53rd College Day

53rd College Day

Message from our Principal and Guest of Honour

Mr. Ang Pow Chew

The last 2 years have been marked by a “Covid crisis” which tested the resolve and resilience in all of us. As we now begin to emerge from the other side of this crisis, I want to acknowledge the courage and resilience that all members of the NJC community have demonstrated.

I am proud of my colleagues for their compassion that they have demonstrated for all NJCians as we navigated the 2 challenging years. My colleagues, with their resourcefulness, have adapted and have gone the extra mile to maximise learning opportunities for NJCians.

I am proud of NJCians for their readiness to adjust and adapt. NJCians are respectful, hardworking, and always encouraging. I am confident that they will continue to go much further and become who each of them hopes to be.

I am proud of the parents of NJCians. They have been supportive and appreciative of our efforts to help their children learn and grow.

I am proud of our School Advisory Committee (SAC) and NJC Alumni for their encouragement and support. We have been able to fund many programmes and provide financial assistance for NJCians through their generosity.

Together, we are a community and we wield together the strength in our hearts to ride any crisis. Most importantly, we have grown together during the most testing of times.

Service with Honour

Click here to view Mr Ang’s Principal’s Address on NJC’s Youtube Channel.

Our Guest-of-Honour: Mr. Alvin Yong Yia Chil

Mr Alvin Yong Yia Chil is an NJC alumnus from the class of 1984. He is a social entrepreneur who advocates co-creating social businesses, re-designing meaningful careers to solve social problems, and to narrow the divide between the haves and have-nots by adding value to the lives of others.

In one of Mr Yong’s trips to Thailand in 2009, he launched Tigerland Rice Farm with the local hill tribes to provide the first-of-its-kind back-to-nature fun-experiential rice-farming eco-vacations, and supported the hill tribes to create self-help enterprises. More social projects were rolled out in subsequent years to reach out to the poor and disadvantaged in India and Kenya too.

Two of our students, Edward Thomas Patani and Nadia Azuhar, interviewed Mr Yong to find out more about his experiences.

Click here to view Mr Yong’s Address on NJC’s Youtube Channel.

Adding Value to the Lives of Others

In NJC, our understanding of what Service with Honour means has, in recent years, been refreshed with the tagline of “adding value to the lives of others”. This interpretation has given staff and students a clear view of actions that they can take in order to realise the College motto in our everyday lives, within the College and in the wider community.

Staff and students believe that their desire to add value to the lives of others must start on homeground. This is seen in senior staff mentoring junior staff since the guiding belief is that “every child wants to and can learn”, and the continual professional growth of our teachers is key to the quality of student learning. The mentor’s role, previously seen as a coach or an imparter of wisdom, has evolved to become one that involves collaborative learning in a collegial relationship. The mentors in the NJC fraternity work with mentees to build a learning culture where teachers are given space and time, and various platforms and opportunities, to have professional conversations on teaching and learning challenges and best practices. Undeterred by the challenges to be overcome during the last year, as face-to-face meetings continued to be replaced by virtual meetings, lesson observations reduced in frequency, teachers found their own ways to navigate around these challenges. Thus,  we continued to work towards improving our teaching practices, oftentimes by connecting with fellow teachers within and across disciplines. In so doing, we continued to add value to each other’s work, build our teaching community’s capacity to better serve the learning needs of our students.

Students are also playing their part, demonstrating that their actions can improve the quality of school experience for others in the College community. From Student Council to Class Committees, student leaders in particular, have been exercising their roles in commendable ways. In particular, Peer Support Leaders, being involved in organising  class and school-wide events like peer bonding activities, Healthy Lifestyle Month and Teachers’ Day Programme, are best positioned to provide some of the needed social and emotional support to their juniors in lower JH, or to their peers experiencing difficulties or distress. As the PSLs are identified from within classes, they are generally aware of classroom situations and their effects on peers. Not only are they helping selected students with academic challenges, they are well-placed to alert teachers and school counsellors when circumstances call for support in the social-emotional areas. This area of service by students for their peers was especially important and helpful as Singapore and NJC worked through the Covid-19 experience.

Beyond NJC, students were engaged in service to their community in various efforts, despite and indeed, because of the challenges of these Covid-19 times. CCAs did their part where possible, to add to the learning of others. One example was Greenlink Club who took the opportunity offered by the virtual Green Symposium, to invite participating schools to start their own vermicompost projects, offering online support after dispatching the worm farm kits. One year later, with the easing of Covid restrictions, at least one school is seeking advice in their next phase to scale up their vermicomposting project and involve more members of their school community.

Other student segments were also involved in giving back to the society. One example is the one-day JH2 Intergenerational Learning Programme in 2021 where different classes engaged senior beneficiaries over zoom platforms in various workshops – to help them be part of the green movement as well as bridge the digital divide that was seen to have excluded seniors from participating in much of social life during the Covid years. These workshops, designed and prepared by classes over four months, included sessions teaching seniors to make wallets from recycled materials or fertilizers from home-based materials, as well as workshops introducing them to Telegram, the sticker-culture and basic video-making applications. These projects offered a chance for students to add value to the lives of others by initiating their entry into virtual communities, and an avenue to grow in empathy and team work skills themselves, as they learnt to work together.

The NJC community saw an opportunity to fulfill dual aims in the Meal Support Programme.   Conceived in response to the economic devastation resulting from the pandemic Circuit Breaker, the Programme served to support both the NJC canteen vendors whose businesses were significantly affected by a few months of national measures to slow down the virus spread within schools, as well as many others in the community who had been affected by job losses. The Meal Support Programme provided an avenue for teachers, students and parents in the NJC community to work together to contribute towards a college-wide effort to move resources and benefit multiple communities. Donations enabled canteen vendors to continue operating their businesses, providing meals for the members of public in need, with voluntary meal delivery service support from parents, teachers and students. The coming together of the different segments of the NJC community at such a time demonstrated clearly the values of our College.

Moulding the Next Generation

We would like to take this opportunity to recognise and express utmost gratitude to our teachers, who have dedicated 42, 20, 15 and 10 years to the education service respectively.

Long Service Award 42 Years

Ms Wan Wai Sum

Long Service Award 20 Years

“To say that teachers add value to students’ lives is only half correct. I personally feel that students also add value to mine as they share different perspectives to issues, allow me to experience ups and downs of their unique life events, and teach me empathy. Through these, they make me a better person for myself and others.”
Ms Chua Siok Kheng

Long Service Award 15 Years

“I am motivated to show my students, through my actions, that taking a little step for themselves is the beginning of a great learning journey.”
Ms Tai Mei En

“A few years back, a student recommended a book on the Japanese concept of Ikigai. Ikigai translates to the reason for being.

In order to find one’s ikigai, one must know what one loves, what the world needs, what one can get paid for, and what one is good at. Thus, in order to add value in another person’s life, I realised that one must first understand their reason for being. From there, I found my role in helping them work towards it. 

Like the student who recommended the book to me years back, the students I have taught, as well as colleagues that I have worked with, across my 15 years in service have added value in my life in one way or another. I am thankful for all the learning experiences they have given me, and will continue to do what I can to work towards my reason for being.”
Ms Tan Joe-sie

“A teacher’s heart is sensitive, brave, resolute and tender, and at the core is the question, “How have I made a difference to students’ attitude and readiness for all that the world has to offer?” My 15 years in service is not measured only in the value that I hope I have added to students’ lives, but also in the value they have added to mine. I have learned from them, been inspired and encouraged by them, laughed and cried with them.”
Ms Tang Aileen

“It has been a wonderful 15 years of memories and opportunities at NJC. In the many more months ahead, I look forward to continued reciprocal knowledge sharing with teaching colleagues, non-teaching colleagues as well as reflective learning together with my students and being guided by my motto of staying curious.”
Ms Lee Ching Ching Christine

Long Service Award 10 Years

“I believe that there is a place in society for every individual and that every student progresses at their own pace on different paths. I hope to guide students in discovering their own paths so that they can contribute to society in their own meaningful way.”
Ms Liu Wai Ling Vivian

“I have been blessed to be granted many opportunities to serve the college in my years in NJC.  My entrenched beliefs include making positive impacts in nurturing the students, empowering them with the skill sets and competencies to thrive as a servant leader.  There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the smiles on our students’ faces.

I am also thankful to have the opportunities to work with many like-minded staff in the school. It has been a very fulfilling and enriching journey which I am able to learn from colleagues who are passionate in what we are doing— to make a positive influence on the students’ lives.”
Ms Lin Qiao

“By journeying with students through their learning experiences and reflections, I hope that students learn to discover not just their strengths and interests but also values that are important to them. I would like them to be able to find Happiness in what they do, cherish their Health for health is wealth, and have a grateful Heart to do good.”
Ms Chung Yeong Hui

“What motivates me is to help students see how learning enriches and connects us to life. There is more to education than book learning and I aim to help students find what is interesting and meaningful in their learning.”
Mr Tan Peng Hui Samuel

“I like my students to have belief in themselves and that everyone is good in his/her own way. I like them to seize every opportunity to learn and improve to be a better version of themselves. And finally, I like them to always remember that while it is definitely good to be outstanding, it is more important to be kind.”
Mr Lim Eng Soon

“Learning does not take place without struggling. I hope to see my students embrace, not shun, any struggles they face in their growing years as it will only serve to make them stronger than before.”
Mr Pok Wern Jian

“Every single day is a good day no matter how bright or dark it is, because it always brings an opportunity to start a positive beginning in my life.

I am fortunate to have a great boss who inspires me every working day – by words, by actions, and most importantly, by example.”
Mr Boo Chee Yong

“What continues to excite me about teaching is that it places me in a privileged position to help young people to connect what they learn in the classroom with what is in the larger world, with what is happening in their life.”
Ms Serene Low Kit Ping

“I chose to become a teacher because I want to make a difference in someone’s life. I want to become influential in students’ life by inspiring, encouraging, and motivating them to reach their full potential. It is always my happiest moment when I get appreciation from students.”
Mr Zhang Jian Ping

“Having been in this profession for more than a decade, I’m thankful I have no regrets in making the decision to switch from a technology-based job to being an educator.  To my students, I encourage you to embrace change and harness the opportunities that arise, guided by an impeccable moral compass.  An exciting future awaits you, regardless of your circumstances.”
Mr See Yeow Hoe

“Over the years, I have been graced with colleagues who have taught and shared so much with me. I am forever grateful to those I have been able to learn from.”
Mr Chew Ching Yang Darryl

The following staff and work teams have also received accolades for their dedication and contribution to the education service, in areas such as professional development, student well-being, administration, school operations and more. Our heartiest congratulations to them!

Inspiring Teacher of English Award

The Inspiring Teacher of English Award is a national award for English teachers in Singapore schools, that acknowledges teachers who ignite a love for the English language, and are effective in helping their students speak and write accurately.

Mr Desmond Chia
Mr Desmond Chia is the winner of the 2021 Inspiring Teacher of English Award in the Junior College and Centralised Institute Category.

The Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) Academy Awards

The AST Academy Awards for Professional Development recognise and affirm the efforts of officers in the education service for their contributions to the professional development of the teaching fraternity. The following officers have been recognised as Associates of the Academy of Singapore Teachers, for their contributions.

Associate of AST (Researcher):
Mr Tan Yong Liang Alfred

Associate of AST (Facilitator of Networked Learning Communities):
Mr Teo Chor Howe

Associate of AST (Facilitator of Networked Learning Communities):
Mr Lee Jian Hao Jason

The Parents-in-Action (PAACT) Caring Teacher Award
The PAACT Caring Teacher Award aims to recognise teachers who show care and concern for the holistic development of their students. These teachers continue to inspire fellow educators to be caring teachers.

Mr Nicholas Tan Aum Yeow
(For Junior High)

Ms Mak Wei Shan
(For Junior High)

Ms Lin Li, Josephine
(For Senior High)

The Parents-in-Action (PAACT) Engaging and Effective Teacher Award
The Engaging and Effective Teacher Award aims to recognise teachers who achieve a high level of student engagement during lessons and effectiveness in their teaching, learning and assessment approaches. These teachers inspire fellow educators to be role models in fostering a lively community and joyful learning environment.

Dr Adrian Loh Sin Loy
(For Junior High)

Ms Chung Yeong Hui
(For Senior High)

The Outstanding EAS Award
The Outstanding EAS Awards aim to recognise non-teaching staff for their outstanding service to the College in their area of work, and to inspire non-teaching staff to be role models who exemplify College values.

Mr Lee Hong Li Kelvin

The Outstanding Contribution Award (OCA): Individual and Team
The Outstanding Contribution Award aims to recognise both individuals and teams who have made significant contributions to the College. These awardees exemplify NJC values, provide memorable experiences for NJC students and other stakeholders, and uphold the image of the College.

The NJC Partners’ Award
This award serves to recognise partners, for their invaluable work and significant contribution in supporting our efforts in education for a sustained period.

The Friends of NJC Award
This award serves to recognise partners who work with NJC in supporting our efforts in education.

Brightening the Future

The NJC student of the Year

The National Junior College Student of the Year is the pinnacle of all student awards, recognising all-round excellence in academia, CCA, leadership and service.

Loke Rui Heng Ryan
“…give your all to help others and do so without expecting any returns. That is what it means to be a leader that serves with honour. For whoever wants to be first has to first be last and the servant of all… This world will tell you that you will only be successful when you have scored 90 rank points, achieved straight As or won countless competitions. However, that is not true…Each person’s experience of success will differ, in its definition or in the speed at which success is achieved. You may never achieve what you deem as success, but that is perfectly fine. At the end of the day, you matter and you are enough.”

Click here to listen to Ryan.

The Lim Kim Woon Award
The Lim Kim Woon Award, initiated and structured by a former NJCian in honour of our first Principal, recognises students who exemplify the hallmark characteristics and traits of our motto, Service with Honour.

Chia Shan En
“I understand adding value to the lives of others as finding ways to enrich their experience through using your unique strengths to make a contribution. Value can mean many different things, and can extend far beyond doing community service or VIA projects…I’d like to encourage all of you to find your passion and take full advantage of your strengths to make a unique contribution that will enrich the lives of others both in and out of NJ.”

Click here to listen to Shang En.

Tan Lay Yee Cassidy
“…while fulfilling your responsibilities as a student, you will also learn to take time to give back to the community around you… when you serve a community, I hope that you would be able to stand in the point of view of the beneficiaries you are serving and serve from your heart.”

Click here  to listen to Cassidy.

Joyce Goh Jie Ling

“For me, Service with Honour means to always put others before myself, to try my best to help others in any way I can, and to serve wholeheartedly, solely with the intention of helping others and not wanting anything in return. Moreover, when serving others, it is important we honour and not look down on them, treating the beneficiaries as our friends who simply need support in a time of need. And lastly, if we open our eyes wide enough, we will see people who need our help all around us.”

Click here to listen to Joyce.

The NJC@69ers Award
The NJC@69ers award, initiated and structured by the first cohort of NJCians, recognises excellence in the arts and humanities, both in core-curricula and co-curricular endeavours.

Chia Shang En
“If you were to ask me what is the value of the Arts, my simple answer is that the Arts help us to understand humanity. Through the Arts, I came to better comprehend the position of others, through different lenses and theories I learned through my studies in the humanities. I know that the Arts may seem unfamiliar or intimidating, but I promise that if you look hard enough you’ll be able to find everyday people, and maybe even yourself, reflected in the texts you read. We need a little more empathy in this world obsessed with efficiency. If you take up the Arts and take the road less travelled by, you may find that that has made all the difference.”

Click here to listen to Shang En.

The Stephen Loh Sports Excellence Award
The Stephen Loh Sports Excellence Award is the pinnacle sports award, recognising sportsmanship and sporting excellence in Track & Field, Squash and Canoeing.

Shanice Tan Haridas
“A sports person, in my opinion, is someone who has a burning passion for their sport, always striving to try and improve, no matter how small the improvement is each time, and someone willing to commit to their CCA to not only help themselves improve, but also their teammates around them.”

Click here to listen to Shanice.

Tejaswini Natarajan
“Put yourself out there. Ask for tips from your seniors. Ask your fellow teammate how she made that amazing shot the other day! Because when you ask for help, it shows that you care. It shows that you have passion for that sport. And that is something that everybody respects.”

Click hereto listen to Tejaswini.

The SAC Sports Excellence Award
The SAC Sports Excellence Award is the pinnacle sports award, recognising sportsmanship and sporting excellence.

Soh Zhi Rong
“If I had to sum up the past two years in a quote, it would be “Winners never quit and quitters never win”. Never give up on your dreams and continue to inspire others to dream more, learn more and become more.”

Click here to listen to Zhi Rong.

Yong Lok Qing
“Being a sportsman is hardly ever defined by the number of wins or losses; it has been and will always be about the journey that every single one of us takes to get to where we are. More importantly, it’s about the people who have been a part of it to make it happen.”

Click here to listen to Lok Qing.

The SAC Arts Excellence Award
The SAC Arts Excellence Award recognises academic excellence in the arts.

Ho Ting Heng
“It is only by being honest about our own strengths and flaws that we are able to empathise with others, and find common ground. And it is only by understanding our place in the world, that we would be fully ready to serve those around us.”

Click here  to listen to Ting Heng.

The SAC Science Excellence Award
The SAC Science Excellence Award recognises excellence in the sciences, both in core curricula and in co-curricular scientific endeavours.

Allysa Tan Li Ying
“I spent the bulk of my research journey in NJ doing Mathematics. You might be thinking, What? Maths? What can you do with Maths? So many things, really. I have explored tournaments, the flow of plastic waste in oceans, and modelling of biological cells; the possibilities are endless. At its core, doing Maths and Science is not just about doing cool experiments or coming up with fancy theories, but instead figuring out how we can use these concepts to add value to the lives of others.”

Click here to listen to Allysa.

Joyce Goh Jie Ling
“NJC showed me the beauty of science – from the variety of research programmes available, to the kind teachers willing to go the extra mile to ensure we all understood the content. NJC helped me to develop my passion not just for scientific knowledge, but research as well, showing me the vast impact it can make on the lives of others.”

Click here to listen to Joyce.

Liang Ying Hao Matthew
“I believe the most important part of research is being compassionate and really feeling the problems the target audience is facing. It allows you to focus on doing the project to meet the needs of others instead of satisfying the wants of our ego, making research truly meaningful.”

Click here to listen to Matthew.

The PAACT Aesthetics Excellence Award
The PAACT Aesthetics Excellence Award recognises excellence in the aesthetics.

Zhao Jiarui
“…what mattered to me the most is the realisation that at the end of the day, the process of adding value is mutual, because not only have you made others feel more valuable, you have also proven your own worth by your accomplishments towards a good cause.”

Click here to listen to Jiarui.

Han Yijia
“To me, dance is such a demanding art form where failures and setbacks are inevitable. But at the end of the day, what matters is not whether we have faced challenges or obstacles, but whether we choose to pick ourselves up and continue going.”

Click here to listen to Yijia.

The Junior High All-Round Excellence Award
The Junior High All-Round Excellence Award is the pinnacle of all Junior High student awards, recognising all-round excellence in academia, CCA, leadership and service.

Wong Sam Tou
“… you can feel the genuine care and concern that people have for each other in NJC. Because of this, I am inspired to want to give back to our community, just like how others have done for me.”

Click here to listen to Sam Tou.

Mak Zhan Rui Jovan
“…the obstacles you face add much more value to your experience and your growth than a smooth sailing journey. Also, don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone when taking up opportunities. It is only by venturing out of your comfort zone that you are able to have new experiences and learn new things.”

Click here to listen to Jovan.

The Elizabeth Poey Inspiration and Courage Award
The Elizabeth Poey Inspiration and Courage (EPIC) Award is designed to recognise and celebrate outstanding students, from all academic levels, who have shown the courage and vision to actively advocate for transformational change in Singapore society or in the world. This award is the first team award designed in National Junior College and is the first step towards stimulating a greater adventurous spirit and a “rugged society” mentality in a collaborative manner amongst NJC students.

Project Meraki
Project Meraki was initiated in March 2021 upon recognition that pandemic disruption to learning presented an opportunity to reimagine and revitalize education. After months of project planning and adaptation to the fluid pandemic situation, Project Meraki, working with the Lakeside Family Services’ The GRIT Project, was launched to engage and instill GRIT values (Grace, Respect, Integrity, and Tenacity) in primary school children from less privileged backgrounds, through meaningful activities conducted over a series of weekly virtual engagements. Project Meraki offered their clients avenues to experience the joy of learning Science beyond the classroom through interesting hands-on experiences in a safe space. This project provided a platform for self-discovery and empowerment for their young clients to grow to be confident, competent, and caring young people of good character.

Student team members:
Ong See Gek Cheryl, Gwyneth Chow, Ji Sirui, Zhang Tong Jia, Chia Jia Xuan
Teacher mentor: Ms Oh Wei Ting

Project Lumi
Project Lumi aimed to support lower and upper primary level students from Life Student Care and Yishun Volunteer Care Centre holistically by offering development opportunities in both their academic work and soft skills through befriending activities, and by working together with the centre to provide students with companionship and academic help. With some members also representing NJ Youth Give Back Programme, the team ran the programme for 8 months from May to December 2021, with regular weekly sessions for both tutoring and befriending. This project is now helmed by the pilot project team’s juniors who are liaising with the volunteer centre and have managed to incorporate non-virtual sessions too to further improve the service and its impact. The succession plan ensures the sustainability of the project and continued service to beneficiaries with the partner organisations.

Student team members:
Jayashree Sivakumar, Jamie Tan Wen Qi, Lim Qiao Jing, Natasha Alexandra Gunawan, Justin Eggen, Balaven s/o Muthayah, Nukula Murali Hemanth, Rajarethinam Sanjiv
Teacher mentor: Mr Terence Yap

Pushing the Knowledge Frontier

GCE 'A' Level Examinations

2020 and 2021 were two unprecedented years, and 480 NJCians sat for the 2021 GCE A-Level Examinations. We are proud of their resilience, their adaptability, and their grace under trying circumstances.

The 2021 cohort achieved a median University Admission Score (UAS) of 83. In addition, 2 in 5 NJCians attained a UAS of 85 or more. More than 1 in 3 NJCians scored at least 3 H2 distinctions. Of the NJCians who offered 4 H2 subjects, more than 1 in 3 obtained 4 H2 distinctions.

Beyond their academic achievements, however, NJCians continually learnt and strived, and contributed to the wider community. We are most proud of their commitment to Service with Honour, to their CCAs and the College community, as well as to the rest of society. We wish them the very best, and look forward to seeing their continued growth and success in the future.

Congratulations to the class of 2021 and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours!

The NJC Subject Excellence Awards
The NJC Subject Excellence Awards recognise NJC graduates based on excellence in each discipline/subject.

The NJC Academic Excellence Awards
The NJC Academic Excellence Awards recognise Junior High 1 through to Senior High 1 students who have excelled academically.

The Singapore National Institute of Chemistry Gold Medal:
The Singapore National Institute of Chemistry Gold Medal Award recognises excellence in the pursuit of Chemistry, and is awarded to Junior High 4 students with stellar performance and deep passion in Chemistry.

Bridging Communities

CCA Awards
With the pandemic restrictions still in place, national competitions like the Singapore Youth Festival or the National School Games only partially resumed. Some Co-curricular Activity (CCA) groups flourished under the pressure of competing under modified conditions, while other groups found ingenious ways to meaningfully engage and contribute to the college community and beyond despite the limitations faced. Regardless of the form of their contributions, all CCA groups in the 2021 cohort demonstrated empathy, creativity, and commitment to creating a sense of camaraderie and community, ensuring that each CCA was more than the sum of its individual students. We celebrate each CCA members’ achievements and the legacy they leave behind for their juniors.

We sincerely thank you for joining us in commemorating our 53rd College Day. Now, we warmly welcome all to join us, as we end off this momentous occasion with a specially produced video featuring our students from our CCAs.

Click here to watch the video!