Commentary, Nationally Speaking, Singapore

Tradition Adrift: Orang Laut Heritage in a Modern Nation
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Gladys Koh (26A01B), Kunchur Bharat (26A01B) and Lerraine Neo (26A01A)

All images, unless otherwise stated, were taken by the writers.

Before Lee Kuan Yew, the Crown colonies, and Raffles, there were the Orang Laut. Literally translated from Malay as ‘people of the sea’, they are a group of seafaring nomads who resided in the waters around Maritime Southeast Asia, such as the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Islands, Java, and Sumatra. And, they are Singapore’s indigenous people. 

Also known as the Orang Pulau, in Singapore’s quest for modernisation, they have faded into obscurity, confined to a few pages in a Social Studies textbook, if any. One organisation, oranglaut.sg, wishes to change that.

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Commentary, Current Affairs, Internationally Speaking, Op-Eds, Opinion

When Machines Wage War, Who Remembers?
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Gladys Koh (26A01B)

For all of its devastation, war has a way of forcing invention.

A century ago, when the first tanks rolled over the mire of the First World War, soldiers recoiled with horror. They called them “metal monsters”—unfamiliar machines grinding through the trenches like something half alive.  While some soldiers fled amidst a spray of successive gunfire, others stood frozen, trapped in the shadow of impending doom. 

The first tanks used in World War I. Image credit: Imperial War Museums

But the scenes before our eyes have shifted today. 

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CCA Events, Features, School Life, Sports

NSG 2026 Features: Softball
Reading Time: < 1 minute

By Irene Eva Thomas (26A01B)

Wondering what Softball has been up to as they gear up for their NSGs? Curious about how you can show your support and cheer your friends on during their games? Well, look no further!

Catch an inside look at their journey, training sessions, team spirit, and the motivation that drives them forward. Stay tuned for the rest of their games, and don’t forget to come down and support them as they fly our flag high! 🥎🔥

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Commentary, Features, Nature Features, School Life

Murder at the Biodiversity Pond
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Sophie Sim (27S05A)

The Visitor: An Adventure Log

24 FEB 3:23PM: An unexpected guest had made a splashy entrance at our Biodiversity Pond: An otter. 

A real, whiskered, fish-in-mouth otter.

Nothing stood between it and an evening buffet of all the fattest koi our school had to offer. It was otter-ly villainous, chasing the fish playfully before grabbing an unfortunate koi in its paws and, rather unceremoniously, tearing off its head.

Otter after tearing off the head of a fish (Photo by Yap Uistean (27S03K))
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Features, Singapore

“Let’s Play!” — Singapore International Festival of the Arts 2026 Programme Reveal
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Kunchur Bharat (26A01B)

Singapore International Festival of the Arts, lovingly acronymised as SIFA, will be returning to Singapore from 15–30 May. Raffles Press was grateful to receive an invitation to the programme reveal, held at the Arts House at the Old Parliament Building. 

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