CCA Recruitment / Open House 2013

On 12^th January 2013, our college held its Open House to welcome prospective students with a display of our vibrant school culture by exhibitions and performances by our numerous CCAs. Later on 20^th February 2013 was the CCA fest for the new students of our school, to help them find the CCA of their interests. On these days, the Saints Advocate took to the crowds, to advocate our cause and to seek out the new Advocates to share our flame.

Publicity items (: the 'Heart Plaster'

Throughout the whole journey of planning and designing our Advocate booth – to best display our purpose as Advocates as well as our one year’s journey in this CCA – I have gained a lot of experience and insight to the importance of time management.

During Open House when we first set up our booth, I felt that the task force was not very ready and that the display boards were too hastily made. Although the boards were extremely creative and informative, there were considerations that we had failed to take into account, such as the small font we used for the introductions on our various projects. The concave set-up of our booth also deterred many from walking forward to examine our boards closely. It was undeniable that many of the Advocates also felt slightly disheartened that most students who came for the Open House were more interested in what subjects the school offers rather than the CCAs available. Being turned down numerous times or simply being consulted on matters of the school’s academic achievements made us feel that the effort we put in to construct our booth was much under-appreciated  Nevertheless, we still gave it our best effort and approached many groups of students and parents who walked past our booth to advocate the cause that we stand for.

Setting up the booth in the morning before Open House (:

Due to time limitations, the booth during Open House did not turn out as effective or appealing as we expected, and that was a great concern for us. Fortunately, we had a second chance to revamp our booth for the CCA Recruitment day. With the new lease of time, better time management and more help, we successfully managed complete all our props by recruitment day.

The banner of Saints Advocate held high

One of the most satisfying props that we completed was an approximately 10m long banner that proudly hails "Saints Advocate". At first, the task force thought that it would be almost impossible for us to complete that banner in time as it stretched longer than a classroom floor and was long and wide, making drawing the alphabets difficult and tedious. Despite having to stay back in school many days to complete the banner, we worked at it with perseverance and managed to finish it three days before the actual day. Through this arduous activity and others, I felt that we had also strengthened our friendships within the task force.

Our Advocates beside the 'sign-post of events'

Furthermore, what I felt we did well in was the creation of a sign-post structure that showcased to the juniors some projects that they can look forward to in joining Saints Advocate. It attracted much attention and I felt that it was the best prop as it applied directly to the JC1s and gave them a rough idea of what to expect as compared to just finding out our past experiences. In addition, it gave me the opportunity to approach some of my potential juniors, helping me to step out of my comfort zone as well.

The CCA Recruitment task force, and the hard work of the entire Saints Advocate

All in all, I feel that the members of the task force have all grown from the experience, greatly unrecognizable from the very first time we came together. Seeing our juniors now, we could truly say that our recruitment efforts have been quite a great success!

-Natalie Keong, 3rd Saints Advocate