Another wonderful piece of news to end the year! A few of our young artists’ submissions for National Day Pledge Card Design Competition and Time Capsule of the Pledge Cards are on exhibition at the National Museum from National Day this year for a period of one year.

OPSS submitted 5 entries for this competition, out of which Chia Pei Xuan’s (Vanda-1) artwork was selected to be printed as the pledge card that came with this year’s National Day fun pack. Pei Xuan’s colourful and delightful entry expressed her vivid memories of visiting the Mama shop with her primary school friends.

The Organising Committee ‘Art for Cause’ shared that they were very impressed with the quality of our students’ artwork. In fact, they requested for more submissions from us. Well done, Orchidians!

Additionally, we are also pleased to showcase the other 3 pieces of artwork by Lee Jia Wen (Vanda-2), Clarice Tok Yi Jun (Vanda-6) and Wong Shin Woon (Vanda-7) that had been shortlisted out of 2000 submissions national-wide.

Lee Jia Wen (Vanda-2)

Clarice Tok Yi Jun (Vanda-6)

Wong Shin Woon (Vanda-7)

Our Art teachers have this to say, ‘We have very committed and passionate students who are very willing to try and explore various art genres. They have indeed done us proud with their unwavering dedication and have always proved that they are able to surpass expectations!’

Meet Jazel, Orchid Park’s youngest author!

JAZEL LAI XUAN YIN (Secondary 2, Orchis-5, 2020)

Meet Orchid Park Secondary School’s youngest ever author, Jazel Lai Xuan Yin from Orchis 5. In fact, she is the first student author we have in our history. At the age of 11, Jazel published her first book. The first of a duology, Fighting For Hope is an exciting teen fiction with a blend of action, mystery and romance. If that does not sound impressive, Jazel has recently completed the second book Fighting For Justice and is currently in the process of publishing it. Perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that she did everything mostly by herself.

Having published a book that is selling on websites like Amazon and Book Depository is certainly no easy feat for anyone, much less for a 13 year-old girl. Let’s hear from the author herself on how she managed to do it.

MR KENNY: Hi Jazel. First of all, I must say I am very proud of your achievement, especially at such a young age. Can you briefly introduce your book, Fighting For Hope?

JAZEL: It begins with Hope Valentino, an eight year-old who witnessed the death of her biological father caused by Calvin Woodland, a multi-millionaire, and her mother. The grotesque death affected Hope greatly and at that moment, she swore to seek vengeance and never trust again. Ten years later, Hope becomes a young adult and she has yet to give up on her revenge. She learns how to fight and defend herself after enduring so much torment. The story follows her journey as she discovers how to trust and love someone again while finding the best way to seek justice for her father.

MR KENNY: I am curious, at the age of 11, what motivated you to write this book?

JAZEL: It was another story that pushed me to finally begin mine. A fictional action story drew me in. The main motivation was the thoughts and feelings I had after reading that book. I want my readers to feel the strong imagery of the fighting and the thrill that I felt.

MR KENNY: What are some difficulties you faced and how did you overcome them?

JAZEL: The entire process was difficult. It was like being in a completely foreign land. Nobody I associated with had the same interest as me but that didn’t change the fact that I was a child with a big dream. Nobody thought it was possible for me to hold a book with my name on the cover, but that didn’t stop me. I learnt everything from scratch. The actual writing of the story turned out to be the easiest part while the publishing was the most difficult. I had to figure out how to do it on my own. The process was tedious and time-consuming but the tenacity to continue and the thought of accomplishing my goal helped me to overcome these difficulties. I discovered that commitment is important, especially towards something I hope to achieve.

MR KENNY: Share with us your feelings when you finally published your book.

JAZEL: I felt a sense of satisfaction and a tiny hint of pride. Holding a physical copy of my book in my hands was a step beyond. It felt like a trophy, a piece of evidence to prove that as long as I put my heart and mind onto something, anything is possible.

MR KENNY: Last but not least, I heard that you are in the process of publishing your second book. Can you give a little sneak preview into your upcoming book?

JAZEL: My second book is called Fighting For Justice and this is the second part of the duology. I completed the book and it is currently going through the long process of publishing. It includes a character from the first book, and I gave him his own story. The next book I write will be of the fantasy genre.

MR KENNY: Thank you so much for your time and we look forward to your second book!

A New Beginning

CLARABEL LAI MAY YING (Secondary 1, Laelia-8, 2020)

The school is very happy to share that Clarabel Lai May Ying of L8 has won a Merit Award for her participation in Live on Design Competition organised by National Organ Transplant Unit. We are touched by the conceptualisation of her artwork, and impressed with the care she puts in all details – big or small. Well done, Clarabel! Orchid Park is proud of you.

The theme of her artwork is ‘A New Beginning’, and the synopsis is as follows:

I drew the hands of the donor in grey, passing the heart to the hands of the recipient in beige to show splendour in living after receiving the new organ. The Gladioli symbolise hope, while the leaves bring calmness. I used the colours, tuscany yellow and spring green on the left, to show positivity and sense of renewal, while azure blue on the right to show sincerity from the family members of the donor. The Gladioli are drawn in a heart and an explosive formation to show that the donor can change and impact others' lives, and his or her heart can live on.

Many Hands Make Good Work!

AALIYAH DELISHA BTE SIDEK (Secondary 2, Orchis-1, 2020)
AYLAA' ARYNA BINTE JUMARDI (Secondary 2, Orchis-1, 2020)
GAN XIANG YI (Secondary 2, Orchis-1, 2020)

It turned out to be a not too mundane bus ride home for Xiang Yi on the evening of 25 February 2020 after all. As she climbed onto the seat in the bus, she saw a rather new bag sitting next to her. Puzzled as to who it belonged to, Xiang Yi peered in to find some art materials, Chinese Language assignments and a report book belonging to a Secondary 1 student from Northland Secondary. Instead of leaving the bag on the bus, she decided to take it with her, hoping she could somehow return it to its rightful owner. Xiang Yi contacted her form teacher that evening and was advised to bring it to school.

Back in school the next day, Xiang Yi brought up the issue of the lost-and-found bag in class and her classmate Aylaa’ offered to deliver the bag to Northland Secondary after school that afternoon as it was relatively near her home. Another classmate Aaliyah volunteered to accompany her. That afternoon, the 2 young girls played postwomen and brought the bag to Northland Secondary.

A week later, the school received a very pleasant surprise. The grateful student who had the bag returned to him wrote a letter of appreciation for the trio. Aylaa’ broke into tears when the letter was read to her. She shared that when she and Aaliyah returned bag to the General Office on 26 February, they did not leave their details as they did not think much of the act.

‘But I know we needed to bring it to Northland Secondary urgently as we know the student needs his art materials, and they are not cheap. So we went there after school and before our CCA started.’ Aylaa’ and Aaliyah offered. Xiang Yi added, ‘I am just happy for the student.’

We are certainly proud of you, young ladies!

Deliveroo? Deliverbooks?

ANSAREE SHAQUR BIN ZULKIFLEE (Secondary 2, Orchis-3, 2020)

Ansaree was on his way home after his CCA one Friday evening (17 Jan 2020) when he picked up a box file lying on an empty seat in the public bus he was in. The file, packed to the brim with papers and notebooks looked like it belonged to a student. Ansaree guessed the owner could be from Orchid Park Secondary until he opened it to check. He was wrong – it belonged to a Secondary 1 student from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary!

The considerate young gentleman abandoned his initial plan to bring the box file to Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary, a distance away from his home, as it was almost 7 pm in the evening. He reckoned the school would have been closed. Over the weekend, resourceful and quick-thinking Ansaree found an email contact in one of the notebooks and thought it could be the owner’s email address. He did not want the young owner to be worried about the lost items, and so decided to send the supposed owner an email to assure her that he would deliver the box file to Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary the following Monday. However, there was no reply from the owner.

When Ansaree returned to school on Monday, he met his Vice-Principal and informed her about the incident. She shared that she would return the item to the school instead. Ansaree was more than happy about that! He imagined how anxious a new Secondary student would be. A few days later, a handwritten letter for Ansaree was delivered to Orchid Park Secondary from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary. It was a letter of appreciation from the student whose box file Ansaree picked up. It read …..

Ansaree was almost touched to tears when the letter was handed to him. Wow! You made someone’s day by just desiring to go the extra mile to look out for others. Well done, young man!

Feeling of Satisfaction … Glad to be of Help

KENJI CHUA HAO JUN (S2A1, 2019)
MUHAMMAD HADITH BIN AJES (S2B2, 2019)

It was an unexpected find for two good friends who were on their way home after a short meet-up on the evening of 24 September. Kenji and Hadith picked up a mobile phone just after leaving a food mall when they were headed to where their bicycles were parked.

The 2 young boys unanimously agreed that they should send it to the nearest police station. When they got to

Yishun North Police Station, and were waiting for their turn to lodge a report, the mobile phone rang! The gentleman on the line informed that he was a friend of the phone’s owner, and he was calling on behalf of his friend who had lost the phone.

Later that evening, the mobile phone was returned to its rightful owner at the police station, although the good deed resulted in the duo getting home much later. The owner was tremendously grateful to our young heroes, who did not think that what they had done was extraordinary. Nonetheless, both felt a great sense of satisfaction when they saw the joy in the owner’s face. “We followed our hearts and did what should be done. But it’s surely a great feeling to be of help,” Hadith mused. “Yes! The feeling of satisfaction!” added Kenji.

The Right Thing to Do

MUHAMMAD ANIQ BIN YUSOFF (S3C1, 2019)
ARASH MUHAMMAD BIN ABDUL RAHMAN (S3C1, 2019)
When Aniq and Arash climbed onto their seats in a chartered bus, all ready and looking forward to an exciting SMRT learning journey, they found a mobile phone, not belonging to them. Almost instantly, both went up to their teacher, Mr Hendra, and handed the found item to him.

Mr Hendra and the boys reckoned that the mobile phone might have been left behind by someone who was on the bus earlier. Thankfully, there was no password to the mobile phone, and Mr Hendra was able to contact the ‘owner’. It turned out that a primary school pupil had left the mobile phone on the bus, without realising it. The lost item was returned to its rightful owner afternoon. The boy’s parents were very touched and grateful to our 2 thoughtful and honest gentlemen. They wrote to the school to express their heartfelt appreciation.

‘I am writing this email to express my thanks and gratitude to Mr Hendra and his 2 students, namely Arash & Aniq from Sec 3C1, for taking the trouble to contact me and return my son’s lost phone yesterday.

I would like to compliment them for their act of kindness and honesty, and I am sure that the school and Mr Hendra have instilled the right values in the students.’

Both boys were also relieved and happy for the parents when the mobile phone was returned to them. They knew, right from the start, that returning the lost item was only the right thing to do. Arash shared, ‘It is not my stuff, and I won’t take it.’ Aniq added, ‘Yes, and it would have cost the boy’s parents quite a lot of money for the phone!’

Well done, boys! You have indeed learnt our ORCHID values well, and have lived them out too!

All Ready to Help

'ADLII IRFAAN BIN SHAIFULLAH (S2A2, 2019)

ABDUL MATEEN BIN ASSARAFALI (S2A2, 2019)

It was a scorching hot and humid Friday afternoon on 16 August 2019, when Irfaan and Mateen were on their way back to school for their CCA. While they were a short distance away from the school, they met a middle-aged ‘uncle’ struggling with his wheelchair. The ‘uncle’ asked the duo if they could help to wheel him back to his home, which was in the opposite direction from where they were headed to. Without hesitation, both agreed for they felt a wave of compassion for the ‘uncle’.

The detour resulted in the young gentlemen returning back to school 30 minutes later. But both were glad that they could be of help. They recounted how the ‘uncle’ offered them ice cold water, which they were very thankful for, at his home when he saw how both were thoroughly drenched with perspiration. However, this was what Irfaan and Mateen had to say, with a heart of empathy and love, ‘If we felt tired, then uncle would have felt worse, all alone in his wheelchair, under the hot sun.

Great job, boys! We are proud of you.

A Strong Advocator for Reading

LIM QING JORDEAN KAUR (S3B2, 2019)

It all started from a nomination by her Secondary One English teacher for Jordean to be a student-volunteer (reading buddy) in a reading programme in 2018. The programme involved Orchid Park Secondary School, Huamin Primary School, and the National Library Board (NLB). It is known as KidsREAD.

Since then, her enthusiasm in advocating the love for reading to others has been on the rise. That was further fuelled by her own passion in reading.

The reading programme requires two of our student-volunteers to read to the group of Primary One and Two students in each KidsREAD session. When Jordean was in the programme last year, her excitement in wanting to spread the love for reading was apparent as she would always volunteer herself to be one of the readers.

“I found KidsREAD meaningful as I could use my passion in storytelling to tell stories to the kids at Huamin Primary School. It also provided me the opportunity to learn how to teach children and keep them interested in the programme”, Jordean remarked.

The student-buddy of Huamin primary school whom Jordean was assigned to had also become rather attached to her as her buddy would look forward to attending the programme and seeing her each week.

“Hopefully, I have helped encourage them to develop a love for reading”, Jordean commented.

Jordean’s drive to encourage others to develop and deepen their love for reading did not wane even when KidsREAD ended for her and her schoolmates at the end of last year. In fact, she has registered herself to be included in NLB’s mailing list, and has been encouraging her fellow schoolmates to participate in the reading activities organised by NLB.

“I want to continue to participate in NLB’s events as I feel it is a good opportunity to improve my language skills and broaden my knowledge about books”, Jordean said.

May her determination and perseverance in motivating others to pick up, sustain and enjoy reading inspire not only all Orchidians, but everyone else, to follow suit.

“Never underestimate the difference YOU can make in the lives of others. Step forward, reach out and help.”

SHUQRI B SHAIFUDDIN (S4B2, 2018)

At around 7 a.m. on April 25, 2018, Shuqri B Shaifuddin of class 4B2 (2018) was on the upper deck of bus 811 making his way to school. His journey and train of thoughts were rudely interrupted when the bus lurched forward violently and abruptly causing him to be thrown backwards. Though he was unhurt, he could hear a little girl screaming in pain. Sensing that something was amiss, Shuqri quickly went down to the lower deck of the bus to check where the screams were coming from.

Rushing down the stairs, the sight that greeted him left him in shock as he saw a girl lying at the bottom of the staircase, with blood dripping from her forehead. Taking a closer look, Shuqri realised that there was a deep cut right above her eyebrow. He later found out that the girl had hit her head on the railing as the bus jerked forward and the abrupt halt had also sent her tumbling down the steps. Without any hesitation, Shuqri, who is the Company Sergeant Major (CSM) of National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC), put into action what he had learnt in his CCA over the years. He asked the driver for a first-aid kit and proceeded skilfully to clean and dress her wound using a First Aid Dressing. Knowing that the little girl was in great pain, Shuqri constantly reassured her and advised the bus driver to call the ambulance as he waited patiently beside the little girl for the ambulance to arrive.

Soon after, the girl’s teachers from her school nearby and the ambulance arrived. Shuqri took the initiative to inform the paramedics about what had happened and the immediate medical care he administered on the little girl. Knowing that the little girl was in good hands of the paramedics, Shuqri heaved a sigh of relief and carried on with his journey to school. As he took a glance at his watch, he immediately jumped up and ran towards school as he was almost 10 minutes late for school. He had never been late for school in his 4 years in Orchid Park Secondary School!

Shuqri is a true embodiment of both NCDCC and OPSS core values of being noble and caring as he displayed a sense of empathy as well as chivalry in his act of selflessness. He also exemplified our school’s mission in moulding students into young men and women of integrity, responsible and compassionate towards their fellow men.

When interviewed for this article, Shuqri was very humble about his kind deed and said that he grew up remembering what his mother always say to him, “live humbly and help others in need”.

Well done Shuqri! We are all proud of you!

It takes a whole village to raise a child!

THANK YOU TEACHERS!

The school has been most encouraged by the parents of Eliza Ng Ker Jia (S3A2, 2018) when they wrote a note of appreciation to the school and her teachers for

“a nurturing and supportive environment to (help Eliza) grow and pursue her passion in the creative arts”.

Having the opportunity to work with Dr Lynda Neo as an illustrator in her new book on ‘Problem-based Learning’, Eliza was more than thrilled at the chance to express her creativity through the drawings for the book. She was indeed very glad to have contributed to such a meaningful piece of work.

Here is an excerpt from the note:

“They always say that it takes a village to raise a child. How true! I would like to thank you as well as Mr Tan Paul Loong (CCA/HOD), Ms Sheralyn Woon (SH/Visual Arts), Mr Goh Chye Joo and Ms Low Su Tee (S3A2 form teachers) and Ms Tiffany Tay (CCA teacher-in-charge of Art Club). Your dedicated efforts in educating the children of OPSS are commendable and appreciated!”

Take a look at Eliza’s impressive work! Well done Eliza, and thank you teachers!

Going an extra mile to return a lost wallet

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching” - C S Lewis

LIM WEE HONG (S4A2 2018)

Another praiseworthy act from Lim Wee Hong!

On one Sunday afternoon on 6 May 2018, a member of the public, Jarius and his son had just reached home when to their horror, they found out that his son’s wallet was missing! They started to panic as the wallet contained a few hundred dollars, a couple of credit cards and his son’s IC! To make matters worse, his son would be sitting for his GCE ‘O’ level Mother Tongue Written Examination very soon at the end of May, and they would have to go through the hassle of replacing his IC which was needed for his examination.

Fortunately, the wallet was spotted by our kind soul, Wee Hong who happened to see it on a grass patch near McDonalds at Yishun Safra. When Wee Hong checked the contents of the wallet, hoping to find some identification to return to the owner, he was shocked by the amount of cash in it. However, he was not in the least tempted to keep the large sum of money for himself. In fact, immediately he tried calling the mobile number on a name card which he believed was the owner’s contact number. Upon contacting the grateful owner, Wee Hong even went the extra mile to return the wallet to its rightful owner at their home all the way in Seng Kang!

Despite his selfless act, Wee Hong was extremely modest and emphasized that what he did was ‘no big deal’ as he merely did what he felt was the right thing to do. This was Wee Hong’s second good deed, all within a month! It is of no doubt that Wee Hong has gone beyond himself and done more than what was necessary, displaying both integrity and selflessness at the same time. Jarius and his son were deeply moved by Wee Hong’s actions.

Thank you Wee Hong for doing us proud again! We have much to learn from you.

Cultivating kindness makes a different

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” - Aesop

LIM WEE HONG (S4A2 2018), CHANG QI XIANG (S4A2 2018)

The school is pleased and proud to share that a member of the public wrote a letter of commendation for two of our students.

On 25th April 2018, a member of the public who identified himself as Irwan, was shocked to see a set of familiar keys which belonged to his mother and a hand-written note hanging on his gate. How did her lost bunch of keys end up back here?

As it turns out, Wee Hong and Qi Xiang, who were on their way home, found a bunch of unattended keys on top of the mailbox under a void deck. They initially wanted to hand it over to the police but in their minds, they were thinking: What if the keys belonged to an elderly? Imagine the trouble and difficulty the loss of keys will bring to the elderly? Hence, they selflessly took the long and onerous route – they did a ‘trial and error’ by going through one mailbox after another to find out which of the units the key belonged to. They could have taken the easy way out by handing over the keys to the neighbourhood police post. However, they chose to put themselves in the shoes of the owner and decided that was the ‘right thing’ to do.

After a tedious search lasting almost an hour, they finally found the mailbox which matched the keys. Just as they were about to place the

m into the mailbox, it then dawned on the young gentlemen that they could go one step further by leaving the keys outside the apartment instead. In fact, the key to the mailbox could be among the bunch! So that they did.

After hanging the keys on the inner side of the gate, the duo wrote a note to explain to the owner how and where they found the keys and how the keys ended up outside their apartment. Irwan and his mother were very grateful and appreciative of Wee Hong’s and Qi Xiang’s thoughtful actions. They even requested for the school to share their kind deed with the entire school. They have truly exemplified our school mission of moulding OP students into “men and women of integrity, responsible and compassionate towards their fellow men”.

Well done, Wee Hong and Qi Xiang! Both of you have made Orchid Park Secondary School proud.

You don't stop at one good deed! Another story from brave Brian!

Brian Kiong, S5B1 2018

Remember Brave Brian from last year? Here’s another of his Good Stories!

A member of the public wrote in to the school to commend Brian on his honesty and integrity. On 9 April, the gentleman realised that he had lost his 3-day old brand new Samsung S8+ only when he returned home late at night. He then decided to go back to the places where he was earlier in the day, but was exasperated that his search was futile. As a last resort, when he finally returned home, he called his own number. He was elated when an SMRT staff answered him on the other side of the line! He was told that his mobile phone had been picked up by an unidentified student on a bus, who then passed it to the bus captain. Our hero is none other than Brian!

The gentleman who found his mobile phone was very grateful to Brian. He wrote in to the school describing how the honest and kind student looked like based on what the bus captain could recall. He also appealed to the school to convey his heartfelt appreciation to Brian.

When the school finally ‘found him’, unassuming Brian sheepishly brushed aside the episode as ‘one of the things anyone else would do.’

Thank you for doing us proud again, Brian!

I am just doing my part!

Lim Chuan Qi, S5B1, 2018

The school is proud to share that we received a letter of commendation for Lim Chuan Qi from Nam Hong Welfare Service Society for his contribution at the Values-in-Action project he was involved in. Nam Hong Welfare Service Society is a community-based charity providing free TCM treatment, home visit, ration distribution, social support and free funeral services.

OP stories 10 photo.jpg

Part of the letter reads:“We would like to commend him for his proactiveness and diligence in approaching every single table and stall at the hawker centre to raise funds. His patience and pleasant demeanour throughout the interactions received praises from the public. At the same time, it reflects very well on his role as an ambassador for our organization and his school.We are very grateful for his earnest and exceptional effort to raise fund for our charity, and hope that others will emulate such selfless dedication.”

When praised for the commitment he has for the good cause, he humbly and modestly replied, “I’m just doing my part.”

Well done, Chuan Qi! We have much to learn from you.

It felt good able to help someone!

Shuqri B Shaifuddin, Khairunisa Bte Abdullah, Nayli Nur Syazleen Bte Sazali, S3B3

The school is happy and proud to share that a member of the public wrote a letter of commendation for 3 of our students and office staff who attended to her son’s injury.

It was about 4.30 pm on the evening of 21 August 2017. Shuqri, Khairunisa and Nayli were on their way home, along the pavement adjacent to Blk 851, not too far away from school when their conversations were interrupted by some crashing sounds. A distraught-looking little boy was on his bloodied knees, with his skateboard next to him.

Without hesitation, our 3 protagonists hurried towards the hapless boy. They decided that the boy needed medical attention and the quick-thinking trio reckoned that they should bring him back to our school’s Sick Bay.

Shuqri, a proud NCDCC member, was very happy to be able to put his first aid knowledge to good use. Together with our office staff, Mr Chew Chin Ming and Mdm Valar, they treated the boy with basic first aid – they cleaned him up and applied bandage on his wounds.

The trio’s kind deed did not stop at the Sick Bay. They offered to walk the little one all the way back to his home at Yishun. The detour and inconvenience that evening took them altogether an hour longer before they got home. They reached home exhausted, but each with a deep sense of joy and satisfaction.

Shuqri shared, “I felt good being able to be of help to someone.” “Yes, especially helping someone outside our OPSS family,” echoed Nayli. Khairunisa summed it up most beautifully, “It’s satisfying and a blessing to be able to give, and not just receive.”

Keep it up, Orchid Park students! Your one kind act goes a long way to touch the hearts of others! Shuqri, Khairunisa and Nayli's kind gestures have warmed the hearts of the little kid and his mother.

The boy’s mother wrote this in her email to the school:

“I want to commend a group of students that helped my son when he had a bad fall from his skateboard on 21st August. They helped my son into the school First Aid room, cleaned and bandaged him and two of them even walked him back to our place… On my behalf, please help me to thank the kind-hearted students and teachers who have helped my son.”

August 2017 - Just doing what she could

In early August, Ang Wen Yun (4A2) was studying alone late into the night at the Community Club near Northpoint.

“What are you doing here? Somebody, help me.”

These hushed and muffled pleas broke the quiet and the silence in the study room she was in. Wen Yun got to her feet, and walked out of the room, both curious and uncertain as to where the sounds were coming from. A short distance away, she was staggered to find a young lady, possibly in her 20s, holding on firmly to a man and looking infuriated. The incensed lady told Wen Yun that she had been harassed by the man while she was in the washroom. Wen Yun decided to leave her books behind and accompanied the lady all the way to the reception counter where the man was handed over to the personnel at the Community Club. She wanted to ensure that the lady was safe. That night, Wen Yun waited with her till the police came.

Here’s a photo of Wen Yun receiving an award for ‘Just doing what she could’ on National Day this year.

Well done, Wen Yun! OPSS is proud of you!

7 March 2017 - Good Team Spirit

The school received a complimentary email from Ms Joanne Kyra Loo Puay Khoon, Youth Head Coach, Netball of the National Youth Sports Institute. She was at the National School Netball Competition where our Netball Division ‘C’ Girls played at on 17 February. We want to take this opportunity to encourage our girls and our OPSS students by sharing parts of the email:

“… I would like to commend the positive environment cultivated by the netball teachers in charge … and the players from Orchid Park Secondary School. … In all the matches I’ve watched for the C & B divisions, the players off court were constantly cheering for those on court. Encouragement was always given when any player makes a mistake on court. While the team did not look to be achieving much from the results, they seem to be enjoying every moment at the North Zone inter-school netball tournament. I find this highly commendable as such actions and exemplary behavior will provide good learning points for the students to learn and grow from. I wish Orchid Park Secondary School all success in bringing the best out of her teachers and students.”

Thank you Ms Joanne Kyra Loo for sharing your observations at the matches with us. Well done, Netball teachers and girls! We are proud of you for demonstrating camaraderie and good team spirit. Yes, like we always share with you – do your best, and enjoy yourselves at each game.

January 2017 - A Positive Difference

This lovely story was shared by 3 Secondary 1 girls ….

Our 3 young ladies were waiting in the Yishun neighbourhood for 2 of their seniors for a gathering which they were supposed to go for together. They were near the petrol kiosk where the Sikh Temple was. A distance away, they spotted a frail and elderly man struggling with his push cart full of plastic bags. It seemed that there were 20 to 30 of them, sprouting from his cart! It was definitely an uphill task for the decrepit elderly.

But he was not alone this time. Our 3 young ladies recognised the familiar dark green and yellow of the OPSS school uniform. The bent-double uncle was flanked by 2 OPSS students - one on each side. Backpacks on their backs, they had their hands on the cart and were helping to push uncle’s prodigious load all the way to the block which he lived.

The outflow of love and care from their hearts led the 2 young ladies to walk the extra mile with the elderly uncle. When they were at the lift lobby, they noted that the 'overflowing' cart was too massive width-wise for the lift. Our 2 kindness ambassadors unloaded the plastic bags off uncle's cart, and altogether they made 2 trips lugging the old and scruffy-looking bags to the flat where uncle lived.

And of course, the detour caused our young ladies to be late for their gathering; in fact, they were about 30 minutes late! But what was more important for them that evening, was to ensure that uncle made it home safe and well.

It warms our heart to know that our students continue to do good and make a positive difference to the lives of those within and outside the school walls, while being a part of this community. We are proud of you!

End of 2016 - Brave Brian

This happened towards the end of last year. Brian was on his way home after school on a double-decker bus. From the upper deck where he was, he heard some commotion and shouting at the lower deck, and noted that the bus had not been moving for a while. Curious, he made his way to the lower deck, and was greeted by an unpleasant scene. An ‘aunty’ in her 60s was arguing with a beefy-looking young adult. The other passengers basically just looked on amid breaking out in low murmurs.

Brian’s smaller stature did not stop him from making a courageous first move to stop both parties from arguing further. He advised them each to give in so that all the passengers could get home sooner. The frustrated bus driver had since stopped the vehicle. Watching Brian, the other passengers followed his lead, and very soon, they were echoing our school mate's advice for the argument to stop.

Brian has indeed learnt very well the values taught to him by his parents, the school and his CCA, and he has chosen to translate them into actions.

Miss Elaine Sng, Brian’s NPCC OC has this to say of Brian,

“A modest young gentleman, Brian dislikes the limelight and is never out to claim credit and content for the good and hard work he does behind the scenes.”

Good job, Brian!
We are encouraged by your brave act.

19 September 2016 - Our Kindness Ambassador

Muhammad Shalihin (S3S1, 2016) was on his way home in the evening when he saw a Chinese elderly gentleman struggling on his wheelchair at the basketball court in front of Block 846. Without hesitation, Shalihin went up to him and offered to wheel him all the way to Khatib MRT Station before taking his bus home. This is the second time our young Kindness Ambassador has rendered assistance to the elderly gentleman. Shalihin’s warmth and kindness touched the heart of a fellow OPSS schoolmate who shared this story with the school.

5 September 2016 - A Good Samaritan

Gabriel Phan (S3S1, 2016) picked up a mobile phone on a van he was in, and passed it to the driver of the vehicle. The mobile phone was later returned to the owner who was very grateful to Gabriel. Catch our good Samaritan, brimming with joy, and clutching a box of mooncakes from the owner, as an appreciation gesture!

31 August - A Kind Gesture

Izzat bin Razali (S4A3 2016) was on his way home in the MRT after his preliminary examinations when he extended helping hands to a mother with 3 toddler children. His kind gestures touched and warmed the heart of the helpless mother and a train-user who sent the following email to the school.

“On 31st August 2016, at around 2.55 pm, an Orchid Park student named Izzat bin Razali helped a parent to wipe her child's vomit. She was handling 3 toddlers and did not have any tissues with her. He offered help to the women as she was struggling with her kids. I feel that this is a very brave act as there were many people in the train at that time. I hope to see more students like him!”

30 August 2016 - Part of the Solution

Danish Khairulfikri B Jais and Mohamed Naim Nurhelmi B M T (S2C1 2016), went beyond themselves and offered to clean up a cubicle in the boys’ toilet.

They did not only report the state of the toilet to the OM, but became part of the solution! Good job, young gentlemen!

Achievements
Subjects under the Humanities Department:
Class Timetable
Environmental Education