By Clarine See (18S03G) and Zacchaeus Chok (18S03O)
Photographs courtesy of Raffles One Earth and Raffles Photographic Society

After months of planning, Raffles Community Advocates’ environment-focused advocacy group, GlassArk, and Raffles One Earth rolled out Ecoweek 2018. A week meant to educate and inspire students to take responsibility for their actions on our earth, the event featured a poster exhibition on various forms of wastage, a Pledge Tree where students could express their commitment to reducing wastage in their own lives, an activity booth where students could give newspaper and plastic bottles a new lease of life as bags and pencil cases, and a clothes donation drive for students to take the first step towards being environmentally conscious.

That said, how did the student populace respond to Ecoweek? To gauge the school’s reception to Ecoweek, and to reflect on its effectiveness, Raffles Press administered a quick survey on a random sample of the student population, and conducted informal interviews with some students and members involved in Ecoweek.

As part of publicity efforts for Ecoweek, GlassArk-One Earth members employed a novel method of reaching out to students. As One Earth vice-chairperson Amanda Tan (18S03L) puts it, “Rather than doing up posters, we made publicity items from recycled materials such as cardboard and hung them around school.” Be they shirts hanging on the railings of staircases, or sea animals made with newspaper, these art installations were definitely an unexpected addition to the school environment, and hearteningly, some students indeed took notice of them. Student Elizabeth Leong (18S06G) especially appreciated its innovative aspect, and remarked, “I found the art installations around the school quite effective at drawing attention to the cause.”

Some of the numerous art installations created by members of GlassArk and One Earth to publicise Ecoweek.

From Press’ observations, the response to the clothes donation drive was quite strong. By the end of the first collection day, there were enough clothes donated to fill up three cardboard boxes, which had to be placed in storage to allow more clothes to be dropped off at the booth. The activity booth, however, received a comparatively muted response. While some students would sidle up to the booth and observe members creating plastic bottle pencil cases and newspaper bags, not many stayed to give it a try on their own.

Most interviewees gave special mention to the Pledge Tree activity. Serving as an important symbol of recycling, the Tree was customised to add an interactive crowdsourcing element. The creative nature of the activity also had a deeper intention: to prompt reflection amongst RI students with regards to waste management. This novel approach to advocacy certainly captured the attention of many students.

Yet, whether the students were truly sincere in their pledges remains an entirely different question. A few pledges did show detailed and realistic plans to reduce waste, such as taking shorter showers or using the recycle bins. Other pledges had a hint of sarcasm and individualism, such as “Auspicium Melioris Aevi. Climate Change is a Hoax” and “I will never use plastic surgery”. Even if the Pledge Tree activity did not stir up serious pondering, it definitely mirrored the student body’s widely differing attitudes and perceptions towards waste management and environmental issues.

With responses such as these, it does seem that the purpose of Ecoweek did not resonate with these students.

Strategically located right next to the Pledge Tree was the poster exhibition on wastage. Yet, while the Tree seemed to attract plentiful attention, students seemed to skirt around the posters without a second glance. Other students merely gave the informative posters a passing look without learning any concrete waste reduction steps.

Overall, while it was heartening to see a sizeable number of students actively learning about waste management, GlassArk’s leader Timothy Martin (18S03D) feels that the overall response was limited. Not many students were attracted to the Ecoweek booth, and those who did visit were more often than not influenced by repeated persuasion from GlassArk-One Earth members. Disappointingly, despite the morning announcements and art installations plastered throughout the school campus, some students said that they did not know that Ecoweek was happening.

This may point to the school population’s indifference towards environmental issues. After all, the effects of proper waste management seem intangible and far-fetched, and it may be hard to imagine that one could make much of an impact in improving it. Yet, it is precisely because of this indifference that Glassark and One Earth decided to collaborate under the shared vision of promoting environmental sustainability. The Pledge Tree and activity booth were just a few of the initiatives rolled out by GlassArk and One Earth, with the hope of infusing fun into advocacy to better engage the school population.

Organising a school-wide event is difficult on its own, and having to include an element of advocacy brings forth even greater challenges. For instance, some of the deliberations and dilemmas faced by the planning committee included: How do I capture the attention of students? How do I establish the relevance of this topic? What if the fun parts overshadow the educational parts? GlassArk and One Earth members had to go through multiple discussions before deciding on a mix of fun and informative activities (though the two are not exactly mutually exclusive) to parallel their goals of increasing the appeal of environmental issues and to transfer practical knowledge.

In short, Ecoweek was the product of balancing fun and information. In retrospect, Timothy feels that one aspect – empathy – was not emphasised enough. “Students need to see first-hand the implications of excessive wastage of resources to strengthen their resolve and commitment towards active waste reduction,” he opined. “Other possible activities such as a photo exhibition or a learning journey that exposes the ‘trash trails’ we leave behind might go a long way.”

While Ecoweek might not have been an outright success on all fronts, one cannot deny that it was a much-needed first step in creating a platform to advocate for the environment. Ecoweek sets a new precedent for future advocacy events in this institution through the use of innovative and engaging mediums, a strategy that should be considered by following batches who want to raise awareness for pertinent social causes and spark intellectual discourse.

By Nicki Chan (18S03C), Abigail Ang (18S06B) and Elizabeth Leong (18S06G)
Photos courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

With a prominent focus on personal sharings and stories, this year’s Raffles Science Symposium (RSS) Mental Health Strand offered not only information about the important issue at hand, but also a message of hope for those struggling with their own mental wellbeing.

Senior Deputy Principal Mr Magendiran delivered his opening address to a crowd that included 40 external guests. He remarked on the importance of good mental health and the discourse surrounding it, reminding participants that “the conversation is not about or with the experts alone, but also about young people like you”. He concluded by expressing his wish that everyone would “learn things [today] that will bear fruit later in your lives”.

Talk by Dr. Habeebul Rahman, Senior Consultant, Psychological Medicine Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital

In Dr. Habeebul’s introduction, he called the audience to action: “if, after today, you can be brave enough to help yourself or others, that is good enough”. During his interview with Press, he reiterated this stance: “beyond [mere awareness], you need to make the decision to do something about it”.

He subsequently addressed the misinformed belief that mental illness was a choice: “mental illnesses are no different [from physical ones]”. The audience learned how this understanding of mental health impacted how he treated patients. “Now, I don’t ask if [a person has a family history of mental illness], but what their family history is.” Our genetic makeup affects our likelihood of suffering from physical disorders; this holds true for mental illnesses as well.

Dr. Habeebul then provided easily-understood descriptions of the various causes of mental illness. For instance, when explaining psychosis, he first talked about a common phenomenon – dreaming, through which humans draw connections between memories. The delusions common in psychosis, he explained, were what happened when “our ability to draw these connections go wrong. Those with psychosis are constantly in a dreamlike state”.

Dr. Habeebul was also quick to dispel other myths regarding mental illnesses – for example, when discussing eating disorders (ED), he pointed out that they also affect men, despite women being the vast majority of patients. He also verbalised his respect for those with mental illnesses, commenting that “it takes a huge amount of strength to walk away from the behaviours associated with such illnesses”.

On the role of medication in resolving mental illnesses, Dr Habeebul remarked that it was important in “reversing some of the processes in your brain, long enough for other intervention methods like therapy and social support”.

He later described the intervention methods that the average person can take. “Be a friend. Reach out to them as a person. Do not address [their behaviours] as a deficiency or judge them as bad. All of these things, they’ve already gone through in their mind. Instead, highlight your concern for them: ‘I’m worried that if things don’t change I would lose a good friend. Would you come with me to get some help?’”

Dr. Habeebul admitted that it would be a difficult situation should the friend refuse to seek help, although he said he “would err on the side of saving them and then work to repair the relationship later on.” He added that if one was unsure of what to do, one should “seek out someone who will give you advice”, such as a guidance counsellor.

Sharing by Mr Vijay Pratap Rai, Peer Support Specialist (PSS) in the IMH’s Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP)

Mr Rai’s talk focused on his recovery from psychosis, and his current vocation as a Peer Support Specialist.

In a world where seeking treatment for mental illnesses is still stigmatised, hearing Mr Rai talk openly about this matter was encouraging. He described the effects of his illness, from the “physical zapping sensations” that he felt, to his paranoia. “I felt like I was under surveillance. That people could read my mind and emotions, and that they were broadcasting them to the world,” he said. He also detailed his journey to recovery, speaking highly of his prescribed medications and of the social support activities he participated in (such as current affairs classes), and talking about his self-care plans in the event of a relapse.

Having made significant improvements in his mental health, Mr Rai’s case managers felt that he was qualified to start giving peer support. Though initially skeptical of his ability to help others, Mr Rai agreed to attend the peer support training programmes by the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH). He even went abroad to learn about different mental healthcare systems. Peer support eventually became his vocation; Mr Rai now facilitates peer support sessions for other mental health patients, and is proud of his work.

When asked, in an interview with Press, about the reasons he chose to speak out about his illness, his passion for his role as a peer supporter was evident: “At first, I started sharing my story through a fake name. I realised it was helping people – I was getting good feedback. That’s when I became vocal and more public. I was lucky – I received help that worked for me – so now I want to support those in the shadows.”

Mr Rai concluded his talk with life lessons he learned from dealing with his mental illness, such as the importance of shifting one’s perceptions to deal with situations better, and the concept of inner strength. He reinforced this notion in his interview, telling Press that “the important thing to note is that recovery is possible and is the expectation. No matter how challenging, recovery is possible.”

“No matter how challenging, recovery is possible.”

– Mr Vijay Pratap Rai, Peer Support Specialist

Mr Ling Shao Tong, SMU Peer Helpers

Even before joining the Peer Helpers Programme (PHP) at Singapore Management University (SMU), Mr Ling was no stranger to mental illness. During his presentation, Mr Ling recounted his experiences supporting multiple friends through their mental health issues, beginning with trying to help a friend with suicidal depression in Secondary Two.

His sharing gave us a deep insight into the problems faced by those often forgotten when we discuss mental health: the friends and family supporting those with mental illness. A month after he joined PHP at SMU, his best friend took his own life. Mr Ling described the following period as “an immensely terrible time” for him, where he was often plagued by guilt for not having “done more”.

Warning the audience against having a “saviour’s complex” like he did in the past, he reminded us to “not take personal responsibility each time our friends go into the low” and to take care of our personal wellbeing while caring for our friends.

Recounting a period of time when he was overwhelmed by trying to be there for his friends “24/7” – like “SOS (Samaritans of Singapore)”, he joked – Mr Ling also brought up a common problem faced by friends and caregivers: burnout.

Though he wanted to always be there for his friends, which included picking up calls at all hours of the night, he realised that it was important to “take care of yourself the way you take care of your friends”, and take time off to rest by doing things he enjoyed.

“Take care of yourself the way you take care of your friends.”

– Mr Ling Shao Tong, SMU Peer Helpers

Nicole Kay, Founder of The Tapestry Project SG

After years of battling depression, both alone and with healthcare professionals who did not take her seriously, Ms Nicole Kay was resolute. No longer would she remain silent about the illness that had taken so much out of her, and no longer should others have to battle the illness for as long as she did. And thus, the Tapestry Project was born, aiming to banish the social stigma surrounding mental illness by encouraging the sharing of personal stories.

Ms Kay shared that it takes approximately 4 to 6 years for people to seek help regarding their mental health. The reason behind this is simple: social stigma keeps people quiet about their experiences. The danger lies in how easily stigma can become convoluted with one’s identity when societal labels are internalised. This affects both the individual and a whole community of mental health patients. Those under the burden of stigma suffer from feelings of shame and isolation. More importantly, the lack of first-hand accounts of mental illnesses affects research that can aid others’ recovery.

Nicole’s experience with depression allowed her to empathise with those who are also struggling, and establish a platform through which real people can share their struggles with an open and accepting community. She hopes that Tapestry can help to connect, empower and educate people so as to foster a sense of courage and community in journeying towards recovery.

Student Presentations

Peer Helper S. Jivaganesh (18S06D) presented his project on social anxiety and the use of electronic devices and social media. His research delved into the effects of online bullying, sleep deprivation and use of social media, which he found does not confer as much satisfaction as one would expect. In a survey he conducted amongst JC students, 32.7% of respondents reported experiencing negative emotions after spending time on social media.

Meanwhile, Peer Helper Huang Huanyan’s (18A03A) presentation, “Brave Girl Not Eating” focused on her personal experience with anorexia nervosa, which she was diagnosed with in 2014. Her journey was anything but easy – she relapsed after receiving outpatient treatment, influenced by Instagram accounts that glorified counting calories and eating minuscule amounts of food, and eventually had to be admitted to hospital. Huanyan admitted that “in a sick way”, she enjoyed the attention she was given when others commented on her low food intake and thin frame.

Two significant things that helped Huanyan through her recovery in hospital was art and journaling, both of which she found therapeutic and eventually took up as a hobby. Over the school holidays, she made the decision to reach out to others through her art, inspiring her final product – a graphic novel, which the presentation itself was named after. In her novel, Huanyan describes the causes and symptoms of eating disorders, and the steps that helped her towards recovery. She also explains that the stigma against mental illnesses made her “adamant” against sharing her story against the past, but the experience made her determined to speak out if it would bring joy to those struggling.

“No one deserves to be judged just because they had been through such struggles.”

– Huang Huanyan, Brave Girl Not Eating

Ironically, social media also helped Huanyan through her recovery journey, through support groups for people with eating disorders and posts about recovery from anorexia. It has also encouraged her to share her story. “When I first started posting positive things on Instagram, it helped a lot and a lot of people approached me to tell me my story was inspiring.” Huanyan shared with us. “If I share my story it will help others who are going through the same thing. There is the idea that it’s impossible to recover. But sharing [my] success journey helps people to see that it’s possible.”

Exhibitions

The Mental Health Strand would not be complete without showcasing the efforts of RI’s Peer Helpers. A number of poster displays were set up at the ISH, each designed by a group of Peer Helpers to banish misconceptions and educate visitors on various aspects of mental health. One group of Peer Helpers conducted a Kahoot! quiz in conjunction with their exhibit, engaging the passing visitors. Many visitors were seen chatting with the Peer Helpers about the posters, and leaving the ISH with freebies from the exhibition. It was clear that the exhibition was highly interesting to many.

The Role of RSS

The Mental Health Science Strand of this year’s RSS had a full-day programme from 8.15a.m. to 2.30p.m., and filled around three quarters of the Innovation Centre. However, many Year 6s were not aware that this event was occuring, apart from noticing their classmates from PHP were missing from lessons. One may question why this event was only open to Year 5s, when it might help raise awareness and foster discussion for mental health among Year 6s too, given that mental health is an important issue for all students and should transcend one’s academic competence.

Still, the increased attendance in this second year of the Mental Health Strand compared to last year – “about four times bigger”, according to Mr Gary Koh, guidance counselor at Raffles Guidance Centre (RGC) – was heartening to see. Ms Woo Mei Hui, another RGC counselor, attributed this to better organisation, as last year had been more of a “pilot run”.

Even so, Mr Koh says that it is not all about the attendance. “Even if a quarter of the number of people here left with, ‘So this is something I can use and apply to help my friends’, I think we would have been successful [in holding this event].”

In Conclusion

The RSS Mental Health Strand was well-run, interesting, and informative, with its participants learning much over the course of less than seven hours. In the face of persistent stigma around the topic, changing people’s attitudes towards mental health will be a slow process. Still, the Strand was a step in the right direction; with time, society will hopefully be receptive to the the future it promotes.

By Zara Karimi (18A01A)
Illustration by Yu Ke Dong (19A13A)

“The first thing we were all told on the first day was to not pay the gender divide any heed, [because] we’re all ‘One Rafflesian family’.”

These are the words of an RGS girl, one of many new Year 5s who felt uncomfortable with certain remarks made by presenters during the January Induction Programme this year, better known as JIP.

JIP is the first introduction to RI Y5–6 that the Raffles Programme students receive. For the large majority of JIP, RI and RGS students are segregated (with DSA students split by sex), attending separate sessions of the same programme. It functions as a bridge between secondary school and junior college, with talks on academic studies, co-curricular activities, and adapting to a new environment. For many, this is the first time in four years that they will be attending a co-educational institution, and as a result, some talks during JIP covered concerns pertaining to socialising with members of a different gender.

However, during JIP this year, many found that there was a gap between the overarching principle of gender equality, and the treatment and discussion of differences between genders in other JIP talks. This largely occurred through statements, actions or incidents regarded as instances of indirect, subtle, and unintentional discrimination.

Following an increased amount of attention that this issue received from Year 5s, Raffles Press reached out to students who attended JIP for comment through interviews and a short survey. By and large, RGS girls felt that speakers made offhand comments reflective of attitudes that expected girls to be more mature and better behaved. In contrast, RI boys felt like they were constantly being put down, written off as rowdy and hormonal, as well as inferior to the girls.

“While a few jokes used to lighten the atmosphere were okay, the speakers’ repetitive mocking of stereotyped habits of boys [were] unnecessary,” opined one RI boy. Many of the respondents to our survey felt that these comments would result in a reinforcement of negative stereotypes of both genders, and introduce bad impressions of members of the opposite gender. This would ultimately hinder socialisation between boys and girls.

“Though there might be inherent neurological differences between boys and girls, and [by extension] men and women, putting huge groups of people into boxes is reductive,” explained an RGS girl.

Some sociologists and psychologists argue that attributing certain characteristics to boys and girls is the result of individuals being socialized from childhood to adhere to their respective gender roles. Girls are perceived as more ‘mature’ because historically, they have been taught to delay gratification, defer to others, and put their needs last. Boys are perceived as more ‘rowdy’ because our society demands that men be dominant, aggressive, and invulnerable.

Hence, the assumption that girls can control themselves better and faster, whereas boys have a harder time due to innate immaturity, can be perceived as a problem. This is in line with social trends within feminist and liberal movements which have increasingly been condemning narrowly-defined gender roles.

To seek clarification on the matter at hand, Raffles Press approached the Year 5 year heads, Ms. Eva Hor, Dr Ng Kai Ling, and Mr Tan Mian Ou, for their perspectives on this issue.

Their response was one of surprise, as they were unaware of the vehemence and direction of ground sentiment. While they did agree that the students’ response to the contradiction between the talks about gender and the remarks made was justified, they expressed concern about the context in which the speakers’ remarks were made. However, they were adamant about ensuring equal, fair treatment, and emphasized the importance of handling the issue of gender with sensitivity.

To quote Mr Tan, “My overriding message to the boys during my talk…[was approached] from the angle of making friends, [and] was about the importance of being gentlemanly, whether it’s among each other or with the girls. The principle was one of being a good person.”

What is clear through the examination of both sides is that none of the statements and sentiments expressed during JIP were intentionally or overtly discriminatory. Yet they reflect underlying archaic attitudes towards sex and gender which manifest through microaggressions, which in turn only serve to reinforce stereotypes.

A few of our respondents also thought that discussion of the gender divide could have been handled more carefully with a greater focus on objective and helpful advice rather than blasé remarks about negative stereotypes. This could be done through gender-neutral language, or more emphasis on mutual respect and positive communication. The Year 5 year heads also agreed that greater uniformity among speakers surrounding attitudes about gender would be beneficial.

Considering how Year 5 students will be working together closely over the course of the next two years, it may not be in anyone’s best interest to begin with these mindsets in place. As a result, perhaps an examination of the language we use, and on a deeper level, the biases we may hold, is necessary.

Raffles Press would like to thank our interviewees and survey respondents as well as the Year 5 year heads for their contribution.

By Abigail Ang (18S06B) and Jeslyn Tan (18S06R)

The 14th of February has come and gone, with its heart-shaped chocolates and overpriced roses, but the prospect of new couples – especially within the Year 5 batch – remains a hot topic. From Orientation – some OGLs claim their OGLings began ‘making moves’ on the first day – to the long stretches of free time many Year 5 classes seem to be spending in the Amphitheatre, Year 5 is a period characterised by its many opportunities to socialise.

Once lessons kick into full swing and the work starts piling up however, some may have second thoughts on whether they want to turn their friendship into something more. Apart from having to juggle one’s CCA duties, leadership roles, social life – not to mention grades – it’s not all sunshine and roses.

Here, we attempt to examine the various behaviors of the Rafflesian in their romantic exploits, or lack thereof. Readers should avoid taking this article as a full comprehensive manual – or worse, a how-to guide on pursuing your crush – but rather take it as a cursory survey of Rafflesians in their natural habitat.

Singles Culture: ‘EC’s

Perhaps due to the perception that JC relationships automatically lead to a decline in one’s grades or are doomed to fail, many students choose not to act on their interest in someone else. Instead, they maintain a physical and emotional distance with their person of interest, dubbing them an ‘EC’.

‘EC’ has become somewhat of an overused term, frequently used as both a verb and a noun. Short for ‘eye-candy’, it describes someone you find physically attractive, and is one of the more common terms thrown around in RI slang.

“[I’m] pretty sure every guy has a girl they find pretty and admirable,” Tseng Kuo Chuan (18S06R) remarked. However, he explained that he was wary of confessing, preferring to maintain his cherished friendship with the girl in question. “We both have a high level of commitments and additional distractions are undesirable,” he added.

The fear of commitment coupled with existing overcommitments in other avenues result in quite a few ECs staying just that, with students studiously avoiding any potential romantic development. In the end, majority of the students in RI seem to be  fully aware of the end goal of JC, and would prefer ‘As over Baes’ (the latter being an acronym for Before Anyone Else).

On the other hand, some students do not even find this situation a conundrum. “I’m not searching for anyone [not even ECs],” Gracia Goh (18S06J) offered. Multiple interviewees echoed her sentiments; they aren’t interested in relationships, and are overall more interested in seeing their grades go up (and stay up) more than anything else. Not to say that students searching for a relationship suffer from a lack of concern about their grades – it’s more of a distinct difference between what these two groups of people prioritise and value in their JC life.

Whilst the most common explanation for a lack of interest in EC culture seems to be studies, one student questioned of the value of an EC in the first place. “Having an EC to me personally really [isn’t] of any use,” he said, examining the inherent shallowness of the concept of an EC. “You probably don’t even know the person [that] well, just judging based on looks, [and it’s just for] personal viewing pleasure.”

Going back to the definition of EC – it stems from physical attraction when someone catches your eye. Its inherent beauty (or arguably, quirk) is how it’s simply a visual crush on someone, akin to idolising a handsome actor, or a beautiful singer. It is, admittedly, useless in the grand scheme of things, if someone’s end game is getting into a relationship rather than simply maintaining a respectful distance of awed visual indulgence.

Singles Culture: Sliding Into One’s DMs

This leads to the second most common feature of RI singles culture, the phenomenon known as ‘sliding into [one’s] DMs’.

‘Sliding into DMs’ refers to the practice of talking to someone over the Direct Message (DM) function of a social media platform, usually to initiate a conversation with someone you have not spoken to in real life. As the name suggests, this should be as smooth a transition as possible.

The concept itself holds an element of creepiness, most likely warped by the way that term is often used to describe total strangers attempting (and failing) to start conversations in ways that leave the person uncomfortable and wary of the other party.

One female Y6 student – who declined to be named – recounted one negative experience with this phenomenon, when a male student began asking her for personal information after replying to an Instagram Challenge she had posted on her ‘story’. “I gave him many hints to get out of my DMs, but he didn’t.”

Fortunately, she noted that such occurrences were not common, and that ‘sliding into DMs’ was usually ‘fun’ and a way to make friends. In more sinister cases however, she said that some girls have to resort to using one-word responses or leaving them ‘on read’ to exit the conversation.

Fortunately, most RI students seem to acknowledge how this practice can be disturbing. Instead of sending a pick-up line as a first text (as one might do on dating apps like Tinder), RI students are more likely to start up friendly conversations instead as a form of deepening their connections to their EC, and see where it goes from there.

“As long as you aren’t being harassed or are harassing someone by constantly doing that, it seems okay,” Gracia pointed out. Other students agreed, raising how, “It’s just texting. If you want to slide, just slide. It takes serious guts to slide, but just be polite and considerate.”

Still, the general consensus is that sliding into one’s DMs solely to ‘hit someone up’ is an uncalled-for method of communication. If the relationship doesn’t already exist in real life, in some form or another, hiding behind a wall of text isn’t the way to further a relationship, or even maintain it.

Confessions – and Their Flipside, Rejections

So you’ve watched them from afar, and maybe slid into their DMs – now what? While confessing may seem like the logical step to take, some may avoid making their crush something more for the same reasons one may keep their EC at arm’s length.

“I don’t particularly feel like being rejected,” a female Y6 student offered. “If anything, I’ll confess at the end of the year. If it goes badly, I won’t ever have to see him again (laughs).”

While the possibility of rejection is a notion that turns many people off the idea of confessing from the very start, it should be noted that different Rafflesians have different attitudes towards being confessed to.

“I’d be honoured [if anyone ever confessed],” one male Y6 student mentioned. Some students may take a confession as just another form of compliment in the end, regardless of outcome, something gratifying and validating rather than something to take offense at.

On the other hand, some students only appreciate confessions from people they’re already interested in.  “If it’s obvious it’s not going to work out, don’t confess,” a male Y6 student stated.

For someone they’re neutral about, the answer fluctuates between a tentative ‘maybe’ and an outright ‘no’. “I’ve never seen them in that way, but I think I would be willing to try things out, because I’m not entirely uninterested,” a Y5 student offered.

Unfortunately, if they’re not interested at all, the general consensus is that it’ll never happen. “Online, I’ll probably archive the message and not reply,” a Y6 student said. “If it’s in real life, I’d take a while to come up with a reply, but it’s definitely a no.”

However, many Rafflesians shared that even if someone they’re interested in confesses to them, the answer on their lips remains no, for now. “Everything can be decided after A Levels,” a male Y6 student stated. “If it’s someone I’m interested in, I’d tell them I’m interested too, but that’s it.”

It takes courage to confess, but it takes a greater amount of determination to deal with the outcome. If one’s feelings are not reciprocated, the next step is getting over it. It’s important to make the distinction between wanting to remain friends (and taking the necessary steps to do so) or deciding to never interact with them again in an attempt to erase the strained relationship.

If the feelings are mutual, though, the couple will have to figure out how to proceed from there. Is it even possible to maintain a relationship in JC? Will one be judged by others for being in one? Look out for Part Two of this feature, where we ask couples about their experience being in a relationship in RI.

Special thanks to those who were interviewed for this article, including:

Tseng Kuo Chuan (18S06R)

Gracia Goh (18S06J)

Other unnamed participants

(Cover image source: https://stocksnap.io/photo/I8OXP44OIK)

By Abigail Ang (18S06B) and Jeslyn Tan (18S06R)
Cover image by Angelica Ong (18A01C)

Click here to read Part One of this feature.

“Won’t last one, lah,” is an oft-heard phrase when discussing relationships in JC. You may have heard this from parents, teachers, and even peers who cite National Service as a death knell for young relationships. Most JC students are undoubtedly at a crossroads in their lives, and couples may eventually split to attend different universities and pursue different paths in life.

But what do Rafflesians currently in relationships think of these stereotypes? We speak to 2 couples – ‘Alex’ and Quince, ‘Jules’ and ‘Zac’ (not their real names) – to find out.

Relationships in JC: Not Meant To Last?

While some relationships fall apart due to external pressures, others claim that it is the inherent nature of many JC relationships that cause them to collapse on their own.

“For some guys, it’s been 4 years since they’ve seen girls so they’re more desperate,” one Y6 student mentioned. “For girls, it’s the same. The relationship ends up being shallow.”

Speaking about some budding Y5 relationships, where incompatibility sets in and romantic feelings start to disappear soon after Orientation, “Most of it is just infatuation,” another student points out.
To at least one of the writers’ surprise, the couples we spoke to all shared this view, though they pointed out the attitude with which some students enter relationships was an important factor.
“Many people go into relationships immaturely,” commented Quince, a Y6 student who has been in a relationship for almost a year. “I think that Rafflesians are generally quite excited when it comes to the idea of romance, but they do not really understand what it means to be committed to a relationship. They may just see dating as a new thing to try out, which may leave both parties hurting.”
One also pointed out that since being in a relationship is somewhat of a social status marker at RI, some people may be motivated more by the Instagram likes than the person they are actually dating:
“I think the stereotype that people get together for like popularity or for recognition […] is generally quite true, because there are quite a few couples that last for a really short while and aren’t serious,” stated Jules, who has been in a long-term relationship for more than two years. “But there are definitely couples who are serious and do indeed last.”

“I think the stereotype that people get together for like popularity or for recognition […] is generally quite true, because there are quite a few couples that last for a really short while and aren’t serious.”

Jules, in a long-term relationship for more than two years.

Stereotypes: Lost ‘Bro’s and Distractions
While the couples we spoke to generally agreed that many relationships in JC have short expiration dates, they maintained that they can last if the other aspects of one’s life, such as one’s grades and other interpersonal relationships, are managed well.
Zac remarked that, “The stereotype of those who date with JC is that they are lost bros, meaning that they prioritise their significant other over their friends. And even though I have personally seen this occurring on several occasions […], I think you just gotta make sure your S/O mixes well with your friends.”
“And of course don’t ditch your friends all the time, and like expect them to be there for you [when you are facing difficulties]; find a balance.”
According to the couples, their friends and peers were generally supportive of their relationships – “I often hear people remark that we’re a cute couple instead of judging us,” as Alex put it – but some teachers and parents could be less welcoming. In fact, certain teachers have reportedly raised concerns about some students’ relationships with their civics tutors, though the person who provided this tip said that no subsequent action was taken by the CT in their case.
“I think that some teachers – and parents too – see BGR (Boy-Girl Relationships) as a distraction to the students, especially when they feel that the students should be focusing on [their] studies instead”, Quince offered.
One should note that staff attitudes vary between individual teachers, and should not be generalised upon – though General Paper teachers are mostly “chill” regarding such issues, according to one teacher from that department.

Work-Life-(CCA-Dating) Balance: A Possibility?
So, is possible to juggle one’s other commitments alongside studies?
One couple thought so: “Peers often think that those in a relationship have to sacrifice their free time and studies or even CCA time to go on dates,” Quince stated. “However, most successful couples are able to manage their time well and even help each other to thrive.”
Both couples emphasised the importance of communication and being understanding of the other person’s busy schedule. Jules also commented that “We have attained the maturity and stability of a relationship where we don’t always have to be together.”
Study dates were also recommended to catch some alone time while keeping on top of one’s workload – though a degree of self-discipline is required – and keeping up with what the other person is doing. “If you’re the one with heavy commitments, finding free time to just have a phone call (if you’re too busy to meet) is very sweet,” Alex offered.
Meanwhile, some believed that it is impossible to add a relationship onto one’s plate of commitments without having to make sacrifices. When asked how one balances dating and other commitments, Zac, a member of a Sports CCA, replied, “The short answer is you don’t.”
“It’s possible to [juggle] everything if you are very disciplined and not easily distracted, but that’s rarely the case for most. You make your own decisions and prioritise accordingly as you wish,” Zac said, “but be prepared to face the consequences be it being not selected for the team (to represent RI in inter-school competitions), or failing, or falling asleep in lecture.”

Love (Not War) – What Is It Good For?
With all possibility of rejection and further complications that may come with romantic entanglements, why would anyone want to be in a relationship during JC at all?
Emotional Support and Companionship
Jules: “It’s nice to have someone to talk through your bad days with and also to celebrate the little things with! Also, it’s good to have someone to laugh with or at and it’s nice to always know you have someone to ask out for fun things to do.”
Learning To Become A Better Person
Quince: “It has helped us to mature emotionally and be less selfish people.”
Alex: “I think I’ve learnt to care more for others, give more, and made me a more responsible individual. [My relationship with Alex] has taught me what it means to love someone (and there is still much more for me to learn!) and accept someone for who they are.”
Jules: “Zac calls me out when I’m being unkind or not very nice, so it’s good to have someone that pushes you to become a better person but can also tolerate and stick through all the nonsense you throw at [them].”
Zac: “Jules is just this huge part of my life that if you take it away, I’ll become damn empty. [They] have given me a reason to get out of bed; my source of laughter and happiness, the comfort that is always there whenever I am down and the person I celebrate my wins in life (with), be it how small or big.
[Jules is] my role model in terms of everything from studies to sports to character, always helping me become a better person and making my life more interesting as a whole.”
Getting Through Difficulties, and Break-ups
Alex: “I believe communication is the key to resolve any misunderstanding/issue. Have heart to heart talks, learn to understand each other better, forgive each other for shortcomings. For us, a simple act to show that we still care a lot for the other and a sincere apology often resolves any problems we face.”
Zac: “Actually I think that statement [that relationships in JC never last] is popular because JC relationships are usually one’s first relationship. Exceptions occur of course but experience yields maturity and that is usually the key for relations to last. But sometimes you just get together with the wrong partner and if that’s the case, nobody is at fault, just move on.”
“No relationship is without problems, but […] it is the couples who have went through the worst and still stick together that ends up tying the knot.”

You Do You
While most JC students are within the same age range, their priorities and readiness for a relationship vary, and hence so will the age they start dating – if they want to – too.
If you’re still single, fear not, for you may not have met the right person yet. If you do choose to take the plunge, just ensure that your behaviour doesn’t hurt anyone, and that your relationship, instead of just draining you during an important period of your life, allows you to gain something meaningful. After all, isn’t that what relationships are for?

By Abigail Ang (18S06B), Soh Ying Qi (18A01C), Phang Yeu Yeou (19A01A), Caryn Chiah (19A01A) and Alyssa Marie Loo (19A13A)
Photos courtesy of Han Ying Jie (18A01E) of Raffles Photographic Society

The Batch of 2017 streamed into the Multi-Purpose Hall in the hour before this year’s A-Level results release. As the venue grew more crowded, the anticipation and apprehension became palpable. Conversations between friends were lively but tinged with anxiety, and traces of nervousness could be found on nearly every J3’s face. “It was an emotional day for many,” said Duncan Lam (17S03K).

After a rousing chorus of the Institution Anthem, principal Mr Frederick Yeo revealed the commendable results of the Batch of 2017, noting an especially strong performance in History and Knowledge and Inquiry (KI) this year to much cheering and applause. Whilst commending the J3s for their achievements, Mr Yeo also reminded students who may not have achieved their hoped-for scores that “scores do not define you, scores do not define self-worth. Talent is multifaceted.”

He then advised students to take time after collecting their results to speak to their teachers and parents about their options and reflect upon “what your next step is”. He also encouraged everyone to be “confident and optimistic as [they] moved forward”.

The individual collection of A-Level results quickly commenced, and many students were seen shedding tears of joy, disappointment or relief.

One such student was Soh Jun Ming (17S06L), whose friend jokingly shared that tears had rolled down his cheeks when he saw his results.

“Basically I thought I messed up my GP, because I wrote off-point,” he said. “But when I saw that I got ‘A’ for GP I was really happy and thankful for the help that I received throughout these 6 years and [for] my parents’ help. It was a very emotional moment.”

Our reporters also observed one student climb onto the MPH stage to scream “Yes!” before walking off.

It was not all pride and glory, however, as some students reported being disappointed or merely “satisfied” with their results. Even so, many students still expressed gratitude for the help of their teachers, friends and parents who supported them throughout their A-Level journey.

“Some people are disappointed with their grades, but they’re disappointed because it doesn’t really reflect their proficiency or their worth,” Ms Lye Su Lin remarked, adding that those who were disappointed with their results “actually haven’t done any less well.”

Whilst the release of the A-Level results is certainly a significant event that is the product of many months of hard work, multiple J3s we spoke to emphasised that achieving distinctions was not the only facet of JC life.

“I played Frisbee before collecting my results and I’m going to play Frisbee again later,” shared Wei Jian (17S03O). “Studying for ‘A’s is not the only part of school. RI has lots of opportunities to offer.” While his love for Frisbee might not be shared by everyone in school, he also remarked that ten years down the road, what would be remembered would not be the results, but the people that you spent time with. This sentiment is shared by many others.

Indeed, while the collection of their A-Level results was undoubtedly their main purpose for returning to school, many students took the opportunity to catch up with their friends and old classmates.

“It’s nice to see my batchmates again. It feels like time hasn’t passed at all, except for the bald heads the guys are sporting now,” Chan Kar Mun (17A01A) quipped.

One female J3, who declined to be named, also shared that she found it difficult to believe how much time had passed since graduation. “I don’t know what I feel, it feels really surreal.”

Having gone through what many consider the most academically rigorous two years of their education, the J3s have much to be proud of, regardless of their results. As Duncan Lam (17S03K) put it, “it’s also important to remember that even though we’re Rafflesians, not all of us are going to get distinctions and that’s okay.”

We at Raffles Press would like to wish the Batch of 2017 all the best in their future endeavours!

By Abigail Ang (18S06B), Soh Ying Qi (18A01C), Phang Yeu Yeou (19A01A), Caryn Chiah (19A01A) and Alyssa Marie Loo (19A13A)
Photos courtesy of Han Ying Jie (18A01E) of Raffles Photographic Society

The expectation hanging in the air was almost palpable. The batch of 2017 streamed into the Multi-Purpose Hall, buzzing with excitement as they reunited with their classmates. Finally, all fell silent as the briefing on the J3s’ performance began.

Raffles Press is pleased to report that the batch of 2017 has achieved stellar results: an astounding 98.3% of the cohort achieved at least 3 H2 passes and a pass in General Paper (GP) or Knowledge and Inquiry (KI), “well above the national [average]”, according to principal Mr Frederick Yeo. Additionally, 741 students (63.2%) received distinctions in 3 of their H2 subjects, and 543 (46.3%) received 4 H2 distinctions. 204 students (17.4%) achieved distinctions in all of their subjects, including H3s.

Adding to the cohort’s excellent showing, 344 students (29.3%) achieved a perfect University Admission Score (UAS) of 90, up from 27.4% last year. The mean UAS remained high at 85 out of 90.

Several individual subjects also saw outstanding results, with this cohort performing as well as (or even better than) their seniors. Perhaps most remarkable was KI’s 9 in 10 distinction rate, the highest of all subjects offered. “The 20 students who [took] KI… you must be thrilled,” Mr Yeo quipped. Also notable was the 8 in 10 distinction rate attained by the History cohort, up from 6 in 10 last year. The batch of 2017 also performed well in Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Literature and Physics, with 7 in 10 achieving distinctions in these subjects. Finally, the cohort sustained RI’s showing in General Paper, with 50% of candidates receiving distinctions.

All in all, the batch of 2017 has certainly done RI proud with their strong academic showings. We at Raffles Press wish them all the best in their future endeavours!

Year-on-Year Comparison

By Ianni Tan (18S03C)

What – or should I say who – came to mind when you clicked on this article?

Yes, the point that nobody’s perfect, nobody can have it all, it is okay to be imperfect has been made again, and again, and again. A quick Google search yields numerous inspirational quotes in cheery fonts and pages of articles for your reading pleasure.

It’s almost like one of those cliché sayings you’ll see plastered on plastic water bottles, stamped on PowerPoint slides during Civics Classes, or printed out on a bunch of motivational posters.

These statements are all undeniably valid. But what makes us roll our eyes and sigh under our breath is the fact that we seem to be surrounded by a sea of individuals who embody this very definition. They are literal living proof that yes, it is indeed possible for people to reach those peaks of excellence.

We watch as these people soar overhead; we gasp in awe as they glide with ease. They never seem to run out of fuel, well-oiled engines revved and propelling them to greater heights.

We look at their victorious shouts of glee, and then we look back at ourselves – we watch as our gears don’t quite cooperate with our intentions; we try to take control as we watch ourselves drift off our meticulously planned trajectories.

Oh no.

These ideas (that nobody will have it all) don’t actually stop us from comparing ourselves to those around us. This doesn’t necessarily refer only to the academic domain – things like one’s personality, weight, appearances, circle of friends, confidence, wit, artistic skills, athletic ability and so on are also commonly used as yardsticks for comparison.

This brings with it a whole horde of consequences.

We wind up dismissing other people’s problems by virtue of their strengths, or their relative performance as compared to ours. We unintentionally push their problems away… and push them away while we’re at it too. Our words may invalidate their worries and, unfortunately, make ourselves appear rather dismissive and unsympathetic.

This is potentially damaging to the relationship, since they will be less inclined to rely on us for the support that they need. For instance, someone who performs well might fear underperforming, and is met by the response “Aiyah, you’re so smart, how can you be worried? You’re not failing…”. But high achievers are just as prone as we are to experience troubles themselves.

On a more personal level, when we compare ourselves with others, we feel inadequate. Our self-esteem, logically enough, takes a dip – feelings of failure set in, and our motivation to change things for the better plummet too. It could possibly, unintentionally enough, kickstart a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Socially, we tend to be intimidated and withdraw from those whom we perceive as being ranked above us, thus losing a chance to make new friends and learn from them. Funnily enough, whenever somebody asks me about my CCA, I frequently get this response: “omg Press? <string of names> is in your CCA right!!! They’re so good! So scary!”. One person even shuddered (whether it was for dramatic effect or in some form of fear is beyond me), but the intention doesn’t matter – it reflects the same idea anyway.

Yes, my batchmates are incredibly eloquent and insightful. I must admit that I was initially intimidated after seeing the list of batchmates in my CCA. However, after a year of laughing, joking and writing with them, I’ve come to realise that they are so much more than what they are known for, and all the labels that we have subconsciously slapped on them.

Self-comparison doesn’t necessarily need to be damaging. Objective comparisons are useful – for example, having a single digit percentile is terrifying, humiliating and will unarguably feel terrible, especially when comparing your score to someone else’s (the thought of being able to add your percentile with your classmate’s to get 100 is as amusing as it is horrifying). But very objectively speaking, it is a call to action. It can allow us to realise that something’s not working, that you need to change the way you’re doing things.

Of course, we can’t always be 100% objective. That being said, when we have a greater degree of objectivity, it will also give us the clearer vision we need to critically and calmly assess ourselves and our own situations.

And then we’ll probably have to know that ideally, our abilities do not define our worth. Acknowledging this doesn’t mean that we are refusing to better ourselves. You don’t necessarily have to be defined by whether or not you can dance, sing, lead a crowd, do differential equations, take H3s, juggle many commitments and so on… which might make the comparison somewhat less suffocating and a lot more productive.

With this comes having to accept our weaknesses. If you can’t see what the true problem is, solving it will be an incredibly challenging task. It’s like shooting arrows at a target board with your eyes closed. We may ask ourselves, “If others can do it, why can’t I?” That may hold true in some cases and can be used as a form of motivation in the long run, but in other cases, we are being unreasonable with ourselves.

In reality, we are all different individuals with different backgrounds. Different abilities and situations require varying approaches. Everybody has their own natural inclinations. To quote a batchmate, we cannot simply look at our incapability of doing something as a sign that we can never do it. Rather, we need to accept that we are unable to do it now, and make the effort to improve. To quote John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down: your now is not your forever. You can always learn, grow and improve.

On a separate note, we must tamper our comparisons with a pinch – actually, a whole spoonful – of realism. We may see those around us as in a blissful, utopian state, but in reality, everybody must carry their own cross. I’ve heard stories of Deans’ Listers not knowing what they want to do in life, and social butterflies who feel out-of-place.

Everybody experiences moments of weaknesses and struggles with their own flaws. We just don’t see it, and we cannot expect ourselves to. This is similar to how we see reputed singers’ and actors’ happiest moments on Instagram, or whatever platform they frequent. But behind the scenes, unless they choose to reveal it to fans, we don’t see their anguished moments where they’re weathering storms on their own and where they question themselves and their choices.

They are only human, and so are we.

It’s worth acknowledging that this is much easier said than done. Many of us would have seen quotes and articles and comments of a similar vein. But it is not a simple, brainless, effortless recipe. This isn’t some ez-bake-cake with a one-step recipe. You don’t empty the contents of these sentences into your brain and then magically expect everything to change. To claim otherwise would likely be a sweeping statement, an overly-optimistic oversimplification.

Sometimes, it takes time. Or a helping hand. Or the addressing of other underlying assumptions and personal issues. Whatever it is, there will probably be a mix of bad and good days. Progress won’t be a homogenous constant, and that’s okay.

I don’t quite know how to end this article – and to a certain extent, that’s almost fitting, because self-comparison isn’t an issue that may completely end at a certain point. There isn’t necessarily a definite end to it, perhaps, it’s how we deal with it as healthily as we can, as we grow and live, that matters more than its presence.

By Zacchaeus Chok (18S03O)
Photos courtesy of Raffles Community Advocates

“What is the weirdest thing you ever ate?” A few awkward glances ensue.

“Or how about, what is your favourite food?” interjects another student facilitator as he frantically rummages through the bag of ice-breaker statements, prepared by the organising committee for the very purpose of preventing an uneasy silence.

Despite being in its third year running, Homeground 2018 was an ambitious project. Community Advocates’ Student Interest Group Doveswarm wanted to show appreciation to an oft-forgotten group of term contract workers who work laboriously behind the scenes, and defrost the barriers of interaction between the school staff and students. The term contract workers under the Estate Department were also given time off from their usual Saturday duties to participate in leisure activities such as sports and traditional games.

A project months in the planning, Community Advocates collaborated with AVU, Chamber, Chorale, Raffles Voices, Cricket, Basketball and Volleyball to produce a memorable carnival that was tailored to differences in age, physical ability and interests. The result: a string of diverse activities that kept the term contract workers active and engaged, at least for the most part. Truly, at the heart of each activity was the interaction between term contract workers and students.

The interaction also happens to be the most demanding element for the students and the planning team. On a daily basis, the nature of our respective roles seems to give rise to a transactional relationship between “us” and “them”. On the surface, it seems that the term contract workers provide their labour services to maintain the school while we, as students, benefit from their work by using the school facilities. In fact, when we view term contract workers through this lens, we reduce them as individuals, and it is difficult to sustain or even form a more meaningful bond. With that, student volunteers at Homeground tried their best to sustain conversations amidst language and age barriers, in an attempt to form a sincere connection with the term contract workers

Another important role of the student volunteers was to ensure that their attached workers were engaged during each station. One of the popular stations was the traditional games exhibit – a display of 5 old-school games, namely Capteh, Five Stones, Pick-up Sticks, Aeroplane Chess and Snakes & Ladders. The intent was to provoke a sense of nostalgia and to set a light-hearted, non-competitive tone for bonding with colleagues. Games group facilitator Huang Rui Yang (18S03D) believed that “the traditional games station created a free and easy environment for the workers to relax and have fun”. Rui Yang’s group of workers, in particular, really enjoyed playing Snakes & Ladders, as they amicably poked fun at each other’s “misfortune” in the game. One of the cleaning aunties demonstrated effortless skill in the Five Stones challenge, while the facilitators could barely catch two consecutive stones. Meanwhile, some of the physically able workers challenged each other to a few rounds of Capteh, a game which requires great dexterity and balance to overcome the spontaneity involved in passing the feathered shuttlecock.

While playing traditional games, some student volunteers tried to liven up the mood by starting conversations with the workers. “I tried by asking some work-related questions and about their past experience in playing traditional games,” shared a student volunteer.

In the planning of the other activities, Doveswarm members took caution not to rehash activities from the previous Homeground events. After months of considering various alternative activities, Doveswarm settled on a trivia quiz and Bingo. The cleaners’ manager, who wants to be referred to as Uncle Sam, commented that these activities were well-planned because they required more thinking. Yet, this was precisely the difficulty that Doveswarm faced, having to produce trivia questions that were mildly challenging without significant language or generation gaps. As it turns out, while some workers were able to dive right into the action of guessing the riddles, others were happy to remain as spectators. Significantly, some of the trivia questions required knowledge about local brands, which many non-native workers simply could not relate to.

This was just one of the many struggles that Doveswarm members had in preparation for Homeground and it perfectly underscores how students do not understand the school’s term contract workers. In fact, in an attempt to overcome this impediment, Doveswarm members tried to strike conversations with term contract workers in the lead up to Homeground to gain a better understanding of their interests.

After 2 hours of activities, the workers were treated to lo-hei (a festive Chinese New Year salad) and a scrumptious buffet. The workers tossed the shredded ingredients in the air enthusiastically, while saying various “auspicious wishes” out loud, signifying a good start to the New Year. At each lunch table, selfies and group photos were taken and conversations ensued. By then, student volunteers were more open to asking and the workers were also more open to sharing stories.

At the end of the day, the workers did have an enjoyable Saturday morning (being given a day off probably made it even better), the student volunteers got to see the workers in a more human light and the planning committee was simply glad that the event ran smoothly.

Doveswarm Leader Caren Chua (18S07B) aptly said that, “Even though we come from widely different backgrounds, we also share many common interests such as playing sports or engaging in simple games. It’s a comforting thing to know that we can always find a unifying factor despite our vast differences.” Indeed, taking comfort in knowing that term contract workers also enjoy simple activities can be a useful starting point in forming better relations with them. For greater empathy, we could try to understand them better by having a general awareness of their backgrounds and engage in deeper conversations.

In conjunction with Homeground 2018, a separate group of students had organised Heart to Heart, a fundraising activity with the end goal of purchasing hampers for the term contract workers. The hampers were a material token of appreciation, a grand gesture from the students to the workers. The Estate workers certainly felt pleased with receiving the goodies, but at the end of the day, if we simply acknowledge and show appreciation to them in smaller ways, we could make the workers feel more included in the wider Rafflesian family.

By Shervon Lee (19S06A), Kuang Shane Qi (19A13A), Asfar Alim (18S03J)
Photos courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

Last Thursday afternoon, a smooth melody emanated from the TSD. This was none other than the members of Raffles Jazz, who were hard at work making the final preparations for their showcase, The Small Duck. As the title suggests, the showcase was held on a smaller scale with a smaller audience. As a result, the performances seemed more casual, where the Jazz members performed for no other reason than to, well, perform.

Beginning as a lowkey, laid-back, and languid affair, the showcase eased into motion with Take Five and Tadow. Saxophone solos and intricate guitar/bass duets lulled the audience, while surprise variations in drum beats provided enough variety to keep listeners on their toes. The following piece, Waltz for Debby, showcased keyboardist Kaitlyn Ng’s (18S06G) skill as she virtuosically manoeuvred between chords and scales.

The concert truly began to pick up the pace with Lullaby of Birdland. This song is usually performed as a smooth, slow ballad; but when has Jazz ever followed the norm? The band transformed Birdland into a bouncy and childlike number, which evoked vivid imagery of a whimsical land full of fluttering songbirds. Amazing vocals aside, what truly won the audience over was the chemistry between the band members – when everyone onstage is laughing and moving to the music, you can’t help but feel invigorated, too.

Wave then swept listeners into the leisurely pace of bossa nova music. Much like the ebb and flow of the tides, the different instrumental sections complemented each other perfectly. The delicate strumming of guitars, the drum accompaniment, and the saxophone’s fluid modulations between keys made for a relaxing ride. In contrast, Twenty Four Hours was a jaunty tune that set everyone’s feet a-tapping.

If anyone had been dozing off, the next song would have jolted all of them to alertness. As heavy, pounding drum beats filled the TSD, one thought was on all our minds: did we walk in on a Raffles Rock concert? Stratus, a jazz-rock hybrid, featured heart-stopping solos by all instruments and showcased the band’s versatility.

It didn’t take long for vocalist Junius Pun (18S02A) to resume his position back at the mic for the next song, 1612. While keeping the mood high, Junius belted out somewhat successful high notes, jolting the audience into bouts of laughter when he failed to hit them. The good humour of the Jazz members and the audience certainly made the whole experience, including the occasional off-key singing, even more enjoyable for everyone.

If anyone was getting bored of the same few faces, the Batch of 2017, headed by vocalist See Kaye, rose to the occasion to put up a surprise special performance. They started with Virtual Insanity, in which the drums, keys and guitar came together to make every single member of the audience feel like they were in a five-star hotel lobby. Right after that was the Sakamichi no Apollon (Kids on the Slope) Medley, which got the audience bobbing along to the upbeat tones of the keys and drums.

Soon enough, the stage was handed back to Tara, Lim Tian Jiao (18A01C) on the double bass and Nicholas Ho (18S06M) on the bass for the song Fever. In contrast to the sensual lyrics of the song, the song started off with Nicholas taunting Tian Jiao on the double bass, creating a tension that the audience did not expect. A playful fight between the players of these two similarly-named instruments then commenced, providing a rather entertaining show as the audience laughed at their childlike antics.

This playful rivalry carried into their next song, Beastly, during which even the Jazz members themselves shook their heads in amusement. Lei Zemin (18S03B) on Keys even went as far as to hop out from behind the keyboard to taunt Nicholas (who responded in kind, thank you very much), eliciting laughter that lit up the TSD. The comfortable yet pleasant buzz in the atmosphere certainly got the audience swaying to the music, soaking up the Good Vibes.

Thus far, the showcase seemed to be smooth sailing. After the next performance, Get You, Junius took the mic and announced “I’m going to sing Korean” which elicited laughter from the audience. This was the lead-in to Jazz’s moving rendition of Kim Jonghyun’s Blinking Game. The keys and bass, together with Junius’ vocals, amplified the heaviness of this song, which made it easy to get lost in its melody. Although there was some improvisation by Junius to sing this song, it was an overall commendable attempt.

Next up was a duet between Tara and Junius for the song She was Mine. This was where the previous improvisation became apparent as Tara ended up forgetting some of the lyrics. Despite this, the jazz members and audience laughed off the slight slip-ups while cheering on for the duet. The supportive atmosphere certainly made the performance more enjoyable to watch. The Small Duck then concluded with a cheery finale song dedicated to the teachers-in-charge of Jazz – Ms Samantha Prakash and Mr Ng Kar Kit.

One thing that was evident from the showcase was the immense teamwork from the Jazz members, when they hyped up the performances by their fellow teammates by clapping and snapping along to the beat of the songs. They were also encouraging to the performers when there were any mistakes. Guitarist Jeremy Xiao (18A01B) commented that “we didn’t have much time to prepare, so we just sort of winged it. We were able to communicate with the band members and put on a good show”. This paid off in the end, as the audience enjoyed the concert and were engaged with the performers. Hopefully, the supportive nature of the audience members can be carried over to future events in the school.

Whether or not you attended The Small Duck, there are still more chances for you to see Raffles Jazz in action. This year, they will be holding their concert on Saturday, 5 May. Do look out for updates on their Instagram or via school announcements!

Performers
Victoria Lim, 18S02A (Drums)
Junius Pun, 18S02A (Vox)
Tara Teo, 18A01E (Vox)
Jeremy Xiao, 18A01B (Guitar)
Lei Zemin, 18S03B (Keys)
Kaitlyn Ng, 18S06G (Keys)
Kwek Min Yih, 18S06G (Soloist)
Scott Tay, 18S06E (Soloist)
Nicholas Ho, 18S06M (Bass)
Lim Tian Jiao, 18A01C (Bass)

By Soh Ying Qi (18A01C)

The Word of Mouth search bar. Always handy, always helpful, (nearly) always reliable. But behind the scenes, what our readers key into it is a different story. Here are some of this term’s very best queries, taken from your collective search history.

(Read Vol. 1 here.)

Note: Queries posted here are completely unedited, unless otherwise stated.

1. Nope, Still Not Google

We don’t want to labour the point—but we regret to inform you (again) that despite high hopes from many fervent readers, our search bar has not, in fact, gained the ability to index the web. But as with most other things, there’s no harm in trying.

• “lady ghostbuster with vacuum” – Jan 2018
• “reputable dog breeders singapore” – Jan 2018
• “which jc offer what subject” – Feb 2018
• “2001 space odyssey spaceship” – Feb 2018
• “bb officer uniform” – Feb 2018
• “is starbucks open on public holidays” – Feb 2018
• “far east plaza prom dress” – Feb 2018
• “white horse bmt” – Feb 2018
• “nex library programme zone” – Feb 2018
• “psc early provisional scholarship” – Feb 2018
• “first aid post east coast park” – Feb 2018
• “bugis library which level to study” – Mar 2018
• “how to get president scholarship interview” – Mar 2018

2. Asking the Real Questions

While our search bar can’t respond to your questions directly, some readers were undeterred in their hunt for answers. All we can say is: it took a couple of months, but at least they’ll finally get some.

• “michael rollason of [redacted address] … is he still alive ??” – Jan 2018 (Yes, dear reader, he very much is!)
• “how do ri students do it” – Jan 2018 (We’ll admit, we don’t have an answer for this. We’re still trying to figure it out ourselves.)
• “is raffles diploma important” – Jan 2018
• “why orientation groups in jc” – Feb 2018
• “is there a difference in raffles pe pants” – Feb 2018 (We’re pretty sure we’ve never manufactured PE pants, but we can point you to our uniform guide.)

3. The “Journal” in “Journalism” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

We try our hardest to help you make good academic decisions—but even we have to admit that as a simple student newspaper, we can only help you along so much. (We can, however, direct you to our profile of the creators of Tick, a notes-sharing resource.) Still, that didn’t prevent the following pleas for academic assistance.

• “singapore maths olympiad notes by raffles” – Feb 2018
• “chemistry olympiad notes by raffles wiki” – Feb 2018
• “chemistry olympiad training notes” – Feb 2018
• “2017 singapore cambridge gce a level further mathematics question papers” – Feb 2018
• “ki essays” – Feb 2018 (Try the KS Bull over at Ivy, accessible through the GoTo portal.)
• “hand written phy notes pic” – Feb 2018
• “biology handwritten notes” – Feb 2018

4. “Should Not Be Used As a Substitute for Formal Academic Counselling”

There’s a standard disclaimer on most of our articles about academic opportunities—the following readers might find it more worthwhile to talk to a Dean about their questions.

• “can i study medicine if my subject combi is physics chem” – Jan 2018
• “can i be a year head” – Jan 2018 (Chase your dreams!)
• “why pcme is popular” – Jan 2018
• “if i dun take literature in secondary school can i take in jc” – Feb 2018
• “can science jc take mep” – Feb 2018
• “when can you drop from a h2 to a h1” – Feb 2018
• “is h3 in jc worth it” – Mar 2018 (Asking this question two weeks into official lessons is probably not the best idea, to say the least.)

5. Are You Even Attending the Right School?

While RI certainly offers a wide range of subjects, it isn’t quite as large as some may think.

• “what do i need to study first for h1 history” – Jan 2018 (RI doesn’t offer H1 History.)
• “should i take china studies in english” – Jan 2018 (Neither does it offer H2 CSE.)
• “h2 gp essays” – Feb 2018 (Pretty sure this person is living in the darkest timeline: one where GP is a H2 subject.)
• “which pure science o level is most content heavy” – Feb 2018

6. She Doesn’t Even Go Here! (Part 2)

In fact, we receive more queries than we might expect that are entirely about other schools. Once again, we implore you, kind reader, to take a look at our About Us page before submitting queries. While these are all fine institutions, we, unfortunately, are still just RI.

• “victoria school o level results breakdown” – Jan 2018
• “jjc prom queens” – Jan 2018
• “nus oam” – Jan 2018
• “drop off at sji school morning” – Jan 2018
• “rgs pe shorts” – Jan 2018
• “reddit eunoia jc” – Feb 2018
• “nus medicine is like” – Feb 2018
• “nus medicine admission rate” – Feb 2018
• “nus chemistry” – Feb 2018
• “gap year at washu” – Feb 2018
• “victoria junior college a level results 2016” – Feb 2018
• “outram secondary school” – Feb 2018
• “hci a level result 2018” – Feb 2018
• “national junior college gp results 2017” – Feb 2018
• “vjc a level result 2018” – Feb 2018 (For all things VJC, The Victorian Press is your best bet.)
• “hci a level results 2017” – Mar 2018
• “hwa chong contract bridge” – Mar 2018
• “nyjc touch rugby” – Mar 2018

7. All You Need is Love

Or so most people believe—but some, like these readers, needed some convincing.

• “finding a girlfriend in singapore ri” – Jan 2018 (For the record, this was queried on the first day of JIP. Making your move can’t get faster than this!)
• “boy girl relationship in jc” – Jan 2018
• “how to have boyfriend in jc” – Feb 2018 (Some students had other things on their mind on the first day of Orientation.)
• “what is it like dating in jc” – Feb 2018 (By the middle of Orientation, it was clear the infatuation hadn’t subsided.)
• “dating in junior college” – Feb 2018 (In more than one person, at least.)
• “should you have a relationship in jc” – Feb 2018
• “somebody (single pringle)” – Feb 2018
• “jc relationships” – Feb 2018

8. Type-O Personality

Somehow, we feel like you were going for something else.

• “lauber of material project work” – Jan 2018
• “chaniairport name untern” – Jan 2018
• “bibibaba sch shiry sizing” – Jan 2018
• “taakin triple science subject combination” – Jan 2018
• “higher chinses chinese d7 needs to take h1 chinese?” – Jan 2018
• “liho disappoijt” – Jan 2018 (We’re sure our reviewers would agree.)
• “raffles society of boological science” – Feb 2018 (What a scary CCA that would be!)
• “how to get a distinction in raffles diploa” – Feb 2018
• “why usinh retard is wrong raffles press” – Feb 2018 (Here’s one answer.)
• “school forewell party handover resposibility” – Feb 2018
• “project work grade 11 popultion” – Feb 2018
• “2013 a level results rsffles onstitition” – Feb 2018
• “a level results 2018 is d a psss” – Feb 2018
• “project eotk in a level is tge ssne as general paper in a level?” – Feb 2018 (Assuming we’ve interpreted this correctly: No, it’s not.)
• “higher chinese quivelent to h1 chinese” – Mar 2018

9. ????

• “gandu magu hutalu hege sex madabeku” – Jan 2018
• “bulbul bird facts” – Jan 2018
• “the image of a little-bride dress in a interhouse sports” – Feb 2018
• “brown ratty menu” – Feb 2018
• “7letters of mouth structure” – Feb 2018
• “bacon press” – Feb 2018

Honourable Mention

• In the Spirit of International Women’s Day…
  • “reasons why women should join national seevice” – Jan 2018
  • “why girls should serve ns” – Jan 2018
  • “gender equality in ns” – Jan 2018
  • “male singaporeans responsibility for ns” – Jan 2018
  • “should girls serve ns” – Jan 2018
  • “advantages and disadvantages of female serving ns” – Jan 2018
  • “should national service be made compulsory for females” – Feb 2018
  • “speech on why national services are only males” – Feb 2018
  • “should singapore females serve ns” – Feb 2018 (Some of our writers seem to think so.)
• ‘Twas the Night Before A-Levels Results Release…
  • “a level results 2017”
  • “rjc a level results 2017”
  • “a level project work results release” (Patience, dear reader—the wait will be over soon.)
  • “a level results 2017 90rp”
  • “a level results 2017 petcentage 5 as”
  • “all a 2017 a level %”
  • “raffles jc 2017 a level”
  • “6 distinctions a levels”
  • “ri a level results 2017”
  • “raffles a level”
  • “do h2subject have distinction” (Yes, they do!)
  • “raffles jc number of pupils scoring above 88 uas?”
  • “how many students score four a for a levels” (Read our coverage of the 2018 results release for more details.)

By Asfar Alim (18S03J), Angus Yip (18A01A), Adri Faris (18A13A), Zhu Xiuhua (18S06A), Elizabeth Leong (18S06G), Soh Ying Qi (18A01C) and Jeslyn Tan (18S06R)

With the introduction of the Healthy Meals in Schools Programme (HMSP) in 2017, many students lamented the disappearance of their favourite snack foods from the shelves of Chill@RI, as new and often lesser-known (and ostensibly healthier) alternatives began to replace them. For those who have yet to give these new brands a shot, Raffles Press presents our latest round of food reviews: snacks from Chill@RI.

Combe Snack (Tomato Chili)

Packaging: Simple and informative enough, eye-catching

Taste: Exactly what is on the label. The tomato flavour is kind of spicy and tastes a bit sweet. It’s also very crunchy.

Value for money: Quite okay, for 60 cents.

Who would like it: People who like spicy chips, and don’t mind it being crunchy

Overall: 4/5, will buy again

Fitto Popped Whole Grain Snack

Packaging: Not particularly appealing. I wouldn’t have purchased it if not for recommendations from others.

Taste: Surprisingly good, not too salty.

Value for money: 1 dollar is a bit too much, but I wouldn’t mind buying it sometimes.

Who would like it: Anyone who wants a quick snack in between lectures.

Overall: 4/5

Hae Hae Prawn Crackers (Original)

Packaging: Cute but lame; it looks like it was designed by a nine-year-old.

Taste: Like normal prawn crackers.

Value for money: Yes

Who would like it: People who like prawn crackers and can’t eat spicy food.

Overall: 4/5

Hae Hae Prawn Crackers (Mexican Chili)

Packaging: Can be improved.

Taste: Surprisingly good.

Value for money: Yes, definitely worth 50 cents!

Who would like it: People who can stand a little bit of spice, and who don’t want to spend too much money.

Overall: 4/5

Snack Bite

Packaging: The designer may not have been very well paid, or paid at all.

Taste: Exactly like the traditional Mamee noodles, even with the whole “0g cholesterol” thing. It’s just as salty, so I’m skeptical about its healthiness honestly.

Value for money: At 30 cents, it’s one of the cheaper snacks at Chill.

Who will like it: Anyone who likes the real Mamee.

Overall: 5/5

Sun Drumstick Snack (Seaweed)

Packaging: Graphic design is somebody’s passion, I guess.

Taste: Too much seaweed seasoning for my taste, but the overall flavour was pretty good.

Value for money: 18g for 60 cents – not a bad deal at all.

Who will like it: People who love seaweed and salt, and/or people who can’t eat the bacon sticks from the same brand

Overall: 3/5

Yeko Potato Strips (Original)

Packaging: It tells me enough information.

Taste: It’s good, but it’s too salty to be healthy.

Who would like it: People who like salty food. I would eat it again, if someone else buys it.

Overall: 3/5

Given the substantial amounts of salt, fat and oils found in many of the snacks on offer, reviewers were slightly confused as to why they were considered healthy, until we found out that the “Healthier Choice” label (which all packaged snacks sold in RI must have) is only applied to those that contain less than 100 calories. Given this stipulation, perhaps we should be grateful for the wide array of foods that are still available at our favourite (and only) convenience store – after all, you can’t make those “acad gains” on an empty stomach.

By Alyssa Marie Loo (19A13A)
Photos courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

9th March, Friday evening. It was the last day of Term 1: the sweet, impending freedom of the March Holiday break impressed upon the Y5s, while the torture of a CT study week loomed upon the Y6s. Yet, in spite of the alluring option of going home to sleep, and in spite of the seemingly long 3-hour event duration, hordes of students still showed up at the RI Performing Arts Centre to watch Raffles Got Talent. For the second year running, RGT met with resounding success: more than 60 act signups, and a full house turnout of more than 370 students at its finals. For those of you who missed the RGT finals night, or are curious to know more about the acts that won, Raffles Press brings you a recap of the winning acts of the night, along with exclusive features on each act.

This year’s Raffles Got Talent was jointly organised by the Student Council and House, with the aim of providing a platform for Rafflesians to showcase their talents. True to form, there was an eclectic range of talents showcased on the voting platform. Notable acts that did not appear in the finals included a juggler to the tune of the Mario theme song, a surreal dance act that performed an impressive collection of popular dance moves to the Nintendo Mii Channel theme song, and a comedian who listed caricatures of all five Houses. Overall, BB had the most shortlisted audition videos with a total of 19. This was followed by BW with 13, and HH with 8. A final total of 15 acts proceeded to Raffles Got Talent’s finals on Friday evening. Each act’s 5-minute performance was judged on-the-spot by a panel: Mr. Eddie Koh (Knowledge Skills), Mrs. Dawn Wu (Knowledge Skills), Su Ying (Batch of 2017 Raffles Rock Chairperson) and Dr. Gooi (Music).

MUSIC CATEGORY WINNERS

1st Place: East Meets West, comprising Lee Han Wei (19S06C) and Dai Xiang Rong (19S06O), MR
A frighteningly fast and impressive erhu and piano duet.

2nd Place: Some Chinese Song, comprising Wei Yuxin (19S02A), BW
A heart-wrenching Chinese pop piano-vocal cover, with a comedic twist.

3rd Place: Daylight, comprising Manish (19S03T), Ma Jun Chong (19S03M), Sang Won, Hong Wei and Dayna Har (19S02A), HH
A good ol’, honest rock band with a vocalist capable of amazingly high falsettos.

“That was a performance I would have paid to watch,” commented an awestruck judge after East Meets West had finished their piece. The act was an exotic showcase: a titular fusion of Chinese and Western music through a Chinese erhu and piano duet. “It was an uncommon pairing of a Chinese instrument with a Western instrument, and we thought the audience would find it fresh and interesting,” said Xiang Rong, the piano player. They played a duet arrangement of “Gypsy Airs”, a piece originally composed for the violin. It was captivating to see the pair realise the fast and dramatic piece: Han Wei’s impossibly nimble fingers darting up and down the erhu, Xiang Rong deftly and perfectly playing the piano while managing to keep in tempo. Despite this superhuman performance, they “only practiced together for about a week before submitting [their] audition video.” It is then perhaps unsurprising that the two of them have been learning their respective instruments since they were 7 years old, with both attaining performance diplomas. The two told us about their performance and results: “We weren’t really pressured or focused on winning, we just tried our best to enjoy the process and entertain ourselves and the audience”.

In contrast to East Meets West, Yuxin’s act was an unexpected wild card. The curtains opened to a grand piano languishing on stage. Yuxin strode in carrying a score, seemingly well-dressed in his tuxedo, except for the fact that his feet were still clad in sneakers. The audience, prepared for another classical music performance, was caught by surprise when Yuxin played a sum total of two notes before standing up and bowing. Alas, a faux ending; he sat back down and skilfully played a riveting Chinese ballad while singing—and occasionally but intentionally messing up for comedic effect. “I wanted to experiment with something new and not the conventional music that students like us won’t yet appreciate and would probably fall asleep to,” Yuxin explained regarding his unconventional performance, “While performing a comedic moment, it was well received and there’s this sense of satisfaction which blossoms in my heart.” Indeed, he led the audience through a journey of confusion, admiration and laughter; “you brought us through…a range of emotions”, said the judge tentatively. Yuxin was a crowd favourite of this category, but still he felt “delirious” when he found out about placing second. “I thought that the champions truly deserved [their placing] as they showed professionalism in their performance and… there was me,” he laughed.

The third-placing Daylight was an explosion of energy the moment they started their set. Four members—the vocalist, bassist, guitarist and drummer—already had experience performing together, as they had originally performed at Rafflesian Spotlight in RI Y1–4. Conversely, Dayna, the only girl and the band’s keyboardist, had only just been recruited. Two rock songs, What I’ve Done by Linkin Park and Supremacy by Muse, were chosen for their performance as they were “super hype and nice”, and also because the songs capitalised on Manish’s impressive vocal range. Interestingly, the band could not secure the RI Studio for their rehearsals, and actually booked an external studio that cost about $55 for each three-hour session. When asked why they were willing to pay for an external studio, the band said that “we didn’t go to practice just for RGT. We just really like to play together so it’s worth the money….It’s really fun to play as a band, and we all know that once school gets busier it’s hard to meet up to play.”

DANCE CATEGORY WINNERS

1st Place: Konfidante, comprising Tasha Sonia Kaur (19S03O), Val Tan (19S03G), and Janice Tan (19S06I), BB
Three ladies dancing a fierce and powerful choreography to a medley of songs.

2nd Place: Wan Jialing (18A01A), MT
Suddenly, you’re in Hawaii!

3rd Place: Over 50-kg Club, comprising Linus Tan and Kent Han (18S06P), HH.
A pair popping, locking and dancing serious hip-hop.

There was perhaps little surprise for the announcement of the dance category winners, considering that the judges openly expressed to Konfidante that they were “the best dance act we have seen tonight.” Konfidante is indeed a polished and accomplished group: their Raffles Got Talent victory is the second notch in their belt after their victory in the 2016 edition of Raffles Girls’ School’s talent show, R-Factor. Konfidante is made up of three talented dancers that have been dancing together since they were in Year 2. “The 3 of us were actually deskies…and…we realised that we all shared a passion for dance,” said the trio. For RGT, the three chose a powerful and fast-paced music set: Burn Break Crash by Aanysa x Snakehips, Yonce by Beyoncé, and This is Me from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. Despite the high bar posed by the energy of the music, the girls matched up perfectly with their equally empowering self-created choreography. The three were overjoyed by the results, but also added that they were “really happy because of [their] friends that were there to support and cheer for [them].”

Meanwhile, there was a considerable amount of confusion and surprise when Jialing stepped out onto stage adorned with an array of leaves and flowers, clad in a black tube top and a long, flowing skirt. Understandably, Jialing’s act was to feature a dance genre we Singaporeans do not usually get to witness: the Hawaiian hula. She has been learning it at a hula school in Singapore called “Ka Pa Hula Ka Lei Maile Hi’ilani”, which is a Singapore branch of a real hula school in Hawaii’s Kauai Island. “In hula, each dance has a meaning and therefore you must be taught by a teacher and have permission to perform to ensure that the meaning is not lost or wrong when you dance,” Jialing told us in an interview. Her intricate outfit of flora and fauna was similarly full of deliberate meaning, though the judging panel mistook it for “a good use of school plants”. On her head she wore a yellow feather (a lei hulu that represents royalty); around her neck draped two long, black-beaded necklaces (lei kukui to represent enlightenment); another piece hanging on her neck was an even longer chain of leaves (a lei maile to represent unity). “It’s one thing I love about [hula], is that everything carries so much meaning!” Jialing enthused. Perhaps the audience was hardly aware of all the embedded meaning, but we were nonetheless charmed by the delicately graceful way she danced. As a judge described, she “really brought the waves of Hawaii to us”. In the end, Jialing was “really surprised” by her second place—but more importantly, she felt elated to have been “given a chance to perform and showcase something that [she loves] so much.”

Last but not least, the cryptically named ‘Over 50-Kg Club’ is actually the name in reverse of the two dancers’ act at last year’s RGT: ‘Below 50-kg Club’. The two lanky street dancers appeared on stage and danced to Icon by Jaden Smith, Mans Not Hot by Big Shaq, and Manolo by Trip Lee. Kent, one of the two Y6 dancers, told us that they adapted choreography from YouTube and practiced just 2 days before finals—an impressive feat considering the fluent, coordinated and energetic hip-hop performance that they presented on stage! Their explosive dance act ended with a troop of boys joining the pair on stage in a last hurrah, performing a short dance sequence together as an ensemble. Though the duo’s initial goal was to win a speaker for their CCA (Street Dance), one of the prizes that the RGT committee originally announced, they are nonetheless very happy with their results.

OPEN CATEGORY WINNERS

1st Place: Srivibhav (19S06I), HH
Beatboxer shows you a seemingly impossible array of sounds from just his mouth.

2nd Place: Sherwin Lam (19S06O), BB
Beatboxer using a loop pedal to make a self-created remix of 3 songs.

3rd Place: Ifran (19S06I), BW
First-time standup comedian that transitioned from school salt to dad jokes.
When the emcees walked onto stage literally beating a cardboard box, the audience was hardly aware that we were in for three incredible back-to-back beatbox performances: first Sri’s, then Sherwin’s, then a beatbox battle between the two.

One would never guess that RGT was the first time Srivibhav had ever performed for an audience. Sri, as he is more commonly known, walked onto stage dressed in an unassuming green hoodie, black pants, and white gloves, and left the spotlight with the audience stunned in awe—a judge even had to probe, “Are you sure you’re not hiding a drum in there?” At that point, Sri had only been learning beatbox seriously for 10 months. He formulated his RGT routine by integrating bits of his favourite beatboxers’ routines with his own composition; he incorporated routines of beatboxers like Amit, Audical, Napom and Piratheeban. When asked how he felt about his debut performance being so successful, Sri replied that he “felt happy! I thought beatboxing was a subculture that’s not very appreciated by the public, because it is very technical…people don’t appreciate it unless they know how hard it is to execute. I’m happy to see that the general public enjoys it.” Certainly, it was plainly evident that the audience enjoyed it, especially since Sri’s friends were hollering “One, Two, Sri!” at the top of their lungs before and after Sri’s performance. “I’m very happy about that because it’s also my Instagram handle,” Sri commented cheekily about their enthusiasm.

For Sherwin, the second beatboxer to perform, he started learning beatboxing to enrich his a cappella singing covers, and has since been beatboxing for nearly 2 years. His performance was a three-song mashup of Havana by Camila Cabello, New Rules by Dua Lipa and Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, utilising a loop pedal to layer tracks of his beatboxing as the base rhythm and tempo. After his performance, one judge commented that it was especially interesting to witness how he created the whole track live from scratch. Sherwin told us that he actually arranged the mashup himself the night before the performance: he had been inspired by a YouTube video that did a similar looping beatbox cover, then he added on New Rules and Shape of You as he went along with developing the track.

The battle between Sri and Sherwin was the closing highlight of the beatbox saga. The beatboxers took turns of a minute each to perform a piece. As they were ominously backlighted with red, flinging taunts at each other like “I will take you down” between bass beats, the battle seemed genuinely ruthless and entertainingly hostile from the audience seat. Yet, we were told that it was in actuality a prepared arrangement. “When the House Captains knew there were 2 beatboxers in the final, they told us the idea and we both agreed to try it out,” Sherwin told us. The two performed very different styles of beatboxing, and despite the final rankings, there was no clear winner of the battle. However, it is safe to say that Sherwin won the audience’s hearts when he began beatboxing and singing the Raffles Institution anthem in his last turn, transitioning into the bass drop by singing the internet meme “somebody toucha my spaghet”.

Meanwhile, Ifran had never expected to be at the finals: his OG mates had casually recorded a video of him telling jokes, and he agreed to have it submitted only for House points. He then unexpectedly found himself stumbling onto stage with cue cards in hand, approaching the solitary microphone stand, assaulted by bright spotlights. “I was pretty nervous but I couldn’t really make out anyone’s faces at first so I guess that helped. My hand was shaking when I told my first joke,” Ifran recounted about his initial nervousness. Stand-up comedy is a difficult and pressurising act to pull off; yet, as Ifran slowly eased into delivering his lines, it was evident that this budding comedian could definitely ace it. After his performance, Ifran boldly told the panel judge that “the script was not approved by the teachers”. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise: the jokes that incited the most laughter were often the ones which took jabs at the school and its culture. One segment that seemed to hit off well with the audience was when Ifran sang, to the tune of Home by Kit Chan, “But whenever I am feeling low / I look at Frisbee and I know, / they’ll never be accepted / as a sport as it’s just for show.”

CLOSING THOUGHTS

In terms of House points from final placings, HH has gained the most House points with 1 first place and 2 third places. This is followed by BB with 1 first place and 1 second place, and then BW with 2 second places. However, tallied together with audition video participation points, BB seems to be the leading House for RGT overall.

Yet one’s main takeaway from RGT is ultimately not the numbers game: what truly defined RGT was the incredible display of intra-House support and House participation. BW OGs were waving fansigns at the concert in support of performers, BB performers received support boards compiled by their House Captains and their friends, and the MR Captain was described as “really helpful and supportive in helping [acts] perform their best during live finals”, as some examples among others. Council representative Warren Liow (18A01B) described that it was a challenge to organise RGT, to work with “a highly demanding timeline…and to have the time and energy come up with fresh, high quality ideas” while juggling Orientation and initiatives like House Batch Shirts. However, Council’s work seems to have paid off with the enthusiasm and enjoyment that everyone derived from RGT’s performances. Raffles Press looks forward to an equally incredible show next year: seeing this year’s turnout, the school can indeed look forward to many more talented Rafflesians taking the spotlight.

Find football cool but don’t want to train under the hot sun? Miss playing foosball during boarding in Y1-4? Already spending most of your breaks playing foosball at the Crib? If you answered yes to any of the above, then here’s some good news for you: Raffles Foosball will become a competitive CCA in RI (Y5-6)!

Raffles Foosball was formed by a group of Y6 foosball aficionados that came together in the beginning of the year. The foosball table installed in the Crib – located conveniently right next to the Y5-6 canteen – was where they decided to take their favourite pastime to the next level.

In the words of Team Leader Chew Yinggum (18S06T), “we are very grateful to the Student’s Council for the foosball table and [playing foosball] reminded us of our boarding days. Since we all like playing foosball a lot, we thought: why not make it a CCA?” And so, they did.

The process of forming the CCA was, of course, not easy. “It was hard but it’s our last year in RI and we didn’t want to leave any regrets,” explained team member Bakkut Tay (18A01F). In the past three months, the team worked tirelessly, writing “more drafts for the proposal [to establish Raffles Foosball] than for PW WR” and engaging in “intense discussions with many teachers which was a hundred times more terrifying than OP”, before they finally obtained approval from the school’s CCA department.

Now that they have secured a place in the school’s CCA list, the foosball team is very excited about their future prospects. According to Team Secretary Oolong Tee (18S05B), they will be contacting SgFoosball for professional foosball coaching and aim to do the school proud in the SG Table Football Premier League, which is held monthly throughout the year.

Unfortunately, due to the CCA stand down in May, the current Y6 members will not be able to participate in the Table Football Association Singapore (TFAS) Merlion Cup (held this June), TFAS Cup (held this December) and TFAS National Championship (held next March).

“We can’t compete in them but it’s okay because our juniors can. I hope Raffles Foosball will eventually compete in regional competitions and maybe even make it to the FISTF World Championship someday,” said team member Chee Cheongfun (18S03P).

The first CCA session is scheduled to commence on 5th April 2018 and subsequent sessions will be held every Monday and Thursday afternoon from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm at the Crib. (As a side note, Teddy – due to his constant presence in the vicinity – has been made an honorary member of the CCA.)

Anyone and everyone are welcome to join the Foosball family. If there are many sign ups, Raffles Foosball will raise funds to purchase a new foosball table by selling cotton candy and bubble tea in the Y5-6 canteen walkway.

Prospective members can indicate their interest to join the Foosball family at tinyurl.com/raffoosballsignups. For more information, please refer to the Raffles Foosball posters pasted around the school or download the PDF version here.

“What are the struggles of being a woman?”

That was the big question that Raffles Film Society’s film screening addressed in a small space on 8th March. That Thursday evening saw students gathering in the Hodge Lodge and being ushered into the movie room by enthusiastic Film Society members, where movies were screened in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Although initially beset by technical difficulties, the session soon got underway, with breaks for discussion interwoven with the screenings of the films themselves. The overall tone of the session was nothing short of sombre, with a sharp focus on the struggles women face in realising their sexuality, autonomy, and identity through the ages, as showcased through a lineup of five films.

The Order of Things (2010)

The first of the films, The Order of Things opens with a woman, Julia, hunched over in a bathtub, while her husband Marcos alternately cajoles and threatens her for the location of his family heirloom belt. Later, the audience is let in on the revelation that Julia has actually been sitting on the belt all along, and for good reason – the welts on her back bear testament to the real reason for Marcos’s frenzied search for the belt.

The minimalist cinematography directs the audience’s eye to a number of props used prominently throughout the film. Chief amongst them is the belt that Marcos uses to perpetuate the domestic abuse he and his brothers inflict on their wives – much like how traditional masculinism is learnt and enforced, the belt is likewise passed down from generation to generation as a stern reminder of the fixed roles of men and women in relation to each other. The difficulty of deviating from that tradition is shown through Marquitos, Julia’s son, fleeing the household out of self-preservation; although he rejects the tradition for himself, he was ultimately unable to help his mother out of the same situation.

Water was another key symbol in the film, with the water in the bathtub serving as both sanctuary and prison – for despite the temporary safety it provided Julia in her own home, staying inside the water likewise furthered the length of time she stayed inside the cycle of violence. That, in conjunction with Julia’s silence throughout the film, mirrors how victims of domestic abuse in the real world often choose to suffer in silence instead of seeking help as they fear the escalation of abuse if they report their abusers. Overall, the abstract and metaphorical nature of the film gave new perspective into the helplessness domestic abuse victims feel, and how difficult it is to extract the victims out of their situation.

Charlotte Lim (19A01B) shared that “although it showed the ugly side of domestic physical and emotional abuse, it also gave watchers a hint of hope of the possibility of new beginnings and rebirth after trauma, which I feel is important to acknowledge.” She also “[appreciated] how the film was able to show both the vulnerability and strength that a woman can possess”. It was evident from the reactions during the discussion that this was the pivotal film of the session for many, and residual uneasiness lingered even as Film Society moved on. Interestingly, they chose to show the next two movies, Une Femme Coquette and Pretext, in tandem as both dealt with how women coped with rape across different time periods.

Une Femme Coquette, or The Flirtatious Woman (1955)

(Trigger Warning: Rape)

Une Femme Coquette follows a woman who comes across a prostitute seducing a man and luring him up to her room, and grapples with both shock at her boldness and respect for her ability to utilise her autonomy for herself. She later attempts to emulate this by flirting shyly with a stranger, but changes her mind almost immediately after. However, she is mistakenly assumed to be soliciting sexual services and is harassed by him. Despite her fervent rejection of his advances, he pursues her all the way back to her house and violates her.

Despite this grim narrative, the film maintains a considerably casual tenor throughout, with the woman seemingly unaware of the gravity of the situation. The film opens and ends with her writing a letter to her friend, expressing her distress not over the assault, but over the fact that she “cheated” on her husband. She laments that “[she is] cruelly punished for her flirtatiousness”,  and ends the letter with a plea for her friend to trust in her innocence. Her trivialisation of her sexual assault echoes society’s beliefs at that point in time, where the concept of women having sexual autonomy was hardly acknowledged, and a woman’s sexuality was a tool for men’s pleasure. The flippancy of the movie’s treatment of its subject matter is thus revealing of far more insidious and appalling implications; this is not a movie to be treated lightly.

Pretext (2017)

(Trigger Warning: Rape)

Decidedly modern in its use of audio recording technology and idiosyncratic yet common spaces like the laundromat, Pretext differs from Une Femme Coquette in its approach to depicting the trauma sexual assault victims must live with long after the event has occurred, opting for a more no-holds-barred approach. A woman confronts her rapist over a phone call in order to get him convicted for his crime, following which she attempts to integrate back into her daily life. She goes through the motions of her usual routine, all the while bearing the weight of her trauma, and we see the aftermath of the pain her assailant inflicted on her.

Subverting the typical dramatic structure of inserting the film’s climax in the middle, Pretext opens with what may easily be the most distressing moment of the entire film: the phone call. The woman is forced to relive her experience all over again and relate it in explicit detail for it to constitute as evidence under the court of law. The irony is that in order to seek justice for themselves, the victim would be forced to relive their trauma, lending credence to their dilemma over whether the process of standing trial is worthwhile. This is especially since the assaulter may still receive a mere slap on the wrist even after the undoubtedly painful procedure the victim had to suffer through.

Both films end on an abrupt note with little semblance of closure, cutting to black right after the woman in Une Femme Coquette reveals that she was raped and right as the woman in Pretext experiences a panic attack after glimpsing someone who might have been her rapist. The purposeful cliffhangers suggest that much of the residual trauma that sexual assault victims undergo happens off-screen, or hidden from the scrutiny of their loved ones, particularly since the women in both films put on a façade of normalcy in front of their friends. Ultimately, recovery is a long and arduous process, and support networks must be consistent for them to be effective.

Dove: Legacy (2014)

Legacy departs from the archetypal mould of beauty that typical commercials for beauty products promote, choosing instead to explore how a woman’s confidence is taught and inherited from generation to generation, with an emphasis on natural and inclusive beauty. The film showcases mothers and daughters being asked, separately, about which aspects of their bodies they felt most insecure about, and later, which aspects of their bodies they took the most pride in.

Unfortunately, criticism and skepticism directed at the film have attacked the apparent level of scripting involved in the responses. For instance, the parallel of a mother hating her thighs because they were big and strong, even as her daughter professed love for her own thighs for much the same reason felt too coincidental to suspend disbelief in the authenticity of the responses. Yet, in an industry where corporations prey on consumer insecurities and idealisations of a narrowly defined body type to market their products, a commercial promoting such messages of self-love come as enough of a breath of fresh air to forgive its other transgressions. After all, like one woman in the film acknowledged, “self-worth and beauty [are] an echo”, and the underlying premise that confidence and body-positivity can be a ripple effect is an important one to learn. The message that self-hatred is learnt thus transcends the directing of the film; skepticism of the script must be differentiated from skepticism of the message in evaluating the commercial’s attempt to raise awareness of issues regarding self-love or acceptance.

Gender (2012)

A documentary drenched in heavy irony in its subversion of male tropes, Gender offers us several glimpses into the protagonist’s life. A female andrologist, Lena repeatedly espouses the belief that men remain the superior species. The irony of her beliefs undercuts the tone of the movie when she is shown to be carrying out the acts she declares women are incapable of performing: we see her directing a play and attempting to solve conflicts among the actors, despite her previous assertion that women were not structured for leadership due to their lack of testosterone. Additionally, she works in a medical field usually dominated by men, and for all intents and purposes appears to excel at her job.

Her recurring refrain of men’s supremacy underscores her internalisation of a woman’s circumscribed place in a traditional society: docile and content to remain in the background, whereas men are encouraged to assert dominance and make their mark. In almost deliberately wry scene transitions, her actions mirror the very traits she declares women inherently lack, all the while seemingly unaware of the nature of her behaviour and the male archetype usually associated with such attributes. One scene in particular depicts her engaged in a heated phone call, where she vows to utilise her oratory arsenal to ruin anyone who hurts her immediate social circle. This stark show of aggression juxtaposes with the subservient “backseat” women are typically consigned to in tension-fueled situations, further highlighting the subversion of the suppressive stereotypes that typify a male-dominated bubble.

Fortunately, such revolutions no longer have to be subtle in our current age, where women are predominantly responsible for kickstarting and leading prominent social movements that allow change to snowball. One recent example would be the #TimesUp movement, which was started by over 300 women, and is focused on expanding its support to industries beyond the elite entertainment sphere. It has undoubtedly generated worldwide attention, lending to the aim of raising awareness and amplifying oppressed voices. If anything, this film quietly prods us with the reminder that, whether they are aware of it or not, women are capable of resisting the conventions society attempts to bury them in.  

Closing thoughts

The general sentiments about the films shown seemed to be that of horror, startle and hope. Charlotte (19A01B) felt that “[the screening] was a greater reminder of the issues that women still face in society”, and that “this serves as motivation for [her] to change society’s perceptions of women and rid misogyny, to be more involved in advocating [for] women’s rights and to better appreciate the women around [her] for braving through the struggles…[and to] rid society of such problems so that the women of future generations need not face similar experiences”.  Zenan Han (18S06A) also expressed that “[the screening] did help [him] understand [female troubles] better, be it the barricades a rape victim faces in her/his process of getting closure or the chains attached to women facing domestic abuse that prevent them from getting out of their situations”.

 “literature, visual arts, music [all come together] in film and [films] draw on the strengths of each form to be really emotionally compelling. I think that’s also why film is probably the most popular art form today. That makes it powerful, that makes it influential, and in the long run the cultural impacts of film can be very lasting”.

– Elizabeth Xu (18A13A), Chairperson of Film Society

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Xu (18A13A), Chairperson of Film Society, had this to say about film’s effectiveness as mechanism for change: “literature, visual arts, music [all come together] in film and [films] draw on the strengths of each form to be really emotionally compelling. I think that’s also why film is probably the most popular art form today. That makes it powerful, that makes it influential, and in the long run the cultural impacts of film can be very lasting”. Indeed, film does make use of its unique method of storytelling to wholly immerse the audience in the headspace of someone else. If only for a moment, seeing things through their eyes, hearing things through their ears – all of that culminates in the profound empathy most feel after watching a movie. She also observed that “females are still sorely underrepresented in film, which means a lot of authentic female-centric struggles are overlooked especially in mainstream media”. Giving the spotlight to such women-specific issues is thus needed to redefine the conversation around the role of feminism in today’s society, and to broaden our collective empathy of the multidimensional struggles women face.

Ultimately, films have no inherent moral obligation in and of themselves, but given their immense ubiquity across various societies, they are capable of sowing seeds of social revolution and starting conversations about issues that should be discussed in greater depth. Such discourse was observed to have taken place even after the screening ended, with students vacating the movie room still deep in discussion about the films. 

By Keziah Lim (19A01B) and Alyssa Marie Loo (19A13A)

Even if you have yet to watch the film, it is difficult not to know about Black Panther given how its success has flooded mainstream media. You are probably familiar with headlines like “Black Panther brings Afrofuturism into the mainstream”; “Why ‘Black Panther’ became the hero the world needs now”; or “Why ‘Black Panther’ May Be Marvel’s Best Movie Yet”. The film’s impact stems not only from it being an objectively good superhero movie, but also from how its progressive, Afro-centric setting shows perspectives highly relevant to contemporary issues of racial discrimination. Amidst all the adoration of Black Panther’s fictional and reclusive country of Wakanda, here’s what we imagine life in the high-tech, prosperous and isolationist country would be like.

Physical Geography: Where Art Thou Wakanda?

Wakanda is located right above Africa’s Lake Turkana, at an intersection between the borders of South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Thus, Wakanda has a warm and humid equatorial climate. Unlike the colonial oppression and exploitation that its African neighbours endured, however, Wakanda remains a blissfully untouched sanctuary, its seclusion maintained by a high-tech invisibility cloak. The comics also explain that Wakanda’s separation from the outside world naturally arises from Wakanda’s topography: it is fully bordered by high mountains that deter any invaders on foot. Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther, based Wakanda’s protective terrain on the real-life ‘sky kingdom’ of Lesotho, which is landlocked by South Africa. You can expect to see gleaming skyscrapers and high-tech public railway networks all over Wakanda’s city centre, but the outskirts boast expanses of fields swelling into mountains that surround the city. Quite a sight for sore eyes!

Social Welfare and Politics: Something for everyone.

Congratulations! If you’ve been born a Wakandan, you have a pretty comfortable life ahead of you. You can expect to enjoy Wakanda’s universal healthcare, free education from kindergarten to university, and the world’s highest life expectancy. The Wakandans have even discovered the cure for cancer! Furthermore, unlike most other countries, every person in this modern, bustling city is dark-skinned like you. You have no idea who Neil Armstrong is, but you will learn that your country ventured into space far earlier than the rest of the world did in the 1960s.

Born a girl? Not a problem at all: gender parity is very important in Wakanda. STEM research and what other societies would perceive as male-dominated industries are frequently headed by female minds in Wakanda, as can be seen in the shining example of King T’Challa’s little sister Shuri: ultimately your merit is all that matters. If you are athletically inclined you can apply to join the Dora Milaje, a prestigious group of elite female warriors, recruited from all tribes, who serve as the King’s personal guard.

Your tribe will have a representative in the king’s council of Taifa Ngao, so that your views can be heard even in the highest echelons of government. Want to get into power? Unlike other countries where one must go through the tedious charade of joining parties and elections, to become king in Wakanda you only need to know how to brawl. When the coronation of the next king comes along, anyone from any tribe can take a shot at beating the next-in-line in combat.

Arts and Culture: Rich and exuberant even within the enclosed nation.

Wakanda is far from a homogenous nation – it’s made up of six different tribes, all with distinct hallmarks and personalities. These are the Mining, Merchant, River, Border and Jabari tribes – all of which submit to the Golden or Panther tribe, the royal family. The tribes are distinguished by their signature aesthetics inspired by traditional African cultures (you might recall the Mursi lip plates of the River tribe, or the Lesotho blankets of the Border tribe). The vibrancy of tribal attire trickles down into consumer fashion too, which is why Wakanda boasts the world’s most contemporary collection of African-inspired fashion.

The official language of Wakanda is Xhosa (though the Jabari tribe uses an Igbo dialect). The recognisable ‘clicking’ language originates from the Xhosa people who fought against European colonial invaders in the Cape Frontier Wars; the language is hence closely associated with anti-colonial struggles. Today, Xhosa is an official language in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Meanwhile, Wakanda’s city signs in the movie are written in a language inspired by Nsibidi, an ancient symbol-based writing system from Nigeria. Despite the richness of local language, most Wakandans are also multilingual and can speak English.

Sometime in your life you’ll probably find yourself spectating or even partaking in one of Wakanda’s elaborate rituals. The Heart-Shaped Herb, a species of local vegetation mutated after vibranium exposure,  is central to this. One of Wakanda’s most notable rituals is the selection of a Black Panther to ingest this herb, which in turn grants them super-soldier-like enhanced physical capabilities. Most of the society plays active audience to the ritual, participating in chants and ceremonial dances.

As for religion, most of Wakanda worships the panther goddess Bast. Legend has it that when the five tribes warred over the country’s vibranium (and hence its throne), Bast appeared to a warrior shaman named Bashenga, leading him to the Heart-Shaped Herb. He then became the first Black Panther, and all but the Jabari tribe pledged loyalty to him.

The Jabari tribe live in isolation from the rest of the tribes as they rejected the use of vibranium and preferred to adhere to a more traditional way of life. They also worship the gorilla god Hanuman instead of Bast – in Jabari mythos, Hanuman provided his followers with a particularly strong wood, allowing them to build cities and weapons without the use of vibranium. The Jabari’s distinctiveness is evident in the way that they dress and the language they speak.

Isolationism and its Boons: Wakanda First, Wakanda First.

As an average Wakandan citizen you will most likely be oblivious as to how prosperous and luxurious Wakandan life is compared to other countries. Hardly anyone leaves Wakanda, so banish your dreams of holidays to Europe or studying in Oxbridge, because T’Challa is the only one in Wakanda ever to have schooled overseas (he has a PhD in Physics from Oxford). The average citizen will be blissfully unaware of how neighbouring African countries have been oppressed and colonised, how the rest of the world is centuries behind Wakanda’s state of technological advancement, and how healing a gunshot wound overnight is not usually possible in other countries.

You will never see “finest wine made in France” or “best Swiss Cheese” on your grocery shelves, but rest assured that you can get everything you need from within Wakanda’s borders. Wakanda’s economy is economically self-sufficient, and everything you find in grocery stores is grown locally. This means you can get well-paying jobs from a wide range of industries, since all are paid equitably in Wakanda’s self-contained economy.

If you manage to climb to the top ranks of government, you will probably learn about why Wakanda adopts isolationism. It is a strategy of ‘defensive realism’: very simply, other countries will not arm themselves against Wakanda or try to attack it if they think Wakanda is a harmless country. The policy of seclusion has also helped to distance Wakanda from world conflicts that would have halted development and cost the lives of Wakandans. Thus, since the end of the civil wars between the 5 tribes, Wakanda has been enjoying an undisturbed age of peace and prosperity.

Isolationism and its Banes: What About Everyone Else?

Despite all its seemingly glowing benefits to Wakandans like you, Wakanda’s isolationism and selfish success has come at the expense of people around the world, particularly of the African diaspora. Wakanda’s medicine and technology could have saved countless lives around the world that have been lost to disease and injury. Similarly, Wakanda’s prosperity could have helped to alleviate the poverty that surrounding African countries suffer from, and its military could have stopped the colonial oppression that had plagued the African continent.

Yet, are all countries obliged to protect people outside their borders, and are Wakandans truly accountable to all African people as a race? If Wakanda was to loosen its isolationism, to make internationally known its defensive capabilities that render pistols “primitive” (as described in the movie), it is conceivable that nations all over the world would be stricken into playing catch-up with Wakanda’s immense power – leading into a Cold War-esque escalation of military developments.

SPOILERS: Indeed, this very policy is the ethical conflict and resolution of the main film – Killmonger, a Wakandan born and raised in America, resents his homeland for standing by while Africans all over the world were oppressed. When he ascends the throne, he immediately prepares for Wakandan weaponry to be shipped out to the African diaspora. The movie answers the ethical question of isolationism for us, when T’Challa decides to come clean about Wakanda’s true nature at a UN summit, and sets up an outreach centre in Oakland, California to reach out to underprivileged African-American youth. SPOILERS END.

So is it great to be a Wakandan?

Yes, it is. Wakanda is the picturesque fantasy of a developed African country that has successfully capitalised on its rich resources and remained free from colonial oppression. Undoubtedly, its success is founded upon questionable ethics of its isolationism – and as a Wakandan, it is your role to decide if you will support this direction of Wakandan involvement with the world. Raffles Press looks forward to Wakanda – and Black Panther – being involved in Marvel’s upcoming Infinity War, hopefully then as a contributing and active participant.

(Cover image source: https://www.releasemama.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/black-panther-fans-petition-for-wakanda-tv-show-spinoff.jpg)

By Joyce Lee (19S06O), Loh Lin (19A01D) and Alyssa Marie Loo (19A13A)
Photos courtesy of Ting Hou Yee (19S03S) and Jiang Jin Liang (19S06N) of Raffles Photographic Society

Twelve years since its first edition, this year’s Raffles Asia Programme Symposium involved over 100 invited students, 15 student research projects and speeches by professors from Yale-NUS College. One might consider the exclusive regional focus of the Raffles Asia Programme to be counter-intuitive: why limit research to Asia when humanities research can be broad and unbounded? Mr Gavin Swee, one of the teacher-mentors for the RAP, believes a regional scope is far from limiting: it can “help (students) develop sensitive understandings of the socio-cultural context in which they live”. Though most of us would not instinctively consider Asia a key region for research—perhaps due to a humanities curriculum often centred on the West—the RAP research projects proved this sentiment sorely misplaced. The projects showcased a variety of topics about Asia’s vibrant culture, politics, literature and more, demonstrating that Asia is just as rich as the West in its potential to be studied and explored.

Both external speakers stressed the importance of studying Asia. Rector at Yale-NUS Professor Sarah Weiss emphasised in her keynote speech that “the weight of population, money and resources in Asia demands that we look at it”. She urged the audience to understand the cultures of different Asian countries to devise effective solutions to the world’s problems, giving an example of a group of Singaporeans going to India to carry out a project: if they do not understand the culture and people of India, they would be “talking in two different languages, literally and figuratively” with their local partners.

Meanwhile, Yale-NUS Senior Lecturer (Humanities) Professor Tony Day, himself a researcher who has published papers on Southeast Asian film and literature, added in an interview that “(Southeast Asia) is not a region of the world that has a dominant world power… It is a place where learning how to get along, inventing ways of being small but important and creative and innovative (is paramount),” therefore emphasising how this region is particularly worthy of study.

The student keynote presentation by Ivan Toh Sheng Wei (18A01A), Wee Jin Yang Ryan (18A01A) and Mark Loh Wei-Yang (18A13A) was a project on contemporary Chinese politics. The presentation referred to Max Weber’s theory on the three types of legitimate authority to explain how the Chinese government has successfully held on to power and won the support of the people in recent years. It also explored the conflict between the interests of the state and the personal agendas of individual statesmen that shapes decision-making in politics. It was particularly insightful in how it proved that historical models and trends—topics of study that we often think only belong in the classroom—are useful in understanding modern politics.

Following the keynote items, guests split into breakout sessions of student research presentations. From contemporary Chinese art to Singaporean food nostalgia, the sheer breadth of research topics  highlighted the colourful and endless possibilities of humanities research focused on the region. “I think the symposium really engaged with a lot of topics that many of us simply don’t consider,” said Angus Yip (18A01A), a member of the organising team, adding that “what was important was how the different groups approached their subject matter in a very critical manner”.

Thus in the following section, Raffles Press writers at the symposium offer reviews of the different breakout sessions they attended.

Tackling Trauma: The Graphic Novel and Its Presentation of Traumatic Narratives

By Li Wanjie (18A01B), Angus Yip (18A01A) and Emil Tay Chee Yee (18A01B)

This breakout session focused on the presentation of trauma in three Southeast Asian graphic novels: Saigon Calling by Marcelino Truong, The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui and The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew. The first two graphic novels delve into the stories of Vietnamese refugees and migrants during the Vietnam War while the third explores Singapore’s separation from Malaysia and the political chaos that followed. All three focus on the personal narratives of the protagonists who are forced to navigate the complicated circumstances of their times. Yet, they still manage to link this personal trauma to the collective trauma experienced by whole nations in the tumultuous 20th century that saw two world wars, countless civil wars fought in the Cold War, the collapse of colonial empires and the conflict-fraught birth of many nation-states.

After exploring the importance of studying and representing trauma in literature, the presenters put forth their main argument: it is difficult to represent traumatic stories solely through the written word, as trauma is often defined mainly by the images and memories they evoke. Thus, novels must take extra steps to help readers imagine the traumatic scenes using vivid descriptions, while the graphic novel can use images to elicit the readers’ traumatic memories immediately. The clever and skilful integration of visuals and text in graphic novels can also help set the mood of a scene. Where words fail, the graphic novel allows images in the absence of text to portray a complex mix of emotions in a simple yet impactful manner.

The presenter’s choice to analyse comic books, a medium often looked down upon as pure entertainment, was intriguing. In doing so, they showed how graphic novels can portray trauma just as, if not more, realistically as conventional novels. The selected comic books dealt with serious topics like war, loss and political upheaval, yet managed to depict these themes in an accessible way through the use of poignant and haunting images.

This page from The Best We Could Do shows photos of the author’s family as they were fleeing from war-torn Vietnam. They serve to emphasise how helpless the author and her family were, as refugees who arrived in neighbouring countries by boat with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The accompanying text and background images references how insignificant they felt as they were only one of many who were forced to flee and evokes sympathy from the reader.

However, one possible limitation of using graphic novels to depict trauma is that they rely heavily on the readers’ ability to infer the characters’ emotions and thoughts from subtle visual cues, whereas novels are able to describe this inner turmoil more explicitly. Moreover, traumatic memories are also often evoked by sound rather than by images alone. Hence, a medium that encompasses both sound and visuals such as film has more potential than graphic novels to authentically represent traumatic experiences. Nevertheless, comic books are still a powerful and unique medium through which the disorientating emotions that accompany trauma can be expressed.

Apologies for Atrocities?: Evaluating Japan’s Chances of Successfully Apologising for World War II

By Mohammad Faisal (18A13A), Warren Liow (18A01B) and Jonah Tan Sheen (18A01A)

The presentation began with Faisal punching Warren in the shoulder. After offering a flippant apology of “deep remorse” amongst laughter from the audience, Faisal then added more seriously, “I might get a laugh out of this now, but if I had beaten Warren to a pulp…‘deep remorse’ really wouldn’t cut it.” This served as an analogy of the ‘history of Japanese apologies”: a series of evasive and seemingly insincere ‘apologies’ delivered by Japanese leaders over the years. Japanese wartime atrocities have been euphemistically referred to as “certain things which happened” (Emperor Hirohito), an “unfortunate period” (Emperor Akihito), or even entirely dismissed as “what is done cannot be undone” (Shinzo Abe).

The group asks: against this backdrop of repeated failed apology attempts, in tension with the fact that the Japanese themselves may not think their apologies to be insincere, what are the chances that Japan can successfully attain forgiveness for its WWII crimes? “It started with the three of us just really being interested in Japan and war narratives,” Faisal told us. In fact, the group at first wanted to “examine Japanese narratives adopted during WWII”, but due to feasibility challenges of finding sources for this topic, decided instead to research the consequences of post-war narratives—namely, the perceived sincerity of Japan’s apologies.

Their paper’s argument adopted political scientist Thomas U. Berger’s framework of “Five Conditions of a Successful Apology”, evaluating Japan’s chances of success by examining Japan’s past and present measures against each of these conditions. Did they conclude that Japan has good chances for successful apology? Their caveated conclusion at first lures one into blind optimism: “Yes”, it begins, “but not under this government”. They argue that Abe’s cabinet, in its rush to remilitarize as per domestic wishes, has become ignorant of the significance of the global parliament. “The dominos to a satisfactory apology are inching ever closer: all that remains is for a new political administration to make the first push,” concluded their research paper.

Despite the inherently retrospective nature of apologies, the group’s question of a successful Japanese WWII apology is far from just a question of the past. In light of today’s concerns about North Korea’s ICBMs being launched over Japan, and Japan becoming increasingly excluded from North and South Korea’s peace talks, Japan faces increasing domestic pressure to remilitarise for self-defence in a hostile region. One of the barriers to this is Article 9 of its Constitution. The article, appended in the face of its surrender in WWII, denounces Japan’s right to belligerency. Today, even though Abe pushes heavily to modify the article, it is unlikely that he can do so without heavy international backlash—unless Japan successfully apologises and earns the trust of the international council, particularly of countries like China and South Korea. With the outcry earlier this month after Japan’s activation of its first marine unit since WWII, it is evident that Japan is still far from being trusted by its neighbours and the world.

For the Love of the Nation: Chinese Style Dating Show and Nation Building in Modern China

By Hong Yu Wen Lynn (18A13A), Siobhan Charlotte Tan Xue Qi (18A13A), Peck Hsiao Shan (18A13A)

A single Chinese character loomed over the audience from the front of the PAC: 爱 (love). Below it lies the group’s main point of scrutiny: how does Chinese Style Dating Show contribute to nation-building in the modern Chinese state? The seemingly disparate subjects of comparison initially threw us off—what exactly does the search for romance have to do with modern China’s agenda of nation-building? As it turned out: far more than any of us had suspected.

The group posited that propaganda has shifted from utilising explicit revolutionary instruments to taking on more subtle media as their mouthpiece. However, state control still manifests in the narratives forwarded by the television industry: content creators still adhere passively to government parameters, and must negotiate a balance between entertainment and regulation. As such, one may find political messages embedded in the attitudes and behaviour of the various agents—the parents, host, and hopefuls—involved. In fact, many of these messages alluded heavily to the “Chinese Dream”, which aimed to revive pride in Chinese culture among the people and legitimise China’s Communist Party as the predominant state guardian.

Chinese Style Dating Show forwards a surprising notion of modernity: while giving young people the chance to find a marriage partner, it gives both the children and their parents the opportunity to navigate and work out the intergenerational differences between them. Discussions over social topics that are inadvertently brought up are moderated by the host, who ensures that opinions are heard and validated.

Despite the show’s progressive elements, traditional Chinese values remain a constant presence. This is exemplified through the consistent reinforcement of the Chinese value of filial piety, on which the show is premised. While the children are allowed veto or even override their parents’ decisions regarding the candidates, none of them made full use of this opportunity, and were shown deferring entirely to their parents’ wishes. This so happens to be a display of a major norm that typifies traditional Chinese society: that which demands for an to individual surrender their self-interests in favour of ensuring the welfare of the collective family unit.

There is no denying that Chinese Style Dating Show took on an overtly progressive tone in setting its narrative, especially since Jin Xin, a famous transgender woman, was chosen to host. It suggests that China is working towards a society that is tolerant of diversity, and which is built on discourse and consensus instead of staunchly conventional coercive measures. Lynn shared that “in mainstream media we casually mention things about China’s oppressive mechanisms but you don’t get much depth […] so it was interesting for me to see how that translated in the show”. The group also acknowledged that they “discovered Chinese television isn’t as rigidly state-controlled as we had been led to believe by the Western media, but it does affect dominant discourse of nation building, which is set by the CCP”. Indeed, mass media is a powerful tool in its extensive influence: it is able to establish intimacy with the consumer and allow them to confront and configure their own perspectives, which meld to construct an identity unique to the country.

Closing Thoughts: Asia and its Unanswered Questions

Charlotte Lim (18A01A), a member of the organising team,  hoped that RAP would “make people curious about a continent that people usually think they know all about simply because they live in it”, and therefore “realise that Asia can be so exciting and so much more.” The symposium definitely left us with a greater curiosity about the complexities of our very own region.

Although the research projects raised more questions than answers, as Deputy Principal Mrs Reavley Munn Ye elegantly said: “one must embrace open-endedness.” This point was similarly emphasised by Mr Swee, who elaborated that  “the best sort of learning takes place when there is an active exchange of ideas—the negotiation of different perspectives, the act of asking and answering questions.” Certainly, such questioning and negotiation occurs best in ambiguity, when one knows they do not have all the right answers.

Finally, in reply to ‘Why Asia’, the symposium surfaced a multitude of reasons. First, a regional focus highlights concerns within our immediate context that we would otherwise be oblivious to. A student from National Junior College echoed this point after attending a breakout presentation about the gurkha community in Singapore: “(The gurkha project) brought light to part of (our Singaporean society) that is very obscure”. This crystallises the importance of “contextualising (humanities) into something that we can easily relate to in our local vicinity” and makes it something “we should all learn and care about”.

Moreover, it allows us to form a more complete and independent view of Asia. As Charlotte expressed, “ I think we unconsciously buy into the stereotypes (from the West), and we forget that…this is not what Japanese nationalism or the Japanese identity is, or China or any Asian country for that matter…. (studying Asia would allow us to) seek out fresh, less biased perspectives on what Asia is.”

Overall, the Raffles Asia Programme Symposium undoubtedly succeeded in raising interest in Asia and the region’s affairs. “I think especially as a Southeast Asian country, it’s important to stay true to your roots and focus on the region in which we lie, because ultimately that’s the region… which will affect our country the most,” shared an Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student. Raffles Press looks forward to future iterations of the RAP, and is certain that the programme’s unique regional focus will continue to lend itself to a myriad of novel topics and projects.

By Mabel Yet (19S03Q) and Mahima Sowrirajan (19S07A)

“Our system of meritocracy is working less well than it used to, two generations in.”

Even more than two years on, these words spoken by former Principal Mr. Chan Poh Meng still hit hard. Rafflesians take pride in their glorious, sparkling achievements, from clinching gold after gold in sports to sweeping the boards in Science Olympiads. Without thought, we applaud these outstanding individuals for their relentless strive for excellence. Yet, we often fail to consider what much of our achievements are enabled by – privilege.

Too often, we cocoon ourselves in a web of enrichment programmes, impeccable curriculums, endless examinations and competitions, neglecting the wider society beyond this bubble. Even in our midst, some of our peers hail from underprivileged backgrounds, many of whom we do not recognize, let alone empathise with.

In the hopes of getting the school population to better understand poverty and recognise our privileges, Empty Pocket, one of the four student interest groups (SIGs) in Raffles Community Advocates, organised Spectrum 2018. From the 3rd to 6th of April, the team rolled out several initiatives in the canteen, all with the common message that poverty is not a choice, but a circumstance perpetuated by disparities in society. Through Spectrum, CA aimed to elicit a sense of responsibility in students to be more sensitive to others’ financial backgrounds and to speak out for the less fortunate.

Snakes and Ladders

We’ve all played snakes and ladders as a kid, but the version of this childhood game CA brings to us is much more than mere winning.

Walking into the canteen, one would notice two grids constructed on the floor. A closer look would highlight that the game is rigged and clearly unfair: one boasts more ladders while the other is riddled with snakes. If you tried your hand at the game, being on the ‘disadvantaged’ board would definitely leave you frustrated as you continuously tumble down the snakes while your ‘advantaged’ counterpart scales the ladders effortlessly.

This uncannily parallels the unfair playing field in society, presenting a bleak picture of inequality and opportunity. While the privileged have greater opportunities to ‘level up’, the disadvantaged struggle against the odds to reach the same amount of progress, set back by circumstances not within their control. No matter how we attempt to hide it, social immobility is a very real issue in society. People are quick to blame this problem on the poor ‘not working hard enough’, choosing to undermine or even overlook the fact that poverty is a vicious cycle.

To illustrate how we could use our privilege to help the less-fortunate, “special actions” were also given to the advantaged team to level the playing field. For instance, they can “give the opposing team one of [their] ladders” or “move back the number of steps [they] wish to give to the opposing team”. A Year 5 student who played the game shared that this particular aspect of the game was “very sweet to observe, as most people on the advantaged side wanted to use their actions to help the other side”. A couple of Year 5s also commented that it was a “very good symbol that allowed people to understand [the different levels of privilege in society]” and that it was an “interesting way to demonstrate the message that not everyone starts off on an equal playing field”. This creative game design hence managed to get students to reflect upon the unlevel playing field in society, and hopefully encouraged them to do more for the less privileged.

The Step Step Social Experiment: If you were on these stairs, where would you stand?

Do you have a conducive study environment at home? Did you ever have trouble paying school fees? These were some of the questions asked during the next initiative conducted by Empty Pocket, the Step Step social experiment.

During the experiment, participants at the same starting point were asked specific questions on economic privilege, and moved up or down the staircase depending on their ‘privilege points’. With widely varying degrees of privilege, the experiment aimed to reiterate the lack of a fair and equal playing field. The questions dwelled on many typical and mundane aspects of student life to show the diverse manifestations of privilege, in turn conveying that privilege does not only encompass material preserves, but also the absence of certain stressors. One of the questions: “Have you ever had to turn down your friends’ offer to go out because you were short of money?” was particularly thought-provoking. The oft-hear, casual expressions, “I’m broke” or “I have no money”, perhaps deserves some serious reconsideration given that in our midst, the idea of enjoying a Starbucks beverage is simply too luxurious for the less well off.

Undeniably, the position we have in society is determined by our desire and effort to succeed, yet few recognise the ‘unearned’ privileges that gave us a boost up the ‘staircase’ in the first place. It is easy and convenient to attribute our success to hard work, but far more challenging to dedicate them to the privileges bestowed upon us. In fact, such monorail logic reinforces the stereotype that the poor have only themselves to blame.

The (POV)erty Interview

Through filming interviews of students, CA sought to spark a school wide conversation in questioning the assumptions individuals may hold about the poverty-stricken, along with uncovering more insights on the seldom-discussed topic of inequality. The video conveys important messages about the complexity of poverty and instigates us to reflect on the privileges we never really pondered over.

Take a moment to consider this statement: “The poor are poor because they don’t try hard enough”. Unsurprisingly, the controversial prompt caught the students off guard, seeming to suggest that the poor themselves were at fault for the circumstances they were in. It forced the students in the video to think and probe deeper into the issue, allowing them to deliver more nuanced and well thought-out opinions. As students, we are frequently reminded that hard work breeds success, but in our daily grind we unconsciously veil the inequalities deep-rooted in our social structure and undermine the fact that the poor start off on unequal footing. In contrast, most of us “have the privilege of being financially stable”, which easily eliminates many of the worries the less-fortunate have.

Keziah Lam (19A01B) pointed out that one of the reasons people may simply pass judgements about the poor is that “it’s easy to blame problems within society on other groups of people when you can’t find anything else to say about them”. It is true that many are ignorant about the problems the poor have to grapple with, hence trivialising the complex issue of poverty without realising it. When society holds such an opinion about the poor, “it impedes the process of improving welfare [for them]”, Yeo Kee Hwan (18S03Q) explained. Chen Jin Yang (19A01A) also raised the point that when many people hold onto this opinion, “it builds into a sort of self-complacency” and that the view is therefore “perhaps overly myopic”.

When faced with such a controversial statement, it was indeed heartening that Rafflesians recognised that poverty is crafted by circumstance rather than failings. However, such views remain rampant in a society governed by meritocracy, with some unaware about how potentially damaging such views can be.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, the aim of the event was not to make us feel ashamed, apologetic or undeserving of the ‘unearned benefits’ we enjoy. We cannot deny our privilege, but privilege does not necessarily have to translate to ignorance. Even within our own school community, we all come from different backgrounds and are not of equal financial statuses. The first step forward in helping the underprivileged would be to be aware of our own privileges in our day to day life and in the way we interact with others. RI has often been stereotyped as an “elitist” school, and with it comes the assumption that all its students are smart and well-off. Through this event, if we are able to realise that the underprivileged aren’t just people who exist in communities we hardly interact with, but could even be our own peers – it would mean that the event was able to make an impact.

Having recognised your privilege, what are you going to do with it?

By Clarine See (18S03G), Shervon Lee (19S06A) and Varun Karthik (19S06A)
Photographs courtesy of Raffles Track and Field

On the afternoon of 12th April, the National Stadium came to life as crowds of student supporters streamed in steadily, buzzing with excitement and anticipation. The atmosphere was electric. Athletes on the receiving end of the rapt attention of thousands of spectators no doubt felt the pressure to perform, and a palpable tension hung in the air.  Stands were filled, coloured clappers were blown up, cheer-offs were held and the athletes took their places on the track, ready to give their all.

Despite another event happening on the field, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the track as the finals commenced in earnest with the 100m sprint. Tanisha Moghe (18A01A), fuelled by her hard work and hunger for a medal, kick-started the day by bagging a silver. Riding on the high of a win, supporters cheered in earnest for the Girls’ 4x100m Relay team who fought hard and pulled ahead. Though they initially trailed the pack with a 7th placing, the team managed to pick up the pace and speed its way to a 4th placing. The Boys’ 4x100m Relay team did not disappoint either, clinching the bronze medal and setting a personal best for themselves in a closely-fought race where winners were decided by mere hundredths of a second.

With each subsequent event, the crowd only got wilder as the stakes were upped for each school. In the Girls’ 4x400m Relay, the cheering reached a fever-pitch as the girls picked up speed with every passing of the baton, finishing a commendable 5th. The last race of the day, the Boys’ 4x400m Relay, ended the finals off on a high. Various schools’ positions on the leaderboard were an uncertainty till the very end, and in a tight race filled with constant overtaking, the boys stole the show and clinched a bronze. The colours of green, black, and white soared high, as our trackers took their respective places on the podium in the Victory Ceremony.

From Raffles Press’ interviews and interaction with the graduating batch of trackers, it was immediately apparent that what they would miss most about the CCA is the camaraderie they share with their fellow CCA mates. Jonathan Low (18S03P), Captain of the Boys’ Team, reflected on how Track and Field has given him “lasting friendships and great teammates who support and encourage one another”, and how even as this event marks the end of a six year journey that has been filled with “many moments of euphoria and heartbreak”, he will definitely cherish all the memories he has forged with his team.

The strong sense of camaraderie forged between the trackers comes as no surprise, given the many trials they faced together. Vice-Captain Varian Teo (18S06E), once faced the difficult decision of possibly leaving the CCA in JC after sustaining a major injury, but found the willpower to carry on through the constant encouragement he received from seniors and batchmates. Looking back, he has realised that “the achievements in the CCA [are] second to the friendships I have made”, and is thankful for the lessons in “hard work and perseverance” that Track has given him.

Vice-Captain Koh Zhi Xuan (18S03A) faced her fair share of difficulties as well. Having made the change from running the 400m event to doing long jumps just mere months before the competition, she had to “start from ground zero” and adapt quickly. She explained that long jumps require “so much more techniques”, including the run towards the sandpit, the take-off, and the landing. Despite having to pick up a new skill-set in such a short time, she never gave up, crediting her coach for being her “strongest pillar of support”.

Throughout the competition, the team spirit shone bright. Even as the athletes found their preparation and training hampered by inclement weather and scheduling conflicts, they forged on. Pole vaulter Misaki Tan (18A01E) injured her ankle only a few days prior to the competition, but pushed on through the pain as she completed what was possibly her last ever pole vault. Every tracker, in their individual displays of determination and effort, contributed to keeping the flame of hope alive amidst setbacks and obstacles.

While the long journey to the National Stadium has been filled with highs and lows for the team, their effort truly paid off with the podium finishes that they achieved. As Vice-Principal Mr Edward Ng proudly remarked, the stellar performance by the trackers represent “not just the dreams of this team that have won”, but also “the past 28 years of teams that have been working towards it.” Indeed, the achievements of the team were made possible by the culture of support and hard work of the CCA members that has persisted till today.

While these trackers might be leaving behind a family as they conclude their Track and Field journey, they will leave with ingrained values such as determination and perseverance. To quote Tanisha, Captain of the Girls’ Team, “9 years of track has made me, me.” The time spent in this CCA has been instrumental in shaping every tracker, gifting them with values and principles that will guide them in life beyond their track careers.

As the championship season comes to an end, Raffles Press would like to congratulate the team for an outstanding showing, and wishes the Track and Field team many more years of excellence to come. Press would like to end this article with parting messages from the Captains and Vice-Captains of the Boys’ and Girls’ teams to their juniors.

“Keep training hard and give your 110% for every session, because all these will bring you somewhere! Believe in yourself, that you have what it takes to achieve your goals and bring back the title. Stay tight together as a batch and have fun too, because these friendships and memories that you’ve forged are what that you’ll cherish for the rest of your life.” – Boys’ Captain Jonathan Low

“The relationships with your track family are going to last longer than the memories of your achievements in Track. So I hope that you all keep training hard, but also invest yourself in the family by constantly encouraging one another and helping those who maybe facing difficulties in their journey. Go get it!” – Boys’ Vice-Captain Varian Teo

“Once you tell yourself you can’t do it, you won’t. Be confident in your abilities and don’t let doubt affect your performance. Keep hustling and let your results do the talking.” – Girls’ Captain Tanisha Moghe

“Always believe that next year is YOUR year. Carry that discipline that has tided you thus far for the all the trainings ahead. Your time in track will be over even before you know it, so treasure and savour every moment. Always have faith and do not lose hope. All the best for the next season & beyond!” – Girls’ Vice-Captain Koh Zhi Xuan

Results

Boys: Overall 2nd

Girls: Overall 4th

By Asfar Alim (18S03J), Liu Enqi (19A01C), and Rachel Lee (19A01D)
Photos courtesy of Michael Chow (18A13A) and Liu Xinyu (18S05A) from Raffles Photographic Society

While running to Chill to grab a quick snack before tutorials, some of us would have seen the curious-looking blackboard located in the canteen, featuring the Earth being made out of clothes. This curious-looking display belonged to none other than “Wardrobe Malfunction”, the initiative put together by Raffles Interact to shed light on what goes on behind the scenes of the fashion industry.

The issue of unethical child labour in the fashion industry is one that is rarely discussed. Many of us patronise renowned fashion brands including H&M, Zara, and Forever 21. However, very few of us know about the true origins of our clothing, particularly those of fast fashion brands. Such brands may have a tag on their products labelling them as being ‘Made in Bangladesh’ or ‘Made in Brazil’. In these poverty-stricken countries, a total of 260 million children are being exploited to work under poor conditions, such as working in dilapidated buildings to make materials for our clothes, and being exposed to toxic dyes in cotton mills.

To further promote and raise awareness about child labour in the fashion industry, Interact held several events from 11 to 13 April. They hoped to urge students to patronise more ethical clothing brands, and in so doing, stop supporting fashion brands that produce using child labour.

Throughout the week, there were exhibit boards placed in the canteen walkway that provided some background information on child labour in the fashion industry. Some examples of the poor working conditions that the children employed faced were given, such as how some child workers tragically died when one the the run-down buildings they were working in collapsed. One board also gave an example of how these children have many dreams for what they would want to do in the future, but are instead employed in an unethical industry. On the whole, these posters were simple but were able to convey their points succinctly and effectively.

To kickstart the initiative, Interact collaborated with Raffles Runway to hold a canteen catwalk on Wednesday, the first day of the event. Models showcased unique outfits composed of upcycled clothing (clothes made out of old and discarded materials). This drew a large crowd that flanked both sides of the canteen walkway. The outfits were observed by many to look just as good as those from pricier brands, helping to serve the purpose of encouraging people to upcycle old clothing by making them look trendy.

There was also an origami pledge booth featured prominently among the other exhibits lining the canteen walkway, drawing nonchalant students’ eyes to the fairy lights and the origami shirts pinned up on boards. Students were encouraged to visit the booth and fold origami shirts, writing down a pledge in support of the cause.

An Interact member we spoke to told us that the folding of origami shirts symbolised the  “experience of a child labourer producing clothes” but in a more simplified manner.

Notably, there were a few school members who went beyond writing the standard phrase of just pledging to support brands that produce clothing ethically. One student wrote that “inaction is also action” and encouraged others to “stop wearing clothes at the expense of children’s livelihoods”. Responses like these suggest that there are students who have gained something valuable from these initiatives, and will hopefully carry out with whatever they pledge. Hearteningly, more and more origami shirts filled up the board as the week passed by.

The final initiative to complement all these efforts was the dazzling pop-up store to donate clothes. With the words “I Made Your Clothes” in big block letters, the donated clothes were arranged in a simple display representing the arrangement of a real clothes shop. All the clothes collected would be donated to thrift stores run by the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), which serves as an alternative place to purchase second-hand clothing. A generous amount of clothes were collected by the pop-up store, reflecting the general success of this initiative.

Throughout the school week, members of the school population were interviewed on their opinions and observations of the event. They commented on its effectiveness, noting that it had been executed well. Many were impressed by the ingenuity of the collaboration with Runway, with one interviewee calling it “a very innovative way to draw attention to the issue of clothes and mass production, perhaps through the exact contrast of turning something mass produced into something more unique.”

One student also remarked that the impact of the outreach could be observed from conversations that she was privy to, in which those around her discussed the unethical use of sweatshops by prominent brands such as H&M and Forever21. While it was good that students were starting to become more aware of brands that utilised unethical labour, perhaps there could have been examples of such brands in a list so that students would be more discerning when shopping.

Wardrobe Malfunction is definitely one-of-a-kind with the unique angle it took – child labour in the fashion industries is not a cause that is traditionally advocated for. While the various exhibits have since been disassembled, it can be seen from the school population’s response that this issue will continue to linger at the back of students’ minds, signifying its impact.