Scholastic Environmental Fund Students Forum
It was a week of frentic preparation for the forum where 3 teams were gearing up for the forum yesterday. I must say that the girls worked very hard and took to my incessant demands for change very well indeed. Kudos to their preserverance and detemination.
(Incidentally Kudos is Greek for 'Glory'. Have been wondering how this word came about)
We clinched 2 gold awards and 1 silver award, the silver was slightly disappointing as I felt every team has the potential for gold. But what's more important I felt was this opportunity for the students to gather together to exchange ideas and views on environmental and conservation issues both locally and worldwide. As a student from United World College commented, if it was not for this event, she would not have learnt so much about the enhanced greenhouse effect and water pollution. In this light, awards are not important at all, the knowledge everyone has gained through this is so much more important than the acknowledgement of their oratorical skills.
Still I would like to congratulate my teams for their relentless effort and preparations. Congratulations Shree, Nan, Joanne, Amanda, Zhongning, Ada, Elita and Ros, well done ladies. Let us hope that we have provided ideas for other schools to embark on their own reforestation programmes as well.
Another important part of the meeting was the keynote address by Peter Kenny (International Baccalaureate Organisation). He is in charge of 'Schools to Schools' a service project of IBO to partner teachers and students with their counterparts from the tsunami hit nations. The footages he brought back from Aceh and Sri Lanka showed that there is still a great need for aid for these countries. The students are having their lessons in makeshift tents. The entire stationery and books for a class of 45 took up half a shelf in a small metal cupboard. From the footage taken from a helicopter, most of the houses are still in a stae of disrepair.
The people living in Aceh and Sri Lanka still need alot of assistance which money alone cannot provide. They also need time, knowledge and people actually coming down to give their bit to the actual restoration of a normal life which was abruptly interrupted last December 26.
I am really lucky to be going down Sri Lanka next year and do what I can there to help. Another blessing in being a teacher, these opportunities to serve are just conveniently lying everywhere. Really thankful for that.
(Incidentally Kudos is Greek for 'Glory'. Have been wondering how this word came about)
We clinched 2 gold awards and 1 silver award, the silver was slightly disappointing as I felt every team has the potential for gold. But what's more important I felt was this opportunity for the students to gather together to exchange ideas and views on environmental and conservation issues both locally and worldwide. As a student from United World College commented, if it was not for this event, she would not have learnt so much about the enhanced greenhouse effect and water pollution. In this light, awards are not important at all, the knowledge everyone has gained through this is so much more important than the acknowledgement of their oratorical skills.
Still I would like to congratulate my teams for their relentless effort and preparations. Congratulations Shree, Nan, Joanne, Amanda, Zhongning, Ada, Elita and Ros, well done ladies. Let us hope that we have provided ideas for other schools to embark on their own reforestation programmes as well.
Another important part of the meeting was the keynote address by Peter Kenny (International Baccalaureate Organisation). He is in charge of 'Schools to Schools' a service project of IBO to partner teachers and students with their counterparts from the tsunami hit nations. The footages he brought back from Aceh and Sri Lanka showed that there is still a great need for aid for these countries. The students are having their lessons in makeshift tents. The entire stationery and books for a class of 45 took up half a shelf in a small metal cupboard. From the footage taken from a helicopter, most of the houses are still in a stae of disrepair.
The people living in Aceh and Sri Lanka still need alot of assistance which money alone cannot provide. They also need time, knowledge and people actually coming down to give their bit to the actual restoration of a normal life which was abruptly interrupted last December 26.
I am really lucky to be going down Sri Lanka next year and do what I can there to help. Another blessing in being a teacher, these opportunities to serve are just conveniently lying everywhere. Really thankful for that.
posted by chengpuay at 8:14:00 AM
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