By Lim Lex-xis (16S03M), Daphne Lim (16S03M), Gladys Lim (16S03K) and Md Khairillah (16A01B)
In-depth analysis on how to choose one’s subject combination for the Sciences can be found here. (Do note that some of the advice dispensed in the article may not be as relevant in light of the syllabus changes.)
The result of careful tinkering and lengthy discussion behind doors of a particular building along Buona Vista Road and yet another one in that quaint, little far-away Cambridge, ebbs and flows in the overarching ‘A’ Level curriculum go relatively unseen. For the average student already struggling to meet deadlines and complete assignments, but still looking to find out more about what this means for those daunting examinations in coming years, here’s a summary of the key changes you can expect, gleaned through an interview with five teachers: Mr Ariff Chan (Dean, Academic Studies) Mr Kwan Chong Sin (HOD, Mathematics), Ms Koh Khang Ling (HOD, Biology and Physics) and Mrs Wong Seok Hui (ADH, Biology), Mr Jason Tan (ADH, Chemistry).
By Orientation Committee 2016
Additional reporting by Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E), Daphne Tang (16S03M), Karen Cuison (16A01D), Louisa Li (16A13A) and Olivia Tan (16A01E)
With Orientation 2016 just a few short days away, Raffles Press is proud to bring you a preview of what to expect in one of the major milestones in many JC students’ lives. Every year, the Orientation theme starts with the first letter of the council president’s name (in this case, Freda). This year’s theme is ‘Fiore’, which means “to bloom” in Italian. It encapsulates the Orientation Committee’s wishes for the batch of 2017 to pursue their passions, grow, and develop during their years here in JC.
Fiore 2016 brings a lineup of both new and revamped events! If you’re a soon-to-be OGLing, you can definitely look forward to improved versions of both War and Station Games, a refreshing change from those which have been played repeatedly over the past few years. (Don’t worry, we’ve tried them out with the OGLs and we had a lot of fun). We are also introducing something new in addition to the batch dance so look out for that!
Storyline Be ready for flowery language interspersed with melodious musical madness, boy problems, HTHTs, girl problems, intense ensemble work, A+ dance choreography, broken fourth walls, mythical animals, and many flowers all around. It won’t be a bed of roses, but it is practically budding with creativity!
“…For if this rare flower thrives and grows / The kingdom like the sun shall shine and glow…”
We have two things to leave you with. One, be wary of flowers. They are more powerful than you think. Two, seventeen isn’t too young. Care for one another and bloom in your next two years here, and you can be more powerful than you think.
War Games Be prepared for an adrenaline rush as you take on other houses, straining every muscle and using every ounce of energy to conquer the battlefield and emerge victorious! We hope you will thoroughly enjoy Jedi, Clash of the Centipedes, Plants vs Zombies and Team Fortress 3. Remember to stay safe, stay hydrated, follow the game rules and play your hearts out, bringing glory to your house.
ARE YOU READY FOR WAR?
Station Games
Welcome, Villager. Brace yourselves for the Game of Thorns, in which you will traverse and discover all 5 vibrant villages of Raffles Institution, not forgetting our very own castle, the Crystal Palace. From dodging landmines to boarding warships to conquering obstacles, you will embark on a captivating and challenging journey on foot while immersing in the extraordinarily enchanting scenes the school has to offer.
Throughout the Game of Thorns, you will be completing perilous quests that will put your OG’s teamwork, perseverance and tenacity to treacherous tests and sinister battles of wit and fate. Will your OG be able to prevail against all odds and solve the real mystery that will be revealed during Orientation? The time has come to unleash your fullest potential in the Game of Thorns!
May the odds be ever in your favour.
Song
Get hyped up for our self-composed batch song! We hope that you’ll bond through this song, and look to the lyrics whenever you need motivation, encouragement, and energy! (: Do look out for our performance at O’nite as well! From pumping and jumping, to swaying and singing, we hope you will savor the beauty of music together with us on this very special night. Harness the energy and hype that you feel during Orientation (especially O’Nite), and use it to push yourselves through J1. The JC journey won’t be an easy one, but it will definitely be memorable, and we hope to kickstart your irreplaceable journey with fun, joy, and of course, music!
Dance
“I haven’t met you yet, but I am already wrapped up around your contagious and bubbly self!”
Look forward to one of the most highly anticipated segment of orientation every year: the batch dance! Get ready to move and groove with your dance partner during the dance sessions. There’s a new segment this year called the “Legacy Dance” – we won’t reveal too much of it now, but it’s something pretty cool to look forward to.
Have fun, enjoy yourselves, make new friends and just dance (:
PLogs While we aren’t the main ones in charge of various segments of the programme (i.e. War Games, Station Games, Opening Ceremony, etc.), we settle the logistics and finances needed for these to run smoothly. We would also really, really, really, really appreciate it if all OGlings can make our lives easier by:
Bringing enough money and submitting it on time!
Updating your OGLs about your attendance ASAP! (this especially applies if you have to leave Orientation early at any point in time!)
Disposing your leftover food and food containers at the designated locations!
Following any other instructions your OGLs might give you, so that all of us can get things done quickly and have more time to have fun with your OGs!
And of course, we present to you your very own orientation pack:
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Decor
We’re the ones behind the stunning chalkboard design which you can check out at the canteen walkway! This year, we’ve got photo booths with fun props around school for you to capture and keep your memories of orientation, and a “FIORE” snapchat filter for you to share your orientation experiences with your friends online.
Highlights
We’re excited to pull together memorable activities for you during Orientation! Look forward to Opening Ceremony, where you’re gonna get all hyped up for Orientation, and O’nite, where we’ll end Orientation on a high note. (Orientation I/C Natalie Lim (16A01B): “O’nite will be extra special this year. We are very excited for it!”) Orientation will be peppered with OG hours that provide a breather from the intensity of the games, and time to get to know your OG mates better. We hope that you’ll make full use of your time, and participate enthusiastically. Get ready for the time of your lives!
In the end, it’ll be up to you to shape your own Orientation experience; as Natalie says, “Make it count! Just go all in, don’t be afraid try new things, meet new friends and you’d be surprised with the memories you will make.” Orientation only comes once in your life and it’s the only time when you don’t have to attend lectures it’s undeniably one of the shared experiences every Rafflesian can look back on fondly (ask any senior!). JC can be stressful and scary at times, but we hope your Orientation days will remind you of how far you’ve come and more importantly, how much further you can go – together, as the batch of 2017.
Excited for Orientation? Check out the Fiore 2016 Facebook page over here!
And soon to come: behind the scenes coverage of Orientation as well!
This article is part of the CCA Previews for 2016.
By Samuel Loh (16A01A), Vice-Chairperson
Raffles Press at our annual CCA camp
The average day in Raffles Press is spent confronting one of mankind’s most perennial, yet outwardly unimpressive, questions: how do we say what we think? Incredible thoughts occur to everybody, but the best writers make extraordinary things ordinary, and the most complex abstractions relatable. At Raffles Press, this is just the issue we endeavour to tackle.
This article is part of the CCA Previews for 2016.
By Naomi Koh (16A13A), Ryan Ma (16S06A) and Brenda Khoo (16S03L)
Milan Kundera once wrote that happiness is the longing for repetition. Here in Writers’ Guild, one can find plenty of repetition in that sense – and by extension happiness – in the plethora of things one can look forward to during the weekly sessions each late Monday afternoon.
This article is part of the CCA Previews for 2016.
by Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E) and Hoong Li-Ann (16A03A)
The Photog Family
If you were to pop by the Raffles Photographic Society (or Photog, as we’re informally known) on a given Friday afternoon, there are a number of things you might find us doing. We might be in the Year 1-4 Artspace, having one of our mentorship sessions, as professional photographers teach us about anything from portrait to night photography, or perhaps we might be on a CCA outing, at some fascinating area in Singapore for a shoot. From atmospheric abandoned places like the Istana Woodneuk, to the colourful likes of Little India. It’s always an interesting experience to discover new places – or sometimes, new ways of looking at familiar places – while getting the chance to put what we’ve learnt from mentorship sessions into practice. This hands-on experience is definitely meaningful, especially with the immediate feedback from our mentors who frequently tag along. Plus it’s also nice to have time set aside in a busy week just for photography. Also, after our outings, we have review sessions as a club where our mentors give personal, detailed feedback on our photographs, helping us improve. It’s also nice to see fellow CCA mates’ photos too and learn from them, and to chat with them, in the process not only swapping ideas and insights about photography, but also making friends.
Makeshift darkroom with pinhole cameras!
It’s quickly apparent that far from the stereotype of photography as an individual, solitary pursuit, there’s really a lot of interaction as a photographer, not least within the CCA. There’s a friendly, easygoing vibe to photog as we discover new places together in our outings, and share photos and conversation both in and out of sessions. The photography community you’ll spend time with is at once diverse, while at the same time also bonded, as we indulge in our shared passion for photography. With all our different levels and areas of expertise, it’s also always great to be able to learn from and help others. Plus, being with a bunch of fellow photography enthusiasts also means having some cool, hilarious adventures – spending hours trying to make a CCA group photo just right, entering the Canon Photomarathon, where some of us actually won!
Our curiosity takes us anywhere and everywhere.
The interaction happens not just within the club, but also outside as we share our works, participating in and even creating our own exhibitions both in school and sometimes for the public. In 2015 for example, we contributed to the Singapore Night Festival, a huge event in the local arts scene, and also put up our very own inaugural year-end exhibition, In Transit. Alongside these artistic pursuits, a large part of photog’s activities also includes events coverage. While certainly a commitment whenever you sign up to cover an event, there are perks too: free entry to, the chance to interact with people from other CCAs and walks of life, and sometimes even get behind the scenes. It’s especially fulfilling when one covers events where a friend’s performing, since you’re not only supporting them by being there, but also helping them preserve treasured memories.
Besides these, being a photographer doesn’t end with just club activities, rather it starts there, with it up to you to keep photographing and exploring on your journey as a photographer. Photography is everywhere, not just CCA moments alone, and in fact a fair number of our photographs are ones taken on our own time. There are always opportunities for a good photograph, no matter whether it’s shot with your phone or a DSLR.
“The best camera is the one that’s with you” – Chase Jarvis
In the end, doing photography ultimately helps shape how you view the world, and not just literally. Through looking through the lens of a camera, one develops a different perspective, and with it the awareness that there are different ways of looking at what’s around you, the knowledge that in the seemingly everyday there are fascinating angles and interesting details out there, just waiting for you to notice them. Photography lets you capture moments, and stop time in a way, to let people look back through your photos. Being able to give that not just to yourself, but also to someone else, is quite an honour. Ultimately, perhaps that’s one of the things photography comes down to, learning to treasure the moments, to feel the fleetingness of things – a deeper appreciation of the experiences we have in life.
Links: Facebook, Flickr, Instagram (@rafflesphotog) (in the works!)
