Author: Raffles Press

Please Mind the Platform Gap (Universities Edition): Deep Springs College

Reading Time: 9 minutes

By Clarice Tan (21A01C) and Matthew Ethan Ramli (21S03F)

Nestled in a desert valley in California is a small liberal arts school—Deep Springs College (DSC). The size of each cohort does not exceed 15, and students, in addition to managing their academic work, are expected to participate in labour and governance to prepare them for ‘a life of service’. Redefining education, DSC views students “not as consumers but as creators of their education and as stewards of a joint intellectual project”. Raffles Press spoke to RI alumna Amelia Ding (19A01D) to find out more.

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Discovering Seletar: WingsOverAsia Hangar and Lounge

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Press ’21

This is Part 2 of our coverage on Press’ learning journey to Seletar Aerospace Park. The tour was conducted by Xperience DMC. You can access Part 1 here.

31 March 2021 marked the first time Raffles Press has gone out on a Prexcursion (Press Excursion) since COVID-19 became our reality. There was a palpable sense of excitement as the Year 6s climbed on board the two minibuses, along with our tour guides and our teacher-in-charge, Mr Wong, who organised the whole tour for us. Before we knew it, we were whisked away to Seletar. 

The last stop on our learning journey was a visit to the WingsOverAsia hangar and lounge, which was, as our guide and flight instructor Mr Justin Chua explained to us, a private holding facility and temporary stopover point for non-commercial aircraft.

As much a lounge and entertainment facility as it is a holding point for aircraft, WingsOverAsia boasts a wide range of aviation-themed attractions, including a refreshing air-conditioned lounge that serves chilled drinks and tidbits which, after a hot day in the sun, we were more than grateful for. The lobby also hosts a crafting workshop that recycles old aircraft parts by turning them into new furniture, some of which was displayed at the facility’s café.

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Discovering Seletar: Seletar Aerospace Park

Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Press ’21

This is Part One of our coverage on Press’ learning journey to Seletar Aerospace Park. The tour was conducted by Xperience DMC. Part Two focuses on the visit to WingsOverAsia and you can access it here.

Think of Seletar and what comes to mind is probably its links to aviation—or perhaps you didn’t even know where Seletar was. 

Rest assured that we were no different, not till the Press ’21 batch excursion to Seletar (and yes, we managed to go on a Safe Management Measure–approved excursion before the current Covid-19 measures were in place)!

From aviation to nature, we uncovered the many facets of this lesser-known neighbourhood in Singapore with our tour guides, Mr Jeremy Koh and Mr Andrew Ong, who indeed proved most helpful on our great journey. 

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No, I Don’t Speak Tamil: Understanding Non-Tamil Indian Languages (NTIL)

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Samyak Jain (21S03A) and Snehal Sachde (21S07C)
Cover image by Neo Xin Yuan (21A01D) 

Chances are, you’ve complained about taking Mother Tongue before. We sure have. However, some of us have more to complain about than others. On top of the regular boredom which many associate with the subject, students who take Non-Tamil Indian Languages (NTILs) face a unique set of challenges that are generally not considered by the wider school population. 

Chances also are, you know that most Indians in Singapore speak and learn Tamil. However, this isn’t an accurate representation of the languages spoken in India at all. 

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Friendship Is Family: FAM 2021

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Matthew Ethan Ramli (21S03F) and Noelle Leow (21A01B)

Kicking off Friendship Appreciation Week on Tuesday was a concert by Raffles Jazz. The Amphitheatre steps were filled with socially-distanced students drawn by the promise of live music. The crowd, which extended to the benches behind and the levels above, waited in eager anticipation for the concert—and were rewarded by Jazz’s rich and soulful melodies.

Drawing from their existing repertoire, Jazz played three famous standards: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra and two Stevie Wonder hits, “For Once in My Life” and “Isn’t She Lovely”. According to Jazz member Benjamin Silver Matthew (21A13A), these songs were chosen for their popularity within the school population. 

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