one voice may 2010.pub

A Night To Remember

T he Scholars’ Dinner took place in the Glass Hall on

Thursday, April 29th, 2010. Guests compromising of

foreign and local scholars, staff members and the

Board of Governors were seated around round tables

fashioned after Chinese tradition with traditional Chinese food

being served.

The evening got off on a pleasant note with Sarah and Na of

Grade 12 singing a rendition of a Vietnamese love song “Beo Dat

May Troi” (Drifting lotus, wandering clouds). Two Burmese

scholars showcased their country’s traditional New Year dance

afterwards, which coincided nicely with the Burmese New Year

which took place only two weeks prior to the dinner. Mr. Brian

Christian, Principal of High School gave the opening address and

introduced Mr. Lawrence Da Silva, Chairman of the Board of

Governors, who applauded the scholars and acknowledged their

many contributions to the school.

A representative from the scholars, Ooi Koon Peng, re-

counted his experience coming to SJI International from St. Xa-

vier’s in Penang, Malaysia. He lavished compliments on his fel-

low scholars who have, rather than competed against each other,

continued to ‘help each other’ to achieve a common goal.

Other performances included a Saman Dance from Aceh,

Indonesia, performed by Indonesian scholars and a Vietnamese

scholar and some singing groups: Mitchell and Amanda of Grade

12 performing 21 Guns and Use Somebody; Huy, Ashain and

Brian of Grade 11performing Enrique Iglesias’s

Continued next page

OneVoice

Highlights of this issue:

A Night To Remember

Fourth Issue: April - May 2010

A student publication of SJI InternationalA student publication of SJI InternationalA student publication of SJI InternationalA student publication of SJI International

Editor’s note

As the term slowly approaches to a close,

school is becoming a stressful surreal blur

with projects, deadlines and IAs.

For the Grade 12s, this has been a trying

time of year, especially for the language

students that are taking their exams this

May; we wish them the best of luck! On a

lighter note, congratulations to all those

who have been successfully elected to the

Senior School and Student council. We are

sure there will be many contributions they

will make towards the school to the best of

their ability. One integral part of the school

community that have also contributed a lot

to the success of the school are our diligent

scholars. A scholars dinner was recently

held for them, and you can read about it in

this issue! We hope you continue to stay

tuned to OV!

* OneVoice can be found online; it is in the

s c h o o l w e b s i t e ( w w w . s j i -

international.com.sg) under students.

Glory, Glory... Page 4

University Advice Page 7

Something for the Gleeks Page 6

Senior Council Election Page 3 By Petrus Bosa Layarda

2 One Voice: A Student Publication of SJI International

Hero and Jeremiah and Sarah

of Grade 12 performing the

classical Ave Maria.

In an interesting twist to

the event, Rowland, who

graduated last year, was sabo-

ed (Singlish for sabotaged) by

the audience to give an im-

promptu performance. After

putting up a show of futile re-

sistance, he graciously agreed

and sang last year’s Jazz

Night’s winning song, Frank

Sinatra’s The Way You Look

Tonight, accompanied by

Sarah on spontaneous request.

They received a standing ova-

tion.

Ending the dinner in an

upbeat mood, everyone stood

up and sang The School Rally,

followed by The Alma Mater

Hail in true La Sallian spirit.

By Ryonna Chuo

3 Fourth Issue: April - May 2010

The atmosphere in the Glass Hall was tense

as students peered at their papers, focused and

intent at their choice of their candidates. For the

student council candidates themselves, their

hearts were racing, their minds questioning—had

their campaign worked? Do their peers see in

them the blazing fire of willingness to serve and

sacrifice?

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting

to the 24 candidates, the results emerged on a

piece of paper that stood out from the rest with 10

names that were bordered in a zigzagged marker

pattern on the senior school notice board. “Dao

Kai Lim, Forlando Tambunan, Gerard Lee, Glen

Koh, Ivor Tan, Joshua Prashad, Louisa Quek, Maria

Arulraj, Perry Kwan and Vincent Tanutama.” His-

tory has a tendency of repeating itself as last year,

there were also only two female members elected

into the Senior Council.

During the campaigning period, all of the

candidates exuded creativity and a burning pas-

sion to serve. No doubt, the speeches were

memorable and entertaining to their fellow peers,

ranging from a one-minute confession to a speech

aided with Powerpoint. Also, not a wall was left

uncovered as posters were plastered, borrowing

the creative genius of Apple advertisements, to

SENIOR COUNCIL ELECTION

self-styled ads that screamed for attention.

Although having only ten posts to fill in the

Senior Council, one’s contribution to the school

does not begin and end with election into the

Council. As students of our school, our La Sallian

spirits should be ever blazing, defining a suppor-

tive community to brave the ups and downs.

We wish the new Council a blessed year in

their service.

The following positions were also decided during

the senior council retreat:

President Ivor Tan

Vice-President Joshua Prashad Lourdesamy

Admin. Secretary Louisa Quek

Communication Secretary Dao Kai Lim

Student Welfare Secretary Vincent Tanutama

Sports Secretary Forlando Tambunan

Arts Secretary Gerard Lee

Service Secretary Perry Kwan

Faith Secretary Glen Koh

Special Project Secretary Maria Arulraj

NEXT EDITION, the story goes on:

Senior Council Retreat (Desaru, Malaysia)

4 One Voice: A Student Publication of SJI International

Glory, Glory…

Football team captain, Edmund Yeung, shares his thoughts

Reported by Daniel Lim

When borders divide, football unites. Football—a

universal language that is understood all over the

world, one that SJI International is rather fluent in.

Take a brisk walk around the school campus dur-

ing recess and it is no surprise to find a casual match

taking place in the field or courts; an unmistakable

passion that result in many falling into the trap of con-

ceding to the temptation of kicking a ball whenever it

is present. Some get caught, others get away, and then

there’s Edmund Yeung, captain of the Senior Team.

Yeung has been active in the founding days of the

school team, participating in matches and competi-

tions that have molded the team to what it is. This

year, Yeung has been appointed Captain to lead the

team to higher achievements. More importantly, this

year marks his senior year and final opportunity to

leave a mark in the yearbook.

“This season is make or break for us,” said the 18-

year old on behalf of the seniors who are in their final

year in SJI International. He also added that half of the

first team is made up of seniors, which would result in

high work rates through their added determination to

give it “one last shot” in the league that starts after mid

year.

The senior team has a lot to be confident about

despite the departure of several pivotal players that

graduated last year, namely captain and vice captain,

David Menon and Bryan Keasberry.

“There’s definitely more competition for starting

positions,” Yeung, stating that this would make the

players ‘fight’ for their positions and give their hun-

dred and ten percent at every training session and

match. “The players know that if they perform, they

have a strong chance of representing the school when

the season starts.”

Reasonable and realistic, the formula of a suc-

cessful season is promising and gives a lot for the

school to look forward to. In order for this to work,

Yeung feels that his role as captain is more than just a

leader. Motivation is a key aspect and the skipper feels

that as captain, he would be a motivator and lead by

example. “No one is bigger than the team. Yes, not even

you, Cristiano,” stated the twelfth grader, emphasizing

the importance of teamwork and strong team morale

to reach the goals set.

As the song goes, “Clear eyes, full hears, can’t

lose!”; an adage Yeung lives by and one that the team

has adopted.


The SJII netballers have once again brought

glory to the school! Our winning streak brought

us to the qualifying round for third/fourth place

against the Australian International School (AIS),

who were worthy opponents and true sports-

men till the very end!

Our team faced stiff competition, but they

persevered and did their best to counter any

moves made by the AIS netballers. Though our

supporters were ever motivating and cheered us

on throughout the match, we lost by the thinnest

of margins against AIS, to earn 4th placement in

the whole season.

We congratulate the netballers and wish

them better luck in the play offs next year!

NETBALL MATCH Reported by Wong Minying and Victoria Goh

Vesak Day Reported by Tan Shu Lin and Alessia Tassinari

Vesak Day is celebrated by Buddhists all around

the world every year. The exact date varies according

to the lunar calendars used in different traditions. It

originated from a great ceremonial ritual by Buddhists

and this commemorates the birth and enlightenment

of Buddha and his entry into Nirvana.

On the night of his enlightenment, 3 important

events took place within the night. The first event was

when Buddha’s mind was calm, clear and purified.

Light, knowledge and insight arose in him. He started

to see his previous lives. During the second event of

the night, Buddha saw how people die and are reborn,

depending on their Karma. He also saw how they dis-

appear and reappear from one form to another, and

from one plane of existence to another. During the fi-

nal event of the night, Buddha saw the arising and ces-

sation of all phenomena, mental and physical, he saw

how things arose depending on causes and conditions.

All this led him to attain Full Enlightenment and the

realisation came to him with all his psychic powers.

Vesak day starts off with the chanting of the su-

tras by saffron clad monks. Buddhists visit the temple

to pray, meditate and make offerings. Buddhist organi-

sations and temples conduct acts of generosity, which

is known as dana. Some of these acts include freeing

caged birds and animals, visiting the poor and needy

and organising mass blood donations at hospitals. The

day ends with a candlelight procession through the

streets. Anyone is welcome to join in the celebration at

Buddhist temples. On this special day, Buddhists also

distribute gifts in cash to different charitable homes

throughout the world.

Celebrating Vesak Day is a symbol of making spe-

cial efforts to bring happiness to those people that are

less fortunate, such as the aged, handicapped and the

sick. It is also a time of great joy and happiness. This is

expressed by useful activities such as decorating and

illuminating temples, and painting and creating exqui-

site scenes from the life of Buddha.

Vesak Day is a very special and meaningful day to

all Buddhists around the globe. It is a day of joy, fulfil-

ment, and happiness.

6

Animal Farm Reported by: David Lee

One Voice: A Student Publication of SJI International

To be honest, I had low expectations of this play as I’ve

read the story and doubted the play could remotely

compare. I was prepared for a run of the mill affair

with subtle jabs at pop culture and an overall light in-

terpretation of a novel from an author whose name

has been synonymous with totalitarianism.

Boy was I wrong! This was one of the best local

productions I have watched in a long time. Instead of

adopting a traditionally large cast and lavish set pieces

as I assumed, they only had a mere, lean 7 actors; each

portraying multiple characters. The stage had a bare

sufficient design, with almost no props, which was a

sight that can only be given justice if viewed for your-

self. At least they had a decent sound technician work-

ing backstage mixing sounds.

The acting was brilliant, the actors jumped seam-

lessly from role to role almost at the drop of a hat, one

moment they would portray a duck the next, Squealer

the Pig. It almost lives up to the bar set by the book,

though that in fairness is a high bar. If there was one

complaint is that the play doesn’t follow the book as

gospel and omits certain areas like the Battle for Wind-

mill and so on. But that is the pedantic complaints of a

critic, if you have the time from IB, I heartily recom-

mend Animal Farm.

Something for the GleeksSomething for the GleeksSomething for the GleeksSomething for the Gleeks Reported by: Alphonsina Chikwashi

Whether or not you’re a fan of Madonna, she’s in your

face! Love her or hate her, if you’re a Gleek you’ll crave

the compilation soundtrack recorded by the cast of

Glee of Madonna’s greatest hits.

Thankfully we hear the rest of the cast too with-

out Rachel Berry’s predominant vocals overriding the

song. What are the names of the rest? Joke. In ‘4 Min-

utes’, the addition of a marching band follows

smoothly with Mercedes’ powerful tone and Kurt’s

high notes taking the lead. It gives Timberlake some-

thing to be proud of don’t you think?

Get this, Sue Slyvester also known as, ‘The Sinis-

ter’, sang ‘Vogue’ and to summarise “The lady has

some pipes!”. Don’t worry she sings “Will Shuester I

hate you.”

The biggest shocker of the compilation would be

the guys singing “What it feels like for a girl”, awk-

wardly humorous, but well sung! Simply said, the

Queen of Pop would have this album in her iPod.

Must Listen: ‘4 Minutes’, ‘Like a Virgin’,’ Vogue’ and

‘What It Feels Like For A Girl’.


survIBe By David Lee

Reality check! Start getting yourself out of orien-

tation mood and jump head on with the IB, always be

on your game and don’t let your guard down or the

great monster stress will be knocking at your doorstep.

Clearing up small sized assignment on the day it

is assigned to leave ample time for bigger things like

IAs, major reports and essays is always a good idea.

Also try to digest and understand the details of the les-

son at the end of the day, and daily revision is advis-

able.

Make it a habit to do all worksheets given to you

by your teacher, whether or not they are assessed.

Study period is not a free period! Try to use your

study periods effectively to catch up on projects and

work.

Lastly, try to love the subject you’ve chosen, even

if you’re taking them just because they are require-

ments. If you hate Chinese, hypnotize yourself to think

“I love Chinese”. Be surprised with the results. Stu-

dents normally do better if they like the subject. Do

your magic, transform the pain into a gain, change the

angle you view things and pretty soon you’ll be on top

of the game!

Advice for

Grade Elevens We’ve seen it, breathed it and lived it. Grade 11s,

it’s now your turn to step up to the plate.

♦ Start early, select your choice course

and universities, giving you a goal to

work towards in this 2 years of tough

IB.

♦ Attend as many relevant talks as possi-

ble to see the difference in the univer-

sity and think of what suits you best.

♦ Check the senior school notice board

for announcements and reminders of

university talks that will be updated by

Ms Daver.

♦ Start saving notes on the personal

statement before you forget them.

♦ Check whether if your choice univer-

sity need entrance test such as SATs or

TOEFL. Arrange to sit for them on a date earlier than your actual exam so as to focus on both.

♦ Find out if there is any course related activities in or out of school, joining them will give you the

advantage to talk or write about them when you apply for universities

♦ Lastly, work towards your goal, of course, your final IB scores is the main determining factor al-

lowing you to choose your course and university.

Good luck!

University Advice Reported by: Yeoh JiaYi

one voice may 2010.pub

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