Author: RafflesPress

CCA Events, Commentary, School Life

2021 Homecoming Playlist—The Prelude
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Elizabeth Paulyn Gostelow (21A01B) and Rachel Ho (21A01B)

Few schools celebrate the beginning of an A-level year, much less christen it with a name that connotes ceremonious joy and the pinnacle of American high school culture. 

Rafflesians danced to our own tune: we deck out the first week in performances, giveaways, game shows and mobile furry animals to the fanfare of Homecoming Playlist. We do the rolled-out red carpet, the flashing lights, and the confetti all at once, or at least their equivalent under safe distancing regulations.

So here’s a recap of how the stars of the show—the beloved Year 6s—waltzed into their senior year this Homecoming.

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Commentary, Compilations, Please Mind the Platform Gap

Lost and Found: The “Ulu”, Unexplored Places in RI
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Thet Hninn Zin (21A13A)

As you navigate through this inextricably large campus, roaming through the green-and-grey corridors with the prettiest willow trees (the school genuinely has amazing greenery) and lined glass windows, you might miss out on some of the more obscure places in Raffles Institution. Especially with safe-distancing measures, it may be difficult for you to go around to explore the campus, the place where you’re going to spend your last two years of pre-tertiary education at. 

Well, whether it’s because they are out of the way from your classroom-bound venues or perched in an unassuming corner, here are some of the ‘lost’ locations in school, which have now been found for you!

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Commentary, Compilations, Op-Eds, School Life, Student Issues

Let’s Talk: The RP/JAE Divide
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Tan Yu You (21S03H)

On the first day of Orientation last year, I remember one of the girls in my group sharing that one of her fears coming into RI was the divide between us and the students from the Raffles Programme (RP). 

Perhaps it was an offhand remark and she did not mean for it to be taken seriously, but this fear resonated well within the small, mismatched group of five students from the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) anxiously waiting to meet the RP students for the first time.

A Google search immediately reveals that this fear is very common among hopefuls aiming to enrol into Raffles Institution after receiving their O-level results. Yet, stories shared by ex-Rafflesians on online forums and discussion threads seem to offer conflicting views on whether this so-called divide is something worth fretting over. Case in point, a previous article published in 2018 on Raffles Press claims that “the RP/JAE divide dissolves very quickly” while this post on Reddit claims the other extreme.  

So, what might be the cause of this “RP/JAE divide”? 

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Commentary, Compilations, Student Features

Behind the (CCA) Scenes: Of Motivations and Regrets
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Sara Chia (21S03G)

At some point in our lives, all of us have to make choices, regardless of how big or how small they are. Most of the time, it lies in the small things, like picking which canteen stall to buy from every time break rolls around. Other times, it’s the much bigger things, like deciding what course you’re going to take in university or your future job. 

In JC, one of the fundamental choices we have to make shortly after stepping foot into the school would be our CCA. Everyone has something that motivated them, in one way or another, to join the CCA that they’re currently in. Whether it’s something trivial or profound, every person’s story behind joining their CCA is unique. 

So, what exactly are they? In this article, various students share their motivations to become part of the CCA that they’re currently in, and I probe a little deeper at the reasons that brought them to where they are now. From unexpected to bittersweet to hilarious, here’s a compilation of the stories shared by some students about joining their CCA, and how their journey has been so far.

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CCA Previews, CCA Previews 2021, Commentary, Please Mind the Platform Gap

CCA Previews ’21: Taekwondo
Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Calla Koh (21S03N), Captain, Shavonne Goh (21S03H), Vice-Captain, and Shaun Loh (21A01A) 

What is Taekwondo?

Four simple words (in reality it’s just two): kick kick, punch punch. 

The above is a very concise, straightforward summary of what CCA entails for all of you considering to join our family. 

Of course, while Taekwondo might only seem like a place for you to take it out on the punching bag during stressful times (let’s not lie to ourselves here), there is so much more to the CCA that is waiting to be discovered. Taekwondo is not just about the experience, but also the people we meet and the skills we learn. 

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