CCA Events, Sports

Making Every Shot Count: Basketball Girls NSG Finals 2026
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Olivia Chia Lu Xuan (27A01A) and Janelle See Jia Xin (27A01D)

Photo courtesy of Chim Yoke Hei (27A01D) from Raffles Art and Photographic Society and Tan Si Ling Kayla (26S03E)

The tension was palpable in the air. 

Raffles Institution (RI) and Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) were neck to neck, neither team showing any signs of backing down anytime soon. Though Raffles was lagging slightly behind towards the end of the third quarter with a score of 40-31, the gap was still narrow enough to be closed. 

While the players battled on the court, the supporters from both schools also engaged in a contest of their own from the stands, as the sports hall reverberated with both schools’ own spirited chants of the North-South-East-West cheer. 

The team fought till the end, drawing energy from the crowd’s elated cheers after each successful shot. Eventually, however, they ended with a score of 56-39 in a hard-fought match, earning their titles of First Runners-Up.

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CCA Events, Commentary, Sports

Reclaiming the Throne: Table Tennis Girls’ NSG Finals 2026
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Teo Kai Xu (27A01B)

All images courtesy of Raffles Art and Photographic Society unless otherwise stated.

The Girls’ Team marching into the arena. (Photo provided by Aleenta Quek from 27S06B)

All eyes were on them. Dressed in their iconic green, black, and white jackets, the Girls’ team marched into the arena, steeling themselves for the match ahead. 

You could feel the excitement among the spectators. Cheers rose above the chaotic din of clappers, as a palpable enthusiasm swept across the stands. Amidst the crowd, flags were waving high in support of the teams.

This year, the Girls’ Team was matched against their long-time rivals, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), to whom they lost last year. Historically, the championship has swung between RI and HCI, and so, the day’s match was looking to be another toss-up. 

The question here was: Was the team ready to win back the title?

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CCA Events, School Life, Sports

Heart Over Height: Basketball Boys 2026
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Kayden Tan (27S03C) and Mary Tu (27S06O)

All photos taken by Chim Yoke Hei (27A01D) and Chloe Tay Yu Hsin (27A01D) from Raffles Art and Photographic Society

Semi-finals

After a statement victory against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) in the semi-finals that graced the team’s 2025 NSG campaign, the basketball boys pursued a return to the final as they stepped onto the intensely illuminated court. Coming up on the other end of the laminated floor, with similarly lofty ambitions, was Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), and it was immediately apparent to the mass of spectators that we were up for a thrilling contest.

Amidst the players’ brilliant show of their basketballing prowess with audacious three-pointers and mazy dribbles in what constituted an eye-catching warm-up, the Raffles support in the stands also did their utmost to energise the team. Clappers and face paint were handed out to the willing, and the councillors made sure to create an atmosphere rooted in intense, ardent spirit as they prepared their hefty sequence of cheers.

As the game kicked off with the fiery cheer “Take Them On”, the players found themselves in sync with its demands. Within mere seconds, they snatched the first point of the game with a free throw by #11, Dayler Ng (27S06L).

Player #11,Dayler Ng (27S06L),  fends off an opponent

It was far from the last free throw RI would be awarded. 

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Arts, CCA Events, Features, Student Features

Raffles Street Dance Showcase 2026: Timeless: A Journey through the Eras of Dance
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Lee Yi Ning Megan (27A01B) and Tran My Linh (27A01B)

All photos courtesy of Raffles Art and Photographic Society

From nostalgic 2000s hits to energetic Bollywood numbers, Raffles Street Dance’s (RSD) latest showcase, Timeless: A Journey Through the Eras of Dance, proved that dance transcends generations.

Held on 6 May at the Performing Arts Centre (PAC), the showcase brought audiences through different musical and dance eras from the 1980s to the present day, blending genres, styles and cultures into one cohesive performance. Inspired partly by the concept of different “eras” popularised by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the idea for the showcase emerged spontaneously during a practice break.

What began as a casual conversation gradually evolved into a full-fledged exploration of how dance styles and music have transformed over time. For the RSD Exco, the theme Timeless also reflected a broader cultural nostalgia.

“A lot of old songs are coming back,” Riddhi Pradhan (26S06C), Secretary of RSD explained. “People are yearning for the 2010s and the 2000s, and I think our CCA shares that same feeling. We enjoy both old music and new music, and we wanted a theme that could cohesively bring all these songs and styles together.”

Rather than restricting themselves to a single genre or aesthetic, the dancers embraced the diversity of street dance across decades. Each item was carefully crafted to embody the identity of a particular era while ensuring it still flowed naturally into the overall programme.

The ending pose of “The OGs”, a throwback piece to bands such as MC Hammer and Backstreet Boys.
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Commentary, Opinion

Are You Truly Enjoying Life? (The Photo Dilemma) 
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Sophie Sim (27S05A) 

All photos courtesy of Orlando Khoo (27S06F) unless otherwise stated.

Scrolling through my camera roll, I see all the events I’ve been a part of, all the outings I’ve been on. But if asked to pick my favourite event, I would hesitate. Because even the best pictures on my camera roll are rarely the best memories of my life. 

The most fun moments of my life would come out as the most blurry, low-res pictures ever: where someone’s eyes are closed, when the lighting’s terrible, and nobody is posing properly. 

It’s these moments when nobody cares about whether the photo turns out “glam” or not, or whether to post on “spam” or “main”, when the only thing on everyone’s mind is just laughing, crying and even bickering with one another, when we feel that we are living for ourselves, not to showcase to anyone else. It is at these moments that people have the time of their lives.

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