DISTED COLLEGE NEWS
20 December 2009

SAM world-class achievers

                                                                             SAM top achievers

Once again DISTED College students sparked high flying results in the internationally recognized South Australian Matriculation (SAM) examination.

24 students were placed among the top 20% of all SAM achievers within and without Australia for attaining tertiary entrance rank (TER) 80 and above in the 2009 SAM examination.

7 of them scored remarkable results of TER 90 and higher, ranking them within the top 10% of outstanding SAM achievers in the examination.

DISTED SAM top achievers with TER 80 and above rejoicing with School of Pre-University Studies head Dr Teo Soon Beng (seated, left) and SAM programme coordinator Lucy Chin Soon Sim (seated, third from left).

DISTED School of Pre-University Studies head Dr Teo Soon Beng said: “We’re very proud of their brilliant performance.

“They will be gracing the corridors of some of the world’s top universities just like the hundreds of DISTED students before them who had been accepted worldwide to read medicine, pharmacy, engineering, biotechnology and other fields.”

SAM programme coordinator Lucy Chin Soon Sim added: “Their outstanding success is the pride of our lecturers who uphold high standards to spur students to excel in their studies.

“We’re also proud that students of high academic calibre have made DISTED their college of choice for pre-university education.”

DISTED SAM high achievers with TER 90 and above sharing a proud moment (from left) Oh Wei Chern, Melissa Law Suk Yeng, Allysha Yeap Mei Xian, Yeoh Ee-Jon, Lim Aun Nee, Chee Shiang Lynn and Emilyn Teh She-Minn.

SAM top scorer with TER 96.60 Oh Wei Chern (third from left) and her Dare to Dye! group advocating the use of natural dyes made from plants during their SAM biology class public exhibition held at DISTED.

Oh Wei Chern topped the achievement list with TER 96.60 and 5 straight As.

She attributed her success to hard work and effective guidance from her lecturers.

“It’s important to pay attention in class so as to better understand the topic taught. I also strived continuously to do well in my studies,” said the former SMJK Jit Sin student with SPM 10As.

“I love my SAM lecturers as they’re awesome. They provide good guidance and are always eager to help students to learn more. They make DISTED a great place to study,” Oh said.

She chose SAM for pre-university studies as it has coursework component.

“Coursework in SAM counts as it contributes to the overall grades.

“It also makes learning a fun and enriching experience. I enjoyed the group work and taking part in the biology class field trips and the Nature Rocks! Let’s Go Green! exhibition,” said Oh, adding that she will be furthering her studies in pharmacy in Australia.

Sharing a happy moment are DISTED outstanding SAM achievers (from left) Emilyn Teh She-Minn (TER 95.70), Yeoh Ee-Jon (TER 95.45) and Oh Wei Chern (TER 96.60).

SAM high achiever with TER 95.70 Emilyn Teh She-Minn (second from right) and her Fashionistas: Dressed Not To Kill team calling for wildlife conservation and opposing animal skinning for high fashion during the public exhibition of their SAM biology project.

Emilyn Teh She-Minn did the college proud by not only scoring TER 95.70 but also, winning a certificate of merit from the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia for achieving a prefect score of  20/20 in the English as a Second Language subject.

“I’m very happy as getting the merit certificate was a challenging task. With hard work, encouragement from my English lecturer Ms Jenny Wong and belief in myself, I succeeded!” she said.

“DISTED was my choice as it has good and experienced lecturers with a proven track record in pre-university exam performance.

“SAM is interesting as it’s not just strictly academic. It has projects and group activities where I picked up useful skills and made friends who will last for a lifetime.

“I tried my best to stick to a revision timetable. It served as a reminder and helped me to pace my studies to meet the exam schedule,” said Emilyn, who attained SPM 10 1As while at SMK (P) St. George and will be reading for a science degree in Australia.

“Apart from my lecturers, I wish to thank my dad and mom for their support and guidance, and believing in me,” she added.

DISTED SAM English lecturer Jenny Wong Lan Moi (left) congratulating SAM high achiever Emilyn Teh She-Minn who also won a SSABSA certificate of merit for obtaining a perfect score of 20/20 in English as a Second Language. Looking on is SAM programme coordinator Lucy Chin Soon Sim, who is Emilyn's mother.