The ancient art of alchemy is in essence, the ‘art of transformation’, from one element to another. Ancient alchemists strived to transform base metals into noble metals, and develop the elixir of life, which would confer youth and longevity. The key objective of Club Alchemy is just as its namesake – to transform people into passionate alchemists, eager and curious in the study of chemistry, in a setting conducive for peer learning as well as self-discovery, while forging forever lasting friendships with like-minded members.

Why Alchemy? Firstly, chemistry is everywhere in the world around us!  It’s in the food we eat, clothes we wear, water we drink, medicines, air, cleaners… you name it. Chemistry is rightfully called the “central science” because it connects other sciences to each other, such as biology, physics, geology and environmental science. Because of this, Alchemy sessions’ mainly focus on exploring the chemistry of everyday objects and phenomena. By linking chemical knowledge and theory to practical knowledge, we hope to ignite Alchemist’s thirst for knowledge and an attitude of inquisition.

Alchemy Club’s sessions are far from mundane, as we cover Chemistry topics which are usually out of syllabus, interesting and have real-life applications. Topics out of the H2 syllabus are usually covered to broaden exposure to Chemistry. Sessions include presentations on areas of interest such as food chemistry, complex coloured salts, electrochemistry, and many more. Members also present on whatever interests them.  Practical lab sessions are also included, where a whole range of experiments from cheese and ice-cream making to interesting experiments to even synthesizing compounds.

Besides practical sessions, the Club has a range of activities catering to everyone. Games such as buzzer-round quizzes are sure to excite club members, while discussion sessions on quirky topics such as solvated electrons keep Alchemists’ mind as broad and diverse as possible. Alchemy Club satiates the curiosity of the inquisitive with many chances for interaction.  A whole range of exciting events are lined up for Alchemists every year, including organizing the Inter-house science challenge, as well as co-hosting events such as the biannual Eureka! Quiz and the RI-Maurick Water Conference, which is to be held next year (2014).  No moment will be dull in a Alchemist’s life – our explosive events are set to engage young minds and transform them!

And the music was good
And the music was loud
And the singer turned and he said to the crowd
Let there be rock!

— Let There Be Rock; AC/DC

Dreamt of melting the faces off hundreds of screaming fans with your playing? Or of holding an audience spellbound with the sound of your voice? Then Raffles Rock might just be for you! As Chairman Gordon Kang puts it,

“There’s no better feeling than performing music on stage with your friends and watching the crowd go nuts.”

Raffles Rock is all about making good music and having fun, and we work towards those things during our weekly practice sessions in the jamming studios along the Computer Lab corridor. Tuesday is our designated CCA day, when everyone will come down from 4pm – 7pm and practice in their respective band. Other practices may also be scheduled within bands as and when needed. When we’re not pressed for time to rehearse for a gig, we usually either try out new songs so that we’re more familiar with them should we want to play them for future gigs, or just have fun jamming and making music! This is when the varying musical tastes of our members really make things interesting, with styles such as those of Dream Theater (Progressive Rock/Metal), McFly (Pop), and even Disney music influencing the improvised product.

But of course, Raffles Rock is about so much more than our weekly practices or the music we make; it’s more than a CCA; it’s a family, the product of shared creativity, dedication to and passion for music.

Celebrating Vicky’s birthday at Dine in the Dark 2013

Batch outing to Sentosa!

As a CCA, we also hold an annual concert; this year’s being the second edition of ROCKOUT – Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud. Held at the SCAPE Warehouse, over 700 tickets were sold this year! Though the venue may vary from year to year, you can be sure that the same spirit and dedication to give the hundreds of audience members who turn up a reason to Rock Out will remain the same. We also perform for school events, such as Take 5 and National Day, and even events such as New Years’ Countdowns or charity gigs from external organizations. Joining Rock provides an opportunity to perform on a big stage several times a year, and also to gain performing experience in front of a variety of crowds.

Clara Tay on the xylophone during ROCKOUT’13

The Possum Parade busking along Orchard Road as part of a gig organised by The Humanities Initiative

To get into Rock, there will be a live audition, and an interview. The live audition will be for you to impress the panel of Rock members (as well as our teacher in-charge, Mr. Steffen Toh) with their technical and musical prowess on their respective instruments (including the vocal chords!). A musical background or having been from a musical CCA are not requirements, a good number of current Rock members don’t fulfil either of those requirements and are nonetheless spectacular at what they do! The interview is important for us as well to get to know you a little better, so we know who we’re accepting into the CCA! 

Written by: Le Thuy Ngoc (14A03B) and Ng Shi Min (14S03U)

“A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

At Raffles Institution, the library is a popular place that offers students a quiet study area, an ideal location for academic research and a treasure box of knowledge for the mind. With its role being the essential component of every school, it is vital to upkeep the library’s comfortable learning space to allow every student to utilize it to its full potential. That is the role of a librarian!

Library Society is a student-centered service CCA where each member takes pride in his/her role as student librarian and strives to contribute to the school by serving at the Shaw Foundation Library. CCA meetings are held on Wednesdays from 2-3pm but are not conducted on a weekly basis. Student librarians are required to clock in 100 hours for two years (inclusive of meeting hours), that is 60 hours in Year 5 and 40 hours in Year 6. Any additional hours completed by student will be counted directly towards CIP hours.

“Many people have the impression that the Library Society consist of a nerdy bunch of people who discuss books and do nothing but shelving. While it’s true we love books and frequently have impromptu book discussions during our meetings, Library Society isn’t just about “packing and shelving books”. It is much more than that!” said Koh Hui Ling (14S03B).

As student librarians, we are involved in basic library duties such as shelving, paperwork and stocktaking. But beyond that, we also aims to engage the school with annual events, such as Year 5 Project Work research lectures and the highly anticipated Inter-house Challenge Games (IHC). Additionally, Library Society also offers opportunities for students to give back to the larger community by initiating library-related service projects. Past projects include the Quotes project, a Reading Assistance Programme and an Audio-books project for the Singapore School for the Visually Handicapped. Through these projects, students are able to apply the skills learnt, develop character and teamwork, as well as display their leadership qualities in the different sub-committees they are assigned to.

Besides having a platform to serve, other perks of joining the CCA include a warm and cozy CCA room exclusive for student librarians (with amenities like sofas and TV), flexible CCA timings and a very close-knitted CCA. “Library Society is like a family, with members who share the same passion and great teachers-in-charge to guide you along,” said Ng Shi Min (14S03U).

Undoubtedly, what one stands to gain most out of their journey in Library Society is definitely the experience. According to Le Thuy Ngoc (14A03B), “I love coming to CCA and interacting with the librarians there. They may look cold and scary at first glance but once you get to know them personally, they are really friendly and approachable!”

So if you have a burning passion to serve the school community and wish to gain a cozy community of friends at the same time, then consider joining Library Society! We look forward to having new members joining us in our vibrant and fun CCA journey in 2014!