The Flame May 2008

• 1. in this issueA NEWSLETTER OF CATHOLIC JUNIOR COLLEGEMAY 2008The GCEAlevel Spartans of CJCThe GCEAlevel Spartans of CJCBy Ben Chester Cheong (2T15)2THE GCE A LEVEL SPARTANSOF CJC3OF WITCHES, GHOULSAND VAMPIRESLENTEN VIGIL4GETTING STARTED - 34THSTUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONINTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY5NEW ROCKAFELLA CHAMPIONIS A REAL CLASS ACTPARENT-TEACHER MEETING SETSTHE TONE FOR JC1S6ORIENTATION 2: EXOTHERMIC7RICE TO THE OCCASIONGIVING BLOOD - WITHOUT THESWEAT AND TEARS8BATTLE DROIDSCHOIR CONCERT:A JOB WELL DONE9LARGEST EVER MEDAL HAULFOR CJC FENCING10FROM STUDENTS TO TEACHERSJUDOKAS BAG MEDALS AT NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIPS11MAKING HISTORY12STRIKING A CHORDThe Flame is a publication of Catholic Junior College. 2008 CJCNo part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopy, recording orany information storage or retrieval system,without the permission of the copyright owner.The tension in the Performing Arts Centre(PAC) was palpable. However, this was noconcert or performance. It was a make orbreak moment for the 2007 JC2 cohort on 7March, the day of the release of the 2007 GCE ALevel Results.When school principal Bro. Paul announced thatthe results were the best in 11 years of theschools history, the students, teachers andparents who were present in the PAC broke intoeuphoric screams and applause. Never had somany students scored 4 or more distinctions.There was added cause for celebration when itwas announced that the number of distinctionsfor most subjects enjoyed a tremendous increase.The top performing subject was Literature at H1and H2 level, with 100% passes. At H2 level,there were 45% distinctions, while at H1 levelthere were 56% distinctions.The subject which saw the largest improvementwas Biology. Many students acknowledged thatBiology was difficult as the concepts can beconvoluted. When Bro. Paul mentioned that therewere 28.7% H2 distinctions and 50% H1distinctions, the whole PAC was filled with gaspsof astonishment and surprise. The H2 distinctionswere up by a whopping 16%. Judging from theflabbergasted reactions as Bro. Paul continued hislong list of improvements; it is safe to say that the2007 A level results were phenomenal.The top two students were Liew Han Hsien(2T13/07) and Chua Kim Loong Victor(2T27/07), who each received 7 distinctions.Both were from the Science faculty. Thisperformance was outstanding - they had brokenthe record set in 2006, when the top student,Alexandria Kate Neo (2T06/06) had achieved 6distinctions.Han Hsien did not enter CJC through thetraditional route. He had entered CJC directlyafter schooling in Malaysia. Yet, this did not puthim at any disadvantage. He scored distinctionsin H1 GP, H1 Chinese, H2 Maths, H2 Physics, H2Chemistry, H2 Economics, and H3 Chemistry.When queried on his secret formula for success,he replied modestly, I never believe in lastminute studying. I studied regularly at my ownpace and more importantly, Iprepared my own notes aswell. He also spoke aboutachieving a balance betweenCCAs and academics.Considering that he was theCIP coordinator for Fencingand a NYAA participant, thisfeat is admirable. Han Hsienelaborates, I see CCA as thenumber one distraction. InJC 1, the number of activitieswas tremendous. In order toachieve a balance, I had tobe very focused anddisciplined. Mr. Tan HoeTeck, the NYAA coordinator,taught me how to achievethis delicate balance and Ithink I benefitted from hisguidance.Continued on page 2Bro Paul with the Top students of 2007Bro Paul with Top Arts students, Brenda Tanand Andrea Lee

2. newsThe GCEAlevel Spartans of CJC Continued from Cover Page2Furthermore, his college involvement did not justrevolve around school work. Han Hsien has aninterest in the French language and is very well-versed in it. He said of this accomplishment, Istarted learning French in 2002. I liked the styleof the language and the intrinsic value of it.French is my fourth language. I can speak andwrite well in English, Chinese and Malay as well.Han Hsien intends to apply for a scholarship toallow him to study law in the London School ofEconomics (LSE). When asked about his futureplans, he proudly replied, I hope to get into theUnited Nations (UN) and be a UN delegate tohelp out in eradicating the problem of HIV/Aidsin the Third World countries.Victors subject combination is slightly differentfrom Han Hsiens. Instead of taking H2 Physicsand H3 Chemistry, Victor took H2 Biology and H3Maths. He kindly let out a secret about studyingfor his most difficult subject - Biology, Biology isdifficult, I have no doubt about it. But the key toscoring in this subject is to put in a lot of timeand to consult your teachers very often. They arethe experts at Biology and they can easily pointout your mistakes. Victor hopes to get into NUSto study either Mathematics or Business.The top Arts student, with 6 distinctions wasBrenda Tan Xiang Yun (2T03/07). She scoreddistinctions in H1 GP, H1 Chinese, H2 Literature,H2 History, H2 Economics and H2 Mathematics.Credit must also be given to the highest value-added student of the 2007 JC2 cohort - BrandonWong Kah Ming (2T23/07). He has a successstory truly admirable and commendable. With aPSLE T-score of 144, he was posted to theNormal (Technical) stream. Against all odds,he worked hard and eventually made it toCJC with a L1R5 score of 10. Adding tohis track record of continuousimprovement, he achieved adistinction in H2 Maths and B for H2Economics and H2 Physics.The best value added student to walk throughCJCs gates is Thio Soon Huat, Justin (2T24/07).He had distinctions in H2 Maths, H2 Economicsand H1 Literature and he achieved a B in H1 GPand H2 Physics. This young gentleman came toCJC with a not so perfect result slip. He had aPSLE T-score of 195 and a L1R5 score of 8. Yet,he is a testament to how much one person canachieve when he sets his mind to doing well.Justin was also Captain of the Canoeing team,obtained an NYAA Gold award in JC, and hasbeen selected for Officer Cadet School. He hopesto be a pilot.In all, there were 67 students with 4 or moredistinctions. One of these 67 students is ShaunGerald Nathan (2T28/07). Shaun had 6distinctions and was the only person in his cohortto take 2 H3 subjects. What was moreoutstanding was that he received distinctions for2 of his H3 subjects in Maths and Chemistry. Tothis great achievement, Shaun said that he wouldlike to thank all the teachers who have supportedhim in achieving such exemplary results.Another student in this league with 5 distinctionsis Goh Bing Xing (2T30/07). Bing Xing haddistinctions in H1 GP, H2 Chemistry, H2 Maths,H2 Biology and H2 History. When asked how hefeels about his results, Bing Xing had this to say,I am surprised by my results but I think Iexpected it. I was consistent in my work and paidclose attention to all the lectures. He alsothanked Mr. Ho Seng Chye, Ms. Daphane Tanand Mr. Melvin Ho for contributing to hissuccesses. Bing Xing also spoke on his next movefrom here, I would be applying to studymedicine at NUS. I am deeply interested inmedicine as I enjoy service vocations.One student who was singled out by Bro. Paul ashaving a tremendously heavy CCA commitmentin his capacity as Captain of Track & Field and alow PSLE score of 211, stood out as a shining starwith 6 distinctions. Choong Jan Tai Lionel(2T24/07) was a dark horse of his cohort. Whenasked about how hejuggled track and his academic commitments,Lionel said, I never allowed an excuse such as Iwas too tired from training. My idea was that ifyou are an athlete, you train hard and you studyhard. Towards the end of my season, I went madwith studying. I studied from 8pm to 12am atnight. On a lighter note, Lionel says for thewhole 19 years of his life, CJC was the best placewhere bonds are truly made and lessons learnt.As an Officer Cadet, Lionel has this advice foraspiring officers, For all aspiring OCS people,start training now. Its not even questionablewhether it will be tough or not, its confirmed.Lionel is thinking of pursuing a double degree inEngineering and Business locally but he willconsider an overseas scholarship.The most memorable moment of the resultsrelease was when Bro. Paul announced that KohJun Rui, Benjamin (2T17/07) achieved 3distinctions. In his own right, Benjaminsperformance is special. Benjamin is profoundlydeaf yet this handicap did not hinder him fromperforming to the fullest of his ability. Thisindividual shows us that we must have resiliencewhen faced with any setback, no matter how life-size the setback might be. Only then will we berewarded with the promise of good results.Such sterling results would not be possiblewithout the hard work of the students and theguidance and mentorship from Bro. Paul and theteachers. This stellar performance is thereforededicated to those who have contributed tothe accolade of best A level results in11 years.3 of the Top ScienceStudents take pride in theirresults. From left: EvanYeo, Victor Chua andShaun NathanThe beaming faces of Linus Seah and Zhou XiaoNan (2T17/07) upon receiving their resultsLester Hio (2T11/07)celebrating his resultswith Mrs Sng 3. celebrationsOf Witches,Ghouls and Vampires By Michelle Kwok (2T13) andVictoria Pereira (1T06)It was a real Freaky Friday on theevening of 1st February as witches,vampires and other manner ofghoulish beings flitted about thegrounds of CJC. For those seeking a trueparanormal experience, however, theapparitions were merely the collegesJC2 Literature students having amonstrously good time at this yearsGothic-themed Literature Film Evening.For some, it was a chance for them to,literally, dress to kill as they traded theirschool uniforms for Gothic costumes.Photo-taking were the order of theevening as students hammed it up in front ofthe cameras.The evening began with moviescreenings of The House of Usher andThe Raven, both of whichshared elements of Gothichorror. These elements arerelated to the