Reported by:
Jr2Z(1) Ashley Chow Zuying
Photography by:
Sr1ComD Donald Lim Ze Ten
Sr1ComE Ku Shyreen Binti Ku Sairy
Shyreen (Ku Shyreen Binti Ku Sairy), coming from a Chinese-based primary school, SJK(C) St. Teresa was no stranger to the language. Her parents made the decision to send her to a Chinese school, as they thought that learning a third language is better and that Chinese schools are significantly more disciplined. Shyreen also believed that studying in an independent Chinese secondary school would provide her more choices and experiences. Originally from Tsun Jin High School, she transferred to Kuen Cheng High School just a few months after starting school due to location issues. She mentioned that most of the neighbours in the area where she lives are Chinese, and with the prior experience in primary school in addition to interactions with the people next-door, she encountered no communication barriers at all.
Shyreen sharing her experiences at Kuen Cheng High School
Originally, Shyreen had the opinion that studying in an independent Chinese high school would be very stressful, but later found out that it wasn’t as bad as expected, with the help of teachers and various learning methods. She expressed her slight disdain for the science subjects during her junior years, and how she improved tremendously by being tutored by her classmates. This not only gave her more determination, but it also led her to winning the Most Improved Academic Performance Award. Shyreen prefers the commerce subjects that are currently being taught, one of the reasons being that they are in English and Bahasa Melayu her best language subjects. She also voiced out her ambition of being an accountant in the future.
Before attending a concert with her friends
In terms of friendships, Shyreen says that she had no problem at all with fitting in, and that she has not faced any inconveniences so far. To her, the people in Kuen Cheng High School are all very welcoming and friendly. Even if they occasionally make small, stereotypical jokes, she knows that they don’t mean any harm. Though being exposed to Chinese culture and language every day, Shyreen continues to remain fluent in her mother tongue, making her skilful in three languages. She says that her family practises a “multiple-language” system, where she speaks Chinese with her sister, English with her mother, and Malay with her father. This July, Shyreen represented the school in joining the 2024 China International Exchange Wenzhou Camp. According to Shyreen, she met many young students from different countries and worked on shared projects. Her teammates were impressed with her fluency in both Mandarin and English languages.
Making new friends during the 2024 Wenzhou Camp
In terms of food, Shyreen enjoys the food served in the halal stall that sells halal food and rice balls, biscuits and drinks from the beverage stall and a variety of dinks from the vending machine. This gives her aplenty of choices every day, and there are barely any limitations. One of her best memories in Kuen Cheng High School includes this year’s Teacher’s Day celebration and the Senior Middle One’s school opening ceremony. The English singing competition during English week fascinated her as well. Furthermore, she expressed her fondness of festive celebrations such as Deepavali and Hari Raya Aidilfitri in school, allowing students to experience making lemang and enjoy many more traditional activities. She believes that this can effectively allow students to dive into the cultures of students from different religions. When it comes to Shyreen’s favourite place in the school, it is the back of the school’s new dormitory, because of its amazing scenery and relaxing atmosphere.
Celebrating Teacher’s Day with her fellow classmates