The first International Baccalaureate graduates from St Joseph’s Institution International are celebrating some outstanding results. Out of a cohort of 58 students, no fewer than 14 achieved scores of 40 and above out of a maximum of 45, almost half scored 38 points or more, and the class average was 36. To put these results in perspective, in 2008 out of almost 40,000 students world-wide, fewer than 8% of those who passed the Diploma achieved 40 points.

Beyond these high scores, Principal Mr Brian Christian expressed equal satisfaction at how many students have surpassed themselves,  “I am delighted to see our high-flyers achieving scores in the forties, but it is even more gratifying to be able to congratulate those with fairly average PSLE and L1R5 results who have exceeded all our expectations. These young men and women can be very proud of their achievements.”

Mr Christian paid tribute to the strength of the partnership between this group of students and their teachers for this remarkable set of results for such a young school.

One of top scorers is Ian Chai, who joined SJI International after completing his ‘O’ Levels at SJI, one of the 18 SJI boys in this first cohort of SJI International IB students.

This former SJI Military Band Drum Major, who scored 44 points, was understandably elated: “The journey really did mean going down the road less taken – it was frightening, exhilarating and sometimes exhausting, but I came through it with lots of new skills and just as many new friends. I definitely couldn’t have done it without some great teachers and all the support of a great group of friends.”

The Graduating Class of 2009 has set a formidable bench-mark for future years. With strong support from everyone in the SJI family, and with God’s grace, the school will be ready to face the challenge to develop and grow from this very fine base.

Equally happy with her 42 points was Sandesh Kaur: “Coming to a completely new school was a bit of a risk, but these results show that the pioneer IB students at SJII definitely made the right decision. Our experiences here have been challenging and life-changing – and today proves that all our hard work has been worthwhile.