Champions With Heart

Project Champions Way, Values in Action Initiatives

At Singapore Sports School, success is not defined by just the number of trophies that student-athletes achieve. A success story is created when there are role models who display Sports School values of Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence and Resilience and are socially responsible citizens. On a yearly basis, Sports School student-athletes go out of their comfort zones and the confines of the school to become more socially-aware and responsible when they organise and participate in activities for the community. Through their interaction with the community, student-athletes inculcate the values of community service and develop care and empathy for others.

Last year, the second edition of the Para Games was organised as part of Sports School’s Project Champions Way. 425 para-athletes took part in the Games, participating in badminton, bowling, football, goalball, swimming, table tennis, track and field events and powerlifting. Prior to the Para Games, student-athletes framed pictures of ROAR, our school mascot, and presented them to participants as souvenirs. In four years, Sports School has raised more than $300,000 for various beneficiaries.

At the academy level, the nine Sport Academies organise Values in Action (VIA) activities yearly with an established voluntary welfare organisation as their long-term partner. Student-athletes from each Academy will plan and implement activities to help beneficiaries in their partner organisation. Earlier this year, the Track and Field Academy spent a Saturday morning at Golden Saffron, a Sunlove senior activity centre at Woodlands Circle, celebrating Chinese New Year and early Valentine’s Day with the elderly residents.

“For many VIA activities that we do, our main objective is usually to contribute to the community and give back to society. However, many of us received much more from that morning session at Golden Saffron than we expected to; each of us took home special memories and different valuable lessons,” said Chloe Tan and Louisa Helena Janssen in their sharing of their academy’s VIA experience at Golden Saffron.

This year, the exacerbating COVID-19 situation has brought all other Values in Action activities to a halt, including the Project Champions Way. However, it is also adversity that brings out the best in our student-athletes and alumni as we see many of them stepping up to take ownership over how they contribute to the community. One example is the Shooting Academy that won the team ROAR Award in February for writing notes of appreciation and preparing care packs containing for the school’s support staff including cleaners, catering staff and security guards. Alumni have also rose to the occasion to lend a helping hand to worthy causes, and show their appreciation to frontline workers. There is indeed no better way to nurture Champions for Others than through experiences that go a long way.