Sunday 14 December 2014

WWF's visit to SKIS

By Katherine Tham







Hi my name is Isabelle Chew, I’m currently volunteering with the Eco School’s team. I saw Sri KDU International School and I’m very impressed, I can see that all the students are doing a lot of projects that are actually going to help save the environment. So I can see that all the students really involve themselves in the Eco School’s club; all of you are doing a lot of things to promote environmental awareness even in the students through the recycling bins in each classroom. I think it’s very good because students use a lot of paper in classes, right? So you can collect it veryeasily and contribute to saving the environment. I see that your Eco Mural is very nice, it stands out because if you ever walk past, you can see, ‘Oh look it’s an Eco Mural right there!’ So it definitely promotes awareness. Yeah you are all doing very well, keep it up!
Hi I’m Joleyn from WWF, I’m with the Education for Sustainable Development team. What I want to say is that the most important thing is to take the first step and to move forward after that. Just like what I shared with you just now; ‘Today you must be better than yesterday and tomorrow to be better than today.’ This is how you must go forward with your Eco School’s program. I mean, you just started and there’s always room for improvement, we’re not going to judge you for slip ups or anything. The thing in mind is how you’re going to move forward in your Eco School, and I believe you’re making great progress!
Hi I’m Jessie Chew, I’m the Education Manager for the Eco School’s program. First of all I think the school has done a pretty good job on promoting sustainable lifestyle by placing recycling boxes in the classroom, and then to see if the students are interested in trying to promote that to their friends and families as well. It’s not going to be an easy journey, sometimes you have to take one step forward and two steps backward. I think it’s when you add all those little steps is where you’ll get somewhere.


Protected areas are dissected areas, there are actually different types; fully protected and just semi protected. These fully protected ones are fully protected and nobody can touch this area such as our National Parks. So when you’re talking about endangered species, most of the time they live in forests; protected areas mean there’ll be no human interferences, so protected areas are very important for these endangered species because it’s their habitat and the land they use to hunt for their food. For example the tigers, compared to humans, we build one house, 25 by 70 and we can stay forever in it. However, tigers their habitat is very large, it’s huge! So if there are not enough protected areas that means the tiger population will reduce, that’s why the population of tigers is reducing because their habitat is getting smaller and smaller. Let’s say we have this area here, and we have two male tigers so if there’s not enough space, they’ll fight for territory. So, two becomes one. Because that area is just enough for one tiger, that’s how population drops in numbers. They don’t have enough space to roam. When the hectors become smaller it means there’s less food to be hunted so that also reduces the population. So besides donating, my colleagues in the protected area team are actually increasing awareness of the importance of protected areas, how can we increase the awareness of protected areas is actually to increase the visitation of our protected areas to show to our government that these protected areas are actually very valuable besides only safeguarding the endangered species and serves as a recreational area.  If you go there, you know you feel relaxed? We should protect that sanctuary! It also needs to be preserved for educational purposes so that increases the value of protected areas and means the government will save it as a fully protected area. This is essential because some of the policy makers do not think that the endangered species or the tigers are important enough to save that particular place and its environment.

Saturday 6 December 2014

Beauty And The Beast Artwork

by Ng Jia Wei

The amount of effort put into the set for 2014-2015's SKIS school production cannot be understated. One of the many people who sacrificed their time and energy to contribute to the set and props for the play is also a designer at the Journalism Club, and today we'll be interviewing him!

Journalist: Hi! How are you?
Siew Han: I'm fine.
J: So, what was it like being involved in productions?
S: It was a unique experience, and although it was very irritating and bothersome at times because of having to stay back after school, it was still fun and engaging.
J: How many people were involved in set and props?
S: I think... around thirty across two terms? Some people came and went as their school schedules and workload changed.
J: How do you feel about Journalism Club's invasion of personal space in taking pictures of the sets and props as they were being made?
S: I was a photographer for Journalism at times so I can say that it was sometimes tiring and annoying when people keep trying to run away from photos; most people don't seem to appreciate having their photo taken without them knowing. I suppose it was a thing about their own self-confidence or something.
J: What were the benefits of being in Set and Props?
S: We got to watch the performance before the others!
J: Thank you for your time. 
S: You're welcome!

The Assistant Producer: Ms C. Cheese.

By Ansonn Cheah

The Beauty and the Beast production would be nothing if not for the efforts of its staff,
both on and behind the scenes. One of the head honchos, Ms Cheese has been a part of
the production since its beginning, and has worked at assisting Ms Barclay to
see the production through to its finale. She managed to find five minutes to have an
interview with me in between communicating with various students and members of staff, and still teaching English class.

-How long have you been in charge of your sector, as the Producer?
I've been involved since April (auditions), I would say I'm an extra pair of hands in
assisting Ms Barclay.

 -Did you personally handpick all of the cast members?
Well no, it was myself, Ms Barclay, Mr Everett, Ms Khoo, Ms Southgate, Ms Hewitt and Ms
Somogyi.

 -Being the producer do you enjoy your work?
Assistant producer. As with everything, there are challenges along the way, however, it
was really great being involved in such a creative process and to see the students' enjoyment
over the course of the rehearsals; to see the outcome and everyone's hard work
is incredibly invaluable.

 -Why did you join the B&B production crew?
I have a passion for theatre and I wanted to be involved in the production in some
capacity. I wanted to immerse myself within the arts of this school.

 -What is the biggest struggle you encountered over the course of the production?
Well, one of the challenges of managing B&B was finding the time amongst teaching to communicate with the huge number of people involved.

 -If given time, do you think that the production would have improved?
I think it was as fantastic as it was! Maybe with more rehearsal time a few things could've been tightened up but, like I said, it was an incredible production!

 -How were you expecting the night of the play to turn out?
Itíll be alright on the night! Everyone's hard work and endless toil created a fusion of
the arts which was a feast for the eyes!

The Master of Effects: Mr. Sim.

By Ansonn Cheah

 After weeks of persistent requesting and badgering I managed to interview Mr Sim
between his busy schedule. Mr Sim is a man of a few words but many actions, and his efforts are
key to the performance.
- What are your responsibilities in the Beauty and the Beast Production? (what is your
role)
Technical Director - as the technical director I oversee all aspects of planning for and of
all matters related to sound engineering and lighting coordination.

 - How long have you been the Technical Director?
Two months into B&B (after auditions). Working with the cast and crew has been a good
experience. It’s good to see students taking on responsibility so well.

 -In what way does your job affect the production?
In terms of what I do, I affect communication between the lighting, sound and
maintenance crew, and publicity (banners). It’s quite a tough job.

 - Did you enjoy your role?
Of course!

- What is the biggest struggle of your job?
Of course, following their very tight rehearsal schedules. I wasn't able to see the full
picture until a few weeks before the show when the cast moved to the MPH. It was just
enough time to get everything into order.



- Is it difficult working with such a large group?
Of course. Tracking down people and making sure everything is in order is a difficult
task. But at the end of the day, it is the production that matters.

Wednesday 3 December 2014

The Musical Maestro Himself, Mr Everett.

By Cheah Ansonn

 Young talented musicians have been crunching musical pieces to perfect the musical
numbers, and without a doubt their part in the show is one of the most critical.
Their performance, like the rest of the cast and crew, can make or break the show. Leading this symphony is Mr
Everett, conductor and Music Maestro Extraordinaire. I recently got the opportunity to
interview Mr Everett during the last day of the rehearsals under their busy schedule.

 - Why did you join the production?
*uhhhhhh I wanna give a good answer don’t I*
I joined because it’s a lot of fun. I think it’s really rewarding and it is the biggest event of
the school year.

 - How long have you been leading your sector?
Since all of last term [April] up till today.

 - Do you think that your team will be ready during the real performance?
Yes, no doubt they will, they've done a lot of work and we'll definitely be ready for the
first performance.

 - Have you ever struggled working with such a large band?
Yea. sometimes they can be a problem to work together but yes, we've overcome that
problem.

 - What do you think the students have gained from this experience?
They certainly have improved their music skills, reading skills, listening skills and
hopefully they've gained the experience of working with a large group of people.

 - As the lead coordinator of the orchestra do you think that you could have improved
given more time?
You can always improve given more time! But I'm happy it will be excellent
performance on the opening night!

Sunday 23 November 2014

Wednesday 19 November 2014

A Chat With The Beauty And The Beast Cast

by Isabelle Tan and edited by Ng Jia Wei

Beauty and the Beast wouldn’t be a show without the skill of its cast. The production team, orchestra, effects team, and backstage crew all play crucial parts, but the acting is the linchpin in any show. It’s no wonder, then, that the cast of Beauty and the Beast has worked so tirelessly to perfect their roles. A few of the cast managed to find time to have interviews with us in between rehearsals.




Q: Who are you, and what character do you play in the show?
A: I’m Arif, and I play Cogsworth, the uptight talking clock.

Q: Who are you, and what character do you play in the show?
A: I’m Arif, and I play Cogsworth, the uptight talking clock.

 Q: Who are you, and what character do you play in the show?

A: I’m Arif, and I play Cogsworth, the uptight talking clock.

Q: Overall, what are your thoughts on the Beauty and The Beast Production?
A: There is something there that wasn’t there before.


Q: Do you feel satisfied with your role?
A: Yes, very!
   
Q: Does the character you are acting as reflect your personality?
A: Yes.

Q: Why did you decide to join the Beauty and The Beast Production?
A: Both, because I wanted to be a part of something as big like the annual school production, and also to look at self-actualization.

Q: In your own thoughts, describe your character.
A: An awesome, cool, pirate swordsman; condescending Cogsworth; Cod Cogsworth; Killer Cogsworth...

Q: What is your biggest challenge that you have faced so far and how did you manage to overcome it?
A: The song ‘Human Again’. Lots of practice was needed for that. Human again~   

Q: Would you join any upcoming productions?
A: Yes!

 
Q: Who are you, and what character do you play in the show?
A: I’m Benjamin Koh, and I play the Beast.

Q: Are you satisfied with your role?
A: Yes, very.

Q: Do you think your character reflects your personality?
A: [laughs] Absolutely not.

Q: Why did you want join Beauty & The Beast?
A: Obviously not to skip classes, but to enrich myself.

Q: What aspects of yourself do you think allowed you to get the role of your character?
A: Bribery.

Q: Describe your character?
A: Hairier than Gaston.

Q: What was the biggest challenge you had to face so far in the production?
A: Singing was definitely it. It was my first time onstage, too, so it was an entirely new experience for me.

Q: Would you join a production again?
A: Yeah, obviously. If it weren’t my last year in school, I’d join the next production too.



Q: Who are you, and what character do you play in the show?
A: I’m Syawal Hazanan, and I play the foreign candle dude! (Lumiere)

Q: Are you satisfied with your role?
A: Yes, I’m very satisfied! At first I felt nervous of taking on the role of the candle since he is one of the main characters, as compared to the role I originally auditioned for.

Q: Do you think your character reflects your real personality?
A: Yes, but more physically than mentally. Mainly because I’m tall, lanky and do a lot of hand gestures.

Q: Why did you want to join Beauty & The Beast?
A: I wanted to be a part of a family and I wanted to achieve self-actualization as well as inner peace.

Q: What aspects of yourself do you think allowed you to get your role?
A: [shrugs, laughs] I don’t actually know?

Q: Describe your character?
A: To me, he’s quite hot. He can really light up the place with a spark of charm.

Q: What was the biggest challenge that you had to face so far in the production?
A: Probably my character’s accent and the “Human Again” song. That needed a lot of practice.

Q: Would you ever join a production again?
A: Yeah, I would!



Q: What is your name?
A: Adam Noah, and I play Gaston.

Q: Overall, how do feel about the Beauty & The Beast production?
A: It’s great! Gaston is a fun character to play.

Q: Are you satisfied with your role?
A: Yes, very satisfied.
Q: Why did you want to join Beauty & The Beast?
A: ‘Cuz it’s a great experience!

Q: What aspects of yourself do you think allowed you to get your role?
A: None. ‘Cuz I’m extremely innocent and humble~

Q: Describe your character?
A: A sexy beast!

Q: What was the biggest challenge that you had to face so far in the production? How did you overcome it?
A: Memorizing my lines, and overcome by memorizing it.

Q: Would you ever join a production again?
A: Most probably!

Monday 27 October 2014

Tuesday 7 October 2014

Breast Cancer Awareness Day

Did you know that 100% of the world's
population could suffer from breast cancer?

So join us in a series of events to raise awareness for breast cancer. 
- Mufti Day – Pay RM5 to wear whatever you want, as long
  as you are wearing visible pink somewhere
  (Undergarments don’t count!)
- Bake Sale – During KS3, KS4 break and lunch.
- Pizza Sale – During KS3 and KS4 lunch only.
- Lunch photography – Breast Cancer Ribbon on the field.

Volunteers are also needed for: 
- Baking for charity.
- Help us out during break and lunch time.
- If you would like to help out, please speak to Ms. Jasmine
  before Thursday, 9th of October.

The original slide show from assembly can be downloaded here. 







Tuesday 30 September 2014

Journalism Writing Competition 2014-2015

By Ng Jia Wei 11 eta:

Hello.

 Since Chee Kin's already covered the photography competition, I'm here to talk about the writing competition.

 The Journalism Writing Competition 2014-2015 is open to all students, whether you're in year 7 or an IB student. Submissions should be made via the skisjournalism.blogspot website (a.k.a. this website) through a Google form that will allow you to upload your Word document. If anything goes wrong with that, blame Jia Quan from 11 eta, head of programming.

 Deadline is the 8th of December 2014. For the particularly fastidious, it basically means we'll accept anything that arrives before midnight that day.

The topics for the competition are:
- Something related to Paramount Championships
- The Actor
- A State Of Trance
- Baby Steps

 Any form of writing is accepted. Poetry, prose, even the script for a play! However, in the case of the script, the clarity needed in terms of stage directions and formatting is hard, so we suggest not to submit a script.

Rules are as follows:
- Submitting a piece under a fake name is perfectly fine if you want to be anonymous. Just give us a way to contact you in case of any problems (email preferred).
- Only one entry allowed per student. The head editor is very fussy, and if two submitted entries seem to hold very similar styles, she will be checking.
- No word limit. You can write a five-book saga if you want to, as long as it stays within the topic and DOES NOT RAMBLE. We cannot emphasize the rambling bit enough because that would be rambling.
- Upload a Microsoft Word document. The head editor will make an effort to get the file up and running if it's in another format, but she's not that saintly if you purposely upload weird things like Scrivener files.
- Use a font that's easy to read, and a suitable font size.
- You do not need to print your piece.
- The judges (English department teachers, the head editor and the next head editor) reserve the right to disqualify pieces that they deem inappropriate for the competition.
-As a note to the above rule, themes of violence and hints of more mature themes are acceptable, as long as they are not present in a gratuitous fashion for reasons that do not seem to develop the characters/storyline/content.

 *Head editor: Jia Wei (Year 11)
*Next head editor: Katherine (Year 10)

If you have any questions, email Chee Kin at 17589@kdu-online.com 

Good luck, and have fun writing!

Monday 29 September 2014

Journalism Photography Competition 2014-2015

By Beh Chee Kin 11 Rho:

 Hello!

 The Journalism Photography Competition 2014-2015 is open all students from Year 7 to the IBs and will end on the 8th of December. Entries will be submitted via the skisjournalism website through a Google form that will allow you to upload your images (the form will be up somewhere around next week as we start receiving entires for the competition). Until then/8th of December, happy snapping.

 The topics for the competition are:
- People
- Pictures of Paramount Championship

 Some rules are:
- Image manipulation is allowed (Photoshop, Lightroom etc) [Only if all objects in the image are taken
by you.]
- There are no size limits for your photos.
- Each student is allowed 5 entries.
- Photographs all types of camera are allowed (Phone cameras are discouraged as a dedicated camera takes much nicer photos [This is not a lie!])
- You do not need to print your photos.
- If you are editing your photos please, upload the original along with the edited versions.

 If you have any questions, email me at 17589@kdu-online.com 

 Good luck!

Sunday 28 September 2014

Malaysia Day Carnival

by Katherine Tham Man Yin 10 Rho: 



















Malaysia Day Carnival; the event that not only reminds the students about the glory of our country but also a fundraiser that’ll push SKIS’ Beauty and the Beast production to even greater heights. The event took place on September 22nd 2014 where both KS3 and KS4 students came together to spend their money on the goodies that were being sold during their respective lunch times in order to raise money for the SKIS 
Beauty and the Beast production.



The students who volunteered themselves to open up a stall for the carnival put a lot of work into pushing their imaginations to the limit; each stall had their own creative ideas to snag the attention of the students as well as teachers of SKIS. From quizzes that test your patience all the way to lucky draws, you name it, they had it! Meanwhile, our very own choir put up a spectacular performance when they gave the students of SKIS a little sneak peak of the songs from our upcoming production, Beauty and the Beast.
Moreover, the choir group’s performance weren’t the only highlight of the short event. A few teachers of SKIS volunteered to sit down in the field and ready themselves for the sponging of their lives. Though they might not have enjoyed it as much as they could’ve, we can all safely say they had some fun to a certain extent. What could be better than spending an hour or two of being sponged under the scorching Malaysian sun?

 The full image gallery for this event can be found here.

Friday 26 September 2014

Welcome Back To School

by Cheah Ansonn 11 Eta: 


Welcome back, my fellow schoolmates, to a new year of learning!
To those who are new this year, the members of the Journalism Club would like to welcome you all to Sri KDU International  School, also known as SKIS. You’ve most likely had a glimpse of the Malaysia Day Carnival earlier this month; the money earned will go towards the Beauty and The Beast production that will take place in our Multi-purpose Hall on the 9th and 10th October. Just imagine-- the money that you spent on that day is now a dress worn by our Belle or perhaps part of the stool that the Beast will be prompted up with (He may be small, but he’s  a fine example of the adage “good things come in small packages!”)
We hope that the CCL registration was not too confusing for the newer students who haven’t used an interface like that before. We also hope that you have all got used to the food from the cafeteria downstairs.
And as troublesome as it is, you really do have to get yourselves equipped with the required equipment, and it is compulsory to purchase one of those fancy looking planners; it’s the go-to reference for your daily schedule, assignment deadlines, and the only place to record house points for your house! (Also, appreciate the new planner. Previously we had plastic covers that could cut you and the binder always broke after only a few months. However, we could use them as whiteboards.)
To the new generation of Year 10 students, we welcome you to Key Stage. At this point, you are also seniors of this school, and are role models for the next batch of younger, more impressionable students. You’ll be studying the same subjects for the next two years and we hope you made the right choice for the direction you want to take in life. It’s still a long way to go, but you should be passionate about what you do.
Please do not hesitate to seek for help or advice from your peers, teachers, the Key Stage Coordinators (Mrs. Baxter (KS3), Ms. Jasmine (KS4), Dr. Richard (KS5, IBDP) or Ms. Pauline (Counselor)). They are all here to ensure that your experience as a student in SKIS is the best it can be. Don’t be intimidated! They might give a lot of homework, but they are steady and reliable people who want to help you.
We hope to record everyone’s academic journey in the yearbook, so that we all have a memento of the great times in SKIS. If you want a picture or achievement or article immortalized in it, you have to try new things and get involved, okay? We’re looking forward to capture the best moments into the snippets on this website and the yearbook, and going on this new academic year and adventure with everyone else; but most importantly, we hope everyone has fun in creating their memories at SKIS!
Sincerely,


The Journalism Club

Hello.

Hello.
By Ng Jia Wei 11 Eta:


Welcome to the new Journalism webpage! Under the cut is more information about what kind of things can be found on the website. 

In the last term of Journalism of the academic year 2013/2014, efforts were finally put towards building a decent, navigable website (after about 999 years or something). Over the summer holidays, the main journalists put together this website, with a much more organized layout and a cleaner design than before. (Main members can be found here)

The purpose of this website is to be able to eliminate the pesky problem of ‘OMG WHY DOES THE EXAM TIMETABLE KEEP CHANGING’ and ‘ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MEET IN THE MPH FOR (generic) EVENT’ and even ‘IS THERE SCHOOL TOMORROW OR CAN WE SLEEP’ et cetera. All the information surrounding the school events will be consolidated here, so that everyone can look for the stuff they actually need. There will also be a full list of teacher’s emails so even though you were supposed to copy them down in lessons if you have any questions, you can directly email your teachers.

There will also be things like polls and competitions hosted on this website from time to time, so that everything is more easily accessible to everyone. Articles will provide coverage of school events and news from every aspect of the school day/term/year. There’s a convenient comments section below every article, so feel free to drop anything you want to say in there like if there’s a typo and you want to annoy us journalists by being grammar Nazis.

There will also be a tab to ‘Ask’ us things, and it leads to a simple Google Doc that you can then fill out to ask us about any questions or worries you have.  One of the main journalists will try to get back to you within 24 hours. Of course, don’t spam us with questions at 1 a.m., because we’re good students and sleep early and we totally do not stay up late watching anime.

We hope that this website can help out everyone and make the information accessing process much simpler and more straightforward. ☺
P.S. Unicorns can be found every once in a while, so do check back often. They say that finding one grants eternal youth and straight A* grades.

 P.P.S There's an Easter egg on the website that leads to a page full of kappas. Finding it grants you a small prize. (This prize is not extended to the Journalism club members who already know about it.)

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Paramount Championship 2013 - 2014

Paramount Championship
by Jordan Quah Chung-Eu, Year 10 Rho 




From the soothing sounds of the singers, to the electrifying performances of the bands, to the mesmerizing choreography of the dancers, to the melodious tunes of the musicians; the day was a success, albeit not without its shortcomings. As we all know, every groundbreaking performance has to have its minor flaws and imperfections; the flaws make each performance unique.

The Paramount Competition was an amazing feat produced by the students, for the students. The sheer amount of effort, teamwork and organisation needed was pulled off by the prefects, backstage crew and performers; each and every one of them students. Each of them played a major part in the success of this competition. 

The prefects were in charge of planning, organising and carrying out the inner workings of the competition. Within the span of a few months, they organised and prepared the show as thoroughly as possible. They did the unseen work of handling entries, planning and scheduling of the day itself, and overall, constructing the memorable day that left all of us with a sense of pride in our school and its students.

The backstage crew were in charge of the work in the shadows, making changes to the stage as the lights flickered on and off, switching props and moving equipment back and forth. The backstage crew were responsible for ensuring all the performers were properly equipped with microphones or any other essential paraphernalia.

Last but not least, the performers themselves, each of them showing their bravery in performing under the eyes of their peers and letting their hearts and souls be judged by the teachers. Many of them had different motives to their performance; some the thrill to perform and others the need to express and nurture their talents amongst the crowds, but all of them showing triumph in adversity.

Despite all the wonderful display of talent and success, there were slight hiccups in the technical department due to the lack of working equipment. In addition, the initial hype and excitement of the students died down after countless singing performances dragged on back-to-back. However, all of this did not discourage the performers in showcasing their talent to the school and still putting on a show.


As all good things come to an end, so did the memorable competition that created new memories and experience, and to some of them, a final hurrah before the upcoming slew of tests.