Emblaze: The Fire Within (Sec One Orientation 2023)

Written by: Liew Wei Cheng (4i2)

The Secondary One Orientation for our incoming Freshmen was held from 3rd January to 4th January this year. The purpose of SOO’23 has always been to introduce the secondary ones to the lush school campus that would be their second home, understand and appreciate the rich school history and ethos of Hwa Chong, and for them to forge new friendships with their batchmates through all the fun activities planned for them.

The theme for Secondary One Orientation 2023 was “Emblaze: The Fire Within.” The dragon symbolizes power and more importantly, the autonomy that each freshman has to further develop and continuously uplift themselves to ascend greater heights, just like a dragon. The theme this year reminds freshmen of the potential they have as long as they trust themselves and are confident about their abilities. All the activities and games were planned with this theme in mind.

On the 5th of January and 9th of January respectively, our secondary ones were also a part of the badging and marching-in ceremonies, two significant events through which they were formally inducted into the Hwa Chong family.

Other than team-building games and briefings, this year’s Orientation brought back the cheers competition, the main highlight of past Orientations that took place during pre-Covid times. It was indeed heartening for us to see the secondary ones cheer their hearts out in Kah Kee Hall, imbue the school spirit and work in unity to achieve the common goal of earning recognition from their seniors.

The Badging Ceremony was significant as a formal welcome from the school leaders, form teachers and their seniors. It serves as a symbolic passing of the baton to the new freshmen and a reminder that they are now Hwa Chong gentlemen and need to continue the legacy of taking the school to greater heights.

During the flag raising ceremony on 9th January, the secondary one students stood before the whole school in their uniforms at the terraces. Under the leadership of their buddies, the secondary ones marched confidently and waved enthusiastically at seniors from both High School and Junior College, who cheered them on.

We do hope our Freshmen continue to keep our school flag flying high and tap into their true abilities while they embark on their educational journey in Hwa Chong. They will do well to heed this piece of advice from former US First Lady Michelle Obama, “The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them."

Here is a photo gallery of the memories formed during Orientation: