Total Defence Day 2011 ~ Fire Drill

“Precaution is better than cure” ~ Edward Coke                   

A screeching siren reverberated throughout the school compound. In an instant, the calm, serene silence of a lazy school morning erupted into a thundering barrage of playful shrieks and screams. Amidst the tornado of noise, the principal, Mrs. Toh, made an announcement over the PA system instructing all students to evacuate their classrooms for a fire drill exercise. Instantaneously, unruly herds of students spilled out of the classrooms, filling up the corridors as they noisily made their way to the school field.

A sea of white and blue flowed into the field from all directions. Prefects and teachers arduously ushered the students to their respective assembly venues. After what seemed like an aeon, the school compound was finally evacuated and the students sat quietly in twos according to their classes. As they restlessly basked under the scorching sun, the principal, who was perched on the ledge of the swimming pool above the field, delivered a brief Total Defence day message. The students listened attentively as they were literally roasted under the blistering heat.

" It is important that every student is aware of the importance of the Fire Drill," Commented Faiz, from 3S1. 

It was an eventful Total Defence day, and as the students strolled back to their classes, most simply disregarded the message that was brought forth to them a couple of minutes ago, while some paused to reflect on their actions and pondered over her words.

The fire drill is an important practice not only in schools, but also in workplaces and housing estates alike. Fire drills are no joke as we are never sure of when an accident may take place thus we have to be serious and be prepared to tackle any situation at any given time. 

"Fire drills are also important as they help to minimize the chances of people making mistakes as a careless blunder could mean the difference between life and death, just as the saying goes “a miss is a good as a mile”. Everyone has a part to play in ensuring the safety of our people and ultimately, the safety our nation."  Mr Tan YH commented

Indeed, precaution is better than cure.

Done By: Kevin Lau, Jamos, Si Yuan, Ashwin & Syafiq of 3SA

Food from the Heart 2011

Food from the Heart

By Gabriel Gan 3SA

Food from the Heart

“It’s better to give than to receive.” How often do we hear of this phrase but sadly, most of the time, we do not take heed of it? Somehow as I grow older and become more aware and concerned about the things around me, this phrase is beginning to have a special meaning in my heart. Often we read and learn of people all over the world dying of starvation and suffering in poverty. Even in our own country, we hear of families not having the financial means to make ends meet; we read of families needing to turn to social assistance for their daily necessities. Sometimes, we tend to forget that there are fellow citizens who do not even have a roof over their heads and do not know of how or when their next meal will come. Hence, it is important that we take stock of what we are blessed with and spare a thought for those in need around us. We may be blessed with material belongings and have more than enough to put on our plate at every meal, but at the same time, I think it is also rightful of us to really spare a thought for these unfortunate people too.

The ‘St Andrew’s Village Food Drive’project organised by the Saints family is certainly an important and essential milestone to show that we are a caring and compassionate community. The teachers and our principal, Mrs. Lucy Toh, encouraged the students to give as much as possible and elaborated on the point that if everyone brought an item, there would be more than a thousand foodstuffs and this would definitely benefit the needy to a huge extent. Parents were notified of this special drive and the response was indeed overwhelming and encouraging. Over the few weeks that the project got underway, we saw scores and scores of students bringing canned food and other non-perishable foodstuffs like rice, instant noodles, cooking oil etc, to the collection point in the school compound. It is indeed heartwarming to note that the Saints community cares and that we are a school that will lift a finger to help out whenever there is a calling.

Boys from the Normal Technical stream were tasked to pack these collections and organise them into proper categories. I am pretty sure all of them went that extra mile to lend their helping hands. The skit specially put up by these students during one of the morning assemblies clearly depicted their caring spirit and unceasing enthusiasm to ensure that this project be met with great success. Kudos to you guys!

The project may have ended but the spirit of giving must not end too. Let us continue to develop that caring attitude towards our friends in need. Nothing beats the sight of seeing these people putting on that smile when they receive these gifts. I am sure it will go a long way in their lives and one day, when they look back at this depressing episode of their lives, they will remember that when they were bitterly down, the Saints family was there to help them pull through those difficult times.

‘No one is a stranger, they are just friends we have not met’. This is another statement that lingers in my mind when the ‘Food from the Heart’ campaign was going on. I thought to myself as I pondered over the whole matter. We came with nothing in our mother’s womb and we will leave with nothing to be with God in eternity. Whatever we are blessed with on earth, shouldn’t we share with our fellow brothers who need them even more?

Surely, it is better to give than to receive….

CHINESE NEW YEAR REFLECTION 2011

“人在千里，家在心里” - 徐子淳

Within the Atlantis of my mind are many chambers, filled with familiar winds,
voices brimming with questions we never stop asking: Papa, where are we? Why aren’t we
home yet? Will we be there soon?  to which there are no answers; only doors to other cities,
where the walls are adorned with portraits of here: old teachers and friends, perhaps
even family; the strangers in whom we discover companionship. I meet and know
the old man who used to lean from the window of his flat at ten thirty (invariably during Math),
his gaze stopping short of the shutters of our classroom; the lady selling the morning-
daily at the train station as I find, then make, my way to work; the nurse who will pass,
finally, by my bedside and mark the weeks during those anticipated, graying days.
Some have names: Ali from Muthu’s Curry, whom we always suspected, but couldn’t be sure,
was a brother of the latter; Diane from the bank, whom we have never met, but who sends us
a card and three brochures each time either of us has a birthday; even Mr. Eng
from Father’s hurried past, who turned up when we bade him goodbye. From nowhere
wafts a scent of toothpaste and lemongrass, distinct but unpenetrating, drawing me
through streets at once tender and unknown, strewn with toys I once thought I’d lost:
the copper coin, pressed and printed, that flipped into the drain; the cloth bear Mother hid
once I was old enough to sleep alone; the howling shell washed away by my first brush
with the sea. These are reasons enough to believe that here is not only where I grew up,
but why; that I might, someday, return and know: all there ever is to another place
is selfsame home, through which runs lengthwise a trackless road that finds no rest.

KIWI CUP 2011

      On 21 January 2011, Saints from all walks of life, Secondary one’s, old boys, ex-students, teachers all arrived at Raffles Institution to watch the annual Kiwi cup match between perennial rivals St. Andrew’s and RI. St. Andrew’s have held this cup since 2007 and many hope to see us continue this domination and go for our fifth consecutive win.

      
The atmosphere at the stadium was electrifying. Raffles’ supporters outnumbered us and it was a competition to see who could produce more noise in the form of drums, cheers and mascots. Our voices were drowned by the din and a normal conversation was impossible to carry out.

    
  The C division curtain raiser started punctually at 3.00pm.

      Our boys outsmarted, outclassed and outplayed a physically superior Raffles team. They were twice as strong and twice as fast as us. However, Raffles chose the wrong tactic and tried to power through the midfield thinking they could walk over us. We tackled low and rucked hard, driving Raffles back in defence. Raffles had failed to take their chances while we took advantage of the slightest mistakes, converting them into points. The score at half time was 19-0 in favour of Saints.

      The second half started with Raffles kicking off. Saints still continued their domination and controlled possession and territory. Raffles stepped on the gas to score one try but Saints still ran in a few more tries. The final score was 40-5. Saints won.

      Next came the real deal---the Kiwi Cup match, a match between the combined A Div and B Div squads of both schools. It was the cream of the crop playing their hearts out there. Tension set in as both teams sang their school songs and Saints performed their menacing battle cry.

      The match started at about 4.30pm.

      Saints kicked off to begin this exciting match between two legendary teams. Once again, RI was bigger than us but we had one advantage, speed. We were faster and RI could not handle the pace of our game. Saints drew first blood, converting a penalty through the boot of Naresh. RI quickly replied wth a try. Raffles were in our twenty-two and from a lineout, the Raffles fly-half passed to the full back who ran through a yawning gap to race ahead to touch down, despite the efforts of Naresh. The try was unconverted which brought the score to 5-3.

      Ruck after ruck, maul after maul, it was a pretty even contest and both sides defence were rock solid. Nicholas Yau broke the deadlock by breaking through two Raffles tackles, sidestepping one more before passing to Bryan Lim who scored in the corner.  Naresh’s attempt at the conversion failed and the score was 8-5 at half time to Saints.

      Raffles kicked off the second half. The second half was pretty even, with both teams struggling to keep the scoreboard ticking. Raffles’ handling let them down, knocking the ball on most of the time and failing to take their chances. Saints made a few line breaks but our attack was halted by the unrelenting defence of Raffles. After giving away a penalty, Raffles kicked deep into our twenty-two, putting huge pressure on us. Raffles swung the ball left and right, trying to find seams in our defence. Pressure was building up as our defence became disorganised. Raffles swung the ball left and their player knocked on. Edwin Chia, our winger picked up the ball and ran into open territory. He did not have the pace to go all the way and was caught by the Raffles winger but he managed to sneak an offload to Nicholas Yau who scored a memorable try. Naresh failed to convert it and the score was 13-5 in favour of Saints.

      Raffles had three players sin-binned and Saints held on and the whistle finally blew. Saints had won the Kiwi Cup in 2011.

      There was jubilation everywhere. Students were jumping about in the stands and people were screaming their hearts out.

      After both the C Div team and the Kiwi Cup team received their medals, the Kiwi Cup team performed the Saints battle cry again.

      The crowds dispersed and people began to leave. A few stayed behind to watch the Jim Weir Cup.

      In the end, we achieved a clean sweep of the day’s matches, winning all four. Today was truly a great day to be a saint. Up and On!