Farewell Assembly 2006 and CH Alumni Founder's Day Dinner

13 October. Most significant date.

It's farewell assembly day for the sec 4s today. Went up to 4-4 and 4-8 to give them the bookmarks that I made. Wrote some parting words and placed my favourite poem 'If' in the bookmark. Tried to con 4-4 and 4-8 that I had EL assignments for them, and I could see their jaws drop, literally. Of course, could not keep up the pretence for long, and started to give them the book marks. But I am really bad at saying goodbye, and this was no exception. I mumbled and rambled incoherently my goodbye thoughts, and told them to read the bookmark instead. They all stood up and clapped anc clapped at the end, which was moving. I fled swiftly.

The farewell assembly itself was the official closure. The highlights were the videos/slides presentation and the teachers' item at the end. The songs accompanying the videos were from our era, and the photos and clips and words ... all touched different parts of our hearts. Then, the teachers' item. It was unrehearsed and spontaneous. Took the song sheet from Endang and we all proceeded up to the stage while singing. Of course, we went wild, all of us, as we gamely hollered and sang into the mic, in key and off key, and tried the pass the microphones around. The Greatest Love Of All, and I Believe I Can Fly. The boys were happily shouting out the names of teachers whom they wish to sing into the mic, while we poor teaching souls were trying to read the lyrics as we sang. Towards the end, our free and soaring spirits took over... we sang with more and more gusto, and I know I did some ridiculously sounding sustain notes at the end ... for the fun of it lah ... And the boys went further .. they all, as a cohort, decided to stand on the chairs, and waved their arms in syn, as we sang together. It was really ... one word ... moving. So, it was a good farewell assembly. We had a charged closure.

For the sec 4s, I am certain they will remember this day, and the cheers they had at the end. And the school song was never sung so lustily and heartily by them before. They will all keep this close to their hearts, their feelings and thoughts of this day. For me ... I hate farewell assembly day, really, because it's sending another batch off, I don't look forward to saying goodbye, I know they will move on from here, it's like they are leaving home and embarking on their journeys, but for me, closing a chapter of life is always difficult. It's really emotionally very exhausting. Imagine experiencing that every year...

Then, it was the annual Cath High Alumni Founder's Day Dinner, at Neptune again this year. It was the most enjoyable FD Dinner I have had.. all the old boys teachers sat together, and we had a jolly good time - a truly enjoyable time filled with sincere laughter and thoughts. We were really boys again, relieving out past, talking bout the present, jibbing and suaning one another, talking and exchanging information. It was great fun, and it's like we were back in our schooling days. Especially, when we went round to say hi and talk to our former teachers, many of them retired and old, as well as sit at the same table as some of our teachers still teaching here. Saw our own classmates from yesteryears too. Good chat. Saw all the ancient, old, middling, younger batches of old boys all running around talking and catching up. As as all cath high students go, we never listened to the speeches given at all. Everyone were busy talking away at the top of our voices, ignoring the happenings on the stage. The only complete silence was during the prayers, as expected. Typical of all of us cath high boys, haha. So, it was a great gathering. Indeed, it was good.

And all the sec 4s should try to arrange and come for this annual dinner from next year onwards. Nothing beats coming together in a school community. The school song was sung at the beginning and the end, with the prayers, and with the familiar faces of old teachers, and the familiar family traits of a cath high boy all around ... it's like back in school again. If you want to see what a cath high boy is, just look around at the dinner, and you will see it in all of us.

Yup, this is a good day. 13 October 2006.