The new logo for the Home Economics Institute, Raffles
This morning, Principal Mrs. Lim Lai Cheng announced at a media conference that RI will get its very own Home Economics Institute, Raffles (HEIR) in the third quarter of 2013. This follows the successful roll-out of the EW Barker Institute of Sports, the Raffles Leadership Institute, and the Raffles Science Institute.
Explaining the rationale for the latest initiative, Mrs. Lim explained, “We have been tracking the marriage and fertility rates of ex-Rafflesians for the past 5 years. There has been a noticeable drop of over 70% in the number of graduates finding their significant other.”
The school has started a nationwide search for a Dean to lead the new institute, together with two or three specialists in the field. To be funded by the 1823 Fund, the institute will be housed at the current Humanities Programme block, which will be re-painted.
Once fully operational, the institute will provide enrichment programmes in cooking, sewing, cleaning and child-rearing to Year 5 students during Protected Time. Unlike external programmes, which tend to teach practical skills, the Institute will focus on the fields of “differentiated research, thought leadership, and household administration and psychology”. Elite students who successfully complete the course will receive a Distinction in the new Life Skills Development Domain of the Raffles Diploma.
In addition, the Institute will also run an Intensive Core Remediation Programme for selected Year 5 students during the school holidays. Those who require the additional support will be identified by their Civics Tutors.
Members of the Rafflesian community have responded positively to the announcement. Parent of a Year 5 student, Mrs. Mary Low told us, “I am so relieved that the school is doing something in this regard. The formal accreditation process will ensure that my son is marketable to potential spouses.”
Civil servant Mr. Tan Keng Meng, who graduated from RJC in 2006, also wrote in to say that he was pleased that RI was “furthering the national direction articulated in the Population White Paper, and heeding MOE’s calls to move away from an excessively academic education.”
It is expected that the Institute will be officially launched at RI’s 190th Founder’s Day in July.
An account of the National Schools Cross Country Championships 2013. The writer is a member of Cross Country and Press.
Photos from Today Online and Jolene Quek (13A01C).
27 March 2013 has long been on the calendar for many of us not because of the Maths CT1 paper, but because it was the day which would mark the culmination of all the time, energy and effort we had invested into the gruelling trainings – the National Schools Cross Country Championships 2013 to be held at Bedok Reservoir. It has been no secret that our aim was nothing short of the double Gold, and both our A boys’ and girls’ teams had been quietly confident going into this penultimate race of the season, having established ourselves as the school to beat in the 3 previous races. But we were not about to let the danger of complacency set in. The focus was on maintaining our position and working on getting enough sleep, nutrition, and hydration, especially with the horrible weather in the weeks leading up to the race.
It was 7am and the previously quiet and tranquil environment of the reservoir gradually grew in activity as competitors and supporters alike began to stream into the area and teams began to head off in different directions for customary warm-up routines – the whole place was abuzz with excitement as everyone eagerly anticipated the start of proceedings.
The A Boys kicked off the day with the first race scheduled at 9am, a distance of 4.3km that was exactly one round of the reservoir.
RI runners forming the leading pack from the start of the race – just like another training run (from left to right: Yu Jie, Jonathan (partially hidden), Jia De, Bryan)
While the pre-race favourite Karthic from Hwa Chong quickly established a sizeable lead, no one was willing to follow his punishing pace as he was clearly a class above the rest. Barring him, the lead pack consisted of our top 4 RI runners in Yu Jie, Bryan, Jia De and Jonathan and an ACJC runner as the pace quickly settled down. We did not have an actual race plan, but if there was one, it was to run together and that was exactly what we did. This “running formation” of sorts was sustained for most of the race and it was only possible because we had practiced running together at such a pace in training so many times that it felt almost natural to do that in the race.
In the end, Yu Jie finished 2nd, Bryan 3rd, Jonathan 4th and Jia De 6th to secure a commanding victory of 15 points over our nearest competitors Hwa Chong Institution. Our 5th and 6th runners also performed commendably, with Everest coming in 10th and Joshua coming in 11th. (Cross Country team scores are calculated based on the positions of the top 4 runners in the team.)
A Boys’ team with the champions’ trophy and Overall Challenge trophy (back, L to R: Everest Yeow, Heng Yu Jie, Lim Jia De, Joshua Nga, Darrion Mohan, Goy Shen; front: Jonathan Tan, Bryan Yong)
When we finished our race, the A Girls were there to congratulate us before they reported as their race was the last race of the day, starting at 9.50am. Having the A Boys team championship in the bag, we were rooting for our girls’ team and hoping that they could wrest the team championship back from bitter rivals Hwa Chong Institution who had won it in 2012.
Our girls’ team had displayed ruthless dominance in the previous race by sweeping the top 4 individual positions to record a perfect score of 10, and they repeated their sheer superiority led by Jolene Quek, who stopped the clock as A Division Girls’ Champion in 14.11.79 for the 3.6km route. She was followed closely by Janielle Lim in 2nd, Tan Wan Xin in 3rd and Adeline Bee rounded off the legendary finish in 4th. Mary-Lisa Chua and Daphne Chia finished 8th and 9th respectively to ensure that all 6 girls finished within the top 10 places. This is the first time in recent memory that any team has swept the top 4 positions and perhaps possibly the incredible unlikelihood of this occurrence means that our A Girls could probably have just walked themselves into the history books of Inter-School Cross Country with a performance that deservedly stole the limelight.
Jolene Quek, Tan Wan Xin, and Janielle Lim complete the podium – tired after the race, but who says you can’t smile?
With RI also taking home the A Division Boys’ and B Division Boys’ team championships, National Cross Country Championships 2013 was a good day for RI who dominated it with 3 out of the 6 team titles, winning 3 out of a possible 4 on offer.
Victory has never tasted so sweet – our victorious A Girls’ Team! (L to R: Daphne Chia, Mary-Lisa Chua, Adeline Bee, Tan Wan Xin, Janielle Lim, Jolene Quek, Victoria Tan)
RI Cross Country thanks our coach, Mr Steven Quek, our teacher-in-charge Mr Tay Meng Kiat, Mr Vincent Quek and Mrs Ramesh from the Year 1-4 side, Madam Or, the RV Cross Country teacher-in-charge, and the many alumni who come back to help us with training, as well as the seniors and student supporters.
The RI contingent at National Schools Cross Country 2013 – bringing home 3 titles
“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” – C.S. Lewis
The year 2012 was mired by a multitude of scandals involving high-profile figures and public officials. This, along with the Ministry of Education’s plan to place more emphasis on values and character, could explain the sudden spike in assembly talks and reminders centred on morals and discipline.
Watch out, everyone – you may be issued a white slip for forgetting your exam register number!
As RI’s no-nonsense discipline master, Mr Tan Boon Poh is known for the poker face expression that accompanies his interactions with students, from doling out lame jokes and white slips to reciting the infamous THINK. But if “Hurry up, come in!” or “Eh, where’s your badge?” is all you remember of him, you might have to tweak that opinion soon. In today’s Teacher Feature, we find out more about our stoic DM’s mysterious life as RI’s head rule enforcer and his marathon pursuits.
THINK is Mr Tan’s much-loved mantra
All his working life, Mr Tan has faithfully lectured batches after batches of Physics students in RI. Yet. why teaching in the first place? “As part of my mechanical engineering degree, I was on an industrial attachment for 6 months. I found it quite boring to do a 9 to 5 job, so I decided to do something more interesting and less regimental,” Mr Tan explained. But regiment eventually caught up – since 2008, he has been our second official Discipline Master.
BEING DM Press: How exactly is a DM appointed and how did you feel when you first heard of your appointment? Any reservations?
Mr Tan: How ah? I don’t know leh. RJC only has only had two DMs, which are Mr Leong Yew Wah (Deputy Principal, Special Projects) and me. I was quite surprised when Mr Winston Hodge first asked me and I was wondering, “Why me?” Of course I had some reservations as I had totally no idea of what to do as a discipline master. The DM’s job is not just dealing with students. Part of it is also about working with teachers – how to get them to support the rules, how to enforce them and so on.
Fun fact: Mr Tan’s rule-enforcing days actually date back to primary school, where he was a prefect!
What is the best and worst thing about being DM?
Well, they are somewhat the same thing. When nothing happens and there are no cases to handle, I have more time for myself and I can be assured that the students are self-regulating. However, the worst thing would be when a lot of serious offences happen back to back and I will be busy with investigations, counselling the students and meeting parents.
Mr Tan at CCAL Camp
What are some of the most absurd excuses you have heard from students?
Hmm, most absurd excuses… There was one during Take 5 just recently where two girls and one boy were trying to climb over the fence into the Port of Lost Wonder (the water play area for children with the pirate ship). So I stopped them and when I asked them why they were climbing over the fence – the boy had already climbed over, they responded saying they were going to the toilet, but there was no toilet in sight.
Also, I once came across this boy who was sitting in the canteen in slippers and he said it was because he was going for swimming training. And so I asked him why wasn’t he in his swimming trunks too.
What is the most annoying thing students do which you wish you could issue a warning slip for?
Students who write the wrong number on their OMR (Optical Mark Reader) answer sheet during exams. Because the marking is done automatically by computer, once someone shades the wrong number, I have to take out the piece and re-shade his number correctly for him. Actually, it is even worse when he shades in his classmate’s instead. This results in the machine computing his marks as his classmate’s. What is the worst is when his goes in before his classmates and the machine jams as there is a repetition of the same number. Then I’ll have to go and readjust and it takes a lot of time.
Also, students who don’t remember their register number and sit at the wrong tables in the examination hall. The whole class ends up sitting in the wrong place and they all have to shift, which can disrupt the concentration of the rest in the hall.
RUNNING
If you’ve caught Mr Tan running around the track, you might be immediately drawn to his attention-catching barefoot shoes. Interestingly enough, his interest in running was founded on more practical concerns rather than love for the activity itself. As he puts it, “The running was because I was preparing for my 2.4km run a few years ago. Since I take a bath after I run, I thought ‘Why not run further?’ And as I ran farther and farther I found it more enjoyable”.
As for the barefoot shoes, he discovered them in a book on running entitled “Born to Run”. And for the Physics behind it? Let’s just say that it’s somewhere along the lines of reaction forces, centre of gravity and acceleration.
So the barefoot shoes help you run farther?
It is not so much that the barefoot shoes help me in running farther. I find that it helps me have a more natural style of running and reduce the impact on my knee. You try to land on the ground first with the middle of your foot or your forefoot below your center of gravity (CG). To me, it’s a new style of running. Most people who wear barefoot shoes run in this style, because it’s very painful to strike the ground first with your heel as barefoot shoes do not offer any cushioning. So the more technical part is that you try to take shorter strides to prevent overextending your leg. You make up for the shorter strides by taking more frequent steps.
Have you gone for any marathons?
I’ve run two marathons and more than ten half marathons. Which is why I say you need to set a target. Because if you just run, you’ll just get bored. So usually I will sign up for a race, like my upcoming one is the RUN350. Once I paid to sign up, must go right? Then go already, should come in with some good timing, right. So every race, I’ll set a target, like 2 h 15 min for a half marathon. Then I’ll follow a training programme – run how many times a week, what type of run to run and timing for each run.
Best timing?
2 h 15 min. For a half marathon.
Any ultimate goal?
No I’m not the competitive type, so as long as I enjoy running that’s fine.
Mr Tan was the first one shaved at Hair For Hope 2012
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It’s not just about issuing white slips and applying Physics concepts to running – Mr Tan also shared with us how being DM has prepared him for the nobler task of parenthood.
So do you have any other hobbies?
Hmm not really, I think it’s just running, and taking care of my kids. I don’t have much time for anything else.
May we ask if you discipline your children in the same way as you do in school?
It depends. When I talk to most of the students in RI, they do understand and change their behaviour. But for kids, they can be too young to understand what you are talking about, so that’s where a cane comes in useful.
Do you think being DM has prepared you for disciplining your children?
Yes, sad to say, from the cases I handle I’ve learnt what not to do when bringing up children.
So to end off, any advice for someone who would like to start exercising regularly?
Begin with the end in mind. You need to set up a target, what you want to do. Then come up with a plan and have the discipline to stick to the plan.
We would like to convey our sincerest thanks to Mr Tan for so graciously agreeing to this candid interview and hope that none of you will forget your register numbers this upcoming CTs!
By Jeremy Yew (13A01B) Additional Reporting by Allison Choong (14S05B) and Bryan Chua (14A01A)
“I confess…that I check the RJ Confessions Page everyday without fail!”
On Feb 10th (strategically timed before Valentine’s Day), the RJ Confessions Facebook page was created, and has garnered more than 3500 likes and 7000 people talking about it. For those who have been living under their Math tutorial booklet, this is the RI Y5 and 6 equivalent of an online anonymous confessions trend that has been all over everyone’s news feed. The first page that sparked it all off was probably the NUS Confessions Page, which spawned a slew of pages for both undergrad and tertiary student communities such as NTU, SMU, and ACSI, with even a little-sibling Raffles Confessions meant for the Y1-4 side and RGS students.
“All dat BGRs”, indeed…90% of all posts on the RJ Confessions page are related to infatuation, relationships or love. The longest ever post was a 741-word essay (word count included) on BGR in JC.
Trivial, shocking, or funny; encouraging, honest, or thought-provoking. The wide range of ‘confessions’ that appear on the constantly updated RJ Confessions page could be seen as testament to a unique Rafflesian creativity, humor, and expression (or perhaps repression). They include everything from actual confessions and anecdotes on school life to rants, moralistic policing and even original poetry!
Not to forget the bread and butter of any confession page: the romantic confessions, and their counterfeit counterparts: the ‘troll’ confessions. These probably number as many as the genuine ones, and are done for laughs or to embarrass friends.
A site that sees such heavy traffic and volume cannot be single-handedly maintained. But who are the genii behind this source of entertainment (or disdain) for thousands of Rafflesians and non-Rafflesians alike? Admins 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of course! You know them by their comments, now here’s a chance to find out more about how they operate, and what they think of the phenomenon itself. Raffles Press presents our exclusive interview with the RJ Confessions Page admins.
Which batch(es) are you from? Tell us more about yourselves!
We will reveal it when the time is right. Admin 1 is a guy, Admins 2 and 5 are girls, Admins 3 and 4 are currently in NS.
Do any of your friends know who you are, or do you keep your identity as secret as super-heroes?
Only a few of Admin1’s friends know.
How has the frequency of confession submissions been since the page’s opening? Do you think this phenomenon will die down?
We don’t really measure the frequency, but yes the frequency has been decreasing, but barely. Admin 2 thinks this phenomenon is just a fad that will die down as everyone starts mugging, but Admin 1 thinks then, this page will still be used but to rant about different matters such as PW.
What inspired you to create this page? What motivates you to keep it running?
Well Admin 1 does this page really just to give other Rafflesians an avenue to voice out concerns they’re afraid of voicing out usually, because Admin 1 has been hoping for something like this for a long time but since no one did it, he got inspired by the recent confessions trend in local universities and decided to create such a page. We keep it running because we are sure there will be other Rafflesians like Admin 1 out there who want this page.
How long do you plan to do this?
We’ll do it for as long as people continue to support us and use this page.
How often do you check/post stuff? How much time do you spend sifting through submissions? How do you find the time?!
We do it any time and all the time – we use time turners.
You sometimes add in snide, humorous or corrective comments at the end of some posts; for example, pointing out the other side of an extreme opinion. Do you see yourselves as neutral facilitators, or moralistic arbiters of the RJ confessions community?
Nope, not at all, we’re just adding our own comments because sometimes we just feel that something needs to be said about the confession; it’s quite entertaining too.
What is your censorship policy? How many submissions do you reject daily?
Well we reject all posts containing obvious names and posts containing vulgarities or highly defamatory ones, especially if they are ungrounded accusations. Different admins have different criteria. Admin 2 generally does not like posts about love whereas Admin 1 favors those posts. Generally nowadays we hardly reject submissions because people are starting to learn what is acceptable and what is not.
How do you feel about bearing the burden of responsibility to maintain the institution’s reputation? (Do you even consider that your duty?)
Yes, many people reminded Admin 1 of that at the start, and yes we do bear that in mind.
A wet blanket or a prudent warning? We’ll find out eventually.
Is it…True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind? What do you think is the risk of ‘offensive’ or ‘disagreeable’ content being posted? What if the school requests that the page be shut down?
Honestly, I think THINK isn’t really Necessary, because if all those conditions had to be met, then 90% of RJ Confessions posts would never have existed. I think only the T aspect of THINK is important. I think the risk of such acts is already amply covered in newspapers/GP lessons, but I still think it would only have, at most, a short term impact on our school’s reputation. I don’t think I will agree with the school if they asked me to shut this page down; there is little they can do to force me into doing it too.
What are some examples of the “ugliest” confessions you receive?
Well, basically there were vivid descriptions of sexual fantasies. I certainly hope those were trolls.
In your opinion, do you think RJ Confessions has debunked or reinforced Rafflesian stereotypes in the public eye?
I doubt so. Some things are too ingrained for a few comments on the Internet. To change such stereotypes requires the long-term co-operation of all Rafflesians – past, present and future.
Wouldn’t a Twitter feed be well-suited to posting confessions? We think the Facebook page is enough on our plates as it is.
Indeed, they do have a lot on their plates – these admins have filtered and posted a whopping 2400 entries to date, excluding those that are not aligned with their censorship policy, as well as many romantic confessions they deemed not interesting enough.
And Raffles Press has slogged through every one of those 2400 posts (okay, confession: that’s just Jeremy…who needs to get a life) to come up with some of our favorite posts, based on a range of criteria such as originality, humor, and memorability. Presenting, in no order of merit:
Raffles Press’ Top 10 Favorite RJ Confessions
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And of course, the most famous one of all, the “payphone” confession! Too long to be posted here, it has garnered more than 3300 likes and has even been featured on 9GAG Singapore!
RJ Confessions is not just about infatuated declarations and unrequited crushes. It’s about freedom of speech (though some might disagree, given the unchecked moderating power of the Admins), and the boundaries our community is willing to challenge. It’s about Rafflesian creativity and humor at its best (and worst) – for many students this may be a new opportunity to try their hand at creative writing, something they may not get the chance to do in the daily grind of academic life. It’s about Rafflesians helping each other out – either by sharing inspiration or dispensing experienced advice; a support network of individuals united by common experiences.
The staff of RI are not to be left out of the fun, of course; quite a number of them do follow the page closely, including Mr. Dominic Chua (Head of Creative Direction of the Communications, Alumni Relations and Advancement Department), who has himself responded to a post by a senior complaining about the corporatization of RI’s image. He muses: ‘From a sociological and communications point of view, it’s a listening post, gossip centre and rantboard all rolled into one!”
While naysayers might claim that anonymity can breed irresponsibility, and that such an uncontrolled media platform could lead to disastrous PR situations, Mr Chua thinks otherwise: “I think [such confession pages] make people in positions of authority nervous because salacious or even hateful material could in theory get posted, but with the RI pages at least we’re trusting in the two checks that do exist – first, the intelligence and good sense of the various admins, and second, the ability of the community of readers to step in and moderate what’s been said – to keep the pages working in the best interests of the Rafflesian community.’
RJ Confessions also plays a crucial role as a space for Rafflesians to talk about and deal with stereotypes within our community (albeit in an open platform). Since its inception, the page has seen more than 20 posts that denounce, qualify, reinforce or discuss Rafflesian stereotypes, including contributions from non-Rafflesians or members of the public. It can also be an avenue for socially marginalized groups to speak up; for example, there have been numerous sexual-minority confessions that talk about the challenges they face being ‘open’ or ‘closed’ amongst peers about their sexual identities, calling for greater tolerance and acceptance.
It is easy to dismiss this page as frivolous or trivial, a passing phenomenon that will eventually fade. Yet, more than one month on, it is still going relatively strong; perhaps its enduring appeal lies beyond the anonymity it grants and the audience response it guarantees. As the quote on the pillar in the library says, the Rafflesian Spirit is “…that which transcends generations to bind Rafflesians to work as one to strive towards a better age”. RJ Confessions’ continued relevance may be in the niche that it fulfills – allowing Rafflesians across batches and from all facets of the rich RI(JC) experience to connect. Ultimately, beyond functioning as the sole cross-experiential and cross-generational platform of discourse for Rafflesians to engage in, the roles that RJ Confessions can embody will be defined by the discernment and ingenuity of individual Rafflesians.
