United World College of South East Asia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| United World College of South East Asia | |
 |
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
Dover, Singapore Singapore |
|
| Information | |
| Type | International Baccalaureate school |
| Established | 1971 |
| Affiliation | United World Colleges |
| Website | http://www.uwcsea.edu.sg |
The United World College of South East Asia (Abbreviation: UWCSEA) is an independent, non-profit international school in Singapore. The school's main campus is in Dover Road, and a second campus was opened in 2008 which is currently located in Ang Mo Kio (a permanent second campus in Tampines is currently under construction). UWCSEA is the largest of the 12 United World College (UWC) schools, a movement founded by the German educationalist Kurt Hahn with the mission of bringing together students from all over the world and developing them as truly global citizens.
Since its founding, UWCSEA has offered full secondary school education. In the late-1990s the school expanded and now also offers full primary education. Today the Dover Campus takes students as young as four. The total number of students on the Dover Campus (Kindergarten 1 - Grade 12) is now over 2,900. Once the UWCSEA East Campus is at full capacity in 2015, the additional 2,500 available places will swell the number of students to 5,400.
UWCSEA is somewhat different from many of its sister colleges in the UWC movement, most of which are wholly boarding institutions which offer only a two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for mainly scholarship students of around 16-19 years of age. UWCSEA has always been a full secondary school taking in students from age 11, and has offered primary education since the late-1990s. While the majority of students are children of expatriates in Singapore, there are also around 200 boarders at the Dover campus, most of whom come from neighbouring countries in Asia or are children of expatriates living in the region. A small percentage of the students at the College come on scholarships organised by UWC National Committees from around the world. There are currently around 40 scholars aged 16-19 at the school. Unlike most of the schools in the UWC movement, the vast majority of UWCSEA's pupils are fee-paying students. Singapore government policy prevents most citizens from attending international schools within the country, and therefore UWCSEA has the smallest percentage of local students of any UWC. There are over 20 nationalities represented on the staff.
UWCSEA was the first UWC to be invited to become a Round Square school, and is now a full member of the Round Square movement, which also shares a commitment to the principals of Kurt Hahn.
UWCSEA not only encourages the development of well rounded students through its extensive extra-curricular programmes, and also maintains a strong academic reputation, with very high annual pass rates for GCSE and IB examinations. The Good Schools Guide International's review of the school, states that: "This school has a deservedly good reputation academically but offers far more than exam success to its students...This is not a school for those who would be happy to sit on the sidelines or for those with substantial educational needs."[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1970, the site on which UWCSEA's Dover Campus now stands was occupied by the St John's Army School, run by the British Army, but in the light of British military withdrawal from Singapore in 1971, it was due to be vacated. Lord Mountbatten, then the President of the UWC movement, was keen to set up a United World College in Singapore and the Singapore government was equally keen to have a school for the education of the children of expatriates.
The school was opened as the Singapore International School in 1971 in an official opening ceremony attended by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The Singapore International School was affiliated with the United World College movement, and formally became a member of the movement in 1975, changing its name to the United World College of South East Asia.
Originally a secondary-only school, UWCSEA Dover today has a primary section which takes students as young as four. The total number of students (Kindergarten 1 - Grade 12) is now over 2,900.
In 2006, Singapore's former Ambassador to the United Nations and former President of the United Nations Security Council Kishore Mahbubani was appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors.
UWCSEA's East Campus opened its doors on 1 September 2008 in a transitional campus in Ang Mo Kio. Initially a Kindergarten 1 - Grade 4 primary school for 420 students, by 2015 UWCSEA East will offer over 2,500 places to Kindergarten 1 - Grade 12 students, including 120 boarders.
[edit] School activities
Service is an integral part of the school's curriculum. Students in all grades are involved in a wide variety of social service projects, working at three levels :
- Within the College community (for example coaching students in younger grades)
- Within the Singapore community
- Within the region via the school's Global Concerns programme
Within the Singapore community, UWCSEA supports over 60 Social Services programmes, working with groups such as with disadvantaged children, the aged, and the disabled. This program is introduced as early as Grade 3, and becomes a fundamental aspect of the curriculum from High School onwards.
Global Concerns represent a number of organisations within UWCSEA that seek to integrate an awareness of global development, educational and environmental issues into the College's education programme, supplementing the College values. These programs likewise become integral aspects of education within the College. Global Concerns projects are usually linked with an associated organization within the target country, allowing students to work towards a goal and subsequently see their efforts put into action.
Initiative for Peace was founded by a group of students and teachers at UWCSEA in 2001 as an action-based programme that extends beyond the UWC movement. It offers UWCSEA students the opportunity to actively promote international understanding and reconciliation in areas of conflict, and it illustrates the value of investing in young people by empowering youth to fulfil their potential as agents of change.
United Nations Day celebrations are a major event at the school each year, marked by cultural performances and an elaborate international food fair. UWCSEA also celebrates a UWC Day each year, undertaking a number of different activities in order to raise awareness of the mission of the UWC movement and the values of UWCSEA.
Expeditions out of Singapore are a major emphasis of the school's education program, promoting cultural, environmental and social awareness in the students from a young age. Most students begin annual expiditions from the age of eight as part of the college curriculum, often travelling to nearby countries. As they age, they begin travelling further and further afield, culminating in a Project Week in the first year of IB (Grade 11). The college also offers numerous outdoor educational experiences to enhance students' classroom experiences with cross curricular teaching and opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.
Project Week, which is compulsory for all Grade 11 students, requires students to undertake self-organised, low-cost travel group educational trips, normally outside Singapore. The trip generally lasts a week (as stated) and can be oriented according to the group's consensus - usually either a service based trip, where students work in schools, orphanages, animal sanctuaries and so on, putting into action the service work emphasized by the College, or action based trips, where students tackle personal challenges such as a climbing mountains or trekking across a countryside. The challenge gives students an opportunity to learn about different cultures as well as develop their own ability to work with others beyond the classroom. In addition, it forces them to confront a slice of reality, having to organize their entire trip on their own and manage their own money.
The Dover Campus has a wide range of sports facilities such as an Olympic-sized swimming pool and training pool, astro turf and two grass pitches, tennis courts, two sports halls with basketball/volleyball courts, a gymnasium and fitness centre, a high-ropes course and rock-climbing walls. Similar facilities are planned for the East Campus at Tampines. The Dover Campus maintains teams in many sports including tennis, netball, rugby union, badminton, basketball, swimming, football, gymnastics, volleyball, floorball, athletics and cricket. These activities usually include competitions that the students will take part of during the course of the year, such as SEASAC. There are also the opportunities for students to participate in other sporting activities run by staff such as kickboxing, golf, rock-climbing, sailing and canoeing.
Competitively, the school has also acquired a strong reputation on Singapore's inter-school debating circuit. In 2007, the school's team won The Arena – a nationally-televised debate tournament in Singapore.
UWCSEA has a strong music department and there are various musical ensembles that students can join. The Symphonic band (Brass and Woodwind), Percussion Ensemble, Jazz band, Senior Stringorchestra, Singers and Cantabile (High School Singers) are all available for participation by senior students (Grade 7 and above) of all skill levels, though auditions are required for some. There are also intermediate and junior music ensembles available for junior players. There is a performance held by the College every school term (3 per year), an example being the annual OPUS concert (in term 1), held at the Esplanade Theatre. In addition, there are numerous opportunities for students (especially those aiming to study music) to perform in Chamber concerts as part of smaller ensembles.
The school's drama department is also strong, and each year a number of high-quality productions are performed utilising the school's numerous theatres. Such productions have included Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Cloudstreet, and Sweet Charity.
UWCSEA Gap Year programme offers opportunities to put UWC values into practice in South East Asia before going to university, with opportunities to work human rights, environmental and child protection NGO’s, all of whom have direct connections to UWCSEA, either through Global Concerns or SeaLinks. 2008 saw 16 UWCSEA volunteers undertake Gap Year placements in Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia.
The Community Education Programme (CEP) is a fee-paying programme of sports and other activities offered by UWCSEA to the whole community within and outside of the College. It is an opportunity for those outside the College to be able to participate in activities that utilise some of the facilities that the Dover Campus has to offer.
[edit] Notable alumni
Notable alumni of UWCSEA include:
- Daniel Bennett – professional soccer player for the Singapore national football team and in Singapore's S.League
- Sean Ghazi – Malaysian actor and music artist
- Akihiko Hoshide – Japanese astronaut
- Khairy Jamaluddin – Malaysian politician
- Philip Jeyaretnam – Singaporean writer and lawyer
- Sonam Kapoor – Indian actress
- Eric Khoo – Singapore film director
- Jason Lo – Malaysian music artist and media personality
- Anya Major – model and actress, best known for throwing a sledgehammer in Apple Computer's famous "1984" commercial
- Paula Malai Ali – Bruneian television presenter
- Blair McDonough – Australian actor
- Robert Milton – Chairman of Air Canada
- Mayumi Raheem – Sri Lankan swimmer
- Kevin Stea – Hollywood dancer and choreographer
- Sarah Tan – veejay on Channel V
- Wan Hisham Wan Salleh – Malaysian politician
- Zak Whitbread – professional soccer player for the US national team
- James Wong – botanist and BBC television presenter
[edit] Traditions
Grade 12 "Leavers' Week": A 3-day celebration undertaken by the 12th graders to celebrate the end of their formal secondary education and progression into the tertiary education system. Each day is given a theme and many students take significant time off their studying preparing an assortment of elaborate costumes for each day. There are usually a large selection of cross-dressers every year. Certain events are usually run throughout the course of the 3 days, varying according to the tastes of the students in the particular year. This also is a time in which many pranks are played on each other and teachers.
Seating Areas: The grade 12 seating areas are an unwritten rule. Situated under the English block, students wait many years to ascend to these areas and they are the centre of the Leavers' Week celebrations. They are traditionally left empty by the Grade 11s, at least until the end of the IB exams.
Rugby Team Haka: This traditional Maori war dance from New Zealand is frequently performed by the UWCSEA's senior and junior rugby squads at UN Night.
24 Hour Swim: This is an annual event in UWCSEA. Students spend the weeks leading up to the event finding sponsors who will subsequently pledge a certain amount of money either as a lump sum or per lap swum. Students also tend to assemble into teams, swimming in shifts to ensure the entire team is in the swimming pool all 24 hours. All money raised goes to SurfAid, which raises money for the relief efforts in Banda Aceh, the site of the 2004 Asian Tsunami.
[edit] Location
UWCSEA is located at Dover Road, at approximately 1°18′10.88″N 103°46′38.68″E / 1.3030222°N 103.7774111°E. It is located near Dover MRT Station, next to Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), and is a next door neighbour to the British-based Dover Court Preparatory School.
UWCSEA East Campus at Ang Mo Kio is located on Ang Mo Kio Street 54.
UWCSEA East Campus at Tampines is being constructed at Tampines Street 73.
