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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CCA Events, School Life, Sports

A Decade in the Making: Football Girls’ NSG 2026
Reading Time: 9 minutes

By Lee Yi Ning Megan (27A01B) and Tang Ziya Rena (27A01B)

All photos courtesy of Skyler Chen Yuanzhe (27S03A), Khoo Zheng Yuan Orlando (27S06F) from the Raffles Art and Photographic Society

RI Faces VJC for the Title

For the first time in more than a decade, the girls’ football team of Raffles Institution (RI) walked onto the National School Games A Division final stage with a shot at ending a dynasty.

Standing opposite them was Victoria Junior College (VJC), football giants, champions for the past 11 years and a perennial title contender. RI would eventually fall short in the final, but their run to the championship match had already marked a dramatic turnaround for a team that had not progressed beyond the group stages in recent years.

To many outsiders, RI’s meteoric rise may have seemed sudden. Within the team, however, players had long believed that they were capable of reaching the final.

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Commentary, Culture, Opinion

Yes Justin, It’s Finally Clocking To Us 
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Jaden Lum (26S05A)

Bieber Fever is back.

In recent years, it’s been suspiciously latent, lurking in the shadows, waiting to break out yet again, and now, out of a desert in California, it’s swept the world once more—this time, in full, unapologetic, RnB-and-pop-entwined force. 

For those unlucky (or lucky, if you’re a snob) enough to test negative, here’s the rundown: 

Coachella has been no stranger to hosting some of music’s most legendary performances. Whether it was the 2012 hologram that summoned Tupac back to life, the pomp and pageantry of 2018’s Beychella (a portmanteau of Beyoncé and Coachella), or Lady Gaga’s massive, vibrant, stupefying sets just last year, the festival has become synonymous with not just spectacle, but innovation too. 

This year, however, was different. Or at least, for one of the headlining acts, it was. 

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