Data Loading...
Quarter 1 2014-15 Flipbook PDF
Quarter 1 2014-15
111 Views
40 Downloads
FLIP PDF 1.36MB
reflections A Newspaper by Students for Everyone at JPA
Unforgettable
Quarter 1 2014-15
Students in front of the Marina Bay Sands building, the Art & Science Museum and Singapore harbor
EXPEDITIONS A select group of students ventured across the world on
study tours. Reporter Vanndet Va gives us the lowdown. For the group of middle school JPA students that went to Singapore this summer, the dazzling city left an indelible mark. They spent five days on a non-stop exploration of the bustling modern island. A trip to Chinatown revealed the Chinese Heritage center hidden in its narrow alleys, and an afternoon at the Science Centre taught them all about stealth, surveillance, and rules of the battlefield, at the defense exhibit. They rode the giant Singapore flyer, a 165m high ferris wheel and they were just meters from the rare white tigers at the Singapore Zoo. But for Phalla, it was meeting the video game inventors taking part in the Singapore Institute of Technology and Design’s Summer Gamers Program that was the real highlight of the trip. “To test games that had just been invented and give feedback to the actual designers was definitely a high point”, he said. As they toured the ethnically diverse city, they ate Malaysian Hainan Chicken and Indian Beef Vindaloo, travelled by trains, trams and cable cars and were very careful to abide by Singapore’s strict laws. The trip culminated in a swim at Palawan Beach, which for most was the first time at the sea. “To dip my feet into the South China Sea and see a wave for the first time”, said Rithy, “was truly unforgettable”.
Awesome
Australia
Another ten high school students from grades 9 through to 12 spent their summer in an Australian winter as part of a six week study tour to Adelaide. Their accommodation was with local families where they experienced life living and eating like an Australian. “They looked after us like we were their children”, said Sopheap, of her host family. As well as studying at Henley High School, they went on various excursions in and around Adelaide. When they visited Parliament House they were lucky enough to have a member of the South Australian Parliament, Paul Caica MP, take them on a tour. He
explained the structure of the South Australian government. He remarked that “the future of Cambodia looks very bright if this is an example of the quality of their students”. A highlight for Sopheap was the hypnotizing Victor Harbor and its’ changing sea color. For Sinet, her personal high point was visiting the University of South Australia where they happened upon a demonstration of how babies are delivered at the nursing department. Above all, the group were surprised at how multi-cultural Adelaide was, and how, like Singapore, citizens respected the laws. (STUDY TOUR HIGHLIGHTS CONTINUED ON P2).
Students at the High Court, Adelaide
inside....
A NEW CLUB.... ALUMNI UPDATES... STUDENT STARS.... AND MORE....
A Newspaper by Students for Everyone at JPA
European
Illumination
WHY THE WORLD LOOKS DIFFERENT NOW
BY Navin kheth During the summer, I was one of the ten fortunate JPA students to go to Europe on a study tour and what I experienced was totally different from what I expected. Rather than feeling out of place somewhere totally new, I found that I felt at home. The only difference was that I started to see the world with a different pair of eyes. Before the trip, I was less aware; walking past things that should’ve gained my attention, and ignoring things that I should have looked at carefully. Things changed when I was in Europe as I noticed every single detail of my surroundings. We landed in Florence, where under the guidance of Professor Bill Cook, we saw the birthplace of the Renaissance through the eyes of a scholar. He revealed the history of the Birth of Venus by Boticelli, at one of the most famous art museums in the world, the Uffizi, and took us to see Michelangelo’s glorious and giant sculpture, David. We climbed to the top of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore; the cathedral whose dome dominates the Florentine skyline and looked over Giotto’s campanile; the tall tower adjacent. We ventured out to Sienna, where we were lucky enough to see a trial of the Palio di Siena, known as the most dangerous horse race in the world. When we arrived in England for the Oxbridge Academic program, we realized that the holiday was over and we were going to be studying with a group of really smart and really competitive students. We adapted quickly to the rigorous study schedule, even excelled. Tevy and Chamroeun won prizes in debating and architecture respectively and Pech got to study astrophysics which he found far more complex than anything he had ever studied before. In the end we made a lot of friends who we hope will visit us one day in Cambodia. The last stop on the trip was Paris. Guided by JPA teacher, Mr. Terrazas, we did the obligatory, but to us fascinating, visit to the Eiffel Tower, jostled with the crowd around the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and rode boats on the Seine at sunset. In four days we tried to do it all but it was impossible. It means I will definitely have to go back.
STUDY TOUR PHOTO GALLERY 1
2
5
3
7
6
4
8
12
9
17 10
11
1. Inside the classroom at Oxford University, 2. The Oxbridge participants from around the world, 3. Chamroeun with his winning architectural model, 4. So and Thida at the Eiffel Tower, Paris, 5. The group at Victor Harbor, Adelaide, 6. Vanna with an Australian marsupial, 7. At the beach in Adelaide, 8. Sinet inside the Royal Flying Doctor light plane, 9. Running on the track at the University of Singapore, 10. Getting a ticket for the train in Singapore, 11. The rare white tiger at Singapore Zoo, 12. Vanddet meets game designers at the Singapore Insitute of Technology and Design.
Quarter 1 2014-15
A Newspaper by Students for Everyone at JPA
This quarter has seen some exciting additions to the 2014-15 academic curriculum. From anatomy to physiology and psychology, our new classes are introducing us to some new ideas. Two of these new classes include advanced classes in calculus and college physics for grade 11 and 12. Those two classes draw on texts from first year university programs, presenting new and challenging material for the select students involved. Mr. Shapiro, who is teaching the advanced physics class said that, “I’m really loving teaching the AP concepts to students in my class. Although it is the first year that JPA has done these classes, I already see how hard the students are working and how motivated they are. At first, many students struggled with the concepts, but now because of their hard work, they have improved so much, and I’m very happy to see that,” he added. By the end of the year he hopes to select students from the class to sit the AP exam and has high expectations for success. “This exam will prepare students to go to universities.” The students are really enjoying the new courses. Sreynich, a physics student from grade 11 told our
H I G H SCHOOL head start ADVANCED CLASSES A HIT BY SOPHEARA KOY
Chamroeun and Chivit conduct an experiment on echo acceleration in the advanced physics class
reporter, “I really love studying in the advanced physics class. Although it is challenging, it helps me to learn and handle new ideas”. Mr. Sokcha, who is teaching AP calculus, believes that the students are working very hard and hopes that they will do well on their quarter exam. According to Mr. Sokcha this class will also prepare the students for their college years. As he states, “I also hope, that by taking this class, students will enjoy doing math”. Sopheap, an AP calculus student from grade 12, said that, “the AP calculus class is very stimulating. We have to gather formulae from geometry and pre-calculus to do the homework. However, these concepts will help to prepare me for college and real life situations.” According to AP class members, these classes are very complex in their ideas and really challenge them. Consequently, you can see great growth and improvement in the students who are taking these classes. We will show the world our academic talents and progress through these advanced placement classes and hopefully other AP classes will appear in our curriculum in the future.
Alumni
updates BY RATANA CHHENG
THE LATEST FROM OUR UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES
Barang amongst scholars at Elon University
Y Soun and Thany with fellow Cambodian, Ly Chai
Y Soun and Thany with classmates at AUW
This year was the first year that Jay Pritzker Academy students have studied in colleges and the results so far have been impressive. Since arriving, the students have impressed both their professors and fellow students with the work ethic they developed at Jay Pritzker Academy. We asked Y Soun, at AUW, Bangladesh, what it has been like. “The last two months have been unforgettable; Thany and I presented a ‘To Know My Country Program’ where we shared all the great things about Cambodia.
We also ran a Leadership Development workshop for the WEDU Scholarship organization. We then went to Dhaka where we had dinner and I gave a speech to the AUW Trustees and the Finance Minister of Bangladesh”. Y Soun’s moving speech about her life in Cambodia and JPA’s part in changing both hers and Thany’s opportunities moved the trustees to sponsor even more places at the university through WEDU. At times though, it hasn’t been easy. Y Soun wrote, “the academic side is not that challenging
due to my strong background in strategic learning from JPA, however, the communication with the diverse communities is a bit challenging.” For our young students who want to know how to get to university, Barang, at Elon University in North Carolina, says, “I just want to stress the importance of reading books, watching news, and speaking English at every opportunity.” In addition to this advice, Mr. McCambridge told us, “you have to believe in yourself and work hard”.
Quarter 1 2014-15
A Newspaper by Students for Everyone at JPA STAR STUDENT
BY SOMPHORS TANN
This issue we asked Middle School teachers to choose a Star Student. This is an interview with one of the teachers explaining why he chose Makara Mut to be a star in science. Mr. McNicol said, “I chose Makara as a Star Student because she constantly goes beyond my expectations. She’s always engaged and actively participating in class. She turns in high quality work showing that she cares A R about her studies. More than that she thinks MAKA outside the box and makes connections MUT to the outside world to help her better understand the lessons. She has a good attitude and shows respect towards others.”
It is a commonly held belief that the intelligence of a person is fixed at birth. It may be a fallacy that some people are born smart, and that some are not and they stay that way the rest of their lives. I believe that no one was born with the ability to solve algebra. Some studies suggest that our effort and determination are what truly impact our level of competence. Carol Dwerk of Stanford University has found that those who believe that intelligence is malleable rebound better from occasional failures than those who believe that intelligence is fixed, and that these beliefs affect learning success. Those who believe it is fixed tend to do tasks that they know they will
tip time opinion
Sovung Hun’s ADVICE on APPROaCHES TO LEARNING
succeed at. I think that what this means is that the best way that we can increase our ability is to embrace tasks where we might struggle and fail. The inventor of Khan Academy, Salman Khan, says that he will never praise his child for being smart; but instead will praise him for the effort he puts into a task or the way in which he approaches a problem.
Some research has found that neural connections form and deepen when we make mistakes doing an unfamiliar task rather than repeatedly having success doing simple ones and he’s excited. “This is much bigger than Khan Academy or algebra — it applies to how you communicate with your children, how you manage your team at work, how you learn a new language or instrument. If society as a whole begins to embrace the struggle of learning, there is no end to what that could mean for global human potential.” So remember: It doesn’t matter who you are or what you think you may be ‘no good at’, if you put in the effort, you can learn anything!
gUITAR club BY SREYNICH VUNN
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato Studying music is like learning a totally new language. I’ve found music really helpful because it’s not just helping me to relax after school, but by singing along with English songs, I’ve found it’s the best way to improve my English Guitar club meets every Friday and Saturday fluency. This school year, I decided to start a guitar club with the help of Ms. Boland (who taught music in Australia) because I wanted to share what I’d learnt with my friends. So far, we’ve learnt how to read tabs, chords, notes, and strumming patterns. Ms. Boland offers her help in the club by teaching us how to read notes on the staff, time signatures and musical signs. I know that it’s tricky in the beginning to transition between the chords and keep up with the song, but I know for sure that the club will get it. We’re having so much fun learning this together and we aim to perform for the whole school at the end of semester celebration.
Question? How will you contribute to the future of Cambodia?
Send your answers to the editor, [email protected]. The best responses will be published in the next issue. REFLECTIONS EDITORIAL TEAM: EDITOR: R atana C cheng, DEPUTY EDITOR: Sovung Hun , PHOTO EDITOR: Sreynich Vunn, COMPETITION EDITOR: V oleak P han, PRIMARY EDITORS: T hida Kim & S o Kuon, EDUCATION EDITOR: S omphors T ann, SECRETARY: C hanthen H ong, REPORTERS: Sopheara Koy, Sinet Kroch, V anndet V a.
Quarter 1 2014-15 quarter 1 2014 issue