Presidential Rally 2015

4:45pm, 25th February. Loud, enthusiastic cheers filled the halls of TCSH when Seri Park, Isabelle Chua, Ryan Yoong and Shreya Murali rose to the podium in front of Alpha Theatre, representing the four Student Council’s presidential candidates. Standing at the podium, the fantastic four radiated confidence while looking incredibly smart. Their campaign posters covered inch of glass available in college. Their catchy and “punny” phrases and Harry Potter references caught the attention of many. And now, it was time to truly hear their voice.  

The theme of the rally was “Change”. In their speeches, the candidates cleverly addressed the changes they wished to see being enforced on the college to improve the college’s overall environment. One of the main issues they touched on was the inefficiency of communication between clubs and students, which has led to an array of problems that have troubled most of the students in TCSH for quite some time. Clashed events, missed deadlines, not knowing where to go to sign up for a club…. They vowed to end these problems in their 8-minute long speeches, which were all well received by the audience with eager nods of approval.    

The Q&A session followed shortly after their speeches. The audience raised many thought-provoking questions that would require in-depth understanding of the campus and its occupants’ needs to answer. The most notable question would be the one asked by our principal herself, Ms Lauren, regarding the long-existing problem of miscommunication between class representatives and the Student Council, which has caused particular past events to be carried out rather inefficiently. They still managed to give satisfactory suggestions to ease the problem, further proving their leadership skills to the audience. 

Feeling mischievous, our editor represented the Editorial Board team to come up with a trick question to further challenge the candidates: “Would you mind sharing the Student Council Room with the Editorial Board?” The answers they gave were pretty amusing: “I’ll leave the questions to the authorities to decide, but when I’m the president, why not?”, “If I’m not in it, you (Editorial Board team) can be in it!”, “Make a new room!”---- to which the audience responded with a hearty laugh.  

The rally concluded at 6:15pm with Ms Lauren’s speech on 6 aspects of a strong community: inclusiveness, having fun together, openness, ability to embrace awkwardness, diversity, and most importantly, intentionality. A strong community would not exist naturally without the firm intention of a leader to make it happen. This becomes the responsibility of the upcoming Student Council president to create a good, strong community in TCSH, hence making 2015 the best year ever for TCSH!

Do know that the upcoming Student Council President will be the one who represents us students, and the one to set the tone and course of the college for the next 12 months. Thus, it is crucial to elect the one who fits your aspirations and who is willing to fulfill your expectations for your college. It is our responsibility as a part of TCSH to be aware and take part in events that concern us all. Start taking that responsibility by participating in the democratic process of voting for our leader, our voice and our pathfinder. 

Today (Friday) is the last day of the voting session. Be sure to head out to the Alpha Theatre to cast your vote. If you feel you are still unfamiliar with the presidential candidates, do not fret! The Beacon Online will be posting up exclusive interviews with the candidates later in the day! Stay tuned.

Written by,

Sim Shin Ying,

Head of Writing Department,

Editorial Board TCSH.

Photography by,

Samantha Yong,

Head of Photography Department,

Editorial Board TCSH.

&

Kaviyana Sitartha, 

Member of Photography Department,

Editorial Board TCSH.