A Fun Start For Secondary 1s
Secondary One Orientation Programme
Written By
Samantha Theresa Ortega
IBDP Year 5, Track and Field
Held from 4 to 7 January 2022, the Secondary 1 Orientation Programme aimed to give the new batch a glimpse into the Singapore Sports School lifestyle, provide opportunities for them to bond as a cohort and with their Senior Buddies, as well as to familiarise them with school facilities and school culture. In total, about 150 student leaders were involved including school councillors , boarding captains and sports captains.
The Student Leaders got down to action in planning the Secondary 1 Orientation Programme as soon as the school holidays started in November 2021. During the Student Leaders Training Workshop that delved into Event Planning, we gathered ideas, and also learnt important event planning skills.
On Day One, the Secondary 1s engaged in water activities such as ‘water polo’ , as well as field games such as ‘capture the egg’ , which aimed to foster teamwork and collaboration within the Secondary 1s in their respective classes. On Day Two and Day Three, they participated in a multi-sports programme activity where they tried out different sports such as badminton, fencing, bowling and shooting. On Day 4, the student councillors organised a series of Team Games - one being an escape room with a murder mystery theme. There was also a blindfold obstacle course in the classroom where the Game ICs in-charge of the game station guided them throughout the course. In addition, Day Four ended with a run around the school, a torch ceremony and a mini fairy light campfire in their classrooms. The mini campfire was the most memorable as student-athletes enjoyed ice cream and dinner as they watched the orientation montage created by the media team and sang songs too.
Some challenges faced were overlooking details where quick decisions had to be made when the activity was held. For example, we had overlooked the booking of locations for the school run stations. Also, due to the COVID-19 restrictions of five people per group, the student leaders had to undergo vigorous planning to ensure that no safe management rules were flouted.
Through this experience, student leaders learnt to be more adaptable to changes. They also learnt how to work together and through this experience, we have definitely bonded as a team. Many of the leaders had also picked up leadership skills such as better communication as they led the Secondary 1s as a Game in-charge or as an Orientation Group Leader.
A highlight was the mini-campfire on the last day when everyone was in high spirits. We sent out a survey to the Secondary 1s and 57% of them indicated that their orientation experience was a perfect 10/10, while another 37% gave it a high 9/10 or 8/10. It was heartening when a number of them told us personally that they enjoyed the programme and that it was well-planned.
Written By
Samantha Theresa Ortega
IBDP Year 5, Track and Field
Held from 4 to 7 January 2022, the Secondary 1 Orientation Programme aimed to give the new batch a glimpse into the Singapore Sports School lifestyle, provide opportunities for them to bond as a cohort and with their Senior Buddies, as well as to familiarise them with school facilities and school culture. In total, about 150 student leaders were involved including school councillors , boarding captains and sports captains.
The Student Leaders got down to action in planning the Secondary 1 Orientation Programme as soon as the school holidays started in November 2021. During the Student Leaders Training Workshop that delved into Event Planning, we gathered ideas, and also learnt important event planning skills.
On Day One, the Secondary 1s engaged in water activities such as ‘water polo’ , as well as field games such as ‘capture the egg’ , which aimed to foster teamwork and collaboration within the Secondary 1s in their respective classes. On Day Two and Day Three, they participated in a multi-sports programme activity where they tried out different sports such as badminton, fencing, bowling and shooting. On Day 4, the student councillors organised a series of Team Games - one being an escape room with a murder mystery theme. There was also a blindfold obstacle course in the classroom where the Game ICs in-charge of the game station guided them throughout the course. In addition, Day Four ended with a run around the school, a torch ceremony and a mini fairy light campfire in their classrooms. The mini campfire was the most memorable as student-athletes enjoyed ice cream and dinner as they watched the orientation montage created by the media team and sang songs too.
Some challenges faced were overlooking details where quick decisions had to be made when the activity was held. For example, we had overlooked the booking of locations for the school run stations. Also, due to the COVID-19 restrictions of five people per group, the student leaders had to undergo vigorous planning to ensure that no safe management rules were flouted.
Through this experience, student leaders learnt to be more adaptable to changes. They also learnt how to work together and through this experience, we have definitely bonded as a team. Many of the leaders had also picked up leadership skills such as better communication as they led the Secondary 1s as a Game in-charge or as an Orientation Group Leader.
A highlight was the mini-campfire on the last day when everyone was in high spirits. We sent out a survey to the Secondary 1s and 57% of them indicated that their orientation experience was a perfect 10/10, while another 37% gave it a high 9/10 or 8/10. It was heartening when a number of them told us personally that they enjoyed the programme and that it was well-planned.
