By Channe Chwa (19S03G), Lim Zu Er Joey (19S03N), Maxyn Claris Koh (19S03F), Ng Jing Hui (19S03H), and Rebecca Lau Jing Xuan (19S03S)

If you heard loud music coming from above Popular and made your way up, you’ll find street dancers in their natural habitat at the Mirrors, usually practising for an upcoming performance (but sometimes just taking a much needed nap or studying for a test the next day).

An often too-loud bunch, all street dancers share the same love for dance and are not afraid to express that, whether through casual head bobbing on the way to class or fancy footwork while sidestepping the crowd in the canteen. As dancers, we’ve come to understand that dance is much more than movements on stage; countless hours of blood, sweat and tears go into each performance. In each dancer, you’ll find that steely determination to improve and work hard, not just for himself/herself, but for the group as a whole. We’ve learnt to push ourselves to the limit, both physically and mentally, and as scary as that sounds, it definitely pays off when we watch our performance videos and see how far we’ve come.

Our CCA sessions are twice a week for 2 hours each, but we also have unofficial practices if necessary during peak periods (nearing performances). Typical CCA sessions begin with warm-ups and PT, afterwhich our instructor, Ms Steffi, teaches us a variety of skills ranging from basic techniques to improving our performance quality and telling stories through our dance. Occasionally, we may even get exposed to different genres of dance through workshops by external instructors – which include genres like popping, locking, waacking and hip hop! Don’t be afraid to socialise either; everyone is really welcoming and we will try to help you with any queries, dance-related or not. As we are all here to learn, CCA sessions are always a safe space to explore and groove without any fear of being judged.

Of course, to showcase all that we have learnt and practised, we also have many opportunities to perform and even choreograph pieces, during events such as CCA camp, our annual showcase, ad-hoc performances, workshops and competitions, which may be internal or external. Although competitions are always tough, RSD overcame the odds and managed to clinch a finalist position at Super 24 in 2017!

If you’re interested in joining RSD, you might be wondering about our auditions. During auditions, Ms Steffi will teach a short routine, following which you will be given 15 minutes to practise. Once in the audition room, you’ll perform the routine twice and be given a different song to freestyle to. Don’t worry about not being able to perfect the routine or not knowing how exactly to freestyle, you just need to show that you understand the music and portray your passion, which isn’t as daunting as it seems!

Though many of us were worried during auditions because we came in with no experience, ultimately, it’s not about having the best musicality or technique. Rather, it’s about being submerged in the music and being willing to learn. RSD has members from so many backgrounds: contemporary dance, gym, shooting and even NCC, but we all start on a clean slate and are here to grow together. So no matter where you’re from and how much experience you have, it doesn’t hurt to just go for it and give RSD a try!

We look forward to seeing you at auditions with an open mind and a determined mindset. Here’s to future head isolations at Mirrors!

PS If you want to know more about what we do, you can check out our official Instagram page @RafflesStreetDance and @SexyMeOnTheStreets if you want to get to know the 2019 batch better :D :D :D

By Aristia Ho (19A01B), George Yeo (19S03A), Band Major, and Victor Tay (19S06S), Secretary

When you think of music, the first thing you think of is pop. Big names, big glam, big monies. Then there’s classical music – again big names, not so big glam, and definitely not so big monies. And the last thing you’d think of is your school band, no name, no glam, and zero monies. But you know, your school band isn’t really that bad at all, especially here in RI, where Raffles Symphonic Band (RSB) isn’t just a band, but rather a home to always return to.

Practices are twice every week for 2 to 3 hours on Wednesdays and Fridays, but just like your own home, the room’s always open for you. You’re bound to find someone else there to talk about whatever is on you mind, no matter good or bad (don’t worry, we’re not a judgemental breed.)

CCA sessions typically involve full-band sessions with our resident conductor Mr Lim Yean Hwee, who never fails to give you advice on how to get better as well as where to get the best bak chor mee at 8am on a Saturday morning. There are also separate sessions for sectionals as well as instructor practices, ensuring everyone is well prepared and getting the best out of their band journey.

All our hard work and efforts are eventually put on display at 2 yearly performances, A Tempo in May and Bandemonium in December. In past renditions of A Tempo, we performed notable tunes from Turandot and the musical Miss Saigon, classical pieces of band literature such as Mannin Veen, and even a piece composed by our very own (ex)-teacher-in-charge, Mr Derek Lim; Re-Storing Breath.

As for Bandemonium, we usually perform more light-hearted tunes, and our doors are always open for guest players (perhaps future RSB members?) to join in on the fun!

If you’re thinking about guest playing or joining, but are unsure about whether RSB is the band for you, we host our annual event, Tune-In, where we invite Sec 3s and 4s from all over the country to join us for a day of fun, games, and music.

Outside of those, we have the opportunities to interact with bands on an international level, most notably our exchange with Oxford Falls Grammar School in 2018, as well as travelling overseas to have exchanges with top bands in other countries such as Japan. In 2017, we had the privilege of hosting the band from Meiji University Meiji High School and Junior High School, with a 3-day exchange program culminating in a combined concert at SOTA concert hall. To top it off, we also had a week-long exchange trip to Osaka, Japan, where we were able to experience Japanese culture and interact with local bands, namely those from Osaka Gakugei High School and Kyoto Meitoku High School.

Without a doubt, no CCA would be complete without their very own camp, and we have just that with our annual band camp every March. It’s during this overnight camp where the senior Y6 members and the new Y5 members bond together through fun games and staying up till 2am talking about how one section is superior compared to another (or whatever topic interests you, we’re an open bunch).

Of course, that’s just what has been planned. There’s far more to this CCA than just practice, practice, performance, event, and more practice. Dispersed through the year are multiple informal get-togethers – barbecues, chill sessions, chalet stays – such that there’s never truly a dull moment with RSB. Even the time spent together lepak-ing before and after CCA have the potential to hold such precious memories. Believe us when we say there’s so much more waiting for you in this loving community, and you’ll just need to come and experience it yourself to really feel it. We’ll see you soon at the Y1-4 side to welcome you into our home (and hopefully yours too in time to come) with open arms!

P.S. If you get lost, just follow the sound of the blasting trumpets!

And… practical matters: Auditions! They consist of

• Scales
• Sight-reading
• Interview

Do tell us what instruments you play and if you need to borrow them from us! Hope to see you there!

By Mabel Yet (19S03Q) and Rachel Lee (19A01D)

Photos courtesy of Kathryn Oei and Zheng Huijun from Raffles Photographic Society

Many would associate chorale music with the solemn singing, foreign hymns, and rows of singers dressed in identical silk robes and tuxedos, typically found at a church or in a concert hall. But for a night every year, Raffles Chorale is permitted to break free of convention to put on a night of surprise and wonder. The product of this was Cadence, a full-length concert held on 15 December which astonished its audience with a variety of medleys ranging from the latest pop tunes to soulful renditions of JJ Lin.

Most importantly, it was all for a good cause. Part of the proceeds from the concert will go to local NGO Habitat for Humanity, an organisation that Raffles Chorale has chosen to partner with for 3 years running.

As we filed into the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) that night, we were immediately immersed in the Christmas spirit, greeted with complimentary baubles, fairy lights adorning the walls and piles of decorative gifts that glistened on stage. Despite overcast skies, the atmosphere remained festive and cozy indoors. Supplementing the heartwarming mood were the emcees of the night, Cynthia Lew (19S03O) and Axell Ong (19S03A), who brought mirth to the audience with their lighthearted banter and wordplay.

Adhering to the festive mood of the season, the concert opened with eleven-member group Elven, who were decked out in Santa hats. They quickly launched into their rendition of 2002 by Anne-Marie, arranged by Abigail Lee (19A01C), where we got our very first glimpse into quite a different side of Raffles Chorale. The singers immediately drew the audience in with their seamless harmonizing and stellar voices, taking turns to sing and provide backup vocals, all the while complementing each other perfectly.

And providing Christmas songs to go along with the theme of the performance was All I Want For Christmas, arranged by Samantha Toh (19S03Q), whose strong vocals put the audience in a joyous, cozy mood despite the chill of the night. It was impossible not to be entirely enthralled with their music, which involved multiple layers that melded together harmoniously to deliver a stunning performance.

Next, J-pop group Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru took the stage with Shelter, arranged by Sherwin Lam (19S06O). This acapella piece gave off feel-good vibes that warmed the souls of many, and we daresay we might have even enjoyed it more than the original version (which is great too, of course!). The absence of instrumental music truly allowed the singers’ voices to stand out and shine in all of their glory. With a lighthearted, lively undertone undergirding the song, it was clear that the performers were enjoying themselves as much as we were enjoying their music.

Now, we probably all know of the remarkable ability of music to tug at your heartstrings, even if you don’t really understand the lyrics! This could not have been better demonstrated in the next song performed. As the group slowed down the pace to deliver a heart-stirring, haunting performance of a Studio Ghibli Medley (in Japanese!), the audience was left completely captivated by the stunning collaboration of high, melodic voices with low, deep humming that sent chills down our spine. We got our first taste of the singers’ multi-linguistic talents, astonished by their ability to perform the piece as if Japanese were their first language.

Perhaps it might just have been a strategy to stall for time while performers changed backstage, but we were certainly wowed as Chorale’s JC 1-4 beatboxers, Cavan Koh (19A01D), Kevin Li (18S06I), and seniors Ryan Han (J3) and Reno Sam (J4) took turns to fight it out in an electrifying beatbox battle. Almost every performance that night featured beatboxing as an accompaniment, but this particular performance directly shone the limelight on it. This was definitely an aspect far removed from standard chorale performance, highlighting the extent of the performers’ talents.

For members in the audience left utterly shook by how they made all those noises using only their mouths, the beatboxers explained that they “kinda learn the basics from seniors and start exploring from there […] just randomly beatboxing while walking around, as [their] friends can probably attest to with great annoyance!” They also shared how “[they] learnt a lot from each other, […] teaching each other new beats they’ve learnt.”

Although they insisted that “beatboxing is really just variations of the same three fundamental beats: the bass, or the “B” sound, the hi-hat or “T” sound, and the Snare (the K sound)”, putting it all together so effortlessly probably requires a fair amount of practice and hard work (and likely a whole bucket of talent!).

For ardent fans of JJ Lin, 红包拿来 (give us angpaos)’s beautifully arranged medley, by Byron Lim (19S03E), may be the closest to a JJ Lin concert experience you’ll get! Just like most of the other performances, each singer took turns to share the spotlight and sing solo— the uniqueness of every individual’s voice kept the performance fresh and interesting. This particular performance employed a method where it seemed like everyone was singing different tunes at the same time, all the time. Astoundingly, this managed to amplify the singers’ beautiful harmonization, delivering a spectacular performance.

Showcasing their bilingualism, the group then deftly switched to pop song Finesse, arranged by Lim Yu Fan (19S06M) and Reno. Another marvelously arranged piece where backup singers often echoed lead singer Yvswenne Liew (19S03M), their rendition of this song had our heads bobbing to the music and our feet itching to dance.

One point of fascination was how stage lighting was experimented with to complement the performance: at the peak of the song, we were plunged into darkness and silence for a few seconds after the line “now sloooow ittt downnnn for a minute—”, before the singers burst into song once again!

If you were feeling slightly famished by this point, the name of the next group certainly would not help any hunger pangs. However, K-pop group Cheese Kimbap surely fed the audience well with a delightful Lauv mashup arranged by Sherwin, consisting of well-lauved (haha) hits such as Chasing Fire and Superhero. The different layers of voices coalescing together had a calming effect and were definitely a blessing to our ears.

On the hard work behind arranging acapella pieces, Sherwin shared that “[Without any instruments], […] all the components of the song which make it recognisable, such as the chords and rhythms, have to be somewhat similar, but you still get to add your own flair to it by being creative through colourising chords or even rewriting harmonies.”

For all the K-pop fans in the audience, this K-pop medley (also arranged by Sherwin) would likely be the most anticipated performance that night. With a combination of hit songs from popular Korean artists like iKON, BTS, Red Velvet and Twice, this lively performance kept the audience on the edge of their seats, cheering enthusiastically as each member took turns to lead and throw in a dance move or two (what multi-talented individuals indeed!). Under a kaleidoscope of colour by the usage of strobe lights, they sure knew how to groove with each other and keep an audience entertained!

After a 10 minute intermission (for the singers to recuperate from hardcore jamming), Solo and the Boys, a special group consisting of eight Chorale seniors, took the stage with a mashup of Lost in Japan by Shawn Mendes and Delicate by Taylor Swift, arranged by Chorale’s ex-Chairman Kevin Li (18S06I). The highlight of this performance might have been when Solomon Chann (18103A) hopped off the stage mid-song to present a particular member of the audience with a bouquet of flowers, to shrieks and wolf-whistling of everybody else.

Taking a break from all the upbeat pop music, Fringe, a group name passed down by batches of seniors, entered the spotlight. The performance began with a mood of solemnity that we would have come to expect from Chorale: eight singers dressed in formal attire, harmonizing into microphones to a stirring, soulful rendition of Ave Maria.

As they began the next song, 12 Days of Christmas, the audience was pleasantly taken aback when the performance seemingly derailed due to the singers’ apparent confusion, botching the song by switching up the tune and pace at various parts, and even replacing the word ‘Christmas’ with ‘Hanukkah’ at one point in time. The song was also scattered with other Christmas tunes like Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, keeping the performance lively and the audience highly entertained!    

But the biggest surprise of the night definitely came towards the end, in the second last act performed, which turned out to be a comedy musical skit. A tradition that has been dutifully passed down from batch to batch for the past 20(!) years, Punch kept the audience in stitches with their hilarious, convincing acting, interspersed with their own renditions of songs, from The Lion Sleeps Tonight to Timber to even Little Einsteins’ theme song (yes that one).  Fun fact: Singapore’s very own Kit Chan was a performer in this longstanding tradition during her time in Raffles Institution!

The skit featured an ensemble cast of five main members, each playing an absurd caricature of a character. We have Sugar (played by Cavan), a child with an obsession with Disneyland, Banny (played by Sherwin), a creepy old uncle going to Paris for bak chor mee, Humphrey (played by Shawn Ho (19S03C)), a vain jock who wants a girlfriend, Bethany (played by Samantha), your classic bimbo, and Chatelier (played by Byron), a smart, arrogant dude going to a science conference, brought together after their plane crashes onto a mysterious island.  

The cast members definitely executed the humour well— by the end of the skit, the audience was left thoroughly impressed and in fits of laughter, wondering if any members of Chorale had considered joining Raffles Players!

On this long-standing tradition, Chorale members admit that “frankly [they] have no idea where it came from, but [their] best guess is that Punch really pays homage to the roots of Raffles Chorale. Before venturing into choral music, [Chorale] was originally a musical troupe that put up stage musicals in school!”

All too soon, we came to the final act of the night. White Christmas, once again arranged by Sherwin, brought us back from the rowdy and humorous mood brought about by Punch, and the night descended into one of tranquility and soothing with a final chorale classic: Cantate Domino by Josu Elberdin. The ending was fitting, to say the least. Throughout the concert, the singers had steadily wowed the audience with their ability to entertain with modern songs and flashy beatboxing acts. But they still ended off by going back to their roots, allowing the audience to appreciate chorale music for what it truly was.

The lights dimmed to thunderous applause. But just as quickly, shouts of “Encore!” could be heard from the audience, who had previously been more inconspicuous and prudent in their show of support for the performers, punctuating every act that had come before with polite but scattered claps. If anything, their uncharacteristic clamor at the very end for the performance to be extended only served to further demonstrate the impact the concert had left on every individual.

Behind the Limelight

Despite the upbeat tone of the concert, not everything was fun and games in the preparations leading up to this night. Besides meticulously putting together every acapella piece and rehearsing them over and over to make sure they were on point, Chorale also had to manage the entire running of the concert. From filming publicity videos and struggling to coordinate practices (since members were all being pulled in different directions in the holidays) to orchestrating the lights and sounds and painstakingly putting up decorations to curate the right atmosphere for the night, the journey was definitely an uphill one.

Given the top-notch quality of the concert, it came as a surprise to us when chairperson Sherwin revealed the trials and tribulations behind the scenes. “When we were pushing hard in the final stretch, many of our members started falling sick and consequently many acts started falling apart. But somehow we managed to put it all together at the end and everything surpassed expectations!”

Final Thoughts

While chorale music holds its own intrinsic charm, Vocal Delights showcased a fresh, unique side of Raffles Chorale you wouldn’t often get to experience. With its combination of self-arranged acapella pieces from diverse pop cultures, Christmas music and hilarious acting, it was clear that these singers love their craft and the people they were performing alongside with, and had poured their soul into bringing this joy they felt to the audience.

As we huddled inside the PAC with the rain drumming outside, allowing ourselves to be swept away by the immense talent up on stage, it was indeed heartening to see each and every performer stand out in his/her own way. Unlike in a choir where it would be virtually impossible to distinguish the different voices, Vocal Delights allowed the singers to go solo at some points and showcase their various skills outside of the chorale genre– from musical arrangement to beatboxing and even acting. Indeed, the concert was a delightful treat that far transcended expectations, and we look forward to seeing more in Vocal Delights 2019!

A video of the full concert can be found here.

By Writers’ Guild Exco

Hi.

We are Writers’ Guild.

Guild is one of RJ’s two writing-centric CCAs. Writing is the very core of our existence.

And because of that, you may be thinking to yourself: this CCA preview is going to be a literary masterpiece. It’s going to be poetic and persuasive, or at the very least it will blow me away with elegant words and pretty pictures.

But today, dear reader, this author is not going to attempt to woo you with elegant words and pretty pictures. Today, this author swears to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about Guild.

So without further ado, here we go.

***

This CCA has found its home on the fifth floor of Block A, where members gather every Monday from 4pm to 6pm. Guild is a creative writing CCA, which means that we mainly write fiction. This is not to be confused with primary school creative writing assignments, for not only do our members write in prose, we also double as poets and some have even dabbled in playwriting.

Though in actuality, most of this exploration doesn’t happen during CCA hours. In fact, 90% of our writing is done at home, in our own time (and for good reason, too, since this author, for one, probably couldn’t write a single word with her batchmates all collectively breathing down her neck). So, you may ask, what exactly do these Guildlings do for two hours a week? To which I will answer, Good question! Let me tell you.

Each Guildling must enter creative writing competitions every year. Which competition exactly is completely up to you; the entry is individual and you are free to select whatever best suits your writing style. The majority of our year’s sessions will involve group feedback sessions known as comp crit, short for competition critique. Guildlings split up into small groups, read each others’ work, and give feedback, after which each member edits the piece to improve it for competitions. And our efforts have definitely come to fruition, for every year without fail a good number of our members bag prestigious prizes from competitions all over the world.

Though perhaps I shouldn’t jinx it. Moving on!

Apart from competition critique, CCA sessions also rotate between presentations and the much-loved bonding sessions. During presentations, members form groups to share different writing styles and techniques, which cover everything from puns to songwriting. And of course, bonding sessions are often what Guildlings look forward to most; it’s when the spirit and bond within Guild are most evident through games, banter, and food!

In addition, the CCA takes part in CCA VIA, volunteering at the Singapore Writers’ Festival (SWF) annually, for example, and also invites well-known authors and poets to speak to our members or conduct writing workshops.

Towards the end of each year, the batch gears up for its biggest undertaking: the publishing of our annual anthology. This is a compilation of the members’ best works neatly bound up into book form.

The work is completely student-driven, so Guildlings do everything, from writing the pieces, preparing for the anthology launch, to haggling with print shops over prices. It’s a hard but definitely rewarding journey, culminating in us becoming published authors at the end of it all.

Sounds great! You may be thinking. I can hardly wait! How do I sign up?

Well, in the spirit of inclusivity, Guild is — and always has been — an auto-accept CCA. This means no entry tests and no interviews. All you need to do to enter Guild is to express your interest in joining us, and you’re in! Because of this, you’re welcome no matter your level of writing ability — seasoned writers will find themselves in good company, while beginner writers will have no lack of mentors to seek guidance from (or, alternatively, fellow newbies to struggle learn with).

Another of Guild’s perks: Every year we attract a mishmash of different personalities and talents, so you’ll definitely find your place in this CCA. But don’t be fooled, for Guild is by no means for everyone. If you find writing a bore or can’t stand to have your work critiqued, then Guild might perhaps not be the best fit for you.

Heathen.

However! If you love writing, write for fun, and are willing to commit to writing consistently beyond CCA hours, then that’s perfect! This author can guarantee that you’ll enjoy your stay in Guild, and, in time, come to love it too.

Welcome to Guild.

(Oh. And one last thing: we’re not Raffles Press, nor is Guild a nickname for Press, nor are we affiliated with Press. Please stop asking.)

By Mabel Yet (19S03Q), Shervon Lee (19S06A) and Varun Karthik (19S06A)
Photographs courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

Watch the Open House preview video here (put together by Raffles Film Society): tinyurl.com/ripple19vid

Fresh out of O-Level results day, your mind might be spinning with the diverse range of schools you might want to apply to. Choosing which school you want to spend the next chapter of your life studying in is a momentous decision in itself, but RI hopes to ease this decision a little by giving you a sneak preview of what life in Raffles is like.

Open House will be held tomorrow, 16 Jan, from 10am-3:30pm (registration begins at 9:30am, but you can come anytime after!), at the Y5-6 campus. If you are taking the MRT, you can get off at Marymount station and enter by the Marymount gate, where ushers will be stationed to welcome you. There will be two registration booths: one outside the Blue Room and one at the drop-off point.

This year’s OH theme is RIpple, which celebrates the positive change Rafflesians aim to effect on our community and echoes the Rafflesian spirit, just like ripples expanding on the water surface. The main activities will be centred around the Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH), Indoor Sports Hall (ISH) and Performing Arts Centre (PAC); with student befrienders scattered all around the school, rest assured you should be able to find your way around!

Students looking to drop by to experience what the Raffles community is like can keep an eye out for these exciting activities happening throughout the day:

House Processions

In RI, the student population is split into 5 houses, with each house having their own unique mascot and cheers. House Processions, led by the captain of each house, will take place twice, one from 10:30-11:30am and the afternoon session from 1:00-2:00pm at the canteen walkway, where you’d be able to meet our friendly house mascots and have a taste of the Rafflesian spirit through House and school cheers. In addition, befrienders will also have dance flash mobs at the canteen (a peek into Y5 Orientation!) so don’t miss out on that!

Performances, booths and fun stuff

CCAs will continue to be a huge part of a student’s life in JC, but there is no need to feel daunted by the huge number of choices the school offers.

Whether you are musically inclined, interested in dance or simply want to enjoy great performances, the Performing Arts CCAs will be putting up performances at the PAC, booths at the MPH as well as busking all over the school.

For budding sports people, the Sports CCAs will have booths at the ISH, with Fencing and Judo exhibiting their CCAs from 10:15-10:45am. There will also be a Soccer exhibition match at the Cages, if you’re interested in joining the sport!

Clubs and Societies, as well as the Uniform Groups, will have their booths at the Amphitheatre and outside LT2. In addition, Gavel Club will be presenting their CCA at the MPH, while Film society will be showcasing many of the projects they have been working on over the years at LT2. Do look forward to watching their short films! RECAS (Raffles Economics and Current Affairs Society) will also be having an escape room at the Block A Level 2 classroom. Visiting the various CCA booths will be definitely be a great opportunity to meet your seniors and get to know more about the CCA timings and culture.

Other than CCAs, students from the Monday Enrichment Programmes (MEPs) will be showcasing their programme at the Blue Room, while academic booths will be displayed at the Innovation Centre. CE01s will have their own booths as well at the Windy Benches next to the Popular bookshop. (If you don’t know what a CE01 is, come find out!)

Sharings and talks

This year, there will also be sharings on a range of topics by students at the Hodge Lodge, so do pop by when you can! There will also be a talk about the Raffles Programme at the PAC at 11:30am, so do come down to get a snapshot of the academic programme in RI.

Food, drinks and photos!

If the programmes prove to be too exciting, feel free to take a break at our resident cafe, the Professor Brawn Cafe. Located conveniently next to the pick-up point, the cafe offers a wide selection of Western food and drinks. On top of that, if you happen to have a craving for Gong Cha (with healthy pearls), Professor Brawn will provide. (We recommend the Mango Green Tea!) There will also be a Professor Brawn pop-up stall at the canteen. For other snacks or ice cream, check out our convenience store, Chill@RI, located near the canteen!

Leave not just with memories and a nourished body but souvenirs as well! There will be photo booths at the Windy Benches (beside Theatre Studies Room) for you to get printed photos with your friends. In addition, do take part in the Griffles Challenge to get a chance to win free Griffles soft-toys and school merchandise!

Find your way

Worried that you can’t find your way? Make use of this map! If you’re hopeless with directions even with the map, do not fear! Friendly befrienders will be stationed near the registration booths, ready to give you a tour around the campus. The tours are short and will be helpful for you to navigate the big campus. Additionally, there will be other befrienders around to answer any questions you may have, so don’t be afraid to approach them. 

QR Code for the Programme Booklet

For more information, check out @teamraffles and #RIpple19 on Instagram. Come swim with us at RIpple ‘19!

By Alyssa Marie Loo (19A13A)

It’s time for…CCA trials! A gasp of both excitement and anxiety sweeps across the room, and rightly so: while everyone looks forward to kickstarting their exciting CCA life, everyone’s stressed about getting into their dream CCA. Not to fear, Raffles Press gives you a rundown to know what to expect about CCA trials before the full storm really hits.

How many CCAs can I join?

While you can only be in either one Performing Art or one Sports CCA, you can also join up to a maximum of 2 CCAs if you also join a Clubs and Societies CCA (or for that matter, if you join 2 Clubs and Societies!) Taking 3 CCAs is something more of an urban myth: it requires a stellar academic record and special approval from the PE/CCA HOD (even so, rarely ever granted).

Be aware that some CCAs will have special requirements, especially pertaining to membership in Students’ Council (RISC). For example, joining Outdoor Adventure Club (ODAC) means you cannot join RISC or enrichment programmes that require overseas trips (because ODAC has their own expeditions!). Joining Raffles Interact also means that you can’t join RISC.

Indeed, interest in applying for RISC should be factored into your choices during CCA trials. RISC is considered a CCA, but runs on a different timeline from CCA trials: council campaigning and elections only occur in April/May. As such, if you take up 2 CCAs at the start of the year, you should be prepared to drop one if you wish to run for RISC.  Furthermore, joining RISC means that you will not be able to run for CCA ExCO in a second CCA. If you plan on eventually running for Students’ Council President or Vice-President, you must be prepared to have RISC as your only CCA.

Regardless of any special considerations, one should always be careful if CCA days clash. Most CCAs will need you to fulfill a session attendance requirement for you to even be recognised as a CCA member in school records. Also be clear on any CCA days apart from regular internal sessions: Service CCAs like Community Advocates or Interact will require you to commit weekly service days apart from the usual CCA day, which may end up unexpectedly clashing with a second CCA.

For full details on CCAs’ special requirements and CCA days, refer to Ms See Tho’s (2019 Assistant Department Head of PE/CCA) slides which will be uploaded after her CCA briefing.

When are CCA Trials?

For RP students, CCA trials are held during the January Induction Programme (JIP) (2019: 21st Jan to 1st Feb). For JAE students, there will be a second round of CCA trials after Orientation, before the full timetable begins for J1 classes (2019: 18th Feb-27th Feb)

How do you sign up for CCA Trials?

Following Ms See Tho’s CCA trial briefing for the respective RP and JAE batches, an online application portal will be released where you can sign up for trial slots.

You can trial for a maximum of 3 CCAs in each of the 4 categories of Performing Arts, Sports, Clubs and Societies, and ‘Auto-Accept’ CCAs. ‘Auto-Accept’ CCAs accept any students who indicate interest. They vary year-to year and will be reflected in the CCA trial portal. Some examples for 2019 are: Recreational Badminton, Malay Literacy Drama Cultural Society (MLDCS), Indian Cultural Society (ICS) and Raffles Economics & Current Affairs Society (RECAS).

While some ‘play safe’ by applying to the maximum possible total of 12 CCAs, some are more selective due to having clashing trial dates or not wanting to stretch themselves too thin. On this note, avoid deliberately signing up for clashing trial slots as you will be depriving another applicant of that trial slot!

Some more popular CCAs will have their trial slots snapped up extremely quickly: for example, batch 2019 saw Street Dance slots being wiped clean in all but 5 minutes. While the specific ‘popular’ CCA differs from batch to batch, if you think the CCA you want to trial for might be such a case, be ready exactly when the portal opens!

Didn’t get a slot, though? Not to worry, you can still email the CCA teacher-in-charge to appeal for additional slots (though don’t take for granted that they can find additional time for trials– so email them nicely!)

You might also notice a column in the portal asking you to rank the CCAs that you have applied for. But not to worry, these rankings are not seen by any CCA teachers, and can only be accessed by Ms See Tho. This data is rarely used; if at all, it is only accessed for Ms See Tho’s admin work near the end of offer confirmation period.

What are the chances I’ll get accepted into a Sports CCA?

The most selective CCAs are usually non-developmental sports (eg Netball, Tennis, Badminton), which will require you to have prior experience, achievements and the ability to match the calibre of existing CCA members. This usually means that unless you have already played the sport competitively, you are unlikely to succeed in your trials for these CCAs.

However, there are some non-developmental sports that have had a track record of accepting students with no prior experience, as long as applicants display reasonable fitness and aptitude: Fencing, Judo, Track and Field, and Water Polo (if you can swim decently well!)

But not all hope is lost for those who want to join Sports CCAs: developmental sports are where opportunities are most open to everyone, whether RP Non-Sports or JAE. These are sports CCAs that are generally only offered at the JC level, and hence do not expect applicants to have prior experience.

List of developmental sports:

• Ultimate Frisbee
• Floorball
• Hockey (Girls)
• Dragonboat
• Soccer (Boys and Girls)
• Volleyball
• Touch Rugby (Girls only)

Developmental sports are inclusive due to offer quotas. These CCAs must dedicate ⅓ of their offers to JAE students. Meanwhile, within the other ⅔ of offers to RP students, a further ⅔ of these are reserved for RP students from non-sports backgrounds. These quotas are to accurately represent a school population that is ⅓ JAE, ⅔ RP, with a further ⅔ of this RP batch from non-sports backgrounds.

Does being a JAE student affect my chances?

As a JAE student, you might feel worried of being shortchanged of slots since you trial later than the RP batch.  But not to worry–all CCAs with quotas (ie. CCAs that have a set number of offers per year) must preserve the ratio of their offers as ⅓ to JAE students and ⅔ to RP students. This means that there is always a protected quota of offers reserved for JAE students, even if you trial later.

Again, this is to fairly represent a school population that is ⅓ JAE and ⅔ RP. You might have heard that some of your seniors’ CCAs have imbalanced JAE:RP ratios, but these are likely due to students rejecting offers, leaving the CCA, or not having enough applicants from either JAE/RP batches to give proportionate offers. Generally at the point of CCAs giving offers to students, they will be aiming to follow the prescribed ratio.

What if I’m not accepted into any CCAs?

There are a handful of people every year who feel dismayed that they didn’t get accepted anywhere, but don’t worry– there are plenty of people who have faced this yet are doing swimmingly now.

If you are an RP student, Ms See Tho will contact you automatically about joining the JAE round of selection, though in this second round you cannot re-trial for the same CCAs that you applied to before. If not, (or if that doesn’t work out), you can try emailing appeals to the CCAs you applied to, and they may reconsider their decision after seeing the acceptance rate of their initial offers.

Other CCAs, particularly some of the Clubs and Societies, might have the room to welcome you, so you could try emailing their teacher-in-charge for an appeal as well.

What if I have/want to have a CCA outside the school?

External CCAs are those with trainings and trials coordinated externally. Examples of external CCAs currently include the uniformed groups that serve with their secondary school or headquarters, Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO), Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO), Youth Flying Club, Taekwondo and Gymnastics.

To see if your external activity can be recognised as an external CCA, check if it is a sport recognised by the Singapore Schools Sports Council (eg. Archery) or by MOE (eg. SNYO). Some examples of external activities that are not considered external CCAs are such as weekly Meet-The-People sessions or external interest groups in Community Centres.

If you are intending to have an external CCA, you must still indicate your CCA choice on the portal, though any ‘trials’ will be conducted by the external organisation. Following which, you must submit proof of training schedules to PE/CCA HOD Mr Ortega

What considerations should I have in picking a CCA?

1. Explore or develop? With such a selection of CCAs, you might feel spoilt for choice. You could first decide if you want to stick to familiar ground to what you did in secondary school, or try something entirely new in these two years.
2. Time. CCA timings and frequency vary wildly: some may have ad-hoc sessions only when required, some once a week, while some others may train 3-4 times a week. Time not spent on CCA can be spent doing plenty of other things, and the first year of JC is no easy breeze either! Don’t feel like you have to pack your school week schedule, and commit to what you’re comfortable with.
3. Culture. How does the CCA weigh the importance of skill versus effort, or how does it prioritise team achievement versus team bonding? Do seniors get along well with juniors or is intra-batch bonding more important? Does the CCA have a long history to fall back on or is it relatively new and open to change and experimentation? Perhaps not all of these things you can answer through just visiting CCA booths and going for CCA trials, but these are certainly just some questions you can consider. (Maybe reading Raffles Press’ CCA Previews could help!)
4. Passion, or at least, genuine interest! When JC gets tough, the worst thing is for attending CCA to become a chore. Join something you know you’ll enjoy, so that your CCA and your CCA batchmates can become valuable support to weather you through the storms of JC.

Raffles Press wishes you the best of luck in all your CCA trials!

By Joyce Lee (19S06O) and Shervon Lee (19S06A)

Pictures courtesy of Animation Screencaps

A slow-paced Hollywood dramedy revolving around cute, fluffy cartoon characters may seem out of place in a season dominated by adrenaline-pumping action films, but judging from the packed cinema theatre we went to, the investment seems to have paid off. Everyone was desperate for a bit of childhood fantasy in those uncertain times, and the latest movie in the Winnie the Pooh franchise certainly delivered the warm, fuzzy feelings the audience craved.

From the opening scene where Christopher Robin parts with Pooh, with the words, “I’ll remember you till I’m a hundred years old”, to the scene where Pooh reappears in front of a now grown up Christopher and instantly recognises him from his eyes, the movie had no shortage of moments that tug on the heartstrings. Even the washed out, threadbare character designs of Pooh and company served to bring back old memories of playing with stuffed toys and leaving them behind as one grows up. It’s the sweet taste of nostalgia that pervades this movie and turns what may appear to be a generic G-rated film for children into one that all ages can enjoy.

Nostalgia is defined as the wistful desire to return to a former time in one’s life, in this case, to one’s childhood. The titular main character of the movie has what seems like an ideal childhood: free from responsibilities, he spends most of his early days at his family’s countryside cottage, roaming the Hundred Acre Woods with his close-knit group of friends. He gets to live every day in the present, and cites ‘doing nothing’ as his favourite thing to do. However, after Christopher Robin grows up, he starts to embody all the less desirable aspects of adulthood as he is shackled to a stressful job as an efficiency expert at a luggage company, forced to obey an unreasonable employer and estranged from his family.

Those who view their past through rose-tinted lenses may relate to Christopher’s idealised childhood and lament the structure and rigidity that comes with adult responsibilities. In a way, nostalgia is an expression of our desire to be free from such responsibilities, and to experience the fearlessness of childhood again. Growing up, then, is the process of accepting that most of that freedom will have to be sacrificed in order to get ahead. As Christopher’s employer, Giles Winslow Jr. often reminds him, ‘Nothing ever comes from nothing’.

Throughout the film, Christopher constantly struggles with work-life balance, the tension flooding into both his work and his familial environment. His struggle between working hard for his future and taking a breather to soak up the present takes up the entire first half of the movie, from breaking promises of vacation with his family to watching his daughter back in his childhood home. When Pooh reappears to Christopher, it’s as if Christopher has been given the chance to return to his childhood, and Pooh almost seems to be giving him an awakening as to how he was living his life – constantly working and miserable because of it. (Does that sound familiar?)

While planning for the future and earning money are definitely important, we also see how overdoing it can cause fractured relationships and sacrificed moments. We may all be familiar with the concept of being mindful of and living in the ‘now’, but when it comes down to reality, we all need a little reminder. In the midst of our busy and fast-paced society, Christopher Robin offered just that.

Weigh it out: money and material successes or the relationships we forge with our loved ones? In today’s pragmatic society, it is no wonder that people choose wealth over relationships. After all, money does make the world go round. However, it would not do to lose the people around you in the pursuit of wealth. Cliché as it sounds, the bonds you forge stay with you far longer than money ever will. We spend money as quickly as we get it, but trust cannot be ‘spent’ or ‘used’. It remains there for us when we may need them the most. That is what makes friendships so invaluable, so hold on to a good one if it ever appears in your life.

Nostalgia is definitely the key here – it reconciles the various symbols and themes shown throughout the movie. It is evident in the faded colours of the characters, the pencil scratches as the characters are drawn into the book, and the vaguely vignette nature of the scenes. The transition from 2D drawings to the 3D scenes were gracefully done and left us eye-wide in wonder. Christopher Robin’s cinematography and clever weaving of Disney’s past certainly tugged on many heartstrings.

Putting the childhood characters that we have grown up with on the screen was definitely a gamble. However, we will put it out there: they did it well. The original characters shine, but not as brightly, just as the entire movie seemed to be familiar, but slower. Christopher has grown up, just as we have; the characters are no longer his life, or ours.

The takeaways are bittersweet and aplenty. On one hand, we learn to cherish the bonds and relationships we forge, keeping them close to heart, and on the other, to move on and grow up with the times, and to live in the present. After all, we can all learn a little from Pooh, who seems to be the real hero of the movie.

“Today is my favorite day. Yesterday, when it was tomorrow, it was too much day for me.” – Pooh

By Phang Yeu Yeou (19A01A) and Aaron Tan (19A01B)

Photographs by Raffles Photographic Society

Shoulder to shoulder, arms linked around each man to their left and right, the teams from both schools face the sea of supporters as a united front. It’s a sight to behold: the ruggers’ faces are steeled into a challenge for their opponents, though the jitters of their bandaged knees betray their nervous anticipation. As the drums throb through the stands, as the players head to the field and huddle together for one last briefing, perhaps only one thing is certain – no one knows how the Kiwi Cup will end.

The Kiwi Cup is an annual tradition for the rugby teams of Raffles Institution and Saint Andrews’ School. Each year, in late January, the rival teams butt heads (quite literally) for the prize. After a historic win in 2017, Raffles Institution was denied the chance to repeat the feat in 2018, when the Kiwi Cup was cancelled due to inclement weather. This year, all eyes are once more on Team Raffles. Will they be able to hold on to the champion’s cup – or was 2017 a mere blip, an outlier, in the history of the storied contest?

The pressure was on for the Year 6 ruggers. “Before the game started, we were all feeling really excited and perhaps even nervous to a certain extent,” explained Kai En (19S03C). “Since majority of the team comprised of Year 6s, it was going to be our last kiwi cup for the school and the pressure was on us to retain the cup for another year.

“But everyone was very reassuring and supportive to one another so I guess that helped to ease our nerves to get us to stay calm and focus on the game ahead.”

***

The impossibly high arc of the first ball toss is met by the surge of ruggers being hoisted up by their team-mates in lightning quick succession. The match is on. Aside from the initial burst of euphoria, the first half, frustratingly, provides few answers. To great fanfare and cheers of “Raffles Dynamite” (and various other Greatest Hits), the two sides tussle for forty minutes, with no tries scored on either side.

The crowd roars as the players approach the end zone, and groans as well-positioned defenders collide with the valiant offense, piling up in a dust-cloud of tangled limbs before the ball slips into opposing hands. A few more close calls from both sides, including a missed penalty the deadlock refuses to budge, and before we know it, the whistle blows for half-time. As the audience disperses for a break, the ruggers leave the field tired, but remain confident that victory is within their grasp. “We knew that this game wasn’t going to be easy,” said captain Gideon Kee (19S03P) in recollection, “and that we had to grind it out to get the win.”

“We knew how much harder we had to fight in order to win,” added Sek Ray (19S06G).

0-0. Never in recent memory has the Kiwi Cup ended in a draw – and it isn’t about to happen anytime soon. As the tension mounts, so too do holes start to form – something has to give. And give it does. It is not long before the Saints come marching through the Rafflesian defense, finally scoring a try. Rapturous cheers erupt to the left, drowned by the silence of disappointment of the Rafflesian crowd.

It does not last long. “It’s okay, restart!” yells an ardent prefect. His words ripple through the crowd, as does the fighting spirit reignite within the heart of the ruggers on the field who stand shaken but strong. Once more, to the throb of the war drums and the heart of the crowd that cheers louder and harder than ever. They resume positions. Ten minutes remain. It is not over yet.

“It’s now or never!” a student leader thunders across the impossibly large distance from his vantage point in the stadium, urging the supporters to give the ruggers that one final push before the game ends. Perhaps they can hear the renewed strength in the crowd’s ardent cheers, for the ruggers surge forward with unprecedented force. Once more the Saints’ defence closes in for a tackle… And the audience gasps as a kick from the Saints down the field is blocked by one of raffles players, and ball comes out loose. As it rolls on the ground, Captain Gideon kee gets a grip on the ball and fights his way for a try, which he succeeds. The crowd goes wild.

Team Raffles is on a roll now. Carried forth with a renewed strength, they continue the relentless assault. Two penalty goals and another successful try by winger Spencer Wee, and the final whistle blows. They, and the cheering crowd, can barely believe it. The final scoreline is 14-5 in RI’s favour.

***

A deluge of white engulfs the New Stadium as the Rafflesian supporters swarm the field in celebration, before breaking out into a rousing performance of the “Unite” cheer. As they disperse, the players pose for photos with friends and loved ones, their smiles aglow in the cloudlit light.

We asked Captain Gideon Kee for his thoughts on the match. “Mad respect to our opponents,” he replied. “They played a very physical game which caused us some problems. They showed sportsmanship through the way they played. Overall it was a fantastic experience for both sides.”

“Definitely felt extremely happy to have won such a strong saints team,” he continued. “Honestly I was too exhausted to properly celebrate but it was as though a huge load had been lifted off my chest when the final whistle was blown.”

Even in the midst of the celebration, the team doesn’t forget the people who helped them get to where they are right now.

“The team’s believe definitely played a huge role in the victory,” said Gideon. “Every player gave their best and trusted one another as well. Being a Christian, I give credit to the Lord as well for blessing us with the victory. Beside these, the coaches and seniors who came down to help us during trainings made a huge difference. They dedicated their time and effort to coaching us and we got the result we all aimed for.”

Sek Ray attributed their success to the team’s hard work and the coaches’ patience. “We are not the most talented bunch of people,” he said. “But everyone persevered on the tough training. Trust, passion and the fact that we didn’t want to let each other down, drove us to winning the match.”

“On behalf of the team we would like to thank the supporters – students, teachers, parents and alumni – from both Raffles and [the] Saints. They created an electrifying atmosphere that the players would never forget.”

By Aaron Tan (19A01B), Varun Karthik (19S06A), Nicole Chan (19S05A)
Photographs courtesy of Mr. Tan and the Raffles Photographic Society

In this teacher feature, we speak to Mr. Tan Mian Ou – PE teacher, Rugby teacher-in-charge, one of the current year heads for the Year 6 cohort, and an old boy. In this interview, Mr. Tan shared with Raffles Press stories of his schooling days, his unusual entry into the teaching industry, his life as a teacher, and some advice for us all.

This interview has been edited for concision.

We know you are an old boy from this school, so would you like to share about your student life at Raffles and the memories of your time here?

Most memorable experiences as a student? My school days were not all glorious, to be honest.

I may be biased because I am a rugger, but my most memorable experience was how the entire school would come down to support us in the finals. That is a far and distant dream nowadays, (because we can’t even get to the finals – at least for the B and C divisions). It was very memorable because the whole school would turn up for our finals without being asked.

You would also see a big number of teachers at games, not just the CCA teacher-in-charge, and this was true even for the group stage games as well. And so that was one of those things that stuck with me, and to be honest, I always thought my teachers were invested in doing this, not just being with your students in the classroom but supporting them outside the classroom as well.

I am just telling you the good things – I had many naughty moments too. I’m not sure if it is safe to, but I’ll tell you all this good story which I rarely share. When I was in Year 4, I was the appointed captain of the team because the captain had been injured pre-season. We were training 6 to 7 days a week, even coming back to school to train on weekends.

There was this particular Sunday where we trained till very late in the evening. The first two blocks on Monday mornings were assembly, where either our headmaster or various people would come and talk. We decided to skip assembly, sleep late, wake up and go to Bishan bus interchange to have a nice breakfast.

Lo and behold, when we were trying to come in, we were caught by the head prefect who was at the gate. Let’s just say he let us through. But we did not make it to our classrooms and were caught by another teacher. Let’s just say that that teacher was a nice lady and also let us through.

We basically point-blank lied to our teachers that we overslept because we were training on Sunday and since my house was at Sin Ming, we all went to my house to sleep over. The alarm clock broke and we all woke up late. The teachers either bought it or they knew something was up and chose to take it at face-value.

But it eventually came un-done. One of my teammate’s form teachers was a little sharper than that. Since he was also my little (Year 2) brother’s History teacher, he told my teammate, “I’m going to ask him if it’s true.” – And that guy broke down and confessed.

And so, the 8 of us were summoned to the headmaster’s office. There was a fake fireplace set up with two lounge sofas, the headmaster’s desk was this huge oak table and it was all wooden furniture: really posh and well done. I was one of those few students, other than the head prefect and other important people, who had seen the interior of the headmaster’s office (and that was awesome and memorable).

We were told off and, in fact, the headmaster (Mr. Tan Tiek Kwee) had decided that he was going to suspend us. That was a Monday, and we had a game on Wednesday. The next thing he asked was how many of us were on the first team. It was all eight of us. Amazingly, the punishment was downsized to informing our parents and I had to go up to apologise in front of the whole school.

That was a totally different experience. In the old days, assembly and flag raising was at the hockey turf. The principal and head prefect stood on the second level (the semi-circle) and the head prefect would make announcements there. It was humiliating standing there, seeing everyone down there and apologising for having gone for McDonald’s breakfast and not assembly.

It was not glorious – but it was damn memorable.

After your schooling in RI and RJC, you career trajectory was not, I assume, what most of your peers had?

Yeah, yeah, I get what you mean. I took three years to clear my A levels because I got retained in my first year after doing terribly in promos. When I was in J1, I played a whole lot of Rugby and I was involved in many competitions. So, it was all Rugby, and I would come to school and sleep through the lectures, of course there was a little bit of wanting to be cool, I confess lah. Obviously, by the time promos hit, I got straight Fs. I was one of three from my cohort who got retained.

In any case, that was how it was, and I think, to this day, that was the best damn lesson I learned in my life. If there is no effort, it means there will be no reward. Which is why they have that term: return of investment. It’s a financial, economic term but it applies, really, to everything – no effort, no investment, no return. Absolutely nothing. If you don’t invest anything, you get nothing back. There’s no risk involved in this when it comes to studies, so just get down to it. Listen, don’t sleep.

But, yeah, it was devastating for me. For someone who was used to, you know, pulling rabbits out of a hat, I must say it really did wake me up. For me it was another year-long journey of coming to terms. In fact, my entire repeat J1 year, I didn’t do very much better, but I did manage to scrape past the promotional requirements. It was what I would consider a social-emotional rollercoaster.

So, I guess I bumbled along, but eventually graduated, went to the army, and then… personal circumstances lah. In any case I had no notion of what I wanted to do back then. The family finances were, well, somewhat in dire states so I when I entered the army, as I progressed along, I realised that maybe I should take the option of signing on. So, I went to sign on first, there was no promise of a scholarship but I pulled myself in the army, eventually, from a sergeant and then I worked my way through the OCS, and then after that, they gave me that scholarship.

But that’s how it turned out. So, I was not one of those who was there for “duty, honour, country…’’ I did not start off really wanting to be a regular soldier, but it happened that way.

And those were really great years.

So ironically, it was a damn tough decision to leave. The reason to leave was really quite simple, I had reached a stage where I was so, in love with the job, it was really consuming, and I spent so much time on my job even – I mean, we had duties on weekends as well. Paradoxically, it was hard to leave the job that I so liked and which I did not begin with wanting to do.

And therein lies that second part: what was I going to do with my life? I had no idea. No inkling. No information. I had not started off knowing what I wanted to do. I took this up because of circumstances and now I was choosing to leave it.

As life would have it, my wife was a teacher at the time. She was like, “Eh, why not try?” So, in my last year in the army, I applied to MOE. [I was] not really convinced that I was able to do a good job. So, I went for an interview, and I was lucky enough that they would have considered me. So, I was posted to Maris Stella.

I swear to you, the first two, three months, every morning I wondered why I was doing this. Because I went from such an adult-centric, operation-driven, “let’s get this thing done”, real-life operation scenario to dealing with lower sec kids. I’d be teaching basketball and they’d be playing soccer with the basketball […] Those three months, I told my wife every day, “I’m not cut out for this” and applied to MFA for a foreign service job. So, as it is, perhaps again karma or serendipity, they never got back to me.

[Mr. Ortega and Mr. Mike] were both my teachers and Mr. Mike J was the PE Head of Department when I was a student. So, they remembered me. I was a rascal, right? At the time, I had joked, “Sir, maybe I become PE teacher lah. Can I come back to RI?”

I remember he was telling me that “you sure? You serious?”

“Maybe lah,” I said, but he had remembered. Word had gotten around eventually that I was at NIE, so we spoke about the possibility of my posting to RI, but it was not a given that I was going to come back; it was dependent on whether there was a vacancy. And that’s how I ended up back here. That was how it was, largely. So, it’s ultimately not by design lah, but I’ve had no problems thus far…

So as a teacher, what would you say are the very rewarding things that get you going every day when you come to school to teach?

I tell you, that’s not a difficult question to answer. Again, it’s two-tiered. To be honest lah, I think most students enjoy physical activity: it’s separate from being in a classroom. So first off already, the energy that we get from the students in PE is a different thing altogether. And that’s one thing that keeps most of us, if not all of us, going – something we look forward to. Coming to move with the kids, play games with the kids, to hopefully help teach something.

We’re supposed to teach skills, values, but it doesn’t always come in a concrete form; you don’t get it lesson to lesson. There are just some lessons where you’re just going to be trying to figure out how to do the overhand smash, the drop shot, and all that. Those are skills, and we do insist on us being able to deliver that. I tell you, one of the few things that I’ve learnt that has impacted me most is that when I walked into this department, I was told by some of the more senior teachers that there is no teaching unless there is learning. You cannot say, “I’ve taught a class today” when they have not learnt anything.

But the learning does not mean that it has to be something that’s very big. They could have just learnt how to pass better. And even if not everyone got it, someone has got it, or a few, or half the group has got it. Then you have to contend with how you want to bring the rest up to speed, so on and so forth. So, I look forward to that kind of engagement. That’s what keeps me coming back.

And to be honest, as an ex-student here… I think I kind of understand the pulse of Rafflesians as a whole. I wouldn’t say it’s been easy per se, but I haven’t really found any situation impossible to contend with. Like I say, I mean, we were all once students before, you know? I was a student here and I know exactly how it is, how kids in this school would think about things.

But really, the engagement with the kids [is extremely rewarding]. And very often, I tell my classes that yes, I am your teacher, but I’m also your senior. Talk to me. But maybe more so in the rugby stands, in the rugby domain. It really is senior-junior. Man, I feel for where we stand, and we’re in a bad place, man [laughs]. Let’s get better, you know? But that’s what drives me as well. So, teaching, PE, the CCA, which I know is a big part of why I decided to come back in the first place, to try to steer us back on the upswing. It’s going to take a while, but we’ll get back.

Also, the congeniality of this department. It’s a wonderful experience to now be colleagues with my former teachers, and this PE department is almost like a second family. And when you have that, coming to work is not a chore. It’s not like coming to work, we come and then we have fun all day long. That’s how we feel about PE.

What advice do you have for the many students who have no idea what they’re going to do after they leave JC or after they leave the army?

Don’t rush into choosing. Don’t rush, but if you do make a choice, don’t be afraid to make changes down the road. Because in the whole scheme of life, nothing is wasted. Even after you’ve committed resources, time and effort into one thing or profession, it does not mean that you cannot start afresh.

You know they make a big deal of “if you have a passion, go pursue it”, right? Yes, if your circumstances allow you to. Because the truth is, when you have liabilities, and I mean it in a positive sense, like you got a family, you got kids, you got a mortgage loan, you need a car, those things that come when you’re at that age, right? You make those decisions, so same principle, you make the best of what you have.

And really, that governs it. Some people go through their whole lives not really knowing what they want. Some people have no strong inclinations towards a certain aspect of life or profession, per se. A job, after all, offers you a chance to make a living, self-fulfillment if you can get it, which is rarer, but less primary. Truly, don’t be afraid to make changes. Nothing is lost.

For many of my cohort mates who ended up lawyers, some of them decided this is not what they wanted after many years of being in the profession. One of them, my cohort mate and teammate, is now running an afterschool service care for latchkey kids and underprivileged kids. He runs a service like that – took a massive pay cut from a well-paying legal job.

But he felt that was what he wanted to do, because he wanted to contribute to society in a different way. It’s a big change. And many of them have gone on to do other things, F&B (Food and beverage) industry and all that. If circumstance allowed them, they did without their financial reserves. I knew doctors who decided after years of medical service that they weren’t going to be in the private practice, where they were earning great sums of money, and they decided that they would go to far flung places like Kathmandu just servicing the rural poor. Engineers who never did a day of engineering work, graduated with an engineering degree and then went to the banks. Banker who after eight years of investment banking decided that he’s going to sell pancakes in a coffee shop.

And that’s really one thing – that my generation, people from my era, were a little bit more… what’s the word for it? I guess we weren’t really afraid of making changes, as long we knew that we would be able to make the best of what we had, at any given time of our lives.

By Rachel Lee (19A01D)
Photos courtesy of Community Advocates, Pamela Low, Ang Zyn Yee

It was a scene that would have put any self-respecting teenager to sleep. Yet the forty-three or so fifteen-year-olds gathered in the Innovation Centre were anything but unwilling to spend a too-early Saturday morning at an environmental forum – Echo for Eco – of all places. In fact, its organiser Raffles Community Advocates (CommAd) reported a 100% rate of approval from participants.

CCA chairperson Ashley Leong (19S03J) noted: “What blew me away about the participants was their eagerness to learn! A number of them brought notebooks to take down notes and were also very willing to share their ideas during discussions and generally seemed genuinely interested in the topic, which shocked me because I didn’t expect such a high level of interest in sustainability, especially from secondary school students.”

Perhaps these kids were but exceptions within the larger group they belong to, who have too often been characterized by the media, older generations and even themselves as apathetic at best. Perhaps this perception has some truth to it. Newspaper articles regularly bemoan the growing indifference of youths towards ongoing and significant issues that will impact their future.

Yet, this hasn’t stopped individuals and groups such as CommAd from continuing to step up and reach out to their community, often finding unique and engaging ways to connect with their audience and promote their causes.

“To me, advocacy means speaking out for a cause that you believe in and inspiring people to take action about it.” — Ashley Leong

It may be hard for many to understand the causes they are trying to promote, and few may aspire to achieve the same goal. This is especially so for advocates of the environment. Ang Zyn Yee, a J1 Hwa Chong student behind the account @strawfreesingapore, weighed in with her opinion. “I think it’s so hard for people to care because climate change and environmental issues seem too far removed from their actual lives. I mean, we’ve been hearing scientists and environmentalists crying about the environment for decades but our lives (apart from the warmer weather) seem not to have changed much! I think most people think that caring about the environment is this hippie thing (that’s all about the trees and polar bears and bees), and fail to realise that climate change will impact them the most.”

Though Zyn Yee may have only been running @strawfreesingapore for a relatively short time— since March 2018!— her journey of advocacy has been thoroughly impressive and has brought her far, including to the pages of multiple news outlets. In particular, she does mention that interacting with the wider community poses a challenge: she finds it demanding dealing with those who are skeptics of her cause, overly-critical or simply do not care to try and sympathize. And, of course, these are individuals who are present every step of the way in an advocate’s journey, whether they embrace the challenge or not.

While initial engagement is the first step in this long journey, it is definitely hard to achieve. The team behind Echo for Eco struggled in reaching out to schools at the start and receiving enough responses back to meet the requisite number of participants.

For Zyn Yee, direct engagement is the answer to getting more people to care. She is a regular attendee at eco-events, where she talks to members of the public, getting their attention with her information booths. She also gives school and corporate talks which allow her to share her cause with a smaller audience in a more direct and engaging manner.

Similarly, Echo for Eco had premised their event on the concept of sharing information through conversations with one another, rather than the static transfer of information. Students from six different schools including Whitley Secondary School, St. Margaret’s Girls’ School and Chung Cheng High attended the event, creating a melting pot of unique perspectives and experiences that value-added to participants’ experiences. Previously, they would not have been able to interact with like-minded peers in such a capacity.

In the first half of the event, students attended workshops held by various environmental organisations such as Plastic Lite, Connected Threads and ViroGreen, where they listened to industry experts share more about the three main issues of microplastics, textile wastage and e-waste, that the forum revolved around. Following a short tea break, they were given an opportunity to put what they had learnt into practice through the ‘World Cafe’ segment. There, they were split amongst different tables, each one with its own unique topic that participants were supposed to discuss by applying the knowledge they had learnt during the workshop. Subsequently, participants would then move on to the next table, and hence the next topic, after the round was up. The short but meaningful forty-five minute session provided participants with the opportunity to gain fresh perspectives and share their own personal experiences through the discussion of topics such as consumption of meat and energy wastage.

By structuring the event around the active exchange of ideas and application of learnt knowledge, rather than simply providing for the static passing down of information, the forum gave students a sense of empowerment in their own work. They were also able to bounce ideas off one another and improve their initiatives based on their peers’ suggestions.

In addition, Ashley also explained that there is a need to explore previously unknown topics, instead of issues such as global warming and pollution which most environmental advocacy efforts tended to focus on (though still as important!). “They end up quite boring and repetitive, which may cause students to be desensitized to them. So we hoped to be able to talk more about such ‘hidden’ topics so participants could learn something new, as well as pique their interest before establishing the link to larger environmental problems during the World Cafe.”

Keynote speaker Ms Pamela Low further commended the team on their work in this area. “The event was probably the best I have attended in this year. I have been to several events, but most were centred around showcasing work done (something like a report card) and networking. But your event made the most progress in educating your audience with relevant knowledge to hold meaningful discussion.” Ms Low is also an active voice in the scene of youth environment advocacy herself, having founded the ground-up initiative Tingkat Heroes while she was still an NUS undergraduate merely a year ago.

As for Ms Low, she learnt the importance of connecting with the masses through firsthand experience. Initially, she had tried to make changes at the policy level by working with NUS directors and administrative officers, believing this to be the most effective path to meeting her goal of waste reduction. Upon realising that the sentiments on the ground were also valuable to them, she switched her focus to educating the NUS population, carrying out a zero-waste roadshow with about ten environmental outreach and business organisations. “I was heartened to hear friends learning and to see how that knowledge translated into action,” she explains. “That taught me the importance of outreach and how everyone is on some journey towards being more sustainable, and we/I have to create opportunities and platforms for them to learn.”

She disagrees with sticking by a strict environmental angle such as resource-saving, but instead endeavours to use prevalent issues such as money, health and convenience to help her in conveying her message. “People who think they don’t care about the environment will switch off. But these people would care about [issues such as] money and health, hence they listen and the movement grows,” she elaborated, explaining her strategy of framing larger environmental issues within more familiar and everyday concepts to appeal to her audience.

One of the most important elements in any advocacy project is sustainability, or measuring the impact it leaves on its audience. If the numbers of @strawfreesingapore and @tingkats.sg are anything to go by, then they’ve certainly achieved their goal. But clearly, true impact is not measured through numbers, but by intangible human experience. Participants of Echo for Eco were noticed to be actively changing their lifestyle to be more eco-friendly and advocating for sustainability after the event, with one such example being @greenpokkadots, an environmental advocacy Instagram account started by one of the St. Margaret’s student attendees.

The forum also set the foundation for potential collaborative efforts. As observed by Pamela: “It was heartening to see students from different schools coming together and contributing enthusiastically to the topics during the World Cafe. I could tell that some had only just gained new information from the workshop and were quickly applying it! I like the synergy that comes from mixing people with different backgrounds to exchange, complement and challenge perspectives. Everyone was eager to learn and respectful of each other. I think they made new friends – with Instagram, it’s not hard to find each other again.”

But the efforts of advocates may not always bear physical fruit, and uncertainty about their efforts are often most keenly felt in trying to measure intangible impacts. Zyn Yee expresses her worry that “I have many experiences where I’ve felt like I’m doing so much for nothing.”

Pamela acknowledges that while “the efforts don’t always pay off… you have to knock on 10 doors for maybe 5 to reciprocate – be it schools, decision makers, policymakers or similar NGOs. But you learn in the process! There’s a lot of learning, you meet seniors who are so forthcoming and eager to mentor and share their experience and coach you. It makes you thank the bad guys for teaching you patience, professionalism and appreciate the good for coaching you.”

Not many events end on an optimistic note. Some leave their participants feeling even more jaded and cynical about the current state of affairs in the world, but not Echo for Eco. A particularly poignant moment shared by both batches of students— secondary and JC — summed up why advocacy is all worth it in the end: one of the many secondary school leaders in attendance was expressing how she felt about the event, commenting that, seeing all the passion and motivation the participants and organisers had put into this event, she had felt even more inspired to make a change. You could see the weariness in the eyes of those who had stayed up late to rush last-minute errands for the event melt away into happiness, and they were finally able to heave a sigh of relief, knowing that their efforts had fully paid off.

“We are the generation, besides those younger than us now, that will feel and suffer the impact of climate change for a long time, yet we are also more connected with information to take climate action. Despite climate change’s transboundary nature, everyone has a voice and right to articulate their desire for collective action to secure of shared future – remember people’s power! It took one email for me, the same can go for you – start from school.” — Pamela

By Shervon Lee (19S06A)

Photographs courtesy of the 38th Student Council and Film Society.

Are OGs sorted by name in alphabetical order? Do we get to choose our dance partners? Are OG couples real? What if my OG is dead? What is Orientation like? Why can’t I pronounce the theme? While Orientation may seem daunting and scary, it is an important part of the Junior College experience. Whether your feelings are that of excitement or dread, Capriccio (and the 200+ OGLs) promises you a good four days of fun and games! (And dancing, haha!)

Unless you’ve been living in a hole in the ground, you would know that Orientation 2019 is happening in less than a week! This year, it will take place over four days: the 7th, 8th, 11th and 12th of February, with a weekend after the second day for Orientation Groups (OGs) to go out and have fun through a bonding session. J1s can look forward to being converted into ‘OGLings’, and experiencing the various inter- and intra-OG games.

The theme for Orientation 2019 is Capriccio, which means “a lively piece of music, typically one that is short and free in form”. If you have been following the official Orientation Instagram, you would know that this encapsulates the spirit of Orientation 2019 – four short days of games, dances, competition and bonding during which memories that will last throughout your two years in RI are made. Things to look forward to this year include new war games, station games and – the most anticipated – batch dance!

Before we dive into the various activities, let us introduce the five houses in RI, named after past principals in RI and RGS: Moor-Tarbet (MT), Morrison-Richardson (MR), Buckle-Buckley (BB), Bayley-Waddle (BW) and Hadley-Hullett (HH). Houses in RI are very important during Orientation, as you will be fighting to earn points for your house during war games, station games, and even in the dance-off on O’Nite. Flags of the five colours will fly high, and cheers will reverberate through the MPH, each house trying their best to one up the rest.

Perhaps what perfectly demonstrates the house rivalry friendly competition are the highly anticipated War Games. Put on your face paint and be prepared to go all out in the most competitive activity of orientation! Sports people can look forward to a chance to showcase their rippling athleticism and competitive spirit through the more physical games such as Centipede and Balls of Fury. Balloon enthusiasts can also look forward to our brand new game, Infinity War, where you get to steal balloons from others. (We strongly discourage the inevitable: balloon popping.) For Harry Potter fans, the classic Quidditch may pique your interest. We won’t spoil too much – but we promise a good time.

The greatest horror for all J1s (especially those inept at coordination)? Batch Dance! A personal recommendation of Orientation IC Patricia Seow (19S07A), the batch dance aims to bridge the ‘halal gap’ between the two genders. Throw away your fears of embarrassing yourself, for many hours are dedicated to dance practices during orientation, and unless you’re really good, you’re not going to end up on stage anyway. You may not be the best dancer in the hall, but you can have the most fun!

Watch the batch dance MV! Tutorials are here! (Mirrored)

Everything culminates and comes to an end with a bang: O’Nite promises excitement, laughter and lots of cheers (even though it is not actually at night). The lights will dim, music will play, and performances will ensue on stage. From runways for some OGs with their creative costumes, to dance showcases by our very own dance comm and electrifying house cheers by the house directorate, there will not be a dull second. The best house for Orientation will also be announced then, so if you want your house to soar to glory – you know what to do.

For the record, OGs are not sorted by name in alphabetical order, some OGLs allow you to ask someone to be your dance partner, some OGs have couples, and you decide the outcome of your orientation and OG experience. (PS: We can’t answer the last question – we wonder why every year)

If you want a fun OG, take the initiative to organise outings and talk to people! In the words of the other orientation IC, Jun Heng (19S06C), “sometimes we put up a barrier between ourselves and others but once you get past that, you can really meet a lot of great people.” You never know what could come out of your enthusiasm!

It’s ok to be scared but take heart, and maybe learn to take that leap of faith and courage, everything will be ok! – Patricia

With that, follow the official Instagram account @ricapriccio2019 for more updates or information, and have fun at Orientation 2019: Capriccio! Welcome to RI.

By Mabel Yet (19S03Q)

Photos courtesy of Amy Lim (18S06O) and Tan Ting Wei (18S03J) from Photographic Society

Unless you happen to be an unfeeling robot, the prospect of the all-important Y5 Orientation you’ll soon be hurtling into will probably bring about a whole tangle of emotions. Maybe meeting new people and running around playing games is your thing, and you’re about to spontaneously combust with excitement from having watched the batch dance countless times. Or maybe you would much rather stay a hermit for another month, evade as much social interaction as possible and just get these four long days over and done with. Either way, Orientation will nonetheless be an experience that will stay with you for a long time (for the better, of course).

Yet, despite the highlight reels you’ve seen splayed all over social media, there are bound to be some ups and downs throughout these four days. We all walk into Orientation with some degree of apprehension despite the nonchalant, unfazed front we try our hardest to put up (one’s got to fake it till you make it!), but we’re all just trying our best to stumble our way through this new and uncertain environment. Whatever highs and lows your four days may be scattered with, your seniors would have likely braved through them as well. So besides all the fun and games, here are 4 things to expect:

1. You’ll feel a liiittle overwhelmed (yes, just a bit)   

When you hear blaring music and chatter reverberating in the MPH from miles away on day one, congratulations! You would just have had your very first taste of Orientation, which is pretty representative of what these four days will be like—loud, a bit rowdy and crowded with people.

Soon, you’ll find yourself making your first foray into the haphazard clutter of people, scanning the hall anxiously for your OG name among so many others. You’ve heard how big of an event Orientation is (I mean, there is even an Orientation hype video to curate this very atmosphere), but the scene of hundreds of OGLs carrying funky emblems with even funkier names and people shouting over the music would still be a lot to take in.

And if you thought that learning the school and house cheers would return some hint of normalcy to this whole Orientation thing (since it’s probably a widespread phenomenon in JCs around Singapore), then you’re in for a treat! Witnessing your councillors lead cheers with utmost gusto as the student body tries to create an earthquake beneath their feet might throw you off a little (haha), but you’ll gradually get used to the constant chaos of Orientation. I, for one, did grow quite fond of it in the end.

2. You’ll probably find yourself in some awkward social situations  

How else would any Orientation begin than with the well-loved round of Self-Introductions, ribboned with the mandatory ‘one interesting fact about yourself’? All too soon you’re seated in a huge circle, exchanging eye contact and hesitant smiles with people you’ve just met, desperately ransacking your brains for something more intriguing than ‘My favourite hobby is eating and sleeping’ (guess what, me too). For those who do have a go-to interesting fact that will make at least one person burst out laughing, good on you! If not, you might want to think of something now (though in the end no one really remembers the random facts thrown around the circle anyway).

Try as you might, there’ll always be that one or two names you just can’t catch, which could potentially lead to rather sheepish situations when you’re in the centre during a game of Double Whacko, wielding a newspaper with no idea who to smack.

Thankfully, when the OG is screaming and strategizing while playing the various games, there isn’t much time and space for the awkwardness to set in, because the socializing is graciously engineered for you! Unfortunately Fortunately, there are pockets of empty silences up to you to fill. Say, the lulls in energy when a game ends, or when you’re moving between venues, or even during the daily OG lunches when you’ve exhausted all possible topics of conversation along the lines of “What subject combi are you taking” and “What CCAs are you trying for”. (They’re good for a start, though a bit challenging to sustain an intellectual conversation for.)

Indeed, save for a selective breed of humans who never run out of scintillating topics, this other person you’re desperately trying to strike a genuine conversation with is probably ransacking his/her brain for something to say too!

At the end of the four days, there might still be one or two OG mates you barely spoke more than two lines to. But for most, if not all OGs, the awkwardness does begin to evaporate day by day.

“My JAE friends and I were really worried we couldn’t make friends, but the RP kids turned out to be really friendly and we just mixed together,” Isabelle Tan (19S03S) recounted. “It was super awkward at the start but it got enjoyable towards the end!” On that note, @ RP kids, do try to steer away from talking excessively about RP stuff and subconsciously excluding the JAEs in your midst!

3. You’ll be physically and mentally shagged at the end of each day

Not gonna lie, the four days are filled to the brim, packed with endless cheers, dancing and games from 7:40am in the morning all the way to God-knows-how-long-your-OG-will-stay-after-dinner. You’ll probably be moving about most of the time (if you don’t slack, that is), and the sheer length of each day makes it difficult to stay enthusiastic throughout. Not to mention the intense socialization with a whole bunch of new and different people, which can quickly sap you of energy.

After a day of strenuous physical and mental exertion, you might rejoice a little inside as 6pm rolls around, all ready to head for home. To your massive horror, the canteen begins to fill with OGs throwing out dinner suggestions–J8? Nex? Dhoby? Buona? Some ulu place you’ve never heard of?

(Rather amusingly, less than half of my OG went for dinner the first night because the rest of us were too shagged couldn’t make it, but we did have full attendance on subsequent days!)

Then after your OG has aggressively contested on a dinner place and you’ve all got your food (a painstakingly long process since the entire island seems to be cluttered with OGs), it’s probably close to 8pm already. For those who already often swing home past midnight (tsk), you’d probably be chill being the last of the pack to leave. But for those who just want to go home and toh, you might be anxiously waiting for someone to leave before you are “allowed” to.

Though you can technically leave dinners any time you want, you may still feel like you’re bound by this unspoken rule and social pressures that you cannot leave before a certain timing, or you’re a party-pooper! Or antisocial! Or will feel FOMO from the jokes and juice you might be excluded from!

Of course, OGlings are encouraged to stay and talk forever, but if you really need to leave (especially if you live 15 MRT stops away), don’t feel obliged to stay until the end, even if your OGLs or OG mates guilt-trip you into doing so. After all, you’ve got to give yourself the time to unwind and recharge– no one can run on endless fuel!

4. You’ll (ideally) learn to get comfortable with the discomfort

Ask any senior who’s been through Orientation, and their advice would likely be something along the lines of: “be open-minded and step out of your comfort zone!” Now, that’s very lovely advice and all-–if only it were that easy! With every day of Orientation comes the internal battle of wanting to stay where you feel ‘safe’, and venturing into uncharted territory which you have no idea how to navigate around.

Maybe your ideal day is spent binge-watching Netflix in the coziness of your home–any hint of sunlight upon your skin and you’re squealing for sunblock (War games would definitely suit your fancy here). Maybe you haven’t had any interaction with the opposite gender before, and having to link arms, hold hands, and even do body rolls towards this dance partner you just met makes you squirm (okay, it really isn’t all that bad). Maybe you’re the kind of person who’s content to stay in the shadows, laughing out of obligation whenever a joke goes on somewhere, chipping in whenever necessary but never spearheading group discussions. If you have always struggled with the fear of stepping out of your comfort zone, make this Orientation a challenge for you to do just that!

Leaving the comforts of what you’re familiar with does require a great deal of courage, but that little nudge will really maximise your Orientation experience and allow you to discover new things about yourself. Be open (and a little shameless, if you will)— do as many things as you can and talk to as many people as possible. It’s only when you’re out there that you will grow in unimaginable ways.

In the end, your Orientation experience is what you and your OG makes it to be–the fun and games are just accessories to help you along. For most of us, the longest-lasting memories often don’t revolve around the activities themselves, but consist of the shrieks of laughter at OG dinners, the collective groan when your OG loses against another team and the whoops of exhilaration when you win. What stays with you, and what you’ll fondly miss when the four days are over would be the familiarity and coziness from spending more than a remarkable 12 hours together everyday.

With that, Raffles Press wishes you a most pleasant and endearing Orientation experience. Maybe Orientation will turn out to be your kind of thing after all.  

P.S. While you’re here, check out our Orientation Preview to find out what’s going to happen at Capriccio 2019!

By Sarah Chen (19S03C) and Shervon Lee (19S06A)

Photographs courtesy of Raffles Photographic Society

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the FIRE Tourney attacked. Only the Basketball, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed it most, it vanished — into the hands of the players. Over the weekend, from the 18th to the 20th of January, the basketball courts of Raffles Institution (RI) and Singapore American School (SAS) were ablaze with players from different schools pit against each other. The squeaking of shoes on court, the dull thud of the basketball, and the musky scent of sweat in the air all amplified to a boiling point in the confines of the court — the game was on.

Jointly hosted by RI and SAS, this year’s tournament — in its fourth year running — featured 22 different teams competing in at least two 40 minute matches each day. First played in 2015, the Gryphons-Eagles FIRE Weekend Tourney gets part of its long name from some of RI’s own core values: Fortitude, Integrity, Respect, and Enjoyment of the game, four key points crucial for a fulfilling and meaningful match.

At this point, the emphasis on it being a friendly tournament might make it seem insignificant, even boring. Where were the high stakes to ignite the heated rivalries that make competitive matches so thrilling to watch? And yet, had you been down to watch the teams play on either day, you might have thought you were watching the interschools instead.

Days 1 and 2 were hosted by RI in our very own sheltered basketball courts. Despite its lack of publicity, the tournament managed to attract a small crowd of supporters on both days almost as if moths to a flame — some eager to support their friends and school, others simply curious onlookers with nothing better to do on a lazy weekend afternoon. The tournament began with both boys and girls teams playing group games to determine their ranking, which was then used to organise the playoffs.

Entering the basketball courts in between matches, one might have found players milling around, some relaxing on their phones, others laughing and taking pictures with friends from other schools. Despite the lack of nervousness and tension in the air off the court, the matches definitely satisfied the audience’s burning desire for a well-played and gritty game. Players scorched the courts with lightning-quick footwork, racing to block encroaching opponents and dropshots in when the ball came into their possession. All the while, coaches shouted instructions from the sidelines — at one point during a girls’ match, RI’s coach reminded her players of a strategy loudly, before joking “aiya, the other players can hear me also, you know!”, earning a few warm laughs. Shots were greeted with encouraging cheers from supporters and teammates, which fuelled the players’ drive to keep fighting on, snuffing out any fatigue from their faces with grins. “We take every game we play as our last, carrying our fighting spirit with us whenever we lace up on the court,” explained Boys’ Vice-Captain Adam Harith (19S03B).

Day 3. Far into the Woodlands and within the campus of SAS, the final matches of the tournament raged on. The air-conditioning provided a respite to the steamy players running around in the middle of the sports halls, whose sweat stood testament to the ferocity of the game. The game reached a flash point early on as teams ran on court to do their warm-ups before each game, shooting every ball as if every match was the finals of the interschools.

During the game, with players brusquely calling out formations (“1-2-2!”) to their teammates, strategising as a team and playing for the win. Matches were alight with tightly-coordinated gameplay as teams upped the ante for the finals; shots were constantly being made, with players on both sides rushing towards the hoop in a valiant effort to get the ball in. The competition turned the heat up still further in the boys’ game against SAS, where multiple time-outs were called in the fourth quarter right before the game ended, making every second on the court even more precious. Spectators were at the edge of their seats, eager to see if Raffles would make a comeback.

When the final buzzer sounded, the players were still in mid-run, showing their effort till the end. Despite the lack of a buzzer-beater from RI, the sweat-drenched players walked off court, having gained experience and new insights to their play. At the end of the day, RI placed overall 4th for both the boys’ and girls’ teams.

While the FIRE Tourney was not a tournament for #schoolpride or glory, it was far from insignificant. The sheer effort put into every match from all the players showcased not only their passion for the game, but also their hunger for improvement. “Tournaments like this really allow us to gain many meaningful experiences, such as handling tight game situations, that we won’t be able to experience during trainings,” commented Boys’ Captain Li Chenbin (19S03L).

On top of that, Girls’ Vice-Captain Bridget Lum (19S03C) added, “It was very fun playing against all the different teams that we might meet again in A Div.” With 2019’s season fast approaching, any practice they can squeeze in is valuable. Matches with potential future opponents allow the team to get a better sense of other schools’ play, an advantage Raffles Basketball hopes to make use of to gain the upper hand in future games.

Three consecutive days of hosting and participating in tiring matches definitely proved to be a difficult feat for both the Boys’ and Girls’ teams. But Raffles Basketball is far from losing their fire, and we look forward to their coming season. “[It’s] bound to be an exciting one where we will fight through any challenges that dare stand in our way. Stay tuned.”

By Wong Zi Yang (19A01D)

Photos courtesy of the Raffles Photographic Society

The Raffles Science Symposium Mental Health Strand is back and into its third year, and its focus? You. The theme for this year’s series of mental health talks is ‘Mind-Body Disconnect’, with the Mental Health Strand placing more emphasis on the correlation between physical and mental health. With a total of three external speakers, the event promised to be more prolific than its two predecessors. The event began with an opening address by Mr Magdalene; at least, it was meant to. Although he was originally positioned to deliver the opening address, the event began immediately with Ms Woo Mei Hui from the Raffles Guidance Centre introducing the first speaker, Mr Michael Chee instead. “That’s what happens when you don’t get enough sleep,” Ms Woo laughed, which proved to be an apt if ironic segue to the first topic of discussion.

Mr Magdalene then gave a short address on the main topic of this year’s mental health strand: that taking care of ourselves is a vital step to maintaining mental health, and expressed his hope that our takeaways from this event would not be merely intellectual but also action-oriented.

Keynote lecture by Mr Michael Chee — Sleep and Well-being: Why it Matters

Most of us naturally strive to be the best we can be. In pursuit of this goal, training is needed, be it in the form of CCA trainings or studying sessions; regardless, the end result is that it saps away just about most of our time and energy. And for training to give optimal results, as Mr Chee explained, sleep is a crucial ingredient to success.

Even in adults, the lack of sleep can increase the risk factor of diabetes, heart attacks, mental illness, dementia, and, in the worst case, death. Mr Chee’s research as a professor of Cognitive Neuroscience also found that people who lack sleep had longer reaction times, more negative thoughts, and worse memory encoding as compared to those who did not. People who take naps that last around an hour also do better academically as compared to those who do not.

“We wouldn’t voluntarily deny ourselves food, because we recognise that it’s essential… but a lot of adolescents, they don’t get the required 8 to 10 hours of sleep daily.” (Mr Michael Chee)

However, not all of us can make the time to sleep 8 to 10 hours a day, though, and Mr Chee acknowledged that 7 hours of sleep is marginally acceptable and that we should at least strive towards that.  He rounded off with some final advice to correct sleep habits: avoiding the use of mobile phones and caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, Red Bull, and Coca Cola before bed. Changing such deeply-ingrained habits may be daunting, but as Mr Chee explains, “We always have a choice [to change our habits]. It’s just a matter of whether we take that choice or not, taking that first step will make a big difference.”

Brave Girl Not Eating by Ms Huang Huanyan (18A03A)

Having spoken at the RSS mental health strand last year, Ms Huang Huanyan made an appearance this year as well, now with 11 talks’ worth of experience under her belt. She introduced her book, Brave Girl Not Eating, taking us through a journey of anorexia nervosa, and ways to cope and help a friend with a mental illness.

‘In Asian culture, there’s a very strong stigma [surrounding] mental health, that those who don’t get better aren’t strong enough. I’m sharing my journey to help those like me who try to keep it a secret.’ (Ms Huang Huanyan, 18A03A)

While the prototype of the book was an art journal she kept while hospitalised, Ms Huang made the decision to use her book at reach out; “to help those who want to be helped, and help those who want to help”. She shared that it is important as a source of support for your friend to tap on a counsellor’s professional help, especially if it is affecting their social life and health. “I really hated my friends for telling the counsellor without telling me, but after that I was really grateful to them,” she laughed.

Introspection is important, she reflected in the end, and suggested thinking of 3 things we are grateful for each day, to recall the good things in times of depression to prevent negative reinforcement.

Lecture by Dr Tang Kong Choon: When the Going Gets Tough

Look up, look ahead, look around, look back. These four maxims formed the core of Dr Tang’s speech on how to act in the face of stress.

He shared the story of someone he knew in the navy —  Mr Jason Chee, who’d lost both his legs, his dominant left arm, and a few fingers in a terrible accident. Yet, he said: “my goal is to walk again in 12 months”. And that he did. Mr Chee would end up returning to work in just 18 months and even win two gold medals for table tennis in the 2013 ASEAN Paralympic games.

“He didn’t focus on what he couldn’t do, but rather [on] what he could. That’s my message to you: Look up, and look ahead.” (Dr Tang Kong Choon)

Some might find the prospect of facing such a setback by themselves daunting. To overcome that, Dr Tang suggested that one need only  “look around” — he espoused the importance of community support, recalling his experience during field camp in the army: they had to carry a simulated casualty across 8km. “You’d be surprised how effective encouragement is — it [really] helped to rally everyone together.”

Finally, he shared a video of his experience in Diving School in America; while diving in the pool strapped to an oxygen tank, the instructor would sabotage the divers in various scary ways, for the real test was to not panic under duress and to troubleshoot the problem with a clear head. “I [still] get shivers when I see this video because I can’t believe I got through [that],” he shared. But the final takeaway he had was that such experiences can be valuable lessons for personal growth that one could look back on in the future when the going gets tough.

In short: when the going gets tough, “look up, look ahead, look around and look back.”

Presentation by Dai Xiang Rong (19S06O) and Goh Yu Yang (19S03M): Effects of Phubbing and How We Should Respond

The next segment was one that hit a little closer to home for everyone — ‘phubbing’, or the usage of phones during meals or in other social contexts (‘phubbing’ is formed by blending ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’). We all do it, but did you know that its effects are closely related to ostracization? That’s what Dai Xiang Rong and Goh Yu Yang’s social experiment found out, anyway.

To find out the effects of phubbing among our age group, both invited friends to play a board game with them, but phubbed them while playing. A questionnaire issued later revealed that the phubbed participants felt excluded and that their psychological needs were being threatened, as well as general feelings of sadness.

Xiang Rong and Goh Yu also speculated on what some of the factors contributing to this phenomenon could be, with one possibility being that phubbing occurs because of a high addiction to the Internet, and the fear of missing out on events happening elsewhere on social media (also known as ‘FoMO’). People then come to perceive phubbing as normative behaviour and more follow suit as a result, creating a vicious cycle.

Now that we know it’s a problem, what can we do about it? Xiang Rong and Yu Yang suggest a fun game: while out for a meal with friends, everyone must stack their phones in the centre of the the table. Whoever reaches out for their phone first must cover the cost of the entire group’s meals. If you’re not willing to sacrifice your wallet though, they suggest creating a habit loop instead. In essence, it involves conditioning yourself to put away your phone when exposed to a simple trigger, such as someone staring at you. You can then ‘reward’ yourself for putting away your phone, or simply track your progress somewhere so that you can feel accomplished.

Nicholas Patrick: 3 Things that Helped Me Recover from Depression

The penultimate segment of the event was a talk by Mr Nicholas Patrick on his journey of recovering from depression. Mr Patrick explained that three main things helped him recover from depression.

The first was setting his own timeline for recovery (which can differ from person to person), and not letting others rush it due to their own perceptions of depression, as the external pressure for quicker results may only aggravate the sufferer and induce a relapse.

The second was to change one’s environment to one with fewer distracting elements — improving one’s quality of life is part of the process of recovering from depression, after all. He explained, “a monk could meditate in Orchard Road and tune out everything [with some effort], but instead he chooses a secluded mountain to avoid distraction. It’s the same [principle].”

Finally, be comfortable with going back to 0. The road to recovery is never linear, and alternating between great cycles of progress and regress is very common among depression sufferers. The final takeaway Mr Patrick urged participants to keep in mind, when going from a high point to a low point, was to learn how to climb back up to that high point once more (at your own pace, of course), and not to fear sliding down so long as you have the potential to keep climbing higher.

Panel Discussion

The event culminated with a panel discussion with Mr Patrick and Ms Huang, on the topic of “How do we move beyond raising awareness about mental health to actually seeing changes in society and people?”

Both speakers acknowledged that while there is increasing acceptance, change remains rather slow and society is a long way from a genuine understanding of our own and others’ mental health; Mr Patrick opined that “it may take a lifetime before something truly monumental happens [to shift public opinion]”.

The discussion also touched on improvements in workplace discrimination, which was of key concern to more pragmatic-minded individuals; while there may be “employers who are uneducated about mental illness, most aren’t like that,” assured Ms Huang.

The one individual action that we can all undertake, Mr Patrick advised, is to help normalise depression. Telling people about it (in his words, “very matter-of-factly”) and being honest and open about the condition will help greatly — even people with depression will have to speak up to contribute to the conversation. He cautioned however, that before we broach the topic of mental illness with anyone, we should probably get to know them well enough first. “Especially if you know they khave issues, don’t approach the topic until you know their triggers,” Ms Huang warned. But don’t worry about reporting them to the counsellor: “after treatment, they are usually more grateful than hateful for those who helped them, even if they don’t say it,” Ms Huang affirmed.

Final words

We all have the agency and ability to do something about mental health, starting with ourselves. Taking care of our bodies is a vital step to maintaining our mental health, and once we achieve that, we ought to look toward how we can help our friends — with the goal being to have a community of friends that you support and receive support from at the same time.

By Jowell Ling (19S07B)

To most JC students, Secondary 4 will be the last year that they come into contact with anything related to Chinese while in school. But for the 25 or so participants of the Bicultural Programme (China), the Chinese Language is not only a tool for communication, but also a key to unlock greater understandings of what goes on in another part of Asia.

About the Programme

Bicultural Programme (China), as its name suggests, aims to increase the understanding of China among students, and broaden their perspectives such that they will be able to look at the world from different angles.

The not-so-official meaning of this? It allows us to write more actual content in our GP essays, rather than trying to smoke our way through with the same old “Confucius once said…”

What we do on Monday mornings

To allow us to understand China in depth, external speakers who specialize in various fields are invited to share what they know with participants of this programme. The topics covered each year varies based on what each batch of students is more interested in. Past topics in 2018 include the development of pop culture and the “Belt and Road” Initiative in China.

For a number of sessions, time will be provided for students to go to the computer lab to research and work on a group task which provides an opportunity for students to present about a topic that they themselves take interest in.

Overseas Trip!

A key highlight of this programme is the immersion programme to China at the end of the year. Cities that previous batches of students have visited include Xiamen (2017) and Shanghai (2018). During the trip, there are opportunities to attend lessons in prestigious schools in the country, as well as site visits to work spaces and factory galleries to gain a better understanding of how industries operate in China.

In addition to that, students will also get to visit cultural sites and local landmarks, allowing us to experience first-hand both the rich history and the current strong economic development of China all in a single trip.

Who we are looking for

Anyone who is interested in learning more about China or broadening their perspective of the world is welcome to apply for the programme! While sessions will be fully conducted in Chinese, students are not required to have a strong command in the language. This program can even serve as a platform for students to use and speak Chinese without having to fear not performing well.

In essence, Monday Enrichment Programmes are all interest-based and seek to allow students to learn in a low-pressure environment. Hence, do not hesitate to apply and join us if you find what we do at Bicultural Programme (China) fun and exciting!!

By Pyari Chopra (19SO3B) and Shanyl Ong (19S06C)

Contrary to popular belief, the Ecological Literacy Programme, also commonly referred to as ‘Eco-Lit’, isn’t just your typical ‘green club’ or environmental advocacy group. With a plethora of field trips lined up for its members, you’d be hard-pressed to find another enrichment programme that takes you out of the conventional classroom like Eco-Lit does.

In Eco-Lit, we learn by doing. We are often reminded to ‘look longer, look closer, and look harder,’ and go beyond mere observation by getting our hands dirty to form tangible connections with the outdoors. Through Eco-Lit, we learn to embrace curiosity about the environment and our surroundings, and its value to us.

Besides being in awe (commonly expressed in the form of ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s) of the flora and fauna around, we see beauty in the links nature has to the community, culture, practices, and lifestyle of a place. Each and every one of our members has their own personalised journal, a treasure trove of information, in which we record everything – or most of everything – we learn from our ventures.

All this is done to allow members of the Eco-Lit programme (ever so lovingly dubbed ‘Eco-litters’ by our teachers-in-charge, Mr Tan Sijie and Mrs Aileen See), to develop into effective leaders who understand what it means to be sustainable, with their newfound environmental awareness.

When our Monday mornings aren’t spent outside, we partake in intriguing activities in school. Sessions with experts who are involved in conservation or the environmental sector facilitate learning about the various perspectives of the ecological challenges we encounter. We also maintain a garden where we sow the seeds of today (grow fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and corn) and reap the fruits of tomorrow (harvest the stuff we plant).

Bad jokes aside, let’s talk about the most exciting part of Eco-Lit; not our vermicompost bin (although the resident worms are livelier than the average Rafflesian), but our extended field trips! We had an exciting 3-day camp on St. Johns Island, where we got to stay at the research dorms of the National Marine Lab, as well as a jam-packed 10-day trip to Taiwan, during which we learnt how Taiwanese culture shapes the way locals interact with the environment and its various differences and similarities to Singapore, allowing us to further our understanding of human-nature relationships.

Lastly, we are provided with the exclusive opportunity to create, illustrate and publish our own books. The optional book project is a self-driven student-initiated extension of the Eco-Lit journey and allows members to raise environmental awareness through a creative medium. Eco-Lit seniors have published 19 titles to date, with our current batch set to add 3 more this June.

We are given the opportunity to form intimate connections with the world around us, as well as to experience it with like-minded batchmates, who you will undoubtedly grow extremely close to. Of the numerous happy memories we have made in Raffles, few come close to those shared through Eco-Lit. Most of us a year ago would never have thought that Eco-Lit would form such an integral part of our school life.

If what you just read excites and exhilarates you, Eco-Lit welcomes you! Our only requirement is that you can commit to our programme fully and attend each field trip. We search for individuals who are willing to learn about the world around them and enjoy the outdoors, all while being completely aware of our surroundings and the environment.

By Dorothea Ban (19S06A) and Nicole Tong (19S06E)

After sitting through numerous talks about Monday Enrichment Programmes, many Y5s wonder, “Should I join a Monday Enrichment Programme? Is it worth it to wake up early on Monday mornings? There are so many programmes, which should I choose?” Well, fret not for we are here to tell you more about the E.W. Barker Institute of Sport Science Research Programme!

When one hears the word “Sports”, it may seem as though he/she would need to be a jock to keep up with our Monday morning runs, jumps and workout routines. But fear not! Participation in any form of physical activity is purely voluntary (though they are highly encouraged). Instead, we spend more time understanding how our bodies work through lessons on nutrition, sports taping, periodisation and many more. We also conduct our own research programme on a topic of our choice! Our batch researched on 4 different topics – power naps, push-up training, running and juices.

One group researched on different training methods to test which was the most effective in improving the number of push-ups that a male student could do. Our group had the opportunity to work with students from Rosmini College in New Zealand and compared our results with theirs to see how these different training methods worked across climates. Our research was mostly conducted on Monday mornings with minimal spillage over to after school hours. Hence, the workload was very manageable.

Video of resistance band training demonstration

Initially, many of our groups were unsure of how to conduct the experiments and how to analyse our data. However, under the guidance of our amazing teachers, Mr Lee, Mr Iqbal, Ms Chin and Ms Tan, we were able to pull through and complete our research programmes, some more successful than others.

Now, for the most anticipated part of the programme: our year-end trip!! In December, we headed to Auckland, New Zealand for a 7 day trip to learn more about Sport Science and experience advanced technologies and methods which we were unable to find in school.

At Massey and the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), we attended 4 days of lessons on Sports Science. The Universities, it seemed, had a never-ending supply of high-end sports science technology.  At Massey, we also had the opportunity to dissect the knee joint of a cow to view how ligament injuries affect an athlete’s mobility and functionality. These are but a handful of the many new technologies we were able to experience in New Zealand.

During our stay at the Millenia Institute Sports Hostel in AUT, we were given access to many of the facilities available. Furthermore, we had the chance to see our sporting idols up close training in the indoor facility. Even though we could not take photos with them, seeing the Silver Ferns, Eliza McCartney, and Valerie Adams, among others, was an experience that we will never forget.

On top of that, we also met some new friends from Rosmini College and had the opportunity to try an iconic Kiwi sport – lacrosse! Even though we struggled with the sport, we still had a whale of a time watching the experts demonstrate cool tricks and even learnt some simple ones ourselves! After a couple of hours basking in the New Zealand sun, we settled down to have dinner. We interact with the students and exchanged souvenirs before bidding goodbye to a wonderful day with them.

On the second last day of the trip, we visited the Avantidrome to try out some track cycling. As we reached a little early, we were even able to catch a glimpse of the national track cyclists’ training. They really made it look track cycling look like a piece of cake! We were also in awe as we watched Mr Lee demonstrate his flawless track cycling skills after 7 years of training in this very Avantidrome.

The last day in New Zealand was spent visiting some of the iconic sites in Auckland. First, we had some fun at the Rotorua Skyline Luge. Then, we visited the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Area to learn about the volcanic region in Rotorua. The scenery there was absolutely breathtaking (even though it reeked of sulfur). Lastly, we visited a Maori Village to experience the lives of the indigenous Maori tribe.

The EWBIS Programme has indeed taught us a lot more about Sports Science and piqued our interest in this area. If you would like to experience the above-mentioned activities, do apply to be part of our programme! We promise waking up earlier on Monday mornings is worth it when you’re in the EWBIS programme.

If you would like to know more about what we do in EWBIS, do check out the EWBIS symposium that is coming up on the 1st of March! It is from 830-1230 and you will be excused from lessons. See you there!

By Xuan Zi Han (19A01A)

“Questions like what’s the use of ‘I pledge allegiance’ without understanding? Like why is it so easy to divert thoughts and implant others? Like what is freedom and why is it so hard to explain? The Children’s Story keeps asking me all sorts of questions I cannot answer. Perhaps you can — then your children will…”

This is how The Children’s Story, written by British-American author James Clavell, concludes, and how our 2018 GCEP cycle started and continued — with a tinge of scepticism and an invitation for collective inquiry.

What the MEP is About

Governance and Civic Engagement Programme, or GCEP for short, is a highly rigorous and intellectual stimulating MEP that enables students to understand various systems of governance, and investigate social issues related to culture, national identity, history, and narrative. It comprises three sub-parts: Monday lessons, Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS), and the year-end enrichment trip, which all contribute in their own ways to fulfilling the dual learning objectives.

Monday Lessons

Every Monday morning, we engage in 1.5-hour lessons that expose us to a variety of social and political issues. Anchored by our understanding of the concept of nationhood as both a tangible entity and also an imagined community, we embark on discussions concerning significant aspects of what constitutes a nation.

For instance, we consider how a nation decides to commemorate and memorialise its war history — in striving to establish a sense of national identity, it inadvertently (or even deliberately?) includes and excludes narratives to present a particular perspective of its past. For another, we examine the notion of culture, and attempt to address concerns such as socio-ethical issues with regards to cultural preservation as well as the politics of culture wars.

From time to time, external speakers may also feature to further enhance our appreciation for political mechanisms in society. For instance, Ms Soh, who used to teach at the economics department in RI (Y5-6), introduced us to the rational choice theory as an economic framework that undergirds voting behaviour. Drawing from her personal experiences studying in Switzerland, she insightfully explained the Riker & Ordeshook model that considered the expected utility of voting (which determines election turnout) as a multi-layered interaction between many social and personal factors.

Suffice to say, given the sheer breadth and depth of what was covered in class, we learnt as much as we were ready to put in, and always left the classroom with more questions than answers. This is perhaps also why, though the prospect of waking up every Monday may seem daunting, many of us found the programme fulfilling, due to the interactive classroom environment that promotes critical thinking and open-mindedness.

Year-end Trip

Clearly the highlight of GCEP, the year-end trip brings students to an overseas location to further explore the theoretical concepts and ideas previously shared by our teachers and fellow peers. In the Nov/Dec holidays last year, we visited South Korea and its many unique political and cultural sites, including the DMZ and KBS Studio, among others.

Furthermore, we had valuable opportunities to meet and engage with political profiles like the Jeon-ju city mayor Kim Seung-Su and extraordinary individuals from Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR).

Through these experiences, we were able to reflect more deeply on issues such as the appropriation and commodification of culture, state-society relations, political neutrality, and national identity.

Who We Are Looking For

If you are someone whose doubts linger upon exposure to a social issue, who enjoys asking questions about the status quo, and who hopes to refine your opinions through discussions and mutual critique, then GCEP is undoubtedly for you! Through the programme, not only have we become more critical thinkers, but also more self-reflexive of our own positionality, which, as yours sincerely opines, is an increasingly important soft skill in today’s polarised political landscape.

With that, we wish you all the best in your applications and the programme!

By Edmund Zhang (19S06S)

No matter how comprehensive the introduction sessions and pamphlets they give you, no matter how vivid the personal anecdotes from the seniors are, nothing really prepares you for the rigour and intensity of the hectic 9 months ahead of you.

Joining ISLE

ISLE is much more than just going to school every Monday 2 hours earlier than everyone else and a 10-day long trip to Batam. The journey begins with an overnight bonding camp where you’re given a glimpse of how vital teamwork and adaptability are in order to complete the tasks delegated. It’s also when you start to form new friendships and learn how one another work under different conditions.

Recce Trip

Then you start planning for the recce, a 3D2N trip to the school where you’ll spend the year-end trip at. During the recce, you’ll begin to understand why they call ISLE a “student-led” programme. Do not expect spoon-feeding from the teachers, being told what to do and when to do it by. Expect being clueless and working together with your teammates to get the exact dimensions for specific structures, figuring out what aspects of the school can be improved or refurbished to make it more student-friendly, and going down to the hardware store personally to order and make an inventory of what’s needed. It’s in this recce where the different personalities and working styles of the team start to gel and you’ll begin to see everything coming together. You’ll learn to stop relying on the guidance of your teachers, and step up to solve problems together.

ISLE Week

ISLE week is a dedicated period of fundraising for the work you plan to carry out. This is when the entrepreneurial ones step up and plan what has to be done. Being meticulous, accountable and planning and scheduling ahead of time will help the week go by smoothly. Our team learnt the importance of delegation of roles and the severity of miscommunication; after all, it’s going to be 15 of you trying to reach out to a student population of approximately 2400. This year, through selling merchandise and carrying out a car wash, the 2 teams of ISLE were able to fundraise over $2000 in 1 week, which were used to purchase items such as paint, cement, bricks, rollers, etc.

You take a short break to tackle the ever-dreaded promos, and then it’s back to the flurry of meetings and preparation for the year-end trip. And believe me when I say that nothing, really nothing, prepares you enough for what you’re going to experience and learn during the trip.

Year-End Trip

Service-learning is more than just volunteerism. Everyone has a different interpretation and take on it, as you’ll soon appreciate during the nightly reflection sessions. During these sessions, your understanding and opinions on issues ranging from the difference in cultures between Batam and Singapore to what it really means to be “serving” and “helping” will be thoroughly and comprehensively debated on, and you’ll come out of every session with a new outlook. Lots of controversial topics will be covered, and through this we realised that not everything was as simple and clear as black and white, and we had to take into account the perspectives of different stakeholders.

What will probably stick to you most will be the interaction with the students. You’ll be planning and conducting lessons for them, and the language barrier only makes the task even more challenging than it is. For those few hours, you’ll experience what’s needed to conduct a class, along with its challenges and joys. We engaged the students in various activities centred around colours, the plant anatomy and art and craft. It wasn’t easy. We experienced a hiccup on Day 1 – a change in the number of classes and students we could take on, and that was the first test of our adaptability. This meant a change in our logistics and scheduling, and it was the first learning point for all of us: no matter how prepared you are, there will always be unexpected challenges that you’ll have to be ready to tackle at any point in time.

In between classes, you’ll get the chance to play and interact with all the students on their breaks. This takes some getting used to. They’ll treat you like celebrities and crowd around you, and you may be a little intimidated and be slightly uncomfortable, but I implore you to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to them. That’s when you really connect with the students and understand their lifestyles and school culture. Using your minimal grasp of Bahasa to try to understand them, you’ll soon realise it’s not all that difficult to interact with them. It’ll be a little bit of a culture shock, and the empathy and feeling of being welcomed will be of a magnitude and scale that you’ve never experienced before.

The construction you’ll be carrying out will be physically taxing, but it really puts into perspective what it takes to build and maintain school grounds. I can guarantee that every student that comes out of ISLE will appreciate and treat their own campus and environment very differently. The students of the school will voluntarily step up and help out too, as they see it as their responsibility to take care of the school grounds, and it’s an attitude that we should all aspire to have.

Flower Bed construction

Before you know it, the trip will soon come to an end and you’ll be shocked to see the amount of work you’ve completed. The culmination of the efforts of 15 hardworking, like-minded individuals will exceed any expectations that you had before the trip. In just those few days, we were able to paint exterior walls, classrooms, stairwells, a volleyball court, build a flower bed from scratch and paint existing ones, all while carrying out lessons and interacting with the students.

We learnt so much more than we asked for. We grasped with how to work with different personalities and working styles under tight deadlines (think PW on steroids); we appreciated how it was like to serve with your heart and truly care about what you’re doing and who you’re doing it for; and we discovered the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone. We were more confident in ourselves and became more reflective, having learnt the importance of thinking about both the unintended and intended consequences of our actions.

Final Thoughts

In ISLE, you’ll find a community of kind-hearted, enthusiastic individuals with the desire to help and reach out. You’ll learn more about yourself, such as your own leadership and working styles and how quickly you adapt to new scenarios and environments. Stepping up and taking the initiative will soon become second nature to you, as you’ve now experienced what it’s like to feel so invested and accountable for the cause and your team members.

The journey, albeit draining at times, has been a fulfilling and memorable one, and I think it’s safe to say that every single student of ISLE is extremely grateful to have been part of this programme, and has been inspired to do more to serve the community, both locally and internationally.

By Levina Gan (19S03E)

Overwhelmed by the myriad of opportunities, I’m sure many of you may be conflicted about how to manage your time in JC. Or in this case, how to spend your Monday mornings. Well, you could choose to prolong your beauty sleep, or for those up for an academic challenge, you’ll be glad to know that the wide range of Monday Enrichment Programme serves as a great avenue to acquire knowledge outside of our syllabus! One such programme, would be the Business Leaders Programme (BLP), which I will be explaining in this article. Hopefully, this will help you make a more informed choice as to which Monday Enrichment Programme you would like to join.

As its name suggests, BLP is a programme meant for budding entrepreneurs to learn how to conceptualise a business idea, and exactly what makes or breaks a company. A great way to sharpen your business acumen, BLP is a great introduction to the world of business, but the skills learnt are definitely applicable in any industry!

But what exactly can you expect from BLP?

We meet for session every monday morning, in one of the seminar rooms. During the very first session of the year, everyone will be divided into groups of 5 – 6, to work on your business plan together over the course of the year. For us, the year began with conceptualising a business idea to address the social issues we were given. Then from there, sessions included theory lessons on the various aspects of business and learning about how to write an effective business proposal. As the year progressed, our proposals were continually improved with the feedback given by our mentor, as well as new knowledge acquired from lessons. At the end of the year, after working together on your business proposal for the last 9 months, you will get a chance to present it to a group of judges and gather valuable feedback from industry insiders. Whether or not you decide to bring these plans into fruition in the future is completely up to you. We have heard of senior groups who decided to go one step further and set up a business based on their project in BLP. So, don’t be too quick to rule out that possibility!

Sessions are conducted by Mr Francis Tay, our friendly mentor, who is extremely well-versed in the world of business. Did I mention, he also brings us snacks every week to keep us going through the 2 hour sessions? :’) From time to time, he will also successful businessmen to share about their specialties and their personal opinion on what it takes for a business to take off.

But if you’re worried that BLP will be too dry, and just seems like additional lessons, fret not, because we also have ample opportunities to go on really interesting excursions! Some of which include those to Muru-d, Vertex and other local start-ups and businesses. Through these learning journeys, we get the opportunity to interact with business owners and see for ourselves what it takes to run a successful business.

So if you are an aspiring entrepreneur, armed with the curiosity to learn, why not give BLP a shot!