Building community spirit
COMPETITIONS in schools help develop many important skills in students – resilience, initiative, learning, drive, teamwork and many more. So how do competitions help create a tight-knit community in Sunway International Schools (SIS). In SIS, its motto “Nurturing Minds. Building Character” guides the student-centric approaches taken by teachers, staff and administrators.
The schools’ philosophy and core beliefs assure that students are nurtured to not only be equipped with the tools they need to thrive in their future pathways but also contribute to the community and society around them. This is precisely why SIS organises many major competitions that help build and strengthen the community spirit that spans beyond the schools.
“This is what SIS is all about, nurturing students to be creative, collaborative and communicative individuals, in line with the school motto of Nurturing Minds, Building Character,” says Dr Cheng Mien Wee, executive director of Sunway International Schools.
Every time competitions are held at SIS, one of the main objectives is to ensure the voices of the Sunway community are heard. Students, parents, families, teachers, staff, friends and more, have the opportunity to be involved in several avenues provided by SIS.
A recent competition was the SIS Uniform Design Competition, held in conjunction with the upcoming 15th anniversary of the Sunway City Kuala Lumpur campus and 5th anniversary of the Sunway City Iskandar Puteri campus. This competition saw teams comprising SIS students, parents, teachers, and even students from other schools. Having such competition not only values their voices but can also uncover ideas and endless creativity.
Competitions do not have to be your standard cookie-cutter races and contests. They seek to challenge and expand the limits of their contestants and the nature of the competition would need to be so as well.
In an unconventional way, the Sunway National Poetry Slam (SNAPS) has allowed students from all over the country to push themselves to greater heights on a platform for all to see.
The poetry scene in Malaysia is an underdeveloped one but with SNAPS, SIS continues to push boundaries by organising this event with the support of the Education Ministry that creates new relationships when schools across the nation come together for the spoken and performed word.
Besides encouraging positive competitiveness, students can showcase their talents in these competitions across a broad and diverse set of areas. There are competitions around music, sports, games, athletics, acting, academic, and so much more. SIS Got Talent welcomes SISKL students to showcase any talent they may have, from music to illusions.
The monthly Sports Carnivals also encourage students to participate and compete in different sports activities. Fairs such as the Middle School Science Fair in SISKL help students kindle the competitive drive as they compete to have the best science projects. Competitions such as these which are ingrained into the school culture and curriculum help students inspire one another and learn from each other.
This year, SIS commenced yet another new competition which is the Sunway National Art Challenge. SIS’S art competition promotes ways for students from kindergarten to high school to express themselves and connect with one another through creative expression. The competition themed, ‘Art and Sustainability: Towards a Better Future’ attracted a few hundred submissions and is a testament to children’s interest in promoting sustainable development through drawing and painting.
With SIS’S commitment to the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the process of the competition and the art exhibition at the end of the winners’ artwork will not only increase awareness but stimulate thinking, discourse and action.
Voting is open to the public for the Sunway National Art Challenge from now to Sept 14. Vote for your favourite artwork at sunwayschools.edu.my/artvote.