Planning Camp 2019

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” -Anonymous

The prefectorial board of BBS KJS pooled their resources, brain matter and energy to plan events and activities for the year of 2019-2020, while having some fun.

(Written by: Mr. Ganeswaran)

On September 19, 2019, 45 prefects congregated at the school hall for some heavy duty workload. Though planning events for the year is by no means an easy feat, it does not necessarily have to be a dull and serious affair.

Napolean Hill once said, “First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans” then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning as you will observe, is in your imagination.”

In the spirit of sparking imagination, the camp started with a light series of ice-breakers and meaningful games on leadership, which was successful in the sense that the prefects were able to laugh, work together, be imaginative, and of course take their mind off the daunting task that was awaiting them.

Keane, in the seat of the of dictator, put the prefects in hilarious, but thought provoking poses. They had to form and reform groups based on the whims and fancies of the dictator, similar to the game of “Simon Says”. Although it was designed to get everyone laughing, which they did, it was the dictator who was laughing the loudest.

After a short briefing by Ms Sheila on leadership qualities, the camp had other fun activities to get the students to put on their thinking caps – which included designing a coat of arms, guiding “the blind” while they were in a bind (literally) , and re-attempting and reflecting on past activities that could have been improved.

The most intense team game was a treasure hunt on finding as many coloured balls as possible which were stashed in the school compound. They had to do so while keeping a wary eye on saboteurs and opponents who can steal it from them or snatch their placards pasted on their shirts, rendering them “dead”. It was a great game that got the entire bunch in a big sweat, working together and forming unlikely alliances.

It wasn’t long before reality crept in, and the daunting task of planning the school events started. The prefects worked efficiently in their committees and presented their ideas to their executive board. Though they came up with a plethora of activities, it was up to the teachers and executive sommittees to decide on the feasibility of each proposal.

The camp ended at 8.00 pm with weary smiles, and knowing every minute they spent on planning was 10 minutes saved in execution. Technically, that’s a 1000 percent return on energy!

“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” ― John F. Kennedy, former U.S. President