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Class of 2020

Congratulations Stamford American International School’s Class of 2020

We are pleased to announce that in this year with unprecedented challenges, Stamford students continued to achieve strongly in International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) and Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Despite facing cancellation of planned exams, and changes in assessment methods, our IB results exceeded many of last year’s results.

Our Class of 2020 graduates completed the IB course with a 94% pass rate. This is well above the Global rate of 78% and is also our highest ever pass rate.

Of the students who completed IB course, 5 Students achieved results over 40, out of a total of 45, which is a tremendous result. Our highest achieving student was Rafaella (Ella) Zanatti who will be attending Duke University, USA.

Our AP results were also strong with 74% of our scores were a 3 or above, and a higher percentage of students scored 5s than any year before this. Our students also scored above global averages in almost all subjects. This is especially impressive considering that the modified online exam required our students to sit these exams between midnight and 4 a.m.

The continuing development of our language program was demonstrated by 27% of our students receiving the IB Bilingual Diploma. Growth in the area of language is not surprising given the diverse make-up of the Class of 2020 which represents 38 nationalities, within our wider community of 75 nationalities. To date, 95% have accepted to their first or second choice university. Students from the class of 2020 will be attending universities and colleges in 19 different countries, across 4 different continents.

Class of 2020 Achievements

At Stamford we are a non-selective and inclusive school. We are proud of the unique pathways we offer to suit students and their interests. We pride ourselves as a school of diverse pathways and subject choices for students as this ultimately equips students for university and beyond. Each student graduates with a US High School Diploma as well as the opportunity to pursue the International Baccalaureate (IB), or Advanced Placement (AP) Diploma, or a blend of subjects from the three programs — the only school in Singapore to offer these unique and individualised pathways.

Our High School Principal, Ocki Fernandes, said, “I am so pleased by the results of our fifth graduating class. I attribute the success of all of our students to hard work, commitment, effort and the strong and positive relationship between our students and teachers. The transparency of our new assessment and reporting system led to 98 % of our students’ final scores being within 1 point of their predicted grades. Colleges and universities value schools which accurately and consistently predict grades and academic achievement.”

Hear from Our Graduates

Walking through the gates of Stamford seven years ago, I was inspired to develop my interpersonal skills both inside and outside the classroom. Stamford’s structured and diverse CCA program presented me with the perfect opportunity to achieve my personal aims and ambitious goals. During my time at Stamford I have led the global fight against Climate Change as Founder and President of the Green Lions club. A profound achievement under my leadership was the implementation of 845 solar panels as a part of the Green Lions Solar for Stamford Project. As Secretary General of Stamford’s Model United Nations (MUN) and SAISMUN conference, I took great honor in uniting young student leaders to foster change in the world community. In addition, my attendance at multiple MUN conferences in Singapore and overseas enhanced my understanding and appreciation of global cultures. My leadership experience has prompted me to pursue an International Business degree at university, which I will attend as a proud Stamford Lion this fall.

Mark McMahon

SAIS helped me to learn things and time management so that I can balance my life among course works, essays, and different activities such as CCAs. In my Clay CCA, I learnt different skills and designed my own model. I really like Clay because it helped me to stay focus and be creative.Having multiple pathways gave me more options so that I can broaden my horizon to learn more about different ways in the world. I also learned to value the differences between myself and others, and I am able to make decisions by myself. I will miss the teachers and things that happened in different classes most.

Yilin Wu

I will be going to study Psychology at the University of Bath, in the UK. I chose this university as it would provide me with a year of placement in the field, as well as an opportunity to learn about the different branches of psychology. Stamford has allowed me to prepare for university by having IBDP Psychology as a class, which furthered my understanding and interest in Psychology. As well as, college counsellors that were available to answer questions and help with the process of applying to university. I will miss the community that SAIS provides, such as an open and international environment, in which all students and teachers are welcomed. A life lesson that I will carry with me is that Stamford taught me to be open-minded and has given me a great appreciation for many cultures. Having the option of multiple academic pathways, provided me with the choice of what I want to study, which allowed me to choose which pathway would be best for the countries that I was planning on applying for universities. Touch Rugby provided me with opportunities to grow in leadership, and also taught me the importance of being balanced. Being balanced allowed me to focus on academics, sport and also community service. Global Smiles was a CCA that was very fulfilling as it allowed me and my fellow classmates to give back to various communities.

Jenna

After leaving Stamford, I plan to attend Boston College for an undergraduate degree. I chose BC because of its all-rounded, Jesuit philosophy and for its location in Boston, one of my favourite cities. I’m going there as undecided, but I’m thinking of majoring in physics. The college counseling department at Stamford was a great help to me, where Miss Cheah, my college counselor, helped me write some great college essays and choose some solid universities to apply to. In fact, she was the one who suggested I apply to Boston College, so I owe it to her to be going there. After leaving, one of the greatest things I miss about Stamford is the small size of the grade, as this encouraged a sense of closeness and familiarity with my peers. However, I will also miss the teachers at Stamford who made each class exciting and fun, giving me a good environment to study and learn. In fact, the lessons taught by these great teachers are what will help me the most in the future, especially because they give me a unique perspective to understand life. At Stamford, I was also able to utilize the multiple learning pathways well, taking a total of four APs in addition to the full IB diploma. One of the cool things about a small school like Stamord is that everything is very flexible, especially because of the sense of intimacy and understanding with your teachers. As such, I was allowed to give up my study block in grade 11 for an additional HL class, as well as to take two self-studied AP tests in the midst of the IB diploma. I’ll really miss this flexibility that allowed me to reach out and explore. I also explored quite a lot of extracurricular activities, particularly the varsity tennis team and musical opportunities. In seventh grade, when the tennis courts had just been built, I had the honour of being part of the first tennis team of Stamford, and I continued that all the way to today. In my senior year on the team, it was a unique learning experience to serve as a role model for the younger members of the team, and we definitely grew some really strong bonds. I’ll also miss playing the Stamford Orchestra, where I had the opportunity to play the violin, piano, and double bass, all in the same concert, at one point. It was also an interesting leadership experience when I conducted the orchestra during the 2019 graduation. All in all, I will really miss the place I called home for the past six years, and look forward to seeing how it will change as time moves on.