in focus the change of guard · memory champion jim kwik, who taught himself to read through brain...

the change of guardin focus

OUTGOING EDITOR’S NOTEDesigner-in-Chief: Gregory ChiaEditor-in-Chief: Chow Shi Kai

My tenure as the editor-in-chief of in-Focus was short but certainly sweet. Be it the rushing of deadlines or the constant messaging to remind the student reporters to hand in their articles, the journey was definitely one filled with trials and tribulations. We started off last year with the aim to include more participation from the school body, which culmi-nated in new additions like the Ag-ony Uncle and SL projects column, as well as roping in a special teach-er reporter. That being said, the job of an editor is, at the end of it all, rewarding. Having to grapple with academics and CCA, among others, as well as this role meant that time was certainly very tight, and the magazine would not be a success without some very important people.

I can’t express enough my deepest gratitude to my hardworking student reporters who never failed to churn out interesting and insightful pieces of work, and to the various people who contributed their amazing photos to complement the articles. Thank you, Mrs Anu and Dr Yeo, for all your vet-ting and guidance throughout the year. Last but not least, my greatest thanks to Greg, my designer-in-chief, for all the late nights spent further correcting grammatical errors and stitching the flood of articles to-gether to form a cohesive magazine.

Happy Reading,Chow Shi Kai

inFocus Editor44th High School Council

PAGE 3

To you, dear reader, I hope you have enjoyed all previous issues of inFo-cus and will continue doing so for years to come!

editor’s NoteDesigner-in-Chief: Neoh Jing HerngEditor-in-Chief: Wong Yi HaoPhotography: MediaTechAs we usher in a new year and the new beginnings in our lives that come with it, I am starkly reminded of the changes that we will also see as we, and Hwa Chong as a whole, enter a new chapter in our shared story. 2018 will see a passing of the baton on several fronts, and it is my hon-our and privilege to assume the role of inFocus Head Editor for the year.

In 2018, inFocus will continue to push boundaries by experimenting with new creative concepts while staying true to the core idea of the magazine - being one that is “for students, by students”. With that in mind, you can expect many ex-citing articles contributed by our student reporters, as well as fea-ture articles focusing on themes relevant to the school in that term.

This term, we focus on the changing of the guard within the school in vari-ous aspects - be it our new principal, or the election of a new High School Council President, recent events tell us that change is the only con-stant in our school lives. With this in mind, please enjoy the reportage for this term, and have a happy 2018!

Happy Reading,Wong Yi Hao

inFocus Editor45th High School Council

PAGE 2

LIGHTBOXStudent Articles

16events

32

CCA

38SERVICE LEARNING

43feature articles

HSC INITIATIVES

40

8

STUDENTARTICLES

PAGE 9

ShunDe Immersion Trip

The school tells us so much about how China is the next big thing and how learning Chinese culture is import-ant, but what really drove me to sign up was the chance to be able to spend 25 days overseas with my friends. It wasn’t going to be my first visit to China, and before the trip, I thought it would hopefully be my last. But after this trip? I’m gonna have to go back there again, because it was LIT.

Lee Jit Shen4I1

我在德胜学校所感受到的，只是体贴的照顾，和善良的笑容。What I miss the most about China is really the little ev-eryday things there. From ordering breakfast in Chinese while trying to point out the items without knowing what they were called, to asking for less rice at every meal, to trying to converse with my buddies in Chinese, those were the little things that made my trip to Shunde really, really fun.

在中国，我也深深体会到了什么叫作 “自律”。我本来认为在国外，只要低调一点，安静一点，就不会被老师骂了。但是，住了十几天的宿舍，我才发现到在中国的学校，那里每个学生的 “自律” 我都是无法想象的。学生们不能把鞋子放在走廊上面，连放在门外面都不行，一定是要整齐的摆在架子上。学生也不能把手机带来学校。这么一来，学生整个礼拜都不能够用手机，只能够专心的学习。我呢，连一天不用手机也无法想象！

For those who bothered to read the Chinese section of this article, you must be wondering, “wow, just as expected, a Chinese school full of muggers with no life!” Well, they sure are hardworking, but are they really muggers without a life? Think again. The students there spend a lot of time on other activities as well. Every lunch and dinner break, the basketball courts are all packed with students wanting to de-stress after a tiring day at school. Others spend time playing musical instru-ments or trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle by running. The school was full of life, and what was cooler still was that even though we were visi-tors, they treated us like one of their own and invited us to join them in whatever activities they were par-ticipating in. From playing sports to attending their lessons, they were eager to share every aspect of their lives with us, whether it was sports or academia related and their hospi-tality towards us was heartwarming.

所以，说了那么多，我只能说我非常想念中国。我想念中国的人、食物、朋友、生活、娱乐、床、等等的东西。如果中三和中四的同学认为会后悔去中国，我只想对你们说：不去，是你的损失。去了中国二十五天，我在这假期内所学到的、做到的、感受到的，是在新加坡无法体验的。

Passing on the Baton to Yourself

It’s the new year, and there have been many changes. The Sec Ones have just joined the Hwa Chong fam-ily, and many of us have just settled into our new classes. But it is also the first year that our new principal, Mr Pang Choon How, takes office.

Lee Yin Lok2A2

Now that there is a goal in sight, clearly you need to know how to get there. A goal is just the destination, but the process of getting there is more important. If you want to run your 2.4km well, you don’t take a car and drive 2.4km. So you need to think about your journey and break it down to the minimum. Basically, you need to break your plan down until you have the most detailed un-derstanding of what’s to be done.

Many people have a habit of mak-ing New Year’s Resolutions. It was thought to have been started by the Babylonians to gain the favour of the gods, returning debts and borrowed items. The open secret about resolutions, though, is that they are almost never fulfilled. But it’s the New Year, so let’s resolve to actually carry out our resolutions.

Goals are the be-all and end-all of res-olutions. Of course, you think back to the Goal Setting in the CCE Portfolio. But how does one set good goals to achieve what one wants? The school believes in S.M.A.R.T goals, but I want my goals to be harder to reach. The catch here, for goals that are harder to reach, is that one needs to make sure that one puts in all his / her effort into the process, so even if one can’t achieve the goal initial-ly, he / she would be closer with ev-ery try. It’s the journey that counts!

With the goal and the process set-tled, we press on! It is human to want what you cannot have. So when you try to reach for that goal, you can get tired of trying.

PAGE 13

Many things don’t seem like life changing decisions, though, so many of us don’t do them. Distrac-tions like social media stop us from intentionally focusing on the goal. Here’s what you’ve got to do - keep all distractions away, and sim-ply tackle the task in front of you.

A way to train single-minded fo-cus is meditation, where you fo-cus on breathing only. Another way is the Pomodoro Technique. Study for 30 minutes, and rest for 5, re-peat this again, then on the third round take a 20 minute break. But keep yourself away from distrac-tions for as long as possible, in-stead walk around and drink water.

You can also use the Feynman Tech-nique, derived from a Nobel Prize winner, to check if you’re doing it right. It’s like this: Summarise your knowledge of your goal in the sim-plest words you can, like you’re teaching it to a beginner. From there, it’s easy to pick out what links in the chain are weaker. Now go back to what you know to be correct and find out where you’re going wrong. Re-member to repeat the process and reflect on why you got this wrong earlier, so that you won’t do it again!

The next half of the battle is con-tinuing this process, and again it’s not easy. Motivation tends to fade, but we can always count on pas-sion, one of the strongest emotions. Memory champion Jim Kwik, who taught himself to read through brain injury, says that knowledge is the product of information and emotion.

But passion also tends to fade when you encounter problems and obsta-cles. The trick is to keep calm and do what you can to solve or alleviate the problem - adjust and rework the sys-tem to better perform next time, may-be even changing your goals slight-ly. As long as there is progress, you will feel your passion growing again.

I really wanted to say something about this, because 2017 was the year in which I truly wanted to do something about my life. I realised how much I loved tennis and writing, and just thinking about what I could achieve was so inspiring. And when I actually started trying to go further, trying to work harder, it felt like I was actually doing something worthy.

But sometimes when I look around and see many people doing the bare minimum, and not pushing them-selves to be the best that they can be, it makes me feel helpless, be-cause it’s only you who can make that change. If you’re reading this, thank you so much for sticking through this, and I hope we can all resolve to persistently reach for our goals.

For Javier, my classmate, is trying to lose some weight for an iPhone X. And he’s actually quite deter-mined to do so. Javier, thank you so much for doing this for yourself, and for me. You can do it, all of you can!

Finally - do not forget to celebrate your progress and relish your suc-cess in the pursuit of your goals!

All the best!

PAGE 15

Passing on the Baton poem

A new yearA new batch,Some new workIt’s the passing of the baton

Tan Rui Ern Brian2I1

Teachers comeAnd teachers goRelief teachers come and goIt’s the passing of the baton

Sec 4s leaveP6s enterEveryone moves up one notchIt’s the passing of the baton

A new yearA new startNew responsibilitiesIt’s the passing of the baton

Last year we were all juniorsBut this year we’ll be seniorsMore responsibilities will be heaped on us,It’s the passing of the baton

Every year this always happensIt repeats itself again and againThere’s no escaping it, it’s always thereIt’s the passing of the baton

FEATUREARTICLES

PAGE 17

On Teachers’ Day in 2017, our former principal Dr Hon Chiew Weng announced his intention to retire at the end of the year.

Principal Transition

Shortly after, in October, it was pub-licly announced that Mr Pang Choon How, a school alumnus who had pre-viously served as Chung Cheng High School (Main)’s principal, would be appointed as the new principal. Dr Hon, who had been with Hwa Chong for 35 years, as a physics teacher, head of the science department and dean of administration before be-coming principal in 2010, received a hearty farewell on the morning of Oc-tober 27th as the school said goodbye to a leader who has played a pivotal and unforgettable role in Hwa Chong.

inFocus’ Teo Wei Yew (4O1) spoke to Dr Hon to better understand the nature of the principal’s work as well as to understand his aspira-tions for Hwa Chong’s future. Enjoy! (interview edited for length, clarity)

Dr Hon Chiew Weng (Principal, 2010-2017)

Hi Dr Hon! Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Could you share with us a bit about your time as a student?

I came from a very ordinary school in a small town in Malaysia. One thing I liked about my school was that it gave me a lot of space and autonomy. For example, I was a scout leader and I was given a lot of autonomy to run my activities. It helped me a lot in developing my leadership qualities.

That’s the reason why in Hwa Chong, I made it compulsory for all those who wanted to take 10 subjects to get my permission. I find that when I was a student, I was taking too many subjects. When you’re taking too many subjects, you won’t have the time and space to do things that you believe in. As a result, you have no chance to plan your own learn-ing; you have no chance to try new things on your own, and you would find that your learning is limited.

Are there any interesting experiences from your school days you still remem-ber?

As I’ve said, I was a scout leader in charge of about 200 scouts in my school. There was an incident where I wanted to join the Music Society as well because there were some pret-ty ladies there and all of us wanted to make friends with them. Howev-er, we were rejected by the guys there. So, I was angry and I brought all my scouts to attend the general meeting (every CCA had a GM to se-lect new members and leaders) of the Music Society. After I brought my 100+ scouts to attend the AGM, the Music Society which had been a small club of about 30-40 members became very big and the 100+ peo-ple elected me to be the chairman.

When you have a problem, you solve the problem in another way! I am not sure whether it was unethical but having done that, I was com-mitted to the Music Society. After becoming the chairman, I actually brought up the standard; I organ-ised a lot of activities and the Mu-sic Society became more prom-inent in the school. So, I did my duty; I did not go there just for fun.

After taking over of the school, I spent a lot of time going to other countries to see how the schools were run there and learn from them. At that time, we wanted to be a world class school but we did not have a clear idea of what that meant. I told myself that one day, people from all these countries would come to us and see what we are doing, to learn from us.

The first time we were officially recognised as a world class school was in 2010, when we were given SQA (the SPRING Singapore Qual-ity Award), and we attracted a lot of people to our school. Over the last 6, 7 years we have become a school that attracts educators from UK, US, Australia to come and learn from us, and even invite us to lead in certain collaborations. It is almost as if we have put Singapore on the world map and that achievement is something that all of us are proud of.

Based on your 35 years of experience in the school, what is your assessment of Hwa Chong students?

I think you all have a very high ca-pacity; you can learn a lot more things in depth and in breadth, but as I’ve mentioned, you are committed to too many things. If you can com-mit to fewer things and go deep into the things you are really passionate about, you will have much greater achievements. But if you are doing too many things, none of what you have done will be deep enough for you to command respect. It is important for you to have a breadth but it is equal-ly important for you to have a depth in a certain field of your passion.

PAGE 19

I also hope that our students learn to collaborate and be curious, so that they will go very far. A professor at Peking University once told me that Singaporeans are always very con-cerned about results. Hence, they select courses in which they can score very easily. They do not dare to venture into courses that inter-est them. I think that is not a very good practice. When you go to uni-versities overseas, you should learn things that you have no chance to learn in Singapore. Learn things which you are very interested in so that you can become someone who commands respect in that particular field. This is something that I hope our students can have the guts to do. Put results aside, the learning is the most important.

Artificial Intelligence is the way to go - I recently met someone who gradu-ated from Stanford University and re-signed from Coursera to join Google so as to learn about AI, and I think he is very forward looking to switch companies not for higher pay but to learn something at a place with the resources to allow him to learn about it! In a few decades, we will not need to do a lot of work as a lot of things will be done by machines and robots which are controlled by AI. Hence, people who are very well versed in AI control everything. Frankly speak-ing, I’m more worried that human be-ings will become less intelligent in the future since they will no longer need to think a lot. But there will be a group of people who control the robots and thus, control everything.

Our students are, by and large, very passionate about learning. Most of them are very well-behaved and dis-ciplined. To me, that is the key to success - 自强不息, your determina-tion to excel, and a win-win mental-ity. But there is one thing I hope our boys can improve on – learning to leave their comfort zones. Many of you would say no to going to coun-tries like Cambodia, India and Indo-nesia for immersion. Even for our Chi-na immersion programme, I believe we have about 30% of students shy-ing away because they don’t want to move out of their comfort zones. In time to come, you may not be able to work in Singapore; hence, you will probably have to seize the opportu-nity in some of the developing coun-tries like India, Thailand, Cambodia etc. If you refuse to go to these coun-tries now, how are you going to seize these opportunities? I compare Sin-gaporeans with people in China for example. Do you know that the Chi-nese are already everywhere in Afri-ca? If I were to have an immersion trip to Africa, how many of you are going to sign up? Yet the Chinese have al-ready seized the opportunity to go to Africa before anyone else could. The Americans refuse to go there, the Europeans refuse to go there, so the Chinese went. They build infrastruc-ture and they already have a big mar-ket share of activities in Africa. This is how we lose out. I am more wor-ried that you all do not even want to go to countries in Asia, that is some-thing that you will lose out a lot on.

What are some of your best memories as Hwa Chong’s principal?

On the whole, I am quite happy with our students. You are confident yet you are not arrogant. You believe in team spirit as you really under-stand “win-win” which will help you to be a team player because you can’t do things alone. You proba-bly have to work with people from all over the world to solve prob-lems. The only thing is to step out of your comfort zones from time to time so that you really can go down to the field and get things done.

What advice do you have for Hwa Chong students as you step down?

Create space for yourself to learn on your own. Plan your own learn-ing rather than wait for teachers to teach you. Create your own oppor-tunities. I go back to the example about how I took over Music Soci-ety in my old school - when people don’t give me opportunities, I create them on my own. You cannot just cry and lament about it. If you want to eat, you must find food yourself. In fact, I hope everyone will be hungry enough, to create space for yourself, to learn things that other people do not want to learn or dare not learn. You must be able to do things that other people are not willing to do, only then will you do very well in life.

I hope you remember to help other Singaporeans who may not be as in-telligent as you, who may not have this kind of opportunities. There are 5 million people here, most do not have the kind of opportunities that you do. Thus, when you emerge at the level to take care of them, remember the importance of servant leader-ship, your duty is to look after them so that the country will prosper as a whole. You cannot say “other people can suffer, it is none of my business” - when 4 million people are unhappy, do you think the other 1 million can be happy? They will attack you; they will make life difficult for you and you suffer together. Hence, you must look after your fellow Singaporeans.

Likewise, when Singapore is success-ful, we should also make sure that our neighbours are successful. If our neighbours are all suffering, living in poverty, do you think Singapore can survive? We will be like Israel, get-ting attacked so often. In sum, this is “win-win”. You can’t be the only winner. If there are too many losers, they will ensure that you lose too.

Do you have any regrets from your time as principal? Do you have any wishes for your retirement?

I have missed out on a lot of inter-action with students. As a teach-er, you are closer to students; you teach the same group of students for 2 years. Your rapport with them is very strong. Whereas as prin-cipal of 4000 students, I can’t be very close to all my students. Of course, there are some to whom I’m very close, like the student lead-ers (or the students who are very naughty!) but the number is not big. PAGE 21

Also, as principal there are many in-conveniences I’ve been put through - I must behave myself all the time. When I was young, I was very mis-chievous like you all. After becoming a teacher, I had to remind myself to behave all the time. I already had to keep myself in check as a teacher, let alone after becoming the princi-pal of an elite school, with everyone watching my every action! But nev-er mind, I will get back my freedom very soon. I can wear my shorts and my t-shirt and nobody will bother me!

As for wishes, I would only ask for good health. The moment you are healthy, you can create anything by yourself. So, I will only ask for good health, as for other things, I can create them on my own!

Catch the full interview at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mOmo-QEhf1s9fimvUnX_t0ecTjHuW5hvH

The elections for the 45th High School Council President saw a tight contest between qualified can-didates Bryan Tan Wen Qiang (4S2) and Johnny Xiao Hong Yu (4S3). Sev-eral weeks of campaigning eventu-ally culminated in the induction of Johnny being elected as the Presi-dent while Bryan assumed the role of Vice President-cum-Head of the HSC Special Committee after a close fight. Here, inFocus’ Teo Wei Yew (4O1) and Wong Yi Hao (4B1) report on the election and interview the two candidates, with 44th High School Council President Shawn Cheng Wei Xuan also adding his two cents!

Report from Presidential Elections Organ-ising Secretary, Teo Wei Yew (4O1)

The 45th High School Council Pres-idential Campaigns took place from the 16th to the 22nd of Jan-uary and the school voted on the 23rd of January. Both candidates put in their utmost for this cam-paign, which they had been work-ing on even before school reopened.

Behind the aesthetically pleas-ing posters, the hilarious presen-tations, the innovative initiatives and the well-conceptualised vid-eos were the unremitting efforts on the part of the two candidates and their campaign teams. During the December holidays, both of them were tasked to get their posters ready by the start of the Secondary One Orientation. Their posters were subsequently pasted all around the school, a sneak peek into the enter-taining and purposeful videos and presentations they were working on.

PAGE 23

Johnny campaigned on the theme “eXpect more”. This two-word phrase encourages Hwa Chongians to have higher expectations for Johnny, to whom the sky is truly the limit. He has already taken the first step with his proposed initiatives – HSCOP and Cashless Hwa Chong. His two ini-tiatives emphasise on the usage of technology – HSCOP (High School Council Online Portal) is an app which will allow students to order food and merchandise, as well as to report missing sports equipment in the ball loaning services; Cashless Hwa Chong envisages the use of EZ-link cards for payment in the high school canteen. These out-of-the-ordinary initiatives aim to make students’ lives more convenient while leverag-ing on the prevalence of technology.

Bryan, whose initiatives focus more on recreation and cuisine, hoped to make life more enjoyable for the students while “Heralding a New Change”. He proposed to reopen the jTigerr shop to be used as a merchandise and food stall for the High School Council. At the same time, he aimed to promote more in-teraction with Nanyang Girls’ High School during Combined Sports Meet by introducing inter-school cross-gender sports competitions. In view of the increasing number of Service Learning projects in Hwa Chong, Bryan also suggested hav-ing another segment in the biannu-al Service Learning Summit where Service Learning groups could set up booths in a bid to publicise their projects while discovering various other Service Learning groups from other schools. His theme, “Heralding a New Change”, highlights the fact that he envisions unswerving, inno-vative improvements and evolution.

The two candidates ran a remark-able campaign, reflecting their im-mense potential. They are large-ly similar, in terms of experience (having been the leaders of con-sortium councils), areas of inter-ests (both are in SMTP) and vision for the council. While Johnny might have been elected as the President of the 45th High School Council, I am certain that Bryan will be able to aid Johnny in taking the High School Council to greater heights.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement shown to both can-didates. Johnny and Bryan will cer-tainly work hard to carry out their re-sponsibilities. Let’s look forward to a fruitful 2018 under their leadership!

HSC presidential elections

J | It was a pretty close election! At the beginning, I felt my ideas (of an online portal and cashless canteen) would be well-received and I was quite confident but when I saw that Bryan had more followers on social media I was quite worried about my chances! When I made my presen-tation, most people seemed quite engaged and I felt I had a chance after all but it seemed like the re-sponse was also quite good for Bry-an’s presentation and as the cam-paign went on, I was really unsure as to who would win. But the re-sult was a pleasant surprise for me!

Let’s talk a bit about the campaign. Did you guys expect the elections to turn out this way?

B | When I agreed to run for presi-dent, I already knew there was a chance that I would lose. Campaign-ing was really intense and compet-itive but what is most important is the fact that we work well to-gether (as I mentioned in my pre-sentation at the level assemblies).

J | That’s right! Regardless of the results, we will be working to-gether to bring more welfare ini-tiatives to the whole student body!

With the elections over, is there anything you would like to say to your supporters?

J | I would say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me - I wouldn’t have gotten this far without the help of my friends and those who have always given me support throughout my cam-paign. Walking around campus and hearing people shouting “vote for Johnny!” and “vote for Bryan!” gives you a huge emotional boost.

B | It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed, but I would still like to say a huge thank you for support-ing me all the way! As vice-presi-dent, I will still be working close-ly with the Special Committee to bring a better CSM for everyone, so that’s something to look out for!

J | I don’t think our ideas are incom-patible. I guess the only clash we may have is regarding the jTigerr shop. I was thinking about replacing it with the HSC Online Portal but Bry-an wanted to revive it. We’ve heard your voices and I guess we’ll move on with the Online Portal but the other initiatives like the revamped CSM and cashless canteen will of course be planned accordingly!

Regardless of the differences between your campaigns and the close competi-tion you had, the two of you are now unit-ed at the helm of the HSC. How will you guys work to combine the best elements of your ideas and cater to the whole stu-dent population?

PAGE 27

B | And the Service Learning Sum-mit, which will be a collabora-tion between the HSC and the SL Council, is something all of you can certainly look forward to! We hope that you will be able to ex-pect more and seek a new change in the school during our tenure.

A question on behalf of all our readers who are not councillors at the moment but do have a strong drive to serve the school: considering that both of you have had prior council exco experience, and this was also the case for last year’s election contested between Shawn and Wei Yung, what would you say to the non-councillors in Hwa Chong? Is it possible for someone without prior expe-rience in council to take up senior HSC positions?

J | Another example would be our own 45th HSC exco - Nicholas Tan, our Publications Committee Head, didn’t have prior council experience either! But there are also many oth-er good opportunities for leader-ship in Hwa Chong - your CCA for instance, and getting to bond with people over the span of a few years. Things like leading SL Projects are also a way to develop yourself as a leader and organiser - coun-cil isn’t the only avenue to do so!

B | We have heard this concern before but I believe we disagree with this - honestly, the HSC will accept anyone who shows that he is capable. Look at Tan Jie Hao (44th HSC Treasurer), Joel Tan (43rd HSC Vice-President)…there are many HSC councillors who may not have previously been in coun-cil but what matters most is the lead-ership capabilities of the applicants.

Finally, an important question I’m sure all our readers want to know the answer to - who did you guys vote for?

B | I voided my vote, yeah...

J | This sounds very bad but I actu-ally voted for myself (starts laugh-ing uncontrollably). I wasn’t al-lowed to void my vote and I was thinking about voting for Bryan but the possibility of that being the de-ciding vote, no matter how small the chances, was unbearable...

B | Even if given a second chance, I still wouldn’t vote for myself though, because honestly it wouldn’t have mattered!

Catch the full interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ax-0MHMvT-Q

Interview with the Presidential Candidate Johnny Xiao and Bryan Tan, conducted and transcibed by Wong Yi Hao (4B1)

Presidential Address from Johnny Xiao Hong Yu of the 45th HSC

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

Hi fellow Hwa Chongians,

2018 will undoubtedly be a year of change. Change itself isn’t a strang-er to any of us. Whether it is for our latest addition to the Hwa Chong family, the Sec Ones who are enter-ing a new chapter of their lives; for the Sec Twos and Threes who find themselves with new teachers, a new syllabus and countless oppor-tunities; or for our Sec Fours, who have just become the most senior in the High School, and for whom this year would be their final year here, change has always been an ever-pres-ent and integral part of our lives.

A belated welcome to the new school year of 2018! It is a great honour for me to address all of you as your new High School Council President. The past few weeks of campaigning have really been a wild and hectic experi-ence. While my friend and fellow can-didate Bryan and I have always been on good terms, the competition still ended up becoming quite a fierce one. Now, with the Presidential Elec-tions having come to a conclusion and all of us settling back into our usual routines, I feel that it is a good time to ponder on our year ahead.

The new school year of 2018 would be no exception, but as all of you should have heard many times by now, this year would bring changes quite unlike before. With the change of school leadership under our new principal Mr Pang, we will expect many new changes to our school lives. 2018 is also the year just before our much-awaited 100 Year Anniver-sary, and no doubt we would be see-ing many changes towards the end of the year, as the whole school pre-pares for the celebration of our cen-tenary. The wave of change this year may seem quite daunting to some of us, and undergoing change isn’t al-ways a pleasant experience, but just like the many batches before us, we are never truly alone as we face the things to come. In Hwa Chong, help is always nearby, and there are many people you could rely on for support. One of my main hopes for the year of 2018, is to be able to bring anoth-er pillar of support that each of you can count on: the student council.

Change exposes us to new experi-ences and new opportunities, push-ing us out of our comfort zones and enabling us to grow not just as a student, but also as a person.

PAGE 29

The High School Council and the 4 different consortium councils have been around for quite some time, and this year, we will witness the induction of the 45th batch of HSC councillors. We councillors aren’t infallible, but we still hope that we can bring about a positive impact on your lives. We may not always be successful, and we do seek your un-derstanding. As the year rolls along, I am sure the High School Council and the consortium councils would always be looking out for new initia-tives to make your lives more enjoy-able, and I will also be hard at work fulfilling my various promises. I truly hope that with our efforts, you will be able to think of student councillors as people you can count on for sup-port, and when you are going through tough times, you will take comfort in the knowledge that there is always a small group of students work-ing hard to make your lives better.

This, I feel, really encapsulates what it’s like to be a part of the Hwa Chong family. To have various par-ties always being there for you - not just student councillors, but more di-rectly, friends and teachers. These are the people who are literally al-ways by your side in school, so learn to rely and count on them when-ever you are in need. As you forge ahead in this change-filled year and pick up various new opportunities, remember to make lasting memo-ries with your friends and build good relationships with your teachers, for I believe these will be with you much longer than you learn in class.

As we plan ahead for the new year of 2018, as cheesy as it may sound, I be-lieve it is always good to draw from the wisdom of our school values. 所谓：“天行健，君子以自强不息”。无论在什么情况，我们应该拥有着坚韧不拔，自强不息的精神，努力向前奋斗，在学业、专题作业、课外活动和比赛中登上新的高峰，更上一层楼！ With that, I wish us all a great 2018 ahead!

Cheers,Johnny Xiao Hong YuPresident,45th High School Council

Address from outgoing 44th HSC Presi-dent, Shawn Cheng

Dear Hwa Chongians,

It is a pleasure to be given the op-portunity to leave a few words to the High School cohort of 2018! As I write this, the 45th Presidential Elections are taking place. That, along with the impending 2018 Council Investiture, are just 2 of the many events that signify the start of a new year, a new year of possibilities and experiences.

Of course, this does not only ap-ply to leadership shuffle and for the councils. The process of passing on the baton takes place every year throughout school. A new batch of freshmen have become the newest members of Hwa Chong. Lower sec-ondary students have passed into the ranks of upper secondary, exploring their academic aptitudes and tak-ing up research opportunities. The baton is also passed on in CCAs, as younger faces become chairmen or captains of their teams and troupes. Change is seemingly the only con-stant, but if one takes the time to re-flect, the “spirit” remains unchanged.

What exactly then do I mean by “spir-it”? That depends on context, but to really put it in essence, “spirit” can be said to refer to the attitudes and motivations students embrace in whatever they do or participate in. New batches of councillors stay true to serving the school, the teachers and students. It is a thankless job, and because only a small proportion of students become councillors, not many truly understand the job scope of this, at times, under-recognised band of people. They may not be per-fect, and they may not always be able to fulfil the expectations of the school population, but they do not let that get in their way. They firmly believe in what they do, for it is their respon-sibility. That, is admirable “spirit”.

Then, there are the juniors in CCAs who become seniors, the forefront of their CCAs. And like their pre-decessors, they work hard at what they do. Be it the athletes that train to their physical limits, the perform-ing arts that practice repeatedly like there is no tomorrow, or the UGs, Clubs and Societies who constant-ly strive for perfection in their drills and competitions; everyone strives to contribute to their CCAs, to rep-resent Hwa Chong at competitive events, to bag the medals and the trophies. That, is venerable “spirit”.

PAGE 31

“Spirit” is also demonstrated in our drive for academic excellence. The journey of studying and examina-tions may not be the most enjoyable, but regardless of the difficulties and obstacles, one thing that stays con-stant is the hard work we put in as we try to perform to the best of our intellectual capabilities. There are some who bring this further, partic-ipating in academic competitions or doing deeper research in their areas of interest, be it through university at-tachments, the annual Projects Com-petition or the Special Programmes. That, is commendable “spirit”.

It does not end here. MediaTech and the Green Council, who may often go unnoticed, continue with their re-sponsibilities, doing what they do, even when there might be a lack of gratitude for the favours they per-form for the school. Founders’ Day Food Drive, community service ac-tivities and service learning projects continue. Hwa Chongians continue to reach out to the community in whatever capacity we have to pro-mote an inclusive and caring society. All of that, is respectable “spirit”.

One indispensable group of people we must mention, and thank, would be the school staff. The teachers who withstand all our tomfoolery, going out of their way to help us ace our exams; the admin staff, who nev-er grumble despite the tremendous workload they have to juggle; the security guards who remain vigilant in their duties; the estate members who maintain our school facilities; the science lab staff who keep our labs running; the janitors and gar-deners who make our campus a con-ducive place to study. They remain committed to their jobs, rain or shine, and that, is honourable “spirit”.

2017 has been a blast. Students ex-celled in multiple areas - academ-ics, CCAs, leadership and service. People have moved on, but the “spir-it” remains. Perseverance, deter-mination, accountability and the calling to serve steer us through whatever we take on. Feel the “spir-it”, embody it, and live it. Engage yourself in the school activities, and make the best out of your high school life. It can be that much more meaningful and memorable. With that, cheers to a brilliant 2018!

Best wishes,Shawn Cheng Wei Xuan,President,44th High School Council

Secondary One Orientation - the start of an unforgettable journey - holds an unparalleled significance for each one of us. This is where we first make friends whom we will soon be able to call friends for life, and this is where our burning Hwa Chong spirit is ignited. Being one of the few events that every Hwa Chongian has to go through, this event will definite-ly have a special place in our hearts.

Siu Ho Hin (4P1)Organising SecretarySecondary One Orientation

This year’s SOO was held from the 2nd to the 5th of January, and I am glad to say that it was a success. The theme, picked by the Organising Team to represent the Secondary Ones’ journey in Hwa Chong, for this year’s orientation was “Our Voyage, Our Legacy”. We hope that the Sec-ondary Ones will understand that their time in Hwa Chong will be a jour-ney to embark on together, and they should never be afraid to seek help from one another when in difficulty. They should always be brave in face of challenges and actively take up new opportunities and experiences. At the end of the journey, they should leave behind a legacy that they will be remembered for in the years to come.

Like every SOO, the four days of SOO were packed with fun and games, challenging the freshmen and push-ing them to their limits. Through the various activities, they were able to get to know their batchmates and familiarise themselves with the school compound, allowing them to integrate fully into the Hwa Chong family. Besides making themselves feel at home, the freshmen also got a chance to feel and emulate the Hwa Chong spirit of 自强不息, truly understanding what it means to be a Hwa Chongian. After all the games and activities came the truly iconic part of SOO: cheering. The 4 days of orientation were filled with constant shouting, stomping and clapping, echoing throughout the entire cam-pus and livening up the atmosphere. The Orientation was then ended off with the cheers competition, during which the freshmen cheered as one.

EVENTSSECONDARY ONE ORIENTATION

Throughout SOO, the buddies were the stars of the show and did an excellent job leading the freshmen around the school and taking good care of them. I would like to thank each and everyone of them for dedi-cating their holidays to the Buddies’ Training and giving their all during the event. They definitely have left a strong impression on the freshmen, just as my buddies did for me back in 2015. They played a key role in ensuring that the event ran smooth-ly, and it was indeed heartwarming to see them hone their leadership skills and bond with their juniors.

The Organising Team had also giv-en up a huge chunk of their holidays to plan for this event, going through many rounds of preparing and vetting proposals, and coming back to school almost every day to prepare for the event. They have been extremely hardworking, and have grown to be-come active leaders. I will always treasure the friendships and mem-ories that we have forged together.

I would like to thank the council mentors, Mrs Anuradha Boyanapal-li, Mr Chua Boon Woo, Ms Liu Jun, and Ms Ng Kia Hui for guiding us ev-ery step of the way and helping us make this event a truly unique one. We of course cannot forget Dr Yeo, who patiently vetted our documents and helped us understand how we could spruce up every event. With-out them, it would have been dif-ficult to accomplish this much.

PAGE 34

2018年2月15日一早，只见华侨中学中学部、高中部与来自中国西安交通大学附属中学的同学纷纷云集于大操场，让现场人数高达5000人。在轻雾环绕之下，一声响彻云霄的鼓声划过升旗台阶，为今年的新年庆典拉开了帷幕。

有朋自远方来不亦乐乎西安学生与华中共渡新年

郑方民蒋鑫南王显尧尹嘉恒李宗霖戴楷臻

Chinese new year

今年新年庆典的主题是“瑞犬呈祥迎好运，学子奋发展宏猷”。主题中的“瑞犬”表达了福气。这传达了校方希望同学们在迎接好运之余，也能在学术方面有远大、宏伟的计划，以在各自的领域中光芒四射的愿景。

彭俊豪校长鸣锣后，随之而来的是众所期待的醒狮舞。五头栩栩如生的狮子，在鼓乐齐鸣之中，活蹦乱跳。华中醒狮团为我们献上了耳目一新的表演，其中一连串的空中高难度动作更是让人看的拍案叫绝。随后，财神爷出现了！同学们欢呼雀跃地向他涌去。财神爷将囊中的巧克力向众人抛去，同学们趋之若鹜。

我校虽是传统华校，但近几年来也吸引了几位非华族学生报读。当学校大规模地庆祝新年时，这些非华族同学是否参与？一位中一印族同胞 Mahajan Romen 表示，“ 庆祝新年是一个有意义的事情。因为我可以和大家一起庆祝春节，还能所谓 “爆竹一声除旧，桃符万象更新”。

此次新年庆典我校除了迎来了财神爷，也有幸招待了西安交通大学附属中学的同学。他们此次来新加坡进行长达三周的浸濡交流活动，并观赏和参与了我校的新年庆典。其中一名代表便表演了具有独特文化特色的“腰鼓”。而其他同学也以优美动听的歌声表演了一首关于自己成为一名十四岁少年的原创歌曲，示意大家会在新的一年里更成熟。

西安同学朱昱成表示:“我觉得这里的新年庆祝气氛非常浓重、非常辉煌。我觉得会比我们在西安的庆祝更好一些，因为这里节目非常多元化，年味更重。” 另一名西安同学吕佳晨也表示：“我感觉这里的气氛非常浓烈、非常亲切。”

On behalf of all the staff and seniors in Hwa Chong, I would like to thank the freshmen for giving their all during the orientation. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours! I hope that you have bonded well with your classmates and are doing well in school. I hope that all of you remember the theme for this year’s SOO during your Hwa Chong jour-ney, and that it will always remind you to take on new experiences and step out of your comfort zone while you embark on your voyage. Never be afraid to fall, as there will always be people to pick you up. Leave your legacy behind, something that will inspire your juniors to do the same.

As the Organising Secretary, I am in-deed honoured and grateful to have been entrusted with this role and I would like to thank the High School Council for giving me the opportunity to lead an event that I will never forget.

Nicholas Tan (4H1)Organising Secretary45th High School Council Investiture

The annual Council Investiture is an event where councillors are of-ficially inducted as student lead-ers, vowing to serve the school and the student body as well as uphold-ing the name and reputation of the school. This year’s Investiture, held on the 28th of February, saw a new batch of fervent and eager student leaders from both the Consortium Councils and the 45th High School Council officially be conferred their titles. At the same time, they re-membered and honoured what pre-vious batches of councillors, in par-ticular the 44th High School Council, had accomplished for the school.

In the weeks leading up to the Inves-titure, the preparations for the event became increasingly arduous and draining, as we looked to ensure its success. We were looking forward to the event as it would mark anoth-er signifcant milestone in our council journey, as well as serve as a remind-er of the challenging path ahead of us.

The Council Investiture signifies both change and continuity. Change in terms of the stepping up of new student leaders to the plate, bringing with them new ideas and new con-tributions to be made to the school; yet continuity in terms of celebrat-ing the school spirit and ensuring the flaming passion to serve the school never dies. As the baton is passed from one batch of councillors to the next, so are the values that each and every councillor embodies.

The event was graced by alumnus Mr Mark Chan Ho Ming, managing part-ner and one of the founding members of H.M. Chan and Co in association with Taylor Wessing. Mr Chan was also a former classmate of our cur-rent principal Mr Pang Choon How, and in his speech, he talked about the importance of embracing our school values, 自强不息、饮水思源, as well as Win-Win, and how these very values familiar to every Hwa Chongian went on to define him as a person, even when he graduated from the Chinese High School and entered the working world. He also shared some heartfelt stories with the councillors and the audience, drawing on his experience in the student council back then.

PAGE 36

His speech truly was a hearten-ing yet engaging one as it cap-tured the attention of all in the au-dience, earning occasional bursts of raucous laughter as he spoke.

Personally, I had the rare privilege of conversing with Mr Chan after the event. Mr Chan was very amiable and approachable and that allowed us to engage in comfortable conversation with him. I was particularly amazed by the multitude of accolades and accomplishments he has racked up over the years, yet how he is still able to take time off his busy schedule to return to and serve his alma-mater, truly exemplifying the school spir-it of 自强不息and 饮水思源 all at once!

Another notable segment during the Investiture was the speech made by outgoing president of the 44th High School Council, Shawn Cheng. The Mandarin excerpt of his speech was especially moving and deeply probed all present in the audience to ponder upon his words. Shawn raised a fa-mous quote by Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu: “太上，不知有之；其次，亲而誉之；其次，畏之；其次，侮之。信不足焉，有不信焉。悠兮，其贵言。功成事逐，百姓皆谓‘我自然’。”老子认为，最至上、最优秀的领袖，人民是不知道他的存在的。一名杰出的领袖很少发号施命，事情办成功之后，众人都会说“我们本来就是这样的”，将功劳归功于自己。因此，给予他人取得胜利的力量，那便是一名领袖的使命。”

I think such a quote and explanation succinctly yet aptly sums up the role of a leader – to spur others onwards to conquer seemingly insurmount-able challenges, scale to heights which they had thought impossible, and break barriers and limits they initially believed were unbreakable. The best leaders work silently yet dil-igently, down-to-earth and a voice in the crowd, as they work closely with their subordinates on the ground as if they are one of them. When suc-cess is obtained, the people will come to believe that their success was a result of their hard work and efforts, and that is the mark of a true leader, empowering their follow-ers with the grit, tenacity and resil-ience to achieve above and beyond. All student leaders, and in fact, ev-eryone, should take the time to con-template this, and think of ways in which they can implement such a concept of leadership into their own unique style and into their daily lives.

Besides the gamut of eloquent speeches during the event, there was also, of course, the badging of the 45th High School Council and the Consortium Councillors, as well as captivating performances by the new-ly inducted High School Councillors.

investiture

As the event started to wind down and eventually drew to a close, we all wore our Council badges with pride, as we reminisced over our past and look forward to the future with great expectation. Seeing the badge on our collars was truly a poignant reminder of our calling to rise up to the occasion as student councillors, placing the needs of the school and the student body preced-ing our own, as well as to maintain the school image in exemplary word and deed. With the event well and truly over, I am proud to say that it was, yet again this year, a success, and it was an honour to have been granted the privilege of holding the post of Organising Secretary of the event. I hope all councillors will con-tinue to strive to bring glory to the school, whilst taking pride in their service to the school. All the best for the remaining school year ahead! CCA

The 45th HSC, together with seniors from the 43rd and 44th HSC, pose for a picture with Guest of Honour, Mr Mark Chan and council mentor to the 45th HSC, Mr Chua Boon Woo

MediaTech is a service club in Hwa Chong Institution (High School) which cov-ers three main media aspects: Audio/Visual (A/V), Photography & Videography. Armed with industry-level equipment such as professional audio mixers, DSLRs (digital single lens reflex) and a wide array of film equipment, MediaTech pro-vides the school with media support for nearly all events in the school through-out the year, ranging from the weekly level assemblies and daily flag-raising, to major events such as the annual Combined Sports Meet, Secondary One Orien-tation & Annual Camp, Founders’ Day etc. Through the guidance of technicians and experience from helping in school, MediaTechnicians will be equipped skills like live sound mixing, event photography and stage management. MediaTechni-cians are also able to apply their skills outside of school events, whether or not it is to pursue their passion in photography, to film and edit a professional video for their own project, or even do audio mixing and control stage lights for a Ser-vice Learning concert! Most importantly, MediaTech is a small, close-knitted family where students with similar passions work together and play together!

mediatech

SERVICELEARNING

EDELSTEINEdelstein. German for “gemstone”, it is a metaphor for bone marrow donation.The Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP). A non-profit organisation re-sponsible for building and managing Singapore’s only register of volun-teer donors who are willing to donate their bone marrow to save the lives of patients with leukaemia and oth-er blood diseases who need a trans-plant to survive, but unfortunately receives no government funding.

Introducing Project Edelstein - an inter-school Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes project connected to over 20 schools, organising and executing events in support of the BMDP, in-creasing publicity for the BMDP and recruiting potential bone marrow do-nors. To help the BMDP in its efforts in saving lives, Project Edelstein managed to raise $61,000, reach out to 8000 people, and recruit over 200 donors in 2016. This was made possible by the project’s Organis-ing Team, comprising over 100 stu-dents from various schools includ-ing Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls’ High School and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School. The project went even further in 2017, recruit-ing over 350 donors and scoring an estimated public outreach of 35000.

This year, Project Edelstein is back to continue its fundraising and awareness efforts for the BMDP. With busking, flash mob and street sales events, as well as a carni-val and concert, the group has plenty of ideas lined up for 2018.

Project Edelstein needs your help! Stu-dents interested to be part of the ex-tended OT are most welcome to email [email protected] and the Core Team would be most grateful for more followers on Edelstein’s In-stagram page, @projectedelstein.

PAGE 42

VITALIZEDiabetes is a prevalent concern for many countries across the world. In Singapore, diabetes is a serious health concern, with over 400,000 Singaporeans living with the dis-ease. One in three Singaporeans has a lifetime risk of getting diabe-tes and the number of those with diabetes is projected to reach one million by 2050, if current trends continue. Thus, in April 2016, the Ministry of Health declared war on diabetes to rally a whole-of-nation effort to reduce the burden of di-abetes in our population and keep Singaporeans healthy as we age.

Thus, we, Project Vitalize, a group of motivated Year 4 students from Hwa Chong Institution, working hand-in-hand with a 80-man-strong Organising Team (OT), as well as Diabetes Singapore (DS), aim to raise awareness on diabetes among youth & promote the prevention of diabetes through a healthy lifestyle.

Project Vitalize is split into 4 com-mittees, namely, Programmes, Ad-ministration, Design and Publici-ty. The 4 committees work hand in hand to organise future events such as OT meetings, bake sales, dance programmes, street sales, walkathon, concert and carnival.

We’ll also be working closely in partnership with Active SG to broaden the outreach of our proj-ect through large-scale initiatives such as GetActive! Singapore.

Do show your support by following us on Instagram at @project.vitalize to find out more about our events. Thank you and see you during our events!

HSCINITIATIVES

NEW PHOTOGRAPHY SECTIONCalling all aspiring photographers in Hwa Chong!

Have you ever wanted a platform to showcase your skills to your friends other than your Facebook or Insta-gram account? Have you ever felt like refining your skills by participating in a photography contest, but were wor-ried that you wouldn’t stand a chance?

Well, with the addition of this new seg-ment starting from term 2, inFocus has the solution for you! We welcome any and all student photography entries, even for pho-tos taken outside of the school campus!

The term 2 issue of inFocus will feature the best photos sent in by students, cen-tering around the theme “community”. Why not put yourself to the test by send-ing in your best efforts to [email protected] with the subject heading as “inFocus Photo Contest Term 2 Submis-sion” by the 15th of April, 2018! The best entries will stand to win Popular vouch-ers, so what are you waiting for? Pick up those cameras and get going! All the best :)

Please note the following guidelines:

1) Please do not send in photos fea-turing obscene and/or vulgar content

2) Please specify the photo quality (in megapixels) and size in your emailPlease refrain from adding a water-mark to your picture

3) Do include your name, class, and a short write-up (35 to 55 words) about your photo about what it represents in relation to the theme

4) Entries submitted after 15 April or with the subject header incorrectly entered will not be entertained

5) You may submit up to 3 photos cen-tering around “community”

The 45th High School Council re-serves the right to make the final de-cision on the winners of the photogra-phy contest

44PAGE

Humans of hwa chong

“In the last 25 years, we have been moving very fast. The rea-son being whatever we want to try, we can try without much hindrance. We have enough alumni, enough support from parents to get things done. That’s why, with autonomy, we are getting better and better. ”

“Cheering is really tiring; you have to take lots of lozenges. In my opinion, 山歌 is the best cheer. When other people see us do 山歌, it’s like we are crazy, because it’s actually meant to be crazy!”

“Our seniors have been treat-ing us very well. I really feel at home in Hwa Chong.”

PAGE 45

in focus the change of guard · memory champion jim kwik, who taught himself to read through brain...

Documents