2 students from Yusof Ishak Secondary win 2024 Community in Nature Schools Award

SINGAPORE – Student Poon Xi Song, 14, cannot distinguish certain shades of colour, yet he doggedly documents the species of plants and animals in and around Yusof Ishak Secondary School (YISS).

He does it with the help of his “sidekick”, Tiffany Chu, 15. They have found 50 species of plants and 70 species of animals, including the pygmy tiger butterfly and the blue-winged pitta.

Xi Song even found a monitor lizard living within the school’s rain garden. He named it Geronimo and recorded its growth for a year.

The avid naturalist told reporters: “I do not know if it is a male or a female. Now that it’s fully grown, I could not check without putting myself in harm’s way.”

Their findings are being compiled into a book that will be launched at the official opening of the school, now located in Punggol, in July.

For their efforts, the duo bagged the Student of the Year 2024 prize under the biennial NParks Community in Nature Schools Award, a National Parks Board initiative.

“We like being outdoors and in nature. It is our passion learning about the different plants and animals around the school. Getting the award is a pleasant surprise and an added bonus,” Tiffany said.

YISS won School of the Year in the secondary and junior college category for incorporating sustainability and biodiversity conservation in subjects like English and mother tongue to enhance awareness among students and staff.

Under its Applied Learning Programme, the students have many opportunities to learn about sustainability and conservation through school programmes and customised workshops by experts in Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.

The award was launched in 2020 to acknowledge and recognise schools, teachers and students who advocate for the conservation of local biodiversity. A record 70 nominations were received in 2024, the highest since the award started.

Far Eastern Kindergarten, a two-time winner in the pre-school category, integrates biodiversity into its daily teaching through nature walks, and creating music and artwork to hone pupils’ curiosity and interest from an early age.

Speaking to The Straits Times, its principal, Mrs Ang Chui Hwa, said: “Games are used as a research tool. (For instance), three-year-olds play games to understand bees’ natural behaviour in their search for nectar. The children are also tasked to solve real-world problems encountered in school, at home and in society due to biodiversity loss.

“During the Covid years, we looked into Singapore’s shortage of fish and chicken and our 30 by 30 initiative as well as ‘rewilding’ our city to bring back the lost animal and plant species.”

The

30 by 30 initiative

is Singapore’s goal of ensuring 30 per cent of local food needs can be met from domestic production by 2030.

In 2023, in response to climate change and the need to conserve energy, the children even came up with plans on how to build a green school. “They experienced a day without electricity, discovered the use of natural lighting and studied the effects of cross-ventilation,” Mrs Ang said.

The award in the primary category went to Mee Toh School, where pupils are actively engaged in experiential learning through hands-on project work.

They are also trained as eco-trail ambassadors to educate visitors about the school’s eco-garden.

Teacher of the Year went to Mr Mohan Krishnamoorthy of Greendale Primary and Ms Debbie Wong of North Vista Secondary.

Under Mr Mohan’s mentorship, members of the school’s Environmental Club built a floating wetland and a vertical green wall, and learnt composting.

“As the teacher in charge of the Environmental Club, I wanted hands-on activities that would instil ownership in my pupils. The activities must also impact their lives and provide lifelong skills,” he said.

Ms Wong, who did not have a passion for nature, was inspired by her daughter.

“When she presented her intertidal experience during her K2 show-and-tell, I saw her blossoming into a confident speaker who showed immense passion when she rattled off the names of sea creatures. She also developed a keen interest in nature photography,” said Ms Wong.

The recipients will be given their awards by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the launch of the 13th Festival of Biodiversity on May 25.