Launching in T minus 10 seconds

Written by Yap Jia Xin, Form 5 Science 1, Class of 2015


Brace yourselves for impact, students. We'll be launching into semester one in T minus 10 seconds.

 Well, not exactly 10 seconds, but you get the picture.

And we have lift off! - An adventure in a flight simulator
Photo by Alysha Kyra

Once again, that dreaded time of year has crept upon us, where we are forced to douse the holiday joy that is ablaze within us and jump back into the hustle and bustle of a new academic year. However, we Cempakans have it slightly easier because of Launchpad - an event designed to ease everyone into the new schooling year. Its main objective to help students fall into pace with schooling life in a fun yet productive way.

Launchpad is carried out on the first three days of school, which comprises of, Preparation Day (Day 1), Visiting Day (Day 2) and Presentation Day (Day 3). The breakdown of this project is simple - Day 1 is the day where students get to know one another and map out the itinerary for the next. On Day 2, all groups are to visit their chosen “Place of Interest” to learn and collect information on their selected area of investigation and inevitably, have fun on the job.

Finally, to wrap it all up, comes Day 3 where all groups are to present their findings in front of the entire school community including the Freshman year whom are excluded from Launchpad. With a sizable total of 35 groups, with 35 different “Places of Interest” to witness within the span of three hours or so, the last leg of Launchpad commenced in full swing.

First to take the stage - and first to feel the eyes of the entire student body bore into their skin - was the Sophomore year. Considering the fact that they had no previous Launchpad experience, most of the groups were able to put up fairly commendable presentations. For all three hours of sitting in the hall, watching presentations after presentations, followed by 2 hour long trips hastily compressed into 2-minute videos, it is safe to say that everyone definitely learnt a thing or two from every group.

While most groups focused on the business and economic areas of their “Places of Interest”, some groups were able to bring more contrasting aspects to the table such as the daily routine of a radio announcer or the air-conditioning system in their particular “Place of Interest”.

In comparison with the video presentations from last year (which were often showcased in a humorous way), I must say that the videos presented this year lacked what made a video memorable. However, a definite noteworthy thing about Launchpad this year was that all groups had chosen very unique and distinctive “Places of Interest”. In fact, only two groups had chosen the same location! That being said, a special mention to the group who visited 'Dialogue in The Dark', where they got to experience what it was like in a blind man's shoes, as their chosen location stood out most amongst the others with clarity. Also, a notable mention to the group who visited Bubble Sports MY for their humourous video which met a gratifying audience response.

Sitting a hall for three hours may be a little tedious - I'm pretty sure everyone can attest to that fact. Having to watch 35 videos (90% of which is not the slightest bit humourous) can wear a person out, but at the end of the day, you’ll find that it’s not half as bad as it sounds. 

I mean, think about it - how many people get to say that they got to spend the second day of school at a go-kart track or Hitz.fm?