COMMUNITY NEWS 23.04.22
Congratulations, Celeste!
Celeste Chung of the KIS Graduating class of 2022 had always dreamt of entering Stanford and was shocked and in tears when she received the news of her acceptance into the Ivy League university last week. Stanford University is the most competitive college in America with acceptance rates being below 5% out of an average of 50,000 applications annually.
18 years old Celeste, who is a young activist and founder of ‘Youth for The Future’ which strives for quality education for all, has chosen to study Feminism & Sexuality Studies alongside Political Science in Stanford, and will be leaving for the US in September this year. She believes that politics serve as an ever-evolving landscape and foundation for the ultimate understanding of the world’s greatest mysteries in existence: where we came from and where we are going from here.
Celeste has been an outstanding member of KIS; she won the KIS Global Citizenship Award and was on the IGCSE Honour Board two years ago. Outside school, Celeste invests a lot of time working with youth leadership groups and communities. She is a recipient of the ‘Tuanku Bainun Young Changemaker Award’ which celebrates young people who are making a social impact through initiatives and projects which they have created within their communities in Malaysia. She has organised and spoken at various youth conferences and has been featured in various magazines
When asked about what contributed to her success, Celeste said that she feels the collaborative work environment in KIS and the teachers who supported and encouraged her along the way, together with the electrifying and groundbreaking class discussions impacted her development hugely.
“What I value most throughout my time at KIS is the importance of community. Every day, I am inspired by my teachers’ passion in teaching and my friends’ laughter and kindness. I know for a fact that at Stanford, I’ll be carrying forward the passion, laughter and kindness as inspired by KIS. My time at the school has motivated and empowered me to always explore beyond the visible answer and wander into seeking more, daring me to be my boldest self” Celeste added.
A Look Back at Book Week 2022
Wow. What a Book Week! I am reliably informed (by several students, as well as colleagues) that this was the best Book Week ever, and I feel I must agree: This was the first year that we have combined Book Week with the House Day for the end of Term, and it was riotous fun! Activities for House Day were varied, some being physical challenges (Hungry Hippos in the Hall was my favourite!), or more cerebral puzzles and creative tasks, utilizing our teamwork and communication skills. And all of this was done in amazing costumes from our most loved books- it certainly was spectacular!
We started the week with a Treasure Hunt in Secondary, with much (socially distanced) galloping across the school and solving the riddles. Many lollipop prizes were won that day! Primary students had smaller Scavenger Hunts over the week, which were far more civilised and calm. We also had our ‘Big Read’ on the Monday of Book Week, and the whole school was hushed and silent as we got lost in our books. Throughout the week, we completed fiendish quizzes, book puzzles, wrote stories together, and created beautiful Book Door decorations: A wonderful celebration of all things bookish.
