Singapore American School Newsflash, March 2008

Volume 10, Issue 7-07/08 - March 2008MICA (P) 183/08/2007

A Singapore American School community service publication

Star Appeal for the SAS Education Foundation Pg. 4

Faculty and Parents Dedicated to Helping SAS Neighbors Pg. 8

IASAS Second SeasonSports Pg. 24

NewsNewsFlashFlash

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We welcome input from the community associated with Singapore American School

April NewsFlAsh

Deadline: April 2, 2008Publication Date: April 21, 2008

MAy NewsFlAsh

Deadline: May 7, 2008Publication Date: May 26, 2008

Email Community NewsInput to [email protected]

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Trading Post advertising is restricted to non-commercial items only from SAS students, parents and staff

RegulaRs

3 - Calendar Highlights

15 - PTA News

17 - Booster Club News

sas HigHligHts

4 - Star Appeal for SAS Education Foundation

6 - Stress and Wellness

8 - Faculty and Parents Dedicated to Helping

SAS Neighbors

9 - A Gift from the Heart

10 - Australian Author Guides Teens at Writing

Camp

12 - Tile Project with Ceramicist Kathy Erteman

13 - MS to Pilot Gender-Specific PE Option

20 - Music Festival Week

24 - IASAS Second Season Sports

Are You Receiving What’s Happening at SAS?

We send all parents and guardians a weekly What’s Happening at SAS newsletter by email. If you have not been receiving the weekly email, probably we do not have your correct email ad-dress. Send us an email at [email protected] to give us your current email address. The distri-bution can include both parents’ email addresses. The weekly What’s Happening at SAS will also be posted on the website at http://www.sas.edu.sg.

Brent MutschSuperintendent of Schools

Rhonda NorrisAsst. Superintendent

Business

David HossPrincipal

Primary School

Marian DeGrootPrincipal

Intermediate School

David NorcottPrincipal

High School

Mark BoyerAsst. Superintendent

for Learning

NEWSFLASH is published monthly by the Communications Office of the Singapore American School. It is distributed free of charge to parents, faculty members and organizations served by the school.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICESingapore American School

40 Woodlands Street 41Singapore 738547

Tel: 6360-6303SAS Website: http://www.sas.edu.sg

Editor: Beth GribbonStaff Editor: Junia BakerLayout Design: Joey Lew

Franke ThomasPrincipal

Middle School


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1-5 IS/MS/HS Music Festival Week2 Quarter 3 MS Online Report Cards3 IS/MS/HS Strings Concert 7:00pm (Auditorium)4 Booster Bake Sale IS/MS/HS Band Concert 6:00pm & 7:30pm (Auditorium)5 IS/MS/HS Choir Concert 4:00pm (Auditorium)6-11 WASC Accreditation Team in SAS Campus7 PS/IS Parent Coffee 8:15am to 9:30am MS Parent Coffee 10:00am (MS Library)8 PTA Board Meeting 9:30am (PTA Office)9 Alternate Dress Day10-12 IASAS Badminton in Jakarta IASAS Softball in Jakarta IASAS Track & Field in Taipei11 Grade 2 Walk-A-Thon 7:30am – 10:00am (HS Stadium)12 HS ACT14 HS PTA Coffee 10:00am (H301)

April 2008 * Campus Mosquito Fogging, every Sunday 5:00pm – 7:00pm

14 IS ITBS Testing15 2008-09 SAS Budget Presentation 7:00pm (H301) PTA Staff Appreciation Day15-17 MS ITBS Testing AP Registration16 Students Late Start 10:00am No school for AM Pre-School, PM Pre-School and Pre-K are in session Spanish Honor Society Induction 3:30pm (HS Library)17 HS Honor Roll Recognition 11:25am French Honor Society Induction 3:30pm (H301)17-18 IS ITBS Testing18 Jazz Night 7:00pm (American Club)19 HS Junior/Senior Prom Night 9:00pm – 1:00am21 Booster Club Meeting 9:30am (H301)

* Campus Mosquito Fogging, every Sunday 5:00pm – 7:00pm

13-15 SIMUN in Singapore (French School)14-16 BEIMUN in Beijing15 Badminton/Softball Exchanges in Singapore Track Exchange in Kuala Lumpur AP Art Show 7:00pm (American Club)17-18 Parent Teacher Conferences: No School for Pre-School – Grade 517 Booster Club Meeting 9:30am (H301) HS Student Led Musical Preview 4:00pm (Theater Studio)

18 HS Student Led Musical 7:00pm (Theater Studio)19 Parent Teacher Conference: No School for Pre-School only NHS Inductions 3:30pm (Drama Theater)21-30 SPRING BREAK (NO SCHOOL)31 4th Quarter Begins IS/MS/HS Music Festival Week

March 2008


Star Appeal for the SAS Education Foundation

O n the evening of Saturday, March 1, 280 parents, teachers, administrators and friends of SAS gathered in the elegant Windsor Ballroom at the Goodwood

Park Hotel to enjoy an evening of friendship, food and specially arranged student entertainment and student art. Celebrating three successful years, the Star Appeal Dinner has become an SAS tradition. Held in support of the SAS Education Foundation, with the generous support of the Khoo family and the Khoo Teck Puat Foundation, who provided the venue and underwrote the cost of the dinner, this year’s Star Appeal raised $500,000 for the foundation.

The money will be used to provide additional financial resources to support the students and programs at SAS. Again this year, the SAS Education Foundation will provide funding for financial aid and scholarships, athletics and intramural activities, visual and performing arts programs, student-led community service initiatives and other special projects such as the Parent Speaker Series, designed to identify speakers to address issues of special interest to our parent community. And again this year, the foundation has also been able to extend the scholarship for a student from Cambodia. This student continues to enjoy her new life in Singapore and is thriving at SAS. Without the commitment of her host family and the contributions to the foundation, her attendance at SAS would not be possible.

Thank you to the many generous donors to the SAS Education Foundation. The names of the individual and corporate donors are listed elsewhere in this issue of NewsFlash.

Many thanks are also due to the Star Appeal committee, Eun Choo Khoo, Mae Anderson, Janine Byrne, Janie Darmadi Ooi, Suzie Nam, Bon Park, Fae Sugiharto and Beth Gribbon without whom this evening would not have been possible and to the Khoo family for underwriting the dinner and the ballroom.

The student entertainment and student artwork on display were special parts of the evening. Thank you to the teachers, the student musicians and student artists, who directed, performed and displayed their work at the dinner.

A lively auction held at the end of the evening contributed over $56,000 to the total raised at the Star Appeal. This would not have been possible without the support of several very generous donors. Thank you to Wendy Yap and Vinum Fine Wine Merchants for the selection of wines and the “wine tasting,” to Ignatius Chan for the dinner at Iggy’s Kitchen Table and to Singapore GP Private Limited and Lenovo for the Formula 1 tickets. A special thank you to John Byrne, auctioneer extraordinaire.

Thanks are also due to Wendy Yap and Vinum Fine Wine Merchants for the wonderful wines served during dinner, to Devin Kimble and Crystal Wines for the Champagne served at the reception and to Edan and Bon Park for funding the table arrangements. All helped to ensure a delightful evening for those attending the dinner and that every dollar contributed went directly to the foundation and the students at SAS.

If you were unable to attend the Star Appeal Dinner and would like to make a contribution to the SAS Education Foundation, you may do so by sending your donation to the Development Office at SAS or by making a donation online on our secure website at http://alumni.sas.edu.sg/?edonations. For more information about the SAS Education Foundation or about making a donation, please contact Beth Gribbon at 6360-6303.Photos Courtesy of Live! Studios


SAS Education Foundation Star Appeal Dinner

Donations - 2008

Eagle Circle S$20,000 and aboveWilliam & Jamie Amelio Ah Wah Chan & Cheok Kee Lim Michael & Eva DeNoma Khoo Teck Puat Foundation

Stephen Riady & Shincee Leonardi Sukma Widjaja & Hano Maeloa

Tiger Circle S$10,000-S$19,999David Ban & Irene Lim Fanny Barki Michael & Eva DeNoma DHL Express Pte Ltd Collin & Clair Holdstock Hae Jin & Young Rim Lee

Ee Lim & Sofina Wee William & Lois Lydens John & Paula McCarvel Brent & Maggie Mutsch Edan & Bon Sun Park Richard & Jacqueline Seow

In Jun Song & Joo Hyun Lee Yoon Suck & Suzie Nam Brent & Sandra Smith Jeff & Cindy Tay Rohet & Arshna Tolani Peter Yan & Siew Yen Chua Ee Chao & Jennifer Wee Xu Quan & Xue Qiong Yao

Gecko Circle S$5,000-S$9,999Joe & Mae Anderson Ragnar & Joey Horn

Keum Shik Shin & Seung Hee Lim Carl & Anne StockingKelly Randall Steven & Maya Roll

Orchid Circle S$1,000-S$4,999Jonathan & Jessika Auerbach Richard & Ashley Barry Al & Clarissa Bautista

Bart & Valerie Broadman John & Janine Byrne Dong Woo Chang & Ah Jung Lee Bob & Monika Comstock Jeff & Vicki Crocker Belinda Chua

Johny Djuhar & Lilies Irawan Grace Fan Edward Gaffney Jim & Beth Gribbon Kirk & Janice Hulse Ajai & Abha Kaul

Rini Keim Chris & Elyse Khang Devin Kimble & Amy Sittler Wisanggeni & Evi Lauw Joo Bae & Eun Hee Lee Seung Hee Lee & Ki Ran Rho Norman & Bee Bee Lem Kevin & Deborah Leong Thomas & Cheryl Linton

Shahryar Mahbub & Shazia Khawaja David & Christy Miller Rudy & Andrea Muller Janie Ooi Deepa Pasumarty Adrian & Susan Peh

Raj & Mary Rajkumar Nam Uh & Youn Soo Rhee Stephen & Stephanie Russell Iwan Sarjono & Ingrid Prasatya Steven & Raju Shaulis Garth & Roxana Sheldon

Helman Sitohang & Maria Praptani Ajay & Sukeshi Sondhi Yulies Tan Soejono Varinata & Fae Sugiharto Harrison & Sheila Wang Rayanusin Widjaja & Diana HarkonoJonathan Wilson & Cindy Leake Jun Won & Yoon Hee Choi Clement & Una Wang Kwan Nga & Rosa Wong Howard & Beth Yao Raymond & Kaori Zage

David Zemans & Catherine Poyen

Traveler’s Palm Circle S$100-S$999Mike & Julie Allen Todd & Mary Avery

Gary & Sally Greene Albert Koh William & Marybeth Shay Amy Young


A t the start of the school year I was asked to chair the Health and Wellness

Committee for the High School. This committee, comprised of parents, teachers, a school nurse and a deputy principal was charged with providing recommendations to the administration on ways to promote healthy lifestyle choices among students. In previous years, the High School has had initiatives, such as Wellness Week, which were designed to highlight mental health issues related to teens. While Wellness Week generated cursory interest, no long-term changes were noted regarding perceived levels of adolescent stress, a term commonly used to denote psychological health.

The most common complaints associated with stress that parents and educators hear from teens include having too much school work, high expectations of parents, teachers or self and over commitment to extracurricular activities. Not wanting to rely solely on anecdotal accounts in generating recommendations, I gathered information directly from students, particularly those who were taking the most rigorous courses SAS has to offer, Advanced Placement (AP).

Surveying 259 AP students, the following questions were posed:• How much time do you spend doing

homework each night?• How much time each week do you

devote to clubs, sports, music or other extracurricular activities?

• How much sleep do you get each night from Monday to Friday?

• Based on your academic and extracurricular load, do you feel you struggled with academic stress and time management?

The responses to these questions are summarized in the graphs.

Students taking 3-5 AP courses spend approximately 3.45 hours per night on homework, average 5.30 hours of sleep during the school week and devote

Stress and Wellness: A portrait of AP student timetablesBy Jeff Devens, PhD/School Psychologist

nearly 7 hours per week to school-related extracurricular activities. On the question of time management and academic stress related to academic and extracurricular activities, 47 percent of the students taking 3-5 AP courses indicated these were areas with which they struggled.

Students taking 1-2 AP courses spend approximately 2.45 hours per night on homework, average 6.20 hours of sleep during the school week and devote nearly 4 hours per week to school-related extracurricular activities. On the question of time management and academic stress related to academic and extracurricular activities, 50 percent of the students taking 1-2 AP courses indicated these were areas with which they struggled.

A cautionary note is in order when viewing these data, namely assuming that correlation = causation. Based on these findings, it would be inaccurate to solely conclude that taking AP courses causes increased stress levels and contributes to fewer hours of sleep. There may be a multitude of possible explanations; however, for some students the links between these variables may be

stronger than for others. Having a talk with your child regarding these issues will help clarify what areas in their timetables may be contributing to stress.


With the above thoughts in mind, the following recommendations were made to the administration:

Recommendation 1: Disseminate this information to the parents so they have an understanding from students currently enrolled in AP courses of what may be associated with course workload. Note: If you have read this far, then this objective has been accomplished.

Recommendation 2: While SAS does not have a formal policy limiting the number of AP courses a student may take in a given year, I strongly recommend that parents do their homework and discuss with their teens the commitment(s) that may be required of them should they chose to pursue AP courses. Along this line, I fully recognize that students can indeed take 5 APs and be involved with several clubs/sports; however,

this should not be the primary criterion used when formulating course selections. Seek a balance between school, home and social life.

Recommendation 3: Teachers currently use a recommendation process and inform the counselors of which AP courses for the following year, if any, are a “best-fit” for their respective students. These recommendations are based on the current teacher’s (i.e., Algebra II) working relationship with the student. I strongly suggest that neither parents nor students be allowed to override such recommendations. These recommendations are not designed to be punitive but rather to match a child’s skills/abilities, with the academic expectations that they will encounter the following year.

Recommendation 4: In the 2008 Program Planning Guide, a rating scale (Appendix I: Course and

Load, p. 60) is provided, indicating average amount(s) of homework that can be expected for courses. It is recommended that parents and students review this section and discuss the commitment(s) that will be required should they pursue particular courses.

Certainly one of the goals of education should be to challenge learners, but if this consistently comes at the cost of health and wellness, then the price is too high. Stress can be a healthy emotion. It can motivate students to action and help them organize and deal with the realities of life; however, if your teens experiences academic stress on a consistent basis, this is a good indicator that they are in over their heads. This may also be an indication that they need your help selecting courses that fit their learning profiles.

Let the course selections begin!

SAS Mu Alpha ThetaBy Daksha Rajagopalan, Grade 12

“C andidates, please rise. If you agree to accept the challenge of membership in this organization, you should answer simply, ‘I do,’” declared sponsor Dr.

James Kett. As twelve “I do’s” chorused on November 28, the Singapore American School charter group of Mu Alpha Theta was born.

Mu Alpha Theta is a national high school mathematics honor society. Membership in the SAS chapter of Mu Alpha Theta is limited to juniors and seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA and mandates an A average for at least four semesters of college-preparatory mathematics classes. The admissions committee (chaired by math teachers Dr. Kett and Ms. Goode) additionally considers each applicant’s passion for mathematics and the exhibition of that passion.

Outside their rigorous math courses, many of the new inductees not only regularly attend Math Club and tutor mathematics to either fellow students or to Intermediate Schoolers, but also do problems and play with logic puzzles on their own time.

The induction ceremony consisted of a student presentation by Sakshi Agarwal, a charter member of Mu Alpha Theta, on topology: a world in which teacups and donuts are mathematically identical. Inductees were then told that more mathematics was needed from them; that they must “exchange freely their ideas” and they must “continue to grow throughout the years.”

To this challenge they stood — and said, “I do.”

Front Row: Catalina Hwang, Daksha Rajagopalan, Pallavi Karunakaran, Aditi Basu, Sakshi Agarwal. Back Row: Jeffrey Lin, Jong Woo Kim, Zubin Chand, Allen Koh, Joon Park, Hyun Soo Kim.


Faculty and Parents Dedicated to Helping SAS NeighborsBy Kathleen Higgins

BMW (Beautiful Mature Women)

B eautiful Mature Women is a small group of SAS teachers who meet monthly not only for social purposes, but with a specific focus on education and desire to make a vast difference in the education of students and teachers around the world. In the past year alone, BMW has donated and raised money for several worthy causes around

the globe, including Free Schools in India, a group that works to break the cycle of ignorance and poverty. Free Schools volunteers use existing facilities to teach essential skills that can help generate income and provide nutritious meals to students. The model also encourages students to go home and teach their siblings what they have learned. BMW is happy to support Free Schools, of where there are now 45 in India.

BMW also supports Caring for Cambodia’s Teachers Teaching Teachers project. In Cambodia, BMW donations were used for the in-country costs of the recent teacher training weekend in which a handful of SAS teachers participated. Money was spent on translators and paying for Cambodian teachers’ salaries and for the cost of Ministry of Education representatives to attend the session.

Educational Committee for CFC

S AS parent, Liz King, along with other members of CFC, created an extension group known as the Educational Committee for Caring for Cambodia. This group took on all of the tasks of preparing materials and resources needed by SAS teachers for their recent trip to Cambodia over

the Chinese New Year holiday. This included cutting, laminating, printing, drawing, sewing, photographing, assembling books and making posters. Their efforts enabled SAS teachers to be well equipped and prepared, in addition to freeing them to devote time for lesson preparation. Liz King spearheaded the committee of workers for this enormous undertaking.

Eleni Scheidt was responsible for the groundwork in setting up the English language program, Rosetta Stone. With this program in place, two of our teachers, Patrick and Becky Green were able to install software and provide a workshop in Cambodia to CFC teachers who would be using the program.

Both BMW and CFC have worked to ensure that the SAS teachers had the resources and funds needed to offer a productive and worthwhile training session for our sister and brother teachers in Siem Reap. The benefits and resulting effect of this-three day venture will long be remembered in the hearts and minds of all teachers involved and in those of students whose lives this project will continue to touch.


A Gift from the HeartBy Larry and Sally Burk

T oo early in the morning on February 7, a group of SAS teachers gathered at Changi Airport. Wearing saffron-colored tee shirts, the group was headed to Siem Reap for Chinese

New Year. There is nothing unusual about teachers gathered at an airport; however, they were not on their way to tour Angkor Wat, but to volunteer their time with what teachers do best – give.

It is not unique for SAS teachers to give their time and effort to help philanthropic organizations. Many of them have traveled to Cambodia to give their time and energy to aid different schools and foundations. This particular Chinese New Year group was on its

way to share their expertise with four schools, numerous teachers, administrators and Ministry of Education officials in Siem Reap. The request for teachers to train teachers was made by Caring for Cambodia, an organization dedicated to helping the people of Cambodia by improving education. To accomplish this immense goal, the organization believes that teacher education leads to sustainable improvement in education standards. The CFC and Cambodian Ministry of Education believe that education is paramount to improving the lives of the people of Cambodia. In addition, the initial request for training came from Cambodian teachers who wished to further develop their instructional skills and educational pedagogy.

Prior to going to Siem Reap, the group spent many hours planning and designing the lessons for the teacher training sessions. They worked collaboratively, using a powerful model that included demonstrations, modeling, hands-on activities, active learning, classroom management and assisting the Cambodian teachers in real classroom teaching situations. Along with Headmaster Ung Savy, the teacher training team included three groups: Kindergarten, English and Libraries. Kaye Bach, Jenny Redlin, Sarah Farris, Elise DeKlotz and Kate Bucknall worked with the Kindergarten teachers to teach shapes with hands-on materials in an integrated environment in which students were engaged and involved. The English team included Larry Burk, Kathy Higgins and Becky Green and proved that learning English can be exciting and interesting with engaging lessons on the parts of the body. Two SAS students, Alexandra and Emily Bucknall-Starker, willingly helped wherever they were needed. Ron Starker and Sally Burk collaborated with librarians on how to make the library an integral part of the school curriculum as well as how to rearrange the environment for an effective school library. The whole event was captured on film by Patrick Green, who handles the technology for the CFC schools. Caring for Cambodia continues to be committed to providing teacher training for its four schools as well as allowing other schools to attend and send participants.

Each evening the topic of conversation was about the teacher training and what could be done to adjust the training to meet the needs of the Cambodian teachers. Translators assisted the teachers in conveying through demonstrations of best practices in education. The collaborative connection between SAS teachers willing to give and the Cambodian administrators and teachers willing and excited to learn made the endeavor a huge success. Both groups gained immensely from the experience and want to continue to help Cambodia grow, prosper and learn. Even though there is still so much to accomplish, the teachers were satisfied in knowing that small drops will eventually fill a bucket.

“The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.” Mother Teresa

10 11SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 200810 11SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 2008

T his year 29 students attended the third annual Creative Writing Camp at Telunas Beach

in Indonesia during Chinese New Year. The students were accompanied by Ms. Hallam, Ms. Antonowicz, Ms. Riemer and Ms. St. James, who participated in the activities and writing as well. Everyone came home tired and happy and inspired.

The five-day, four-night experience included daily excursions, such as a jungle hike to a waterfall, a short boat ride to explore a deserted island and a good-will visit to a neighboring fishing village. Before each trip, author Richard Tulloch gave the students observation tasks. Then afterward, students gathered in the meeting room and wrote about their experiences and observations in personal narratives, short fictional scenarios, poems and prose that they were inspired to create. Writers shared and critiqued one another’s writing and Mr. Tulloch spent time talking with individuals and small groups about their writing.

On two nights the group gathered on the beach for a bonfire, roasted marshmallows, told stories and performed skits. Another night some of the students went shrimping. One of the most popular activities was jumping off the docks. The kids were continually asking, “Is it high tide? Can we jump now?”

Australian Author Guides Teens at Writing CampBy Paula St. James, Grade 8 RLA Teacher

10 11SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 200810 11SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 2008

The magic of the whole adventure is difficult to describe, but these quotes reveal some of the high moments:

“It was fun to explore our writing capabilities and to write in different genres.” Alistair Chew

“The surroundings triggered my imagination, causing stories and words to pop into my head. Richard helped us search within our ideas for different sides of a story.” Meghna Lall

“Playing volleyball with the kids in the fishing village was fun and rewarding.” James Quirk

“Writing on the sand by the ocean relaxed me, and Richard’s words inspired me.” Kate Lane

“The calming ambiance, soothing sound of waves crashing on the shore and the fact that you can go for a little dip whenever you want… what else could you possibly want as a setting for completely creative and free writing?” Haley Naughton

“My favorite part of the trip was the fishing village; it was an unforgettable experience.” Dacia Goh

“The writing was clever and Mr. Richard made it really fun. The setting is so much more inspiring than the classroom. The inspiration from the island made me write one of my best stories yet.” Nicole Love

1� 1�SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 20081� 1�SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 2008

K athy Erteman recently completed a two-week resi-dency with Elementary Art teachers and Intermedi-ate School students to launch an ambitious mural

project at SAS. Erteman is an internationally known cerami-cist, who has created designs for the likes of Tiffany, Dansk and Crate and Barrel. Besides maintaining a studio in New York City, she also teaches at the prestigious Greenwich House Pottery.

The SAS Tile Project is now well underway thanks to the input and training provided by Erteman. SAS parent and professional ceramicist Madhvi Subrahmanian has also volunteered her time and expertise. She has been particularly helpful with mixing custom glazes designed by Erteman to insure the mural has a consistent look. Board chairman, Garth Sheldon, (a potter in his own right) has supported the project since its inception and stopped by to inspect the progress and share pottery shoptalk with Erteman.

The project involves every student in the Intermediate School. It will consist of approximately 850 tiles. Plans are underway to install the collaborative public art project at the IS foyer entrance. The art teachers hope to have it unveiled in conjunction with their annual K-5 Art Show in May. They wish to thank Garth Sheldon for his architectural input and the angels at the Arts Council for their ongoing support.

The Elementary Art Team plans installation of a tile project with New York City ceramicist Kathy Erteman.By Ed Sheerin, Elementary Art Teacher


Middle School to pilot gender-specific PE option for Grades Seven and Eight By Peter Cuthbert, Middle School PE chairperson

I n order to provide extraordinary care for the welfare of each of our students, we have to be thoughtful, deliberate and of-ten break new ground. This type of care goes beyond the daily

positive interactions among teachers and students; it extends to how we set up our curriculum and our programs. This proposal is put forward with the best interests of our students in mind; specifically, this pilot sets out to offer a choice for students who currently find PE challenging and/or less enjoyable due to the social pressures that are unavoidable in a MS PE environment. Both current research and an Action Research master’s degree project here at SAS, strongly sug-gest that this option is not only good pedagogy but also extends our extraordinary care for a number of MS students.

Action Research Results

Total student feedback suggests that generally MS students felt they participated more, and enjoyed coed PE classes more by a very slight mean Likert score difference of 40.3 for coed to 39.4 for single sex classes.

Most significant finding of the study is uncovered by data from the low participation group (mix of males and females) and compared with the total student mean scores. The low participation group mean score for coed classes was 36.7, which went up to 40.5 in support for single sex classes.

This suggests that the students in the low participation group participate in and enjoy PE more under single sex conditions than the average MS student participates and enjoys coed PE classes.

Empirical data pointed to higher participation rates among both the low participation group as well as those students who normally participate at

a satisfactory level; students who participate well above average levels did not appear affected by the intervention.

Student Benefits of Gender Specific Option

Provides a gender sensitive learning environment Eliminates any group gender bias Promotes risk taking Promotes development of self-esteem Provides differentiated leadership opportunities Allows for unique and progressive teaching practices Allows for a class with group specific objectives Reduces a number of the adolescent distractions and social pressures

in PE Supports our philosophy of promoting lifelong activity by providing a

learning environment within an alternative social context

Parents: if you’re interested in having your daughter/son enroll in the gender specific class; please indicate this on their forecasting forms available in mid April.


PTA Wine Gala Dinner and AuctionBy Shelby Pazos, Wine Committee Chair Photos by Chad O’Neil

The SAS PTA held its annual Wine Gala Dinner on Saturday, February 16 at The Regent Hotel. The evening began with a glass of champagne compliments of Santa Fe Relocation Services then continued with the first wine of the evening, a Sancerre Rose.

The Silent Auction featured 132 beautifully displayed items ranging from jewelry to household items, antiques, paintings, dinner vouchers, travel packages, sports packages and box seats to the Singapore Slingers game catered by Brewerkz/Wine Garage!

After the Silent Auction the guests proceeded to the ballroom to enjoy a four-course dinner especially prepared by Chef Claudio and to enjoy the remaining seven wines especially chosen for the evening. The ballroom tables were attired in elegant shades of off-white and Zen green, with the orchids, programs and table settings reflecting the deliberate choice of a fusion, East-meets-West affair. Chef Claudio exquisitely prepared each of the four courses with specifically Italian as well as Asian elements, as evidenced by a main course of beef tenderloin paired with Mekong seaweed.

The first course was an Italian dried cod or baccala served in a laksa broth; the third course was blue cheese from Bresse paired with local truffles and finally tapioca, mango panna cotta and Sumatra mud cake.

Each course was accompanied by wines carefully chosen by Phil DeFord, Master of Wine Ceremonies, with the help of Treys Laredo. As always the evening was infused with fun as Phil had each table participate in a wine quiz, making the sometimes intimidating world of wines an enjoyable and at times a competitive experience!

The live auction was lively to say the least! The guests enjoyed the exquisite carpet auction by Eastern Carpets, one of the three major sponsors, as well as vintage wines and a unique set of limited edition Olympic pins.

The excitement only grew however, when Susan Devin’s, regional director of The Four Seasons, got up and helped pitch the 6-day Maldives Package courtesy of Four Seasons Resorts, which went for an impressive $9,500! Ratcheting the excitement up further Mr. John Neirmann, owner of Electronic Arts Asia got up on stage to help auction off his fabulous donation of the new PS3 with the game, Rock Band, which is unavailable in Asia. John with guitar in hand, managed to get the auction bid up to $2,500 for a game with a retail value of $1,200. The fun was infectious and the monetary results were fabulous for SAS.

As with all PTA fundraisers, the funds raised from this event will go back to SAS in the form of equipment, programs and scholarships for our children.

The Wine Gala Dinner Committee wishes to express our sincerest thanks to all of our sponsors and especially our major sponsors, Santa Fe Relocation Services, Wine Garage and Eastern Carpets. Without their support, the

success of this event would not have been possible.

Dinner tables set with wine glasses tagged and ready.

Brian Hanifin, with the Niermanns, demonstrating the hit game, “Rock Band.”

Steve & Finola Nechelput getting ready to bid at the silent auction.

Edmond from Eastern Carpets auctioning off a beautiful carpet.


SA

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PTA President’s Letter

L et me begin this month’s letter with a huge “thank you” to Erma Huston, our 2008 County Fair Chair. Erma and her dedicated committee of volunteers organized a wonderful event that was a success in helping raise funds for the PTA and other

organizations. It also provided a fun-filled day for the SAS community. The fair seems to grow larger each year. It is only due to the volunteers that we can put on events such as this. Most people don’t realize the countless hours that go into organizing this one day event. I would also like to thank the many people who spent part of their day helping in the various booths and games. We cannot hold these events without your support.

When talking about the various PTA events, parents often ask what the PTA does with the funds raised at the County Fair, Food Fest and the Gala Wine Dinner. Let me first start

by providing examples of how we work with various groups to help organize the raising of funds. If you attended County Fair, you most likely noticed that some of the booths selling food or running games were run by High School clubs. Prior to the event, PTA High School representatives work with these clubs to develop booth ideas and to obtain sponsorship. The students are responsible for setting up and manning the booths, along with their teacher sponsors. The PTA provides most of the supplies needed, and the proceeds of the booth are split, with 75% going to the club and 25% to the PTA. As clubs often find it difficult to raise funds in Singapore, this provides an opportunity to gain much needed financial support, which is then typically channeled back into their local charities.

The funds that are raised by the PTA are dispersed through out the school in the form of Fund Spending Requests. In January or February of every year, each of the Division Principals is asked to compile a list of requests. Teachers and staff are given the opportunity to request funding for items not covered in their regular budgets. This special funding is the “icing on the cake” for our teachers and staff. In 2007, we were able to provide over $250,000 to support these requests. Some examples of items covered by PTA funds include microphones, dictionaries on stands, digital visualizers, electronic Smart Boards, Chinese costumes and musical instruments and hundreds of classroom books. In addition, we have sponsored visiting authors, High School Interim trips and High School Senior Scholarships. We also gave $50,000 to the Education Foundation to start the “Best Foot Forward Travel Fund” in honor of Bob Gross, our Superintendent from 1999-2007.

All this would not be possible without the support of the SAS community by volunteering at events, attending these functions and offering sponsorship. We have had a great year so far and appreciate all the hard work our members have done and the support from the SAS community. We look forward to receiving future funding requests from teachers and staff so that we can continue to help improve the quality of education for all our children.

As always, we encourage you to contact us with questions or suggestions that you may have for the PTA.

Susan FayPTA President

Limited quantities available !!Stop by the PTA Sales Office:Monday 9:00 am – 3:00 pmTuesday 8:00 am – 2:30 pmWednesday – Friday 9:00 am – 2:30 pm

PTA Presents Gift Items for Family & Friends!!Limited edition Home of the Eagles poster, SAS Umbrellas, Sports Bags, Sweatshirts & more…

SAS Uniform & PE Doll Apparel Sets ($25.00 each) SAS Jibbitz – Made exclusively for SAS ($5.00 each)


J anuary and February brought together 47 French IV SAS students and the students of

Lycee Francais. Our annual visit to Lycee Francais Singapour took place over two days on January 28 and 29. SAS students were paired with French partners to attend classes throughout the day and experience life in a French school. The exposure is crucial to our students’ development, encouraging them to converse in French to enhance their fluency.

We began the day by treating LFS students to a croissant breakfast. SAS students were given a tour and an informative orientation of Lycee Francais, following which they attended classroom sessions to better understand the dynamics of the

SAS French Department visits Lycee Francais SingapourBy Ms. Farzaneh, SAS Parent

student-teacher relationship at a French institution. Each student was expected to take notes and interact with French students and teachers in French. They prepared written reports of each class attended as well as gave their perspectives on the school building facilities, canteen and life at LFS.

In return, the SAS French department invited their French partners to experience life at SAS. Each participant took full personal responsibility for showing his or her French partner around SAS, including them in the day’s activities and introducing them to their

friends. LFS students participated and shared SAS cultural activities. They plan on meeting again in the future.

This is one of the exchange

programs available to our French department students at Singapore American School. Students who have reached level IV in the French medium have the opportunity to study philosophy, history, geography and literature in French, allowing them full immersion by generating interest in French people, culture and history.

The PTA Nominating Committee is seeking nominees for the 2008/09 PTA Executive Committee positions – President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary. A slate of candidates will be submitted for election at the PTA Annual General Meeting on May 13. Nominations will be accepted until April 29, two weeks prior to the election.

If you would like to submit your name or nominate someone for consideration, please contact one of the following committee members: Ani Parikh ([email protected]), Kim Hamby ([email protected]) or Ann Martino ([email protected]).

The PTA is also seeking volunteers for the 2008/09 academic year to chair or work with the following committees:

PTA Services – PTA Sales, Welcoming, Calendar, Scholastic Books, Directory, Celebration BooksPTA Events – Hospitality, Food Fest, Book Fair, County Fair, Gala Wine Dinner, Sponsorship, Pumpkin Sales

Detailed descriptions of the committees are available on the PTA web page http://pta.sas.edu.sg/about/committeestructure.html or by contacting the current committee chairperson. To express an interest in volunteering for one of these committees, please contact PTA President, Susan Fay by e-mail at [email protected].

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PTA NOMINATING COMMITTEE 2008/09 PTA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS



Xin Nian Kuai Le! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

T he long-anticipated Chinese New Year festivities kicked off

this year with several popular shows and celebratory Chinese apparel days. Throughout the three-day week, students all over the Intermediate School were talking excitedly about the upcoming holiday. On February 4 and 5, students wore cheongsams or festive red outfits to bring good luck and prosperity for the Year of the Rat.

The end of the short week was reserved for the Chinese festival performance, which drew several hundred audience members to the elementary theater. The program started with homeroom teachers improvising a Chinese ribbon dance with an accompanying lion dance. In the second act three Gong Fu kids showed their martial art prowess by executing synchronized punching, slicing and kicking movements. During solo routines one of the boys did Gong Fu with a staff and the other with a sword. After that, grade three sang and danced to a Chinese lullaby. Next up were the grade five H-level students, who sang “Heart of the Stars,” holding stars on sticks to emphasize the lyrics.

A professional Chinese opera troupe performed a fable that taught the dangers of using drugs and alcohol. Ne Zha, the main character, saved a child by defeating evil spirits. The props and playacting skills were amazing, bringing together colorful costumes, traditional music, and some combat involving hoops, ribbons and spears.

To wrap up the show, the Chinese teachers did a Chinese fan dance. The teachers gracefully twirled, twisted and waved the fans to the rhythm of the song. After the show all of the grade three, four, and five students, including the ones in the audience, sang a Happy Chinese New Year song. The program was an overall hit, and the Intermediate School welcomes the Year of the Rat!

IS Celebrates Chinese New YearBy Eden Livingston and Isaac Brown


Chinese New Year in SingaporeBy Trent Williams and Laura Terrile, Second Grade Teachers

G ong Xi Fai Cai! In second grade, we have been busy exploring Asia — past and present. Just before Chinese New Year, we boarded big yellow buses and headed to vibrant Chinatown

to experience firsthand Singaporean Chinese culture. We interacted with the community and completed an exciting scavenger hunt. We saw lion dance masks, mandarin oranges galore, fragrant barbequed pork, temples and tons of red! We also purchased souvenirs to remember that it is the Year of the Rat. A highlight was visiting a shop where we interacted with the shop owners and our Chinese teachers by using Mandarin phrases that we have been practicing at school. We took heaps of photos, shared loads of laughs and created many memories. Xin Nian Kuai Le!

A wave of red t-shirts. Student performers running around excitedly. Parents rushing

into the grand auditorium. This is Chinese Cultural Day.

On January 26, SAS held its first cross-divisional Chinese Cultural Day. With a large audience and enthusiastic performers, the production was a great success. Through meticulous planning and good organization, high school Chinese teachers Sarah Mar and Yolante Pan effectively presented the lively spirit of Chinese New Year. After a grand opening by

Chinese Cultural DayBy Sarah Mar, Mandarin Teacher

Assistant Superintendent Mark Boyer, the hour-long show was filled with excited peers and supportive parents. The performances, including Kung Fu and a high school fashion show narrated in Chinese, stimulated astounding accolades from the viewers.

Judging from the positive results this year, the Chinese teachers hope that Chinese Cultural Day will become an annual event.

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T he SAS music faculty and student musicians of the Intermediate, Middle and High Schools cordially invite you to the annual Music Festival Week to be held April 3-5. The vision for our students’ musical education at SAS includes providing experiences that are both enriching and inspirational. Each year, nearly 1,000 student

musicians, grades 5-12, are touched at both an intellectual and emotional level by three world-class educators. The “Artist-in-Residence” aspect of the Music Festival has evolved into an integral part of our program and is something for which we are extremely grateful. Our music faculty also takes full advantage of this professional development opportunity – a rarity for overseas specialists. Please refer to the following schedule as you make your plans. All performances will be held in the SAS Auditorium and are free of charge.

Music Festival Week Slated for Early April

Choir Concert – Saturday, April 5, 4:00pm

Fred Onovwerosuoke is founder and Artistic Director of the St. Louis African Chorus. His energetic and very unique style of teaching African choral music has endeared him to audiences in America and Africa. Onovwerosuoke directed the famed Terra Choral Group of the University of Ife, Nigeria for six years. Since 1978 he has dedicated his musical calling to promoting African vocal works sung in native tongues. His success with the St. Louis African Chorus makes it the most visible choral group, outside of Africa, that is totally dedicated to works in African languages. Dr. Onovwerosuoke will teach songs from West, East and South Africa. His website is http://www.africanchorus.org/fred.htm.-

Strings Concert – Thursday, April 3, 7:00 pm

David Curtis is Artistic Director of Orchestra of the Swan, chamber orchestra for the Heart of England. The driving force behind the Swan’s nationally acclaimed Take Note! and Music of Our Time series and his thought-provoking programming and infectious enthusiasm for contemporary music have established him as a conductor of note on the international stage, conducting in the United States, Germany, where he has recorded with Dimitri Ashkenasi and the Hamburg Symphonika, Hungary, Belgium, China, Romania, Sweden, Iceland, Italy, Finland, the Czech Republic and Greece. David is a champion of new work and has commissioned and given the world premieres of numerous new works by British, Bulgarian, Chinese, Nordic and American composers.

Band Concert – Friday, April 4

• 6:00 – Band Concert 1 (Beginning 5/6, Intermediate 7/8, HS Concert Band, HS Symphonic Band)

• 7:30 – Band Concert 2 (Intermediate 6, Advanced 7/8, HS Wind Ensemble)

Douglas Van Fleet is music director at St. Mary High School in Paducah, Kentucky. A graduate of Western Kentucky University, Van Fleet has completed 45 years of teaching, both in public and private schools. Currently in the St. Mary School system, he directs the orchestra, band and choir and is involved with the City of Paducah in the formation of a School for The Fine Arts, a school to enhance arts education and promote the arts in a four-state area. During his 13 years at St. Mary, all groups have received superior ratings and first place awards at state and national music festivals.

�0 �1SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 2008�0 �1SAS NewsFlash – March 2008 SAS NewsFlash – March 2008

The SAS Board of Governors views the development of an annual budget of revenue and expenditures as one of its most important jobs. The budget process begins in the fall and culminates in April in an open meeting with parents and faculty to review the proposed budget, after which the Board gives its final consideration and adopts the budget at the end of April. You are invited to attend the special open meeting when the Board members and administrators will present next year’s proposed budget for discussion at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 (this date is a change from the published April 8th date) in room H301 on the 3rd floor of the High School. A summary of the 2008/2009 budget with proposed revenues and expenditures will be distributed via e-mail and posed on the website during the first full week of April prior to the meeting.

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2008/2009 BuDGET PrESENTATIoN

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The 2008/09 re-enrollment/withdrawal and family information forms were sent to all SAS families and employers on February 27. The deadline for re-enrollment is April 1. If you did not receive the form, please contact the Admissions Office at 6360-6309 immediately.

All outstanding 2007/08 school fees must be settled before re-enrollment is allowed. Please contact Debra at 6360-6324 for outstanding fee balances.


rE-ENroLLMENT For THE 2008 - 2009 SCHooL YEAr


Drum Clinic at the Music Festival

T he SAS music department, in conjunction with our annual music festival, will offer a drum set clinic on April 2 from 3:15pm to 5:00pm. Conducted by drum clinician, Kenny Hogan, the clinic will be held in the middle school band room and is open

to all students. Middle School band director, Brian White, who is responsible arranging the clinic, says Mr. Hogan’s visit will “…provide an opportunity for our students who would like to expand their knowledge of contemporary music.”

Kenny has performed in many international music festivals and has collaborated with various international artists and groups from the US, France, Brazil, Republic of Czech, Italy, Norway, China, Australia, UK, Sub-Continent and of course Southeast Asia. His self claimed honor of “Southeast Asia’s

leading drum clinician” is backed by the fact that he has performed more than 300 drum clinics and master-classes throughout the region. Kenny has been performing professionally for 18 years in the regional music industry as a freelance sessionist for countless of bands ranging from rock, fusion, pop, jazz, ethnic, oldies and beyond. As an independent drumming artist, Kenny has also performed for numerous local celebrities in major entertainment venues locally, regionally as well as internationally! More about Kenny can be found on the web at http://www.kennyhoganumi.com/.

To register for the drum clinic, please e-mail Brian White [email protected].

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Bintan String Success!By Darrell Townshend, Fine Arts Teacher

O n January 25 and 26, Advanced 7/8 strings travelled to Tanjongpinang, Pulau Bintan, Indonesia, to perform with students from the Jakarta International School (JIS) and

SMP Katolik School, Bintan. Our students were there partly as a cultural experience and partly to work hard with a group of similar standards in preparing and performing a concert. The results were excellent!

Our students rehearsed with JIS students for several hours on the first day, followed by a poolside barbeque dinner, then a stimulating talk on practicing, and finishing the day with an inspiring film about young performers. The following day saw more intense rehearsals, followed by a concert in the Katolik School hall. A rousing percussion welcome from the school’s juniors was followed by a welcome dance and traditional dances of the Riau island group of which Bintan is a member. Then our strings students co-performed songs with the JIS strings in one of their best-ever performances. Notable were the JIS soloists, beautifully performing a Telemann concert and Nancy Li (grade 8) masterfully performing Kreisler “Praeludium and Allegro” solo from memory!

Our students benefitted from working with the JIS students and also from the superb teaching of Dr. Sharon Eng and Ms. Dhono-Isworo – the string teachers at JIS. Notable also was the wonderful parent support of Mrs. Reay, Mrs. Mulder and Mr. Andrade. We were fortunate to work with both JIS and Katolik School. It raised our level of performance, helped us to make new friends and gave us insight into Riau culture as well!


SAS Strings return From Impressive Showing in Brussells

S t John’s International School played host to 130 talented strings delegates at the annual

AMIS (Association of Music in International Schools) International Honors Orchestra Festival, February 21 -23. Student musicians from around the world, including an impressive 26 of our very own, arrived in Waterloo, Belgium, for three days of intensive rehearsal and an amazing culminating concert on Saturday evening. Playing challenging repertoires by the likes of Bartok, Bernstein, Britten, Copland and Vaughan Williams and forming friendships with equally focused, talented musicians from around the globe while soaking in the European atmosphere in the birthplace of Western music were memories that will last a lifetime! With the largest number of student delegates at the festival, MS teacher Darrell Townshend on the AMIS Board of Directors and HS Director Stephen Bonnette featured as the guest conductor for the Junior Orchestra, SAS has emerged as

a major player in the international strings music scene. We are proud to announce that we will be hosting this exciting event next February 5-7!

Congratulations to Kai Yang Hsu, Catalina Hwang, Julie Kim, Nicholas Leu, Becka Ruan, Cynthia Zu, Andrea Lynn Schodorf, Preeti Varathan, William Tsay, Irene Tung, Aki Maedomari, Francis Yang, Tyler Martawibawa, Sayaka Yamada, Avery Lim, Leah Zulkoski, Yoo Shin Jang, Lillian Fu, Min Kyong Kim, Deepti Varathan, Yoon Ku Kang, Seung Won Yoo, Geena Choo, Lena Jung and Lauren Jung, and thanks to our wonderful chaperones, Maggie Hess and Michael Cox.

T his year’s IASAS dance team selected the theme of perfection for its 20-minute dance piece. It is based on the idea that we strive for perfection as a way of denying our

biggest fear: lack of control. We become determined to achieve the eternally unachievable, unknowingly setting ourselves up for the hard crash of disappointment. The constant search for ways to improve erodes the soul, leaving it raw and eventually exposed to the true meaning of perfection. The dance piece was performed at the Cultural Convention Preview on Tuesday, March 4, in the auditorium at 3:15pm. If you missed the preview performance before the team travelled to Manila, you will be able to see it at the high school dance show in April.

IASAS Dance 2008: Is it right?


IASAS Second Season Sports

Tennis

F ew athletic teams are more dependent on the weather than tennis, and for the 2007-8 season, they were very fortunate. Only losing a couple of prac-tices, the SAS boys and girls tennis teams were able to work hard and make

consistent improvement throughout the season. The teams competed in matches against UWC, in a Bangkok exchange and in an SAS exchange. Each match gave the players an opportunity to compete at a high level and improve their game. As the teams traveled to Kuala Lumpur for the season-ending IASAS tournament, they were playing at a high level and were optimistic about their performance.

The boys were a very young team but were

fortunate to have two outstanding competitors as

team captains, Shogo Kikui, a senior and member of the number one doubles team, and Michael He, a junior and the number one singles player. Both players were examples of how the team played as a whole. Michael’s defeat of Taipei’s number one player at IASAS was his best performance of the year. In addition, freshmen Neil Parekh and Kartik Das, played extremely well throughout the season and at IASAS. The boys team, coached by Roy Tomlinson, won the bronze medal in the very competitive IASAS tournament, and with all but one player returning next year, the team has a bright future.

The SAS girls team blazed through the first four IASAS matches, winning each in a convincing manner. The SAS and JIS girls were scheduled to play the final match of the tournament, but the teams were affected by significant rain delays. Tournament officials worked creatively to find alternative courts, and with modified scoring, the teams completed the tournament. The SAS girls team went through the tournament undefeated against the other teams, winning 20

matches and only losing 5. They won the gold with number one singles player Sarah Slaven and number two singles player Meiko Masuno both going undefeated with perfect 5-0 records and named “All Tournament” players. Clarissa Vainius and Rachel Liou were both four-year varsity letter winners, and Rachel was a four-year IASAS player. The team was coached by Tim Thompson.


Basketball

T he basketball teams held their first practice on the afternoon of Halloween and quickly began preparing for their annual participation in the Hong Kong Invitational Basketball Tournament. With two and a half weeks to pre-pare, the teams worked intensely to install offensive and defensive schemes and establish lineups. In addition to

the Hong Kong tournament, SAS hosted a basketball exchange with Jakarta International School and the International School Kuala Lumpur traveling to SAS. The girls team began the season with a strong performance in Hong Kong and finished third in the very competitive 12-team tournament. The girls continued to play well in the exchange, defeating ISKL twice and losing to JIS. Entering the IASAS tournament in Jakarta, the SAS and JIS girls teams were expected to compete for the gold medal. So it was exciting that the two teams were the first scheduled game. With a home crowd of students, teachers and parents, SAS was involved in an emotional game against a very talented JIS Dragon team. JIS led from early in the first quarter until midway into the fourth quarter, when SAS took the lead and never relinquished it. The Eagles used the emotional and hard fought game to gain momentum and win the next three games against, ISKL, ISM and ISB. SAS entered the final game against the TAS team, which had lost a hard fought game against JIS on Friday. As expected, it was an intense game that included many lead changes but in the last few minutes of the game, TAS won the game. The round robin portion of the tournament ended with three one-loss teams, JIS, SAS and TAS. Using FIBA tie-breaker rules, JIS and TAS were selected to play in the championship game. SAS played a spirited consolation game against ISB, which they won, 77-39, finishing the tournament in third place. Barb Lodwick and Elle Marsh

were selected as All Tournament players and Megan Anderson was a four year varsity letter winner. The girls team is coached by Chad Brekke and Rick Bisset.

With only five players returning, the boys were faced with rebuilding their team but Coaches Mike Norman and Dan Allen were excited about the abilities of the young athletes. The team came away with some strong performances and a fifth place finish in Hong Kong and defeated ISKL and JIS during the exchange. The boys were excited and confident as they traveled to Jakarta to compete in the IASAS tournament. They began the tournament against the talented ISKL team that they had defeated twice previously and won a very tough game. The Eagles won the two next two

games against the talented and well coached TAS team and home favorite, JIS. With several injuries and a great deal of emotion and energy spent on their win against JIS, the Eagles lost their next game against ISM. The boys team finished the round robin with a win against ISB and earned the right to play against JIS in the championship final. The first two quarters were very close but SAS maintained a lead for most of the first half. In the second half, the Eagles continued to build their lead and eventually won the championship, 80-66. The boys team was led by David Small, who made 29 points in the final, and Brady Baildon, Andrew Debell and Chris Hussey were selected All Tournament players. David Small was a four year IASAS player and a four year varsity letter winner. The boys won the gold medal for the ninth time in the last ten years.

IASAS Second Season Sports (cont’d)


Swimming

T he second season started late, with only six weeks of prepara-tion before finals and Christmas vacation and then only two and a half weeks in January before IASAS. The swimmers

did well in spite of this, practicing hard and staying close as a team. Forty-seven of the 56 boys and girls on the team attend the three-day training camp at Palm Resort on the weekend before school started in January, which helped everyone get back in shape for the end of the season. The swimmers were frequently tired but always happy due to Coach Betts’ excellent taste in music during practice.

The boys and girls swim teams are coached by Steve Betts and Julie Goode. The SAS girls won the IASAS championship for the tenth

year in a row, and the boys won for the fifth consecutive year. There were 140 s w i m m e r s from the six IASAS schools in the meet, and freshman Therese Vainius was the only swimmer to win five gold medals. Other individual gold medalists include sophomores Ted Chritton, Alex Rossinsky and Roxy Hesh, juniors Kirstie Parkinson and Mili Kale and seniors Anna Von Essen and Rod Hesh. Our swimming teams continue to look strong for the future; 24 boys and girls traveled to IASAS, and of those, four were freshmen and eight were sophomores.

It was another fantastic season for SAS Swimming but it was also the end of Coach Betts’ tremendous coaching tenure. He has coached the boys and girls swimming teams for the last seven years and during that time the girls have won seven gold medals and the boys have won six gold medals and one silver medal. The swimmers, parents and school will miss Coach Betts, but we are not so sure that the competing IASAS schools will be quite as sad to see him make a professional career change.

Good luck and best wishes, Coach Betts!



Touch and rugby

T he Touch and Rugby teams had a great number of student-athletes try out this year. Rugby had over 150 athletes try out and in an effort to grow the program, selected over 40

players to be a part of the varsity program, with Varsity A and Var-sity B teams. For the first time, both teams participated in exchang-es. The B team was undefeated. The A team improved drastically over the season; after losing to both KL and JIS in first exchange in KL, the team defeated both teams at home in January. The highlight of the exchange was a 31-point second-half comeback win over JIS – the best rugby the boys played all year.

IASAS team started well, winning the first two games, but struggled through the toughest part of the tournament. The team was hurt by injuries and players playing out of position. The team ended the IASAS round robin respectably tied for third but ended up in the 5th vs. 6th game based on points. The team played well in last match with only twelve players because three players were lost to injury. Captain Robbie Whitehead and Josh Smith were named to All IASAS team. It was a remarkable achievement for Josh as this was his first year playing rugby for SAS. The team was coached by Peter Cuthbert and Dylan Evans.

The Touch Rugby girls were divided into three teams, A, B, and C sides, with a total of 36 girls. The A team played 35 games; the B team played 25 games; and the C team played 22 games. The A team finished with 20 wins, 10 losses and 5 ties.

The IASAS team included a great core of returning veteran players, and the team was excited about the chance to challenge for the gold this year. The girls played very well and finished the IASAS tournament with four wins, two loses and a bronze medal. They missed getting into finals by one try differential. The team was lead by captains Alex Shaulis and Elisabeth Stocking, and Alex Shaulis and Nora Hanagan were selected as All-IASAS. The team is coached by Bill Hanagan and Anthony Selley.


Singapore American School Newsflash, March 2008

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Transcript of Singapore American School Newsflash, March 2008