The second half of the year always brings along the solemn promise of final exams and the Annual Commencements ceremony that is when rewards are given to deserving young Cempakans, former Cempakans, and teachers. Of course, this ceremony is not just to commemorate the achievers and prizewinners, but also to inspire others to greater heights, and to hopefully, in the coming year, win their own awards and see their names proudly printed in the glossy pages of the commencements booklet.
And so, on this prestigious night, the students who had won awards assembled in the lavishly decorated Cheras hall with their supportive friends and family members to bask in the acknowledgement of their achievements.
The ceremony began with an announcement from the masters of ceremonies as formal rows of prefects and probates walked solemnly in, holding beautiful lighted candles which cast a soft glow in the dim atmosphere of the hall. The Book of Excellence was carefully laid down on the table next to the fancy signing pen and the plush leather swivel chairs, ready for the students who would walk up on stage to sign their names with a flourish and a smile.
But first, Datin Freida stepped on stage to deliver her speech. After the applause, she signalled for Glimpses to be shown, and clips of school events that happened throughout 2008 and 2009 rolled onscreen, divided into the categories: mind, body, and soul, encompassing the three-fold learning approach of our school. Then, the teachers received their acknowledgement and awards were handed to the teachers who belonged to the department that scored the highest percentage in the PMR and SPM examinations respectively. This year, the Math (PMR) and Science (SPM) departments cinched the awards and looked on proudly as their old students received their scrolls for getting good SPM scores.
Next came the presentation of the Gold awards, allocated to the top student in each level of National Examinations. Not surprisingly, Tai Kai Xin (one of the names which comes to mind when one mentions academics) received the Tun Omar Ong Award for the best UPSR results, and Navrhinaa Vadivale won the Abdul Majid Scholar Award for the best PMR results. Lastly, with an outstanding achievement of 12 A’s, Rachel Chiah received the Dato’ Pilus Scholar Award for the best SPM results. The presentation of Silver awards followed, for the top student in each level. The audience, already suitably awed by these very smart students, were then amazed with the presentation of special awards to some very special students who had contributed greatly to the school.
Jes Ebrahim won an award for Humanism, an International award that was bestowed for actively spreading awareness for the environment across the globe. Grace Cheng Tsiao-Lin won the special co-curricular award for Performing Arts (Dance), and her list of the many performances and shows that she has participated in was read out to an admiring audience.
Next was Wong Leong Khim, who won the Creative Arts (Film & Design) award for his talent in graphic designing and movie making. To show the audience just why he deserved this award, his winning submissions for this year’s Inter-house Movie Competition were screened and met with wild applause. Lastly but not least, Lim Zhuo-Ren graced the stage to receive a special co-curricular award for his dedication to Chess, which has won him, and subsequently, the school, many awards over the past years.
But it didn't stop there. Right after the presentation of special awards came an award that was purely a Cempakan award: the CAS (Cempaka Awards Scheme) awards presentation for the Gold and Platinum sections of the award. Students who won these awards weren't necessarily just smart, but had many other accomplishments under their belt, like proficiency in life-saving, martial arts, sports, diving and active in societies and clubs to boot. The four platinum award winners and nine gold award winners from Damansara each had long, impressive lists of citations, regally read out by the masters of ceremonies as they received their collar pins and sign the book of excellence.
And with that, the awards part of Commencements was over.
The performances began with the Cempaka Voices choir singing a Beatles Medley with vibrant smiles and costumes. Then, the talented Harp ensemble performed an entertaining, cute medley titled ‘Pop’s Hoe Down Medley’, followed by a girl dance group performing to ‘Joie De Vivre’. Ng Jo Anne, Andrea Tham, Jes Ebrahim and Gabriel Tham then sang a beautiful choral version of ‘Close To You’, and the Cempaka Chamber Orchestra trooped onstage to perform a near perfect rendition of Jon Schmidt’s original composition, ‘Love Story meets Viva La Vida’. They continued with a powerful performance of the ‘Prince Of Egypt’ soundtrack, and their special guests, who were helping out with their brass section, performed a rock & roll piece for an encore. Jes Ebrahim then closed the performances with a tribute to Michael Jackson, singing ‘Gone Too Soon’ while pictures of Michael flashed onscreen, to the delight of the many Michael fans in the audience.
The ceremony ended with the singing of the Negaraku, and as the probates and prefects flanked the aisle, the parents, teachers and students made their way home, some having the glint of new collar pins on their blazers and the proud feeling of accomplishment signed all over their hearts like their names now forever emblazoned in the Cempaka Book of Excellence.