Showing the Tiger Spirit – Chinese New Year Celebration 2022

Written by: Goh Yu Le (21S79)

Photos by: Studio Ardent and Selected High School Classes

The Banner Hung at the Inner Plaza

2022 Chinese New Year’s celebration may have been different for everyone but the spirits of Student Councillors, CCAs and fellow Hwachongians were all united through this festive event. Liu Zi Jian (21A12), the In-Charge of the CNY celebration, expressed that “Covid-19 affected their program at every level.” Nevertheless, the Councillors came up with ingenious solutions to their problems by “making certain adjustments to [their] work processes”. For the huge banner that was hung up in the Inner Plaza, they split it into three separate pieces, so that 15 people could work on it at a time, thereby speeding up the creation process.

Emcees for 2022 CNY Celebration Chong El Sa (21S67) and Yang Chenghan, Roy (21S7F)

Furthermore, Zi Jian highlighted a particular moment which encouraged them to continue persevering. Our Principal, Mr Pang, “came over to [the CNY Admin team] and wished [them] well for the Lunar New Year, and also commended [them] for [their] efforts in making the programme what it was.” This was certainly special for the Councillors, which was “especially affirming for the CNY team”.

The Tiger Games during the CNY Livestream

The Tiger Games were also a new segment that caught everyone’s eye. Zi Jian explained that the game show introduced “an engaging program to watch during the livestream.” This year, they decided to model the game show after the Tiger Games and pooled their resources into one big prize as opposed to many small prizes (such as last years' Sheng Siong Gameshow), so as to create an even more exciting program, since more would be at stake.

Not only was the gameshow captivating for its audience, the contestants themselves had an enjoyable time participating in it. Although the winner of the AirPods, Derry Tan Jia Hao (21S73), said that he initially “decided to participate in the game show because of the prize to be won”, he later felt that, “the most valuable takeaway was still the experience itself, as getting the prize was just a momentary satisfaction and didn't really make [him] all that happy.” Instead, it was the “fun and memories from that day” that continued to stay with him.

Lastly, the celebration would certainly not be complete without its performances! From the annual song by Mr Pang, to PSG’s virtual 拜年 and the various CCA performances, the festive spirit was really brought out. In spite of the various adversities, the different performance groups pressed on and gave spectacular performances! Setbacks are inevitable when preparing for such a large-scale event.

Over at the High School, the student body was equally determined to have a "paw-sitive" start to the Tiger Year. The campus was similarly dressed in its festive red, with the different classes demonstrating their artistic best in redesigning their classrooms to reflect the joyous atmosphere. CNY greetings were commonly heard along the corridors as staff and students alike basked in the celebratory spirit.

It is indeed heartening to see Hwachongians showing the Tiger spirit and overcoming the challenges that they faced. Let us be grateful for the different parties who were involved in the creation of such an amazing show. We wish everyone had a happy Chinese New Year and a prosperous year ahead!

High School Classrooms Decorated with Festive Splashes of Colour