2022

Two Josephians have been selected as finalists for the CHROMATIKA Finals Exhibition which opens on 30 July at the School of The Arts (SoTA) Art Gallery. The art competition is organised by VOMG, Singapore's annual youth platform where young creatives can find their voice and make a mark with their artistic skills in art, music, photography or even dance.

View and Like their artworks by clicking the ❤ icon via their Instagram links as follows:

~ Cheng Jae Hin (LE102): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgPCUo8JFKi/

~ Heather Yap (LE510): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgPCNn1pjYC/

Congratulations to our alumni who received their scholarship awards from Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister of Defence, at the Defence Scholarship Award Ceremony 2022 held at the Istana on 29 July. Pothakamuri Tulsi Kiran (IB Class of 2020) was awarded the SAF Medicine Scholarship while Loke Fai Jun, Jaren (IB Class of 2019) was awarded the DSTA Scholarship.

The SAF Medicine Scholarship is an exclusive scholarship programme for those who aspire to become military doctors. This scholarship allows individuals to pursue medical studies locally and subsequently develop as officers to hold senior positions in the SAF. The SAF Medicine Scholarship offers scholars opportunities to be involved in operations that directly contribute to the peace and security of Singapore.

The DSTA Scholarship enables individuals to gain enriching learning experiences in science and engineering at the world's finest universities. Upon graduation, scholars will embark on a rewarding career in Defence, Science and Technology Agency, DSO National Laboratories, and Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies.

(L-R: Kiran, SJI Principal Mr Justin Pierre, Jaren)

Congratulations to Christopher Koh Jie En, our Year 6 Josephian who is a recipient of the prestigious SAF Young Leader Award 2022!

The SAF Young Leader Award was introduced to affirm and recognise students who have exhibited sound leadership and cognitive abilities, and have a strong interest in defence-related issues. After a stringent and rigorous assessment and selection process of nearly 300 applicants from various pre-tertiary institutions, 21 students were eventually awarded. Award recipients will each receive a $2,500 cash award, a certificate of participation, invitations to attend exclusive MINDEF/SAF engagement events as well as a scholarship interview for overseas studies upon application.

Brigadier-General Lee Yi Jin, Director of Military Intelligence and the Chief of Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence in the Singapore Armed Forces, was in SJI to present the certificate to Christopher on 26 July.

Congratulations to Dinesh John Nair-Peeris (ML515) who emerged as champion in the TED TALK category of the Malay Finesse Video Competition 2022! Despite not being a native speaker of the Malay Language, Dinesh delivered his speech eloquently on the Malay finesse based on his experience as a Malay language student and shared how his understanding of the Malay culture has been enriched from these experiences.

Organised by the MOE Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee (MLLPC), student teams from 40 schools competed on the most creative ideas through skits, TikTok videos and TED talk-style oral presentations to promote Malay culture and etiquette at this year’s Malay Finesse Video Competition held in conjunction with the Fiesta Kesantunan 2022 during the June school holidays. Eight schools emerged as top award winners and received prizes at this year’s Malay Finesse Fiesta.

Our multi-racial trio from SJI – Kaedrin Herman Isaacs (MN103), Ingo Ruediger Sebening (MN103), Miguel Phua Hong Han (FN102) – clinched the top 5 positions at the 5th Text Recital Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools. Jointly organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), Anderson Primary School and Singapore Chinese Teachers Literary Recital Society, the boys were selected from over 2000 participants in Singapore.

In an interview with LianHeZaoBao, Kaedrin Herman Isaacs mentioned that he learnt Chinese since he was in kindergarten and fell in love with the language. He had taken part in similar competitions since primary school which helped him to improve his oratory skills.

CURATE is an Art programme initiated by three participating schools - Fairfield Methodist School Secondary, Nan Hua High School and St. Joseph’s Institution. With the support from National Arts Council (NAC), CURATE hopes to connect passionate Art students from various schools to experience the joy of art-making as they broaden their perspectives of art forms through personalised mentorship by artist practitioners.

In CURATE 2022, the programme is extended to four participating schools, including Boon Lay Secondary School. 40 art students underwent a series of sessions, from artist workshops to a two-day Bootcamp Challenge and judging presentation. 16 students were then selected by our Artist Mentors - Yanyun Chen, Jerold Chong and Tiffany Loy - to receive personalised tutorial sessions. Finally, the selected student artists were guided by our curatorial mentor, Seet Yun Teng, to put up an exhibition of their own.

On 12 July evening, the CURATE 2022 Inter-school Art Exhibition was launched at the SJI Bunker Gallery. Several distinguished guests including the Deputy Directors from Singapore Teachers Academy for the Arts (STAR) and Arts Education Branch (AEB), Principals, Vice-principals and art colleagues from the 4 participating schools, and the parents of the 16 art students were at the opening preview of the exhibition. Visit the CURATE exhibition from now till 21 July: https://sites.google.com/moe.edu.sg/curate2022/curate-2022

Five teams from SJI took part in the 23rd International Elementz Fair organised by Anderson Serangoon JC in April. The annual International Elementz Fair provides a platform for students to showcase their scientific research and prototypes which can contribute to the betterment of society. The research projects are student-initiated and cover interesting topics such as the effect of microclimate on our health and emotions, materials for cooling buildings and microbial fuel cells. Congratulations to our Josephians who achieved the following awards:

1. Team 1 mentored by Mr Tan Yan Li – Nguyen Duc Minh Anh and Ngugen Thien Minh Tuan (FN403) – Gold
2. Team 2 mentored by Mr Tan Yan Li – Aarush Nair (FN403), Aidan MacLaren Ming (FN403), Nguyen Phuc Chuong (FN403), Phua Yan Zhi Owenn (ML403) – Silver
3. Team 3 mentored by Ms Gina Tan – Raiden Kai Puthucheary (MN520), Foo Jie Ren Kieran (LE507) – Silver
4. Team 4 mentored by Ms Kassandra Lim – Zhuo Chengsheng (ML515), Marcus Kuan Zhong Wei (MN520) – Commendation
5. Team 5 mentored by Ms Cheng Mengting – Lim Andrew Julian Sia (MN517), David Yeong Jie Jun (LE506) – Commendation

The spirit of arts came alive at the SJI Mutien Festival on 1 July! Organised in aid of Canossaville, SJI Mutien Festival 2022 was the largest scaled concert by SJI’s Performing Arts CCA groups – Bagpipes & Drums, Band, Drama Club, Guitar Ensemble and Vocal Ensemble – since the pandemic started. It was a very special moment for many of the Performing Arts students as they shared their music, voices and acting before a large crowd of more than 500 family members, friends and teachers.

Patrons to the Mutien Festival were encouraged to donate generously to Canossaville, a Catholic social service agency that supports mainstream students, as well as those with hearing loss and/or multiple disabilities, giving priority to the poorest. The event raised a total of $7,860 (an increase from the initial target of $3,000) which will help the children and their families entrusted in Canossaville's care. As the donation received is part of Canossaville's Never Ending Gift 2022 campaign, it will be eligible for a dollar matching by the Government and Tote Board. This means the donations may be doubled to $15,720!

On 1 July, SJI welcomed the French ambassador, H.E. Marc Abensour who met our Year 5 students and teachers, as part of the “EU at Your School” programme - a project by the European Union (EU) and its EU Member States that hopes to bring the EU closer to the youth in Singapore. Ambassadors of the EU member states represented in Singapore, together with senior diplomats from these missions, will visit schools to share their insights about the EU and their engagement with Singapore.

In addition to sharing about France & its role in Singapore & the EU, and the country’s excellence in education, science, innovation, technology & culture, Mr Abensour presented on the themes of green recovery, climate change, sustainability and digitalization.

The SJI Indian Cultural Society (ICS) organized the Tamil Language Camp for the Year 1 to 6 students on 28 May. Mr Dominic Ang, Vice Principal of Student Development, lit an oil lamp to signify the start of the ICS Camp, which was followed by a speech by Mdm Selvarani, the ICS teacher-in-charge about the importance of Tamil Language and literature. S. Deenesh, President of ICS, welcomed the members to the camp that featured many enrichment activities on Indian culture such as the traditional music workshop where the students gained an understanding of the significance of Tamil music and tried their hands at numerous musical instruments. Students also had the opportunity to display their hidden acting talents and to master numerous facial expressions essential for drama at another workshop. Mr Arul, another SJI teacher, also conducted a “Bhangra” dance session which boosted the spirit of the camp.

Two notable alumni of ICS – Stalin Bill (Class of 2017) and Sanfo Bimal Thomas (IB Class of 2021) also shared their experiences with their juniors at this camp. Stalin gave a motivational speech about the struggles and challenges he faced as a student in SJI while Sanfo conducted a poetry workshop on the different ways of writing Tamil poems where he inspired many students to write Tamil poems. The camp also included an Amazing Race where the activities were aligned to the Tamil traditional culture such as Silambatam, a traditional combat sport.

The ICS students reflected on the many new experiences and skills they gained from the camp:

SJI's Performing Arts CCA groups, namely Guitar Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble and the Pipe Band, collaborated in their Project Scubilion this year, to partner with the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (ACMI). A commission set up by the Catholic Church to help migrants in Singapore, ACMI supports migrants including foreign workers, foreign domestic workers, transnational families, and anyone who needs help, regardless of nationality or religion.

Josephians from these CCA groups jointly embarked on a collection drive within the school community for daily essentials such as toiletries, hygiene and food items to prepare care packs for the migrant workers. Their CCA teachers together with representatives from ACMI and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) presented the care packs to 125 migrant workers who were based at a Sims Drive condominium construction site on 29 May.

Congratulations to our Josephians who emerged amongst the Top 5 teams at the ASPIRE SG Challenge:

1. amOOngus thirteen - Ciaran Condron, Aaron Wong Yi Cheng (LE301), Marcus Ee Junn Wei (FN303), Nathaniel Cheng Le Shan (ML302)
2. Vibing - Ahire Vibhav Prabodh and Tan Jing Heng (MN201)
3. Team Triangulate - Jacob Neo, Goh Hyu Yang, Heng Yu Zhe, Jayden Yee (LE202)
4. Initium Novum - Selvakumar Tejaswen, Jerry Tan, Ratul Ramachandran, Wang Leo Ickwen, Thaddeus Teo (LE201)

6 Josephians also won the Sci-Fi Writing Contest:

1. Chava Vishruth (MN202)
2. Tan Xun Rui Bryan (ML201)
3. Gladwin Ng Yan Gin (ML101)
4. Almeida Elkan Gerard (ML202)
5. Chew Zhen Kai (LE202)
6. Seah Hong Yi (MN202)

The boys received their certificates and prizes from NASA Astronaut, Jeffrey Williams, during his visit to Singapore’s Science Centre on 10 June.

SJI commemorated the Student Leaders Investiture on 26 May, where we congratulated the outgoing student leaders and welcomed their new successors who will assume their new roles to lead and represent their various student bodies in Council, Fraternity or CCA/CAS groups.

On 31 May, the student leaders from our Catholic societies and the FIDEI programme were invested and celebrated at the Mass in the Chapel. The incoming student leaders received their badge pinning from their outgoing seniors.

Congratulations to all our new student leaders! We hope you will continue to lead your respective communities in SJI, serve with integrity and be persons for others.

Our Dance CAS students have worked hard to produce credible performances at the Singapore Youth Festival. Mu Lan (FN503) and Nurul Arinah Mohamad Saifudin (FN502) performed in the Urban Contemp Delight segment while Calista Nadine Chang (LE509), Chang Lin-Xuan Natasha (ML514), Chang Shi Nuo (FN502), Joshua Low Choon Wei (ML514) and Phua Ping Yuan (ML513) put up a team showcase in the Bring on da Funk! category.

Magno Cerebri, SJI’s team from Prism, was the overall winner at the finals of the 2022 Prudential Young Trailblazers Competition held on 14 May. The team’s business proposal – StudyBuddy –represented by Julian Lim (MN517), Russell Yom (FN504), Hrishit Chhabra and Zachary Lim (both from LE510) won the "Overall Winner" business idea, edging 9 other teams from RI, TJC and TMJC to win the grand prize of $1000.

The competition culminates in a 3-minute business pitch assessed by seasoned entrepreneurs and industry leaders. The Overall Winner was awarded to the team with the highest total points from the three criteria - impact, innovation, and business pitch. The winning team will also be given an opportunity to develop their business idea further under the mentorship of business advisors.

StudyBuddy helps students easily and seamlessly connect with like-minded individuals, allowing for the creation of study groups, and motivating students to strive for collective excellence. The app's algorithm connects them with students of close proximity, similar education level, course and preferred language. Aside from its primary function, the app has multiple functionalities, such as a visual representation of students' nuanced strengths, a commendation feature and a forum.

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Congratulations to our Josephians who represented SJI at the NSG 2022 Taekwondo Championships (Poom Black Category):

Congratulations to our Josephians who have accomplished the following achievements in Science:

L-R: Mr Justin Pierre, Torance Tan, Purushothaman Sanjai, Timothy Tan, Nuttawat Worawitjarungwat, Koon Wei Pheng and Teacher Dr Prokopenko Sergei (absent: Benedict Chua)

Congratulations to our Josephians who won several awards at the International Biomedical Quiz (IBQ) 2022! Organised by Anglo-Chinese Junior College, the IBQ aims to provide a platform for students to develop their aptitude and potential in the biomedical disciplines through independent work and applying critical thinking to solve authentic medical challenges. The theme this year is Oncology, spanning the broad range of knowledge in our understanding of cancers, how they develop, how they are diagnosed, and how they are treated. This includes the science of cell biology and how normal biological processes are subverted in cancer.

Category 1 (Year 3/4)
1. Rahul Singaram Senthilkumar (FN402) – Gold
2. Chew Jun Shen (MN401) – Gold
3. Keng Ming Feng Xavier (ML403) – Gold
4. Abhay Rajesh Tralshawa (FN402) – Silver
5. Loh Fangjun (FN402) – Silver
6. Kothamasu Pranavasai Bhavesh (FN402) – Silver
7. Chung Dohyun (FN402) – Silver
8. R Sai Shashank (MN403) – Silver
9. Daniel Ho Dawei (LE301) – Silver
10. Tristan Lee (FN402) – Bronze
11. Nathan Yap Ka Jun (MN403) – Bronze
12. Choo Yi Ming (FN402) – Merit

Category 2 (Year 5/6)
13. Nuttawat Worawitjarungwat (FN605) – Gold
14. Zhuo Chengsheng (MN515) – Silver

Congratulations to our young Josephians who won two of the three awards in the NTU Young Innovators' Challenge on 19 April! The team from LE203 – Gabriel Low Chee Onn, Kayden Chen Tze Xun, Lee Shi Yang Linus, Lim Ee-Ruey, and Nicodemus Paul Lim Jia Yang – had to do a 10-minute pitch to the judges with the main focus on waste reduction. The judging is based on Practicality, Creativity, Originality and the level of impact on the chosen topic. Our Josephians won the Best Team and Most Popular Team awards (credit to the strong support from parents and Josephians).

Organised by the Technopreneurship Center, NTU, the competition began in Sept 2021 till the grand pitch for the shortlisted school. The SJI team had to compete against Temasek Junior College (Sec), School of Science & Technology, SCGS, RGS in the final round. It was a tough competition as there were many shortlisted teams in the semi-final round last year.

In Term 1 on 14 Feb 2022, our Josephians from the Design & Innovation Club (DI Club) went through a course to learn about Artificial Intelligence. Thereafter, the committee set up a booth to share about AI with the school community. The boys also took part in a SERVE Photo Essay Contest organised by the IMDA, where they wrote about their VIA experience. Chan Jun Yong David Jeremiah and Ng Kang Jie, Kaejay (FN201) won the Winner and Runner-up prizes respectively.

On 13 May, our A Division Football (Boys) team was up against Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) at the Jalan Besar Stadium for the 3rd/4th place in the NSG Semi-Finals. The SJI footballers put up a tough fight to draw 1-1 after extra time and lost narrowly at 3-4 during the penalty kicks, taking home the 4th place at this year's NSG. Watch the match at National School Games-Football: A Division Boys 3rd/4th place | St. Joseph's Institution vs Anglo-Chinese Junior College

Our Tamil students have performed well at several Tamil Language competitions this year:

• Two Josephians won the consolation prize at the competitions organised by the Association of Singapore Tamil Writers - Ramesh Jyodhir Aadithya (ML302) for the Translation Contest for Year 3 students, and Rahul Singaram Senthilkumar (FN402) for the short-story writing competition.

• The Society of Singapore Tamil Poets organised a Tamil Poetry Writing Competition. Sumugan Kapilan (FN402) won the second prize of $300 and Chandra Prakash Kavin (ML103) won the Consolation Prize.

• The Annamalai University Alumni Association organised a Research-Based Competition on the topic, "The Life of Tamils is intertwined with nature". Emmanuel Pereira (FN201), Sumugan Kapilan (FN402) and Purushothaman Sanjay (ML615) won the consolation prize for the Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary and IB categories respectively.

• Senthilkumar Alagusundaram (ML303) won 11th place at the Tamil Mobile Apps Creation competition organised by Bartley Secondary School.

• Thirumalpathi Thishan and Rahul Singaram Senthilkumar (both FN402) won second place in the Stand-up Comedy Category in the Tamil Literary Competition organised by Raffles Institution.

• Anandan Shivanand (LE506) won second place at the Tamil Literary Competition organised by the NUS Tamil Language Society.

Our Tennis ‘B’ Division boys have much to be proud of! They performed their best game and gave their all to achieve the 4th position at the nationals this year! This is the third consecutive year our Tennis boys have reached the semi-finals of the nationals.

Special mention to Jerome Chew who gave his opponent a punishing time with their match going into three sets. Our reserves, Rayne Quek and Aiden Chew, who made their first appearance in an NSG match, fought hard for their match to enter into the third set. Well done, Josephians! #TeamSJI #OraEtLabora

Congratulations to our SJI Footballers who have qualified for the NSG A-Division Football Semi-Finals! In the quarter-finals match held on 25 April, the SJI Team showed tremendous fighting spirit and resilience to recover from being a goal down to eventually defeat Nanyang Junior College 2-1. SJI will be meeting Victoria Junior College in the semi-finals on 9 May. All the best to our footballers! ⚽️ #TeamSJI #OraEtLabora

The SJI B Division Table Tennis team concluded their game at the NSG 2022 (South Zone) competition by clinching the Team Silver! Although most schools fielded between 12 to 15 players, our lean team of 11 players truly did the school proud in achieving this feat. Their effort and hard work poured into many hours of training during Blended Learning days and holidays have paid off handsomely, as many were first-time NSG players who held their own against the strong opponents from other schools. Bravo, SJI paddlers! #TeamSJI #OraEtLabora

Congratulations to our SJI sailors who emerged triumphant in all the categories they had taken part in this year's National School Games for Sailing from 25 to 28 April.

Year 3 Josephian Kenan Tan (FN301) sailed his way to Gold against 43 competitors in this year's ILCA 4 B Division boys' competition, despite the unfavourable weather conditions that caused several disruptions to the races.

Similarly, in the ILCA 6 A-division boys category, with the unwavering support of the SJI sailing teachers Mr Alfred Nathan and Mdm Roziyah, Year 5 Josephian Russell Yom (FN504) also succeeded in taking home the NSG gold for SJI.

Read more about Kenan's win at: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/schools/school-sports-sjis-kenan-tan-overcomes-tough-start-to-win-b-div-boys-sailing-ilca-4-competition #TeamSJI #OraEtLabora

Congratulations to our Josephians who received awards for their projects at the SSEF 2022 Final Judging round on 30 March:

• Merit Award – NRPjr project 2021-22

"Research on the effects of microclimate on emotion and health" by Nguyen Duc Minh Anh (FN403) and Nguyen Thien Minh Tuan (FN403) conducted in NIE and mentored by Mr. Tan Yan Li (project code – ES005).

• Participation Certificate – NRPjr project 2021-22

"Simulating Effects of Global Warming Temperatures on Ipomoea aquatica (Kang Kong)" by Quek Yi Ming (MN403) and Koh Zer Ray, Ansley (MN403) conducted in NIE and mentored by Ms. Gina Tan (project code – PS015).

• Bronze Award – SRP project 2021-22

"Using machine learning to train a model that is capable of identifying the amphibians belonging to the Hylidae family based on their advertisement calls" by Purushothaman Sanjai (ML615), Timothy Tan (FN610), and Benedict Chua Wei An (ML615) conducted at NUS, Department of Biological Sciences (project code – CO012).

• Bronze Award – SRP project 2021-22

"Effects of repeated cycles of sleep curtailment and recovery on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity" by Tan Ying Liang Torance (LE608) and Koon Wei Pheng (LE607) conducted at NUS, Department of Medicine, Sleep and Health Laboratory (project code – BM028).

• Merit Award – RAP project 2021

"Python-based X-ray CT Data Visualisation Tool" by Christopher Koh Jie En (MN616) conducted at ARTC - The Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre at Fusionopolis (as part of requirements of the A*STAR Science Award) (project code – SS011).

Congratulations to Chow Zeyi (LE608) won 3rd place in the Senior Secondary category (16-18 years old) of the International Digital Storytelling Competition organized by the University of Hong Kong, ASIS&T South Asia Chapter and Academy 22 Education for All Foundation.

Year 5 Josephian - Keevan Kanagalingam (MN516) has emerged as the champion in the JC category of the Orator's Trophy, an annual oratorical competition organized by ACJC that saw participation from many schools. Another Y5 student, Hrishit Chhabra (LE510) also performed well and was one of the finalists in the same competition.

Congratulations to our HL Literature graduate Sarah Zafirah from IB Class of 2021, who has won a Merit prize for the prestigious 2021 Edwin Thumboo Prize for Literature!

Named after one of Singapore’s most prominent poets and the Department’s Emeritus Professor, the Edwin Thumboo Prize seeks to encourage excellence in the study of Literature at the pre-university level by recognising outstanding literary works by A-level and International Baccalaureate (IB) students of English Literature in Singapore.

Congratulations to our SJI Canoeists who achieved several top medals at the National School Games 2022:

B Division Canoeing Team 2022 - Overall 3rd

The SJI community celebrated Founder's Day in honour of St.John Baptist De La Salle on 8 April 2022. Rallying as one community, Josephians recalled the zeal and perseverance of the first Brothers who arrived in Singapore and followed the example of St.John Baptist De La Salle to educate the young 170 years ago. At the same ceremony, we congratulated and celebrated the successes in studies and character achieved by our students over the past academic year.

To commemorate the school's 170th anniversary, two creative works by SJI alumni were officially launched - a new song titled "Green and White" and two artworks from “A Walk in the Light of La Salle” which were commissioned to highlight our Founder's formation journey. Mr Leo Yip from the Class of 1979, was our Guest of Honour who unveiled "Sharing the Light", the first of the two murals from the series of five works around the campus.

On the same evening, the SJI Uniformed Groups (UGs) commemorated the achievements of their Units and their Commanding Officers at the Anniversary Parade.

Guest of Honour Senior Minister Mr Teo Chee Hean (Class of 1972) spoke fondly about his schooling experiences at SJI, and the time he spent in NCC Land in his address. The event concluded with his unveiling of "Ignite", the second of the five artworks from “A Walk in the Light of La Salle”.

2 of our Under-16 teams scored a 3rd place in the inaugural Active SG Cup 2022 U16 Football Competition – 4 v 4 format in March 2022.

Our University and Scholarship team held the 4th SJI Professional Speaker Series on 11 March that featured Mr Oliver Tian, who spoke on “Skills of the Future in Human-Machine Augmentation”. An alumnus of St Patrick's School, Mr Tian is an advisory consultant to both local and international startups and holds a number of concurrent pro bono appointments with non-profit organizations including Honorary Advisor, Asia Pacific Assistive Robotics Association; Vice-Chair, International Alliance of Robotic Associations; Vice-President, Global Robot Cluster and the Advisory Board Member (Responsible Technology Institute, University of Oxford).

The SJI Professional Speaker Series aims to expose our youths to renowned professionals who have not only made a mark in their respective professional fields but have also used their resources, skills and talent to add social and economic value to the community. As the salt and shakers in society, they are a force for good locally and overseas, hence worth emulating. Mr Tian is one of those successful technopreneurs who has successfully combined his advanced technology expertise with his keen entrepreneurial skill to devise innovations that create economic and social benefits for the end-users.

Mr Tian spoke on how humans can collaborate with machines to enhance human capabilities as well as the critical skills of the future needed to understand, explore and leverage technology to help increase human potential and benefit society. He provided the students with a foretaste of what the future marketplace will be like as companies adopt and integrate digital technology and end-to-end seamless artificial intelligence platforms into their operations such as the cognitive AI employee – "AMELIA", who is able to work continually 24/7 throughout the year. His advanced technological insights and wide experience enthralled his young audience, as evidenced by the active Q&A session following his address.

About 50 Year 6 students attended the talk which was also live-streamed to all Year 5 and 6 students. Benjamin Wong (ML613) said, “This talk was one of the best I had participated in as it was very thought-provoking and it gave us a very insightful glimpse of the future”.

Indeed, Mr Tian’s parting exhortation to his SJI audience was to "Dream BIG, Think REAL and stay HUNGRY" to inspire them to stay relevant and nimble amidst rapidly evolving technological advancements, as our youths would be the next generation workforce to lead this human-machine augmentation.

National sailor and former captain of Sailing CCA in 2021, Russell Yom Zhenyi (FN504) is currently the reigning champion in the Laser 4.7 and 29er high-performance divisions. A recipient of the Singapore Olympic Foundation - Peter Lim Scholarship 2021, he topped the 29er division at the Singapore National Youth Championships 2021. At the recent sailing competitions, he was the Champion for the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) 4 at the South East Asian Sailing Championships 2021 in Sihanoukville, Cambodia (Dec 2021), Changi Sailing Club (Singapore) Monsoon Cup (Feb 2022), and Asian Games Selection (1st of 2 qualification rounds).

At the National Sailing Centre (Singapore) Cup Series 2 in Nov 2021, SJI sailors - Russell Yom, Kenan Tan Kee Zen (FN301), Jared Lee Buckalew (MN403) and Seah Wei Jun, Clive (LE302) - won 3rd place in their team race (ILCA 4).

Matthew Alexander Pang Rui-shen (LE301) represented Singapore to fence against several experienced fencers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Oman, Vietnam and India at the Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championship 2022 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in February. Among the youngest in the competition, he was up against older competitors who were mostly 17 year olds who were much stronger, more aggressive and faster paced.

The AJCC Fencing Competition provided a really good learning experience for him to be better prepared for the upcoming World Junior and Cadet Championships in April where he will face stronger and fiercer opponents from around the world, not just from Asia.

Let's Play Gamelan Together on 7 March was the first in the series of activities for SJI staff planned by our Wellness Ambassadors - Mr Wong Chee Choy and Ms Daisy Chia. Our patient music teacher, Mr Samuel Ng taught us more than how to play the gamelan, the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, which is made up predominantly of percussive instruments. The most common instruments used are metallophones played by mallets and a set of hand-played drums called kendhang or Kendang, which register the beat. Mr Ng also provided insight into the different types of instruments and their roles, and how when combined in playing produce a beautiful melody. Our staff attempted, fumbled and burst into laughter many times. It was a well-spent hour that brought both the academic and non-academic staff together and transported us to Java, even if it was just in our imagination.

Transit and Belong 2022 is a mental wellness programme in its fourth year facilitated by the CAS group YoungXHush. Held over four days in two weeks from 22 February to 4 March, these sessions aim to support the Year 1 students as they embark on a new school journey as secondary students in a new environment, from having to make new friends to coping with academic expectations. The senior students in Year 5 and 6 planned a variety of engaging activities such as learning Singapore Sign Language (SgSL) vocabulary, quizzes related to body language, and games regarding background differences. It is hoped the Year 1s will be able to appreciate how the people around them though different can still build a supportive learning environment together.

Our graduates share the tales about their two-year IBDP journey during the pandemic. Read more about how Natalie Chong, Nicholas Ee and Wen Yan Kai overcame their challenges to shine in the IB exams in Nov 2021:

• 14 February 2022 - A levels v IB diploma: which suits your child better? Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
  
  
• 20 February 2022 - SJI rallies behind students with health concerns. Source: Catholic News

Our PE teacher and former national sprinter Ms Asmah Hanim, will join chef de mission, Mr S. Sinnathurai, former national taekwondo athlete and SEA Games champion, and former national shooter Damien Ler, to lead the Republic's contingent at the May 12-23 SEA Games in Hanoi. Read more at Sea games ex taekwondo champion sinnathurai to lead spore contingent in hanoi

The Inaugural Assembly is the first formal school assembly of the new school year and is the culmination after a month of orientation for Years 1 and 5. It is a school tradition that formally marks the start of each new academic year when the entire Josephian community assemble in thanksgiving and prayer through the Eucharist, to celebrate our being as a Lasallian community. At this event, SJI officially welcomes the newest addition to the school – students (Year 1s and Year 5s) and members of the teaching and non-teaching staff.

This year, SJI celebrates 170 years of Lasallian mission in Singapore that began in 1852 when the first six La Salle Brothers arrived in Singapore on the ship “La Julie” at the invitation of Reverend Father Jean-Marie Beurel to provide for the educational needs of the poor in Singapore and Penang. These first six Brothers set up St Joseph’s Institution as a free school at Bras Basah Road that year. SJI became the first Catholic school and the third-oldest secondary school to be established in Singapore.

Just like Father Beurel and the first six La Salle Brothers who courageously boarded the ‘La Julie’ to embark on their mission to the Far East, Josephians too are called to embark together and by association, on a voyage of learning and adventure in the new academic year. The theme for the Inaugural this year - "Galvanising the SJI Significance", invites all Josephians to be curious and excited with the different gifts God has entrusted to us that we may use to help others. As Josephians "onboard" SJI in the new year, they will realise their own uniqueness and learn to appreciate others with different gifts. It is hoped that along the journey, they will use their gifts to care for one another, foster a sense of community as they bring out the best of themselves, to work together and by association, to galvanise our different strengths to promote the SJI significance.

SJI will continue to be "the ship" to navigate Josephians to be stewards with a purpose beyond themselves. The Stewardship Way of Life is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognises and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbour. Students were invited to pen their unique gifts and a gift they hope to achieve in 2022 on a “sail-shaped” card, to remind them of their own ‘onboarding’ onto the ‘La Julie” ship (ie. SJI). These “sails” were collected from each class as a representation of the SJI community, and offered up at the Eucharistic Mass during the ceremony.

Students and staff also came together as a community to upcycle their old T-shirts to produce a DIY-Tote Bag. The completed tote bags that are presented to the community signify and remind us of SJI’s missionary history and tradition of our service to the community. Tote bags that are exchanged among our peers exemplify how we are gifts for one another.

At the same event, the SJI Student Council launched an initiative named “17,000 Good Deeds”. This initiative aims to provide an opportunity for the school to collectively do 17,000 good deeds to serve the less fortunate and to give back to the community, empowering our youths to become Men and Women for Others. These good deeds can be as simple as helping someone with their studies or lending a helping hand to someone in need done by all students and staff. Since its initiation, 360 good deeds have been performed to date (as of 28 February 2022). This project will officially close at Thanksgiving Assembly on 28 October 2022.

Two Tamil Language students participated in an Inter-School Competition organized by NPS International School on 5 February 2022, as part of the 5th Annual NPS IMAYAM Tamil Festival (Virtual). Ibrasma Idris Ahamed (FN201) emerged as the champion in the Oratorical competition and Sivasubramanian Dhanasekaran (FN403) won the consolation prize in the Tamil Quiz Kuralin Kural.

The SJI spirit is one that is unique and empowering; it is one that is salient and an integral aspect of every Josephian. As such Orientation Camp (OC) 2022 aims to initiate and welcome the incoming Year 5 students into their IB journey with a sense of spirit and camaraderie, curating a sense of place and belonging within every Josephian. With the OC 2022 themed “Encender” (Spanish word for “ignite”), the organizing committee in Year 6 aimed to create a lively, welcoming and conducive atmosphere where new friendships will be made through all the camp games and activities, igniting the flame within Josephians not just at the beginning, but throughout their IB journey. This flame that is lit will bond our juniors together and maintain the faith that they have in one another. It is hoped that this will enable them to work together and fight in the face of challenges and difficulties, so that they will burn brighter and stronger as a whole community.

The SJI community welcomed the Year of the Tiger at our Lunar New Year celebrations on 31 January. The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of the Chinese Zodiac that symbolizes optimism, strength and courage. As we usher in the Year of the Tiger, may we draw inspiration from this courageous creature to be brave and fearless in overcoming whatever challenges that will come our way in 2022 and to be prepared to come out of our comfort zones and take risks. May our courage, faith in our abilities, our inner spirit and values become as strong as a tiger!

The online CNY show was hosted by Rae Wern (FN605), Chen Yuyao (FN602), Kerk Nathan (LE303) & Elliott Kong (LE101), with various enthusiastic performances presented by Adian Tseng (FN303), Ciaran Liam Condron (LE301), Sharrwin Senthil Kuma (LE301) & Josiah Ng (LE301), the Vocal Ensemble, and SJI teachers – Ms Ong Shu Yee, Ms Sangeetha, Mr Samuel Ng and Mr Chong Jun Hien. Student Councillors Choo Yi Ming (FN402), Koenig Nicholas Gerald (FN402), Thirumalpathi Thishan (FN402), Tamilvanan Sabesan (MN403) and Wesley Thng (MN403) organised the Classroom Decoration Competition and the backstage work for the online concert. Members from the Chinese Cultural Society - Ng Yan Yu (MN402), Felix Wang (MN401), Marcus Russell Yeo (FN303), Chen Yong Yan (LE201) & Ezra Kay (LE201) coordinated the technical logistics to ensure the smooth operations of the online show. The show concluded with a spontaneous performance of the dragon dance by Year 4 students from FN403, LE402, LE403, ML403, MN401 and MN403.

CURATE is an inaugural Art programme initiated by three schools - Fairfield Methodist School Secondary, Nan Hua High School, and St. Joseph’s Institution. With the support from National Arts Council’s Artist-in-Schools scheme programme, CURATE hopes to connect passionate students with a keen interest in the Arts to nurture the joy of art-making and broaden students’ perspectives of various art forms.

In CURATE 2021, 30 art students underwent a series of sessions, from artist workshops to a two-day Bootcamp Challenge and judging presentation. 15 students were then selected by our Artist Mentors – Ripple Root, André Wee, and Mike HJ Chang – to receive personalized tutorial sessions. The selected student artists were guided by our curatorial mentor, Michael Lee, to put up the show on their own.

Through this experience, with blended learning, students' understanding and appreciation of art in its various forms are deepened, particularly since the students obtained a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be mentored by professional artists and curator and be engaged in the Arts.

From 19 - 25 Jan, SJI hosted the exhibition titled ‘Impacting Changes’ at the Bunker. As society moves at its fastest pace yet, the exhibit was to reflect on issues that youths face today. Students drew inspirations from personal narratives and observations of the world and responded to the theme of ‘Curate’ – which originates from the Latin word cura, meaning care – by focusing on society, culture and the self. Through a variety of mediums – painting, sculpture, installation, and digital art – the passionate student artists provided viewers the time and space to slow down to make sense of the current situation, be it the pandemic, the changing culture, or personal sentiments.

SJI's Discipline Master and DSP (NS) Mohamad Syaifudin bin Ahmad Ismail shares his story with HomeTeamNS’s digital magazine, Frontline about taking his health seriously, after having witnessed first-hand the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Read his story here: Having the right attitude

Six new Principals of Catholic schools were commissioned by Archbishop William Goh on Word of God Sunday 23 January 2022 during the Commencement of School Year (COSY) Mass celebrated at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd organised by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS) and the Council of Catholic School Principals. One of them was SJI's new principal - Mr Justin Arul Pierre, who took over the leadership of the school since January 2022 from Fr Adrian Danker, SJ. Read more in Catholic News:

• 6 new Catholic school principals commissioned
• Reflections from the 6 new Principals of our Catholic schools

TABA, which means Together and By Association, is our Josephian way of integrating the boys into their new classes at Year 3. Through the TABA Day on 17 Jan which serves as their initiation activity into their new classes in upper secondary level, the boys bonded with their new classmates and Form Tutors through games in the morning before concluding the session with a Paraliturgy. It was time for new friendships with their new classmates whom they will journey together in the next two years.

SJI welcomed the new Year 1 Josephians at the Orientation week on the first week of the school term. From getting to know their new classmates to getting acquainted around their new school campus, the bright-eyed and eager Year 1s were introduced to the Josephian family through many interactions with their seniors and staff across many varied activities throughout the week. Their week concluded with the Initiation Ceremony which included a paraliturgy with badge-pinning by their seniors and a campfire that was live-streamed in the classrooms.

Congratulations to Natalie Lisa Chong Yi Ling (IB Class of 2021) who is one of the recipients of the Harvard Prize Book (2021) awarded by the Harvard University Association of Alumni in Singapore (HUAAS).

The Harvard Prize Book (Singapore) award acknowledges and encourages altruism. The recipient of the Harvard Prize Book (Singapore) is a caring individual who has over a sustained period of time, gone beyond the call of duty to perform acts of kindness and caring, and who may have influenced his or her peers or family members to do likewise. The acts of kindness or caring demonstrate an inner motivation to help in an authentic and sustainable manner. The award is open to students in the graduating year in participating schools who meet the criteria.

Two art students from IB Class of 2021 - Lucius Yeo (LE607) and Valerie Tan (ML615) emerged as winners in the 13-19 Art Prize 2021 organised by The Business Times. The 13-19 Art Prize is an inaugural nationwide youth visual art competition. It offers all youths, aged 13-19, residing in Singapore the opportunity to express themselves, and have their potential recognized by creating canvas and digital artworks on any theme or subject. The competition hopes to challenge the creative potential of our youth and promote a diversity of artistic expressions.

Read more about Lucius' winning work in Business Times: Teen artists offer varied visions of Singapore as home in 13-19 Art Prize

Four Josephians from the Josephian Arts Programme - Kristian Ong (FN201), Marcus Ee (FN303), Keagan Goh (MN403) and Lin Jiekang (MN402/2021), emerged as winners in the 2021 Yellowren Arts Festival Canvas Painting Competition, where they won a Team Bronze Award. Organized by Yellowren Productions, a leader in community arts based in Singapore and Japan, the theme for the festival in 2021 was “Redemption: Environment | Technology | Society”.

Our SJI students wrote: "We used the metaphor of natural resources and environmental destruction and the subsequent healing of that environment to show the redemption of society. As the earth's natural resources are burnt and smoke is produced, that smoke becomes water, which in turn gives life back to the earth. This shows that even though the earth's inhabitants are threatened every moment, there is still hope for redemption and there are still changes that can be made to take the advancements that have been used to destroy the earth and repurpose them to breathe life into a Redemption Tree."

SJI’s Class of 2021 has performed very well in the GCE O-Level examinations. All 254 boys who sat for the GCE O-Level in 2021 will advance to junior colleges and polytechnics for their post-secondary education, with 97.2% of the boys qualifying for junior college. 100% of our students received at least 5 GCE O-Level passes. 58.3% (148 out of 254 boys) scored 6As or better, and 55.5% (141 boys) achieved scores of 10 points or less (L1B5).

SJI is proud of our Class of 2021 who have performed very well in the GCE O-Level examinations. They testify to the holistic education that SJI provides.

Summary of SJI’s GCE ‘O’ Level Examination Results	2021
Number of students	254
Pass rate / Qualify for JC/Polytechnic education (%)	100%
Boys who qualified for JC education (%)	97.2%
Boys with 5 GCE ‘O’ Level passes (%)	100%
Boys with 6A’s or more (%)	58.3%
Boys with scores of 10 points or less (%)	55.5%
Distinctions (A’s) per student (%)	68.6%

Mr Justin Arul Pierre, Principal of SJI, says “We are very happy for our boys who have performed very well in spite of the compromised learning opportunities and having to adapt their learning for the last two years. They have persevered, and stayed the course and worked hard to achieve these results. As a Catholic and Lasallian school, SJI is committed to developing every student’s character and to help them realise their sense of purpose, self-worth, unique talents and their academic potential, so that they become men and women whose education empowers them to make a positive difference in the world. The O-Level results of the Class of 2021 are an affirmation of the quality of the balanced and holistic education offered at SJI.”

SJI congratulates our Class of 2021 for their outstanding results achieved at the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) November 2021 Examinations. All 269 IBDP students passed and were awarded the International Baccalaureate Diploma, with an average score of 42.2 out of 45 points.

IBDP Results by SJI Class of:	2021
Number of students	269
Diploma pass rate (%)	100%
Average points out of maximum 45 points	42.2
Number of students with 40 or more points	234
Percentage of students with 40 or more points	87%
Number of bilingual diploma students	3

The Class of 2021 includes 119 boys who were admitted to SJI at Secondary 1 in 2016 under the 6-year Integrated Programme that leads to the IBDP in years 5 and 6. The results achieved by our Class of 2021 is evident of a trend that the SJI IBDP relates well with students who enjoyed high academic expectations from the programme. They have found joy in learning by being risk-takers who pursue their interests and passion instead of being rote-learners. This cohort was admitted into SJI IBDP shortly after COVID-19 measures began in January 2020 where they had to adapt to a compromised college life due to the pandemic and the constantly evolving Safe Management Measures that saw them having to adapt to learning online and having limited physical activities and interactions with their schoolmates.

Mr Justin Arul Pierre, Principal of SJI, says “The Class of 2021 has demonstrated how resilience, determination, effort and great faith in their ability to overcome challenges can produce good results, despite the various disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have witnessed the hard work put in by the students from this cohort, many of whom have attained exceptional results despite their heavy commitments in various national competitions and student leadership responsibilities. They have exemplified the very best of being a Josephian – by staying the course with faith to keep learning, through service to help each other through the examinations, and as one community to look forward with hope. I also wish to thank all our teachers for their dedication, hard work and selfless efforts in guiding our students. The excellent results testify to the work of our competent and caring educators who are always prepared to go the extra mile and they have done all this in the face of the more demanding circumstances of this pandemic time. Truly, these Josephians are an exceptional class: they're a fine balance of grit and compassion. We are immensely proud of their achievements and wish them the very best as they move on to seek their passion in their future endeavours.”

As a Catholic and Lasallian school, SJI is committed to developing every student’s character and to helping them realize their academic potential so that they become men and women whose education empowers them to make a positive difference in the world. The IBDP results of the 2021 cohort are an affirmation of the quality of the balanced and holistic education offered at SJI.