closes Republic of Singapore Yacht Club Kindergarten 1 Morning of Sport smart casual 28 Theatre Sports Festival 29 Theatre Sports Festival Grade 9/10/FIB Dutch Trip to Java departs 31 Grade 9/10/FIB Dutch Trip to Java returns

FEBRUARY 1 Principal’s Forum (Upper School) 2 Junior Pastoral INSET for Parents Grade 11 Parents’ Evening 4 SEASAC Basketball/Rugby/Touch/Tennis start Grade 11 Parents’ Evening Come and enjoy the romantic tones of the UWCSEA musicians whilst 5 Primary School Student Led Conferences sipping champagne on the decks of the Marina. This will be followed by a 6 PA Dover Community Fair sumptuous four-course dinner, served on the upstairs deck with spec- ACSIS Basketball 14U/Netball 12U/ Football 10U tacular views of the sea. Grade 9 SIS Maths Competition 7 SEASAC Basetball/Rugby/Touch/Tennis end There will be plenty of fabulous prizes: live auction, silent auction and bal- loon raffle. Come and enjoy this relaxed evening. Book a table and bring Chamber Concert your friends. All are welcome. 8 Drug Awareness Week Season 3 Activities start Tickets will be on sale from January. Watch for an eFlyer in the New Year. Season 3 Sports Trials this week Grade 1 Art Exhibition this week High School Art Exhibition starts Grade 11 MEDSOC week 9 Grade 8 Parents’ Evening 10 High School AMC Maths Competition 11 Grade 8 Parents’ Evening 12 Infant CNY Dress Up Day 14 - 16 PUBLIC HOLIDAY: CHINESE NEW YEAR 17 - 19 Chinese New Year school holiday 22 Principal’s Forum (Senior School) CAS Check this week 23 Grade 12 Parents’ Evening 24 Grade 10 SOEs 25 Grade 9 SEAMC Hong Kong starts Grade 12 Parents’ Evening 26 Grade 9 Options Forms due High School Art Exhibition ends

28 Grade 9 SEAMC Hong Kong ends Printed on 100% recycled paper.