College Orientation 2023 — From the Perspective of a JC1 Student

Written by: Tan Yie Jun (23S63)

Pictures provided by: Ong Huay Xin (23A11)

Getting acquainted with the new Hwa Chong moves!

The process of transitioning to JC life could seem quite daunting, but kickstarting the JC experience through the Orientation programme helped to ease the process and the worries a typical JC1 student may feel. I have documented certain key events of the Orientation programme, so that other peers can look back fondly on the experience.

CCA Fair (8 Feb)

Library Club’s tea session

I have always wanted to visit the school library, Jing Xian Library, as it looked stunning in the school videos I’ve seen. We attended the Library club’s tea session, where they shared what they did as a CCA. The librarians mainly helped to maintain the library by making various improvements to elevate the students’ visits. For example, they designed signs for each aisle of the library, as well as set up a relaxation corner. They also collaborate with other CCAs to plan exciting activities and host their Library Week activities.

Additionally, they have members to manage their Instagram account, and they also volunteer, where they collaborate with external organizations. Then, they gave a tour of the library. Although the library only had one level, I still enjoyed this visit as the library has many features. The library looked very modern, with its woody furniture, potted plants and eye-catching signages on the bookshelves to make the overall experience a pleasant one for visiting students.

Most people in the library come to read and study, but it offers a relaxation corner for those who wish to come here for a break, along with some light reads. There are also two rooms in the library; a discussion room for the Library Club or other CCAs to use, as well as another for the Library Club to plan its future sessions or events. All these facilities were made possible by the efforts of the Library Club members. I highly recommend that you visit Jing Xian Library to see it for yourself.

Indoor Sports Hall

The Indoor Sports Hall (ISH) is located at the third level of the Holistic Education Centre, which also houses the JC bookshop. It hosted several lively sporting events. We watched a fencing bout and as the match progressed, the audience got more excited and cheered on more. There were also participants playing tennis further into the ISH, as well as volleyball. Additionally, there were also people walking around in animal onesies to advertise their CCAs. For us JC1s, we wait with anticipation in the various kinds of sports that we can compete in at the ISH.

First Visit to the Indoor Sports Hall

Here are some of the indelible impressions that I have from the Central Plaza:

Left Wing of the Central Plaza

The Chinese Orchestra booth was very informative, in terms of the performances it has put up and the accolades it received over its illustrious history. The CCA fosters a welcoming environment, since freshies do not require any prior experience needed to join, which is ideal for those who are new to the CCA but have an interest in music. There was also the Music and Dance booth, where its members enthusiastically encouraged C1s to join their CCA. They distributed fliers with more information and their members could be found in various areas of the school promoting their CCA.

Right Wing of the Central Plaza

There were many club booths here, with a particularly boisterous atmosphere. On my way there, members of Studio Ardent, our school’s photography and audio-visual club, were holding a signboard which described what they enjoyed about their CCA, convincing students to join their CCA. Notably, my eventual CCA, the Publications Society also handed out fliers to share more about its CCA.

It was very interesting to learn more about the colourful CCAs, and it is not possible for me to cover all of them here. However, I urge you, dear reader, to explore the other posts in Insights and find out more about the dynamism of the Hwa Chong spirit.

Subsequently, after two weeks since school life commenced, the most exciting day came. 17th February was a jam-packed day with activities. In the morning, there were War Games, which was followed by a Senior-Meet-Juniors session in the afternoon. Finally, in the evening, we had the long-awaited Campfire.

War Games on 17 Feb

The War Games were held at the High School terraces. It was very sunny and we all had to squeeze together for a picture, which took a while to compose, but an image to behold. After a series of cheers from the four Faculties, the War Games began. The objective of the game was to shoot down as many bottles as possible of the opposing Faculty. Those who flouted the rules of the game would be sent to "jail", which was near the flag poles at the High School Terraces. Those who were sent there had to complete a mission, usually a cheer, to be let out. It was a close battle and all Faculties put up a strong fight, but at last, the Ares faculty emerged victorious!

Seniors-Meet-Juniors Session

For the Seniors-Meet-Juniors Session, we were split up into smaller groups to interact with our seniors. The seniors shared some tips to cope with JC, such as time management advice and that on how to manage self-esteem issues. For our class, our seniors treated us with pizza. We took a picture before taking our leave. Overall, the session was very eye-opening as I got to know more about their experiences in JC, as well as some of their methods in handling JC and most importantly, the seniors were very welcoming and helpful.

Campfire

The star highlight of that day, the campfire, unfortunately had to take place indoors due to the rain. The hall was packed with C1s, the CGLs and other Hwa Chongians. We started off with a cheer battle between Faculties, where each Faculty had to send a class up on stage to cheer and after all the excitement and suspense, Ares was announced to be the winner.

Thereafter, the campfire officially began with a video of the campfire. We did some renditions from SODACHE. Some songs included Beechwood and 细水长流, while we performed cheers like Rock You. Towards the end, the DJs played hit pop songs for everyone to sing along to.

Personally, I felt that the orientation session was very helpful. It gave me an opportunity to get acquainted with the school culture and its pace of life, as well as know what to expect in my two years in Hwa Chong. It was also interesting to know more people whom I would be spending my time with in Hwa Chong. Furthermore, it was much easier to get into the rhythm of getting up early to head to school after a long period of holidays.

This marked the end of Orientation. I hope that every C1 enjoyed their orientation and formed great memories. Cheers to the journey ahead!