School Life

RI200 Preview: Festival of Ideas

Reading Time: 2 minutes

By Raphael Niu (23A01A) 

For a while in 2022, it felt like the world had no good news to offer.

Over 8 million refugees fled west as Russian shells pummelled Ukrainian cities. Devastating monsoon floods in Pakistan wiped out 900,000 homes. Back in Singapore, relentless inflation squeezed the incomes of families already hit by pandemic lay-offs and pay cuts. With headlines dominated by doom and gloom, it is easy to be desensitised and to tune out from current discourse.

At first glance, the Festival of Ideas, organised as part of RI’s bicentennial celebrations, might appear to be just another symposium about the world’s problems. However, I was struck by the Festival’s commitment to exploring intersections: between issues, between sectors, and between forms.

Continue reading “RI200 Preview: Festival of Ideas”

A Level Results 2023: Ground Sentiments

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Saara Katyal (23S05A), Tay Yu Ning (23S06E) and Venkatesan Ranjana (23A01D)

Photos courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

“They’re going that way—that way’s faster!”

RI’s Y7s, no longer clad in white and green school uniforms, could barely contain their excitement as they streamed into the Multi-Purpose Hall to collect their A Level results on the afternoon of February 17th. 

Continue reading “A Level Results 2023: Ground Sentiments”

RI Open House ‘23: WRIte Your Story

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Venkatesan Ranjana (23A01D)

The morning of 13 January saw a steady stream of visitors flowing into RI from our Marymount gate, as prospective Year 5 students and their parents were greeted by our Befrienders stationed near the registration booth, while the rest of the campus thrummed with anticipation.

Indeed, the whole school seemed to be revitalised by the fresh faces and the excitement in the atmosphere—a welcome feeling for those of us who had only experienced school events in  the pandemic era. The 2023 RI Open House, with its theme of  “wRIte your story”, was certainly an all round success for both visitors and the student body alike, with its multitude of highlights that delighted and captivated attendees.

Continue reading “RI Open House ‘23: WRIte Your Story”

Some Dreams From Now: RI200 Anthology Launch

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Saara Katyal (23S05A) and Tang Lanyun (23S05A)

On the 14th of January, the Yusof Ishak Atrium was unusually abuzz with activity as a crowd of distinguished guests gathered to witness the launch of the RI200 literary anthology, Some Dreams From Now: 135 Years of Rafflesian Writing. In attendance were members of RI’s Board of Governors, principals past and present, as well as contributors to the anthology.

Some Dreams From Now was conceived by alumnus Theophilus Kwek (Class of 2012) and Mrs Cheryl Yap, Head of Alumni Relations & Archives. In 2021, fourteen literature students recruited from Y4-Y6 began the arduous process of trawling through the archives of student publications such as The Rafflesian, and reading the published works of noted Rafflesian alumni to identify pieces for the anthology. 

Continue reading “Some Dreams From Now: RI200 Anthology Launch”