Raffles Atlas: Raffles Institution Y5-6 Open House 2016

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much to those who came for our Open House today! :) We hope you had a great time, and managed to catch a glimpse of the spirit in our school community. To the incoming Y5s, we wish you the very best for the year ahead! Once again, thank you everyone for making this Open House possible!

From,
Raffles Atlas Organising Committee '16

Open House is less than 12 hours away, are YOU excited yet? Directions to school and tomorrow's highlights can be found right here! :) SEE YOU TOMORROW @ 9AM!

Open House Preview 2016 courtesy of Raffles Press :) Read up to find out more about what you can expect to see on Open House Day!

Open House 2016: Raffles Atlas By Tay Hui Lyi (16S06F) and Shaun Heng (16S06R) (Orientation Comm) Check out the Raffles Atlas video here! An atlas is a book of maps and geographical charts. In this light, Raffles Atlas re...

Meet our fourth-last Befriender: Clarice!

Name: Ong Rui Xiu Clarice
Secondary School: Cedar Girls’ Secondary School
CCA: Touch Rugby
House: Morrison Richardson

1. Why choose RI(JC)?
As a JAE student, I chose RI due to the vast opportunities that it offers. It has a plethora of CCAs and programmes for students to choose from. Also, RI has many facilities and the school is well-equipped (eg the library is beautiful!). We have many venues to accommodate both sports and performing arts CCAs and we also have many ideal study spots. Moreover campus life appealed to me due to its vibrancy.

2. Favourite memory in RI(JC)?
Class camp! It was a good experience getting us to forge closer ties with classmates that you'd otherwise have few opportunities to mingle with. It was a time when everyone let go of their other commitments and just focus on each other and the company, something that would be difficult given the hectic school year. I wish it was longer, because 2 days was insufficient! Moreover, it was then that we had deep heartfelt conversations with each other and allowed us to have fun with the people that we'd be spending our 2 years with. :)

3. Favourite place in RI (JC)?
I would have to say the canteen. It's a common area where many people go to to take a breather, chat with friends or simply chill. I feel that in the canteen, you can find almost everyone, since it is located in such a central location. It's also a good place for people to do work (when there are few people, that is). Other than that, the buzz of the canteen makes the school feel super alive! It's a very ideal location to chat with friends too! I had some of the best conversations there. It's also big and spacious.

4. What were your initial impressions of RI (JC/ Y1-4/ RGS, whichever applicable)?
At first I thought everyone here would be extremely competitive and scary and I had reservations entering RI. But I'm glad to say that all these stereotypes that I once had are gone now because I met so many friendly, genuine and amiable individuals and I've established deep friendships here that I'll keep with me for life! Students here are like students anywhere else, and there was in fact nothing to fear about entering RI. The school spirit was remarkable and everyone was extremely friendly and inclusive! People here have a lot of passion of drive for what they do and I really respect that.

5. Name 3 things in your bucket list.
a) Travel the world and interact with locals.
b) Go on mission trips.
c) Meet RUNNING MAN in real life!!

JUST 2 DAYS TO RAFFLES ATLAS
Be excited as we are starting to put up our decor pieces around school!! Be sure to keep a lookout for them on Wednesday :)

Amidst all the excitement about our FULL Open House video, let us meet our next Befriender, Cherie, who is also part of the organising committee for Raffles Atlas!

Name: P**n Cherie
Secondary School: Methodist Girls’ School
CCA: Guitar Ensemble/ Students’ Council
House: Morrison Richardson

1. Why choose RI (JC)?
I was a little apprehensive about coming to a school that was pretty well-known to be extremely competitive. I initially had RI in mind because I hoped it could serve as an avenue to challenge myself. Open House 2015 had played a major role in cementing my decision because of the warmth and enthusiasm displayed. It convinced me that if I chose this path, my next two years would be filled with fun opportunities and memorable interactions, and till today, that promise has not been broken :)

2. Favourite memory in RI (JC)?
There are too many to choose from! But I guess choosing to run for the position of House Captain is a memory I won't forget. It not only brought out the extroverted side of me which I didn't know existed, but it also made me see the purpose in fostering House spirit amongst students. Through the various House initiatives planned for the school, it humbled me to know that I could provide service to the school in such a joyous manner. Most importantly, it made me feel like I belonged to a family :)

3. Favourite place in RI (JC)?
I love the Hodge Lodge. If I'm not staying back for CCAs or having Council meetings, you would see me hanging out at the Hodge Lodge playing Mario Kart on the DS.

4. What were your initial impressions of RI (JC/ Y1-4/ RGS, whichever applicable)?
I thought it was pressurizing and competitive. I even heard rumors that people would steal your notes if left unattended, which I have found is a myth that has been absolutely debunked. Any JC in general is pressurising, you just have to find your own pace, learn to draw help from your community, and eventually grow to emerge stronger.

5. Name 3 things in your bucket list.
a. To travel around the world
b. To skydive
c. To go backpacking through the woods with my dad

THE OPEN HOUSE VIDEO IS FINALLY HERE! Check it out and experience a journey through daily life in Raffles!

See you at Open House, 13 January (Wednesday) from 9am to 3pm!

Special thanks to Raffles Film Society, Raffles Ultimate, Raffles Street Dance, Raffles Rock, as well as all cast members, for their hard work and collaboration to make this video come to life!

Raffles Atlas: Raffles Institution Open House 2016 Video Come down to Raffles Institution Open House on 13 January 2016 (Wed) from 9am to 3pm. See you there! PRODUCTION TEAM Film Crew: Xu Jiaxin, Vivian Le (Raffles...

With this, we have concluded our first online publicity series, Griffles' Day at School! We hope that you have gained a better understanding of the facilities provided in school and do look out for the upcoming Open House video and more information on Open House day very soon!

Open House is right around the corner, hope everyone's looking forward to it! For now, let's meet Daryl.

Name: Tan Rong Jun Daryl
Secondary School: Raffles Institution
CCA: Table Tennis
House: Moor Tarbet

1. Why choose RI (JC)?
I would say that RI gives you a lot of opportunities to excel in different areas regardless of your background. There are really many avenues for you to explore different areas and it has given me many learning experiences. Lastly, I feel that you should choose RI because of the people here. Obviously the stereotyped Rafflesians do exist but there is an amazing culture in RI where no matter what, there are people looking out for you.

2. Favourite memory in RI (JC)?
My favourite memory in RI would be the moment when my CCA, table tennis, won the championship trophy in for every single division. It was my favourite moment as it was the first time in history this ever happened and it was the result of all the intense training sessions that we had in preparation for the competition.

3. Favourite place in RI (JC)?
For me, my favourite place in RI is the canteen. It is my favourite place because I am able to spend time here with my friends in the morning and during breaks. The canteen is also a place where I am able to relax and make noise, especially after being stuck in tutorials or lectures for hours and yeah, that is why the canteen is my favourite place!

4. What were your initial impressions of RI (JC/ Y1-4/ RGS, whichever applicable)?
The first time I came to RI, I was in primary school and I was here for the open house. I would say that I was really amazed by the facilities that RI had and by the friendliness of the tour guides. Even now, 7 years later I am still wowed by the facilities that the school has to offer.

5. JC is known to be very fast paced and stressful, do you have any holiday plans to unwind and take a break this (past) December?

Yeah it is really true that JC is very fast paced and stressful because of the work load and all so yes I am going overseas a few times in December to spend time with my family and be away from all the work in Singapore haha!

In this final epsiode of Griffles’ Day at school, Griffles will be showing you around the track! It is the perfect place to be at the end of the day and you’ll see why! Although it is often crowded after school with CCAs like track&field, soccer, and frisbee, you can be sure to still find space for some exercise! Besides, the track is the perfect place to catch the sunset at the end of the day :)

Here's our next befriender, Rachel!

Name: Guan Ying Shan, Rachel
Secondary school: Anglican High School
CCA: Jazz
House: Moor Tarbet

1. Why choose RI (JC)?
RI (JC) is amazing!!! With top-notch facilities, inspiring teachers, and a variety of CCAs to choose from, RI will definitely provide you with the best education to bring out your potential to be the Auspicium Melioris Aevi, or Hope of a Better Age. Choosing to put RI as my first choice came fairly simple to me as a JAE. The subject combination I wanted- Physics, Math, Economics and History, was not offered in most JCs, hence when I heard that RI offered this combination during Open House, I was even more inclined to choose RI, and I never regretted it.

2. Favourite memory in RI(JC)?
The Promotional Examination ended the day before my birthday and my friends planned a surprise for me in the canteen, complete with balloons and cakes. It was really memorable to me because I felt the love and kindness of the new friends I made in RI (JC) which made me really touched!

3. Favourite place in RI (JC)?
The jazz studio. I spent a lot of time in the studios as a result of being a drummer in Raffles Jazz and it has definitely given me the fondest memories of my JC life while making music together with my peers. The nicest part about the studios are the beanbags which are super comfy to rest on!

4. What were your initial impressions of RI (JC/ Y1-4/ RGS, whichever applicable)?
Before receiving my 'O'-level results, I never intended to choose RI (JC) as it was intimidating to be a student of such a prestigious school. However, during the Open House, past notions of RI being 'elitist, mugger, and stressful' were set aside as RI is like any normal JC, except with a larger student population and better facilities like Chill@RI. Indeed, RI is a huge school, but it feels very homely, making it my second home!

5. Favourite place in the world?
The OCBC Aquatic Centre where I volunteered at with my friends during the ASEAN Para Games. It was an enjoyable experience as I got to interact with athletes and listened to their stories which inspired me a lot! I also made new friends in the process and forged closer friendship with the present ones. Overall, it was an eye-opening experience for me at the Aquatic Centre so it became my favourite place in the world with many fond memories!!

Need to buck up for the upcoming NAPFA test? Or maybe just needing a workout but cannot find a place to? Fret not, Griffles is glad to introduce our very own school gym! The school gym will leave you spoilt for choice; packed with abundant and well-maintained equipment, the school gym is an ideal place to head to after school, that is of course if you are going for a workout... Otherwise you might end up feeling guilty about those 20 pushups you skipped the previous training! Plus, it comes with our very gym instructor, whom you can have a friendly chit-chat with, or even ask for some tips :) though be sure to check before you enter, it is often booked by CCAs especially before the sporting season!