By Betty Ding (25A01B), Isaac Tay (25S06L), Meryl Lim (25S05A)
In line with recent rewilding (or RIwilding) efforts on campus grounds, the school announced yesterday at Team Raffles Gala the launch of a brand-new initiative: NEST@Raffles.
Raffles Press was given the egg-clusive opportunity to cover this new programme, and dish the inside scoop on this egg-citing new initiative.
This initiative welcomes a chicken coop into the school, the first of its kind in Singaporean schools. The wild chickens which traverse the school compound, especially around the Marymount gate, will finally be given a home.
“This is in line with our sustainability efforts, or RIwilding,” principal Mr Aaron Loh said at the inauguration ceremony. “By allowing students to develop a greater appreciation for biodiversity, sustainability, and responsible resource management, we hope to instill sustainable thinking and responsible stewardship in Rafflesians.”
NEST@Raffles, which stands for “Nurturing and Educating Sustainable Thinking”, aims to provide students with the hands-on experience of engaging with wildlife via a four-pronged approach.
A bird’s eye view of NEST@Raffles
As such, all Year 5 students will have the privilege to complete a mandatory one-hour Community Service session per year at the chicken coop, starting from this year’s batch. The sessions will be conducted on GAP Days, so starting from Term 3, Year 5s will be rostered to report to school on a particular Wednesday.
”I’m sure they (the Year 5s) will not object to going to school on a GAP Day,” said an Estate representative. “Rather than being cooped up at home, they now have a refreshing and egg-citing alternative to look forward to.”
The inauguration ceremony of the coop will be held upon completion of its construction sometime in Term 2, with students and teachers we approached all looking forward to the development of the coop.
“Many of my schoolmates are familiar with the Marymount chickens. Some of us are even fond of them. I’m just glad that they have a proper shelter now.”
Hendery Chee Kun Fang (25S03T)
According to inside sources, at the ceremony, the location of the coop will be revealed to be along the stretch of road near the Marymount gate. It will be henceforth branded as “1 Raffles Institution Chicken Coop Lane” in commemoration of this momentous occasion.
This programme aids not just the students and chickens, but our canteen vendors as well. Eggs laid by the chickens will now be supplied to the canteen vendors, reducing their need to buy eggs from external vendors.
Analysts at Raffles Press say this move will significantly benefit the Raffles economy. Not only does this reduce the import expenditure from suppliers outside of Raffles, resulting in a favourable Balance of Trade, it also lowers the costs of production for canteen vendors, which is passed down to students in the form of lowered prices. Economics tutors approached by Raffles Press were overjoyed at this new example for students to include in their essays.
More significantly, the eggs collected are guaranteed to be organic, providing fresher and healthier options for Rafflesians. According to Mr Loh, students and teachers can now look forward to egg-cellent new egg dishes such as scrambled eggs, omelette, and even sambal eggs at the Canteen.
“Bok.”
Sir Thomas Sthenford Chickley Ruffles, on being domesticated/housed for NEST@Raffles
The third aspect of this initiative offers an alternative option to detention, following in the footsteps of RI’s sister school, RGS’ alternative detention option of rooftop gardening. Instead of serving detention in the classroom, students now have the option of doing manual labour in the chicken coop for the duration of their detention. This will include cleaning the coop, gathering chicken feces to be used as compost, and catching any chickens which escape the coop.
“Nothing quite like dealing with (chicken) shit to build character,” said Mr Tan Mian Ou, discipline head. (Hear more from him in our exclusive video coverage below!)
Finally, a new Wednesday Enrichment Programme (WEP) has been created to further support this initiative. Helming the Nest@Raffles WEP is Mr Eddie Koh — a trained guide in forest therapy and holder of an official training certificate from Singapore Zoo.
Students will learn more about urban farming, chicken/poultry studies, and even embark on a fully funded research project relating to chickens. Further research on animal husbandry and related fields, such as how to increase egg production to work toward Singapore’s “30 by 30” goal, will be aided by qualified Avian and Poultry Vets/Specialists from established international poultry research institutes.
Together, this four-pronged approach will work in tandem to develop students holistically and further support RI’s efforts at becoming a sustainable institution for future leaders, thinkers, and pioneers.
“This programme is so innovative and unique, I think it’s exciting for future Rafflesians to be offered opportunities like these on such a large scale. ”
Ms Foo Ling Yu, April (Knowledge Skills teacher)
Want more infowl-mation about this egg-ceptionally egg-citing new programme, or to hear directly from Mr Loh and the teachers involved? Check out our egg-clusive coverage report on NEST@Raffles below!
For more stories, visit Raffles Press.