April 2012
Learning in an
international
community
Impacts of multilingualism
Scholars broaden perspectives
International approach to music
Many articles in this edition have
expanded content in eDunia—look
for the symbol as you read the
magazine and visit eDunia for more
photos, video, music and expanded content.
Other stories only featured in eDunia:
Top story
Writers Fortnight
Writers Fortnight at the
start of Term 2 was just the
beginning of the creative
journey for many students. A showcase
of writing from both campuses.
Primary School
Arts Festivals
Preparation for the Arts
Festival performances on
Dover Campus were enhanced
by the use of technology.
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Staged by the East Junior Drama group.
Middle School
Development Unit
Grade 6’s Development Unit
opens eyes on both campuses.
High School
Global Issues Network
UWCSEA students from both
campuses went to Manila for
the GIN Conference.
Community
For the Protection of Children
The Centre for International Education hosted
a number of events, including a workshop for
High School students.
Royal Geographical Society
UWCSEA’s Geography
Department took a leading role
in setting up a branch of the
Society in Singapore.
Activities
ACSIS Football results
East Campus football teams enjoyed success in
the ACSIS tournament.
Our international
community
Welcome to the second edition of print
Dunia for the 2011/2012 academic year.
In this edition, we have several articles
focused on the international nature
of our community and the impact
that this, and multilingualism, has
on our students. The diversity of our
community is real cause for celebration
and is an enormously important part
of the educational experience we offer
students. Without an appreciation for
other cultures and languages, without
an understanding of the national
history and current geopolitical position
of other countries, our students cannot
become effective global citizens and
leaders. There is no doubt that learning
in an environment that contains more
then 60 nationalities gives our students
a perspective on how the world works
that they would not otherwise have.
The UWC movement was founded
by Kurt Hahn, with a mission to make
education a force to unite people, nations
and cultures for peace and a sustainable
future. Hahn lived through two World
Wars and was adamant that he would
do all that he could to ensure that
successive generations would not have
to endure a similar experience. He
thought that the best way to promote
international understanding was to
bring together young people from
different cultures and backgrounds.
Looking at our students interacting with
one another today, in the classroom,
on the sports field, in orchestras, in
drama productions, through service
projects and in those small, everyday
interactions, it is easy to see that Hahn
had the right idea. One of our new
scholars this year said, “I’ve spent half
a term here, and it’s been so amazing.
I’m learning with people from all over
the world, and we are so bonded, even
though we are from different countries.
We talk to each other like we’ve known
each other all our lives.”
Another one of our students, also new
to the College this year, said that he felt
he was creating the kinds of friendships
that would still be strong 50 years
from now. These are exactly the kind of
understandings and connections Hahn
was hoping for, and they are alive and
thriving in our school today.
The second term at the College was
a busy one, as always. There is no
doubt that one of the challenges
for our students is to balance the
sometimes competing demands on
their time. Reading the articles in
Dunia and additional articles and
expanded content in eDunia, I am
reminded of how well they rise to this
challenge. It is remarkable how much
they have achieved over the last few
months. As exams begin for our older
students, and transition to the next
grade appears on the horizon for our
younger ones, I wish them all the best
for the coming final term of the year.
I have no doubt we will be celebrating
their many achievements once more
in the next edition of Dunia.
Warm regards
Julian
Other
17.15%
India
17.47%
UK
23.85%
USA
14.23%
Singapore – 5.13%
New Zealand – 3.24%
Australia – 9.00%
Rep. Korea – 2.62%
Japan – 2.72%
Malaysia – 2.20%
Canada – 2.41%
By James Dalziel
Head of Campus – East
After teaching overseas for more than
13 years, my wife and I have amassed
a long list of former international
students with whom we make every
effort to remain in touch. During a trip
some years ago to Queen’s University
in Canada, we took the opportunity
to have lunch with a former student.
This particular student held a Canadian
passport, had grown up in Singapore
and recently started university.
Remembering what it was like to be a
poor and hungry academic, we invited
her to bring along some friends. When
she walked in the door of the restaurant
she introduced her new best friends,
one from China, the second from India
and the third from South America. All
of them were foreign students to this
Canadian university, all of them English
second language speakers and all of
them trying to decode the nuances of
a seemingly quirky and impenetrable
central Canadian culture. Drawn by the
gravity of a shared struggle, our former
student was connecting with these
other international students in their
shared experience. It would seem that
her passport did not unlock the secrets
to cultural integration.
more worldly, more open and more
accepting. Opportunities to become
plurilingual, to travel, to meet people
and develop friendships from a wide
variety of different backgrounds and
nationalities are all part of the normal
experience for our international
school students. We often hear how
our students at UWC South East Asia
are “so confident” and “so able to
speak with adults.” They are described
as sophisticated for their age, and
“cultivated” as a result of their exposure
to a wide variety of cultures. While
this experience can be an incredible
privilege, it can also, at times, be a
seemingly insurmountable trial.
For some time, we have known that
expat children have very different
challenges when seeking to define their
identity in cultural terms. Children
who live and attend school in cultures
outside their parents’ home or passport
culture, when faced with the question,
“Where are you from?” will pause
(often wishing they could provide a
succinct answer) and usually begin
their response with, “Well, I was born
in …” While this situation provides
a tension while living abroad, it is
minor compared with the potential
pressure experienced when the student
repatriates to the country that their
passport declares as home but in which
they have not grown up or lived. While
expecting to return to the comfortable
surroundings of home, they usually
find that their international education
has shaped their thinking in ways
that are inaccessible to those living
a more traditional, culturally-rooted
lifestyle. When repatriation is coupled
with the added excitement of starting
university and leaving the relatively
safe and comfortable lodgings provided
by parents, the transition can be
overwhelming.
It is a privilege to have an international
experience, and even more so in an
institution such as ours that places
such a high value on intercultural
understanding. Roger Peel expressed
it well some time ago when he wrote,
“It is not expected that students
adopt alien points of view, merely
that they are exposed to them and
encouraged to respond intelligently.
The end result, we hope, is a more
compassionate population, a welcome
manifestation of national diversity
within an international framework
of tolerant respect.”
But it is not just our students who are
held to these lofty challenges, it is our
expectation that all members of our
community seek to understand and
value the unique ways in which various
cultures have sought to make meaning
within our world.
The privilege and challenge
of international education
Reference: Peel, R. (1998) Education for Life, Geneva: International Baccalaureate Organisation
“The world in which you were born is
just one model of reality. Other cultures
are not failed attempts at being you;
they are unique manifestations of the
human spirit.”
– Wade Davis
Other
19.46%
India
21.39%
UK
18.16%
USA
8.24%
Singapore – 7.78%
Australia – 7.22%
Rep. Korea – 6.62%
Japan – 3.30%
Malaysia – 2.83%
Netherlands – 2.50%
Canada – 2.50%
Dover
East
International
community
For our international school students,
life can be very different. Different in
terms of experiences, different in the
way they learn to see the world and
different in the way they associate
with their culture. International school
students are often described as being
By Frazer Cairns
Head of Campus – Dover
Despite multilingual education dating
back to the ancient world in a variety
of different cultures, until relatively
recently multilingualism was seen
by many education researchers as
an exceptional, even hazardous,
phenomenon. Trying to learn through
a language other than the language
spoken at home (for example learning
science in English rather than Japanese)
was cited as the root of a number of
difficulties: cognitive overload, semi-
lingualism and language confusion to
name but three. Learning through more
than one language was, essentially,
bad for you.
This point of view obviously has
profound implications for a school
such as ours where a large proportion
of the community is learning through
a language other than their home
language. It is not at all unusual to
talk to parents who are worried that
speaking their home language with
their children will at best impede their
progress in English and at worst confuse
them so that they end up speaking no
first language.
Thankfully, modern educational
research now sees multilingualism as a
potential asset that provides learners
with a strategic (and significant)
advantage rather than as a cause for
concern. As one might perhaps expect,
speakers of multiple languages learn
further languages more easily—they
seem to have a higher metalinguistic
awareness (in other words, they show
a better understanding of the nature
of linguistic structures) and a more
analytical approach towards the social
and pragmatic functions of language.
However, more interestingly, research
has suggested that a ‘uniqueness’ exists
in the development of multilingual
students when compared to their
monolingual peers.
“Empirical research has shown that
plurilinguals ‘know things’ that
transcend the purely linguistic level,”
according to Laurent Gajo, a professor
at the University of Geneva. In
Gajo’s view of learning, the different
languages interact and combine to
generate, not the simple addition of
distinct competences (i.e., not just two
monolingual halves welded together),
but rather an original, individual,
complex competence on which the
user may draw. Speaking multiple
languages, it seems, makes you
better not just at other languages,
but also more creative and better at
mathematics, science or history.
It is important to say that learning
through a language other than your
home language is not an easy option
or one that will yield instant results.
Though many children attain basic
communicative competence in a
language relatively quickly, the more
specific language demanded in an
educational setting takes longer to
acquire, and most students initially see
a drop in their overall performance as
they try to adjust. Much will depend on
personal factors such as motivation, the
child’s communicative needs and levels
of anxiety, however, in the medium
term, the drop is usually compensated
for. Over time, a multilingual child
usually regains their age-appropriate
progress, often times surpassing their
monolingual peers.
Should you, then, speak to your child in
English at home if it is not their mother
language? No. For a child learning in a
second language there is considerable
research on the vital important of
maintaining their mother tongue. Skills
acquired in the first language can be
transferred to the second language so,
for example, if your child has developed
good reading skills in Japanese, she is
likely to be able to apply these skills
when reading English. (One useful
reading skill is the ability to guess the
meaning of unfamiliar words from
context.) Similarly, the skills of being
able to plan out a piece of writing or
develop an argument in a persuasive
essay can be applied in the second
language once they have been learned
in the first.
Many children in international schools
plan to return to their home country at
some point to continue their education.
Students who neglect their mother
tongue can often suffer from problems
of identity loss or distance from
their parents, and from other family
members in their home country. Both
of these are strong reasons to make
sure they do not have gaps in their
mother tongue.
Educational research has generated
more than its fair share of false
conclusions—playing Bach to your
children and having potted plants in the
classroom does not necessarily make
them better at maths. It is important to
recognise that the range of factors that
go together to generate the positive
consequences of multilingualism are not
as yet fully understood, and that much
will depend on the personal factors
mentioned above. The choices of the
institution (for instance, its language
curricula and its teaching methodology)
will also have a critical influence on a
learner’s willingness, or reluctance, to
transfer resources from one context
into another.
This year at UWCSEA, a working
group of staff has been reviewing the
language policy of the College with a
view to making recommendations for
change. The group is due to present
its findings later in the year, but what
has become clear is the importance
of the strategic and transferable skills
that multilingualism can bring to our
students as they face a complex and
rapidly changing world.
The impacts of multilingualism
Our scholars broaden perspectives
We are enormously proud of our
scholars, not just because of the impact
they have on the world when they
leave the College, but because of
the positive impact they have on our
international community.
The UWCSEA Scholarship Programme
supports 67 scholars from 33 countries,
with students from as far afield as
Guatemala, Senegal and the Czech
Republic, and large representations of
students from Asia, Central and South
America and Africa. This academic year,
we have also begun welcoming our first
Singaporean scholars.
In addition to the Grade 11 and 12
scholarships awarded by UWC National
Committees in their home country,
the College awards three-year and
five-year scholarships that commence
in Grades 10 and 8 respectively.
This allows students of promise and
potential to develop English language
and other academic skills that will
enable them to successfully complete
the IB Diploma programme.
The College community benefits
tremendously from the presence of
our scholarship students. The diversity
they provide enriches the everyday
life on the campuses, and their
commitment to making the most of
their opportunities ensures that they
are actively engaged in the school
community. They bring a fresh, and
sometimes powerful and personal,
perspective to their fellow students and
the whole community. It is one thing to
learn about conflict as part of your Unit
of Inquiry in Grade 5; it is quite another
to have a fellow student visit your class
and share a personal story about how
conflict has impacted on their family:
“One sunny day last week, Liam came
home and told me that his class had a
special visit from some of the older kids
[scholars] at the College. He proceeded
to recount each one’s traumatic
experience being a child in a war-torn
region. He was obviously quite moved
by the whole discussion, and knowing
my son, I could tell that he felt proud
to be a member of the same student
body as these children, who are heroes
in his eyes.”
Lori Kaufman, parent of Liam Grade 5,
2012, UWCSEA East
Given our scholars come from a diverse
range of educational and cultural
backgrounds, it is not surprising that
a recent survey of scholars revealed
that, while they all have English as a
common language (but not always
their first language), the majority are
multilingual and as a group they speak
41 different languages. The enthusiasm
of the Senior House boarders, many of
them scholars, to contributing to the
International Mother Language Day
activities organised on Dover Campus
on 21 February was another example
of the way in which scholars contribute
to the rich cultural diversity we enjoy in
the College community.
Total percentage of scholars by
continent, academic year 2011-2012
Further reading on
our international
community can be
found in the Community
section in eDunia.
• Diana Smit, East Campus
Primary Learning Support
Teacher and co-author Dr Lisa
Pittman talk about the benefits
and challenges of being an
expat teen, based on research
for their book Expat Teens
Talk. They outline initiatives
developed by UWCSEA alumni
to help them cope at university.
• Ilse Veenbaas-Boersma, Dover
PE Teacher, provides a personal
account of how to address the
ideas of ‘Third Culture Kids’
with your children.
If you would like to learn more
or support the Scholarship
Programme directly though
the UWCSEA Foundation’s
Annual Fund, please visit
http://foundation.uwcsea.edu.sg.
South
America
12%
North/Central
America
15%
Africa
18%
Europe
21%
Asia
34%
International Mother Language Day
honours linguistic traditions
By Frankie Meehan
Teacher of ESOL and TOK
MS Local Service Coordinator
When I invited Senior House boarding
students to join in the planning of
events for International Mother
Language Day 2012, nearly 60 students
offered to help. Here was a chance—
they seemed to be saying—to celebrate
not just a precious part of their
own identity but also the riches of
language diversity.
Those students represented 35 different
languages, including not just the larger
European and Asian languages, but
also Krio (Sierra Leone), Oshiwambo
(Namibia), Papiamentu (Netherlands
Antilles), Tetum (East Timor), Telugu
(southeast India), Kinyarwanda
(Rwanda) and Haitian Creole. We are
fortunate to have dozens of other
languages in our College community,
and on 21 February, I enjoyed
listening both to the languages
themselves and to conversations
about language. In a Middle School
Maths lesson, for example, students
examined the number words in their
various home languages and spotted
surprising patterns. Languages as
apparently different as Hindi/Urdu
(ek, do, ti:n), Welsh (un, dau, tri), Greek
(éna, dhío, tría) and English (one, two,
three) turn out to be related through
a common ‘ancestor.’
Languages are a storehouse of cultural
knowledge and different ways of
looking at the world, so in losing them
we lose more than just words. It is
heartening to know, therefore, that
every year about 300 of our IB Diploma
students study Group 1 languages other
than English. They include students who
are the sole speakers of their language
on campus but who, nevertheless,
follow a ‘school supported’ model
that comprises lessons in the study
of literature. With languages dying
at a rate of one every two weeks,
these students are ‘taking good care
of mother.’
UNESCO launched International
Mother Language Day in 2000 “to
develop fuller awareness of linguistic
and cultural traditions throughout the
world and to inspire solidarity based
on understanding, tolerance and
dialogue.” It makes sense for UWCSEA
to celebrate a day that is so well aligned
with our own mission and philosophy.
Expect more noise next year!
A full report of the event on both Dover
and East campuses can be found on
eDunia, including some video
footage and interviews.
By Nikita Mathur, Grade 11
Here we were, 16 newbies from all over
the world flown in to Schiphol from
Singapore, attending the world’s biggest
High School Model United Nations
conference to represent Pakistan. The
first morning had us all calming the
butterflies in our stomachs. However,
almost instantaneously, on reaching the
World Forum Center, a feeling of elation
overcame each and every one of us as
we joined 4,000 students from every
corner of the world in what would be
the beginning of an unforgettable week.
As the days continued, the debate
quality intensified, and we found
friends in the most unexpected people.
Through the Model United Nations
tradition of note-passing, many of us
got to know both delegates and our
committee chairs from all over the
world. Our delegation Ambassador
Kumba Seddu, UWCSEA scholar from
Sierra Leone couldn’t “believe the
friends that THIMUN brought to [her].”
THIMUN 2012: the unforgettable school trip
She also added, “THIMUN gave the
opportunity to act as an ambassador
of Pakistan to the UN for a week. I was
actually able to sense what it felt like
to have the world at heart and make
decisions that will benefit the entire
human race. It was a wonderful and life
changing experience.”
An unforgettable aspect of the trip was
also when we bonded with students
at UWC Maastricht. Meeting students
from another UWC was surreal—we
all instantly bonded, as though we’d
known each other for years, and I think
we can all say that we felt the UWC
spirit and connection.
Ludmila Brito, a scholar from Brazil
summarizes the week, “A week of
MUN is just too little—we should
have a month! I spent the conference
believing, talking and making friends
that I will never forget. It is just amazing
to see that the youth is so engaged.
We were representing other countries,
understanding and trying to find an
agreement about important issues that
change every person’s life, and trying to
reach global harmony. Full of emotions,
I learned so much about other people,
about myself, about confidence and
about friendship. It was unforgettable.”
UWCSEA sends delegations to several
MUN conferences around the world
each year. Read more about the IASAS
MUN in Manila, MUN Singapore
event and much more on
THIMUN in eDunia.
International approach to music on East
Arts education is a key feature of a
UWCSEA education. In the East Campus
Music Department, a new approach to
the curriculum is being developed that
supports the College’s commitment
to international mindedness. A
conversation with Mark Bradshaw, Head
of the Music Department, reveals more
about the exciting developments.
Underpinning the new approach
is Mark’s belief that music is not
a universal language, but rather a
universal common experience. From
this perspective, the experience of
music allows people from dramatically
different cultures or traditions to
connect with both the music and
each other.
Western music traditions have long
been at the centre of music education
with spotlights on ‘world music’
included as supplements to the
curriculum. The UWCSEA East Music
Department is moving toward a greater
emphasis on music education that
equally values and teaches a range of
musical traditions including Western,
Southeast Asian, South American,
African and Indian musical styles
and instruments.
Consistent with UWC’s mission to
“unite people, nations and cultures
for peace and a sustainable future”
and the IB philosophy to “develop
internationally minded people,” this
new direction supports student learning
in several ways. Most importantly,
students will develop their awareness
and understanding of ‘otherness’
and will recognise and value other
peoples’ perspectives. According
to Mark, “We can help students to
develop the confidence to welcome the
unknown—not to pre-judge it—and
to have strategies to be able to begin
to understand it through its contexts,
structures and music.”
In addition, Mark hopes to open up
music to non-specialist musicians
who will—alongside the Western
instruments and ensembles on
offer—have the opportunity to learn
a non-Western instrument from an
experienced teacher and play in a
non-Western ensemble. From August,
IB Diploma students will be able
to develop their CAS profile by
learning an ab initio instrument
and benefit from both ensemble
and individual lesson opportunities
for these unfamiliar instruments.
Sourcing international instruments
is key to offering students these
experiences. The Music Department
already has a variety of South American
and African instruments, and students
participate in a Samba band led by
Pablo Calzado. In early April, Craig
Coutts and Mark travelled to Bali where
negotiations are in progress to buy a
gamelan. This collection of instruments
is played by a group to produce a
distinctive performance that depends
equally on each musician.
The lessons that come from these
international instruments go far beyond
how to play them. In Balinese gamelan,
and in the Brazilian Samba Band for
example, the ensemble is emphasised
over all else—everyone needs everyone
else to make the music work. By
contrast, many Western musical
styles—think of the classical concerto,
the bebop jazz combo, the vocal star—
emphasise the individual.
Mark believes the challenges ahead
are worthwhile in fulfilling the IB
programme aim and the UWC mission.
Every opportunity to help students
better understand other cultures and
one another is a further fulfilment of
our mission.
After an energetic two nights of
performance and competition, team
Siyavuma (Oliver Mills, Lerato Mokoena,
plus UWCSEA’s Advait Padhye and
Ruben Baartscheer), took home the
gold medals and the Sir Stamford
Raffles Cup. Equal second place went
to Dunman High’s Yes man 3 and
UWCSEA Dover’s Los Improvisadores,
while Say What?, also from UWCSEA
Dover, placed third.
The bonding and friendship created by
the workshops and the performances
is as important as the competition, and
we hope to continue to the tradition of
hosting students from around the world
to this annual event. “During the 10
days, I learnt a lot about improvisation
through the excellent workshops and
loved performing and having fun on
stage. Seeing another UWC operating
very differently but achieving a very
similar aim was fascinating. It was
when I met the people that I realised
the similarities of UWC students. I feel,
therefore, that the tournament was as
rewarding as it was because of the
people I met,” said Oliver Mills.
Theatresports competition forms new friendships
Theatre is by its nature inclusive, and
the Theatresports festival is a perfect
example of how bringing together a group
of students, with diverse nationalities,
cultural backgrounds and educational
experiences can create magic.
This year’s Improv Festival, run by the
Drama Department culminated in
two nights of intense Theatresports
competition in the Small Hall on Dover
Campus on 17 and 18 February.
The third time the Festival has been run,
this year’s event saw 10 competitors
from UWCSEA Dover join with 6 guests
from Singapore’s Dunman High and
2 from Waterford Kamhlaba UWC
of Southern Africa. The four teams
competed for the Sir Stamford Raffles
Cup in a game-based theatre format,
where teams challenged one another
based on audience input.
The mix of nationalities and openness
of the participants made Theatresports
the success it was. “We arrived and
started doing workshops but more
importantly we started to get to know
the other actors and the feeling of
nervousness disappeared. We were at
a different UWC and things felt very
different. What felt the same, however,
was the emphasis on the group over
the individual. We were all genuinely
pleased for each other when we did
well. You really put yourself out there
when you improvise and having a group
of people, most of whom are competing
against you, support you, makes it
a lot easier,” said Oliver Mills, who
travelled from Waterford Kamhlaba
UWC of Southern Africa in Swaziland
to participate.
While some audience members may
have been nervous about their potential
involvement in an improv theatre
competition, taking part was easy
and fun—and essential to the success
of the event. “I really liked the ape,
who hyped up the whole festival and
kept the audience happy and dancing.
The audience participation was also
good, and it helped us a lot when it
came to ideas,” said Lerato Mokoena,
also from Waterford Kamhlaba UWC
of Southern Africa.
Photos by Henry Chang
10
Student-led conferences
reinforce learning
Academics
By Mary van der Heijden
Vice Principal (Curriculum)
Primary School – East
An essential part of our assessment and
reporting process on both campuses
are student-led conferences (SLCs).
The students in the Primary Schools
reflect on their learning and lead the
conference for their parents. Each class
identifies the key areas of learning,
and the students then work through
activities at different stations, all the
time explaining their learning. This
gives parents a window into the kind of
activities the students are involved in
on a daily basis and also allows them to
share in their child’s learning.
The students also share their learning
portfolios, which are comprised of work
samples from different subject areas
that have been chosen and reflected on
with the teacher and student. At the
end of the school year, the students
proudly take their portfolios home to
keep as a record of their learning over
the year.
One of the very special aspects of
the SLCs is that each area of the
curriculum is seen in action. Parents
are encouraged to work in partnership
with their children in PE, Music, Art
and Languages in different areas of
the school, as well as in their home
classroom.
The day empowers students to
demonstrate their learning and gives
them an opportunity to talk about
how they learn, as well as what they’ve
learned. It in turn gives parents greater
insight into both how and what their
children learn thereby enabling them
to reinforce the knowledge and skills
at home.
Photos by Joseph Tan and East Campus staff
11
UWCSEA Dover welcomes
the Year of the Dragon
Renowned physicist gives students
a glimpse of the universe
By Dawn Hull
Head of Asian Languages
(Primary) – Dover
The Year of the Dragon started with
a roar with a lively lion dance on the
Friday before Chinese New Year. Head
of Dover Campus, Frazer Cairns was on
hand to receive the lettuce (sheng cai)
and mandarin oranges which symbolise
wealth and prosperity, while the lions
were facing the new building to ensure a
flow of good luck.
Infant School students, resplendent
in their traditional Chinese New Year
colours of red, orange and yellow, were
in good voice as they sang popular New
Year songs. The festivities continued
at lunchtime with a mini Chinese fair
where Junior School students could
try Chinese calligraphy, ‘kick the
shuttlecock,’ attempt the lion dance or
buy a range of Chinese goodies.
Throughout the week before the
Chinese New Year break, the Asian
Languages Department also organised
a number of curriculum-related
activities to celebrate this important
festival. Middle School students went
to Chinatown on a treasure hunt to
find important items for Chinese New
Year, while High School students made
delicious dumplings in class.
This lively week of activities heralded
a strong start to the Year of the
Dragon on Dover Campus.
By Jasper Hancock, Grade 11, Dover
On Friday, 20 January, UWCSEA was
fortunate enough to host John Ellis,
one of the most established minds in
the world of theoretical physics, for
a lunchtime lecture. Professor Ellis’s
cornucopia of contributions to particle
physics span several decades, but he
has most recently been prominently
known as a leading researcher at CERN’s
particle accelerator, the LHC (large
hadron collider), which most physicists
would concur to be by far the most
exciting piece of scientific equipment to
be devised in decades.
The professor’s talk was fascinating due
to his calm and measured demeanor
as he talked of his work at CERN and
the LHC; experiences that sound as
if they could have been directly lifted
from a fantastic science fiction novel.
He listed the physical features of the
LHC, which frankly are sheer miracles
of modern engineering, as though they
were just bullet points on CERN’s office
supply list. Professor Ellis told us that
the evacuated 27km particle accelerator
contain so few atoms that they are the
emptiest part of our solar system. He
mentioned that the super coolant used
for the magnets used in the LHC have
a temperature of 2.1K, making them
colder than outer space and the coldest
place in our galaxy. He stated that the
huge energies released within the LHC
actually create the hottest place in the
galaxy, right here on Earth.
The lecture was overflowing with
stories of incredible occurrences within
the domain of physics, and the way
they seemed wholly unremarkable
to the professor truly served to stir a
sense of awe and amazement about
the world of particle physics. These are
very exciting and profound times for
physicists, yet Professor Ellis described
these remarkable events in a way that
was accessible to the students, with the
only mathematics present being printed
on his t-shirt.
The UWCSEA community was
exceedingly fortunate to be able to
catch an insider’s glimpse of the cutting
edge of research in physics from the
professor’s presentation, and we are
immensely grateful and appreciative
to Professor Ellis for taking the time to
speak to us.
12
By Steve Meade
Deputy Head of Campus – East
John Locke (1632–1704) stated that,
“Reading furnishes the mind only with
materials of knowledge; it is thinking
that makes what we read ours.”
At the UWCSEA East Campus this
academic year, reading has been a major
focus for our Primary School teachers.
Our K2–G5 teachers have been working
closely with an experienced consultant,
Maggie Moon, to implement Reading
Workshop with an overarching aim of
improving student reading proficiency.
Maggie Moon was a Staff Developer
for The Reading and Writing Project, at
Teachers College, Columbia University.
Since moving abroad, she has worked
with many international schools in
Southeast Asia. Maggie will return to
the East Campus in April and May this
year to continue working on reading
with our Primary School teachers.
Earlier this year, Maggie also presented
two parent workshops on the Reading
Workshop model.
Reading Workshop is an instructional
model that marries explicit instruction
in reading strategies with opportunities
for students to practice each reading
strategy independently, with a peer and
in small groups. This model emphasises
the importance of student engagement
and the interaction between readers
and text. It provides differentiated
instruction in reading. Reading
Workshop focuses on the teaching of
reading strategies with an aim to foster
independence among readers.
There are seven important strategies
that all readers must be able to apply
to text in order to read and understand
content. These comprehension skills are
key to literacy development:
• predicting
• accessing background knowledge
• envisioning/visualising
• connecting (to your life, to another
text, to the world)
• questioning
• monitoring for meaning
• inferring
• accumulating
• synthesizing
• interpreting
• critiquing
In Reading Workshop, we stress routines
and practices. It is very important that
students understand what is expected
of them and that they will be required
to use reading strategies and be able to
articulate their thinking.
With this professional development
for teachers and the learning
enhancements for students, reading
skills are sure to improve among
Primary students.
Reading Workshop
strategies build lifelong skills
13
UWCSEA’s commitment
to professional learning
By Steve Meade
Deputy Head of Campus – East
What teachers know, do and believe
has a major influence on what students
learn. At UWCSEA, we strongly believe
that to improve the quality of teaching
and learning, we must invest in the
learning of teachers.
A teacher’s professional learning
journey is an ongoing process of inquiry
into and reflection on their practice,
punctuated by learning activities and
programmes designed to enhance
their professional knowledge, skills and
attitudes. This process of growth and
development provides opportunities
for teachers to examine and challenge
their assumptions about their role,
experiment with teaching strategies
and develop a deeper understanding of
their subject content, the students they
teach and how their students learn.
Teachers need to be provided with
opportunities to learn; they must also
be open to learning. A commitment
to the professional growth of every
teacher is supported with professional
learning opportunities that respect and
acknowledge that teachers are adult
learners who learn in different ways,
come from different backgrounds,
work in a variety of context specific
settings and cater for the needs of
diverse students.
We all know that to improve at
something, you have to practise.
And if you want to learn more about
something, you have to study. At
UWCSEA, we approach professional
learning in the same way. Professional
learning for teachers at the East
Campus has been a major focus for
our community this academic year.
Every Wednesday afternoon, teams
of teachers meet to inquire into
and reflect on their practice with an
overarching aim of improving student
learning. Examples of professional
learning workshops for teachers at
East this year include:
• The implementation of Reading
Workshop in K1–G5
• A balanced approach to student
assessment
• Differentiation of instruction
to support the diverse needs of
our students
• Use of technology as a tool to
enhance student learning
In addition to our Professional
Learning workshops conducted on
Wednesday afternoons, we also have
two professional learning days this year
for teachers when students are not at
school. On these professional learning
days, we also engage in the study and
practise of new skills and knowledge,
based on research, to improve student
learning. Teachers will continue this
great learning and worthwhile dialogue
throughout their time at UWCSEA.
PE teachers participate in a training led by the Digital Literacy Coaches on using
video capture and playback to enhance formative assessment and feedback.
14
Activities
OPUS
2012
“Thank you for such a memorable
and inspiring evening. As always,
the performance was meticulously
rehearsed and performed, and it
reminded me yet again why I am
so delighted that my children are
living the UWCSEA experience. The
weekends given up and the long hours’
dedication to ensuring that Opus was
the overwhelming success it was is a
credit to everyone on stage and behind
the scenes. Last year was Ottilie’s first
Opus performance and again, I was so
very impressed by the extraordinary
quality of an event from a school
that is not a dedicated music scholars
establishment—you would never guess!
Please pass on our appreciation to
everyone involved, including the lovely
Paula who joined the UWCSEA staff
in August and for whom this was her
first Opus.”
Aloise Price
Parent
“I had the pleasure of attending
Opus 2012 last night and want to
congratulate the Music Department on
an extraordinary performance. It was
truly breathtaking!
Your ability to bring together a multitude
of students across a range of grade
levels and produce such high quality,
sophisticated performances is an absolute
credit to all of you. I truly appreciate
the hours of rehearsal, planning and
collaboration involved in producing
such a high quality performance.
Please convey my congratulations to
all members of the Music Department
for the work each and every one of
them has played over the years in
producing students who have the
confidence and ability to perform this
polished, entertaining performance—an
incredibly powerful learning experience
for our students. Bravo to all.”
Steve Meade
Deputy Head of Campus – East
15
“It is the first time that I have performed
in such a big venue … Even Singaporeans
dream of performing in the Esplanade.
It was also my first time to see such
professional orchestras, ensembles and
choirs. It was quite overwhelming.”
Chi Huynh
Grade 11 scholar from Vietnam
“We have no words for the
magnificence of last night’s
performance and will be forever grateful
for the opportunities afforded to our
two boys by all the team in the Music
Department. As Jonathan prepares to
move on, I can only hope that Mike will
choose to be a part of the music life
of the College as with Jon’s departure
we also feel a sense of imminent loss.
Thank you for the memories.”
Rhona Chapman
Parent
“Opus last night was a supremely
impressive performance! Each piece was
thoughtfully chosen and passionately
performed. If one were to have stood
outside the hall, it would have been
difficult to tell if it was a professional
orchestra and arioso or school children.
It required talent, hard work and
organisation, and the Opus team did it!
Congratulations!
I am so proud that my daughter Malaika
(Grade 6), even though she has joined
in the January term only, was chosen
to be a part of this performance. It is
an experience she will remember for
years, and a lesson that talent alone
is not enough—practice and discipline
are equally important to put forth a
great show.
Thank you so much for a wonderful
evening.”
Atiya Kazi
Parent
“What a beautiful concert last night.
Congratulations on all the pieces played
throughout the evening and a special
‘bravo’ for your composition ‘Gold.’
Really amazing! Matthieu said: ‘Poor
Mr Hill, he worked all his holiday for it.’
Well, it was well rewarded!”
Cathy Pool
Parent
“I wanted to let you know how much
I enjoyed listening to the Symphonic
Band and the Orchestra at last night’s
Opus performance. If I hadn’t been so
self-conscious, I would have jumped up
to give standing ovations! It’s wonderful
to have moments when one’s spirit
can’t help but soar. Please give my
congratulations to your musicians.
Such poise! Such talent!”
Althea Besa
Parent
Photo by Tom Soper
16
By Jamie Cant, Teacher of Theatre Arts
and Drama – Dover
The Grade 8 production of The Jungle
Book in March on Dover Campus was
a re-imagining of Rudyard Kipling’s
original tale told through fast moving
drama, hip hop dance and song. The
superb ensemble cast of Grade 8
students breathed new, raucous life
into this classic, which gave students an
opportunity to perform a challenging
‘rite of passage’ piece, set in a city
where savage, territorial gangs and
An exciting milestone was reached
at UWCSEA East in March with the
production of the first Middle School
play, Sleeping Beauty. The play ran
to sell-out audiences with a talented
cast comprised of 33 Middle School
students across Grades 6–8.
Drama Department Head and Sleeping
Beauty co-director, Bronwyn Bye,
shared that the students involved
had had “diverse drama and theatre
experiences previously, but were united
Jungle Book
Sleeping Beauty
packs roam the back streets and
alleyways.
The Jungle Book featured Grade 8
students on stage demonstrating the
skills, abilities and confidence that
they have developed over the course of
their involvement in the Middle School
Drama programme. The production
was a collaborative effort across several
schools, providing High School arts
students with valuable opportunities
to work in rehearsal and back stage
in essential supporting roles. Grade 9
GCSE Drama students mentored
the Grade 8 actors, according to their
areas of expertise, and, together with
Grade 11 and 12 IB Theatre students,
were also involved in a number of
substantial production roles including
costumes and make up, lighting
and sound. Of significance to this
production was the music, which was
rearranged and performed by Grade
11 Music student Victor Repkow and
teacher mentors Miles Tranter
and Helen Rhodes (vocals), based
on an original score.
by a genuine love for performance
and an enjoyment of this play. As a
group they were a delight to work with
as a result of their focus, discipline,
dedication and, most importantly,
their sense of humour. This cast made
rehearsals fun for all involved, and this
is a great credit to them.”
Like most large productions, support
and collaboration came from across
the College community. In addition to
the Drama Department faculty and
Middle School cast, a group of Grade 9
IGCSE students did the cast’s makeup
each night, the Facilities Department
constructed the set and Grade 10
student Jamie Lynn Buitelaar served
as the Stage Manager.
Congratulations to the Drama
Department and all the cast and crew
for an outstanding first Middle School
production at UWCSEA East.
See eDunia for expanded coverage
including a slideshow and cast list.
Photos by Tom Soper
17
SEASAC results 2011/2012
Boys
Girls
Football
No event – Bangkok floods
No event – Bangkok floods
Volleyball
No event – Bangkok floods
No event – Bangkok floods
Rugby/Touch
4th
1st
Basketball
1st
1st
Tennis
3rd
4th
Swimming
1st
1st
Softball
1st
5th
Badminton
3rd
2nd
Cross Country
1st
2nd
Golf
3rd
2nd
Shows of strength at SEASAC
By Mike Staples
Director of Sports, Activities
and Expeditions – Dover
This year, the Dover Campus maintained
its hold on SEASAC, topping the rankings
of the best schools in Southeast Asia
with seven Championship winning
teams. These results, three winning
teams ahead of last year’s tally, are
remarkable, considering that Season 1
football and volleyball teams could not
travel due to the Bangkok floods and
that we could not enter gymnastics
due to the completion of our superb
Gymnastics Centre.
We congratulate the High School
SEASAC winning teams this year: Girls
Touch, Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys
and Girls Swimming, Boys Softball and
Boys Cross Country.
Special mention should go our Cross
Country Team who competed in the
inaugural SEASAC Cross Country
Championships here in Singapore (with
the boys team winning first place)
and to the Boys Softball Team who
won SEASAC gold for the first time in
UWCSEA history.
We hosted three SEASAC
Championships this year, Cross
Country, Tennis and Swimming, and we
should thank our fantastic UWCSEA
Physical Education Department, Sports
Coordinators, and support staff for
ensuring terrific sporting occasions for
our athletes in which to compete at the
highest level. A special mention is owed
to our Parents Swimming Committee
who supported the officiating and
organisation of one of the best SEASAC
Swimming events the conference has
seen. A full write-up on all the individual
SEASAC events can be found on eDunia.
Next year, we have the unenviable task
of upping this year’s results. However,
with a review of the training programme,
hard pre-season commitment to
training, and more competition leading
into the tournaments, we can, I am sure,
raise the bar again.
We look forward to seeing you
supporting your UWCSEA Sports
teams at the SEASAC Boys Football,
Gymnastics and Girls Softball
that we will be hosting at Dover
next year.
18
Photos by Henry Chang
Service
In service of trees
By Nathan Hunt
Head of Theory of Knowledge – Dover
and Frankie Meehan
Teacher of ESOL and TOK/
MS Local Service Coordinator
Readers of Dunia will already be aware
of the importance placed on trees
at UWCSEA in making the College
a literally greener institution. The
sponsored tree-planting programme
at both campuses is progressing well,
and the work of Frankie Meehan’s Forty
Trees for Forty Years Project continues
to document the notable species at
Dover and the memories associated
with them. Walking around campus,
you will see an increasing number of
metal plaques that the group have
placed to celebrate this biodiversity
as well as the human connection with
individual specimens.
The Rainforest Global Concern group
has also been very busy this academic
year. This High School group raises
native and naturalised species in the
nursery opposite Mahindra Boarding
House. Having already planted out
seven saplings at East last year, our
effort turned to preparing more
specimens for planting at Dover
on UWC Day in December 2011. In
equatorial conditions, trees can grow
very fast so our weekly routine mainly
involves repotting the seedlings in
ever larger pots. We use an organic,
locally-produced compost as a growing
medium as well as feeding the trees
with worm compost fertilizer. Despite
the seeming abundance of rainfall in
Singapore, watering the plants is a
major task too as a few dry days in
the tropical heat can put young plants
under severe stress. We also have to
contend as best we can with fungal
and ant attacks without resorting to
chemical pesticides, so by the end of
the lunch time session we’re normally
dirty, itchy and sweaty—probably not
the best way to start afternoon lessons
but a valuable change from the hours
spent in front of our laptops in air-
conditioned classrooms.
Thus, it was a great reward for our
efforts to see over 25 saplings planted
on UWC Day with help from students
of 10GSe and 11AAr and Head
Gardener Andy Tan’s hard working
grounds team. Our concept has always
been to increase tree biodiversity on
campus, especially of local varieties,
as many of the species planted in
the past were ‘exotics’ originating
elsewhere in the tropics and grown
for their aesthetic and practical
qualities, not necessarily for their
wildlife benefit. Indigenous species
attract more local and often rare
varieties of insects and birds. Thus, over
seven species were chosen, including
those normally found in Southeast
Asian rainforests such as Millettia
atropurpurea as well as those more
commonly found on sandy shores and
coastal swamps such as Calophyllum
inophyllum and Barringtonia asiatica.
As well as improving biodiversity on
campus, many of the species have
attractive fruits and flowers, and all
19
Bringing greenery to one of the
greenest campuses in the world
have traditionally been culturally and
economically important to humans
in our region for reasons as diverse
as providing fodder for livestock,
waymarks for travellers and poisons
for killing fish as well, of course, as
valuable timber for boatbuilding, house
construction, furniture and a myriad
of other uses. However, readers can be
assured that we’ve no plans to chop
them down for use in future or extract
any poisons for use on campus!
Our next planting session will be in
Term 3 this year when we hope to
find a few spaces round the newly
constructed building at Dover Campus.
This will include planting out a Yellow
Flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum)
sapling of which we are immensely
proud—the tree was raised from a seed
of one of the two removed when the
construction of the new building began.
It was one of the very few seeds that
germinated and the only seedling to
survive; with a lot of care and affection,
it is now ready to re-occupy the
position where its beautiful parent once
stood! Many of us had a lot of affection
for these trees—their wide green
canopies periodically covered in bright
yellow flowers or hundreds of ‘copper
pod’ seeds at others were a fantastic
sight, especially from the upper floors
of the Humanities block. We will do
our best to ensure their only offspring
survives to make up for at least some
of that loss. A new five-storey building
of steel and concrete can never really
be cited as an example of sustainable
development, however energy efficient
it is, but this young sapling will perhaps
serve as yet another pointer to the
direction we should be heading. There
are plenty more initiatives afoot that
are working towards this goal, and we
hope to be writing about more of these
in future issues of Dunia.
Lastly, if this young sapling reaches
maturity to grace the entrance to
the new building, it will serve as a
tribute to the many hours of hard work
put into the nursery by some of our
current Grade 12 students due to leave
the College in May. Of special note
are retiring Head of the GC, Sohko
Shimada, and one of the founding
members of the group (way back as a
Grade 6 student!), Victoria Emerson,
whose legendary affection for worms
has done much to keep our compost
healthy. We wish them and all our
Grade 12 helpers all the best and hope
they come back in 20 years to see
a magnificent Yellow Flame bearing
witness to the interest and care they
showed for their campus. We hope to
make them very proud. Interestingly
our new GC Head, Aaeysha Fazal, is
the younger sister of Bilal Fazaal (Class
of 2011) who was another founding
member. There’s definitely something
about growing trees that’s infectious …
If anyone is interesting in seeing the
nursery or finding out more about
the Rainforest Nursery project (we
can even supply you with a free native
tree for your garden!) then please
contact staff supervisor Nathan Hunt
at nhu@uwcsea.edu.sg.
By Libby Orr, Annual Fund Manager
“He who plants a tree, plants hope.”
Lucy Larcom
Our vision is for the UWCSEA East
Campus to be full of indigenous
trees that will provide a shady,
green environment for the whole
community, as well as myriad
educational opportunities. Planting a
tree is a unique opportunity to leave
a lasting mark on one of the most
environmentally innovative educational
facilities in the world.
Planting a tree is a wonderful way to
celebrate the hopes and dreams that
we all have for the future of the College
and all those who attend it. There are
already 44 trees planted on East under
this programme, with space for 200
more! For more information about our
tree planting programme please visit:
www.uwcsea.edu.sg/treeplanting
20
Shaving heads for cancer awareness
East Campus has been abuzz with
students and staff having their heads
shaved to support cancer awareness
organisations. Such a gesture takes
real commitment, and it is impressive
to see so many people taking part for
a worthy cause.
Hair for Hope
By Nidhi Shilotri, Grade 10, East
Chair of Cancer Awareness East
At lunchtime on 14 March, students
and teachers voluntarily got their heads
shaved as part of the Hair for Hope
2012 event organised by the Cancer
Awareness East Global Concern. Fifteen
student participants from the Middle
School and High School, along with two
teachers who bravely participated, and
through the symbolic gesture helped
to raise awareness about cancer among
the students and UWCSEA community,
and funds for cancer patients.
Participants wanted to show cancer
patients that they are not alone in their
fight against cancer.
“After all my hair was gone, and it felt
all cool on top, I realised how patients
who undergo chemotherapy might feel
about themselves. I am proud to have
shaved my hair off in honour of my
own mother, who died from cancer, and
my grandfather who is suffering from
it, and all the other people out there
who are suffering from such a horrible
disease,” says Joshua Tandon, Grade 9,
a participant and GC vice-chair.
The event raised approximately
$6,000 for the GC. Cancer Awareness
East supports Cancer Patients Aid
Association (CPAA), an NGO that works
for the welfare of cancer patients in
India. The money raised will help to
provide chemotherapy for patients
who cannot afford their treatment.
Hair loss is an extremely sensitive
issue, and for our students to be brave
enough to shave it all off, was beyond
overwhelming. The event wouldn’t have
been such a big success without the help
of all the students and teachers involved.
I’m so happy to be part of such an
amazing community, where students are
supported every step of the way. We are
definitely going to make this an annual
UWCSEA East event.
Supporting St. Baldrick’s
By Jennifer Chadam
Parent
UWCSEA East students in Grades 3,
4, 5 and 7 recently helped to raise
S$148, 811 for cancer research through
the third annual charity drive organised
by NetApp Singapore, a storage and
data management solutions company.
Aidan (G7) and Colman (G5) Chadam
took part in the event last year and
were determined that they wanted a
UWCSEA team this year. Along with
their dad, they organised some friends
for a team of 12 students, including
2 very brave girls, to participate in the
St. Baldrick’s Foundation event.
According to Simon Green, vice
president and general manager of
NetApp Asia Pacific, the proceeds raised
will go to the Duke-NUS Pediatric
Cancer Research Fund.
As a member of the crowd, it was
wonderful to watch them come
together as a team and present
themselves with not only school pride,