Friday, May 30, 2014

Track & Field Meet 2014

1:58 PM Posted by Anonymous No comments
The SST Track and Field Meet 2014 was held on 23 May 2014. This was more than just a day to show off your athletic skills but it was also a time for us to show our house spirit. Of course, it was also a day for students to boost the number of points for their houses by participating in the remaining races.
In the morning, all students and teachers made their own way to Clementi Stadium. Both students and teachers came flooding into the stadium, dressed in their house colours. Everyone assembled in classes to facilitate the attendance-taking. The various houses also hung up their house banners in front of the grandstand. After the National Anthem and Pledge, they dispersed into their respective houses as they made their way to their assigned area on the grandstand.
After everyone settled down with their houses, the house captains and vice-captains of the five houses carried their flag and torch towards the main cauldron. The respective house torches then combined to light the SST Track & Field Meet Torch held by the Principal, Mr Chua. After the lighting of the cauldron by Mr Chua, all athletes and spectators rose to take the athlete's oath. Finally, streamers were fired into the air as the event began with a bang. 




Before each race, the athletes did their warm ups and stretches at the starting line as they prepared themselves both physically and mentally. Race after race, students were tense for their favourite athletes. All the house members did their best to cheer for their athletes as loud as they could to encourage them. Some also bought temporary hair colour spray and sprayed their hair with their house colours, showing the support for their team.
During that day, the athletes showed just as much as enthusiasm as the cheering house behind them. They gave it their all as they ran the race, trying to not only gain points for their respective houses but also achieve their personal best.


After the first few races, there was an inter-house game in which all the spectators on the grandstand participated. The objective of the game was to keep a ball up in the air by hitting it. The house with the most number of hits wins. Everyone worked together with their respective houses as they continuously hit the ball, trying to prevent it from falling. Then, the 4 x 100 relays started.


When the relays ended, it was time for the inter-house cheerleading competition. The cheerleading teams were chock full of energy and it helped to liven up the whole stadium with their crazy moves and brilliant music. The performances showed the great amount of effort that the teams had put in for this event.

 
Next, the 4x400 relay races began as the cheers continued to become increasingly louder. Another round of cheerleading was held. This time, it involved the entire house as it was held on the grandstand itself. Everyone cheered for their teams at the top of their voice as the judges walked in front of the grandstand to view the cheers. Finally, the Parent & Child Novelty Telematch was held. Although the inter-house parents & staff race were planned to be held after the Telematch, it was postponed due to heavy raining.

After all the hard work on the common test which had ended 3 weeks before, SST students enjoyed themselves at this event. They really put the “hard” in play hard. Laughing, cheering and munching on the snacks from the stadium’s shop could be seen everywhere on the stands throughout the day. Both spectators and athletes obviously enjoyed their day. Even the heavy downpour that followed could not dampen the spirits of the school as people raced through the rain with umbrellas, bags and other forms of shelter. Many students could be seen sharing umbrellas as they quickly made their way to the nearby bus stop. All in all, that day was much more fun than the Track and Field Meet before. Written by: Sean Michael Koh (S207) & William Ming (S308)

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

SST Student Congress 2014

11:28 PM Posted by Anonymous No comments
On 21st May 2014, SST organised its second annual Student Congress Day. This day is commemorated as it will be a day where SST students will be allowed to express their opinions freely on the given topic.
The day started off with a talk given by the volunteers of a community service project. They told us about their story and how young teenagers were also involved, bringing happiness to others. Other than that, they spoke about the qualities of being a good service leader. Some qualities that were mentioned were passion, determination etc. Shortly after that, we were dismissed to our class for the first official activity. 


When we assembled in class, the Student Councillors and Peer Support Board Leaders were setting up their Macbooks and they started the Student Congress with this question; “What is advocacy?” There was much buzz in the class and this brought us to a lively and good start.


Thereafter, we were introduced to the ways we could classify our problems; Environmental, Socio-Emotional etc. We were then split into four groups for a discussion and brainstorming of problems that were happening in SST. We were told to further elaborate on the problem using the 5W1H thinking process. Discussing the problem also led to potential solutions. It was then further categorised into what kind of solution it was based on the KISS framework ; Keep / Improve / Start / Stop. Afterwards, we proceeded to the next part of Student Congress.  
        


As a class, we chose the best problem and started working on it. Lastly, there was a topic which was, “How can your class be more bonded?” Using a butcher-paper, we then brainstormed our ideas and thought of answers like class outing, watching a movie etc. It was a great day but that was not all. The final part of the event occurred at the Indoor Sports Hall (ISH), where we held our closing ceremony.


In the ISH, representatives from the four levels expressed their opinions about SST and how they found the Student Congress so far. Mr Lim then closed the whole session by showing us videos that was related to the topic. Mr Chua also gave his talk about why we commemorate Student Congress and how it affects the school.


That wraps up the whole of Student Congress 2014. It was an enriching and beneficial day as we gained knowledge, as well as had a platform to express our opinions regarding the school. Through this, we believe that the school would be further improved.

Written by: Johanna Lim (S209)

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Marine Conservation Presentation on 9 May 2014

10:45 PM Posted by Anonymous No comments
On 9th May 2014, the School of Science and Technology, Singapore organised an assembly programme for the students regarding Marine Conservation. They had invited the representatives of Resorts World Sentosa SEA Aquarium to tell us more about conserving our environment, such as the species around us, for they may become extinct and disappear from our sights forever if we do not do so. The whole school gathered in the Multi-Purpose Hall to listen to the speaker, Mr Adam. As he started, he talked a little about Resorts World Sentosa and what actually made up the whole Sentosa, such as the Aquarium etc. The talk was mainly focused on the Aquarium, in order to raise awareness of the diversity of marine organisms in Singapore. He also talked about the rising number of deaths of marine organisms. Some aquatic species have even been brought close to the brink of extinction because of us and our actions. He talked about what the ocean is like now and what kinds of organisms actually have the sea as their natural habitat. To keep us engaged in the topic, he actually interacted with us, having a few Question and Answer sessions throughout his entire talk. The students, were very co-operative as they actively participated and answered the questions he asked. Other than that, the talk was not only about the ocean alone, but also about how we, as people in this world, can play a part to save these organisms. Second of all, he addressed how we usually act. Some of the common actions that he pointed out was humans littering on the ground and even into the sea! We may think that this is a minor issue but it is affecting our eco-system greatly. The organisms, such as jellyfishes or even birds, think that the litter we throw (e.g. plastic bottles or plastic bags) are food and thus, consume them. This then led to their deaths.

Additionally, Mr Adam and his team have also helped the environment. They embarked on a project where they had to pick up the litter at East Coast Park Beach. They were split up into various groups and then conducted the project. As they tabulated the results at the end of the day, it was stated that cigarette buds amounted the most.
In conclusion, they also told us a few tips to keep our environment save, such as car-pooling, throwing your litter into the rubbish bin, recycling etc. The students not only learnt more about the environment and how to keep it save, but also had an enjoyable and engaging time listening to it!

Written By: Johanna Lim (S2-09)
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