Jointly reported by:
Chloe Soh Ke Er Jr2Z(3)
Khoo Xin Yi Sr1ScA
With fur as orange as the rising sun and stripes dark as the abyssal night, the Year of the Tiger yields endless possibilities for us all, bringing forth prosperity and health in the midst of the pandemic. On the 31st of January, Kuen Cheng High School held its 2022 Spring Festival Gala, celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year together with their audience in a virtual setting.
Mascot Animation by the Comic Club
The live broadcast was held on YouTube and Facebook, starting at 8:00 p.m. with a quick countdown and showcase of the program. The first segment starred an animation clip made by the Comic Club, introducing a tiger and tigress as the mascots of the gala as they enter the school together for a visit. Right after, the emcees for the gala welcomed everyone before proceeding with some wishes from the Chairman of the Board of Governors and other members of the Board.
New Year Wishes from Chairman of the Board of Governors, Tan Sri William Cheng Heng Jem
The gala’s organizing committee was then introduced while dancing to 《我说新年好》, translating to “I Said Happy New Year”. Following more wishes from the Members of the Board, a performance was given by members of the 24-Season Drum Society. Principal Dr. Chua Lee Lee and the Vice Principal Madam Koo Lai Ping also gave their blessings to the audience, wishing them a healthy and prosperous Lunar New Year.
Then came the Diabolo Club’s performance and a short videography before the Philharmonic Orchestra played their own rendition of a classic Chinese New Year song. After some wishes from different departments in the school, an original dance video was played, starring teachers from the Physical Education Department. There was even an interactive Q&A session where students who managed to answer correctly in the comments section would get small gift prizes.
Philharmonic Orchestra Performance
A continuation of the mascot animation was broadcasted where the mascots went to watch the gala together, followed by a creative piano performance. A clean animation by the Anime Comic Games Research Society was played before a short ballet dance video by students. A quick break was in order as the school broadcasted a segment where students were asked if they knew the origin of certain Chinese New Year traditions. Some came up with amusing answers, but most relied on the emcees to state the facts.
Short Animation by the ACG Research Society
Moving on was a belly dancing performance and a word guessing video. Some students did a cover of “The Wall”《墙外》as well. Following a showcase of student-made Chinese New Year greeting cards, the mascot animation continued on with interactions between the two tiger characters. Next up was a piano duet, wishes from the Prefect Club, a dance choreography, and more wishes from the Taekwondo Club. The Guitar Club also performed a song from “Naruto” and another Chinese New Year song.
The Psychology Club told their own rendition of a Chinese New Year fable just before a video from the Drama Club was played, comparing the before and after of Chinese New Year in the pandemic. Then, a student danced to “Hey Mama” by David Guetta and another sang “Easy On Me” by Adele. Members of the Robotics Club were also interviewed on the tiger-based robot they made for certain cutscenes in the gala. The interactive Q&A from before was then continued with even more interesting questions.
Tiger Robot by the Robotics Club
Afterward, a performance of “UNIQ-Happy New Year” was given by the Rope Skipping Society along with magic tricks performed by another student. A piano cover of “Zenzenzense” by Radwimps was shown right before the continuation of the mascot animation where an unexpected accident happens in the school. A student also compiled pictures from over the years and broadcasted them as if he was in a news channel, reminiscing the time before the pandemic.
Subsequently, students performed a Chinese fan dance, followed by a performance by the Chinese Orchestra and wishes from clubs. Another student performed magic tricks before a drum performance of “Do Balanco” was played. A short performance and some wishes by the Chinese Folk Dance Club was broadcasted, too, with a group singing performance coming up next. The interaction Q&A continued as before, along with another continuation clip of the mascot animation where the mascots come face to face with Nian (年兽), the fabled beast who was there to destroy the school.
Chinese Orchestra Performance
Chinese Fan Dance
Thereafter, two students performed a cover duet of “See You Again” just before the Counseling Club Clover Awards was announced, showcasing short skits created by club members. A student also played a piano cover of “God Knows” by Aya Hirano, while another danced to “Eleven” by IVE. A guitar song cover was then played by the teacher-advisor of the Guitar Club.
A continuation of the mascot animation was displayed, showing the tiger characters fighting off Nian up until they could not hold it back any longer. With the animation on a cliff-hanger, a performance by the Rhythmic Gymnastics Club followed. After some wishes from the Robotics Club, there was a piano cover of “Something Doing” by another talented individual. The Korean Club gave their blessings in Korean before another interactive Q&A session and some wishes from the Japanese Club. A short interview was carried out to ask students about their 2022 Chinese New Year celebrations. The broadcast moved on with some wishes from the security guards and janitors of the school.
The mascot animation continued with the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals coming to the rescue, successfully driving Nian out of the school. Some students were then tested on their knowledge of Chinese New Year traditions, entertaining the audience with some fun facts before a short tiger-robot dance was shown by the Robotics Club. The final interactive Q&A session was held, with an original song from the Music Composing Club coming after. The last performance of the gala was a piano cover, followed by none other than the finale of the mascot animation.
Mascot Animation Finale by the Comic Club
Finally, it was time for the countdown.
“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Happy Chinese New Year!” It was then that the audience cheered with glee, no longer holding in their suspense as the emcees took over the broadcast, wishing everyone a prosperous Chinese New Year and bringing the gala to an end. While some stayed back to watch the process of preparing for the gala, others left to spend time with their families and prepare for the first day of Chinese New Year.
With that came the closing of Kuen Cheng High School’s 2022 Spring Festival Gala, and the beginning of a brand new year, a brand new start for each and every individual out there. Once again, wishing everyone a year filled with joy, contentment, and bliss. Happy Chinese Lunar New Year!
