Temasek Junior College Wednesday, 12 April 2017

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TEMASEK PRESS Mother Tongue Fortnight 2017: The Beginning BY ASHLEY YEO RUI YIN (4B’16), CHUA XIN YING (4B’16) PHOTO CREDITS: INFOCOMM CLUB, ASHLEY YEO RUI YIN (4B’16)

Mrs. Low, our principal, at the opening ceremony during morning assembly on 10th April.

The Mother Tongue Language (MTL) Fortnight is held across two weeks to give students the chance to experience, appreciate and hopefully preserve the different cultures through various activities. This week, on the 10th of April, Temasek Junior College commenced their yearly MTL Fortnight event with an attractive display during morning assembly. Mrs Low, our principal, was invited on the podium to give a short opening speech and then kicked off the event with a bang by hitting a “gong”, while two colourful “bunga manggar” shone brightly behind her. Last Friday, we hosted our 10th Chinese Cultural Competition between 12 secondary schools and 14 primary schools. Charlene Chua from 4F’16 opened the event by singing 3 mandarin songs, including a song with self-written lyrics to accompanied by an existing tune. The students engaged in a friendly competition about the Chinese culture, history and literature in groups and participated enthusiastically. For the secondary school category, Dunman High School emerged victorious, and for the primary school category, Qifa Primary School clinched the first place.

Temasek Junior College Wednesday, 12 April 2017

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On Monday, the college invited various cultural groups to showcase aspects of their different cultures. One such guest was the Singapore Traditional Arts Centre where they gave interesting performances and talks about the Chinese culture. TheTamil and Malay booths saw students trying out traditional instruments such as the “Nadaswaram”, one of the most auspicious instruments in South India. The Malay students also had the chance to learn a traditional dance called “kuda kepang”. The students were enthusiastic and keen on learning, and participated passionately when they were invited on stage to learn the various cultural dances, and traditional instruments. The college staff and students are looking forward to exciting events happening over the course of the next 2 weeks, such as a cultural camp for the Malay students and a musical at the National Library Board for the Chinese students. Singapore has plenty to be proud of, from the rich and vibrant cultures of the various racial groups to the interest and respect that everyone shows in learning more about the other cultures. Aren’t we lucky to live in a country with so much diversity?

At the Tamil booth, showcasing their various traditional instruments and culture.

Year 2 Malay students enjoying their time dancing “kuda kepang” on the stage.