The fifth of January welcomed back a lot of familiar faces to the school, along with a few new faces and of course, the new batch of Form Ones, Class of 2013. An orientation was organised and held on the first and second day to brief the new students as to how secondary school life works in Cempaka. The main purpose of having the orientation was to welcome the newcomers with the greatest of warmth and familiarise the new faces of Cempaka with the friendly surroundings of our school. The Prefects’ Board of Cempaka Damansara participated in this very special and memorable occasion.

The first day of orientation began with a warm welcome and a short introduction by Vice Chairman, Dr Iskandar Rizal, followed by an introduction to the School Rules and Penance System. A short preview by prefects, Kaylyn Nisha, Alexis Lee, Justin Koh and Tan Boon Hoe, was presented on stage regarding the very first part of our school rules, the Attire section. The rules and regulations were later further stressed on by Dr Rizal for the students to know and understand more about what must be obeyed in the secondary school level. Students were then divided into groups for a short tour of the school campus.

This year, the ‘mentor-mentee’ system was introduced to ensure that all new students had a senior who would be a guide as well as someone to turn to if they had any questions, faced any problems or even just needing someone to talk to. As an addition to that, the ‘buddy system’, where a more experienced Cempakan was assigned as a companion for each respective new student, was applied to ensure that one will be given enough help when needed. After giving a satisfying amount of information about the school, the Prefects’ Board decided to have a tad bit of fun with the students.

Thus, the ice-breaking session commenced and the students were given the opportunity to mingle around. We had several games planned out and the very first game proved to be already quite trying, even for some of the seniors! It was none other than the ‘Tie a Tie’ competition. Each group was required to tie a tie in the shortest period of time. This game garnered a lot of laughs and successfully broke any shyness still lingering between the students and prefects. Next, we had our very own ‘talent show’ where everyone, including prefects, was required to act a scene out on stage with their assigned groups. We saw a wonderful spectacle of performances, and perhaps spotted a few fresh talents for Cempaka’s next box office production. The first day of orientation ended with tons of laughter and a great feeling of pleasure and happiness.

On the second day however, students were mostly briefed about the societies available in school, which also includes community services, performing arts, sports and expeditions. We also had a simple ‘How to Sing the School Song 101’ session, which was led by our very own Head Prefect, Tan Sien Yi. Students were required to learn how to sing the school song by following the lyrics projected on the screen. A very big thank you Yeoh Hsu Yin, one of the prefects, who was the accompanying pianist for that morning. A short video presentation was prepared to show just a taste of what Cempakans have done in the past years, otherwise better known as ‘Glimpses of Cempaka’ (yes, it was the exact same one that was viewed during Commencements last year). Soon after, the society presidents of the various clubs in school were introduced and a registration session was opened for those interested to gain membership.

Next, a brief talk about the Umbrella societies which includes PAPS, CADAS and Save the World was given to all students present. Presidents Natalie Wong, Khu Chooi Ern and Juanita Jamsari were introduced to everyone, and their responsibilities in organizing charity events and raising awareness in the school was explained. Soon after, further explanation regarding the Cempaka Awards Scheme was given to those interested in trying out for these awards. The teachers in charge for the Sports Department were invited up on stage to give a short briefing on all sorts of sports available along with the four usual expeditions held every single year – Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Expeditions.

Orientation Day was concluded with a very big thank you and good luck to all first formers and international school students. Students were dismissed and most left with a newly gained air of aplomb. That marked the end of Orientation Day 2009, and also marked the beginning of a whole new school year.