By Angus Yip (18A01A)

Photos courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

Singapore is a society characterised by a fast pace of life; long hours at work and school have become a norm, creating an environment that has regularly been described as a “pressure cooker”. The number of stressed-out people is on the rise, and it has been estimated that one in six Singaporeans suffer from some form of mental illness.

In such an environment, it is imperative that we are aware of the importance of taking care of our mental health, as well as knowing about the methods we can do so. Of similar importance is that we know how to support others. To that end, the Peer Helpers’ Programme (PHP) recently organised the Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW).

This year’s MHAW was themed “Embrace;”, encapsulating PHP’s aspiration: to be inclusive of those around us who suffer from mental illnesses. As Ms Woo Mei Hui, PHP teacher-in-charge and counsellor at the Raffles Guidance Centre, put it, “It’s about building a culture of acceptance in RI through raising awareness about mental illness. We want to build a student-driven community that stands together to help one another.”

In fact, PHP’s theme could also be seen as reflective of its desire to build a greater sense of awareness of how we can be more accepting of ourselves, whether through more consciously taking care of our mental health or seeking help through appropriate channels when needed.

A key focus of MHAW this year was how we can manage of our own mental health. Booths, set up near the canteen, displayed infographics about mental health and mental illness – while some focused on information about specific mental illnesses, others were more general, discussing different ways for us to destress amidst our hectic schedules.

Infographics were set up to help students learn more about different types of mental illnesses, as well as different ways to improve our mental well-being.

In addition, pamphlets were also distributed as a way for students to learn more about the different avenues one can turn to for help should the need arise. The underlying message was clear: there is no need to feel ashamed if one wishes to seek help regarding their mental health.

The Sleep Clinic was another highlight of MHAW that intrigued many. For this, the old My Rest Space venue (opposite the Underground) was converted into an area for students to take much-needed naps, with mats laid out and alarm clocks handed to students. For many, the opportunity to get some sleep was a brief respite from the hectic school day, as well as a reminder of the importance of getting enough sleep (something that most students, myself included, fail to achieve for one reason or another).

Peer Helpers setting up for the Sleep Clinic.

Another key area of focus this year was how we can build a more inclusive society for those suffering from mental illnesses. Some of the infographics set up focused on less well-known mental illnesses, such as dissociative disorder and depersonalisation disorder. Through training the spotlight on these conditions, the Peer Helpers hoped that others would gain a greater understanding of them and hence become less dismissive of more uncommon illnesses.

Particularly noteworthy was the booth set up by Peer Helper Huang Huanyan (18A03A). To complement her infographic about borderline personality disorder, she displayed a picture book that she designed herself for others to read. By depicting a tale of a woman who found herself incapable of being understood by others because of her condition, this picture book was an extremely unique method of helping others realise the importance of being accepting of others.

Huanyan’s picture book about borderline personality disorder was interesting and informative.

Project Stick-ma was another memorable project that aimed to destigmatise mental illness. Students were asked to write words of motivation on Post-it notes to the wider school population. These post-its were then pasted on a board, and all the Post-its formed the shape of a heart – a clear nod back to MHAW’s theme, “Embrace;”.

In a similar vein, Project Postbox gave students the chance to write well-meaning notes of encouragement to friends, which were then distributed during morning assembly. Seeing these personalised notes definitely brought warm smiles to many people’s faces. Not only was this a boost of motivation, but it also brought forth the message that we can all play a part in building a more inclusive society by supporting others.

In Project Stick-ma, students wrote post-its with words of encouragement, pasting them on a board to form a heart.

On the whole, MHAW was a very timely reminder of the importance of taking care of one’s mental well-being. It was also an opportunity for others to reflect: Are we doing enough to create a culture of acceptance? Are we being dismissive about the prevalence of mental illness, and in doing so, stifling the voices of those who want to talk about it? In a society where mental illnesses are seen by many as a “taboo” topic, such opportunities are particularly important. It was heartwarming to see other students take a greater role in raising awareness about a topic dear to their hearts.

However, while it is extremely heartening that such a platform exists and more events like this should be organised, awareness campaigns can only do so much. At the end of the day, it is up to us to create a more supportive environment for others, and this writer looks forward to a day when we are able to do so.

By Lynn Hong (18A13A) and Yeo Kee Hwan (18S03Q)

What’s in a name? For many, it is respect. Naming a public institution after someone singles them out as the best of us, as epitomes of our values and aspirations. For others, it is controversy.

In February, Yale’s Calhoun College was renamed in view of Calhoun’s history as a white supremacist and slave-owner. In May, there were calls to remove Australian tennis great Margaret Court’s name from the Margaret Court Arena after she expressed homophobic views. As we celebrate our school and nation’s heritage and achievements, it is perhaps worth re-examining the significance behind the name of our own institution.

This institution honours Sir Stamford Raffles’ role as founder of both the nation and the school, perhaps rightly so. The British were comparatively benevolent colonial masters. Locals were not brutally suppressed as in Indonesia or Vietnam, and some semblance of an education policy was in place. They groomed our political elite, helping to lay a foundation for a stable independent government.

While this may be true, we should question why we view the colonial era as deserving of not only acknowledgment, but celebration. In the past few years the nation has been increasingly willing to question historical narratives. The debate has delved into contentious issues such as Singapore’s early social policies and the detainment of Communist leaders. But the colonial chapter of our history remains largely untouched. Its legacy looms large in the public life of our nation – we need only look to the name emblazoned on our front gate.

Evidence of Singapore’s colonial legacy remains in our school’s very name.

The world has come to recognise colonialism as an inherently unjust practice. Colonial masters are condemned for having exploited their colonies, putting the proceeds of locals’ toil into their own coffers. They segregated populations by race and divided society in ways which often left lasting consequences. In many instances, they made insufficient provision for the welfare of locals.

The principle of colonialism is one of robbing smaller, weaker states of their sovereignty and using them for one’s own ends. No matter how well-treated the people, it is still the theft of another country’s right to self-determination. Singapore is vehemently opposed to larger states strong-arming smaller ones into agreements, and rejects the prospect of being a larger state’s vassal. Colonialism is anathema to this preservation of autonomy, and is thus a model we should never support, much less celebrate.

Some might argue that honouring Raffles is a matter of preserving our history. He is, after all, widely considered to be the founder of modern Singapore. However, we must recognise that this narrative is not unassailable historical fact, but a conscious choice. Decisions are made regarding where to begin and what to leave out of the historical narrative. This inevitably alters the lens through which we view history, so no narrative is truly objective and hence incontestable.

Couching colonialism as the turning point at which a “sleepy fishing village” becomes a bustling trading hub, for instance, erases Singapore’s history as a trading port in the Majapahit and Srivijaya Empires. The 13th century port settlement was significant enough, to traders and cartographers alike, to have appeared on ancient maps named Temasek.

More importantly, preserving history in and of itself has never been regarded as an a priori good. The history of a community is often so preserved and presented because it adds to the collective identity. These histories inspire camaraderie, or caution us against repeating past mistakes.

In practice, the calculus behind the construction of official historical narratives is the societal good derived from it. This is not to say we should condone Stalinist campaigns of erasure for political convenience, but that we should consider if our narrative of colonialism aligns with our nation’s current interests.

That said, the past is not unchanging, at least to the people who remember it. After almost two hundred years, colonial legacies, like the names of founders and governors, have taken on new associations. The institutions and brands carrying colonial names have made reputations for themselves on their own merit – saying that their names only draw meaning from their namesakes is unjustifiable.

From Raffles Hotel to Raffles Medical, the Rafflesian name has come to be associated with prestige. Amongst schools, it has built its own reputation for academic and extracurricular excellence. Perhaps in the eyes of the modern day Singaporean, the history behind the name is but a small matter.

In many cases, ours included, the names of our colonial masters are here to stay. They have reinvented themselves and established a strong public presence. The dedication of landmarks and schools to these historical figures is by all accounts a valid way of preserving our cultural heritage and enriching our landscape.

But in elevating some figures over others, we are selecting the parts of history we believe are worthy of being placed on pedestals. Histories are more than feel-good slogans for national celebrations, or ponderous yarns headed for the dusty embrace of museum archives. After all, the men we immortalise and the acts we celebrate reflect pertinent present-day attitudes. So even as we take pride in our heritage and hard-won achievement, perhaps consider the name under which we strive: why Raffles?

By Lynn Hong (18A13A)

He was always known for his finishes. Some criticised his starts as slow, sloppy, but he would hold us all in rapture as he flew down the home straight, feet barely seeming to ghost the track. He would surge across the line, flashing a smile. Don’t blink, you might miss it.

The 2017 World Championships was to be his last run. He was slated for the 100-metre followed by the 4×100-metre relay before bowing out, hopefully as a champion.

But this is how it ends: a desperate clutch at a hamstring, feet faltering, the man lying helpless on the track. An official with a wheelchair comes out for him. The world’s fastest man finishes his final race, the 4×100-metre relay, in last place. He is too great a man to pity, yet inside we say this is not right, this is not how he should leave. “Forever faster” we all said, but even Bolt, with his powerful strides, cannot outrun time.

Bolt strained his hamstring coming down the home straight. (Source)

He did manage to make it stand still, though, when he lit up the track. In his hands, or rather the step of his golden boots, those 9.58 seconds were a whole history of human achievement. His towering 1.95m frame, hurtling forward, swallowed the impossibility of the feat and spat it back out, triumphant in the face of history. The 9-year-old me could have counted the seconds off my fingers, if I could tear my eyes off the man in gold on the screen who made everyone else look like they were moving backward.

He gave ten years of his life (and then some) against the clock, with its digits running and seconds slipping too fast for the eye to follow. They say lightning never strikes the same place twice, yet he did it again and again. Bolt is the only sprinter to have achieved the “triple double” – both the Olympic 100-metre and 200-metre titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016). The big man from the sunshine state with the roguish attitude and easy smile, bearing the standard for a species. Ten years of his life – a long time at the top of a sport measured in milliseconds.

Bolt breaking the 200m world record at the Beijing Olympics. (Source)

The saying goes “a bolt from the blue” – we hadn’t seen him lose in many years now, so the world was shellshocked when he finished third in the 100 metres, behind the blue-vested Americans. The fairytale ending to his individual career was not to be.

The audience’s reaction was telling. He was given the stadium roar of a victor, the crowds on their feet in rapture. It didn’t matter that this last time, he would not see gold. He gave them a hero, in what was a drug-addled and wayward sport – he was impossibility incarnate with a tongue-in-cheek grin.

They say the quality of a champion lies in the grace with which he wears defeat. He embraced the winner, Justin Gatlin of the United States, even when the crowd did not. He obliged a stadium of flag-waving fans with selfies and smiles, on this last bittersweet lap of victory. We are left wondering if we will ever have another champion like him.

The 4×100 metre relay a week on was meant to be a redemption of sorts, if we even dare say that this man needed redeeming at all. Jamaica came into the last leg trailing the Americans and the British. The world held their breath for his swan song. But why did it have to end, we asked, despairing, in the crashing notes of a fallen giant? If sport was ever about what each competitor deserves, then he should have swept the medals, left the track he ruled in all his resplendent glory. But sport doesn’t deal in proportionality, and sentiment doesn’t win medals.

No sporting hero, least of all Bolt, goes gently into that good night. Even now the fingers are being pointed, and his supporters rail on his behalf against the injustice of it all. Some even proclaim they await his second coming. We will ask why this happened, but the answer will not eclipse his legend.

“Anything is possible, I don’t think limits,” he said. And all this while it seemed like there were none to contain him. The first athlete to hold both the 100-metre and 200-metre record in modern athletics, the first athlete to win three titles in both distances at the World Championships – the list goes on. The records fell under his feet and the world under his spell, in utter awe of the man in gold. He was a giant in the world of athletics, but at the beginning, they said a man his size would never be able to sprint. Thank goodness he did.

(Cover image source: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/usain-bolt-world-championships-relay-final-race-last-lost-injury-fall-collapse-photos-video)

By Nadine Staes-Polet (18A01B) and Lim Jing Rong (18A03A)
Photos courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

After two long and fun-filled weeks of almost daily games and activities, the second and final week of The Raffles Games (TRG) drew to a close. Despite having significantly fewer events than the previous week, it was nonetheless just as exciting, interesting, and most importantly, fun. Here’s a quick rundown on what went down on Week 2.

Monday

Floorball

This year, for the floorball event, each house was split into two teams: one comprising players from sports CCAs and the other from non-sports CCAs. Teams were made up of both boys and girls, and each team competed in groups of 3. At any point in the game, players could be substituted in and out with at least one girl playing at all times. Throughout the games, teamwork and coordination really shone through. Each team put forth their best effort, and most games ended with either a tie or a 1 point difference. As multiple players pontificated throughout, “AHHHHHH”, and at one point, someone even said, “Oh man, that was a hard hit to lil junior, thanks a lot mate”, the intensity of the games that afternoon was evident.

Placings:
1st: MT (2nd for sports, 2nd for non-sports)
2nd: MR (1st for sports, 3rd for non-sports)
3rd: BW (4th for sports, 1st for non-sports)
4th: HH (3rd for sports, 5th for non-sports)
5th: BB (5th for sports, 4th for non-sports)

Dodgeball

The dodgeball TRG, organised by the dragonboating CCA, was also held on Monday at the cages. Dodgeball is often characterized as a violent and cruel sport, and admittedly the games got off to a rough start, with some players not seeming to understand that aiming at the head was out-of-bounds. However, the facilitators stepped in quickly and the games continued smoothly from there.

The water polo boys and softball girls, especially, with their powerful and accurate shots, dominated many games. There were, however, moments for the underdogs too. On multiple instances, there was a single player left on one team against multiple (and often intimidating) opponents. They managed to not only dodge the shots but also managed to catch some of the balls, bringing their team mates back into the court, and their team back into the running.

All in all, the participants had a great time playing the game and bonding with their teammates.

Placings:
1st: BB
2nd: HH
3rd: MT
4th: MR
5th: BW

Thursday

Soccer (boys)

The afternoon sun was ablaze on the field as the soccer (boys) TRG began, starting promptly at 5pm. Everyone played with vigor and passion, putting up a good fight till the end. For the 3rd/4th placing match, a nail-biting game was played between MR and HH. It ended with a 0-0 tie which had to be broken with a penalty shot. MR took the shot and was successful, landing them in third place. The finals match found MT facing off against BW, which ended with an impressive 3-1 win for MT.

Placings:
1st: MT
2nd: BW
3rd: MR
4th: HH
5th: BB

Friday

Basketball

Before the basketball TRG even began, there were participants already lining up at the courts to practice their shots and throw some hoops. This atmosphere of excitement and intensity did not wane over the course of the numerous games each team had to play.

The teams were split into girls and boys, and further divided into sports and non-sports. The turnout was extremely impressive, and every house managed to field teams in each category. Despite the varying levels of skill, each game was played with equal enthusiasm and fervour. Although the games ended later than expected, all participants left the courts with exhausted smiles on their faces, evidence of the tiring but undeniably enjoyable games played.

Placings:
1st: BW
2nd: HH, MR (tied)
4th: MT
5th: BB

Track and Field

While the much-hyped Runway auditions were taking place at the PAC, a whole different running event was also underway just a stone’s throw away (or in this case maybe a few long strides away), on the track.

The track and field TRG consisted of three components: track events, field events and relay races. While all came with their share of excitement, the relay races were packed with anticipation, and almost too close to call, leaving the spectators on the edge of their seats. At the end of the day, everyone ran their hearts out and had a great time racing with and against their friends and teammates.

Placings:
1st: BW
2nd: MR
3rd: BB
4th: HH
5th: MT

All in all, TRG provided a great experience for all students – male or female, sports or non-sports – to try their hand at a new sport, bond with their friends and housemates, or even just let their inner student-athlete shine through.

As TRG organizer Ruth Kwan (18S03M) put it, “It was hard work organising TRG, with months of planning and preparation put in, but seeing everyone enjoy themselves made it worth it. TRG brought out everyone’s house pride, and we’re glad that TRG hopefully brought joy and excitement to people.” Overall results for TRG will be released during a morning announcement this week so look out for that!

By Ling Young Loon (18S07A)
Photographs by Li Wanjie (18A01B) and Afiq Zuhairi (18S06Q).

“Entrepreneurship is a very strange reason to stay back on a Friday night”, Shen Hongyi, chairperson of Raffles Entrepreneurs’ Network (REN), declared. “90% of startups fail… so it’s probably a really bad idea.”

Yet, at least 100 students were gathered at the PAC, listening to her speak. Of these, four teams would make their business pitch later that evening. Shyanne Tan, a Year 3 student from Temasek Polytechnic, sat in the competitor’s aisle. She flipped through her slides and shifted around in her seat. The competition would begin in an hour.

Sitting behind them were twelve students from Saint Joseph’s Institution (SJI). Two SJI teams had landed a spot in the finals that day; they were determined to bring the crown home. But RI’s Team Atmusphere wasn’t going to offer an easy fight. They were after all, on home ground.

The rest of the crowd consisted a patchwork of schools, all with a common passion for entrepreneurship. Organised by the REN, the annual Raffles Business Symposium (RBS) was about to begin.

“The aim of RBS was to bring like-minded students together,” Hongyi commented. “We found that other business competitions were too professional. RBS has a much lower threshold, and we invited even secondary schools to participate”

As Hongyi concluded her address, she invited Mr Edward Chia up on stage. The humble co-founder of Timbre group started his entrepreneurship journey at age 21. Now, he shared his experiences with eager entrepreneurs like himself. His uncanny enthusiasm never seemed to falter.

“Your business is your life,” he declared. “There is no work-life balance.”

Ms Kelly Ho, another judge for the competition, spoke of her law firm with youthful vigour.

“No one taught me how to set up a law firm. I found it myself – through books, the internet, and people. If you want to succeed in entrepreneurship, you must have the curiosity to find things for yourself.”

Mr Chandran, a self-made publisher who was also to judge the competition, emphasised the value of innovation:

“You must think out of the box, stay out of the box, and — at the end of the day – break the box.”

The founder of E-Quill Media had leapt from journalist to editor to publisher. He believes his work is anything but typical.

“Be original. We have a very good reputation for copying. But be original.”

From left to right: Shen Hongyi (18S06K), Mr Edward Chia, Ms Kelly Ho, Mr Kannan Chandran.

All 3 entrepreneurs took their seats. Hongyi checked the time. The finalists were on their heels; the competition would soon begin.

First, team VSBCRV of SJI took the stage. They stood poised and prepared, ready to rumble. Quickly, VSBCRV introduced GoldLee: the consummate wheelchair for the elderly. GoldLee would fuse entertainment, transport, communication, and healthcare services into one contraption. The chair would speak, would listen, and would track vitals: an impeccable conception indeed.

After a quick grilling from the judges, the team descended from the podium.

Shyanne smiled, looked at the audience, then looked at her teammates again. Team Auxilium had been called. It was their turn to steal the show. Shyanne presented her working prototype: a semi-autonomous wheelchair that follows someone the way kids follow a soccer ball.

Shyanne Tan (right) and Team Auxilium from Temasek Polytechnic.

“We’ve always been interested in getting our own products out, and creating as innovative ones as possible. It’s quite hard in today’s day and age, where almost everything has been created,” Shyanne said, laughing, after the presentation.

“Auxilium Innovations is a registered company, and we do intend to bring this idea further,” Shyanne paused, “but with studies and all that, we might not be able to”.

SJI’s team Samaritan Syndicate presented next, followed by RI’s Team Atmusphere. The Samaritans pitched a new classroom technology: a Google-glass sort of learning aid. RI presented a way to cure phobias – using virtual reality. The software will expose users to increasingly sensitive material. Augmented reality? Electroencephalogram? Photoelectric sensors? Technology was the talk of the town indeed. Team Atmusphere’s presentation was met with resonant applause.

RI’s Team Atmusphere (left to right): Shen Hongyi (18S06K), Zhong Tianyu (18S06P), Maxine Lim (18S06Q), and Huang Huanyan (18A03A).

Very soon, the judges made their calls and flips. The teams were evaluated on a set criteria: presentation coherency, business sustainability, competitive positioning and the viability of the idea itself.

After a rigorous discussion, the judges returned, results in hand. Mr Chia made his brief conclusion, and began announcing the winners. Shyanne led her team up stage, radiant as ever. The trophy was theirs.

RESULTS
3rd runners up: Team Atmusphere – RI
2nd runners up: Samaritan Syndicate – SJI
1st runners up:   VSBCRV – SJI
Champion: Team Auxilium – TP

By Ling Young Loon (18S07A)

image source

Maybe it’s crass capitalism, maybe it’s a testament to our ambition. Could it just be human nature? As Rafflesians, teenagers, Singaporeans, we are grossly obsessed with the work that we do. We attend laborious lectures and defy terrifying tutorials. The grind leaks into the afternoon. The clock strikes five, time for CCA. Ten, back to it on the study desk. Twelve, nights in. Lights out.

By far, no one has stopped turning the wheels. We’ve been told to accomplish – what? Some of us thrill at the push. Many damn the needles and continue sweating it. The rest prefer the periodical dose of pre-deadline adrenaline. Side effects include frizzled hair. You could finish all tutorials until your big As, and pull off a stunning triple-squared distinction on your teachers. But the question remains: what for?

My friends would hum and shrug their shoulders. Parents would clamber on and scream blasphemy. Teachers may consider dispensing a blue slip. I want to push the question a little further. But beware, this isn’t for the faint of heart:

Are we going to school to learn or going to school to get good grades?

The first one’s important, but the second is mandatory as well. I’ll answer this over the Mcdonald’s counter: “I’m taking both”. Yes – the perfect resolution to no solution – is both. That, however, occurs in an ideal world; where perfect competition exists and firms are all price takers. Last year, I swallowed sample history essays for every possible question. Throughout those restless nights, it never occurred to me that I was “learning”. I was fixated on the ends, and indifferent of the means.

“We are a culture that worships the winning result: the league championship, the high test score. Coaches are paid to win, teachers are valued for getting students into the best colleges. Less glamorous gains made along the way – learning, wisdom, growth, confidence, dealing with failure – aren’t given the same respect because they can’t be given a grade.” – William Zinsser

Every day, we see an outbreak of restless headlines, touting the latest prize. The Straits Times reports:

Singapore students top in maths, science and reading in Pisa international benchmarking test

Skill, not luck, powers teens to RoboCup victory

Five bag SPH journalism scholarship

It seems that in our hubbub, we have internalised the latter and done away the former. In recent years, “Learning” has become a euphemism for “Grades”. It’s not a solely Singaporean thing: the world measures itself by results. Nevertheless, MOE has made tremendous leaps to counter this. They have revamped the PSLE relic to reduce the emphasis on grades. No longer do they rank students on numbers. Closer to home: the Dean’s List made its final rounds last year. The trend is hopeful.

Yet, it seems this attitude leaches into other areas of work. More and more students – and parents – clamour for leadership titles, artistic credentials, and sporting success. The pressure has shifted from school to other aspects of life. Clearly, this is no fault of educational policy. We have been given what we demanded: diverse education, diverse development. Except now, “service” becomes “VIA”, and “music” becomes “SYF”. We repackage our non-academic pursuits, deliver them to our children, and await the day we can measure kindness with thermometers.

Whenever I hear a friend wax lyrical about grades, championships, and CIP hours, my heart sinks a little. Deep inside, we are gravely concerned with our final product: the university application. It’s unsettling: the future always unseats the present. All of us are on this quest to achieve. Maybe it’s Harvard. Maybe it’s Berkeley’s school of music. “I need CIP hours for my RD.” How many times have I heard that? Our pursuits, academic or not, are meant to inch us closer to our final product. Indeed, we are all seeking something. We identify a target and we dash straight in.

Already I can hear the sirens blaring. What’s so wrong about that? Teenagers would slump into an underachieving mess if left without direction. A goal is a leash. It keeps us in check.

William Zinsser, a writer whom I admire very much, presents a new perspective: the Tyranny of the Product. The pensive Zinsser recounts how his students are swoon by hopes of Austenian styles and Orwellian prose. These grandiose visions blind them: They become so fixated on the product that they forget the process. They see no joy in an extra sentence. They see only their handicapped piece. Disappointed by the perfection expectation, the discouraged writers rest their pens in defeat. The goal has paralysed them.

Many things can be said about the tyrannical, monopolistic conception of the product. To some, their perfectionism engulfs their motivation. Others find the outcome influencing their decisions – in ways they do not want. The problem goes far deeper than an unfulfilled aspiration. As mere Singaporeans, are we entangled within this tyranny? Are our lives being run by performance? Am I doing something for the sake of accomplishment? Is our fear of failure holding us back?

Most self-help books, advocating the pursuit of success, toe this line: Begin with the end in mind. Yes, indeed, but don’t overlook the means; learn to live within the means. Often, the destination changes. We end up in jobs we never expected to do. CCAs we never knew we enjoyed. Other times, our goals are just a little further than we reach: Not all grades do us justice. Not all effort guarantees returns. Throughout rancid failures and startling successes, our products never turn out as expected. Yet the process, our process, reigns constant, duteous and honorable.

As a writer, this is my product. I take pride in its readership, accessibility, and sincerity. I take greater pride in the act of writing itself. I hope one day, I will say the same for my education.

By Elizabeth Leong (18S06G)

With Promos or A’s right around the corner, many of us have been scrambling to find precious study resources – from the depths of our dusty files, from the generosity of our classmates and friends, or from the ever-trusty Internet. During this arduous process, some of us may have stumbled upon Tick, an online resource-sharing platform where all contributions are from fellow students.

Since its launch this July, the site’s collaborative model of learning has proven to be a success. Tick currently has over 900 ‘A’ Levels, IB, ‘O’ Levels and IP resources, ranging from model essays to summary sheets and content notes. The platform not only has many local users, but also many more across the globe.

But how did this project come about? Press speaks to some of the founding members, alumni of RI’s Class of 2016, to find out.

Sai Suman Mirthipati, Founder.

What inspired you to start Tick?

Sai: In a country with a billion-dollar tuition industry, it might be fair to say learning has become overly competitive and commercialised. I’ve always wanted to spark a change – to help make learning a collaborative, cumulative process. And more importantly, to help level the playing field so anyone can find resources and the means to learn regardless of financial background.

As graduating students, we wanted to leave something tangible behind for the student community – a community we’ve grown up in, and learnt a lot from. We identified a gap, and found a way to better the lives of students around the world.

So, we got to work.

How does Tick work?

Sai: Before Tick, students typically started their academic journeys from scratch and consolidated concepts, case studies, analyses and the like along the way – only to leave their work untouched after graduating. We felt there was tremendous potential to do good here. The Tick platform closes the loop so students don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time: peers and graduated seniors contribute their resources to benefit current students, who can in turn pay it forward by contributing theirs when they graduate.

This makes learning a collaborative experience in which students learn from each other, and a cumulative one that raises the standards of academic rigour over time.

Tick’s extensive library of resources. The site had a thousand users from Singapore and over twenty other countries in their first week; they currently have over 7000 unique users from over ninety different countries.

What makes Tick different from other learning platforms (such as KhanAcademy)?

Sai: One way to look at existing alternatives is to classify them into two broad groups.

The behemoths in this field like KhanAcademy offer some brilliant lessons and practices across a host of subjects. That said, even for a topic that’s taught everywhere in the world like algebra in Math, each course – A levels, O levels, IB, and so on – varies in exactly what it teaches and tests. Each course has unique question and answer styles, subject and topic breakdowns, and so on, so these mainstream courses might not be tailored to the precise demands of the course. However, the resources on Tick are made by students who study exactly what you do, which means the content is perfectly in line with what you need.

Another type of learning platform that’s available include local “notes sites” that have come up in previous years. While these may be effective in addressing the needs of students, they might not have the technology to sustain scale. This is because these sites primarily serve as compilations – think sites that could’ve been a public Google Drive instead – having more notes might crowd these platforms and make it difficult to find what you need. Because of the way resources are archived and indexed on Tick and its search system, you can find exactly what you’re looking for. So instead of a system that drowns and dilutes the content you’re looking for as more resources go up, we focused on designing one that helps you as more resources go up on it and gives you exactly what you’re looking for.

How do you feel about Tick?

Sai: Watching Tick transform from a vision and a desire into a tangible product that’s making a difference to so many people has been heartwarming. I’m glad I’ve been able to put together a team so capable and dedicated to make all this possible.

Feng Jiahai, Tech Director.

What is so special about Tick as a platform?

Jiahai: Right from the outset we designed Tick to be student-centric. We drew from our own studying experiences, as freshly graduated ‘A’ Level students, and thought about what features we would have loved to have, such as optimisation for all devices and personalised bookmarking and annotation. Such features greatly enhance the efficiency of studying, and despite some technical challenges along the way, were worth implementing. After all, they’re what makes the Tick platform a learning aid as much as it is a library.

Another aim we had was to build a community, which we feel is critical in ensuring sustainability. We approached this by adding elements of interaction between contributors and users, such as through enabling users to rate and comment on resources. Going forward, it’ll be a continuous cycle of upgrading, testing, collecting feedback, and upgrading once more, as we strive to better our platform.

What were some of the challenges faced while designing Tick?

Jiahai: We actually had a hard timeline to meet – exam seasons don’t wait. Between National Service, work and university commitments on top of Tick, late nights were common, but it’s all worked out reasonably well so far, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved in just a short two months.

On the technical end of the project, the main challenge I faced was familiarising myself with technologies I didn’t have experience with, but wanted to incorporate in order to improve the platform. Additionally, because we wanted to scale to a large audience while maintaining low costs, I made choices early on in the project to select the ‘stack’ of technology behind the server as one which would satisfy our operational needs at a low server load.

Heather I’anson-Holton, Academic Director.

How did Tick amass such an extensive collection?

Heather: It is important to us that our platform be represented island-wide, and so I reached out to all my friends, shared our vision, and invited them to be a part of it. It was heartening to see so many respond to the call with generosity and support for our cause, and it wasn’t long before the resources started pouring in.

How are the resources managed?

Heather: We value quality as much as quantity, and from the very beginning each resource was carefully and personally vetted. We had a few core priorities in mind: performing quality checks, respecting intellectual property rights, and making our library navigable. I worked closely with Jiahai and Sai to ensure that this translated effectively onto the platform, and the end results speak for themselves.

Keane Chua, Outreach Director (Media).

How successful is the platform so far?

Keane: We garnered over a thousand users within a week from across Singapore, and to our delight (and surprise), from over twenty other countries too. It was my first experience working on a project at this scale, so it was a truly encouraging and heartwarming beginning for us.

Currently, we have over 90 000 views, 7000 unique users and an average of about 500 active daily users, from over 90 different countries. According to many who have personally written to us, they are highly appreciative of our project and felt that it has helped them better prepare for the upcoming examinations. It’s too soon to really quantify our effectiveness in aiding our users since learning is a long-term, ongoing process, but we hope that users will embrace our values and continue fostering this peer-to-peer learning community.

Cheung Chun Man, Outreach Director (Public Relations).

What’s your favourite part of the experience so far?

Chun Man: Taking charge of publicity has given me the opportunity to reconnect with many batchmates and reach out to peers all around. While visiting school for an event, I even heard some of my juniors saying “tick ninja!” and giving me a thumbs up. That gesture really made my day! Personally, I do hope that more students will be able to benefit from our platform since this would have been akin to a god-sent tool for me back in junior college. We also hope our project inspires others to support their peers, as we believe that learning should not take place alone.

–

The Tick platform is still in its beta stages, but it has given us much to look forward to. It hosts a wide collection of resources on a clean and intuitive platform. While it may be some time before we see any major improvements as the team manages their university and National Service commitments, this addition to our educational arsenal is indeed something to celebrate.

You can find Tick at the following:
Website: tick.ninja
Facebook: facebook.com/tick.ninja
Instagram: instagram.com/tick.ninja
Twitter: twitter.com/TickNinja

By Elizabeth Leong (18S06G) and Zara Karimi (18A01A)

The Broadway Babies, after their showcase at the Hodge Lodge last Wednesday

You may have heard of them from their Instagram account, from their posters around school, or by word of mouth. You may have even attended their last show in January. Yes, the lively presence of the Broadway Babies was certainly hard to miss last Wednesday at the Hodge Lodge, where a new batch of members held their very first show.

The Broadway Babies are a student-run interest group that covers songs from West-End and Broadway shows. Initially an act from Lit Night 2016, they are composed of people from different CCA backgrounds and varying levels of experience onstage, united by a common love for musicals.

Though the event began a little later than expected due to scheduling issues, this only served to fuel the audience’s anticipation, gathered in the crowded Hodge Lodge. First in the setlist was Another Day of Sun from the popular movie-musical La La Land. The vocalists, initially planted amongst audience members, rose and made their way to the stage area, capturing everyone’s attention, getting the show off to a great start.

Next up, Robyn Wong (18A01B) and Peck Hsiao Shan (18A13A) took on the roles of Collins and Angel from Rent, singing I’ll Cover You. This cover featured more props and performative elements, with the two singers sitting at and walking around a table throughout the song, dramatically tiptoeing over their tangled microphone wires in the process, to the amusement of the audience. The lively instrumentals were also well-suited to the happy, hopeful lyrics of the song (I’ve longed to discover / Something as true as this is / So with a thousand sweet kisses / I’ll cover you).

This was followed by a stripped-down version of You’re the One that I Want from Grease. Initial issues with the microphone did not at all deter Sarah Leong (18A03A) and Jeremy Xiao from delivering a heartrending rendition of the song, with Sarah’s moving vocals filling the cozy room. The audience’s delight was quite clear as they snapped their fingers to the beat of the music, as well as in the loud rounds of applause that overlapped with the ending notes of the song.

The setlist concluded with Song of Purple Summer from the musical Spring Awakening, performed by the entire company. The fifteen singers standing (almost) in a row were a sight to behold. Their voices blended together and with the instrumental accompaniment to form a beautiful, rousing harmony. This performance truly embodied the Broadway tradition of a big finish, and left the audience wanting more.

The Broadway Babies during one of their early rehearsals

The Broadway Babies had been working on this show since mid-July, and while their labours have come to fruition with this showcase, this is only the beginning. Following Promos, they will begin preparation for a full length revue, to be held in January 2018. Mark your calendars – considering the success of this performance, you won’t want to miss their next instalment!

Cast List

Vocalists
Robyn Wong, Rachel Rina Cheong Wen Xiu, Kiara Pillai, Huang Ruijia 18A01B
Peck Hsiao Shan, Jared Ong, Lynn Hong 18A13A
Sarah Leong 18A03A
Timothy Robin Chin, Ouisa Emanuelle Wiratno 18S03B
Muskaan Kalwani 18A01C
Han Zenan 18S06A
Nicholas Ho 18S06M
Teo Hui Rong Tara 18A01E
Erielle Marie 18S03R

Musicians
Jeremy Xiao 18A01B
Victoria Lim 18S02A
Wong Yang Cheng 18S07B
Malcolm Low 18S03K
Kaitlyn Ng 18S06G
Yeo Kee Hwan 18S03Q

By Mr Patrick Wong
GP teacher/Raffles Press teacher-mentor

I have been studying for some months now, taking a part-time course three evenings a week. In one of my modules, we covered the concept of empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Or, in a familiar metaphor, to stand in someone else’s shoes.

More aptly, it’s been like sitting in someone else’s chair – the student’s, to be precise. And the experience has deepened my appreciation of what my students may be going through. It has certainly allowed me to understand better why they behave the way they do (sometimes infuriatingly) and made me think about what I expect or ask of them.

“Am I good enough?”

This is not a phrase that I like. I don’t believe that acceptance into this school or that CCA says anything about how “good” a student is. And I’ve shared this view with many batches of students (even my own children) in the hope of urging them to value themselves beyond narrow judgement criteria of personal worth.

But I must admit that the thought did stay in my mind after I’d sent in my application for my course. In fact, it strayed all over my mind, switching back and forth between a confident voice (“Of course I’m good enough – I have X qualifications, Y experience, Z personal qualities…”) to a nervous whimper (“They’re going to reject me… I don’t have what they’re looking for… Others are sure to have better CVs…”).

In truth, I was quietly confident that I would be accepted. Also, I kept reminding myself that even if I were not, it would not be the end of the world: I have a good, satisfying career; I don’t really need the extra qualification; I have hobbies to occupy me if the night classes did not materialise.

I don’t think my students have – or believe they have – that same safety net. Especially not with the narrative of “academic excellence” that is writ so large in their young lives from an even younger age. Being “accepted” into that dream school or CCA must mean so much more for them, whether I encourage that sort of thinking or not.

Lesson: Don’t dismiss or devalue what a student aspires to. Never tell them “don’t feel so bad” if they miss out on something they’ve set their heart on. Make time to listen to their hopes and disappointments, to offer them guidance in reaching life goals that are meaningful to them, as far as a teacher can.

“What a lonnnnng day!”

So I got accepted into the course. Yay!

The orientation was exciting. Getting my student card was fun (last time I held one was almost 25 years ago). Buying a new laptop for my course work was cool (we had chunky PCs and floppy disks when I last studied).

Enthusiastically, I was 10 minutes early for the first evening lesson. I’d made sure I left work to get home in time for an early dinner, pack my school bag (so fun just saying that!), and make my way to “school”.

But as the first week of triple three-hour evening lessons closed, reality bit: This is tiring! How could I keep this up – working by day, rushing home, dashing to class, concentrating (or trying to) through an evening that I could have spent unwinding (books, music, the latest episode of Doctor Who or Game Of Thrones, etc.)?

Soon, personal commitments and sheer fatigue meant that I skipped one lesson… then another… It helped that I was allowed a certain number of absences (adult learning is like that), with catch-up videos of lessons available online – bless you, technology!

My students don’t have that luxury. (Well, they’d be in big trouble if they skipped lessons without a valid reason.) And their day must be just as tiring, if not more: long hours of lessons, back to back; CCA after (or before, if training for some sports); homework to do after getting home past sunset… Makes you want to throw in the towel – or work till the wee hours!

Lesson: Don’t preach to students about “getting more sleep” – well, some of them should, instead of being on their devices. But many have no choice. If students keep nodding off in class, check why before ticking them off, complaining to their civics tutor, forming a negative impression of them.

“Why are you so quiet/noisy?”

Teachers must seem like a funny bunch. We keep prodding you to speak up in class, then we shhhhh you for “chatting” with your classmates. In our defence, for the latter, it can be hard to distinguish between students discussing what’s relevant and chattering about other things.

But sitting in the student’s chair, I’m experiencing again (the decades have hazed over my memories) the dynamics of being among so many disparate personalities. Just as no two teachers are alike, there is no way that so many students will respond similarly or uniformly (no pun intended) to a teacher’s instructions – or, more often, expectations.

So I must stand up for the misunderstood student, quiet or “chatty”.

First, why do students clam up when the teacher asks a question? Did they not prepare for class? (Guilty! I seldom had time to read up ahead of a lesson.) Do they not know the answer? (Actually, I didn’t catch the question because the teacher was going so fast!) Why does that student who seems to know the answer not speak up? (I don’t want to come across as Mr Know-It-All or as sucking up to the teacher!)

Second, why does that bunch keep on talking? There are two main reasons. One, the group is genuinely excited or curious enough to want to confer with classmates. Two, they are just a talkative group who influence one another badly. I belong in the former (you can ask my tutors), but there is that other table that seriously needs to pipe down. And the tutor is not helping by doing nothing to stop them!

Lesson: Students aren’t machines who will respond or shut up simply because we want them to. There are so many dynamics in the classroom: fear of speaking up because one didn’t read up; fear of speaking up too often; genuine interest that sparks conversation; lack of interest or energy that causes one to “switch off”; chatty friends who just don’t know better; chatty classmates who are so distracting… I have to keep honing my classroom management skills to get the best out of the most as often as possible – any higher target is probably a pipe dream.

“That assignment is due when???”

I’m a stickler for timely submission of work. Ask my students. And I want to scream when a student does not read or follow assignment instructions carefully. I mean, I took so much trouble to prepare that assignment sheet!

But in the first three months of my course, I almost missed a deadline as well as a 50%-portion of an assignment. Me! Mr OCD when it comes to such things!

Regarding the deadline, I just didn’t plan my time properly. I’d forgotten to factor in a week-long family holiday during the June break, but thankfully a much more on-the-ball course mate pointed out that I needed to finish the assignment before flying off.

As for that 50%, I plain didn’t read all the way through the assignment handout (which the tutor must have taken so much trouble to prepare!). Once more, it was my course mates who came to my rescue, and I had to make a mad dash to meet that deadline.

And I was doing only three modules. My typical student juggles at least five subjects, with more homework and class time than I have to bear. Let’s not even get into CCA… or tuition… or VIA… or hanging out with friends (you’re only young once, right?)…

Lesson: Students will miss deadlines and assignment requirements. They’ll mess up even when instructions are crystal clear. I’m not making excuses for some who really need to focus better. I can only say that so much is competing for a student’s RAM space, especially across subjects. So I need to exercise more patience. And, yes, patiently repeat those instructions…again!

“Studies aren’t everything!”

The all-consuming nature of studies is another bubble that I try to burst for my students. I come back to this theme often, reminding students that there’s so much more “out there”, exhorting them in Thoreau-esque fashion to “suck out all the marrow of life”. I imagine myself as Mr Keating in Dead Poets Society.

Mostly, all I get in return are stunned looks, confused brows. Or worse, the sceptical sneer. I think to myself: “These people need to get a life!” or “How narrow their worldview is!” Having recently mugged my eyeballs out for three exams in one week, I won’t be making such hasty, nasty judgements again any time soon.

Because my studies really got all-consuming! I was lucky enough to get study leave to prepare for the exams, because there was just so much to revise or read for the very first time. I went to bed with course concepts swirling in my head, had weird dreams about statistics (yes, there was a module on that), woke up and rushed through breakfast so that I could hit the books.

My study notes on statistics

My family took a back seat (well, all I could talk to my wife about was “There’s this interesting thing I’m studying…”). My goldie was deprived of those long walkies she loves. My vinyl collection cried out, “Play us! Spin us just once!” My marking piled up – and for once seemed like a really good alternative!

And this was just after three months. Imagine studying two whole years for a major, possibly life-defining exam. Imagine doing that after 10 years in the school system. Forget the marrow! Life? What life?

Lesson: Stop judging students for being so caught up in their studies. Yes, it should not be equated to “life”, but it does take up so much of their time and attention. Understand – nay, empathise with – how much it must mean to them. Still, do find ways to help them see the “bigger picture”, though much of that perspective can only come with age and experience.

“If I only knew then…”

In my 15 years of teaching, I believe I have connected well with my students. I am always fascinated by the person behind the student, as I believe many of my colleagues are. That keeps us going when students irritate, frustrate, vex us.

But stepping into a student’s shoes again, I see more clearly why they might do so. I also have stronger compassion for them as they grapple with so many things with such high stakes. And I certainly have new respect for how so many of them carry on not just with acceptance but with joy and enthusiasm.

When I sit in the teacher’s chair now, I know there’s much more to learn.

By Zacchaeus Chok (18S03O)

Student life is best summed up in three factors – work, leisure and sleep. By adjusting these variables, we try to elevate our overall well-being and enjoyment. Certainly, we have noticed variation among the cohorts of students – the imbalance of work, leisure and sleep is a trend, with some working excessively hard and being prone to poor sleep schedules while others slack too much.

How do we best study the intricate and complex relationship between the tripartite factors of student life? As students, perhaps the best way to do so with academic vigour is by applying what we have learnt. Utilising various quantitative concepts, albeit in a rather amateurish fashion, this article aims to formally analyse the school-life of students.

Study-leisure Balance

A graph of satisfaction achieved against our time spent slacking.

Above is a graph that depicts the general relationship between our satisfaction and our opportunities for leisure (measured in time spent slacking). Work-life balance, a hot topic for adults, is also one that is pertinent and increasingly relevant to students, though “study-leisure balance” may be more applicable in our case. Unfortunately, this balance is something that hardly any students have reached.

The relationship between time spent slacking and satisfaction is as follows: initially, the more we slack and take breaks from the turmoil of mugging, we refresh ourselves and naturally become more relaxed.

Yet, as with all good things in life, we can only have a limited dosage of slacking. Beyond a certain point, our intuition remind us that we have slacked for too long and that our Promos are looming. The niggling reminders in our brain urge us to stop procrastinating. Inevitably, the resultant anxiety induces stress. This is represented by the downward sloping portion of the graph.

With Promos and A-levels round the corner, it will be invariably beneficial for one to find the equilibrium position between study and leisure (represented by t₁ and the corresponding s₁) which yields the maximum satisfaction.

Quantity and Quality of Studying

Our rational minds plan for the long run conditions of our future, hoping that the resultant higher grades bring forth a plethora of opportunities. A simple cost-benefit analysis tells us that the more we study, the higher our grades.

A graph of our predicted grades against how much we study.

The above graph attempts to summarise the pattern between the quantity of studying and our predicted grades. However, this pattern is rather simplistic and generalised. It doesn’t really account for the sudden killer examination, and doesn’t apply to the genius in your class. Furthermore, it is not necessarily true that grades are a reflection of hard work. The trend depicted in the graph, however, best fits the typical student.

The “warming up” stage is perhaps the biggest stumbling block to many. When we have finally stopped procrastinating, we take out our notes reluctantly and sigh. Personally, I try to get into the posture of studying by highlighting and jotting down some notes. Behind this façade, nothing really gets into my mind and rather often, I give up and whip out my phone. Clearly, the efficiency in the “warming up” stage is minimal.

For the rare few who make it through the first stage, you are rewarded with a sudden “burst” in productivity. This is likelier to happen if we are consistent and dedicated in studying; since topics are intimately linked to each other, the ones we have previously revised aid in the understanding of the new topic. Consequently, getting higher grades becomes a matter of internalising more of the content. Then exhaustion (and maybe complacency) kicks in, and the productivity of studying becomes less pronounced. We read, learn and understand at a much slower rate.

Finally, the portion of the graph labelled “STOP STUDYING” surfaces. At this stage, one has allocated too much time to studying (8, 9 hours perhaps), depriving oneself of sleep.  Sacrificing sleep at the expense of studying – this negative dynamic is not only unhealthy but also counterproductive. This may seem counter-intuitive to some, but is substantiated by several studies (Gillen-O’Neel, Huynh, Fuligni, 2013). Granted, one can probably cover slightly more content by staying up for 1 more hour. But that 1 hour of sleep deprivation however, seeps back into morning lectures and tutorials, where our attention span and retention of knowledge sharply declines.

As utility-maximising students or rather, academic-maximisers, who desire the best academic performance, the time spent studying labelled t_max is perhaps the allocatively efficient outcome. One has to be cautious to strike the balance between our grades and the health risks involved in achieving them.

Satisficing Behaviour

For some of us, studying really isn’t our game and aspiring for top percentiles is but a dream. Other aspects of student life such as socialising, CCAs and gaming form a greater share of our overall well-being. Still, for the sake of meeting expectations (of parents, institutions or oneself), a minimum mark is required.

On the other hand, some who identify as academic-satisficers might just be hiding beneath a façade!

Conclusion

Our studying strategy is aligned with our beliefs about what is best for us. The generalisations made by this article, and perhaps your parents and teachers, are probably wrong about you.The only definite takeaway is to study in accordance to your own needs, and at your own risks. From each according to his ability (in studies), to each according to his actual academic performance.

Alas, Raffles Press wishes all: Merry Studying!

By Zara Karimi (18A01A) and Nadine Staes-Polet (18A01B)

The front page of the SWF programme brochure, accessible via the SWF website.

Clear out your calendars for the second week of November, because the Singapore Writers Festival is back with its 20th edition!

The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) is an annual literary event organized by the National Arts Council (NAC). Over the past few decades, SWF has grown from a niche platform showcasing emerging local talent, to an exciting outreach event featuring both local and international writers, academics and thinkers. Last year, it engaged over 41 000 people, establishing itself as one of the region’s premier literary events. This year, SWF will be taking place in the Civic District from the 3rd to the 12th of November.

The theme for SWF this year is ‘Aram’ (அறம்), taken from Thirukkural, an ancient text widely revered as one of the Tamil language’s most influential works. This is SWF’s first ever Tamil theme, part of a larger, more inclusive narrative that featured ‘Sayang’ as last year’s theme, serving to cement SWF’s position as one of the few multi-lingual literary festivals in the world. ‘Aram’ zeroes in on the universal ethical concept of what ‘goodness’ really entails, seeking to question ethical quandaries and moral conundrums.

As Festival Director Yeow Kai Chai shares: “We are always looking for new ways to use SWF as a platform to question different ideals and provoke thought amongst readers and writers alike.”

A photograph by Alecia Neo, a visual artist commissioned to respond to the theme of ‘Aram’. Neo has also produced a video art project, accessible here.

“The richly nuanced theme of ‘Aram’ is complex and multi-layered, and with conflict and tensions rife in our world today, we hope that this year’s like up of authors and programming will inspire festival-goers to reflect upon the concept of ‘goodness’ in thoughts, words and action.”

For the uninitiated, here’s how SWF works. Festival events are divided into five groups; SWF Class (featuring workshops and masterclasses), SWF Stage, (mainly performances and lectures) SWF Pop (pop-up events and performances), SWF3 (events for families) and SWF Beyond (featuring exhibitions, film screenings, panels and more.) While free events abound at the festival, the value-for-money Festival Pass grants you access to a wider variety of events throughout. Masterclasses and workshops, however, tend to be ticketed separately, so do be sure to snap up seats before they sell out.

This year’s festival will feature 240 local literary talents, and 65 international creative talents, from Colombia to Hong Kong to Israel. In addition to being an important platform in promoting Singapore’s emerging and established writers to Singaporeans, SWF also invites international writers for fruitful exchanges of opinions and learning opportunities.

Aside from the list of five headlining authors released by the NAC in August – Tony Parsons (UK), Ken Liu (US), Perumal Murugan (India), Lu Min (China) and Datin Saidah Rastam (Malaysia) – SWF features writers from one country every year to share their experiences with their local literary scene.

This year’s country of focus is Ireland, featuring 8 Irish authors in panels and talks. Alongside this, SWF 2017 will be casting a spotlight on Southeast Asian literature, and use the Festival as a platform for cultural exchange by presenting authors across the region in celebration of ASEAN 50. Other notable writers attending include Jay Asher, author of smash-hit young adult novel Thirteen Reasons Why, as well as critically acclaimed American writer Junot Díaz, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2008.

Author Jay Asher alongside his book, Thirteen Reasons Why, which has since been adapted into a controversial Netflix series.

As always, there is truly something for everyone at this year’s SWF, from writing clinics, to talks and panel discussions on serious topics like “Hope and Resistance in the Age of Dystopia” and even more lighthearted issues such as “Travel Writing in the Age of Instagram” and “The Enduring Allure of the Moomins”. If nothing particularly tickles your fancy, SWF’s highly anticipated closing debate is always a winner. The motion for this year’s debate is ‘This House Believes that Kiasuism Is a Good Singaporean Trait’.

Whether you’re looking to brush up your writing skills, meet your favourite authors, expose yourself to new literature, or just looking to have a good time, SWF is the place to be this November. For more information on the programme, check out the Advance Programme Brochure on the SWF website for more details on upcoming events.

Early-bird tickets are available from now till the 30th of September via SISTIC at www.sistic.com.sg. All early bird tickets will be sold at a 20% discount, including the Festival pass at $20.00 (regularly priced at $25). For more information on ticketing, check out the Singapore Writers Festival Ticketing Guide, or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sgwritersfest.

By Ashley Tan (18A13A)
Photographs courtesy of interviewee Cai Minglu

Thinking about which university to apply to, or already a J2 beginning your early admission applications? Raffles Press brings you our Please Mind the Platform Gap (Universities Edition), a series of articles dedicated to providing information on Rafflesian alumni’s experiences at their respective universities.

Washington University in St. Louis – more affably known as Wash U amongst its students – is a private research university located in the St. Louis metropolitan area of Missouri, United States. Boasting an affiliation with 24 Nobel Laureates and a diverse student body hailing from almost 90 countries around the world, Wash U is one of the more prestigious and coveted colleges in America.

While Wash U may be lesser known to students in Singapore, its strong sense of community and abundance of research opportunities speak volumes of what it has to offer to prospective students. Its commitment to providing academic flexibility is particularly appealing to students, especially those who prefer room to explore a wide variety of disciplines before narrowing their academic focus.

In this article, Raffles Press interviews Cai Minglu, an alumna of RI who graduated in 2015. She is currently in her second year of at Wash U and will graduate in 2020.

View of the South 40, the residential area for most underclassmen, at dusk (taken the first day Minglu stepped foot on campus).

1. Why did you choose to study at Wash U?

A couple reasons! The first reason was that I liked the academic rigour and flexibility offered by Wash U, where I’d found specific academic programs (e.g. Text and Tradition) that matched my academic interests.

The campus auditorium packed with first-year students during Bear Beginnings (orientation).

My college decision process was one that I did a lot of research for. I started out by finding out everything I could about the colleges I was choosing between from the Internet, my friends, and my college counsellor. I was drawn to Wash U’s inter-disciplinary focus: I looked up the proportion of students who had more than one major, or who were doing interdisciplinary majors and minors. I liked the unique programmes that Wash U offered. There’s something called the IQ curriculum that encourages students to take courses in a variety of fields while giving them enough academic flexibility to study what they are interested in. There were programmes like the Praxis Program, the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities, Text & Tradition, and so on that I felt catered to my academic interests and that I was really excited about exploring and taking part in. Beyond that, I felt that Wash U also had a good reputation in academic fields that I was interested in, including English, Political Science, Psychology and Education.

The second reason was the extensive support system that Wash U provides to its students. There is extensive academic advising – every student gets a four-year academic advisor for every major that they are studying for. There is also an Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) that provides lots of information, guidance and opportunities to international students. There’s even an International Students Orientation, which isn’t something that is found at every college, to help integrate international students. This helped me feel more confident and comfortable in the campus, and integrate more effectively into college life. There’s also great career counselling at Wash U – I’ve made use of the career centre’s opportunities quite often, and even though Wash U is in the midwest region of the U.S., an area that that may not have as many career opportunities as, say, New York or Washington, Wash U makes up for this by providing extensive career networks and support through their career counselling opportunities.

A biking trip through the nearby Katy Trail organised by the OISS (Office for International Students and Scholars).

The third reason I wanted to go to Wash U was because of what I had heard about its social and academic environment. I had heard that Wash U is not a pressure cooker, but at the same time, there’s enough academic rigour to push students to work hard in the areas that they’re interested in. I’d also heard a lot about the vibrant campus life – there is a very balanced social atmosphere because it’s not a “mugger” school, but it’s not a “party” school either, and I like that balance. From my experience in my first year, I would say that your social environment matters more than what people might expect because if you don’t feel supported and confident both socially and culturally, it can be difficult for you to make use of the academic opportunities.

I had heard a lot about the high crime rates in some parts of St. Louis, as well as the issue of racial segregation grounded in St. Louis’ fraught history of race-relations. I saw it as a very real issue that was deeply hurting local communities, and the more time I spent at Wash U and in St. Louis, the more I began to care about the issues that local communities cared about.

I liked that St. Louis is a suburban balance between a city and rural environment, and I wanted to try removing myself from the metropolitan environment of Singapore that I’d grown up in and become used to, while not being in a completely rural area with few amenities and facilities. I wanted a mixture of both, and I felt that St. Louis fit what I was looking for.

2. What do you intend to major in? Why?

I’m thinking of majoring in either sociology or political science. I’ve taken classes for both of them, and they were really interesting. I took two sociology classes – Order and Change in Society, and Sociology of Work. In Order and Change in Society, we looked at the microinteractions in society that influence larger social structures. In Sociology of Work, we looked at processes and systems in the workplace in the American context that influence people’s experiences of work. These classes were fascinating as they gave me insight into the processes that we take for granted on a daily basis. For instance, what are the dynamics that underlie the conversation that we’re having now? They showed me how these small social factors actually contribute to larger phenomena. Part of the class included dissecting factors of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation… It’s like when we were all obsessed with Facebook in secondary school and trying to figure out who was friends with who – sociology is like taking that and turning it into an academic subject or discipline, such as through analysing social networks, or how our social lives matter in ways that we might not expect. It’s really fascinating.

I’ve also always been interested in politics. Politics always seems so baffling to me, so studying political science was like demystifying the news that we read every day. The class I took that introduced me to political science was Introduction to Political Theory, where we read texts by political theorists that gave us different opinions on topics like democracy, immigration, power, bureaucracy and liberty. It was a very challenging class, but I loved it.

I have to declare my major in the Spring of my Sophomore year, but I’m currently at the beginning of my Sophomore year so I still have a bit of time to explore before I decide.

Front view from Brookings Quad in the university campus.

3. Did your subject combination in JC have any impact on your class choices in university, or affect your ability to grasp the content covered?

Definitely. I took Knowledge & Inquiry (KI), Physics, Math and Literature, with H1 Chemistry, in JC. Because it was a mixed subject combination, it gave me a better idea of what I am or am not interested in. From that subject combination, I developed an interest in the humanities because I loved my Literature and KI classes, and struggled with my Physics and Math classes, so that gave me an idea of where my intellectual interests lie. At Wash U, I took a range of classes in diverse fields including Environmental Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology, Political Science and Philosophy. KI definitely developed my interest in Philosophy, while Literature developed my interest in reading, so both were very helpful when it came to navigating my Humanities and Social Sciences classes. I’d say that my JC subject combination informed my choice of classes that I wanted to explore as well as the intellectual interests that I wanted to continue pursuing.

4. What is the teaching style like, and how does it compare to the lecture-tutorial style RI?

It varies widely depending on the classes you take – there are some large lecture classes, and there are also smaller seminar classes. The smallest class I was in had four people including me. Lecture classes are similar to JC lectures, except that they are slightly more interactive – the professor was more open to changes in the curriculum and teaching styles, depending on the students’ feedback and needs. For example, we had weekly quizzes, and we initially felt that the quizzes didn’t really target the main points in the articles we had read, so the lecturer ended up tailoring the quizzes every week to the pace that the class was moving at. I would say that there is more flexibility in the lecture classes I attended as well as more professor-student interaction. For instance, there were 15 minutes at the end of each lecture specifically for the professor to answer students’ questions, compared to JC lectures which were more packed and structured.

Minglu’s four-person sociology class (Sociology of Work), with their professor.

The seminar classes I’ve been in were very discussion-based with a lot of student involvement. There was a freshman seminar that I was in where half of class time consisted of student-led and student-facilitated class discussions, while the other half was taught by the lecturer. Overall, my classroom experience in Wash U has been a lot more interactive. It’s more self-led and requires students to take ownership of their own learning and interests.

Another difference between lessons in RI and Wash U is that attendance and participation is part of your grade in Wash U. The emphasis on student involvement is greater than in RI. For instance, it’s common that about 10-15% of your grade is relies on class participation and involvement. There’s a lot of room to ask questions in college, and I really like this because I love participating in class.

5. What is something unique about Wash U’s campus life that outsiders may not know about?

There’s a great balance between academic rigour and learning how to have fun. I really appreciate how people are supportive of each other instead of seeing one another as competitors. It’s been pretty easy to make friends on campus, and Wash U has a unique culture that strikes a balance between academic rigour and recreation. Even the professors tell us to stop worrying about the grades, and to focus on the process and the exploration instead.

6. What are the extracurricular activities that Wash U offers, and which ones do you partake in?

Wash U offers over 300 student activity groups. There are so many areas of interest you can be involved in, such as sports, arts, advocacy or identity-type groups like the Chinese Student Association Group or Pride Alliance, which is the umbrella LGBTQIA* organisation on campus.

At the start of every semester, there’s an Activities Fair where students from these groups set up booths for you to find out more about what they do and whether you’re interested in joining them. In my first semester, I was involved in a student-run radio group on campus – KWUR 90.3FM – where I ran a music radio show every Saturday, and I could play whatever music I wanted within KWUR’s guidelines and rules. I played a lot of indie, electronic, R&B, and a bit of hip-hop. My aim was to expose the people who were listening to my radio show to different types of music and to share the music that I love with other people. It was a great experience, especially because I got to interact with my listeners through a Mixlr platform where people could write in to make song requests. It was another way of interacting with the Wash U community through our love for music.

The second thing I was involved in was Wash U Cypher, a breakdancing group which seeks to encourage free expression through breakdance. In the breakdancing community, cyphering is the practice of standing in a circle, and having a dancer go into the middle to dance for everyone. This dancer will then usually challenge another person, who then goes into the middle of the circle and dances. The great thing about cyphering at Wash U is that it’s a very inclusive and supportive community, and it’s not about competition or about who’s the best dancer. Everyone just dances for fun, and develops at their own pace. I went in as a complete beginner with no dance experience, but they were so inclusive. They guided me through baby steps and taught me the beginner moves, and it was an eye-opening experience to grow and learn from a community that was new to me yet very welcoming.

The breakdancing community can appear to be a male-dominated one, because power moves in breakdancing typically involve a lot of upper body strength. At first, I was quite intimidated going in because there were some moves that I felt women might find more difficult to perform. But the President of the Club, Jackie, really inspired me because she has a very empowering attitude: she encourages you to do the moves that you can and that you’re interested in, and to never be restrained by the fact that you’re a woman, or to be held back by thoughts like, “I have less upper body strength, so I won’t be as good at breakdancing.” This was really what made me want to push my boundaries and continue breakdancing.

I was also involved in Spirit of Korea, which is a cultural festival where I performed K-pop dance in a segment called Open Dance. Aside from this, I participated in a Spring Urban Immersion trip, a community service event where we stayed in downtown St. Louis and studied urban poverty through the lens of housing and homelessness.

Underpass painting advertising the Spirit of Korea cultural festival.

7. Seeing that you are from Singapore, did you experience any culture shock? How did you overcome this?

Definitely. There are many small cultural differences that can make you feel quite out of place initially. The food, or the way people speak are all different. I had to change the way I speak so that people could understand me. I didn’t know some of the terminology that Americans would typically find quite basic – they say band-aids, but we call them plasters. There was once when my friend got injured and I asked around for a plaster, but they were like, “What are you asking for?” We say soft toys, they say stuffed animals. You also have to work quickly to learn the common lingo that the Americans use. For example, we say, “Are you up to hang out this Sunday?”, but they say, “Are you down to hang out this Sunday?”

Also, when people ask you where you’re from, you tend to lose the common cultural ground that other American students might potentially connect over. For instance, if someone were to say that he’s from New York, then a connection can be formed by talking about your experiences with New York or a common understanding of what living in New York might be like. But as an international student, you have to work harder to find connections and common ground with both Americans and non-Americans.

An SSA (Singapore Students’ Association) gathering in 2016.

Another difference I picked up was my American friends’ concept of “space” – a metaphor that both stands in for the physical space that one inhabits, and the emotional and social characteristics that define it. For example, Americans might walk into a room and describe it as a “queer space” or an “oppressive space”, but no one I know in Singapore would say that. The idea that a space can embody characteristics that exert tangible effects on its occupants didn’t see to be something that permeated discourse when I was in Singapore.

There’s also a lot more discourse about gender and sexuality. One example was during the first day of orientation, when we were asked which pronouns we wanted to be addressed by. The whole idea of being able to choose your personal pronoun ensures that people are addressed by the gender identity that they wish to adopt, rather than making assumptions, and this makes the space friendlier to gender nonconforming people. When I was first asked this question, it was quite foreign to me. But eventually, you learn what all of this means, and you learn to speak the same kind of language and talk about the issues that the people on campus talk about. There was a lot that I had to pick up over the first few months.

This is why I would say cultural differences permeate almost every aspect of your life. The culture shock isn’t really something that dawns upon you suddenly, but it’s a combination of all these small things that make you see how a place is different. It makes you realise that you have to work harder to understand what all these differences mean, and how you can participate actively in the culture that you’re now immersed in.

Another thing that I appreciated was the greater awareness about mental health. In the U.S., there seems to be less taboo talking about it, and it’s taken more seriously too because of the realisation that everyone benefits from taking care of their mental health. The approach to mental health is more open-minded – there is a range of psychological and student health services at Wash U such as peer counselling services, mental health programming, as well as the Student Health Services, where every student gets 9 free counselling sessions with a professional counsellor. For me, going to the States and realising that it’s okay to talk about mental health issues, and that talking about mental health is just as important as physical health, was very eye-opening. It’s an approach that I wish the people around me could be more familiar with and exposed to.

8. What advice would you give to juniors who are interested in applying to Wash U?

For Singaporeans who choose to attend Wash U, brand name doesn’t usually seem to be a huge part of their consideration. Come for the educational experience, the environment, and the learning experiences. Make use of the vast number of learning opportunities and reach out to people for these opportunities because this is a place where you’ll have lots of chances to try different things. There are few Singaporean students at Wash U, so it’s not a school where you’ll have a large, solid Singaporean community. Because of this, you’re forced to reach out to people who might seem foreign to you, which challenges you. At the same time, Wash U has been a very inclusive environment to me too.

I would tell prospective students to talk to seniors who understand what each college is really like beyond the rankings. And once you’ve made your decision, don’t regret; make the most out of it.

9. Could you sum up your experience thus far in 5 words for us?

Transformative, eye-opening, challenging, fulfilling and enriching.

Side view from Brookings Quad at dusk.

By Abigail Ang (18S06B) and Soh Ying Qi (18A01C)

The current principal of Raffles Institution, Mr Chan Poh Meng, will be stepping down on December 31st 2017. His post will be filled by Mr Frederick Yeo, who is now serving as the principal of Crest Secondary School, and who was the deputy headmaster of Raffles Institution (before its reintegration with RJC) in 2006.

Mr Chan announced his departure to the Year 5 batch during today’s morning assembly, saying that “it’s time to end this season and move into a new season of my life with all the energy that I have, and all the interests that I have.” Since first receiving his post in 2013 (which he described today as a moment of “personal joy”), he has continued to serve the school, even persevering through chemotherapy after his cancer diagnosis in 2014.

Members of the public may remember his remarks at the 2015 Founder’s Day ceremony, when he stated that Raffles Institution “has become a middle-class school”. His public acknowledgment of the issue of elitism was a move that made the news. His efforts to give students a voice in school management were also evident through the dialogues he participated in with his fellow deputy and vice-principals.

“A long period of conditioning means that we often fail to see elitism even when it is staring at us in the face.”

– Mr Chan Poh Meng, speaking at the 2015 Founder’s Day ceremony

Mr Chan also offered words of praise to his successor at the assembly, citing his experience in the social sector (having been specially selected to attend a milestone leadership programme by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre) and as a member of the panel of advisors to the Youth Courts in 2016 and 2017. His work with disadvantaged youths would, Mr Chan asserted, help him “add a certain rigour to Raffles Institution’s student development.”

Who, then, is Mr Frederick Yeo? The current principal of Crest Secondary School has served there since it received its first intake of students in 2013. The school is Singapore’s first specialised school for Normal (Technical) students. During his tenure, Mr Yeo has had to battle negative perceptions of the N(T) stream and has implemented many policies to help his students pursue their academic interests, as well as improve their vocational and leadership skills. For example, Mr Yeo requested help from the Scouts unit in Raffles Institution in setting up another unit in Crest Secondary. Since 2012, some of our senior Scouts have been going down to Crest Secondary School to conduct sessions for the Scouts unit there.

Of Mr Yeo’s experience at Crest, Mr Chan stated that “Mr Yeo has distinguished himself as the one who pioneered the school, and it is an independent school. So in some ways, it is quite similar in form and structure, perhaps, to Raffles Institution.” He also expressed confidence in his successor’s vision for RI: “Given Mr Yeo’s disposition, wealth of experience and very extensive networks, I’m very, very sure: together with me, all of us in Raffles Institution will look forward to him heading this school and build[ing] upon the rich traditions and strengths of the school.”

Given his experience in the social sector, Mr Yeo may aim for Rafflesians to gain a broader perspective of society and focus more on giving back to the community. All this is mere speculation, however, until Mr Yeo announces his plans and direction for the school.

In the meantime, we wish Mr Chan Poh Meng a fruitful retirement, and look forward to welcoming our next principal to the RI community.

“With his leadership, [all of us will] further enrich the diversity of Raffles Institution, and of course, in the end [serve] the needs of the Raffles community and society at large.”

– Mr Chan Poh Meng, speaking at today’s assembly

To read a short note of appreciation from Mr Chan, please visit Stamford.

Any party which wishes to re-publish this article should first seek the express permission of the editorial team at Raffles Press.

By Zara Karimi (18A01A)
With guest writers Joie Liew (18A13A), Rayasam Harshini (18S06B), and Su Hong Yun (18S03Q) from Gavel Club

The Scream by Edvard Munch, colourised 1893, edited for relevance, 2017

It’s getting harder and harder to miss the small groups of students sitting all over the campus, laptops open, cue cards out, as the year draws to a close. Nowadays, it seems as if wherever there is an internet connection, there is bound to be a PW group rehearsing for the dreaded Oral Presentation (OP).

Worth a total of 40% of the overall grade for Project Work, nailing OP is crucial to securing a good grade. Consequently, seasoned speakers and shy beginners alike are dedicating themselves to their presentations, painstakingly tailoring the aesthetic of their slides, and committing their scripts to memory, all in hopes of putting forth their best showing when it comes time to present.

The question remains: how do you ensure that this final leg of your Project Work journey goes smoothly? Raffles Press has teamed up with Gavel Club to provide some tips and tricks to assist you.

Writing and organizing your presentation

When putting together your presentation, keep these 3 Cs in mind: Content, Crafting, and Choosing your Part.

Content

Your PW tutor may have already told you this but we will reiterate – content doesn’t matter. Rather, begin with a clear structure in mind for your presentation. Copying key points from your WR for your first draft is acceptable, but be sure not to include excessive elaboration. This goes without saying, but your script should be synced up to your slide show. A dynamic presentation has changes occurring every 15–20 seconds, which gives the impression of an even, measured flow.

Crafting

When crafting your script, stick to short sentences with not more than three clauses. Pausing from time to time gives the audience time to process what you’re saying, and lets you gather your thoughts. Bombastic, polysyllabic words are unnecessary, and you might trip on them when nervous, which would affect your fluency.

If you are afraid you may forget to vary your tone and body language, consider writing cues for yourself (e.g. pause, breathe, look around the room, etc.) and put them in your speech. On a related note, it is a very good idea to compile answers for the practice questions you are asked during the question and answer segment.  

More details on how to craft a good speech can be found in the section “Rehearsing your presentation” below.

Choosing Your Part

Once your script is all written out, divide it into manageable portions among your groupmates. If you are better doing emotional speeches, consider doing the introduction to your metaphor or your action plan strategies, and use emotional appeal to convince your audience of effectiveness and relevance. If your strengths lie in clarity and articulation, consider taking over the big-picture sections of the presentation like the introduction or conclusion. Finally, make sure to match your teammates’ mood and energy up while presenting, since all group members need to be equally energetic for cohesiveness. It’s jarring if you’re too loud while your groupmates are not. Besides, at the end of the day, you are trying to sell your project, and need to sound excited about your ideas!

Rehearsing your presentation

Your script is now ready to go, and now you need to practice actually saying it. The following is a technical guide to delivering any kind of verbal presentation.

Tone

Go over your script (or a piece of paper with your talking points, if you don’t have a script) and highlight words and phrases that should be stressed. You could choose to highlight  the most important point in a paragraph, or a significant transition between points. Note down how you want to emphasise them. For example, you could change your intonation, or vary your volume. This will also aid in memorization!

Pick areas to pause purposefully. Even though it might seem tempting to cram more information into limited time by speaking quickly, pausing before important points goes a long way in making yourself seem confident. If you have a tendency to rush through your pauses, make yourself mentally count to three before moving on.

Vary your rhythm not just within sentences, but between paragraphs. Many of us settle into a comfortable intonation pattern throughout the speech, which can make a presentation sound monotonous. Instead of doing this, you could plan to speak more slowly and calmly during one section, and with a more excited tone during another (perhaps when you’re describing your wonderful solutions!)

Finally, watch out for overuse of rising intonation. When your sentences consistently seem like questions, or take on an upward inflection at the end, you can unconsciously communicate that you are uncertain or unconfident.

Postures and Gestures

Moving around within your space can help you seem comfortable and confident, but you should plan your movements beforehand. Steps forward or to the side can be used for  significant points in your speech, but this must be done in moderation – it can be very distracting if you’re constantly moving! It’s also perfectly fine to remain in the same spot throughout your presentation. If you prefer to do this, work on maintaining natural upper body gestures and eye contact.

Eliminate nervous behaviour, which can come in the form of bouncing on your feet, tapping or fidgeting your fingers, touching your hair etc. These motions can alert the audience to the fact that you are anxious, and detract from the movements that you have planned out. Identify and rectify these problems by recording yourself or rehearsing with another person.

Next, don’t be afraid to strike a power pose! Though it’s good to be comfortable in your space, refrain from seeming too comfortable by adopting closed, hunched-over or slouching positions. Keep your spine straight and your body oriented towards the audience at all times. Where you can afford to be slightly more casual is in your hand gestures and facial expressions!

Finally, smile! Though it might seem unthinkable, the best way to look confident and at ease is to look like you’re having fun.

Fluency and Articulation

Before you go into your exam venue, try some vocal warmups. These get you accustomed to projecting your voice and pronouncing strings of consonants which may trip you up. You could try a few tongue twisters (just Google them) or practice speaking loudly across a room.

When delivering your speech, take care not to rush as you speak. Take your time to pronounce the words and ensure each word is pronounced clearly as its own entity, and not slurred across the sentence.

When going over your script, identify phrases you feel you will slip up at. Practice these words or phrases to drill the pronunciation and the rhythm of the sentence into you.

How to memorize your script effectively?

Starting With Your Script

As mentioned earlier, annote at the side of your script – plan your body language and vocal variation. This helps in memorization for both the script itself and movements during the presentation! Review and form a general idea of the flow. Have in mind the order of your points, so that even if you lose your place, you can find which point you were at and restart practising from where you were not as familiar.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Take it one section at a time. Start with internalizing the first part, and then go on once you are able recite the first part, and so on until you familiarize yourself with the entire script. Practice is key! Try to go over your script whenever possible. On the MRT? Waiting for your next lecture to start? In line for food? Perfect opportunities to review your OP script! It is suggested for you to rehearse silently in your mind, or you can boldly say it out loud and allow others to indulge in the masterpiece that is your OP.

How to overcome stage fright?

Reviewing Yourself

As mentioned earlier, try practicing in front of a mirror or recording yourself present the OP. By watching yourself speak, you can rehearse hand gestures and other movements. The benefit of recording is that you can play it back as many times as you’d like to not only see your movements and posture, but also to hear how you sound when speaking. There are no penalties to reviewing yourself, and this helps in building confidence.

Reviewed By Others

Try practicing with a live audience! Rope in other PW groups to rehearse with, or ask friends and family to watch you rehearse. Remember to ask them for feedback on your presentation, especially articulation and movements! By letting others hear your presentation, you will be more ready to face unknown teachers/assessors on the day itself, as you would have already shown your presentation to at least one person beforehand.

Practice, Practice, Practice

As with memorisation, practising is key! When you are more prepared, your confidence will increase and hopefully help to lessen your fears. However, despite all preparation and the hours of time you pour into your script, it is important to acknowledge that panic may happen.

What to do if panic strikes?

Breathing

Try to keep in mind the 4-7-8 breathing technique: place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth (behind your front teeth) and breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat this process 3–4 times in a row.

This helps because when panicking, we tend to breathe shallowly which leads to a lack of oxygen but the 4-7-8 technique helps us to consciously breathe deeper, relaxing our bodies.

Anchoring

Panicking may cause you to lose focus on reality. To combat this, mindfulness can help to ground you in the present and your surroundings. Try focusing on familiar physical sensations like the feeling of your skirt/pants or pick a single object in clear sight to focus on. In doing so, you are given something objective to focus on and this may aid in subsiding panic symptoms.

Reaching Out and Being Aware

If you find yourself being prone to panicking, letting others know may help establish a support system. Particularly, you may want to consider approaching your PW group mates as they can better encourage you during OP. Remember: panic will eventually come to an end. It may be difficult to picture the end of panicking when it sets in, but please try to recall that it is only a matter of time. This too shall pass.

This collection of tips and tricks is far from complete, and at the end of the day, it’s really up to you and your team to find what works best. Public speaking is no mean feat, and regardless of your fears, you are not alone. So long as you prepare sufficiently and learn from the mistakes you make, the quality of your presentation is sure to improve. Good luck!

By Adri Faris (18A13A), Ashley Tan (18A13A), and Chung So Hyun (18A13A)

Some of us recognise him as the “Caucasian teacher who’s in good shape for his age”. Some know him as the International History teacher who had to endure the incessant chatter of opinionated Arts students for sixteen years. But to his students, he is most fondly known as “Mr Rolly”, the teacher who inspires and motivates in the best ways. Next year, Mr Michael Rollason will be leaving Raffles Institution (RI) in search of new and exciting expeditions as he traverses around the world, with packed bags and a lifetime of unforgettable memories from RI in tow.

Before bidding him a final goodbye, Raffles Press managed to catch Mr Rollason one last time for an interview. In Part 1 of this feature, Mr Rollason shares with us his reasons for leaving RI and some future plans he has.

Press: Why are you leaving RI, and why now?

Mr Rollason: Ah, two questions in one. For the ‘why right now’ part, it is partially because of the timing. My kids have all grown up. My last kid, Joe, had his final year in Singapore last year and he just started university in the UK this year. So with “free-er” children, we don’t have to continue or finish their education in Singapore anymore. That partly explains the immediate timing of leaving.

But the wider question is: Why I am leaving RI? Well, for me, because I’m a foreigner, it’s not just leaving RI, but it’s also leaving Singapore, and they’re part of the same thing. I guess it took a lot of soul-searching. It was quite a difficult decision actually, because I am very fond of both RI and Singapore.

But I think the main main reason is that as much as I feel guilty about leaving my students halfway through, I think it is because I desperately needed change. I have been in the same place doing something very similar for too many years, so I just really, really needed the change.

It was a very difficult decision to make on so many so many different levels. But for years and years, when I come to see my students leave, and you’re all going off doing these fantastic things – and you will, as you will – you’re off to starting this new chapter in your lives. On the other hand, I’ve been dwelling on here; I’m staying, and staying, and staying. But I like moving and I like the change, so as much as this is hard, I’m moving into a new chapter of my life which I’m quite excited about.

Press: Are you retiring?

Mr Rollason: No, we don’t use the R word! You’re supposed to say, “You’re far too young to retire, Mr Rollason!” I am mildly sensitive about the R word, but no, I’m not retiring. I tell you what, at the very least, I’m looking forward to taking a break. Whether it’s a break from teaching or going back to teaching, or whether it’s going to something different, I don’t know… But certainly just a break.

Press: What do you plan on doing after leaving RI?

Mr Rollason: I’ll be moving to Sri Lanka for a couple of years! I have no immediate plans and neither does my wife, though we would probably kill each other within about 3 weeks… But I’m vaguely hoping – you’re not allowed to sneer at me here – to get in contact with some NGOs and see if I can do anything on a voluntary basis. I’m going to get in contact with some of the local schools as well. I don’t know what I can teach, I don’t know what I can do, but, even if it’s just teaching basic English, I’d be glad to do it.

One of my slightly guilty feelings about my career is that I’ve always taught privileged kids. I was always very left-winged as a student, and I would have never taught in a private school. I’m not even sure I’ve ever taught in an equivalent of a Raffles school in the UK because I thought it was unfair… So going to Sri Lanka, I quite like the idea of maybe doing some voluntary work in a deprived area. This might sound incredibly naive and – in fact, listening to myself now it does sound incredibly naive – but I’m hoping I could do something. And the rest of the time, I’m planning to have quite a nice time. (Laughs)

Press: Why did you decide to migrate to Sri Lanka?

Mr Rollason: Well, one of the main reasons would be boredom of staying in Singapore for too long and practicality. Sri Lanka is a place where foreigners can actually buy land without complications, and it’s incredibly beautiful. It’s also really complex, which I like, because I’m very interested in politics. In fact, my first job was in Africa, and I felt completely at home in Kenya. Even though developing countries are a little bit crazy and can drive me mad, I quite like all of that. But ultimately, Sri Lanka is just a beautiful country to explore and, if I’m being honest, I’ve always thought I would spend most of my adult life living in a place like Sri Lanka. I can’t speak Sinhala or Tamil, but one of the other things I’m planning to do is to enroll in a course and try to learn Sinhala.

Press: How did you end up in Singapore, and then at RI?

Mr Rollason: I’ll give you the backstory first, because that might possibly help you understand.

The teaching jobs in the UK all used to be advertised in the Times Education Supplement. In those days, it used to come out as a hard copy newspaper every Thursday, and all the jobs were advertised on the back. I used to buy the Times Education – though I never read any of the articles on education because I had no interest in those – but I would go straight into the job section. I remember in the year I was just qualified as a teacher, I turned to the job section and saw that there were teaching jobs in London, in Manchester… Then there was this little bit at the end which said, “OVERSEAS”, and I thought, “Wow!”. I applied for a job in Kenya and got it, and then after that, I went to Hong Kong, and I got a teaching job in Singapore.

Actually, I went to Portugal before I went to Singapore as well. The Ministry of Education (MOE) was recruiting, and while I was living in Portugal, they gave me a ticket and said, “Come over to London for an interview”. I thought to myself, “Oh, I have a free weekend in London!” So I went to the interview, which lasted about fifteen minutes… MOE asked me a few questions, but the only two I can remember were “What were my attitudes to discipline in the classroom” and “What were the exam results of your students like?” I told them, “I am very firm in the classroom,” and I could’ve said anything about my exam results – which were, by the way, very good – but it was an interesting experience just because every interview I had been to in the UK lasted about an hour. In the UK, you’re brought up to think that if your interview doesn’t last an hour, you haven’t got the job. So, if your interview is over in fifteen minutes, you’ll be thinking, “They’ve clearly decided that they’re not going to hire me, and there’s no point.” I came out thinking, “Oh that didn’t go well.” It was very, very disappointing for me, because I had practised and thought about many questions that they could have asked. (laughter) But I ended up getting the job, so it all worked out!

I had known about Singapore because I’d visited Singapore before as a backpacker and stayed in some seedy little hotel down north on Bencoolen Street. But at that time, I had no idea about the Singapore education system. But I came anyway, and when I first arrived, I didn’t teach in Raffles. I taught in Jurong Junior College for six years, and then I received two or three phone calls from Raffles asking me to come over. It just didn’t work out the first couple of times for whatever reason, but I eventually came over in 2002.

So, to sum it up, I came to Singapore because it was advertised, but I came to teach at Raffles because the school got in contact with me.

Press: Why did you choose RI and stay with RI? What are your favourite things about RI and its students?

Mr Rollason: Some of my favourites? Gosh, where to begin?

One of the best things about this school is that it has always given teachers their professional space. They let you do your job as long as you work hard and you do it well. They never interfere. And it’s always been like that. I think it’s not like that everywhere in Singapore – and it’s not like that in the UK either. I think there’s this kind of professional trust which makes this school such a great place to work. It largely explains why I’ve stayed in the same place for so long – there’s very little interference and people trust you!

You probably won’t believe me but one of my favourite things about RI is actually the classroom. It really is the classroom. I’m going to let you in quite a little secret here: quite often when I’m walking across to J block, I do get a little bored and I’d think to myself, “Okay… Here we go again.” But then I get into the classroom, and I just forget everything. I think the moment I step into the classroom, I become someone quite different, really, quite like a lot of teachers. Being a teacher requires you to adopt a role and I think I do adopt that role, but not always in class. I think the person that I am outside the classroom is quite different from the person I am inside the classroom. Quite a number of people have said that! I’ve been told a few times that I’m very different when I’m with my students than when I’m with my colleagues.

Press: In what ways are you different?

Mr Rollason: I think I’m more forgiving with students. I’m more tolerant. (Smiles)

Anyway, going back to the main question, I really enjoyed working with very bright and well-motivated students who are on intellectual par with me. I don’t have to talk it down or whatever it is. I enjoyed the interaction I’ve had with my students, especially during the school trips where you’re talking to them just about anything else, not just about history. I quite like the nonsense we talked about – about everything and nothing outside the classroom.

I really do enjoy the classroom experience in Raffles. I love my subject. I think one of the differences between teaching in Raffles and elsewhere I’ve taught is that I can relate to students here as an adult. I always thought that if I treated my students like young adults, they will behave like young adults. And so, I can have young adult conversations with them.

I am seeing former students at the moment, and it’s going to be like that until I leave. In fact, I was out last Saturday and I saw my former student from Portugal (I used to teach in Portugal in the early 1990s). He’s 38 now! He actually came to Singapore before I did. I’ve seen him a couple of times subsequently. A few of my old students are now in the region working. I’ve also seen a lot of my former students from Raffles – and it is a bit of a cliche but it does feel a little bit like a family. You know, I’m not unique that way; I think the other teachers can also say the same. We’re still in contact with a lot of our former students and it’s lovely.

Of course I really enjoyed working with my colleagues too. I had a fantastic bunch of colleagues! It’s a shame that there are still many good friends and colleagues here but you know some of them also have left the school. I’ve had a fairly distinct humanities team a few years ago and they’ve also died off and I’m the next one. (Laughs)

Press: What are some of your least favourite things about RI?

Mr Rollason: There’s not too many things that I don’t like about Raffles.

But if I had to say something, I think my least favourite thing about RI has got to be those instances when the technology is not working! You know when you go in a classroom, ready to start a class, and your heart misses a few beats because you’re standing there thinking, “Is it going to work? Is this projector going to start?” I must say there have been quite a few of those occasions where I’ve wasted lesson time or have to abort what I’m doing just because the technology couldn’t work properly!

There really isn’t anything much more than that, to be honest. I think I wouldn’t have stayed in Raffles for so long if I had too many things that I didn’t like about this place.

Press: What was your most memorable moment as a teacher in RI?

Mr Rollason: That’s a tricky one, because I think there were lots of memorable moments.

I’m going to sound horrendously elitist here, but I think every year when you see kids who manage to go to a universities of their choices, it’s a wonderful feeling. Another memorable moment was landing in Bhutan for the first time during our Humanities trip. That was pretty pretty special, because it was a country that I’d never been to before, and never thought I would go to. I think it was just a sheer collective enthusiasm, with the excitement of 35 people. All that anticipation of landing in that little airport in the middle of the Himalayas was pretty wonderful.

Press: What will you miss most about RI when you leave? Would you – in all honesty – come back to visit?

Mr Rollason: I would come back, but there’s some hesitation because it’s a little strange visiting a place where the people you know aren’t there anymore. It almost seems a little pointless since by the time I come back, you would have left, and the kids whom I know would probably have left too. Many of the teachers I know might have left too. But yes, I’d like to come back to Singapore and RI, but with the caveat that the people whom I know are still here.

In fact, I did go back to my old school in Portugal in June – it was lovely. But then again, I’m looking at the kids, and I don’t really know them, since I taught there 25 years ago. In fact, one of my ex-students now has kids at the school, and I know a few of the teachers. But what was really, really nice was that two of the cleaning ladies who were there recognised me, and they were asking about my children because my two daughters were born when I was still teaching there. That was particularly sweet.

So if I do come back, I’d definitely see if Mrs Perry is still here. Also, I’d definitely see the fruit stall vendors. Before I leave, I’m definitely going to say a proper goodbye, and the cleaning lady who works in our lounge here… She’s really nice too.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Raffles Press’ interview with Mr Rollason.

In Part 2 of this feature, Mr Rollason shares with us various sides to himself beyond the sphere of RI and more than a handful of interesting experiences he had!

Press: Why did you choose to study History and then African History in university?

That’s a great question! My first degree was in history at Warwick University – where my son’s just gone. You know, when you get to university, you will find out that when you get to your second or third year, you get to choose options, especially in a course like history. You don’t just all do the same papers like you do here. I was always inclined to go for the non-British, non-European histories. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I’m not completely English. Anyways, I’ve done some African History at Warwick and my first teaching job was actually in Kenya! I just completely fell in love with the country. It was epic  – you must go to Kenya one day. It was just so different from anything I’ve experienced before. Because I was so smitten with the country, I sort of read everything up about where I was going. So I went back to do Masters, and a particular area of interest was in Kenyan Asians, specifically Indians living in Kenya. The majority of the students at the school I taught in Kenya were Indians.There’s a big Indian community in Kenya. So it’s really to learn more about the community in which I worked.

Press: From Joseph Stalin to Mikhail Gorbachev, you’re no stranger to historical figures after teaching (or preaching) about them in RI for 16 years. Out of all of those whom you’ve taught about, who is your favourite historical figure and why?

Oh no! This is where I should have something witty!

I think in some senses, as the “victim” of being someone who studied history and taught history, it’s quite hard to have heroes. This is because we know we’re almost looking to be so critical of individuals all the time, aren’t we?

But oh God, should I even admit this? A person I did quite admire is Lenin. Vladimir Lenin. Despite the fact that he’s probably directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of millions of people, I think he was a good man at heart with honourable objectives. The singularity of purpose. Although a lesson to us all is that fixed ideas can lead to a sort of carnage.

I think for everybody whom I might hold up as somebody I admire for one aspect of their life, I know instinctively that there are the other aspects of their lives which are much less admirable. I can’t really think of anybody who does stand out…

Can we rephrase the question a little bit to topics that I loved teaching instead? There are certain topics which I absolutely loved teaching. I did really use to love the French Revolution on the old syllabus. I loved it for its complexity, I loved it for its impacts!

Press: Why is studying History important?

Well, I think history does repeat itself, and I think we can try to learn lessons from the past. For instance, you look at the economic progress we have made after World War II — which the history students will learn next year –, you will realise that the architecture which shapes our entire global economy even today was and is done with very much a view on history. So I think, you know with a certain amount of latitude, we can learn things from the past – thankfully, we’ve lived in an era now of seventy over years of peace and an international economy which we rely on for one another as we trade and do business. I believe that this is largely possible because the people who constructed that post-war order – whether it was the United Nations, the American presence in Europe, etc – they did that having looked at the history books. Interesting thing now, is I think that as Asia emerges, people are starting to learn from South Korea and Singapore for lessons to be drawn too.

Furthermore, I feel really, really strongly in what I teach in the classroom, because the skills, which are transferable, are so valuable, and so useful. When you’re writing papers, when you’re analysing sources, when you’re evaluating, reaching conclusions, you’re building up an argument. That’s why history as an academic discipline is so highly regarded. So many people have done history degrees – I’m not trying to sell history here, but so many people with history degrees go on to all sorts of avenues. This might surprise you, but very few people with history degrees have actually gone on to become history teachers. You’ll find that many people in politics, banking, finance, and all other avenues of life are trained in history.

As much as anything else, history teachers teach communication skills. The skills that we practise on the source paper and essays teach us that we need to have clearly structured and relevant answers, cordial thoughts, balanced evidence, and balanced arguments, such that we are able to reach a decent conclusion. I think you will all spend the rest of your lives doing that, though it may not directly be in an essay format. But, these are the kinds of transferable skills learnt during history lessons, which I think are really valuable and highly valued. It’s nonsense that people think, “What job is a history degree going to lead to?” It can lead to all sorts of jobs! I think there’s a narrow-mindedness to that sort of thinking.

Press: What is something that students and teachers in RI may not know about you?

Well, I think we might have uncovered this the other day, about the fact that I’m half Lebanese? I told this to 18A13A, and then 18A01B afterwards, and I’m very proud of it. The context is, my dad was a very interesting man who left school at 14. He was a tank driver during the Second World War, but he learnt some Arabic during the war, and he fought in a famous battle called the Battle of El Alamein, where the British stopped the Germans from getting to Egypt… But anyway, he went to Lebanon, and he taught English and taught my mother – that’s how he met my mom – and he brought this young Lebanese girl to England. My elder brother and elder sister were born in Beirut, and I was born in England, so they look slightly Middle-Eastern, whereas I’m the most “English” looking out of the lot. Even though I’m very aware of my Lebanese background, I had an almost completely English upbringing. So whenever I taught the Arab-Israeli conflict, I had some strong views which I had to moderate.

Press: What are your hobbies?

Well, this is not exactly a hobby but I can build an oven; I can show you! (Whips out phone to proudly brandish a picture of the oven) I am being a little show-offy here and I am aware of this but I built this in September with the help of some other people. You know, I built this oven out of termite mud! That’s how the bakeries in villages in Sri Lanka make ovens. They use termite mud as clay! But the food tastes like rubbish. (Laughter) We made it and we had to leave it to dry it so that it can hold itself together. I was expecting it to collapse any moment but it didn’t. o yes, I could try making more pizzas in the oven I made in Sri Lanka but as for hobbies, I like to bike.

Next year, I plan to cycle the whole of Colombo. I think it would probably take me about 3 to 4 weeks. My son and my brothers are going to come with me. I’ll keep you updated in July or August.

So… I like my bike. But I’m not a Mamil – “Middle Aged Men in Lycra”. I’m not a Mamil, but I wear some baggy shorts. And I like cycling.

I also do running. Macritchie is my favourite place to run in Singapore. It’s probably something I’ll miss the most about Singapore. It is ironic though, since Singapore is a modern city. I haven’t found a place in Sri Lanka to run, though there are some lovely lakes.

Press: What is the one piece of advice you would give to students? Any parting words?

Where do I begin? (Long pause) Over the years, I’ve had so many conversations with so many students, who would, in a few months’ time, be applying for universities. But you know I think I kinda stumbled into what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to be a teacher and I really stumbled upon it. Honestly, I didn’t even know what I wanted to do initially. But I am very very lucky as I think teaching really allowed me to do two things I wanted to do: I love my subject and I love travelling around the world. But I’m also aware that it could have gone all wrong because I didn’t always know what I was doing. Anyway, next year won’t be deciding what you’ll be doing for the rest of your lives. I think university is a fantastic opportunity. Don’t just do what other people are doing in the same universities. As often it is the case, many people apply to the similar range of universities and courses, and I think it has gotten more and more conservative over the years. So law in the UK, law in NUS… It might be your thing. But choose carefully.

Here’s another piece of advice: whoever your partner’s gonna be (your life partner), just choose carefully and choose wisely. Because we are all very very lucky, I guess, to have choices. We have choices. But other unfortunate people don’t even have to “agonize” over making choices, so make good choices, which is incredibly difficult because life is changing and we don’t even know what these choices are gonna be. But just, just, just, as far as possible, choose wisely.

Raffles Press would like to wish Mr Rollason all the best in his future endeavours! Rest assured that you will be dearly missed, Mr Rolly – we’ll be rolling with the punches in your absence.

By Zara Karimi (18A01A) and Ling Young Loon (18S07A)
Photos courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

The atmosphere at the Island Ballroom at the Shangri-la Hotel was relaxed as the graduating batch of Rafflesians gathered for Grad Night 2017: Florescence. Having just concluded their A-Levels, the Year 6s milled around the ornate hallways, filling the room with lively chatter not unlike the JC canteen, excited to see friends and classmates once again. It was the graduation night of the class of 2017, and it turned out to be a night to remember.

“The theme for Grad Night this year is Florescence, meaning the process of flowering,” explained Dorian Chang, one of the organising ICs from Student Council. “In tandem with Fiore, the J2s’ Orientation theme, Florescence is meant to symbolize the closing of their JC chapter.”

And it was a beautiful closing indeed. As expected, everyone was dressed to the nines. Here are some of our favourite picks of the night.

Nadia from 17S06G (left) and Celeste from 17S03Q (right) bought their evening gowns from online retailers and blogshops. With matching clutches, they looked ready for a night on the town!

Chi Yui from 17S03P picked out a bold navy blue suit from Benjamin Barker. Paired with brown oxfords and a striking red tie, he stood out in the sea of black suits and ties!

Eugene from 17S06E decided to go the unconventional route, ditching the stuffy suit jacket for a pair of dapper-looking suspenders. Paired with a stylish pageboy cap and a bow tie, this statement look from Robinsons turned heads!

On the whole, blogshops seemed to be a popular choice for many of the girls’ dresses, while guys stuck to old favorites like Benjamin Barker and G2000.

As the doors opened at 7, the crowd moved to take their seats. Most streamed in and out, alternating between the photobooth and dinner. Emcees Su Hong Yun (18S03Q) and Sun Jia Ying (18A01D) opened the night with a warm welcome, and got the ball rolling with a couple of exciting performances.

Next up were Jessica Hoe, Ryan Heng, Ashiley Annushri Thenpandiyan and Soh Qian Ying from 17S03I. Interestingly, they were all from the same PW group, and decided to come together one last time. Their Grad Night performance was truly an example of the enduring friendships formed across their two years spent in RI.

Following this was the unconventional yet engaging juggling performance by Brian Juniano, which certainly excited the audience.

“It’s kind of fitting when you think about how you have to constantly juggle commitments in this school,” commented emcee Jia Ying, garnering laughs from the audience.

Following this was a group of dancers from Batch ‘16 of RGS Dance International. Through they went on to walk different CCA paths in RI, they reunited together to present a heartwarming and elegant performance dedicated to their seniors.

Also performing were Mandopop duet Ashlyn Ng (18S03H) and Chen Xinyuan (18S03M) from Piano Ensemble. Ashlyn played the piano and Xinyuan took vocals, with their repertoire including fan favourites like 那些年 from the movie 那些年，我們一起追的女孩, and 小幸运 by 田馥甄.

Besides the nostalgia and dazzling performances, Grad Night wouldn’t be Grad Night without the pageants it is known for. The 2017 Prom King and Queen couples went through a series of trying tasks. From re-enacting scenes from romantic movies, to answering relationship questions, the audience was highly amused if the hoots and cheers were anything to go by. One particularly memorable game featured the girls putting blindfolds on and then being led to shake every one of the guys’ hands, so as to identify their partner. However, none stood a chance against Rennee and Aaron, who took home the coveted titles of Prom King and Queen.

The title of Dance Champion was also up for grabs, and all 5 contestants duked it out onstage with memorable performances, with some performing solo, and some choosing to team up. One contestant, Saha, planned an elaborate storyline for his performance, showing up in a penguin onesie, and showing off his twerking skills. At the end, however, audience favorite Julia Teo took the crown.

Do note that if you’re heading down for Grad Night (however old this article may be), you’ll probably only spend half the time at the dinner table. In between performances, our Y6s stayed outside the ballroom taking photos with their friends. Given the luxurious backdrop of the Shangri-La hotel, this comes as no surprise.

Zhang Zhi (17S06B) commented, “The night is very symbolic as it marks the start of a new journey for all of us. Who wouldn’t want to commemorate it with photos?”

On the whole, Grad Night 2017 was truly a night to remember for the Year 6s as they spent one last time together as a batch, before the inevitable movement towards newer pursuits and bright futures, divergent as they may be. To paraphrase one senior’s Instagram post: $95 pictures, priceless friendships.

By Soh Ying Qi (18A01C)

Spoiler alert: you already know what happens in this film.

Not because it looks like standard Hollywood period-drama fare, comprising an ensemble cast led by established stars, a screenplay peppered with references to “the First Amendment right to free speech” and “Based on a true story” tacked onto the end of its trailer. But if I told you that in 1971 The New York Times and The Washington Post were sued in the Supreme Court of the United States for publishing a set of politically sensitive documents, you’d know the outcome of the trial before ever picking up a single history book.

The fact that both publications still exist today and thrive as two of America’s most reputable newspapers tells you all you need to know about the conclusion to the saga of the Pentagon Papers, a 47-volume history of US involvement in the Vietnam War commissioned by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The papers exposed nearly 30 years of the US government’s lies about American troops’ progress in the Vietnam War, under four successive presidential administrations dating back to Harry S. Truman in 1945.

As with most films of its kind, history is the biggest spoiler for The Post, yet director Steven Spielberg’s deft storytelling breathes life into a series of events that has been public knowledge for more than 40 years. The Washington Post will publish the papers. The Supreme Court will decide in favour of the news companies. Free speech will save the day. These are things that happened in real life in 1971, things that we know to be true; but nearly every scene is fraught with well-crafted dramatic tension and every plot development feels new and exciting. Towards the end of the film, the pressure of a looming deadline is almost nerve-wracking in its razor-sharp precision, where every passing minute twists your stomach even tighter even though you know perfectly well the printing presses will eventually be fired up in the nick of time.

As a historical drama, the film far exceeds expectations, shedding some much-needed light on the state of American politics at the time and lending fresh perspective to events many of us are already familiar with. But as much as history is something for us to pore over and enshrine in memory, it also informs our understanding of the present. It’s for this reason that The Post has widely been interpreted as a response to the Trump administration’s gradual rolling back of civil liberties and delegitimisation of the media; what better way to galvanise the public to keep fighting for freedom than a reminder that this is a problem America has already defeated? It’s not surprising that the word “timely” appears more than once in reviews of the film by several different outlets: Vox, Slate, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter among them. (And if that doesn’t seem like a lot, try Rolling Stone, The Guardian or Variety.)

And admittedly, it’s difficult to use any other word to describe a film that was rushed to production and completed in just 9 months, an urgency which, by Spielberg’s own admission, “was because of the current climate of this administration, bombarding the press and labelling the truth as fake if it suited them.” Much has been made in the past year of the administration’s assault on truth, with the rise of terms like “alternative facts” and “fake news”—it is no wonder that The Post takes on a decidedly political tone that extends far beyond Nixon’s term (as depicted in the film) and draws subtle but pointed parallels between the events of ‘71 and ‘17.

“The only way to assert the right to publish is to publish.”

– Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) in The Post

The film’s implication that little has changed in four decades is one that carries over to its other major theme: old-fashioned sexism. Publisher Katharine “Kay” Graham’s (Meryl Streep) first scene sets the tone for the film’s acute portrayal of gender: “Can we just do the—can we just do the numbers… just one more time?” she stammers to chairman of The Washington Post Company Frederick Sessions “Fritz” Beebe (Tracy Letts), with a nervousness that’s made almost palpable, and fittingly so. Of course, she nails every last one of them: how many shares the company is selling, the precise amount of additional revenue generated by higher prices, how many journalists’ salaries it would pay for—and, perhaps most importantly, why investing in good reporters matters. All of this only makes her later nerves-induced stumble at the board meeting—staffed entirely by uptight men in stiff suits—all the more heartbreaking, as Graham wordlessly flips through her notes and Beebe takes over her lines.

It’s an ache that will be familiar to many women in the audience: Graham’s nervousness and apprehension feels like a distinctly feminine trait, which in itself is unsurprising. Yet it is Streep’s masterful performance that takes it beyond the realm of withering-woman archetypes and turns it into something relatable for everyone. It’s hard to watch her tremble with anxiety or fall over her words and not feel like you did when faced with equally tense situations. Graham’s character, in Streep’s hands, is astute but not overdone, straddling the fine line between a pointed statement on sexism and a piece of character development that everyone in the audience can root for. And that’s exactly what you end up doing towards the end of the film, as Graham’s own finest moment finally arrives: after nearly two hours of (albeit well-acted) hemming and hawing, her final scenes serve as a sweet moment of justice.

That being said, The Post’s representation of gender issues, while treated with surgical precision under Spielberg’s superb direction, feels somewhat forced at times. One too many shots of Graham in meetings with men, being interrupted by men, and attempting to hold her own with men run the risk of making the film’s handling of this theme slightly heavy-handed. The message is crystal-clear: sexism still exists and has negative consequences for everyone, not just women. The Post makes it impossible not to realise this.

Nevertheless, the careful treatment of its female characters tips The Post’s handling of gender issues firmly into the realm of “imperfect but commendable”. This is buoyed by Streep’s sensitive portrayal of Graham and an intelligent, razor-sharp screenplay that takes great care to highlight the role of women in the story, including reporter Meg Greenfield (Carrie Coon), Graham’s own daughter Lally Weymouth (Alison Brie) and editor’s wife Antoinette “Tony” Bradlee (Sarah Paulson). The conversation near the end of the film between Tony and her husband, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), is one of the film’s finest scenes, carried by (the otherwise criminally underutilised) Paulson’s powerful delivery.

“When you’re told time and time again that you’re not good enough, that your opinion doesn’t matter as much; when they don’t just look past you; when to them, you’re not even there; when that’s been your reality for so long, it’s hard not to let yourself think it’s true.”

– Tony Bradlee to Ben Bradlee, in The Post

It’s hard not to see The Post as the most blatant Oscar bait there is: it follows the winning formula of a star-studded cast and crew (provided by Streep, Hanks and Spielberg), subject matter drawn from a critical period in American history, and a main theme centred around American liberal ideals, particularly freedom of speech. Bonus points for depicting journalists doing the defending of the First Amendment and the taking down of corrupt institutions. The issues that The Post deals with are not new; it is the fact that they have recently become relevant in an increasingly politically-charged world that allows the film to convey its subtle but incisive social commentary.

“I always wanted to be part of a small rebellion.”

– Washington Post reporter Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) to Ben Bradlee, in The Post

Still, I firmly believe that The Post deserves every accolade for its sheer technical and creative brilliance, among them longtime Spielberg collaborators John Williams’ gorgeous musical score and Janusz Kamiński’s cinematography. The latter makes every tiny detail, even the messy stray hairs on Graham’s head, look visually resplendent. It’s not often that I think about clothes while watching a film, but costume designer Ann Roth’s use of colour is particularly notable for weaving symbolism into what is otherwise entirely typical 70s clothing: for example, as the film progresses, Kay Graham’s clothes change from darker, more muted grey tones to brighter gold hues, an apt metaphor for a woman who eventually comes into her own as the successful businesswoman she never expected to be.

At the end of the day, The Post is a story about doing the right thing even in the face of fear; it’s a message anyone should be glad to remember, not just during Trump’s term but beyond it, not just in America but across the globe. President Richard Nixon’s voice (taken from real tape recordings made in the White House) insisting that “from now on, no reporter from The Washington Post is ever to be in the White House” is a stark reminder of the importance of press freedom and government accountability.

Of course, his words become a self-fulfilling prophecy as Nixon himself becomes the last loose end to tie up. Being a film about The Washington Post set in the 1970s, The Post ends with the expected Watergate teaser, beginning with security guard Frank Wills’ discovery of tape covering some door latches in the Democratic National Committee building and ending with the film’s final line: “I think we might have a break-in in progress at the Watergate.”

What I wouldn’t give to see a sequel—yet when all is said and done, when all the politics is long gone, it is perhaps worthwhile to recall the motto of The Washington Post itself, emblazoned on the header of its website: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

How very, very true.

(Cover image source: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/steven-spielberg-post-named-best-202248361.html)

By Zara Karimi (18A01A), Ianni Tan (18S03C), Zacchaeus Chok (18S03O) and Jeslyn Tan (18S06R) 

Feature Picture by Raffles Photographic Society

Popular opinion seems to suggest that you either love Orientation or hate it: there are stories of Orientation Groups (OG) that stay together until graduation, and OGs that barely acknowledge each others’ existence once Orientation is over. As you wonder what sort of OG you will wind up being assigned to, you would have probably come to the conclusion that Orientation is definitely a potentially perilous hotbed of social interaction.

In our attempt to help you better navigate your way through the 4 days ahead, we have dissected the basic unit of an OG and have concluded that there are 4 types of people that will likely be your fellow OG-mate.

1 – The Life of the Party

Profile: They’re loud and filled with energy, even after a solid hour of running from other teams under the sun during War Games. They never seem to tire, and their enthusiasm for all things Orientation is rather infectious. The unofficial leader of the group, fellow members turn to them for dinner options and strategic decisions.

Frequency: 10%

If this sounds just like you, we applaud you for your enthusiasm and high spirits. You are a rare, but incredibly important breed of OG-ling.

While socialising is certainly a piece of cake for you, we have a word of caution. Don’t forget that not everybody is as hyped-up as you are. In fact, there are many who might be feeling shy, uncomfortable or tired.

Try to encourage, but don’t impose. Encouraging people to step up alongside you is a tactful way of being inclusive, and preventing yourself from coming off as overly-enthusiastic. After all, when you’re giddy with excitement, you might unintentionally exclude and alienate others around you.

For the rest of us, try to show support for these brave souls who have taken the initiative to step up in front of a group of total strangers. It is anything but easy.

2 – The Contributor

Profile: Always there, always has ideas, and doesn’t mind blending in to the background every now and then.

Frequency: 30%

If there was a Venn diagram of social interaction, this group of people would fall in the overlapping space between the Life of the Party and the Observer (see below); they oscillate between these two types. They’re perfectly fine with sinking back and becoming one with the fixture, but they also voice out their opinions and ideas when the time feels right.

These people usually go with the flow, checking the social atmosphere before deciding on their method of approach. If everyone is silent, they step up to take the lead; if there’s someone else charging ahead, they’re willing to let them lead. These people usually have great ideas during War Games, so keep an eye out for their gameplans!

Essentially, you have great ideas and a solid ability to read the mood at hand.

Of course, it’s important to know how to find that balance between speaking out and blending in. Make sure your ideas are heard, and if you second-guess yourself, never fear! Any idea is a good idea, so just throw it out there and see where it goes.

While you’re at it, don’t forget the sidelined members in your OG. Get to know them better, and try to form friendships with them. Although it may be tempting, refrain from nudging them to speak up or bluntly asking them “Why are you so quiet?”. If they’re introverted, it’s just who they are.

3 – The Follower

Profile: They nod quietly, and drift along calmly, steered towards wherever The Life Of The Party chooses to take their OG. Probably your average OG-ling who is simultaneously trying to adapt to the environment shock.

Frequency : 40%

As ironic as it may seem, the behaviour that characterises this type is unfortunately the exact same behaviour that many of us regret after Orientation is over. Yes, you might not be completely disengaged, and you certainly don’t cause any trouble for the group, but it’s a strange, uncomfortable sort of middle ground.

Simply going along with the loudest person in the group is unarguably an easy and a good way to tide yourself through Orientation, but just how fulfilling can this be?

As cliche as it may sound, how much you put into these 4 days will be proportional to how much you gain from it. As terrifying as it may be, Orientation does provide all OGL-ings with a rare opportunity to meet new people, and to dedicate all your time to the  single pursuit of having fun together. Don’t be too afraid to disagree. As long as you are respectful and open-minded, your opinion could very well provide a viable alternative that could bring your OG closer. We promise that Life Of The Party really doesn’t turn savage whenever somebody decides to play the devil’s advocate.

If you’re (understandably) too uncomfortable to do it on your own, you could enlist the help of The Contributor, who will gladly act as your personal megaphone. The goal isn’t to morph into The Life Of The Party overnight. That’s unrealistic, and to be vocal just for the sake of it really is anything but a good option. Take slow yet steady, proactive steps outside of your comfort zone, and you will soon start to reap the sweet fruits of your labour.

4 – The Silent One

Profile: Elusive, often lurking in the background while the other members aggregate in a circle…..

Frequency: 20%

They’re the ones who sit in silence. Do you know their names? Probably not, because you couldn’t hear them during the introductions. They seem to be perfectly content on their own. They don’t speak. Once you’re dismissed, they disappear before you can even pick up your bag.

Anti-social comes to mind. But truly, more often than not, what lies behind this unfortunate label is the inertia and difficulty to warm up to the OG. After all, the image of an introverted guy bursting with boisterous roars of laughter amongst an equally exuberant Orientation group does not come to mind. Simply put, it is difficult to relate.

On hindsight, what this breed should aim for is not to become a follower. Rather, it probably is about making Orientation bearable at the very least. If you cannot enjoy orientation thoroughly, perhaps the best outcome is to leave orientation with 2 or 3 new friends.

“Bilateralism over multilateralism. Try to foster strong personal interactions instead of mashing into the group.”, says a classic Silent One, who obviously wants to remain anonymous. In fact, forming friendships with at least 2 members obviously increases engagement with the OG as a whole (at least you are friends with 1/10 of your OG).

There will be plenty of social pressure. But crucially, don’t pressure yourself too much. There will be much prompting to be like the other more extraverted members or you might even start to question why you aren’t like the other members. Avoid the latter. Rejoice in the fact that there is a high likelihood of another member who doesn’t understand the laughters and cheers during Orientation. Talk to that person!

At the end of the day, it does not actually matter which type you identify as. Orientation should not, and was never intended to be a social game. The prospect of members fighting to be the most dominant and loud-spoken in the group is simply weird and unnecessary. Regardless of your personality, there is only one sure-fire way to enjoy yourself at Orientation — and that is to go in with an open mind, take proactive steps in trying to socialise, and simply enjoy what the programme has to offer you. We hope that you’ll have a wonderful time!

By Zara Karimi (18A01A), Ianni Tan (18S03C), Zacchaeus Chok (18S03O) and Jeslyn Tan (18S06R)

If you have recently received a text message confirming your acceptance into RI, congratulations! Your course code is already in the MOE’s systems – 28A or 28S. For better or for worse, you are about to become a Rafflesian.  

Yet when it sinks in that you have enrolled in a JC where the majority of your peers will have been from an entirely different programme for the past four years, everything suddenly appears incredibly daunting. What if everyone already knows each other, and you have trouble fitting in? What if you are unable to keep up?

These are a few of the many anxieties that initially plague the minds of students who enter Raffles Institution in Y5-6 through the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE). Coming from all walks of life, and a wide variety of schools all over the island, Raffles Press decided to embark on an examination and discussion of the experiences of JAE students as they entered RI, as something of a guide for this year’s batch of JAE entrants. Most JAE students reported that the majority of their initial concerns pertained to academic and social pressures.

Social Pressures

“I was kind of afraid that people would have already formed their cliques and would have been really against letting anyone else in,” admitted Jonah Tan (18A01A), recounting his experiences first entering RI.

In contrast to RI boys and RGS girls who would both recognise each other along the hallways and greet each other excitedly, JAE students felt as if they were hardly a cohesive branch within the school. Considering how different numbers of students from secondary schools all over the island comprise the body of all JAE students, any apprehension surrounding not fitting in comes as no surprise. No one likes feeling alone.

“It’s quite scary how RGS girls [tended to] cluster a lot,” commented Wan Jia Ling (18A01A), recounting her Orientation experience. “JAE students and RP students automatically clumping together was a common sight.”

While the issue of socialising during Orientation garners a mixed bag of reviews, a large number of JAE students reported having more pleasant experiences with their classes compared to with their OGs. A JAE student, who chose to remain anonymous, counts herself fortunate– “I guess it was really a blessing that I was allocated a class where nearly half of the students are JAEs, which made O levels a common bonding experience and at the very least a conversation topic to avoid awkward silence.”

But not all classes have such a “fortunate” ratio – there are classes with only 1 or 2 JAE students. Even then, the RP/JAE divide dissolves very quickly. Throughout the fast-paced academic curricula in the following 7 months after Orientation, there are numerous opportunities for interaction. And it is the conflicts during PW, the laughter during PE lessons and the compounding stress that forms a new set of shared experiences.

Socialising doesn’t only take place during “official” events such as Class Bonding Time during Civics, or class outings. A great deal of it happens during small, seemingly insignificant moments. Having casual conversations over lunch break effectively strips away the pressure of getting to know someone for the first time. Engaging in team sports (or for the less sports-inclined, suffering together) as a class during PE is a valuable opportunity for you to quite literally, warm up to your new classmates as you all let loose and have fun together.

More importantly, though, don’t be afraid to socialize with people around you. Though our fear of social barriers is justified, the fact of the matter is that they might be less of a big deal than you initially thought.

Academic Pressures

It is clear that the O-level system is very different from the Raffles Programme, and what an education in the O-level system entails will definitely vary from school to school. JAE students that we interviewed initially felt that the differences in systems of education would result in an intimidating academic environment. This is a justified fear to have. The Raffles Programme supplements its curriculum with additions like (but certainly not limited to) Philosophy, Research Studies, and specialized Raffles Academy programmes.

Furthermore, for certain subjects, RP students also went through a syllabus that had more depth and breadth than the ‘O’ Levels. For instance, many RP students covered significant chunks of ‘A’ Level Biology content in years 3-4, while JAE students mainly geared themselves with the shallower “O” Level content.

Still, while differences in acquired knowledge may persist, the fact of the matter is that JAEs perform as well (or as poor) in examinations and tests; there is no clear indication of widely differing academic performance along the RP/JAE distinction. Perhaps this is true: Regardless of whether you were taught through rote-learning, or through self-directed exploration, the learning curve of lecture-tutorial systems, as well as the larger marathon that is the demanding A level curriculum– will be hard for everyone to adjust to.

As a result, the playing field has been proven to be a lot more equal than it may seem. As Deborah Seah (18S03C) says, there is the “huge misconception” that “everyone is a high flier and you’re kind of just there at the bottom of the student population”. She highlights the fact that, in reality, “every one is learning to find their feet and stay awake in lectures, apart from the rare geniuses you might meet.”

In reality, everybody is afraid of everybody. The RP students generally have the mentality that JAE students are incredibly hard-working, diligent, and have an edge over the IP students since their last major national exam wasn’t a good 5-6 years ago. For JAEs, it could be said that the ‘As’ are Just Another Examination!

Whether you’re a JAE student or an RP student, you will have your own unique advantages because of the different experiences that you’ve garnered over the last four years. In the long run, these disparities grow to mean less and less, as we all learn and grow together here.

Finally settling into RI

The initial RI/RGS/JAE divide is definitely a common occurrence. While familiarity is undeniably a reason for RP students to clique together, upon deeper reflection, it’s quite safe to say that there is underlying fear that drives many of us to resort to this. In a similar vein, the RP students are equally apprehensive about meeting new people.

In terms of academic pressure, do not let differences in  your education define the way you interact with and approach the A level curriculum. Regardless of where you are from, everyone has their own struggles, functioning alongside their own advantages.  

Remember that during periods of change and transformation, predispositions do not necessarily guarantee outcomes. If you let your fears, valid as they are, govern your decision-making before JC even begins, it will only result in a miserable two years. Your experience in RI will be based on what you make of it, so don’t hold back and live your JC years to the fullest.

With Special Thanks to
Jonah Tan (18A01A)
Wan Jia Ling (18A01A)
Tanisha Moghe (18A01A)
Samantha Tjong (18A01A)
Deborah Seah (18S03C)
Gan Jia Xin (18S03C)

For sharing their insight and experiences.