Scholars enhance UWC life - United World College of South East Asia

Dunia, April 2010
40
Parents’ Association
Dover Parents’ Association Early Christians Walking Tour
Dear Parents,
Message to Quiz Lovers: Never mind. It’s not over. Quiz Night will be back in first term
of the new school year! With so many great events planned at school and in greater
Singapore I was only a little surprised that we had to postpone our Caribbean Quiz
Night last month due to lack of numbers. Our Quizmaster and parent Julia Russell has
put together a quiz full of fun and challenge and can’t wait to see you all at Quiz Night
later in the year.
Our Seniors are in their final throes of school now. As the last weeks approach, I am
looking forward to Spirit Week this month and seeing what surprises the Seniors have
in store. I also wonder what group of Grade 11s will get the corner black table in the
Tent Plaza.
On a personal note I say farewell a number of many Senior’s parents whom I have
enjoyed knowing during these past ten years. I think we will have had as many shared
experiences during our time at the College as our children will have to take with them.
As parents we can all feel for the Seniors as they say goodbye to this meaningful and
important phase of their lives and look towards the next exciting episode, with some
rather gruelling exams in between.
For the younger students the future is a
little further off but it was made to feel a
little closer for many who attended the
Careers Fair 2010 in February. Hundreds
of students from High School and their
parents attended the Fair to meet and chat
with around 80 professionals who kindly
gave up their Saturday afternoon for the
students. There was plenty to grab everyone’s
interest from the free ice-creams to the realisation that you can make a career
using Social Media like Facebook! Meanwhile the University and Counselling teams
put together some useful presentations to help the younger students gear up for their
subject choices and beyond. It was wonderful to see so many members of the Alumni
who volunteered to come along. Those who had experienced Careers Fairs in the past
stressed how valuable it had been for them. There are many to thank for making this
event so successful. We offer sincere thanks to our school heads, teachers, counsellors,
alumni, and especially the parents for supporting this worthwhile bi-annual event.
The PA is fortunate to have the support of so many parents for its activities. We have
an active group of Grade and Nationality Reps who help us get our messages out and
liaise with their own smaller parent groups. One parent who has been a powerhouse
for the Korean Community is Rany Han. Rany, better known as ‘Korea 911’ has helped
in countless ways with her own nationals and the wider community from giving advice
on Korean academic matters to assisting with socialising and fundraising. Rany will
be sorely missed by the PA once she ‘graduates’ in May and we hope she can find a
replacement from her dynamic nationality group.
So the year gallops on to third term and there is still a lot left in store for the students
and parents. If you would like to find out more about the Dover Parents’ Association,
want to help out or have any feedback or comments please get in touch with us at
pauwc@uwcsea.edu.sg.
Finally let me wish the best of luck to all the Seniors in their final exams and hope they
remember what our wise friend Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until
it’s done.”
Best wishes,
Photo by Sunghye Joo
In early March, 10 parents from
East and Dover Campuses went on
a three-hour walking tour to several
of the Singapore’s first churches,
including St Joseph’s Church, Cathedral
of the Good Shepherd, Armenian
Church and St Andrew’s Cathedral.
The churches, all in the historic part
of Singapore between the Padang
and Fort Canning, represented the
Portuguese, French, Armenian and
English foreign communities in Singapore
from the mid 1850s.
Guide Claudia Klaver gave a very
informative tour about the arrival of
the pastors, the nature of their work,
the manner in which the churches
were funded and built and the construction
and details about the actual
structures. We learnt how the people
like Paterson, Sarkies, Coleman and
MacPherson - who all have roads
names after them - were very active
in their churches at the time.
The Armenian Church was the
oldest, with a small circular hall
preserved in its original form. Several
churches still retain a vibrant
community, now composed of a mix
of Chinese, Eurasian and Indian
Singaporeans as well as migrant and
expat communities such as Koreans
and Filipinos. In fact, while we were
at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd,
there was a Korean language
service taking place!
The idea of the walking tours was
to provide way the participants from
both campuses can come together
on common ground to walk, talk
and bond. This was the second of
a planned series of walks and the
event once again lived up to its expectations.