Showing posts with label council. Show all posts


Q: What makes you want to take up the job as the president of Student Council?
To me, Student Council (SC) is a representation of the student body and is an outlet for which the students can express their concerns and needs. As I am person who enjoys mingling with just about everyone, listening, communicating and helping people are second nature to me. I also aim to make an impact (a positive one hopefully) everywhere I go and TCSH is no different. With a hunger to inspire and a passion for people, I thought I would be a suitable fit for the role.
Q: What is your greatest strength that equips you for this job?
Thus far, I believe my greatest strength is definitely my people skills. Being able to understand the needs and wants of not one, but an entire community seems like a challenge but I feel up to it.
Q: Tell us more about yourself. What are you goals and priorities? 
I assure you I'm a perfectly normal human being - not a workaholic robot 24/7. However, I do have some goals that I would like to achieve on a personal level. One of the current ones is to be SC president (surprise, surprise). A few more years down the road, the goal is simply to be happy. I believe happiness is the greatest measure of success because it takes into account all the physical achievements as well as the emotional ones. I would say my priorities include my family and friends - they play a pivotal role in how I am now and how I will be in the future. Then comes a mishmash of education, food, sleep, sports (in an ever-changing order).
Q: What do you think TCSH needs the most right now?
Personally, I believe TCSH needs a strong and effective communication system. For ECA purposes, we have tons of Whatsapp groups and even more Facebook ones online - all of which is often difficult to keep track of if one is not sitting in front of the phone/computer all the time. For academic purposes, the split usage between various learning platforms such as Edmodo and Moodle may actually cause more confusion that rectifying it. Thus, I believe there is a solution and that it's only a matter of time before a structured system is put in place to ensure the smooth flow of both work and play.


Interview by,
Sim Shin Ying,
Head of Writing Department,
Editorial Board TCSH.

Photography by,
Samantha Yong,
Head of Photography Department,
Editorial Board TCSH.



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.



Copyright © 2014 The Beacon Online Plastic Surgeon of Beacon: Chloe Tan(2014)