VS Class of 2010- Sec 4 Graduation

Today marks the graduation for the VS Class of 2010

Let's see some interesting characters who have followed me through my years here!

Here's Fadzly, Kwek Daniel and Jinjie, whom I've taught since Sec 2




What are we pointing to? We're pointing to the blank spots on the honor rolls in hopes that one day their names will be there. Jin jie was VS first Wushu DSA candidate and he has grown from a small skinny boy...


But look at him now, look at all of them now.

All grown to men.
They took a bit longer than some of their peers but the time was well spent. No regrets, man; no regrets.

Of course, close to my heart are the wushu boys.
Here we have Ryan Goh, the Captain of the team who has learnt the most that I have to teach- Lion Dance, Wushu, Sparring, Balintawak...


You are a champion indeed Ryan.

Next is Tan Yuda, our dependable Vice-Captain, who complements us in all we do.
When Ryan is the Lion-Head, Yuda is the tail. When we spar, Yu Da is the ideal practice partner to match my size, when we do Wushu, he's always the dependable last member-- may not get so much glory, but without him, we couldn't pull it off too. (Imagine Lion Dance got no backside...)


Then we have Saw Eh Tha Khu and Kong Wei Chung:

Saw overcame the barriers in language to learn Sanshou from my own teacher and to gain a resounding win for VS in the SNWF Wushu Invitational Sanshou Free-sparring event. Proving that VS Wushu boys are not just about pretty moves and to top that, he's one of our top students!
Next to him is the one and only Mr Kong Wei Chung, our Malaysian scholar-who is the first overseas scholar in the VS Wushu team.
All members in the VS Wushu team unanimously agree that Weichung's roar can be heard all the way from Siglap to JB, some say KL even.
Next to WeiChung is Adrian Tan Jian Yang, one of the most outstanding NCC Cadets VS has ever produced.

Then we have Jin ZhenYu, who though academically weaker, has worked hard to receive the PSG Most Outstanding Improvement Award.

Keep it up, Mr Jin--- you'll be a global leader one day :)

And who can forget the scholars... it took me 7 years to have a daughter of my own cos all my time is taken up by these energtic 'sons' of mine!

First off, our neighrbourly Malyasians:

Malaysia BOLEH!

Then we have the silent, quiet but ever polite and diligent Vietnamese:


Also, the Mafia Wars gang from Bangkok, the Thai scholars:


And who can forget our Serious PE class of 2010

"Eng Lek, stop staring at your crotch"

Last but not least our various student leaders:
Ben and Laksman


The one and only Barry


The rest of the gang from 'The Climb'


As Mr Low our principal rightly put it today- a gift only has meaning when it takes on a life of its own.
Thank you boys for the gift of the best years of my life and in return it is a fitting final for us to give back. Every year, graduating Victorians pen down their thoughts in the Voices of Victoria journal, but this being my final year with VS I decided to collaborate with our Senior leaders and do a 'live' Voices of Victoria:

YOG Soccer: Singapore vs Zimbabwe @ Jalan Besar Stadium

Friday night was a memorable occasion for all Victorians. For our inaugural YOG in Singapore, Victoria School had been paired with Zimbabwe as their hosts in Singapore.

Through the support of generous donors, alumni and other well-wishers, Victoria School managed to get tickets for the ENTIRE school population to watch yesterday's soccer match where Singapore played Zimbabwe. The match was all the more significant because it brought Victorians back to our old campus in Jalan Besar (Tyrwhitt Road)

For such a large outing, we wanted to make sure that Victorians upheld themselves well and since the majority of students had to take public transport there, we wanted them to be safe in their walk to and fro from the stations. So with typical characteristics of Victoria School, we see our Red Shirts and Black Shirts in action stationed along the way to the stadium:


As our boys filled into the stadium, we could feel a strong sense of both national and school pride. Seeing the entire school fill the upper grandstand to support our Singapore team, captained by Jeffery Adamn Lightfoot, our very own Sec 3 Victorian, gave all of us a burst of pride and exhiliration in anticipation of the game to come.


In our distinctive 'bumble-bee' PE attire and our clappers, we definitely rocked the stadium:


As the national anthem was played, the boys sang so much louder then they did during morning assembly.

Anticipation was high and spirits were roused as Zimbabwe had laid down a hefty challenge in their pre-match press interviews.

When the match started, Singapore surpised everyone with a quick and decisive early goal

The cheers of jubilation rocked the very foundations of the stadium.
We quickly followed it by a second goal and by the end of the first half, Singapore, led the game 3-0.

As we watched our nation deliver success beyond expectations, focus was also on Jeffery our own Victorian hero. Media coverage for the YOG committee was so impressed with the show of support of VS for Jeffery that that wanted to interview his classmates to see what truly makes a Victorian something more:



Baik lah, Jeffery!!
We are so proud of you.

At the close of the first half, Zimbabwe was awarded a penalty and managed to bring the score to 3-1



However, it was clear that Singapore had dominated the night's game and
in the 2nd half we mainted the 3-1 score to win the game.

What was apparent was the way in which the boys from both teams hugged and clasped each other when the game was over. Despite the hard fought game and heavy expectations on both sides, everyone truly enjoyed the experience of a well fought match that brought out the best in everone.

Next week, VS hosts the Zimbabwe cultural booth at the YOV. More updates then!

YOG Torch Relay- Cheering the Torch!

Today has been an eventful day, having started at 8.00am when our VS Wushu Team went down to Kallang CC to perform for the National Day Observance ceremony.

At 2pm, we brought our drums and instruments down to the junction of Siglap Road and Marine Parade Road to cheer the YOG torch as it passed by from St Patricks to ITE.

The ASEAN scholars had practiced with me some drumming as we are twinning with Zimbabwe during the games period. So we brought our tribal rhythms down to the road and infused it with the unqiue VS Spirit!


We were very well received by the various contingents and delegates as they went by in the buses. The waves, smiles and cheers were just fantastic. Even the general public in their various modes of transport stopped to take pictures of us :)

Best of all, was when the we found out that the torch was approaching, carried by our Head Prefect, Surya-- it was then that we pumped up the volume and all gathered together to cheer with pride for VS and for the nation!


More to come when I update this blog with further YOG events that we are involved in!

Boarders Supper & Drum Jam

Yesterday, Mr Su and I organised one of our regular suppers for the boarders under our charge.

We also had a small surprise for everyone. With the help of Harri and Kim Hwe from the band, we started a simple drum groove going as the boarders came in for supper:


Harri and Hwe (both drummers in the band) helped me by establishing simple bass lines for the rest to follow and we began by establishing simple patterns and echoes:


As more and more boys started to stream in, the rhythm settled into its own groove and I got out of the way to let them explore the beat while I met with other boarders to sign some administrative forms for the coming heath check


With more students coming in, I got those without instruments to engage in clapping (we keep the drums minimal for this session and had mostly hand percussions cos it was at night and we wanted to keep the volume under control) Once the clappers had joined in, the groove was quite mature and I begin a series of call and responses with them:


In the end, between we were able to keep a steady beat going which had some spontaneous variations arising on their own:


Having students from different countries coming together in hostel and creating a common beat and enjoying fellowship over supper was a great experience. It could not have occured at a better time because today we celebrate Racial Harmony Day in school. So Victorians, let us keep this unite together in our common bonds of friendship and share the spirit with everyone!

Hard to say no...

Drum Circle Facilitation

As part of our preparations for YOG, I attended a drum circle facilitation course conducted by Arthur Hull (held at Kallange CC in conjunction with One Heart Beat and the Asian Trainers Bureau)

So on Sat, after all the facilitators graduated, we had a huge drum circle at Boon Keng MRT station.

This is my first public facilitation of a drum circle:

Joo Chia Youth Cycleabout and Racial Harmony Walk

Today VS served as the flag off point for the residents from Joo Chiat Constituency's Cycleabout and Racial Harmony walk.

Youths and other residents would cycle or walk from VS to Joo Chiat CC. Today's event was graced by Mr K Shanmugan, Minister for Law & 2nd Minister for Home Affairs
Our Minister was there at the start point to flag off the participants.
Our VS Scholars staying in the hostel and our Sec 3 Prefects were gathered to lend support to this event and take part in both the walk and cycleabout
Here we see the participarts gathered for the Mass Walk:


The start point for the Cycling group was at just under the ISH. Here you can see the boys collecting their bicycles:


Our very own Principal, Mr Low was also there to join in the fun and cycle with the boys:

"Shooters watch your front! (and rear too!)"

Got my new toy just the other day-

Multi-cam battle belt & harness with 4 pod mag holders and 1 dump pouch


Couldn't wait for today to try it out at Austin Hills Paintball field in JB
Adjusted the entire rig to fit first and it felt good.

Enough compartments to hold 4 pods of paintballs (about 400 rounds), 1 dump pouch for misc items if needed in the scenario
Some of the guys had more elaborate rigs- with camelbak hydration pouches and comms gear attached. I'm still relatively noob, so this lite-weight set-up good enough for me without sacrificing mobility

With the top on, the harness blends in with the rest of the multi-cam pattern and I'm good to go!


Today was a tad less satsifying because our first warm-up Elimination game ended in draw for both sides
Second game, Capture the Flag game had my O2 tank purge completely in the middle of the game cos of a ruptured O-ring. Sian... caught in the middle of cross-fire right insight of the flag with a fully loaded marker but can't shoot cos got no air in the tank. No choice but to hunker down and dogdge bullets.
Third game, every one shack-out liao.
So we did a small-sided 3 on 3 elimination.
we played 2 rounds- Round 1, my 2 team-mates got shot while running for tree cover in the opening 10 secs. With 3 expert speedballers from the opposite team aiming at me, it was only a matter of time before i got hit. Longest 30 secs of my life.

Second round, our guys took revenge! We eliminated 2 of the opposing team early with 1 loss on our side. With 2 to 1 advantage, we had their last member pinned down.
After laying suppressing fire, I sprinted to flank him while he sought to engage my team-mate.
Then suay suay, Phoenix, my team-mate mistook my sudden sprint as enemy movement, shot me from behind. wah liao
PK'ed by friendly fire *sigh*
The last remaining opponent took this opportunity to close in and then we were all out.

Not exactly triumphant but still, it's the spirit of the game that counts.
The small triumph I take back this weekend is I know the cough that's been plaguing me this week is breaking. Should be on my way to full recovery by next week, just in time for VS Wushu team to enter National Inter-school Wushu Championships.

So time to get ready for another battle, on another battle field!

What do big boys do to have fun ...

Big boys, small boys- all of us like to play with guns :P
The most realistic way to shoot each other and make it back alive is by playing airsoft- the airsoft scene is really big in Manila where I sometimes go to play and train. But closer to home, next door in Johor- there's a great paintball field where Singaporeans and Malaysians gather to play scenarios paintball aka woodsball.

Since 2009, I've played a couple of games with the Wargh crew (they've even help us set up a laser tag mission for Veloci-T Camp in 2009)
Here's footage of the Wargh crew and what mischief big boys get up to on the weekends!
Watch RazorTV as they interview 'Master Chief' Andy and the rest of his crew at Austin Hills , JB.
We'll be heading down tommorrow for a great shoot out!

Keep the Faith

KEEP THE FAITH, VS! KEEP THE FAITH!

National Schools Cross-Country Championships 2010

Yesterday marked a triumphant return of the C and B Division Challenge trophies to Victoria School in the National Schools Cross-Country 2010.
We see our Principal, Mr Low, sitting proudly with the 2 Challenge Shields- back where they belong!


As all true blue Victorians know, no other school has ever won both Division titles in cross-country event for boys in the history of the event in Singapore. Largely this is because, for an almost unbroken stint of 19 years, VS has captured at least 1 title every year: i.e. winning either the C or B Division titles.
Where we have set our mark in history is that in several landmark years, we have won both C and B Division titles-- the only school to have done that for the boys event. We won both divisions title in 2006 and this year's double whammy brings our tally up to 31 combined team titles in the history of the event!

This year our budding crop of talents in the C-Boys have shown that they are proud inheritors of the legacy passed to them by their seniors:


Our C-Boys Top-4 runner's results
1. Marcus Ng, Victoria School – 15:41.66
5. Mahesvaran S/O Selvan, Victoria School – 16:56.54
8. Sean Yeo, Victoria School – 17:31.06
15. Branson Chua, Victoria School – 18:02.98

C Division Boys:
1. Victoria School – 29
2. Catholic High – 37
3. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) – 40
4. Raffles Institution – 72
5. Bartley Secondary – 151

As for our B-Boys, they have proven without a doubt that team-work and humilty and gratefulness are what makes a champion team. Despite facing various set-backs, they have perservered and emerged champions by encouraging it other and working as a united team.

Our B-Boys Top-4 runner's results
4. Venuraam S/O Selvan, Victoria School – 16:20.22
5. Joel-David Wong, Victoria School – 16:27.01
6. Bryan Yong, Victoria School – 16:28.47
18. Hieng Pheak Kdey, Victoria School – 17:06.44

B Division Boys:
1. Victoria School – 33
2. St. Joseph’s Institution – 52
3. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) – 53
4. Catholic High – 72
5. Singapore Sports School – 95

Of course, none of these would be possible without the passion and dedication of their devoted Cross-Country teacher Miss Sheikha Fadzleen and her partner in crime Mdm Ernie. Day in, Day out; rain or shine- Sheikha is with the boys giving of herself to train them to be the best they can be; and when the boys return to school after their training, Mdm Ernie stays with them to help them catch up on their school work.
Thank you teachers, we couldn't have done it without you!


(Photos courtesy of Mr Eeson Tay)
Information on timings taken from Red Sports- For more coverage of the event, please see the article at redsports.sg

VS Sec 3 Overseas Advenutre Camp @ KOREF

Every year in March, our entire Sec 3 cohort goes overseas to Kahang, Malaysia where we spend 4 days at the Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm.
There the boys get a chance to do a variety of Outdoor Activities as well as get to know more about Ecological Awareness and our relationship with the environment.

Let's take a look at some of the activities that allow our students to
Challenge the Process of learning, leading and collaborating:


Throughout the various events, our various student leaders i.e. the Red Shirts, Black Shirts, Class Monitors, Peer Leaders, etc all sought to Enable Each Other to Act by reinforcing our common values as Victorians:


Soon it became apparent that each one of us contributed to this shared experience; that the Victorian Spirit that we talk about, cheer about and fight about is built from the shared dreams and hopes that we inspire in each other. We learn that our actions have a wider impact on the Victorian family and that each and every step we take for ourselves also allows us to Inspire a Shared Vision with our fellow Victorians


When we faced the challenge of climbing Mount Lambak, we knew it was a daunting task that would test not only our physical endurance but our mental endurance too. But Victorians leave no one behind and it is this belief that allows us to be willing to carry each other's burdens, to lighten each other's load and to Encourage Each Other's Hearts:


We believe that a Victorian is ultimately a Gentleman, Professional & Sportsman. Ultimately, that is the model for every Victorian to follow. From students, to teachers, each and everyone of us seeks to Model the Way for future generations of Victorians to follow:


(The theme of the above videos has been structured according to the Kouzes & Posner framework which VS has adopted and incorporated into our Student Leadership Framework)

CNY Lo Hei for Asean & A-Star Scholars

Today, Mr Su Ronghua organised our own very special Lo Hei session for all our ASEAN and A-Star scholars in Victoria Hall.

Having students from various countries and nationalities, we had to take a few rounds to really 'Lo Hei'!


Huat ah!

CNY Performance @ VS

Today VS had our Chinese New Year celebrations, last year due to scheduling clashes and last minute changes, our VS Wushu Team performed for 2 Primary Schools but was unable to perform in VS itself.

This year, we were determined to make up for our absence and practiced hard to wow our home crowd. Our season due of Lion Head and Lion Tail- Ryan Goh from 4A and Tan Yuda from 4I are graduating this year and this would be a great way to celebrate their coming of age in the team.
You can see how seasoned they are now:


Even better this year, I finally handed over all aspects of the performance to the boys. John Png from 3B took over the helm for drumming with the cymbals played by Kang Jie, Saw, Hui Dhar and Zhenyu.
We had our 'gong specialist' Liu Weilie come back from NS to join us today even! Weilie managed to earn a day off for attaining a Silver in his IPPT test! Well done!


After our Lion Dance, we had our wushu performance by the team.
With many of our veteran members graduating this year, we showcased some new talent in the C-Div:


I believe that Kong Wei Chung from 4D made the biggest and loudest impression on everyone.
It is this passion and ROARING love for Victoria that I feel deep in my heart and wish to share with all staff and students this Chinese New Year.
In the year of the Tiger, may we fight tooth and claw to surmount all challenges that come our way;
may we hunt out opportunities to make ourselves something more;
and when we after we crest these seemingly insurmountable odds, may we ROAR our name for all to hear- we will ROAR out loud that WE ARE VICTORIANs and WE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING MORE!!!

RAWR!

5th VS Student Leaders Investiture

Today marks the 5th Student Leaders Investiture in VS.

In my opinion, this year's pledge was the best recital I've heard in all the years.
Finally, it sounds the way it was meant to be said:
Student Leaders’ Pledge

We hereby pledge that as Leaders,
We shall always be Gentlemen
who seek to do the right things
with integrity and compassion.

As Professionals, we will not be content with mediocrity
We will learn and strive to be the best in the classroom and on the field.
We seek to do the right things and to do things right.

As Sportsmen, we will constantly push our boundaries.
We will lose with pride and win with humility.
We will play the game of life and emerge Champions

As Victorian Leaders,
we hereby pledge to serve the school and our community in all that we do.
We will give the best of ourselves, in each and every moment of our lives.
We live neither in the past nor in the future but in the moment.
And our moment is Now.
We will give of our best Now and Always because we are Victorians
And Victorians are something more.

Beijing Wushu Team vist to Victoria School

On 7th Feb, 3 boys from Victoria School will be part of the performance team comprising of members of the Beijing Wushu Team and Kuen Wushu in during the Wushu performance, "The Champion" at Victoria Theatre.

The 3 boys are:
TAN JIA SHENG DARREN 3I
FUNG JIN JIE 4E
KONG WEI CHUNG 4D

Victoria School was proud to play hosts to the Beijing Wushu Team who visited us on Thu 4th Feb to mingle with the boys and have a joint training session to acclimatise themselves upon arriving in Singapore
First all, we had a brief introduction of the team and our VS boys and then both groups, began to do their warm-ups and basic exercises:


It is immediately apparent that the level and proficiency at which the Beijing Team members execute even the most fundamental movements set themselves in a whole new level of skill:

Even casual warm-ups are executed with a crispness and fluidity that are the distinctive hall-marks of true professional athletes

Later, when the team started to do their more complicated aerial movements, the VS Team gave way to the Beijing Team and watched attentively as these professionals pushed the boundaries of excellence.

In this session, it was obvious that the Beijing team was not training at their regular intensity but were just limbering to acclimatise to Singapore's hot and humid weather after their arrival here.
Yet, we can see that behind the casual execution of each jump, flip and turn; there is a huge difference in the way their air-time, fluidity and technical poise.

It is not often that student athletes are priviledged to have an inside look at how professional teams train; so for the boys they were thrilled and awestruck by the performance of these highly skilled athletes.

So for those who haven't got your tickets yet, there's still time!
Don't miss the Beijing Wushu Team (not to mentioned JJ, Darren and Weichung from VS!) in "The Champion"

EDGE 2010 Sec 1 Orientation Camp

Hi all,
currently in Jalan Bahtera with Mr Amir and the rest of the PE Dept running the Sec 1Orientation Camp.

For updates on the camp, go to http://edge2010vs.blogspot.com

Veloci-T 2009 Schedule

Post-Exam Activities (Floorball)

Exams are finally over for Sec 1s to Sec 3s
Woots!!!!
So now it's time to let our hair down and allow the boys to have a well-deserved break.

Today it was Inter-Class games
Here we see our Sec 1s playing Floorball as part of the Inter-Class competitions.

VS Roadshow @ Gongshan Primary

Today, VS visited Gongshan Primary for their 'P6 to Sec1' presentation. Many schools were present to introduce themselves to the graduating batch of P6 students from Gongshan Primary. VS was honored to be there

Today with me were boys from the RSP and AEP classes, impressed the parents and P6 students alike with their clear articulation and passionate delivery of what it means to be a Victorian:


But the one who captured the most attention was soccer player Faris from Sec 2E. To show that Victorians are well-rounded individuals, excelling both on and off the field, we had a sports challenge where students who could juggle the sepak takraw ball were given a prize.

This proved to be a hit with the P6 students- especially with the infectious humor and agile skill demonstrated by Faris:


We hope to be back next year to share more about Victoria School with students from Gongshan Primary!