Success Stories 2022

2022 O-Level Success Stories

Name: Huang Tao
Class: 4E2

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many lives in different ways the last two years. When Huang Tao was in Secondary Three in 2021, the pandemic seriously affected the finances in the family. To ease the burden of his family, he decided that he would take charge of his own allowance. He sold the one thing which he had painstakingly saved his pocket money to buy - his bicycle. He calculated that if he was prudent in spending his money, that sum should last him a few months. Such resourcefulness and independence are characteristics of Huang Tao in all aspects of his life.

Aware of his family’s high hopes for him to do well academically, Huang Tao was determined to make them proud, especially his grandmother, by working consistently to improve his studies. In particular, he began to read more extensively and with greater intent to improve his English Language, which he deemed to be one of his weaker subjects. First, he made a deliberate effort to read for an hour before he went to bed every night. This led to a marked improvement in his grades in English, and his English teacher also noted his use of a wider range of vocabulary, well-constructed sentence structures as well as greater coherence in his essays. His positive attitude towards learning was also evident in the way he studied for all his other subjects. He frequently sought consultation sessions with his subject teachers, prepared with questions to clarify his doubts and further his understanding. His determination and unflagging zeal throughout the last two years culminated in a commendable achievement of 10 aggregate points for his L1R5 in his ‘O’ Levels preliminary examination in 2022.

While Huang Tao enjoys all kinds of sports, he was especially passionate about playing basketball. His love for the game and his commitment to training were exemplary - something that impressed his peers in the school team and his coach who persuaded him to join a basketball club outside school - Whye Nam Basketball Club. As vice-captain of the team, Huang Tao took his leadership role seriously. During training, Huang Tao often led in the warm-up exercises to ensure that his teammates were adequately prepared before the actual games started. When training became intensive and even gruesome in preparation for competitions, he was careful to exemplify resilience and drive instead of giving in to fatigue and setbacks. In his free time, Huang Tao also spent time playing basketball with junior members, seizing every opportunity to hone their skills and help them develop sportsmanship values of fair play, courage and perseverance. He displayed such values whenever he played the game. In the 2022 National School B Division Basketball (South Zone) Tournament, Huang Tao’s team went head-to-head with a team that had beaten them all 4 prior games. Instead of feeling intimidated, he encouraged his team to be bold and play their best regardless of the strength of their opponents. In the end, his team fought off their doubts and won the game with a lead of two points.

Balancing studies and basketball was not easy for Huang Tao. His parents were skeptical about his ability to manage them well but time and again, he showed by his consistent academic performance that he had the self-discipline and determination to do well in both areas. Exuding confidence in most circumstances, Huang Tao is able to interact well with everyone he meets. While he develops strong bonds with his peers, he also maintains a close circle of friends with whom he could connect deeper and confide in.

2022 N-Level Success Stories

Name: Javier Ng Kuan Yi
Class: 4N1

When Javier was first posted to Bukit Merah Secondary School as a Secondary One student in the Normal Academic stream, he always knew he had a love for Mathematics. Demonstrating the ability and positive attitude to cope with the subject, Javier was offered the opportunity to take SBB and studied Mathematics at the Express level by June that year.

It was not easy taking Mathematics at a more demanding level and Javier often had to work harder and put in the extra hours to keep up with the demands of the subject. But Javier never gave up. By working with his peers who were also taking SBB Mathematics, Javier learnt the value of teamwork and resilience. They would discuss questions together and teach one another. Through regular consultations with his teachers and good routines at home, Javier learnt to manage his time to do well in his studies without sacrificing his mental well-being.

The opportunity to take SBB Mathematics has been a rewarding journey for Javier as he continually challenged himself to do his best. “My friends called me crazy when they heard that I was going to take Additional Mathematics at Sec 3,” Javier recalled this incident as he reflected on his SBB journey. Despite doing well in Lower Secondary Mathematics, Javier initially struggled to cope with Additional Mathematics in Sec 3. Placed in a classroom with new peers he did not know, Javier built a strong network of peer support very quickly by being there and rallying for his classmates whenever he could. Demonstrating a humble and positive learning attitude whenever he asked his classmates for help in Mathematics, Javier soon inspired many of his peers to help one another and contributed to a positive learning climate in the classroom. His resilience and hard work eventually paid off as he finally saw progress in his Additional Mathematics when he began passing the tests and exams.

Javier’s love for Mathematics is infectious and inspiring to his peers, including his classmates from the Normal Academic level. Ever so often, Javier would spend his free time coaching his peers who were weaker in Mathematics and share tips and strategies on how to solve Mathematics problems.

“Mathematics explains many things around us.” Inspired by his father, Javier is very passionate about mechanics and electronics and sees the relevance of Mathematics in every-day life. Having taken Mathematics at a more challenging level, Javier is confident about his strengths and now has more choices for his post-secondary options. He has accepted the offer to enrol in the Mechatronics & Robotics course at ITE via the Early Admission Exercise. He hopes to inspire his peers and juniors to believe in their own strengths and to do their very best to get to where they want to be.