Held in memory of Year 4 teacher Carole Fairbairn, who perished tragically in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, the Fairbairn Exhibition is one of the school’s most prestigious awards. Launched in 2006, it challenges Year 6 students to strive for excellence as they move towards the end of their stay in Junior School and provides a stage to showcase their knowledge, skills, and talents.

While the contest was held online the previous two years due to Covid restrictions, this year there was a return to the original format which included an article reading, interview, a debate, and a presentation. 

This year, 50 children applied and had to go through the first round of interviews, where the children were divided into groups of six and interviewed by two teachers. Among the questions they were asked were on current events, their reason for applying, and what value-related topic they would present should they be selected to move on to the next round. 

The 16 children who were chosen to join the finals were then given three weeks to prepare during the You-Time sessions. Prior to the finals, they were also assigned a reading on “Polar Shift Extinctions?” on which they would be asked questions during the finals to test their comprehension. 

During the Finals, the children were given the theme for the debate, “Should Covid Rules Be Eased More Quickly?,” and allotted time to prepare their arguments on whether they were for or against this. After the debate where they were judged according to their organisation and clarity, there was a session where the candidates made individual presentations related to a Value of their choice. Each student was given five minutes to present their creative and original presentations ranging from speeches to poetry, songs, and musical pieces.

For the first time, the panel of judges included three former Sixth Formers who were previous Fairbairn winners. The 16th Fairbairn Exhibition concluded with an exceptional group of winners who displayed skills in comprehension and communication as they answered interview questions, debated, and presented their topics with confidence and eloquence. Judged more valuably was the authenticity, understanding, and empathy they showed throughout the process, characteristics that lie at the heart and spirit of the Fairbairn Exhibition.

This year, the honours went to Kin (6CA), Isabelle (6RW), Don (6RW), and Tam (6RW). A special luncheon to celebrate the year’s winners and their parents will be held in the final week of term. They will be joined by Fairbairn awardees from previous years.