Category: Human Interest

Commentary, Human Interest

At the Frontlines: An Insight Into A Chaotic Year in the Laboratory for Dr Brendan Pang

By Azzahra Osman (22S03P) and Ting Kaily (22S03P)

The Covid-19 pandemic has been raging across the world for the past year. With new waves of the pandemic hitting many parts of the world hard, including our nation, which has recently been placed on a heightened alert (a.k.a CB 2.0 to many), many job scopes have since been thrust to the forefront. As we learn more about jobs at the frontlines, apart from doctors and nurses, we will be exploring how a pathologist’s life has been impacted by this devastating outbreak. 

Dr Brendan Pang, an RJC alumnus from the class of 1995, is an anatomic and molecular pathologist responsible for leading a team of staff in Parkway Laboratory Services and Angsana Molecular and Diagnostic Laboratory. These are companies involved in the molecular testing of blood and tissue samples from patients for diagnostic applications. 

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Commentary, Human Interest

Discovering Seletar: WingsOverAsia Hangar and Lounge

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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Commentary, Human Interest, Nature Features

Discovering Seletar: Seletar Aerospace Park

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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Commentary, Human Interest, School Life

Raffles Asia Programme Symposium 2021

By Faith Ho (22A01A), Lara Tan (22A01B), Mei Feifei (22A13A)

“Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls, For thus, friends absent speak.” 

For a second, it felt as if we were listening to a Renaissance Literature tutorial as Ms Lye Su Lin commenced the Raffles Asia Programme (RAP) Symposium 2021 with two lines from John Donne’s To Sir Henry Wotton.

The symposium, held over Zoom, did not enjoy the usual fanfare of its previous thirteen editions. Nonetheless, Ms Lye used her address to remind us of the value of the RAP symposium: a coveted opportunity for the Humanities Programme Year 6s to embark on research projects unique to the Asian context in “pure intellectual pursuit”. The symposium consisted of screenings of videos made by each group presenting their projects, as well as Q&A sessions for the participants to probe deeper into any of the topics that were covered. 

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Commentary, Human Interest, Op-Eds, School Life, Staff Features

A Look Into The Lives of Our “Unsung Heroes”: The EJ-RI Perspective

This was written in collaboration with EJC Press as part of Issue 3 of Cross Island Impressions, an inter-JC Press collaboration. You can read Issue 3 here.

By Faith Ho (22A01A; RI), Eliora Tan (21-E5; EJC), Jolina Nair (21-E5; EJC), and Richard Tiew (21-I2; EJC)

Have you ever thought about who cleans our school toilets? Or who ensures safety on our school campuses? And who prepares the food in our canteens? 

These are the day-to-day responsibilities of the “unsung heroes” in our school. Without their contributions, our schools would not be operational. This op-ed examines the experiences of the non-teaching staff we see everyday: our school custodians (cleaners, gardeners and estate staff), security guards and canteen hawkers, who form the backbone of our schools. 

However, we are frequently preoccupied with other matters in our daily lives, so their work often slips under our radar and they remain invisible and unacknowledged. 

Are these non-teaching staff really seen as part of our school? What are the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis? And can we truly call them both “unsung” and “heroes”? 

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