Young Minds Gathering

           On the 11th - 13th of November 2011, five lucky yet responsible members of our Toyota Eco Rangers were chosen to participate in the Gathering of the Young Minds even held in SMK(P) St George, Pulau Pinang. Puan Normah and Dr Teh, two of the many fabulous teachers in SMK(P) Sri Aman accompanied them to their delight. The event was under the Ministry of Education, and all the SBT schools (Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi) in Malaysia were involved. The main reason this event was held, was for the schools to be able to share each of their ethos which made them uniquely different from other schools. For SMK(P) Sri Aman, the ethos presented was our school's green project.

          Five of our participants; Nur Farhanah, Angela Chong, Siti Sarah, Syaqira Farouq and Atikah were gathered at the Pudu Raya Bus Station to board the five hour bus to Penang, accompanied by Pn Normah, one of the eco teachers. Man, that must have been some journey! But I guess when you're travelling with a group of friends, the journey gets even more interesting, huh? They then made their way to SMK(P) St George when they reached Penang in time to register themselves.

          Once registered, our fellow members made their way into their respective rooms and checked in. They met a lot of other friendly SBT students there, and they used their extra time to make friends. Around 4:30 pm, everyone gathered in the dining area for tea before listening to a briefing of the three-day programme. Soon after, the five went back to their rooms and got ready for the first main event that day; the opening ceremony. The ceremony started with the arrival of the guests of honour, the singing of the national anthem, followed by one of the students reciting the prayers. The headmistress of SMK(P) St George made her speech, followed by the deputy chief general of Malaysia's Ministry of Education which officiated the ceremony. Each school was given their certificates for their participation in this first SBT event which was yet to be held. SMK(P) St George and SJK(C) Perempuan Cina performed to lighten up the ceremony's atmosphere and also as entertainment. Once the opening ceremony was done, all the participants had a light supper before turning in for the night.
          Everyone woke up early the next morning, due to the fact that the main agenda was coming up. The first activity doen was for each SBT school to present their ethos according to the posters they prepared. For SMK(P) Sri Aman, Nur Farhanah presented our ethos by touching on all the green initiatives carried out in our school. There were primary school students performing musical performances at the main hall during the poster presentation. The presentation on the 'Kehebatan SBT' was up next. This event had only six schools involved; three each from primary schools and secondary schools. We were lucky, for our school was shortlisted as one of the schools participating due to our write up sent last month. Skeolah Tunku Abdul Razak presented their ethos followed by our school talking about our green initiatives. NExt, SMK Sultanah Asma presented on their SASBAND followed by the three other primary schools.
          After the presentations, all the students had lunch and got ready for the heritage tour. The heritage tour around Penang were guided by the SMK(P) St George students themselves, which is really impressive. The participants' first stop was Bazaar Chowrasta, where they were able to buy some souvenirs. NExt up was Fort Cornwalls, an amzing place with an interesting historical background; followed by the famous P.Ramlee House. Then, everyone were brought to Gurney Plaza, a popular shopping mall next to Queensbay, for dinner. The heritage tour ended at the Gurney Plaza, and everyone returned to get ready for the Symphony Concert that night. Everyone dressed up in their best clothes, and it was a rather big event. SMK(P) St George, SJK(C) Perempuan Cina, and the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar performed their musicals, and everyone was amazed with the awesome performances. The concert ended at 10:30 pm. After a light supper, everyone was too tired for anything else except bedtime.
          The SMK(P) St George students held an interactive and physical activity the next day. New frieds were made, bonds deepened, and everyone agreed it was a lot of fun. Sadly, the programme was coming to a close at the next event was the closing ceremony. Just like the opening ceremony, the Head of the Ministry of Education arrived, followed by the singing of the national anthem and the reading of prayers. Then, thee was a reflection session and one of the chosen delegates was Nur Farhanah, one of our participants. A video of the three-day programme followed the reflection session, and the Head of the Ministry of Education made a speech as an officiation of the closing ceremony.
          The highlight of the event, was of course, the prize giving session to the contest winners! The Malay College of Kuala Kangsar won first for the poster competition in the high school category. SMK(P) Sri Aman was called up next, for we won the 'Kehebatan SBT' Contest! The ceremony ended with a few performances from SMK(P) St George and SJK(C) Perempuan Cina students. After the ceremony, the delegates had lunch and were able to exchange contacts and such, promising to keep in touch; also saying their last goodbyes before starting for home.
          The Gathering of the Young Minds was an eventful and exciting events, full or personalities and spirits! The participants managed to learn the other SBT school's unique ethos and have all gained a good experience. We hope other events like such will be held in the future, for students can gain experience and share different views and knowledge to build a brighter future. The whole team along with the five participants were happy to know that all their years of hardwork has paid off as we won the competition, making SMK(P) Sri Aman a well-known school in Malaysia.