SAM CCA Party 2014

March the 3rd was another typical Monday for most heavy lidded college-goers - but not for the SAM students. Animated chatter filled the first floor with an air of anticipation. Students engaged in light-hearted banter outside their classes. Some of them rushed back and forth with numerous containers of food and drink; others manoeuvred the halls with bulky bundles of game equipment. It was all very curious to those uninvolved, especially to see all these students wearing bizarre headwear. What was going on?

Hat models

Pandas aren't really extinct, are they?

The big event was in fact the SAM CCA Party to be held in the Delta Theatre that afternoon. Its aim was to provide an opportunity for us course-mates to get to know each other over good food and a range of activities. The theme? Hats! The organising team figured that it was a fun and easy dress-code to follow - and sure enough, all the SAM students were good sports, donning hats from ordinary golf caps to furry panda beanies. The students were also very cooperative and willing to help make the event a success even though most of them were not part of the organising team. Each class was instructed to bring at least one food item to contribute to the lunch party, but everyone was unexpectedly generous. By 12 noon, a sumptuous spread of nuggets, curry puffs, doughnuts, tarts, cupcakes, muffins and more were laid out for the near hundred students and seventeen teachers expected to attend the party half an hour later. The organising team spent the next half an hour efficiently setting up the tables and chairs and fixing the sound system for the emcee as well as working hard to perfect the finishing touches. A registration counter outside provided excited students with numbered nametags for the group activities later on. Everything was ready.

The crowd mingling

Pandas now prefer doughnuts over bamboos

At around 12.30pm, students and teachers started filing into the Delta Theatre. After that, they were warmly welcomed by the emcee and encouraged to begin eating. The atmosphere quickly became lively, with everyone’s mood lifted by the good food and good company. Many teachers mingled with students and chatted freely, very much at ease outside of the classroom. An unrealistic number of photos were taken by teachers and students alike. New friendships were forged through mutual friends and convenient circumstances; perhaps friendships even arose from the love of food. But there was more to come - after twenty minutes, the games began. Students were asked to gather in groups corresponding to the number on their nametags. From there, each group was to play their own games in order to get students to socialise more. For example, my group played the modern version of Charades: one person was to hold an iPhone on their head facing the rest of the group, and the rest of the group had to act out the word displayed on the iPhone to help that person guess what the word was. In mere minutes the whole Delta Theatre was in an uproar, each group in an absolute frenzy of laughter and screams. (One student later told me that the noise could be heard from the adjacent classroom. Oops, sorry!)

"You seem to enjoy it as well."

Following the respective group activities was the limbo, the most exciting part of the event. Everyone had to participate - even the teachers! It was great fun to watch people contort their body in order to walk underneath the lowered limbo stick. Some were flexible and did it with ease; others struggled comically to achieve a valiant and well-applauded result. Nevertheless, the best thing about this event was how everyone cheered each other on enthusiastically, whether they knew the participant or not. As fun as it was, the emcee had to end the activity just before the party ended at 1.30pm. Fortunately, there was one more event left in store - the organising team had decided to surprise Mr. Fong Mun Chou (the SAM course coordinator and a teacher) for his birthday by presenting a birthday cake to him. Everyone sang the birthday song to him heartily when he cut the cake - which was subsequently used by a cheeky student to smear his face with icing. Fortunately, since it happened out of the classroom he brushed it off and was a wonderful sport about it. Then Ms Lauren, the principal, concluded the event with a few wise and inspirational words.

Although one week’s worth of planning and hard work was over, the event definitely ended on a high note and was deemed a success. Overall, the original aim of the party was achieved and all events ran smoothly thanks to the work of the organising team and teacher advisors. We hope that all SAM students and teachers enjoyed this event.

Written by Jamie Liew Jie Mei,

South Australian Matriculation.

He's going to fall

Good facial expression

Witchery has abandoned cauldrons

Cowgirls

Spot the hatless ones

Written by Jamie Liew Jie Mei
South Australian Matriculation Program,
Editorial Board Head of Writing Department.

Photo Credit: Cheah Rong Sheng, Editorial Board Photographer