Taking Centre Stage: New Leaders Step Up for College Day
By Solace A. Dolot (23S41)
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On the morning of 22th July 2023, current and past Victorians attended Victoria Junior College (VJC)’s 39th College Day, commemorating 39 years since the college was founded in 1984.
This year, VJC had the honour of hosting Director-General of Education (Professional), Ms Liew Wei Li, as Guest of Honour for the proceedings.
The 40th Student Council (SC) President and Vice-President escorting Ms Liew and VJC’s principal, Mr Jeffrey Low, through Victoria Junior College. Photo taken by Ms Goh Hui Hua from VJC Photography Society.
Clockwise from top left: Ms Cheong, Mr Goh, Eryue, and Mizuki posing with Ms Liew during the prize presentation. Photos by Mr Lee Hwa Seng from VJC Photography Society.
After Mr Low presented the College Report to the attendees, Ms Liew was invited to present a few of the prizes to this year’s awardees. These included the Singapore Public Service Valedictory Letter awarded to Ms Cheong Siew Yin, Celine and Mr Goh Eng Chai; the Dr Ong Chit Chung Trophy for Outstanding Service to the College won by outgoing SC President, Fukushima Mizuki from 21A12; and the Arts Alumni Humanities Excellence Award won by Song Eryue from 21A11.
As for the highest honour of the college, the Wong Hung Kim Trophy for Student of the Year, outgoing SC Vice-President Arshul Garg from 21S47 received both the prize and the honour to be the school’s Valedictorian.
Arshul giving his Valedictorian speech. Photo by Dylan Gan from VJC Photography Society.
Arshul (left) receiving the Wong Hung Kim Trophy. Photo taken by Mr Lee Hwa Seng from VJC Photography Society.
Ms Liew also stayed for the concerts, as well as for the singing of the Victorian Anthem and the school cheer.
Clockwise from left: Wushu, Strings Ensemble, Harmonica Band, and VJ Choir. Photos by Ms Lin Danwei and Mr Ng Chao Chia from VJC Photography Society.
This was the polished side that many Victorians and guests saw on College Day; a formal school event made to celebrate the achievements of the college. However, there must have been people behind the scenes who put in the effort to refine the proceedings of this event.
For the performances, organising a significant school-wide ceremony took much planning and effort on the part of the teachers and the CCA leaders. Between performers rehearsing on a cool Tuesday afternoon and the bustling of the teachers in the darkened hall, it was evident how seriously everyone took this event.
“We had two weeks to practise for College Day… and we’re practising for National Day and our concert [on 5th August, at Changi Terminal 3 Departure Hall] at the same time,” said Margarita Evaristo, the incoming Vice-Chairperson of VJC’s Symphonic Band.
Working together with her counterpart, Bernice Tay, the incoming Chairperson, they had to prepare the band to play the fanfare signalling the arrival of the guest of honour, as well as the accompaniment to VJC’s Choir team for the Victorian Anthem at the end of the event. College Day was also their first major project as new leaders.
“Now, we don’t have full sections…” Margarita continued. “We don’t have any trumpet players so we asked someone to switch over to trumpet. So, one challenge is boosting their confidence for these people because they have to hard-carry their own section.”
“Sometimes we need to enforce a bit. But at the same time, we have to achieve a balance between [discipline, fun and games],” Bernice added.
“We still have a long way to go,” Margarita summarised. “I’m nervous but also a little excited [about the new position.]”
“I’m also nervous because of the challenges,” Bernice agreed. “But I’m sure that together, the band can [conquer anything].”
The VJC Choir performing an enchanting acapella rendition of Itsumo Nando Demo, the ending theme from the hit Miyaszaki film, Spirited Away. Photo by Ms Lin Danwei from VJC Photography Society.
However for VJC Choir, the pressure of College Day may not have been as intense. College Day was not the first major project for Chew Qiao Enn, the incoming Chairperson of VJC Choir, and according to her, hosting the Direct School Admission (DSA) auditions this year was tougher. Moreover, the Choir had already performed their main piece for their Symphony of Voices concert this May.
Beyond College Day, Qiao Enn also said that her new position can be challenging to juggle alongside her academics, especially since she has to spend much time managing relationships and communicating effectively with her team.
“Sometimes in the Singaporean education system, we tend to do things alone. [But as a CCA,] we need to cooperate and get things done. For me, I needed to learn to strike that balance between communicating effectively while not being overly domineering.”
Qiao Enn said that she tried to “prioritise in that moment and take things one step at a time.” Being more mindful when communicating and ensuring the other person understood her message were also important to her. She wanted to make sure that her members found her down-to-earth and relatable.
When asked what she wanted to tell her incoming leaders, Mrudani Subramanain, the outgoing Vice-Chairperson of VJC Choir, said not to overthink things. From prior experience, she said that it was very interesting to watch people adapt and change as the situation required. She was proud of herself and her team of outgoing leaders for pulling through, but expressed that she felt regret for forgetting that Choir was also a place for her to have fun.
“Don’t get caught up too much in what is right or wrong,” she advised. “Focus on welfare and it will be easier to make decisions.”
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Qiao Enn highlighted that the Choir’s traditions were disrupted, making it difficult to revive them. She hoped that over the year, she would be able to bring back some of these traditions, such as collaborative choir exchanges with other schools and participating in overseas competitions.
In 2015, the VJC Choir participated in the 4th Vietnam International Choir competition. Photo taken from the VJC Choir Archives.
As for Symphonic Band, Margarita aspired to make a legacy for her team, making them known amongst their successors for how well they performed and how they took the band to “greater heights”.
Meanwhile, Bernice simply stated that, “I hope that the band will be able to play together well and be more bonded. As long as the band achieves that, I will be very happy.”
The singing of the college anthem and the Victorian cheer. Photos by Ms Goh Hui Hua, Ms Lin Danwei, and Dylan Gan from VJC Photography Society.
Clearly, though the incoming leaders did indeed face many challenges ahead of them, it was heartening to know that from one generation to the next, they still aimed to keep VJC’s flag unfurled as a vibrant co-curricular tapestry.
Nil Sine Labore. For nothing is without labour.
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