Operation Excellence – Secondary 1 Orientation Camp

Every year, the prefects plan and run a three-day orientation programme to help the Secondary One students to settle in to secondary school life. This year was no different as the prefect put in their best effort to conduct yet another successful camp.

The camp started with some confusion as the new students had trouble finding the correct venue and people in charge.

But then, the first speaker, Rafael Brian of JC2 Mendel managed to capture the students’ attention by relating his funny experiences. He then talked about dealing with failure and rising above it. The talk was a gentle reminder that when things do not go according to plan, one just needs to take things in his stride and all will be well.

Fortunately, the confusion at the start didn’t seem to bother the students and in no time everything was back on track. With their “pet eggs” safe in their hands, they marched single file into the buses bound for Lembah Hijau, all geared up for their adventure.

The cool mountain breeze greeted them as they alighted the bus with their luggage in tow. It was well past lunchtime when they headed to the restaurant.

After lunch, they broke into groups and to make their group flags and cheers. They came up with creative and funny-looking flags, a reflection of their wit and personalities.

When the fun and laughter died down, it was time for some serious work. Viandrudigo Djianto, a senior prefect from JC 2 Mendel gave the talk on using mnemonics, mind mapping and brain breaks to maximise the learning time. These techniques would be useful as the students who were on the threshold of the rigorous BBS academic programme.

As discipline and spiritual growth are pillars of the school’s educational foundation, it is important that the students realise the value of these two aspects of their growth in the BBS community. Hence, there were sessions devoted to these two topics. The sessions ended late but the night was not over yet.

It was then time for the “Courage Game”. With most of the lights turned off, the groups of students had to walk in the dark to retrieve flags. In between screams of fright, were squeals of delight every time a flag was found. At the end of the game, the flags were tallied and the winners announced. Finally the students were sent to bed with a reminder that the next day would start early.

The following morning saw the students up and about even before the prefects came to wake them up. What followed was a walk up the steep and narrow paths between vegetable patches. The walk was a preview of what was in store for them after a hearty breakfast, Marching!

Under the heat of the morning sun, they learnt to march, execute smart turns and salute to the flag in preparation for the August 17 Independence Day Celebration. They practised for about an hour and a half, to obey the commands and move in sync. They all heaved a sigh of relief when it was all over.

The “Talent Show” came next with most of the groups doing a parody of talent shows on television. They were able to bring out the funny sides of these shows in a clever and humourous way.

With the Talent Show over, it was time for the Station Games. These games were the highlights of the camp as the prefects spent long hours brainstorming and designing them. They were meant to enhance teamwork and creative thought. As the Station Games were underway, rain came pouring down. The students wanted to continue with the games in the rain but for their safety the teachers had to cut it short.

As the rain continued to pour, the planned bonfire was also cancelled. The students stayed in the hall and the prefects decided it was time to talk to them about gratitude and appreciation. With soft music playing, they made the students realise the value of the things they have taken for granted. The prefects reminded them that sometimes they do not appreciate the things that they parents have provided them with and that most of the time, the simple ‘Thank you’ is left unsaid. It was an emotional moment, and with tears in their eyes, the students wrote letters to their parents to show their appreciation. On that teary and reflective note, the camp came to a close.

The next day came with a flurry of packing their belongings and eating breakfast. Unfortunately, some of the “pet eggs” would not make it back to school. By 8:30 the bags were loaded and the students filed into the buses, to make the trip back to Jakarta into the waiting arms of the parents.