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Head Boy’ s Column
Head Boy’ s Column
by Isaac Leong
Rafflesian Times
12
# YORO
It was back in 2011 when my friend and I were at the 10th year gathering dinner of a batch of old Rafflesians. We were helping out with the sale of Raffles Merchandise when this man, looking slightly drunk, came up and told us to treasure our time at Raffles. It wasn’ t surprising why he said that to us junior Rafflesians back then, since the occasion must have been full of fond distant memories for him, but it did make both of us think about the way we spent our time in school and whether we were making these moments count.
Looking back at this encounter, my friend conceived the term YORO( You’ re Only in Raffles Once) to sum up his advice. We first shared this at our Student Leaders Camp last year when we talked about making the Rafflesian experience memorable for our peers and juniors. We came out with various plans— from encouraging CCAs to put emphasis on the process of training hard as a team, instead of only focusing on winning medals; to initiatives, like the fortnightly TGIF events, that encourage students to take some time out of their busy school life to bond with their friends. These plans have been a success thanks to the hard work of many student leaders, but it is still up to us to create meaning and fulfillment from our Raffles experiences.
Perhaps, we are becoming increasingly indifferent to matters in school and caught up with our own world of work— it’ s not uncommon after all to find those who see their GPA( Grade Point Average) as the only thing to work for in RI. But the Rafflesian experience is so much more than that, and it is up to the individual to decide the kind of memories and experiences to bring away after six years at Raffles.
My first three-and-a-half years have been special— not because of big achievements and events, but because of the great people and small things that have come to define my memory of Raffles. Whether it is supporting my classmates for inter-class soccer, or doing wild( and sometimes insane) things together with them, these experiences are what I look back fondly to. However, with the pressure of school work, I cannot be sure whether it’ s the fun or
But the Rafflesian experience is so much more than that, and it is up to the individual to decide the kind of memories and experiences to bring away after six years at Raffles.