2024
Humanities Talent Development Programme
Student Archivist Project
The Student Archivist Project is an oral history project organised by the Founders’ Memorial and National Museum of Singapore. Student interviewers collect personal stories by interviewing Singaporeans who are in their 60s, about specific topics such as housing in Singapore.
Our participants for this year are Nur Daleelah Az Zahrah Muhammad Yasseer from 1R1, Chew Yen Ning from 1R3, Jaylen Lee Yu Chen from 1R6 and Zheng Jinyu from 1R7. The students commented that they felt privileged to discover the history of Singapore through the lenses of those who built our nation. Discussion about the project typically begin in January and students have up to 7 months for planning and production.
River Valley Model United Nations
The River Valley Model United Nations prides itself on youth empowerment by furnishing them with knowledge and skills to understand and address the intricacies and complexities of our current world and international relations. It aims to provide student delegates with the critical insight into global issues and foster a sense of responsibility and integrity in addressing and finding solutions to these challenges. Each student is assigned a country to represent.
The school’s MUN journey began with a joint Mock Model United Nations session with Beatty Secondary School in November 2023. Building on that foundation, students participated in their first official MUN event, the RVMUN.
This year’s theme is ‘Ad Via Futurum’, signifying the way to the future. The RVMUN Secretariat envisions RVMUN 2024 as a catalyst for the personal and leadership development of its delegates, fostering their growth into future leaders. Embracing this new era, the Secretariat aspires to curate an immersive and substantive experience, tailored to benefit delegates of diverse backgrounds and levels of expertise. Our delegation is represented this year by two students - Tan Songjie, Eitan from 3R4 and Elzhar Muhaimin Bin Mazelan from 3R6A. With this experience under their belt, the students are keen to sign up for MUN events in the subsequent years.
Nan Hua ASEAN Forum
The Nan Hua ASEAN Forum provides a platform for our Secondary 3 students to explore issues and challenges faced by ASEAN member states, as well as an opportunity to think about workable solutions to further the region’s development.
Some of the topics covered include the Belt and Road Initiative and conflicts over the South China Sea. Exposure to regional issues helped the students to open their minds to multiple perspectives. A participant from our school came to the conclusion that “The world today is very complicated. It made me think about geopolitical tensions which all citizens should be concerned about. The information and perspectives shared about ASEAN and China would help me appreciate better what I read in the news.”
The team of students is made up of Napoles Eowynn Dale Piodos from 3R1, Chen Xijie and Ho Yan Tong from 3R2, Lozano Syrus Evo Lahara from 3R3, Amelia Chua from 3R4 as well as Tan Jia Xu and Si Jordan Lloyd Gravador from 3R5.
Youth Model ASEAN Experience
The Youth Model ASEAN Experience is a conference that brings together youths to discuss pertinent regional affairs, in turn shaping a future for society. It seeks to enhance students’ sense of belonging in the YMAX community through meaningful council discussions. Held at Pasir Ris Secondary School this year, the topics were wide-ranging, from agriculture and forestry to transportation.
For many, stepping up to speak in front of a large audience was intimidating and nerve-wrecking, especially when they were not fully confident about what they were saying. As one of our participants shared, "I’m not sure whether my interpretation of what I learnt here is right or wrong, but the important thing to remember is to think quickly and logically, and to present my ideas convincingly. The last one is the bottom tip of the iceberg. Even if you don’t know the answer, it’s always good to say something. You’ll never know where you went wrong if you keep a quiet mouth." Despite the fear, they pushed through their uncertainty and gradually found the courage to speak up.
In the heat of the debates, they also learned important negotiation skills, such as the need to let go of rigid positions to reach compromises. As another student noted, "In a debate where you have to come up with a compromise, at some point, you need to change in order to get the best outcome."
Overcoming the fear of being wrong or uncertain has taught them that successful negotiation requires both flexibility and courage. Through this process, they not only strengthened their public speaking skills but also learned to face their fears head-on, finding confidence by stepping out of their comfort zones and contributing meaningfully to discussions. The students agreed that having gone through the Mock Model United Nations session with partner school, Beatty Secondary School in 2023, they were better equipped with the tools to hold their own at the YMAX. Our delegation is represented this year by eight students - Napoles Eowynn Dale Piodos from 3R1, Chen Xijie and Ho Yan Tong from 3R2, Lozano Syrus Evo Lahara from 3R3, Amelia Chua and Tan Songjie, Eitan from 3R4, and Tan Jia Xu and Si Jordan Lloyd Gravador from 3R5.
Humanities-in-Action Challenge
The Humanities-in-Action Challenge is a competition organised by Serangoon Gardens Secondary School and Admiralty Secondary School. Students learn and discuss about issues pertaining to the history of Singapore. Students are pre-assigned to groups made up of students from different schools. Some of the tasks students were asked to perform were enacting scenes from the past and playing traditional games. The theme for this year is ‘Preserving History, Shaping Sustainability’.
One of our participants reflected that “Preserving history to me is about ensuring that we the youngsters know our history regardless of which country we come from. Shaping sustainability means that decision-making by our leaders is crucial as a nation’s history should be preserved for the future generations. Why? We can appreciate the efforts of our forefathers whilst learning from the lessons of the past.”
Historical Scene Investigation Challenge
The Historical Scene Investigation Challenge is an annual competition organised by the National Library Board. Students put their historical inquiry and research skills to the test in groups of up to four members. This year’s topic: Post-independence policies between 1965 and 1979 in Singapore.
Guided by our history teachers over a few sessions, the students submitted two entries. The entry for ‘2-Child Policy’ was curated by Harni Kalaiselvan, Hud Baihaki Bin Firaildi and Jayoma Jacob Pierre Tolete from 2R2 and Tan Wen Xuan Natalie from 2R4. The second entry, ‘National Service’ was put together by Moovendra and Tan Yu Han from 2R1, Chaganti Nitya Elalakshmi from 2R2 and Ukail Rayan Shah Bin Izhar from 2R5. Both teams were presented with the Silver Award for their efforts.
MOE History Challenge
The MOE History Challenge is a quiz that engages History students in the disciplinary aspects of History. Students get to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject and apply conceptual understanding across different periods. The students who participated in this quiz this year have a keen interest in and vast knowledge of historical events of Singapore. They are Tan Wye Meng from 3R1, Lozano Syrus Evo Lahara from 3R3, Tay Eliza An Qiao from 3R4 and Si Jordan Lloyd Gravador from 3R5.
