Page 34 I Can Only Imagine Page 40 Excellence in Science 38
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EDITION • 2017
NEW CREATION IMAGINATION Look! I am making everything new. Revelation 21:5
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K N O W L E D G E
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F A I T H
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C H R I S T
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G O D L Y
C H A R A C T E R
Contents MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL p.4 COVER STORY p.36
CAMPUS NEWS FUTURE SCIENCE PROGRAM AT SPHLV p.5 / NEW JUNIOR SCHOOL LIBRARY LAUNCHING p.6 / INDONESIA BANGKIT MENULIS p.7 / ATHLETICS DAY p.8 / TEDxYOUTH@SPH p.10 / @AMERICA YOUNG THINKERS DEBATE COMPETITION p.11 / SPHSC STUDENT DORMITORY p.12 / SPHLC FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL p.13 / YOUNG SCIENTISTS COMPETITION p.14 / ASIAN SCIENCE CAMP 2017 p.15 / SPIRITUAL RETREAT p.16 / A PINOCCHIO MUSICAL DRAMA p.22 / INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION p.24 / SPHKV PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STAFF CONCERT p.25 / CONGRATULATIONS 2017 GRADUATES p.26
BIG PICTURE p.28 THINKING THEMELY p. 34
FEATURES ENGAGING OUR IMAGINATION p.37
SPH FILES SPH EXCELLENCE IN APPLIED SCIENCE p.40 / TO KNOW AND TO BE KNOWN p.42 / ENCOURAGEMENT ALONG THE JOURNEY p.43
NEW CREATION IMAGINATION
PARENTING CORNER p.45 END NOTE p.47
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The Light is published two times a year by the Public Relations and Promotion Department at Sekolah Pelita Harapan to inform, equip and inspire our alumni and friends. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and they do not necessarily reflect the views of Sekolah Pelita Harapan or its administration. Sekolah Pelita Harapan’s vision is True Knowledge, Faith in Christ and Godly Character. Our mission is to proclaim the preeminence of Christ and engage in the redemptive restoration of all things in Him through holistic education.
EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP PHILLIP NASH
PHOTOGRAPHER HARIYANTO SOEWONO
EDITORS ELIZABETH SANTOSA, WILLIAM JEFFREY HIENDARTO
CONTRIBUTORS ALEX THO, CLIFFORD P. MANDANG, DAMAR WIRASTOMO, EDDY HARLIONO, REBECCA E. MARINA, EIRENE I. LASUT, IZZAURA ABIDIN
MANAGING EDITOR KHO SIN LO WIJAYA EDITORIAL BOARD DANIEL FENNELL, AMANDA KAY REUSSER LEAD DESIGNER IWAN WERLIN
CONTACT US 2500 BULEVAR PALEM RAYA, LIPPO VILLAGE TANGERANG 15810, BANTEN PHONE: (021) 546 0233-34 WWW.SPH.EDU
DESIGNERS SARAH ADRIANI, TIFFANY SHARLEEN IRAWAN
THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 3
 MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOLS
Imagining Our Influence! W
hat makes SPH schools any different to the many other schools in Indonesia? We do what all schools do—educate students in all the basic subjects, provide sports and other student life activities and so on. What really sets us apart? Firstly, our commitment to the Christian faith. Our Reformed, Evangelical perspective guides all we do, from employing teachers and staff to how we approach curriculum and what we do in our sports coaching sessions. The vision an institution has of God and of life informs all that it does. We try to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus and to serve him in all we do. Secondly, we partner with parents in the education of children in deliberate ways. We promote the biblical view of parents as primarily responsible for educating children. We are just here to help. We have formal structures in our schools to engage parents and teachers, parents and school leaders and parents and staff to ensure home and school work together to raise mature adults. Thirdly, we engage in a holistic approach to education that is grounded in the biblical idea that a person must grow intellectually, spiritually, physically and socially to flourish. This means placing emphasis on each of these activities in the life of the school to ensure students grow in a balanced way. A demanding academic curriculum is balanced by compulsory physical activity, regular spiritually focused moments and a warm socially encouraging environment. Within these pages you will find many examples of how a biblical Christian imagination is inspiring our five schools across Jakarta to bless students and support families as we help to produce graduates who will go on to influence the nations for God.
PHILLIP NASH HEAD OF SCHOOL SPH LIPPO VILLAGE AND COORDINATOR PELITA HARAPAN SCHOOLS
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CAMPUS NEWS
Future Science Program at Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Village L
iving in an increasingly changing scientific and technological world, innovation has become important. The need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education has become vital. In InTech Magazine, Francis Eberle points out the importance of STEM education in creating the pipeline of future innovators who will move a country forward.1 Students in the 21st century are trained to develop their capabilities in STEM fields way beyond traditional approaches.2 UChicago News wrote that the “learning-by-doing” method helps students perform better in Science.3 Science research projects and exhibitions at school have become preferable methods to provide students with direct experience, rather than the traditional theoretical approaches. According to an evaluation from WestEd, a USbased nonprofit agency, students may gain several skills from doing a science project:4 • Scientific investigation: develop an idea, plan and conduct an experiment. • Project management: manage a project and meet deadlines. • Scientific analysis: keep a logbook, analyze data, create a chart or graph. • Communication: write results, create a presentation board, present and discuss results. Their survey indicates that direct experience with science may foster the 21st century skills that students will need to become future scientists,
innovators, employees, managers and even executives.5 21st century skills includes four critical areas: 1. Collaboration and Teamwork 2. Creativity and Imagination 3. Critical Thinking 4. Problem Solving Sekolah Pelita Harapan (SPH) seeks to enhance learning in applied sciences to meet the growing interest in science amongst our students. SPH is aware that Indonesia needs science graduates and innovators to engage in the development of the country. As a Christian school that promotes a biblical worldview, SPH believes that applied science can be a means to bring redemptive restoration to many aspects of human life. SPH will launch a new program called: ‘Center of Excellence in Applied Science’. • Students must be fully enrolled in the IBO program (MYP or DP) to join this program. • Students must meet the criteria relating to a proven ability and interest in science. • This program will develop strong partnerships with the UPH Science research faculty as well as faculty from international institutions. UPH will provide lecturers as students’ mentor. Our hope is that SPH students will increasingly engage in Applied Science to produce innovations that will be beneficial for Indonesian society in the future.
1 Why STEM Education is Important? https://ww2.isa.org/standards-and-publications/isa-publications/intech-magazine/2010/september/ why-stem-education-is-important/ 2 http://www.dzs.cz/file/3669/kearney-2016-nationalmeasures-30-countries-2015-report-28002-29-pdf/ 3 https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2015/04/29/learning-doing-helps-students-perform-better-science 4 http://www.outreach-foundation.org/pdfs/SOF_Evaluation_Report_010913.pdf 5 http://www.classroomscience.org/new-research-just-what-are-the-benefits-of-science-projects
THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 5
CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO VILL AG E
New Junior School Library Launching S
ekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Village has been renovating and improving some of the school’s facilities. The Junior School Library renovation is finally complete. The grand opening was held on Wednesday, October 4th 2017. In the digital era, libraries are still important sources of information and knowledge. Sheryl Taylor, the Library Coordinator for YPPH, who also works at the SPHLV library, supports this concept: “A library is still very relevant because, while information is increasingly digital, printed books are still important, as well as other learning resources, whether they be videos, magazines, and articles. There are variety of information resources that are important for students to be successful and which will help them carry out their tasks,” said Sheryl. A library is not just a warehouse for books. At SPH, the library is viewed as the center of knowledge where students can find reliable resources, as well as be assisted by competent librarians. “The biggest problem that I see is that because there is so much information on the Internet it is
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hard for the students to know what’s reputable and reliable. As you go to a library, you can trust that the resources on the shelves will be useful to read and use for research. Students will have a harder time if they go online and look for resources on their own. That is why we are also trying to provide good quality e-books for them to select from,” Sheryl added. The Junior School Library now has numerous collections of books and access to e-books for all genres. There are currently 21,901 books in the Junior Library collection (fiction, non-fiction, and reference) and a further 2,046 books (fiction and non-fiction) in the Kindy Corner section. That’s a total of 23,947 books available to students and parents. Sheryl considers the Junior School Library to be an example of an intentional and childfocused library. “The new Junior Library is a great example of a good library that meets international standards. We have a solid collection, both in the non-fiction and the fiction sections. What I am most excited about is that the library will inspire students. The colors, the quotes on the wall, the
cloud, the tree, and the little houses, inspire children to come and use the library, because it is a really fun place to be.” As a school that strongly emphasizes library usage, SPH has improved the quality of the Junior Library to encourage students to be resourceful from a young age. With this updated and fresh new look, we hope young SPH students will utilize the Junior School Library and continue to learn with a positive spirit.
CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO VILL AGE STUDENT WINS SECOND PL ACE IN NATIONAL WRITING COMPETITION
“Indonesia Bangkit Menulis” M
ICHELLE VANNY LIM, a Grade 12 student at SPH Lippo Village, won second place at the “Indonesia Bangkit Menulis” national writing competition conducted by International Research and Development for Human Beings (IRDH). This academic writing competition involved a wide range of participants from all over Indonesia including elementary through high school students, teachers, and university lecturers. They each wrote about a particular problem and suggested a practical solution to solve it. The winning papers were compiled into a book, Kitab Indonesia 1, which will be given to the Indonesian President, Bpk. Joko Widodo. Participants were graded on the relevance of the problem they proposed to solve and on how realistic their solution was. This year’s theme considered how to build Indonesia. Michelle’s paper suggested that the government gather Indonesian diaspora to determine how to solve problems in Indonesia. She admitted that she found the theme challenging due to its broad scope, so she narrowed her topic to social justice and nationalism. Her writing discussed how the government should provide social justice to all in Indonesia so that people can appreciate everyone’s capabilities and potential. Another challenge that Michelle faced was the writing process. Bahasa Indonesia is not her first language so it was difficult for her to keep pace with the writing process. Despite this she was highly motivated to improve her Bahasa Indonesia writing skills. “I am Indonesian, so why shouldn’t I learn Bahasa? I feel like I have a responsibility as an Indonesian to take care of my country and to contribute to it,” she said. Michelle credits Bahasa teacher Ibu Francina Caroline for improving her writing skills. “My Bahasa teacher played a big role, whether she knows it or not. When I first came to SPH I couldn’t write in Bahasa. She invested much time in me. She never said no. She always gave me feedback and that improved me as a person, as a writer, to the point that I can write something like this today,” she added.
Michelle encourages other Indonesian youth to have a vision of building Indonesia together and to use our potential to improve this beloved country. “My vision is not for me, but rather for how I can inspire youth to do something for their country. It will be such a waste if we do not contribute. Make up your mind, or your unmade mind will unmake you. Listen to your potential and maximize it.” One aspect of SPH’s mission is to educate this generation to be future leaders who will bring positive transformation to Indonesia through their brilliant ideas. We hope that Michelle’s example inspires students to have a deep sense of nationalism and passion to build our nation.
 CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO VILL AG E
Athletics Day A
thletics Day has been an annual tradition at SPH Lippo Village for the past 11 years. For both Junior and Senior School Athletics Days this year the weather was wonderful. High cloud cover for the Senior students on the Tuesday, and a steady light breeze for Junior students on the Friday, kept the air cool each morning. Students and teachers had to persevere as they participated in demanding activities in the stifling heat later in the day. We were blessed with rain-free days and cooler temperatures in the afternoon as activities wound down. The SPH Lippo Village Athletic Days include sprint and middle
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distance running events, relays, hurdles, shot put, javelin, ball-throw, long jump and high jump, as well as a number of alternate events in Junior School such as the Egg and Spoon relay, Tug-o-War, and the Sack Race. A total of 239 events in 24 different grade and gender categories were competed in, with a total of 20 age group records and 4 school records broken on both days. We congratulate all participants, the ribbon winners, and our record breakers. Congratulations also goes to Kintamani in Junior School, and Merapi in Senior School, for accumulating the most points overall to win their respective competitions.
CAMPUS NEWS
SPH believes that a robust education will enhance the overall educational experience of our students. Developing students’ talents through sports promotes physical growth as a part of a holistic education and offers many opportunities for learning and character development. With a mounting body of evidence demonstrating the positive effect that physical activity has on brain function and academic success, athletic days serve to improve our students’ academic performance. I express my thanks to the 200 staff and teachers, and the 53 student volunteers, who helped to operate events on the field. Thanks to the many parents who arranged food booths and sell coupons, those who braved the heat to support their children as they competed, and those who participated in the very memorable and exciting parent races. We hope to see you all next year!
BRUCE COMRIE (PHYSICAL EDUCATION COORDINATOR - SPHLV)
THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 9
CAMPUS NEWS
TEDxYouth@SPH TED is a non-profit organization devoted to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’. TED has also created a program called TEDx, which consists of local, self-organized events. The purpose of these programs is to bring people together to share similar experiences. The event organized by SPHLV (Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Village) students was called TEDxYouth@SPH. This year’s program―titled “Too Hot to Touch”―aimed to create awareness about important social topics that are not commonly discussed in the media. The speakers at this year’s TEDxYouth@SPHLV were: • Martin Anugerah (Comedian) • Timothy Skyes (Self-made Millionaire & Entrepreneur) • Grace Natalie (Journalist & Politician) • Michael Sianipar (Politician & SPH Alumnus) • Hugo Leo (Founder of Kota Tua Project) • Gaby Hartanto (Professional Model) • Johan Soegiarto (IT Head of MatahariMall.com) Students and other participants learned how to speak up and articulate their opinions. Through experiences like this TEDx event, our students become well trained in large-scale organizational skills, which will be extremely beneficial for their future.
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CAMPUS NEWS
SPH K EM A NG VILL AGE DEBATE CLUB
@America Young Thinkers Debate Competition card, leaving their biological vessel to decay while their memory virtually persists, has just been invented. This House believes that we, as humans, should reject the use of this technology. (Proposition) (R3) As feminists, we would justify those who use brute force and physical power to especially judicially punish anyone who harasses or demeans women. (Opposition)
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ith thankfulness to the Lord we congratulate Cassia Tandiono, Abigail Effendi, and Andrea Kangmasto for winning first place in the @America Young Thinkers Debate Competition. Cassia also had the honour of being recognized as the competition’s best overall speaker. This high school debate competition was organized by @America in partnership with Atma Jaya Debating Club. It challenged the 19 participating teams to a national-scale Asian Parliamentary Debating Competition. The preliminary rounds and quarter finals were held on Friday, October 20, at Atma Jaya University. The semi-final and final rounds were held on Saturday, 21 October, at Pacific Place in the @America Cultural Centre. The competition consisted of three preliminary rounds in which our SPHKV team was fourth out of eight teams. They advanced to the quarter finals. Abigail, Cassia, and Andrea debated the following motions in the preliminary rounds: (R1) The House believes that the Indonesian government should invest heavily in app-based transportation services. (Proposition) (R2) Technology that allows human beings to transfer their consciousness to a memory
In the quarter final, semi-final and final rounds, the motions under debate were as follows: (QF) As those concerned with culture, this House celebrates the recent pop culture trend of celebrities publicly feuding. (Opposition) (SF) This House, as ASEAN, would create an exemption in the non-interference policy to sanction Myanmar. (Proposition) (F) This House believes that procreation is a threat to humanity. (Opposition) After the topic and motion for each round are revealed and the proposition and opposition sides are assigned, teams are given 30 minutes to build their cases before the debates begin. Abigail, Cassia, and Andrea handled each challenge with poise and confidence. They worked well as a team to build their case and to effectively rebut opposing arguments, convincing judges that their side of the House held the decisive position in each motion. Following each round they eagerly awaited the adjudicators’ feedback, as well as that of their coach, Kristi, who prepared them well for the competition. She also helped them refocus their attention and improve their debating skills for successive rounds. In another competition, our junior team of Audrey Adiwana and Emily Kumalaputra from Grade 7, and Frederick Perdana from Grade 8, participated in the National High Lions Cup Debate Competition. This was their first competition. They were successful in the first two preliminary rounds before leaving in Round 3. We also congratulate them on their achievement! Thank you to all students who represented SPHKV in the debate competitions.
JOHANNA WIELENGA (BIBLICAL FOUNDATION COORDINATOR - SPHKV)
THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 11
CAMPUS NEWS
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Learning Experience in SPH Sentul City Student Dormitory P
arents are understandably reluctant and anxious about their child living in a school or college dormitory. However, child development researchers Foster Cline and Jim Fay have coined the term “helicopter-parenting” to describe the unhelpful parental tendency to “hover” over their children. Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D., Director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders, explains helicopter parenting as “a style of parenting by parents who focus excessively on their children and keep hovering around them to extend help even for a mundane thing.”1 Parents with “helicoptering” tendencies never let their children face difficulties and rarely let their children do things by themselves. They also have the urge to intervene in almost every aspect of their children’s school life, friendships, and other activities. Despite parents’ good intentions, this kind of parenting can disadvantage children. As Kate Bayless from Parents.com points out it can lead to (1) Decreased confidence and self-esteem, (2) Undeveloped coping skills, (3) Undeveloped life skills, (4) Increased anxiety, and (5) A sense of entitlement (being accustomed to always having their own way)2. A remedy for the trap of helicopter parenting is to send your child to a school/college dormitory. This can be a experience that prepares them to grow in maturity and develop life skills. Some of the advantages include: 1. Increased Academic Success: Research from the Center for Applied Economics and Policy found that living in dormitories can result in improved academic performance because students have more time to study independently or in groups, and with fewer distractions.
2. Character and Personal Development: Students are trained to have self-awareness about time management and self-discipline. They are responsible for their own studies and daily chores, thus shaping their independence. Away from their parents, students learn to persevere when facing difficulties and to solve problems they face. 3. Social Skill Development through Community Engagement: A dormitory is a great place to strengthen the bonds between students and to gain a sense of family.3 Students have the chance to learn important values such as sharing, tolerance, and mindfulness towards others. 4. Talents Development and Skill Enhancement: Without having to commute every day from school to home, students have more chance to participate in afterschool activities according to their interests. Sekolah Pelita Harapan (SPH) Sentul City provides a safe school dormitory for students which is conducive for your children to have a once-in-a-lifetime educational and community experience. In addition to the high-quality accommodation facilities, SPH Sentul City student dorms give your children opportunity to live in a supportive community that nurtures their growth. We provide teachers as Dorm Supervisors who ensure the orderliness of the dorm environment and make sure students’ needs are met, giving them a memorable and meaningful learning experience. The student dormitory at SPH Sentul City can become a second home for your children.
1 What is Helicopter Parenting? (Brainy Child) http://www.brainy-child.com/articles/helicopter-parenting.shtml 2 What is Helicopter Parenting? (Parents.com) http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/what-is-helicopter-parenting/ 3 Living on campus provides many benefits for students http://www.dixiesunnews.com/news/articles/2016/08/17/living-campus-provides-many-benefits-students/
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CAMPUS NEWS
SPH Lippo Cikarang First Day of School
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xcitement filled the SPH Lippo Cikarang (SPHLC) campus on the first day of school. As early as 6:30 a.m. students arrived wearing their neatly tucked in uniforms. Everyone was happy to see their friends whom they had missed during the summer break. Teachers and staff were also glad to see their students again and to welcome new enrollees. SPHLC is blessed with a wonderful community. As the smallest SPH school we foster a strong spirit of family amongst students, parents, teachers, and staff. The day began with a whole school chapel. Teachers and staff led the praise and worship, and everyone was blessed with the message of God’s love and hope that the songs conveyed. Mr. Gavin Neale, SPHLC’s academic principal,
spoke about God’s great love and his mercies that are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-34). Mr. Gavin also introduced our theme, All Things New, based on Revelation 21:5: He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new! These words are trustworthy and true.” During the school chapel new students and their families were recognized and warmly welcomed along with new teachers: Mr. Brandon Weemhoff, Ms. Vikki Onato, Mrs. Ja Young Kim, Mr. Aldo Hutagalung, and Ms. Grace Widodo. SPHLC’s new administrative principal, Ms. Livy Fusta, closed the chapel with encouraging words and prayer. Junior School students then went to their classrooms with their parents for a ‘Meet and Greet’ with their homeroom teachers. This is the time when teachers explain school policies to students, and when students receive resource packages and textbooks. Student Council officers led the orientation for Senior School students.
NICOLE TALUSAN-ARBOLARIO (JUNIOR SCHOOL CURRICULUM COORDINATOR - SPHLC)
Seventh graders were given a special welcome as they transitioned from Junior School to Senior School. In addition, all students were divided into their house teams. House teams enable students from 7th to 12th grade to have fun and to be united. They compete in activities such as the Arts, making videos, and sports. Team points accumulate throughout the year. To conclude the first day of school, SPHLC hosted a Morning Tea for parents. This was a fun time of getting acquainted with one another. This enabled parents to build trust as everyone works together toward the goal of having a successful and meaningful year.
THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 13
CAMPUS NEWS
Young Scientists Competition
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e are proud to announce that SPHSC students won second and third place in the Young Scientists Competition (YSC) 2017 in Bandung. They are Otiilingam Sivakumar Premanand and Abelhard Moshe Jaime Jauwena, from SPH Sentul City. Janice Sugianto, from SPH Lippo Village, also won third place. Young Scientists Competition (YSC) is a competition for students ranging from 13-19 years old, to present their science research projects. This competition is hosted by Pudak Scientific, one of the largest scientific apparatus manufacturers in Indonesia. This year’s YSC was held on September 6, 2017, in Mepro Hall, Bandung. Students from various high schools all over West Java participated. Before they competed in Bandung, they had to submit their research papers, and after a process of rigorous selection, their research projects qualified to be in the finals. Otiilingam and Abelhard won second place in the Environmental Science Category with their project entitled, “Organic Biodegradable
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Alternatives to Petroleum-Based Plastics.” The Environmental Science category is about designing and creating a sustainable bioplastic using waste banana peel, coconut water, and pineapple juice. Janice Sugianto submitted her project in the Life Sciences category entitled, “The Effectiveness of Guava (Psidium guajava) as an Anti-Infection agent against Escherichia coli”. Escherichia coli (E-coli) bacteria is a major cause of disease such as diarrhea. Diarrhea is the leading cause of death in Indonesia. Janice is a science enthusiast; not theoretically but practically and empirically. She is interested in how science can improve the lives of others. She was the only sole participant while the other students worked in pairs. It was her personal desire to join this science competition. “I am not really strong in academics. Sometimes I don’t get the best grades in my tests, but I joined this competition because I want to gain confidence in what I like to do, which is biology. I want to do something based on plants and
traditional medicine,” said Janice. They had to work hard from day one on their preparation. They went through a series of trial and
CAMPUS NEWS
SPH K EM A NG VILL AGE
error experiments when doing their research in the lab. Janice, for example, had to find E-coli samples for the lab testing. With the help of her biology teacher, she had to contact many parties to help her with the samples. On the day of the competition all of the students were unsure about their projects. “When I entered the presentation hall, I had the opportunity to watch the previous participants’ project presentations, and it was similar to our project. Honestly, I thought that they were better ... Their project was very sophisticated and to be honest, we only used a simple spring balance,” Otiilingam said. Similarly Janice also thought that students from other schools surpassed her project. Their success proved that their anxiety was unfounded. Their achievement in this year’s YSC is one of the greatest milestones that SPH has achieved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) competitions. This competition was at the regional level and the winners competed at the national level on November 17-18, 2017. Their hard work paid off. “It seems that the words of Psalms 128:2 hold true after all. ‘When you shall enjoy the fruit of your labor, you will be happy and it will be well with you’. We have grown the tree of our labor while overcoming many obstacles, and the fruit tastes sweet indeed,” said Otiilingam. Praise God for His work through these students. May SPH students continue to flourish in the sciences to give glory to God our Creator.
Asian Science Camp 2017 A
fter being selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates, Alana and Arlene, two Grade 12 students at SPH Kemang Village, were able to serve as Indonesian delegates at the 11th Asian Science Camp (ASC) held in Perak, Malaysia, from August 20-26, 2017. ASC is an annual conference for Asian youths to develop their interest in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics). According to the ASC Committee, ‘ASC aims to enlighten science-talented youths through discussions and dialogues with top scholars and technologists and to promote international friendship and cooperation amongst the best young students of the next generation in Asia.’ At the camp students learned from a series of lectures and dialogue with Nobel Laureates, professors and industry leaders. The range of topics discussed included: cancer therapy, GMO foods, brain plasticity, and the origin of the universe. “I never realized how much I love meeting people from different cultures. Making friends was easy. Although we had different mother tongues, homes, and cultures, we all had a common, unifying interest in Science.” ―Alana “ASC was an amazing experience. It was enriching to work with people from so many different backgrounds from all over Asia. I was able to talk to and connect with experts and peers from my field of interest, and the camp helped me develop a stronger passion towards the STEM field.” ―Arlene Indonesia will host the ASC in Manado next year. We hope more SPH students will be selected to represent Indonesia.
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CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO VILL AG E
Grade 7 Spiritual Retreat "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith ...” Hebrews 12:1-2
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he SPH Lippo Village Grade 7 Spiritual Retreat is a special time set aside for students to reflect on the race they are running. What is it that we are really pursuing in life? Wealth? Popularity? Comfort? Mr. Jason Myers shared his testimony alongside the well-known story of Eric Liddell to present a powerful reminder that Jesus is the One worth striving after in life. Fixing our eyes on him will, in turn, open our hearts to the needs of others. This message sank into the minds and hearts of many students. It is rewarding to see them
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live it out. In addition to the teaching sessions, students participated in activities including team-building games, house team competitions, a bonfire, and a paper bag simulation. The paper bag simulation is an intense event during the second evening. It demonstrates the struggle of living in a disadvantaged community. This is a highlight of the retreat and leaves a powerful impression on the students. The purpose of the retreat was to make students have a deeper understanding and knowledge about the “race” that God sent us to run and to build team spirit among the members of the four house teams. My favorite activities were the morning devotions, game times, and the House Team Olympics. I enjoyed the morning devotions because they helped me know my discussion groups better, and we shared our ideas and experiences as we learned the Word of God with applications to our daily life. Being a gymnast, I know what it means to go through rigorous trainings and competitions. I understand the metaphor of the “race”. But I didn’t put the two together in my daily life. Now it makes sense. We will cry, fall, trip, get hurt, and become exhausted, and we may want to give up. What
I learned from this retreat is that I must get back up again and keep going until I finish the race well. I won’t give up, because there is an awesome prize at the end. I definitely want to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus because He is my Lord and Savior. ―Euclia Purnama On the Grade 7 Spiritual Retreat we had so much fun learning about ourselves, our friends, and the people around us. I really enjoyed the sessions that Mr. Jason presented. One session was really eye-opening for so many of us. It taught us about people who have less money than we do and how we can help. We also did a cool paper bag simulation. The idea is that we have a family and we had to make paper bags out of only newspaper and glue. It made me think, “What if I had to support my family like this every day? That would be so stressful, and there is no guarantee that the customers will even buy the product.” We also had a house team competition with wet and dry events. This was a huge bonding experience for everyone. We all learned so much about each other. One of my favorite times was the bonfire night. We each wrote down our faults on a sticky note and put it on the cross, as a symbol of Jesus carrying our sins. Later that night, Mr. Jason threw all of the sticky notes into the fire. It was a perfect display of renewal in Christ. The Grade 7 Spiritual Retreat was a blast learning about ourselves, each other, and Christ. ―Isaiah Bittner
CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO VILL AGE
Grade 8 Spiritual Retreat A
ll too often we live with a fear of taking the next step into a relationship with Jesus, or into a life of gospel witness. At this year’s Grade 8 retreat students were challenged, encouraged and equipped by our theme―"The Next Step." It was exciting to see so many of the students involved in worship by leading the songs, reading Bible verses, acting out Bible passages, and discussing how the principles that were learned can be applied to their lives. The retreat was held at Via Renata in Puncak from September 13-15 and had as its foci spending time in worship, reflecting on the Word of God, and bonding together. We were led by a new
speaker, Kylie Butler, who comes from Victoria, Australia. Kylie used many illustrations and engaged the students using high energy and enthusiasm during the five whole group sessions. In addition, students participated in small group discussions, played many games, and had free time to hang out and get to know each other better. Some of their favorite activities were bike riding, the seesaw, the house team competition, basketball, swimming in the pool, and playing cards. We were grateful to be able to spend this time together as a class in worship and building relationships, and we pray for continued courage to take the next step.
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CAMPUS NEWS
“ On September 13-15, 2017, we went on a three day spiritual retreat with our whole grade. We had 3 hours of break time which was a highlight because we could do many enjoyable things and could talk to friends. I played with a few people and have gotten closer to them. During this retreat I learnt that I had to get out of my “comfort zone.” Getting out of my comfort zone really helped me make new friends. I learned a lot from our guest speaker, Mrs. Kylie Butler, who led devotions every morning, evening, and night. On the Thursday night we wrote our confessions to God and thanked Him. Most students cried because they wanted God to forgive their sins. Mrs. Kylie really helped us learn about Jesus more. She told us the story of her past life, and she said how taking little steps can lead us to Jesus’ love. During one of the sessions, a lot of people cried. Some cried because they wanted Jesus to forgive their sins. Others just cried because they saw the others cry. In my opinion, the sessions that were shared by Mrs. Kylie were very meaningful. This retreat has changed my life. I have learnt that I need to be more grateful.“
Vania Lee Suriato Grade 8, SPH Lippo Village
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“ Spiritual Retreats are 3-day events that occur annually throughout Senior School at Sekolah Pelita Harapan. Their purpose is to make a memorable trip so that we can have the chance to bond not only with friends but also God. I have been at SPHLV since Grade 5. SPH is a big part of my life. I have learned a lot throughout my time here. This retreat was my second time being at Via Renata. Although some students, including me, did not feel comfortable being in a new place, I tried to remember the real purpose of this trip and to be humble. What I enjoyed the most was being there with my friends, spending time together and getting to know each other better. I was impacted by the retreat emotionally because it taught me a lot about God, and I got the chance to be closer to God. Overall, I had a good time. I was not close to some people in my grade, but the retreat helped me to grow in my friendships. When I first asked my mom to sign my retreat form I was nervous, because I did not actually want to go and be separated from my family. However towards the end of the retreat, I actually wanted to extend it even longer. I would like to go on another retreat because I want to make more good memories.“
Willbert Christianto Grade 8, SPH Lippo Village
DANIEL ADMIRAAL (GRADE 8 LEAD TEACHER - SPHLV)
CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO VILL AGE
Grade 11 Spiritual Retreat E
arly on a bright Monday morning, SPHLV Grade 11 students and teachers departed for their annual spiritual retreat in Puncak. In the midst of a busy first term of Diploma Programme studies, students and teachers alike looked forward to setting time aside for spiritual refreshment and fun outside of the classroom. Nestled high in the mountains, our retreat explored the theme ‘Old Things New.’ In line with our school theme―‘All Things New’―we learned how God lovingly takes our old, tired, and wornout lives, and makes them fresh and new through the good news of Jesus Christ. Nickey Gumbel, a talented and gifted speaker, taught us through the Alpha Program video series. These sessions asked essential questions of the Christian faith: Is there more to life than this? Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How can I have faith? Why and how do I pray? Gumbel spoke powerfully and accessibly about sin, our need for Christ, and ultimately about the hope and restoration promised in the Gospel. Students and teachers then engaged in thought-provoking discussions, sharing insights and reflections about the videos, and from their personal experiences of faith and relationship with God.
We also enjoyed a hike in Cibodas Park, which included a photo scavenger hunt. It was refreshing to escape into nature and see God’s beautiful creation. Students organized competitive games between the Bromo, Kintamani, Krakatau, and Merapi house teams. During free times, students explored the grounds, played outdoor activities and sports, and many games of Uno. These opportunities build new friendships and strengthen old bonds. Grade 11 students are learning to step into the role of upperclassmen in the Senior School. It was exciting to see students rise to the occasion of organizing games and activities, leading worship, and facilitating discussions. We are excited for them as they continue to grow into leaders at SPH Lippo Village and as young men and women who follow Jesus. It is a unique privilege to take three days each year to focus on learning outside of the classroom. Please pray that the lessons learned from this year’s retreat will continue to grow the students’ faith in Jesus Christ. It is exciting to see God’s love at work in the molding and shaping of this generation of young people.
“I have always loved going on retreats. It is a time when I get to re-learn the importance of my faith and how to maintain it. As a student in the IB course, it’s really hard to see myself as more than a score on a report card. It’s nice to be reminded that all of us have value, even if we aren’t the smartest or most popular person.” ―Christopher Regalado
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CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO CIK A R A NG SENIOR SCHOOL RE TRE AT
Show Us Christ If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
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his scripture tells us that in union with Christ by faith we are made new people. We are recreated and transformed by knowing that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the grave three days later (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) so that we may have eternal life. Our faculty planned and prayed for our Senior School Retreat 2017 with a simple desire: For Christ to make Himself known to our students and to transform their lives. We longed for students to experience the ‘riches of complete understanding [to] know the mystery of God, namely, Christ’ (Colossians 2:2) through which they receive the gift of salvation and newness of life. Our planning and prayers were pointed and focused.
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CAMPUS NEWS
Mr. Mark McClendon explained the ‘Show us Christ’ theme by using four sub-topics: 1. Show us His Heart: What God thinks of me. 2. Show us His Beauty: God’s plan of salvation. 3. Show us His Glory: Finding Jesus every day. 4. Show us His Calling: God’s purpose for life. Our prayers did not go unanswered. In the singing of songs and through the sharing of God’s word we felt our Lord's presence. Students confessed, some came forward in repentance and faith, while others renewed their commitment to following Jesus Christ. Teachers were encouraged. We gladly accepted a divinely sent message. Tucked away in a meeting hall at the Lembang Asri Hotel, we were reminded how our triune God is still redeeming and restoring broken humanity. He is still making all things new in Jesus! Since returning to campus, a student group has been formed dedicated to supporting fellow students in prayer and in their walk of faith. Our faculty continues to pray for our students to grow in understanding that ‘we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Ephesians 2:10)
TREVOR JONES (IBDP & IGCSE BIOLOGY TEACHER & SCIENCE TEAM LEADER - SPHLC)
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CAMPUS NEWS
SPH LIPPO CIK A R A NG ‘NO STRINGS AT TACHED’
A Pinocchio Musical Drama T
he tale of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet that can talk and behave like a child, is a wellknown story. On Saturday, June 3, 2017, Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Cikarang presented the Pinocchio musical drama―‘No Strings Attached’―at the Jakarta Art Building. Junior and Senior School students performed the play twice to a combined audience of 616 people including parents, siblings, teachers and staff, school representatives, and sponsors. ‘No Strings Attached’ is the musical adaptation of the children’s novel, The Adventures of Pinnochio, by Carlo Collodi, and is based on the script and score of Mary Donnelly and George L. O. Strid. In the story, a childless man called Geppetto treats his marionette named Pinocchio as his own son. With the assistance of a fairy, Pinocchio
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becomes a living wooden puppet and dreams of being a real boy. To achieve this dream he has to become responsible, respectful, and obedient, discerning right from wrong. In the adventure of seeking his identity, Pinocchio does not always choose the right path and sometimes fails to follow Geppetto’s advice. Pinocchio eventually leaves Geppetto, causing him to feel great loss and sadness. Geppetto searches for Pinocchio,and when Pinocchio finally realizes Geppetto’s love for him he is transformed into a real boy. At the end of the story, Pinocchio’s troubles teach him a precious lesson about the importance of obedience, respect, and honesty. Mr. Gavin Neale, the Head of School, says that Geppetto’s effort to find Pinocchio reminds him of the story of the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke.
CAMPUS NEWS
‘The picture of Geppetto searching for Pinocchio, despite the wrong that has been done to him, reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son that Jesus tells in Luke 15. As we watched the production, I hope you, too, were reminded of the great love that our Heavenly Father has for each one of us.’ Mr. Gavin appreciated everyone who made this production a success. Their dedication and hard work were much valued. In addition, students learned teamwork and perseverance, developed their performing and public speaking skills, and gained confidence. Through this event we hope many SPH students will be inspired to develop their God-given talents and skills for His glory.
IZZAURA ABIDIN (PRP - SPHLV)
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CAMPUS NEWS
Independence Day Celebration T
he observance of Memorial Day in the United States dates back to the years following the American Civil War. It became an official federal holiday in 1971 to honor and remember those patriots who sacrificed their lives to defend the United States of America, and those still doing so. Patriots are every country’s essence. They are often considered as being like pillars of strength for their love of country in the defense of freedom. Indonesia gained its independence seventytwo years ago, overcoming the pain and cruelty of colonialism in the bloodshed of battle. Our
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national flag, Sang Saka Merah Putih, is raised high each August 17th to honor those people who courageously fought for our independence. The word independence is a noun that translates to merdeka in Bahasa Indonesia. What does the idea of merdeka mean for Indonesians? The answer is ‘Pembebasan dari belenggu’, which describes our deliverance from oppressive colonialism under which our nation once suffered. It is important to celebrate Independence Day, not just with fun games and flags, but with purpose― for today’s generation needs to maintain our
nation’s patriotic spirit and pass it on to the next generation. SPH’s new theme, ‘All Things New’, based on Revelation 21:5, celebrates how we have been given new life in Jesus, and a new community― the Church―by our gracious God. This new life sets us free from wickedness so that we can live in a unified community and as passionate citizens, working to improve the country’s future. By putting our faith in Jesus and walking with Him in whatever He has planned for our lives, all praise and honor goes to God who makes all things new!
KEZIA ELIZABETH P. LAKSMONO (STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT - SPHLC)
CAMPUS NEWS
SPH Kemang Village Parents, Teachers and Staff Concert W
e often see students perform in music concerts, but what would happen if the performers were teachers, parents, and staff? Sekolah Pelita Harapan Kemang Village held a Parents, Teachers, and Staff Music Concert on Friday, September 22, 2017 in the SPH Kemang Village Theatre. Many hidden talents were revealed in an event that unified the school and strengthened its bonds. Research confirms that a supportive school community fosters a sense of belonging in the lives of school members. ‘Connectedness, belongingness, and community all refer to students’ sense of being in close, respectful relationships with peers and adults at school,’ writes Eric Schaps. Parents with students studying at SPHKV agree. ‘I love the fact that the school really involves the parents to come and participate. It was amazing. I thank Mr. Benji as our music teacher who initiated this concert.’ (Mrs. Dian)
‘We saw and heard the hidden talents of parents, cleaning staff, security and GA. We also made our children proud.’ (Mrs. Ina) Creating strong bonds between members of the whole school community is very important at KV. Students who have a strong sense of community are more likely to: • Be academically motivated. • Act ethically and altruistically. • Develop prosocial attitudes • Develop emotional competencies. • Avoid behavior problems. SPHKV’s hope is that partnerships between students, parents, teachers and staff will continue to grow as we continue the mission of building a transformative generation for Indonesia. SPHKV Head of School Mr. Ryan Groen concluded, ‘Music is a big part of what we do at Kemang Village. It is an enjoyable way to connect people together. A big thank you to everyone who was involved, especially our music faculty who helped organize this event.’
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u SPH LIPPO VILLAGE
u SPH SENTUL CITY
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“Proclaiming the preeminence of Christ and engaging in the redemptive restoration of all things in Him through holistic education”
u SPH LIPPO CIKARANG
u SPH KEMANG VILLAGE
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BIG PICTURE
LIPPO VILLAGE CAMPUS | PARENTS SEMINAR “WHY BOUNDARIES?”
LIPPO VILLAGE CAMPUS | VISITING PANTI WREDA
LIPPO VILLAGE CAMPUS 9TH PLACE AT NATIONAL FINALS - NATIONAL HISTORY DAY (NHD) COMPETITION, WASHINGTON D. C., JUNE 2017. L-R: AMANDA TERAMIHARDJA, JUDAH PURWANTO, AGNES ARIANTO (GRADE 10 STUDENTS)
LIPPO VILLAGE CAMPUS | SPH CUP SMA BASKETBALL
LIPPO VILLAGE CAMPUS | INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
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LIPPO VILLAGE CAMPUS | GRADE 3 COMMUNITY DISPLAY
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SENTUL CITY CAMPUS | CLASSROOM UPGRADE
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BIG PICTURE
LIPPO CIKARANG CAMPUS | NEW SCHOOL THEME LAUNCH
LIPPO CIKARANG CAMPUS | OPEN HOUSE
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LIPPO CIKARANG CAMPUS | FATHER’S GATHERING "CONSUMERISM & CHILDREN"
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KEMANG VILLAGE CAMPUS | INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
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BIG PICTURE
PLUIT VILLAGE CAMPUS | OPEN HOUSE
PLUIT VILLAGE CAMPUS | INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
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PLUIT VILLAGE CAMPUS | "ALL THINGS NEW" THEME LAUNCH
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THINKING THEMELY
‘I Can Only Imagine’ ‘You can’t trust your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.’
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here is possibly no more pressing need than for Christians to rediscover Christian imagination. Yes—God invites his people to dream about the future, to envision new possibilities, to have our intellect excited by the reality of eternity, to imagine, as Saint Paul said to the Corinthians, what God has planned for his people who love him. God’s ‘All Things New’ people are called to be a community alive with inspired imagination. Powerful people advocate against the Christian imagination. John Lennon did in his song, ‘Imagine’—an anthem to atheism that denies heaven and hell. Followed to its logical end, such an imagination leads to selfish despair. To be made in God’s image is the foundation for all humans having an imagination. To have received God’s promises is fuel for Christian imagination to be properly active. Not to use imagination is dangerous to society and to ourselves. In his novel, ‘The Power and the Glory’, English writer Graham Greene describes how failure to imagine people properly is demeaning. ‘When you visualized a man or a
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woman carefully, you could begin to feel pity, a quality God’s image carried with it ... when you saw the lines at the corners of the eyes, the shape of the mouth, how the hair grew, it was impossible to hate. Hate was just a failure of imagination.’ The 1967 Apollo 1 pre-flight test resulted in a fire and the death of three astronauts. At a congressional hearing into the disaster, NASA astronaut Frank Borman was asked what he believed had caused the fire. His answer? ‘Failure of imagination.’ NASA had envisioned a disaster happening in space, but not one on the launch pad. UK Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn recently said in an election speech: ‘This is the age of imagination in which we will achieve that decency and social justice that we all crave.’ People everywhere are craving for a life better than what they now have—a safer, more prosperous future—but they struggle to be convinced by political slogans. Christian philosopher Os Guinness says that ‘imagination’ has been stifled because ‘our best universities are great at teaching us to think, reason, argue, analyze, critique and
Faith is an act of imagination as we hope for a future reality that contradicts our experience. so on, but they’re not good at teaching us imagination.’ Why has this happened? As the product of the Enlightenment we have been trained to think rationally, logically and scientifically; to believe that truth must be summarized into empirical statements. In the words of A. W. Tozer, ‘We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God ... our thought habits are those of the scientist, not those of the worshipper. We are more likely to explain than to adore.’ We are also a product of the Entertainment industry. Having allowed Hollywood to imagine for us, our scripturalsanctified imagination tends to atrophy. God’s people are called to imagine the future that God is preparing for His people. ‘It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.’ (Hebrews 11:27) Jesus—God made flesh—is God’s invitation to imagine the spiritual in physical form. Jesus used the physical images of bread and wine to communicate spiritual realities. ‘From such things we may well
begin to suspect that this physical world is in fact shot through and through with spiritual realities.’ (J .B. Phillips) Faith is an act of imagination, as we hope for a future reality that contradicts our experience—of the poor inheriting the kingdom of God and of the meek inheriting the earth. If reason changes our minds then imagination changes our hopes. By ‘imagination’ I do not mean we make up things that we know aren’t real or true. By imagination I mean imaging realities perceived through reflective faith. James Smart’s words are important. ‘Without the Bible the remembered Christ becomes the imagined Christ, [a Christ shaped] by the religiosity and unconscious desires of his worshippers.’ Without Scripture our imagination is unchallengeable, and unmediated, leading to idolatry, where our imaging of God is too easily and inaccurately equated with God. We cannot imagine properly without God’s Word. God’s vision of the future is revealed in the book of Revelation—the last book in the New Testament and the least understood.
Each year SPH schools are united by a theme that derives from our Vision and Mission. Themes direct our community into Biblical thinking and learning so we will more effectively teach Christianly and live out our faith maturely. The 2017-18 theme, based on the Mission statement, ‘engaging in the redemptive restoration of all things’, is ‘All Things New.’
Revelation is apocalyptic literature. In it John ‘writes of heaven and things to come, that is, of a realm which has no shape at all but that which the images give it.’ (A. Farrer) We need John’s Revelation, not to get more information about God, but to revive our imagination of God’s plans for His world. ‘See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.’ (Rev 5:5) ‘Look, I am making everything new. These words are trustworthy and true.’ (Rev 21:5) See – Look – Imagine! John ‘draws’ Jesus’ victory over sin and death in vivid shapes to fill us with faith to patiently face hardship with hope as we live between the cross and the new creation. Christians with this imagination are like John who was ‘in the Spirit’—on Patmos (1:10); before God’s throne (4:10); in the desert (17:3); and on a mountain (21:10). In the Spirit means sharing in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and mission obediently. Have you a Christian imagination? Who or what do you need to re-imagine?
DANIEL FENNELL BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS COORDINATOR
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‘Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth”, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea ... for the old order of things has passed away .... Look! I am making everything new. These words are trustworthy and true.’ —Revelation 21:1-5
NEW CREATION IMAGINATION
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SPH L I PP O V I L L AG E
Engaging Our Imagination “No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this. Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—What God has arranged for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (The Message) What has God arranged? The eternal plan to redeem and restore the whole creation is revealed in His Word—the Bible. God’s salvation story can be described in six stages: ‘Creation – Fall – Israel – Jesus – The Church (Redemption) – Restoration’.
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ecently three wonderful musical experiences went far beyond what I had expected or imagined possible, for which I am grateful to God. My musical ‘antennae’ are now more tuned to giving glory to our Heavenly Father as I see and hear musicmaking around me. 1. ‘Jazz Unlimited’ When American jazz ensemble Charged Particles came to SPHLV we did not know how they would be received. Few of our students had ever experienced live jazz. Paul McCandless, solo jazz reed musician and winner of Grammy Awards, would be featured, but would our students be open to new sounds and edgy jazz styles? As soon as the first (complex) chords and rhythms started, I knew we would love our time with this ensemble. From a concert demonstration for Grade 10 music students, with fantastic
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explanations and de-construction of jazz, to Grade 12 students ‘jamming’ with these experienced artists, it was a time full of spontaneity and risk-taking. A Grade 10 parent wrote: ‘To hear my daughter express appreciation for the musicians and what they shared was pretty neat. The presenters did a wonderful job of sparking interest in jazz and getting teenagers excited about a different genre of music.’ We had a master class of improvisation. Many conversations ensued in words and in music. I was blown away by the musical generosity of our visitors and by the growth and rejuvenation of our Grade 12 students’ skills. In front of a professional band which included Stanford University professors, the students grew in their knowledge of scat singing, improvising, playing jazz drums and
TRACY RADBONE (MINISTERING ARTS COORDINATOR - SPHLV)
piano, and overcoming performance nerves. 2. ‘Confidence Unlimited’ One of our senior students has struggled with performance nerves, to the point that her audience would sit at the back of the room, facing the wall while she played. Now as she played for Charged Particles with depth and feeling, she was encouraged by these muso’s who praised her touch and the way in which she took the audience on a journey. Nerves and mistakes played second fiddle to an unmistakable commitment to performance. It was no surprise that at her next recital she performed flawlessly! 3. ‘Learning Unlimited’ Song-writing in Grades 9-10 has developed over the years in new ways. Students have written songs in groups and used music technology to create new music, mashups, arrangements or music for media. While
students have tried out the basics of online music tech programs such as Musescore, Audacity, Incredibox, Soundtrap as well as other programs like GarageBand, iMovie, the joy has been to see them learning from one another. While Grade 9 students have learnt about song-writing in small groups, through celebrating friendship, rapping or lamenting young love lost, Grade 10 students have had freedom to apply musical principles, teaching each other and also me in the process. At SPH we encourage students and teachers to pursue God in our studies. Sometimes we might miss unexpected learning adventures along the way. Let us be ready to exercise our Christian Imagination in any learning area at SPH, to bring to our school community a renewed understanding of what it means to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
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SPH FILES
SPH Excellence in Applied Science EDEN STEVEN (CLASS OF 2001 - SPH LIPPO VILLAGE)
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fter graduating from SPH in 2002, I commenced studying at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA, majoring first in Electrical Engineering, with a focus on control systems. Later I took a second major in Physics. In 2007, I pursued my Ph.D. degree in Physics at the Florida State University. As part of that training, I worked in the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory performing multi-disciplinary research. After graduating in 2012, I continued teaching and working at Florida State University as Adjunct Faculty while serving as the Dean’s Office Postdoctoral Fellow, performing independent research. In January 2017, I returned home to start an education and science center with my sister, in collaboration with schools and universities. My career in science started when I was in my SPH senior year. I owe my versatility in Math to the inspiring private tutor I had when I was in elementary school. My love for Mathematics was also inspired by my late Math teacher at SPH whose motto was, “Math is easy, simple, and beautiful.” In the same year I encountered another inspiring teacher in Physics class. There I saw the beauty of Physics from a Math perspective. My Physics teacher showed me how formulas are connected to each other with absolute certainty and consistency.
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FORCE SENSOR MEMBRANE PROTOTYPE PRINTED ORGANIC ELECTRONICS ORGANIC TOUCH SENSOR CARBON NANOTUBE COATED SPIDER SILK UNDER STUDY
He demonstrated the simplicity behind complex phenomena. I slowly began to glimpse the flawless inner workings and design in nature. Some people assume there is no feasible career path if we major in Math or Physics in college. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, I took Electrical Engineering as my major, the closest course that was in line with my love of Math and Physics. I later decided to pursue a double major, adding Physics as my second major. This decision was due to the fact that the way Physics describes nature is just too beautiful and useful to ignore. Physics is all around us. Our clothes, cellphones, construction, medical and transportation products, are all applications of science. I joined a research group to study quantum cascade lasers and quantum computers. It was beyond amazing how advanced that scientific field is. I knew then that I wanted to do research. I pursued my Ph.D. in Florida State University in Physics, specializing in Condensed Matter Experimental Physics. My professor taught us to be versatile, original, to not make things complicated, to collaborate with others, and to teach real physics. He was supportive of new ideas
and emphasized that teaching and research should be done as simply, as original, and as openly as possible. A small innovation is still an invention. That is how I discovered the magnificence of spiders, one of the toughest natural proteins in nature, which is now having a huge impact in biomedical fields. My hope for the SPH Excellence in Applied Science is that it can be a place of open discovery and exploration for students, teachers, mentors, and scientists to collaborate in order to solve problems as they study scientific topics through experimentation. I hope the center will be a place for students to use curiosity and to impart their originality to tackle research projects with the help of mentors who can guide their work according to global standards. The center will encourage and realize the truth that every science experiment will fail except the one that works. Advanced training to empower students with new experimental and analytical skillsets will also be paramount in order to prepare those students for their science career in college—whether locally or abroad. Perhaps you will be the one who will discover the solution to the world’s energy, environmental, and medical problem.
... Physics describes nature that is too beautiful and useful to ignore. Physics is all around us. Our clothes, cellphones, construction, medical and transportation products, are all applications of science. THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 41
SPH FILES
To Know and To Be Known Y
ears ago there was a license plate in Indiana that declared, “Kids First”. Many students come to school with their backs against the wall—home life is uncertain, parents have given up on their children and they expect schools to fix the problems. Students experience hurt and disappointment in life, but there is still hope. We can create a safe space for students to learn together. We can create the opportunity for parents to have conversations with us. We can set high standards and have high expectations, and we can find ways to hold our students accountable to those standards and expectations, while guiding and supporting them as they learn. We can be the calm voice in the crisis. We can speak with
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LIVY FUSTA, ADMINISTRATIVE PRINCIPAL, SPH LIPPO CIKARANG
reason when emotions are high. I grew up in Jakarta where I attended Christian schools for twelve years. I graduated from Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta with a Bachelor degree in English Language Education and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Calvin College, Michigan. I have lived and worked in Jakarta most of my life. My interests include travel, cooking and reading. I am passionate about teaching and the importance of education. Above all, being raised by a single parent, and being the sister of two younger brothers, I am passionate about seeing young people strive for excellence by fixing their eyes on Jesus Christ. I began my teaching career at Sekolah
Dian Harapan in Daan Mogot. After receiving my master’s degree from Calvin College, I became a team member of Professional Development and Curriculum Enrichment (PDCE) for Sekolah Lentera Harapan (SLH) and Sekolah Dian Harapan (SDH), and was appointed to be the administrative principal in SPH Lippo Cikarang this academic year. I am privileged to be working with such dynamic staff in a welcoming school community. The students are energetic, creative, engaging and proud of their school. The constant support of the parent community is one of our school’s strengths. SPH has the potential to be a truly outstanding school. When I joined YPPH I was excited by the emphasis on Christian education through the school’s vision and mission. For the last several years, YPPH schools have been exploring the meaning of “proclaiming the preeminence of Christ and engaging in the redemptive restoration of all things in Him through holistic education”. The school’s vision and mission emphasizes the love of Christ with a focus on educating the whole child intellectually, spiritually, and socially. The heart of the school community is to intentionally strive to achieve academic excellence while building strong faith in God. Through this shared commitment to learning, I am excited to experience a shalom community where to know and to be known, to love and to be loved, to serve and to be served, are practiced. In collaboration with the entire school community students develop character, cultivate passions, and explore God’s world outside of the classroom. May we keep striving to enable students to live a life of grace, engaging in redemptive restoration for an “All Things New” world.
Encouragement along the Journey W
hen I was in elementary school my teacher assigned a project to plan a trip to any country in the world. I made my project about a trip to Indonesia and remember being excited about the adventure of it all. Little did I realize then that one day I would be living in Jakarta and marrying a beautiful Indonesian woman. It is interesting how a little encouragement from a teacher at such a young age foreshadowed who I am today. Much like that 6th grade project (I’ve still got my original cue cards in my desk at school) my journey to SPH had its share of ups and downs, but ultimately it is one I look back on with a smile. I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. I spent most summers at the lake and my winters skiing a few choice ‘mountains’ in the Midwest. My fiancée, Artha, was born and raised in Jakarta. She knows all the tasty places to eat in town. I received my degree in Social Studies education from the University of Kansas. As well, I attended the University of Exeter in the UK where I completed a minor in Geography. The desire to work and live abroad was planted in my youth. Growing up I spent part of my summer holidays serving on national and international mission trips as well as doing family traveling. My time in England affirmed my desire to live in another culture. I began searching for schools around the world and attended an international job fair. There
a school in Jakarta found me. Through much prayer, discussion, and long drives, I felt I was being led to Jakarta, so I went! The Lord blessed my first year with a genuine community of believers and close friends. While it may sound strange, I never really experienced the frustration culture shock—everything seemed so interesting, exciting, and delicious! I delighted in the beauty of the God’s creation and Indonesian culture. I spent my holidays exploring Indonesia, an experienced the inevitable ‘stomach aches’ at inopportune times. During the spring of my third year in Jakarta I met the most wonderful and beautiful girl (now fiancée) who has surely tied my heart to Indonesia. While I loved teaching Sociology at my previous school, I was praying to find a school with a truly Christian identity, which is when I moved to SPH. It was an adjustment moving to SPH. Learning new routines and expectations was challenging. The IBO Diploma is a rigorous program for students as well as for teachers, It is both fun and rewarding to teach Psychology and TOK. Through the challenges of adjustment I held on to the conviction that God opened the door for me to come to SPH. This gave me an overarching peace and grounding that I was where I should be. Even though I felt grounded, there was still much day to day ‘grinding’ to do. I grew in my dependence on the Lord to provide me
CHRISTIAN LARSEN GR. 12 PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER, SPH LIPPO VILLAGE
with energy and wisdom. I also learned the importance of taking rest (even if it meant losing in board games). As I think of how God is working in my life this year, I am drawn to my Biblical Studies class. I teach ‘Discipleship Explored’ to Grade 11 students. This course explores Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Paul writes to encourage the church at Philippi to live with assurance, confidence, joyfulness, and contentment. We are not all that different from the Philippians. We easily fall into routines and get a little crusty. I can imagine how energized and emboldened in faith the Philippians must have been hearing Paul’s words to them. In a similar way, encouragement is part of the work God is doing through the teachers at SPH. Genuine encouragement can change our day. Students (like teachers) get stressed, anxious, sad, and overwhelmed. Sometimes a word of affirmation about schoolwork, athletics, clubs, or character will give a student the energy to do better and to smile. Spiritual encouragement is vital as students wrestle with and think through challenging questions and circumstances. Each day brings new academic, social, family and spiritual challenges for students that we as teachers can be praying about. It is my prayer that we continue grow as a community of teachers as we seek to encourage students in their passions, academics, and most importantly, faith in Jesus.
"Encouragement is part of the work God is doing through the teachers at SPH. Genuine encouragement can change our day." THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 43
SPH FILES
New Life at SPH Sentul City A
s the 21st century brings needed change to the way education happens around the world, we are moving ahead at SPH with facility transformation in our schools. By investing heavily in all five SPH schools we aim to ensure that we are on the cuttingedge of educational progress. SPH Sentul City has embarked on an ambitious plan to upgrade all of its instructional spaces. We have completed the renovation of our Kindy room into a fresh, colorful, and inviting space. Our new Senior School English classrooms are bright. Students describe them as inspiring. There is no doubt that the way a school looks affects attitudes to learning and to life.
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We have also finalized the design for a modern library, an adaptable space that will enable collaboration, facilitating small group work and research. Instead of the old model of a library being a ‘book warehouse’ with tables for silent work, we are developing an active learning community. In addition, we recognize the critical importance of students being able to work together and to have accessible teachers, so we are designing a new Student Center that will bring our DP students into even closer contact with our Coordinators and Career Counsellors. This center will provide a space for collaboration, counselling, and for Student Council work. Our coordinators
MATTHEW BRIAN MANN HEAD OF SCHOOL, SPH SENTUL CITY
will move their offices into this shared space to enable stronger relationships with our students. Lastly, in keeping with our mission to provide holistic education, we are excited to support our students’ physical health by adding a new fitness room. Sekolah Pelita Harapan is a dynamic group of schools that always seeks for better ways to provide our students with excellent learning experiences. We are excited to see how our surge of facility investments across all five schools will support the never ending pursuit of excellence.
PARENTING CORNER
PROMISING CHALLENGES
What is the daily aim of Parenting? Adapted from Desiring God Ministries
‘BIG DEAL’ PARENTING MEANS TWO THINGS: The first is authority. Children must understand early that they have been born into a world of authority. The sooner a child learns to submit to authority, the more blessed their life will be. My children don’t belong to me. They belong to God. He is the ultimate owner and authority. This means that I am a representative and an ambassador of the authority of God. I am the tone of God’s voice. I am the look on his face. I am the touch of his hand. Now this will make you weak in your knees. Every time I exercise authority in the lives of my children it must be a beautiful picture of the authority of God. I want my children to see authority as beautiful and giving and serving and loving and compassionate and patient and gracious, because that is the authority of God. Children are born with a natural antipathy toward authority—a natural hatred for authority. And I want to depict authority in its divine beauty so that they will say, ‘Authority is a good thing. Authority is a wise thing. Authority is a protective thing. Authority doesn’t crush my freedom. It gives me freedom.’
AUTHORITY IS A BIG DEAL Secondly, parenting relies on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ revealed on the cross. I want to download that mystery to my children. I am always looking for opportunities to use mundane moments to unfold Jesus to my children. This is not only a world of authority, through Jesus it is a world of grace. So I look for opportunities to unfold God’s grace through the ministry of the Spirit, through the Word of God, to my children, so that they are able to understand God’s will that becomes the tracks on which human life was meant to move. I need to know that if my eyes ever see and my ears ever hear the sin, weakness and failure of my children, it is not accidental. It is never an interruption. It is never a hassle. It is always grace. God loves those children. He has put them in a family of faith. He will reveal their need to me as a parent so I can be a tool of his authority, truth, wisdom and grace. You as a parent have the wonderful privilege of being a tool in God’s hands for the formation of a human soul. What could be more exciting than that?
The PARENTING PROGRAM equips and empowers parents with a holistic view of educating and training a child in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6). Parents learn new knowledge, beliefs, strategies and skills to make good and healthy choices in raising their children in the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7).
A
bigail Adams, wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States of America, purposefully let her son John Quincy (who was not yet 10 years old) follow his father on a long sea journey. There was the possibility of shipwreck. Although she might never see her son again, Abigail felt John could learn rich lessons from his father. Abigail wanted her son to be a mature person. She knew that without training, her son’s latent characteristics of greatness might lay dormant and never develop. John Quincy Adams became the sixth President of the USA. Abigail taught her son to face trials courageously and say, ‘Give me your best—and I’ll give you mine.’ Do parents today say such great words to their children? When children suffer or hurt parents feel that suffering and tend to shield their children from difficulties, even though character and life skills cannot flourish without learning from hardship. After his journey of misery and struggle, Job’s faith was purified like gold. His knowledge and reverence for God was deepened. Likewise parents need to give their children permission to struggle. Through this process, we are laying a solid foundation on which our children can build a resilient life. People say today’s generation of children cannot endure hardship and have no fighting spirit. How can this be? This should be a serious concern. As a mother, I admit there were times when I tended to be overly anxious about letting my children face challenges. In reality I wanted to take over their challenges. Our children might be saved from hardship, but what a big loss that is! Parents should utilize problems to teach and train their children on how to respond to difficulty, such as when school work is tiring and when waiting for hours in traffic. Parents need to encourage their children to hang on patiently when facing challenges and not run away from troubles. These life lessons are not easily learned, by parents or by children. We need to believe that God is merciful and gracious and that His hand is upon us as we are doing His will.
SOEKARMINI PARENTING PROGRAM COORDINATOR
THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 45
PARENTING CORNER
My name is Ps. Budi Chayadi, father of Jessyca Ashley Chayadi who is in Grade 5 at SPHLV. We heard about SPH from friends who have sent their children to SPH, and through the school’s website. We were looking for schools that operate with the IB curiculumn. When our eldest daughter finished her Grade 9 studies in Lampung last June and was accepted into SMAK 1 Jakarta Ashley wanted to join her sister to study in Jakarta. We understand that God gives every child unique learning abilities. Ashley learns effectively when she does independent research and can discuss topics with her friends and teachers. We agreed to move her to SPH with its IBO system because it was the best choice for Ashley’s learning style. Ashley is creative in the Arts. She was excited when she saw the school’s art room during the SPH Open House. We were also very pleased with the strong biblical values embedded in the school curriculum. We agree with SPH’s core values. We know how important it is for the children to excel academically, but this should not distract from their Christian faith. We believe faith should be strengthened through the lessons learned in school. We believe that we should impart to our children not only academic knowledge, but also faith, integrity, godly character, and benevolence. We hope that Ashley will learn how to: • Grow in maturity • Grow in her faith and walk with God • Have godly character • Appreciate diversity through her friendships at school • Develop her creativity • Think outside the box • Excel academically
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We are Gunawan Gani and Lussy Lanudjaja, the parents of Gabriella Lynne Gani who is in Grade 11. Before moving to SPH, Lynne was a student at a European School for 9 years. As time went by her interests changed and her love for golf started to grow. Since she wants to succeed at golf, Lynne needed a curriculum suitable for her to study in the USA where she can also develop her sporting skills. After making the decision to move schools, we searched for a school best suited to our daughter. A friend told us that SPH might be the school we were looking for. We visited SPH a couple of days later. After having great discussions with a few staff and telling them about the reason for our visit, we decided that this school was going to be a great fit for our daughter. We told Lynne about our decision, and she was very excited to move to SPH because of what she heard from friends who were already in SPH. After tests, interviews and Lynne’s first visit to SPH, she was very happy and impressed. The facilities, staff and teachers were very nice— beyond what she had imagined. After being accepted and joining the SPH family, we had a welcome party for new families before school started which included a school tour. Students from the SPH Student Council showed new students around. Lynne appreciated the friendliness students showed her. After her first day of school Lynne told us stories about how cool the teachers are, how nice the students are, how good the food in the canteen is, and how excited she is about the next 2 years of her life. Although she has had a few problems adjusting (particularly since SPH uses more technology than she is used to) she had lots of help from teachers and counsellors to get her through this difficult period. Lynne told me that she never imagined a school would care about their students this much. Not only do they have normal school lessons, they set aside time to praise God and connect with the other students and teachers. Lynne was touched by how students worship God by singing songs together and praying together, something that never happened in her previous school. They also have games and fun activities in ‘Connect’ time to bond with classmates and teachers. Lynne is very happy with the decision to move and has not looked back. We know SPH will guide and educate our daughter to become a God-obedient person who is also a blessing to society.
END NOTE
“FRESH SHOOTS OF HUMANITY” A REFLECTION ON SPH’S THEME: “ALL THINGS NEW”, BY TRAVIS JOHNSON
I
love stumbling across flowers growing up through the cracks of a pavement. A small glimpse of beauty on an otherwise bleak canvas speaks to me of unexpected strength in the midst of adversity. It is the natural emergence of God’s creativity breaking through the cracks of human progress and achievement. My two weeks with the SPH community felt just like that. I felt like I was a part of something beautiful sprouting up in the midst of a complicated and confusing world. Concrete is a useful material for us humans as we smooth things over and create structures that are easy for us to walk on, but the consistency of concrete can make it hard for flowers to grow. If we think of ourselves as flowers in the concrete jungle of poverty, sickness, anxiety, pride, corruption, fear and rebellion—then this world can feel like a hard place to grow in and grow up to be who we were designed by God to be. The scale and influence of our concrete world can also be incredibly disheartening. How can a tiny flower growing in the cracks of a culture make any real difference in this world? It is little wonder we find the story of God so compelling—where, instead of a narrative of decline and ultimate demise, we are propelled toward an end where God is making “all things new”. ‘God’s new heaven and earth will be free from the presence and possibility of sin. There nothing will divide, enslave or keep us from being forever with our King. Imagine a world without poverty, terrorism, sickness, sadness; with no conflict or natural disasters. There life will be ordered, work fruitful, and relationships fulfilling without dysfunction, danger or death.’ (Dan Fennell) It is hard not to be captivated by the Bible’s beautiful picture of the age to come where death, mourning, crying and pain are no more. When we view life through the lens of the hope that is before us, we find immense comfort knowing that the afflictions and challenges we experience now are nestled in the embrace
of a much larger story and a far greater God. Living in the light of this hope enables us to see ourselves once again as fresh shoots of humanity against the backdrop of a concrete jungle. My picture of following Jesus hasn’t always been like this. In the past my hope has only been in the age to come. Being a Christian was only about getting right with God through Jesus’ death on the cross so I could be forgiven and get to heaven. My ‘salvation’ was my escape from this world—being uprooted from the confusion of my concrete jungle and eventually floating upwards to the ‘everfertile garden bed’ in the sky. I’m now seeing that God’s story is also my invitation to live differently now. It can be easy for us to think that the future we hope for is disconnected from our present; that somehow we survive the short time we have on earth, and once we have ‘fought the good fight’ of survival, we are ‘promoted to glory’ and only then will we participate in the spoils of New Creation. My hope for the school theme launch of “All Things New” was to challenge this disconnection. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to live out the New Creation hope through our routine life in the here and now. This is why we spoke about God’s New City: “And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2) “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only
those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21: 25-27) As we reflect on what John saw in his vision, we begin to recognise that this is a city without religion. There is no temple, because God Himself dwells there. It could be said that temples (church buildings, synagogues, and mosques), are all attempts for humans to meet with God. Religion has always been about us getting to God. But in this new city, there is no temple—no need for religion, because God has come to us. God invites us to live as citizens of this city now—without empty religious practices. This new city is without darkness. God illuminates the city. There is no need for sunlight or lamps. Imagine that! No longer are we dependent on inconsistent or unreliable sources of light for our sustenance, and no longer allowing darkness to become the norm—because God Himself is our source of light. God invites us to live as citizens of this city now—without darkness in our lives. Another observation is that this a city without fear. Its gates are never closed. So much of today’s energy and resources are spent on securing the cities we live in. We fear what might happen to our property or ourselves if we do not invest in protection. This new city is one without this sort of fear. God invites us to live as citizens of this city now—without constant and crippling fear. When speaking of the resurrection of Jesus, N.T. Wright says: ‘In accordance with the Scriptures, the long awaited end has actually broken into our present time.’ Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the new life we find through faith in Him, our future hope has broken into our present experience. The future hope of new creation means we can be living like flowers in the cracks of our culture— making a difference in our world today. Think about it! When we allow a small plant to grow in the cracks of the pavement, it will cause all sorts of upheaval and change. Have you let God plant you in his beautiful kingdom?
THE LIGHT | 38 TH EDITION | 47