Life in Sembawang

Life in Sembawang Secondary

2026 SMBSS Term 1 Experience:

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Secondary 1 VIA:

Students educated their classmates on the importance of keeping the school environment clean through slides, infographics and posters.

Secondary 2 VIA:

Students designed a recycling bag and an infographic to educate their family members on the importance of recycling to save the environment. This project is a collaboration with the Northwest Community Development Council.

Effective Communication and Public Speaking Workshop  on the  9 Nov 2020 conducted by Adam Khoo Trainers

Project Management and Facilitation Workshop on 10 Nov 2020 conducted by Adam Khoo Trainers

Sembawang Secondary School – Achievements for 2020

Science in Action 2019

3 of our Lower Secondary teams, comprising 11 students, took part in the North Zone Science Elementz Competition. The teams clinched 1 Silver, 1 Bronze, and 1 Certificate of Commendation.

Congratulations to our budding Science researchers:

• Silver – Kaushikashree, Justine, Ghajanesh, Philip, and Sathish

• Bronze – Evelyn, Sebastini, Jaymie

• Commendation – Shavin, Jamie, Saach Dev

Budding Writer

Gavin Lim (Sec 2) submitted a winning entry for the Tales of ‘S’ creative writing competition organized by Civica. His work was entitled ‘The Fibonacci – Discovery: Cryptography’.

Gavin’s work is one of the 40 winning entries from a total of 475 entries received by the organisers.

Well done Gavin!

Secondary 2 VIA Environment Warriors

Secondary 2 students designed a recycling bag and an infographic using their media literacy skills learnt in ALP to spread the message to our neighbouring residents on the importance of recycling to save the environment. The project was in partnership with the North West CDC and NEA.

Recycling Bag designed by students.

Secondary 1 VIA Environment Warriors

Secondary 1 students picked litter at East Coast Park to raise awareness of the consequences of not throwing litter into the bin. After which, students designed digital posters to educate their peers.

Chinese Dance – Debut SYF Performance 2019

A newly established CCA in Sembawang Secondary School, the Chinese Dance team participated in the 2019 Singapore Youth Festival and achieved the Certificate of Accomplishment. The team has learnt the importance of teamwork and developed cultural awareness through performing arts.

Budding Scientists @ SMB

“Sembawang Secondary School participated in the 20th International Elementz Science Research Conference and Exhibition (2019) organized by Anderson Serangoon Junior College. Elementz is a prestigious annual competition that accords recognition to students who have conducted exemplary scientific research.

This year, one team – comprising of five Secondary 4 students – was put forward to present their scientific findings and exchange views with other young scientists from Singapore and overseas during the conference. Heng Yu Jie, Looh Shi Xiang Skyler, Shiu Julius Billian, R Karthik and Wai Qi Min spent two months refining and executing their research project.

The project entitled “Upside-down gardening: A complementary method to enhance Singapore’s urban gardens” aimed to maximize the limited space in Singapore’s burgeoning urban gardens, allowing everyday Singaporeans to produce their own organic fruits, vegetables and herbs right in their own homes. The project objectives were to ascertain how this form of gardening affects the yield and productivity of common garden plants. Through this project, a model for a home-grown upside-down garden was established and made available for replication to expand the green areas in Singapore.

The team was conferred the Bronze Award by the Guest of Honour, Mr Tan Bee Teck (MOE’s Director of IT, and GovTech’s Cluster Director for Education) at the conclusion of the Elementz Conference. This is a testament to the students’ dedication to sound scientific experimentation and commitment to excellence. The students would like to extend their gratitude to Mrs Johanna Santarossa (teacher mentor), Mr Ernest Yu, Mr Wong Jie, Mr Singh, Mr Lee and Mr Goh for their unwavering support and guidance throughout the Conference.

Secondary 4 and 5 VIA Carnival

Secondary 4 and 5 students planned and executed the VIA Carnival on 30th March 2019, with  various activity booths which attracted many parents, teachers, and students. The VIA carnival is a means for graduating students to showcase their journey towards becoming Leaders & Change-Makers in serving the community.

Emerging Leaders in Action

A 2D/1 N residential leadership camp was conducted on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March 2019. Student Leader EXCOs planned the programme for the Sec 2 student leaders with the objective of enhancing leadership skills and building better team dynamism.

SMB Youth Run

Our annual SMB YOUTH RUN was held on Friday 8 March 2019 at the Lower Seletar Reservoir for the second year. Staff and students were in high spirits and actively participated in the mass run. The Youth Run develops SMB House spirit and provides opportunity for students and staff to engage in a healthy workout.

Silver Award

Silver Award

SMB celebrates Total Defence Day

The Total Defence theme for 2019 is “Together We Keep Singapore Strong”, which focuses on the many ways we can put Total Defence into action in our everyday lives. For Sembawang Secondary this year, we invited Lieutenant Colonel Richard Koh, Commandant NCC, to share about his various experiences while working as a regular in the military, as well as how these are related to the five pillars of Total Defence.

LTC Koh’s sharing was engaging for the students, where they learnt about resilience and responsibility through the sharing of his interesting anecdotes. Not only that, they were also able to see the importance and relevance of Total Defence in their everyday life, and why it is important to practice and commemorate Total Defence – As no one owes Singapore a living, and it is our duty and responsibility to protect the country.

The students were also introduced to the sixth pillar of Defence – Digital Defence, where they learnt that cyber-security threats and disinformation are a serious danger to Singapore, and why the citizens of Singapore need to be vigilant against them. All in all, the commemoration of Total Defence was a meaningful affair at Sembawang Secondary and the students were able to understand that Total Defence is not just a yearly affair, but also an everyday responsibility.

Chinese New Year 2019

SMB celebrated Chinese New Year on  4 Feb 2019. Students used red packets to decorate their classes, and prepared hampers for various beneficiaries. This is an annual activity to promote respect and care for others. As is our usual practice, we also hosted residents of the Singapore Christian Home during the celebrations. Our guests were treated to a showcase of festivities, and received goodie bags to add to the joyous occasion. All in attendance also reflected on the significance of CNY and the rich cultural diversity in our country.

History Challenge

Secondary 3 Express History students Benjamin Teng, Muhd Darwin, Dahlia, and Haziem Qawiem participated in the MOE History Challenge on 27 June 2018. The event was supported by the NUS History Department.

Through the History Challenge, our students were able to engage in the disciplinary aspects of history, display in-depth knowledge of the subject and apply conceptual understanding across different periods. The students also attended a seminar by Dr Ho Chi Tim on Nation-building in Historical Context. Students were challenged to explore the history of colonial Singapore.

Pursuing Joy of Learning in Math

International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) for Mathematics

• 12 Merit, 6 Credit and 2 Distinctions

Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO)

• 1 honourable mention (Junior Category)

Leaders and Change-Makers in Action

Secondary 3 students visited residents from Sunlove Home at Marsiling and Thye Hua Kwan Senior Activities Centre at Ang Mo Kio. During the visit, students interacted with the Sunlove Home residents and played interactive games with them. They also helped to paint old and rusty gates of some of the residents’ homes. Sec 3 change-makers have shown care and concern for the community. Well done!

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Budding Writers in Action

Muhammad Hidayat with this short story titled ‘Gara-Gara Kaca Mata’ (Because of a pair of glasses) published in the Berita Harian’s (BH) Gen-G on 27th September 2018. He was also awarded a book prize by Berita Harian, Singapore Press Holdings. [

Dg Muhammad Aqil with this short story titled ‘Terselamat’ (Saved) published in the Berita Harian’s (BH) Gen-G on 1st October 2018. He was also awarded a book prize by Berita Harian, Singapore Press Holdings.

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T-Net Club Champs

On 25 and 26 Aug 2018, our soccer boys participated in the T-Net Club competition jointly organised by N-Net club and Punggol Secondary School. Both divisions emerged as champions. Well done Sembawang!

2018年全国中学编采比赛

Create Your Own Newspaper Competition

胜宝旺中学参加了由《早号逗号》和华文学习委员会主办的“全国中学生编采比赛“，荣获了低年级组三等奖。得奖名单：
李心儿 Cassandra Lee Xin Er, 周恩嘉 Choh En Jia, 林湧翔 Samuel Lim Yong Xiang, 郑紫静 Tee Zi Jing

 Champion Debaters

On 21 July, our Secondary 4 Literature students participated in the Debate competition at the National Schools Literature Festival 2018, which is the biggest literary festival for students in Singapore and has provided a powerful platform to develop students’ passion and love for literature. We are proud to announce that our team emerged Champion for the Upper Secondary Unseen Debate Competition as our representatives impressed the judges with their articulate and persuasive presentations.

SMB@Maker Faire Singapore 2018

August 2018

At the recent public event, held between 17 and 19 August, we showcased creations by our students at an exhibit under the Infocom Media Development Authority (IMDA). A total of 10 schools were selected to feature their Digital Maker projects after attending a workshop to code a Micro:bit using a simple programming software and apply their coding knowledge to make scientifically-sound and technologically-enhanced products. Our students had the opportunity to interact with members of the public and explain how their projects would be used to help the larger community. One of the two projects aim to help children overcome their fear of the dark while the other was created with the intention to help the elderly see better in the dark.

We Are Singapore!

August 2018

National Day Celebrations 2018 started off with an observance ceremony by selected uniformed group members. The Hall was a sea of red and white as both staff and students of the school came dressed in our national colours. What followed were some games and a singalong session of our favourite National Day songs.  Here are some well-wishes from our students for Singapore!

“Happy Birthday Singapore!  I hope we will continue to prosper and grow together!  Without Singapore, all of us would not be where we are today.”
Brenda Muk, 4TE1

Happy Birthday Singapore!  We hope that Singapore will continue to strive for the better and our country will continue to celebrate our diversity for years to come.
Jason Yeo, 4TE1

National Day 2018

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National Service – The Call of Duty

(from left to right: Mr Shamen Loke/YH, Mr Hasnol Bin Lokman (Class of 2011), Mr Muhammad Syafiq Bin Mohd Sharif (class of 2012), Mr Lim Zhi Wen Nichol (class of 2011), Mr Asraf Bin Asuir (class of 2011), Mr Ong Wei Jin/HOD CCE)

4 of our alumni visited the school to address the Secondary 3 students on National Service (NS) and its importance. The 4 NSmen also shared tips on preparation for NS, and their personal journeys in NS.

Sound of Unity

Unity in Diversity, Vibrancy in Colours and Community Harmony! All these paint the picture of our community. As part of our CCE curriculum, our Values-In-Action (VIA) project helps to create an awareness of community issues and also encourages action and advocacy. To increase the sense of belonging within the Sembawang Community, our secondary 2 students embarked on a Mural Painting VIA project this year.

The idea was conceived in 2017 when selected secondary 2 students presented their Applied Learning Programme (ALP) project at the Canberra Day event. Their idea was to foster a sense of community belonging and harmony within Sembawang Community by putting up Mural Paintings depicting art works that combine different ethnic instruments around the HDB blocks in Sembawang estate. During the presentation, the project idea was well-received by the residents and MP for Sembawang GRC (Canberra), Dr Lim Wee Kiak. Thus, in 2018, the school decided to implement the project which involved all the students from the secondary 2 classes as part of their VIA project. The duration of the project lasted one semester, from January to May 2018, and their completed works had just been put up recently. The integration of Citizenship Education (CE) through this VIA project had a great impact on our students. Our students found the project to be meaningful and have created a positive impact on the community.

Students’ Thoughts on the Project…

ARNAVI D/O TAMILSELVEN (2CO5) – I have learnt the values of Respect and Responsibility. This project is a group effort. I have learnt that we need to respect our team-mates’ opinion and also do our own part in the project. Through the mural painting project, I have learnt about instruments that symbolise the different races. Combining them together allows one to think about living harmoniously.

NUR AQIILAH BINTE SALAHUDIN (2CO4) – I used my creativity to do the art work, which allows my brain to think constantly. When we received feedback about the art work, I learnt to be resilient by being receptive to the feedback, being positive and making amendments to enhance it. I was able to think out of the box and persevere in completing the art piece to benefit the Sembawang Community.

Helping Hands

HOD PE/CCA Mr Janarthanam was busy training our school boys for an upcoming Track and Field Championship at Woodlands stadium when he noticed a man who had suddenly collapsed to the ground clutching desperately onto the blades of grass where he had fallen. Just a few moments before that, the man had walked past Mr Janar and his students!

Sensing that the man needed help, Mr Janar and the boys strode quickly to render help. Several other concerned public members also gathered around the man.

HOD quickly ordered 2 of his students to inform stadium stewards the incident and to bring along an AED device. HOD also informed one of the boys to call for an ambulance. Other members of the public who were there also tried to render aid to the stricken man. As there was no response from the man and no visible sign of breathing, HOD then applied chest compressions. Others also helped to revive the man.

After some time, stadium stewards and experienced lifeguards from the nearby Woodlands swimming pool arrived and proceeded to administer the AED while still trying to give compressions. A total of two shocks were given before the emergency services arrived and took over.

Mr Janar added, “As for our school boys, I’m proud that they responded in such an emergency showing care and concern and displaying civic mindedness.”

A month after the incident, Mr Janar received a phone call from officers of the Woodlands stadium to convey the message that the man was put in intensive care unit for three days before regaining consciousness. He wanted very much to thank the boys and those who attended to him and managed to do so at a national ceremony on 4 Feb 2018 at the OCBC Arena Sports Hub where Mr Janar and his students received Certificates of Commendation as part of Survivor Awards 2018. Mr Janar and his students also received a congratulatory note from Minister for Education, Mr Ng Chee Meng.

CPR is taught to all Sec 1 and Sec 2 students in Term 3 during the Outdoor Education lesson as part of the PE syllabus.

Kudos to Sembawang!

Lights, Camera, Geography!

“Sembawang is special. How can we make it even better?” asks Mdm Masriani of her Secondary 2 Geography students. Thus commences her students’ journey into creative problem-solving for the current batch of Sec 2 students as part of their Applied Learning Programme in Geography.

As part of introducing students to geographical investigations in Housing, students in Sembawang Secondary School are challenged each year to identify ways to improve the community in Sembawang.

Working in groups of 4, students interview residents and collate data to gather information on the needs of residents in the school’s neighbourhood. Back in the school, students then propose creative solutions to improve the community. The twist? Students are only allowed to present their information in a self-made 3-minute video production. Wondering why? At Sembawang, we combine Geography with Media Literacy — so that our students not only find solutions but know how to present them!

The solutions proposed by students include improvements to the transport facilities, building a hawker centre for residents, and encouraging the return of trays at food courts. As for Cinta and her group, they zoomed in on improving the social etiquette in food courts and hawker centres.

Ninuri Ruwansi, a Sec 2 student, shared her experience. ‘We interviewed residents to find out how to further develop the facilities in Sembawang and most mentioned that the cleanliness of the food court could be further improved. Through our observation, we realized that this could be because customers at food courts usually do not return their trays. In order to raise the awareness of the consequences of not returning the trays, we prepared stickers for the food tables as a reminder to the patrons of the food courts.”

“At first I found the task challenging. We were hesitant to ask the residents our interview questions as we were not sure if they would be able to understand our questions that is mostly based on Geography concepts. We learnt to adapt and break it down into many simpler questions.” says Cinta Hannah Binte Hairulzahri, a group leader.

“It was also difficult to get residents to be featured in our video. Most of them were shy and walked away from us upon knowing our request. However, we persevered and were able to get more than the required number of respondents needed.” added Ninuri.

“These learning experiences are all part of developing our students to be change-makers and to impact the community positively. In addition, this project builds confidence and opens students up to the possibilities afforded by digital tools,” says Ms Munirah, the project coordinator and Geography Subject Head.

Ms Munirah adds, “Students are inherently creative and we are merely unleashing this creativity for the greater good.”

Boats Ahoy!

In 2016, Sembawang Secondary School opted to introduce Dragon Boating into our outdoor education enrichment programme for Sec 2 students. What appealed to us was the inherent teamwork and resilience which can be developed through the sport. In addition, dragon boating blended suitably with our Learning for Life programme.

We believe that teamwork, caring for one another, and resilience are traits that are vital for our students so that they can become confident and concerned citizens of the future. Our aim was also to expose students to outdoor experiential learning so that they will be engaged in lifelong physical fitness pursuits when they graduate from school and into life. As part of the programme, our students learnt the necessary skills, knowledge, and risk management planning required for such a sport.

The introduction of dragon boating has been well received by student and teachers alike. It allows students to be bold, to pursue adventure, and to persevere,” says Mr S. Janarthanam, HOD PE & CCA.

Sembawang is 20!

Guests were treated to innovative student entertainment acts at Sembawang Secondary’s 20th Speech and Prize-Giving Day on 13 April 2018. The Guest of Honour was Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Advisor to Canberra Grassroots Organisations.

This Year’s theme – ‘The Best Me’ – is a shout-out to the school community to continue to strive for progress in all spheres in our journey towards excellence.

Almost 200 staff and students received awards. The event was also graced by the school’s first Principal Mrs Tang-Chan Yueh Tarn. The ceremony closed off with a dinner reception, but not before a gusto performance of the school song led by our Student Councillors.

Strive, Serve and Soar Sembawang!

SMB Youth Games

29 June 2018

The much awaited SMB Youth Games was held at the Woodlands Stadium this year. The students and staff entered into the spirit of the occasion by donning the House Attire. The event started off at 7.30am with Morning Assembly followed by the Opening Ceremony. The first event was the Mass Run. It was lovely to see many our students determined to complete the Mass Run in the fastest possible time. Once the 100m races began, the air was filled with the cheering for the athletes.

However, it started to rain at about 9am and everyone took shelter at the grandstand after the lightning alert. While waiting for the rain to subside and the lightning alert to go away, students and teachers practised their House cheering. The wet weather continued but the SMB spirit was not dampened. Blue Marlins was leading the SMB Youth Games when we ended the event. Despite the rain, we all had fun running the Mass Run, cheering for the athletes and enjoying the refreshment that was provided.  Well done to all who took part!

**Explorations in Sci – Fun with Micro:bits’ Workshop

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May

The Science Department, led by teacher champion Mr Gary Lim, and supported by Ms Tan Hui Nah, Ms Caroline Eu, and our ICT Associate Ms Elynn Pang, ran a three day coding workshop for the Secondary 1E students. In this workshop, students had the opportunity to code a Micro:bit using a simple programming software and apply their coding knowledge to make scientifically-sound and technologically-enhanced products.

Students enjoyed creating products such as automatic sensor lights and musical keyboards during the workshop. Some of their products were submitted to be showcased at the upcoming Maker Faire Singapore exhibition and we are proud that 2 projects were selected! Sembawang Secondary School is one of 10 schools selected by Info-communications Media Development Authority to be a part of this public event.

The students involved in the selected works are Siah Jaymie (1EX2), Adreeana Nasrin Binti Mohidin (1EX2), Evelyn Carolyn Indriani Binte Aman (1EX2) and Sebastini Faith Manimohan (1EX2).

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Secondary 1 Drama Enrichment Programme

Term 1 – 2

Our Secondary 1 Literature students got to experience drama first hand through an 8-week drama workshop series. Using their literature play-text Cars and other plays, the students gained a deeper understanding of the plays that they were studying as well as what drama entails when it is performed, bringing what they learn to life.

“The programme is very useful, and it makes us work together. I even think that it should carry on next year for the new secondary 1 pupils!”
NG KAI BOON, 1EX1

“I am way too shy to speak up at first, but now I can speak with confidence.”
YEE SHIN, 1EX4

“I learnt that if I think positively, I can achieve what I want.”
TASMIYAH, 1EX1

Speech and Prize Giving Day 2018

13 April 2018

The Speech and Prize Giving Day was a special one because it is also Sembawang Secondary School’s 20th birthday. It was a celebration of both our staff and student’s achievements as well as the diverse talents that exist in our vibrant school community. A ceremonial parade also showcased the grit and discipline of our uniformed groups. Our Guest of Honour, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Advisor to the Canberra Grassroots Organisations, joined in our celebrations as he reminisced with us on our journey thus far. It was a day that celebrated the past, present and future of our school.

Mother Tongue Fortnight (March)

Students’ Reflections

中医

3E 伟伦

这次的中医活动让我们认识了更多关于中医的知识。中医师解除了几个我们对中医的误解，像是学会中医就可以为别人“点穴”等。除此之外，她还告诉了我们一些中医的小贴士，像是头疼应该按哪个部位可以改善。这次的活动让我们更加认识中医，而不是一说到医术就只想到西医。

相声

3E伟伦

我觉得这是一个富有意义的活动，因为这次的活动让我校学生有一个机会可以接触到这门深奥的艺术。主讲老师—小孟老师生动地告诉我们现今的相声是什么样的，我也知道了相声不只是老人会接触的领域，现在很多年轻人也对相声产生浓厚的兴趣。小孟老师告诉我们相声的基本知识，以及几种不同类型的相声，让我受益良多。

茶艺

2NT洁怡

我在这个活动上学到了泡茶的文化和习俗，除了这些，我还学到了如何泡茶。我觉得活动很有意思，让我更了解华族的文化。

Secondary 2 and 3 Drama Workshop (Tamil)

“I was very glad to meet Mr. Ananda Kannan who conducted the drama workshop after doing a module with him previously. Since, I am new to this school I got to bond with my schoolmates here. In this drama workshop, I have learnt how to use different types of expressions in different situations. I also learnt how to create a story. I got to realise my friends’ hidden talents. I think that it was a good platform to showcase our acting skills. That was definitely a fun and engaging experience for me.”

Subraja 3IN1

Secondary 1 Mother Tongue Camp (Tamil) 

“We went to ‘Fort Canning’ for our MTFN Sec 1 camp. It was a very new place to me and I have never hear of this place. It was a very fun trip. I met many new friends. At first we went to spice garden. I have learnt about different types of spices and their uses. Then I did henna template and it was fun to do as it was my first time doing henna. I learnt how to draw henna design. Also we learnt how to draw ‘Kolam’. I was so excited when I drew kolam first time in my life. Finally I learnt some dance movements. It was a wonderful experience”

Priyanka 1EX4

IgnITE Skills Challenge Workshop 2018

27 March 2018

A team of students from the class of 1EX3 participate in the IgnITE Skills Challenge 2018. Students were given the opportunity to engage with electronics and the digital world by using electronic components and a pocket size computer to build a propeller circuit for a “Flying Saucer”. Though this, the students had the chance to gain hands-on experience in building electronics circuits.

The team comprised Choe Zhi Luo, Rykel Low, Ashlea Wong, A Shavin Avinesh, Luqman Hakim Basri and Teo Yong Xiang.

Girls’ Brigade 13th Company Enrollment and Dedication Service

24 March 2018

A total of 9 new recruits were enrolled into the 13th Girls; Brigade (GB) Company and together with the appointment of four GB leaders and dedication of our Non-Commissioned Officers. Over the past 16 years, a strong partnership has been forged to help the girls develop to their fullest potential, be equipped with string leadership skills and challenged to serve at home as well as in local and overseas communities.