Jointly reported by:
Lim Lok Yee Jr2Z2
Ng Yi Phin Jr2Z2
Lim Sze Kee SR1SCB
On the 15th of June 2022, Kuen Cheng High School held the Bulan Bahasa (Malay Month) opening ceremony at our School main basketball court. The ceremony lasted from 7:50 am to 8:10 am.
The ceremony was undeniably well planned because before it started, representatives of clubs were already setting up their equipment and the emcees were also doing microphone sound tests. They meticulously checked every detail, ensuring that the opening ceremony would run smoothly without delays.
Some students were seen playing “Batu Seremban” (“Tossing the Stones”) in groups of four. Batu Seremban is a traditional game usually played in playgrounds and at home. This game can be played individually, or in a group and the only equipment needed is five little stones or cloth sacks. Batu Seremban is similar to the game of jacks. Simply put, a stone is tossed into the air, stones are gathered and the tossed item is caught before it lands on the ground. If at any point in time a player fails to catch the stone before it strikes the ground, their turn ends and the stones are passed onto the next opponent.
Batu Seremban
Right beside the “Batu Seremban” players, a line of students was playing “Tapak Gajah” (Elephant’s Footprint). In this traditional Malay game, you stand on two coconut shells that are tied to strings. The aim is to try and walk to the other side while on the coconut shells by holding onto the strings tightly. Since the coconuts are round and the strings are thin, succeeding requires a good sense of balance. Some students executed each step with ease, others looked like they were “waddling”. All in all, everyone had a good time trying their hand at these traditional games.
Tapak Gajah
Meanwhile, other students were carrying stacks of chairs for the teachers, who wore matching shades of pink, to sit on. Classes slowly started filing into the basketball court, sitting down at their assigned places. Others from higher levels watched the opening ceremony from the corridors.
Students filing in
After a long wait, the much-anticipated Malay Month Opening Ceremony finally began! First was a speech by the Vice Principal, Madam Koo Lai Ping.
In her speech, Madam Koo expressed her excitement and happiness as all KCians got to reunite after more than two years’ lack of physical activities, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started. She was grateful to the teachers from the Malay Department for making this Malay Month a success, with lots of interesting activities, including Congkak and comic drawing competitions. She hopes that students’ interest in Malay will increase and they will master this national language of ours better. Madam Koo continued to remind all students that learning Malay is our responsibility, not only to be used as a tool in exams. Therefore, we should grab the golden chance to join the various competitions and games held throughout the Malay Month. As the Malay saying goes, “Tak kenal maka tak cinta” (Without knowing we will not love), we should stay interested and work hard to master the Malay language. Madam Koo repeated her thankfulness to all teachers and students who helped organise this activity to end her speech.
Madam Koo Lai Ping
Afterwards, students from Sr3ScA impressed us with a singing and dancing performance called “Gemuruh”. Although their costumes were as simple as pink T-shirts and jeans, they had made the performance incredibly outstanding with their clean and neat steps. According to Miss Aisyah, they sacrificed their mid-year holiday to practise and rehearse for the performance. Indeed, all their hard work paid off as they had successfully pulled off a super energised performance which can be proven by the thunderous round of applause given by the audience.’
The performance was carried on by another song called “Sahabat”. During the performance, the performers as well as the audience clapped with the rhythm. The most exciting part was the rapping part as the rapper walked around and kept the audience engaged. This managed to bring enjoyment and fun to all. As a creative ending, they raised black and white boards which formed the word “KC”.
The ceremony ended perfectly and the students lined up and returned to their respective classrooms with broad smiles. Meanwhile, the performers took a big group photo with the teachers. Overall, through the Malay Month, we hope that students are able to love, enjoy and explore the beauty of the Malay language as well as enhance their proficiency in it.