Black Holes and Revelations Subheader
Co-Curricular Activities
We recall one assembly when , as yet another student stepped up to the podium to announce that we had done well in some competition or the other , something unusual happened . Instead of imitating the standard format of these celebratory announcements , he tripped on ‘ I am pleased to announce that we have achieved commendable results ...’ and bowdlerised ‘ commendable ’ into ‘ condemnable ’. It was hilarious at the time , and still amusing now , but the memory also makes us think of the countless times we ’ ve heard that line delivered without mistake . Success is as integral to the Rafflesian identity as air and water are to life — in fact , the place of success at the centre of what it means to be Rafflesian is only questioned on that rare occasion when we fail to succeed .
The problem herein lies in the notion that CCAs exist insofar as they are able to bring glory to the school , as the never-ending stream of commendable successes at morning assembly may attest . This assertion is not entirely inaccurate . Popular belief and Rafflesian gossip ( often closely aligned ) holds that the controversial closing of the Gymnastics CCA was due to them not bagging any gold medals over the past few years . The same belief is put forward for the decision to shut down Bowling as well .
What is seen by the Rafflesian body as the unjust closure of CCAs due to an overemphasis on achievement has sparked controversy . In every few
Success is as integral to the Rafflesian identity as air and water are to life — in fact , the place of success at the centre of what it means to be Rafflesian is only questioned on that rare occasion when we fail to succeed .
posts on Raffles and RJ Confessions , at least one post about CCAs is bound to crop up . Confessors are up in arms over this focus on results : after all , aren ’ t CCAs supposed to nurture the interest of students ? Yet , it would seem that the school cares more about achievement than passion .
One confessor confesses that it ’ s just ‘ plain demoralising when you put in the most effort you can for a CCA only for the school to close it down ’. Another confessor remarked that so long as there is interest in the CCA , there is no reason ‘ to crush people ’ s dreams and take away their opportunity to develop their area of passion ’. Yet , it appears that this ‘ warped lust for grandeur and trophies ’ has fundamentally changed what CCAs are supposed to be .
Rafflesian Times
41