Andromeda 2023: Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night
By Chang Tze Hung (22S42) and Jennifer Nah Su En (22S44)
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Photo by VJCPS
To sum it all up, Andromeda was a massive success.
With the COVID-19 restrictions eased, JCO this year could return to its original scale, traditions and glory. Original glory how? Original glory by our JCO attracting the attention of Mothership. This is not the first time our events have made it onto a Mothership article. Remember the 2021 Open House, when VJ students built the entire campus on Minecraft? With restrictions or not, we will never falter, always mustering all the might that we can.
Photo by Mothership
Photo by Mothership
The last time the Fountain of Wealth (FOW) had been part of orientation was in 2019. It has been four long years and finally, we were able to bring FOW back. You could see the excitement that this event brought to all Victorians – be it the freshies, the OGLs, or even the seniors who came back to cheer with their alma mater.
And yet, FOW was only one segment of the whole JCO. The 5-day orientation, named Andromeda, was fully packed with events that were in the works since July 2022. Andromeda, the largest galaxy of the Local group, really brings out the essence of JCO and VJC in general.
Stars work cohesively to brighten up the universe, like the freshies. Friday’s mass assembly in the hall with all the freshies in their respective secondary school uniforms may have looked out-of-place; but, who would have known that these stars would have learnt everything they could about VJ in the next week? On the first day, the freshies might have been awkward with each other. Especially since JCO started at the end of a week to help settle various administrative matters, no one would have thought that Day 1 would have been so much fun. And yet, when the day ended with Nebula, one would have to be blind to not be able to see the freshies already embracing the VJ culture.
Photos by VJCPS
Days 2 and 3 saw the freshies understanding what it truly means to be a Victorian. Days were packed from start to end with activities that aimed for the freshies to get to know the school better: the campus, the culture, the people – to get to know their new home better. Friendships were made, starting everyone off on the right foot in VJ. And who can forget the mass dance sessions, where freshies struggled to kick-kick-kick-swap for The Nights and yet tried their hardest to keep up with the Killer Move in Whiney Whiney. Altogether the freshies learnt 4 mass dances… but did you know that there are 7 VJ mass dances in total?
Day 3 ended with Finale, where freshies gamed, danced, cheered, and sang the college anthem with pride. They were now truly Victorians.
Photo by VJCPS
On Day 4, the freshies got their first taste of late-start days, which provided them with the much-needed boost of energy for another day of introductions and meeting new people — and this time, with an even larger group of unfamiliar faces. The day marked the start of many beautiful friendships as the freshies got to know their classmates, some of whom will be their Project Work groupmates, the friends they cheer with during events like Victorian Affair, and the friends they would closely stick by during the hectic years ahead. They got to know their houses too, further solidifying their sense of belonging in VJ.
Day 5 was perhaps the highlight of JCO. For the first time in 4 years, the Galax-Sea Carnival and FOW were brought back to life.
Photo by VJCPS
The Galax-Sea Carnival the next day was an opportunity for bonding not only between classmates, but between senior and junior classes, as both seniors and juniors competed together or against one another in a series of games spread out across school and East Coast Park (ECP). Some Civics Tutors even joined their classes at ECP in games like beach volleyball and sandcastle building! Over in school, large inflatables like obstacle courses were set up for students to attempt, and shallow pools to play soccer in. After the conclusion of the carnival, the freshies ventured out of school together with their classmates for lunch and other activities before making their way to Suntec. For what? For FOW.
However, the finale did not start off as planned. To the dismay of many, it was raining heavily, and with no end in sight. Thankfully, the rain cleared up after about half an hour, and the event was given the green light to proceed. The rain definitely did not rain on our parade, and even some alumni were undeterred, with many showing up at the Fountain sporting their distinctive Fired Up tees. Even though it was a long day for OGLs and freshies alike, many were still energised and participated actively and excitedly in the mass dances and karaoke; dancing, cheering and singing with a sense of pride (and no sense of public shame). The extraordinary Victorian spirit and camaraderie captured the interest of many mall patrons, as the Mothership article pointed out! That night was a good night, as one of our mass dances’ lyrics aptly pointed out (Tonight’s gonna be a good night~).
Photo by VJCPS
Of course, JCO would not have been possible without the OGLs and the Adhoc. The OGLs spent the week sharing with freshies about the school, imparting valuable advice and cheering with the freshies during all the activities. It would not have been possible to share the Victorian identity with the freshies if it weren’t for them.
Photo by VJCPS
And of course, the Adhoc. Starting planning in about July, the Adhoc really put in their all and very best while planning for this camp. Especially since the orientation they attended themselves was also a victim of COVID-19 restrictions, they had to plan this year’s events with minimal guidance and inspiration. And yet, they pulled off making a core memory for the freshies and OGLs alike.
“The journey leading up to JCO was one filled with challenges and hardship! However, knowing that all the OGLs and the Adhoc were standing together to face whatever lied ahead was a great source of reassurance and motivation, and a reminder of what we're doing this for, welcoming the freshies into this college we call home.”
“The journey leading up to JCO was one filled with challenges and hardship! However, knowing that all the OGLs and the Adhoc were standing together to face whatever lied ahead was a great source of reassurance and motivation, and a reminder of what we're doing this for, welcoming the freshies into this college we call home.”
- Adhoc
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