The 6th Saints Advocate Inauguration

The 6th Saints Advocate taking their pledge

The inauguration ceremony marked the official beginning of our journey as the 6th batch of Saints Advocate. It was an honour to have received the badge from our previous President of Saints Advocate, Jingxuan, in front of the JC1 cohort. The badge I now don signifies my responsibilities as a servant leader and a role model to the rest of the student population. As a Saints Advocate, it is now my duty to show my care and concern to the community and to be a link between the school and the rest of the community.

I will definitely try my best to render my services to those in need and to reach out to the society as much as I can. Apart from our monthly volunteering activities organised by the Metropolitan Young Men's Christian Association, I, along with the rest of the Sixth, would be embarking on self- initiated projects to extend my services even further. With the support of our peers, I hope to be able to make a change, eventually making Singapore a better place for everyone. As our motto goes, 'Advocating Changes, Inspiring Lives', we aim to evoke positive changes for the society as well as to inspire our peers and the people around us to join us in our journey of service learning. I look forward to working with the rest of the 6th to serve the school as well as the community.

'A noble leader answers not to the trumpet calls of self promotion, but to the hushed whispers of necessity.' -Mollie Marti

By: Shajiah Begum (15S12)

The 4th Saints Advocate Inauguration

The 26^th April 2013 marked the official birthday of the 4^th Saints Advocate. Proud and excited, yet nervous and worried, every one of us experienced an amalgamation of feelings when we were up on stage, receiving our responsibilities. It was indeed our honor to be the first batch to be recognized in school as a leadership CCA. We did nothing much for our CCA, and yet, we were bestowed upon with many privileges. Therefore, the 4^th Advocates would like to send zillion thanks to our seniors and all teachers, who have fought so hard for our positions today. The ceremony was not only for the 4^th batch but also for all who call ourselves Advocates. To all seniors, please rest assured that you are always in our hearts and minds as we proudly pledged to “inherit your will as our own” and we will continue your legacy. 

From now onwards, let us wake up every morning and say to ourselves: “I am a Saints Advocate”. 

4th Saints Advocate reciting the pledge with pride and gusto

With the badge hanging proudly on our uniforms, it is a symbol of servitude and responsibility. As student leaders of the school, there will be certain expectations on us and we are expected to live up to the name of a Saints Advocate. However, rather than just meeting the expectations set upon us, we should be aiming for more; we should be doing our very best each day to exceed the expectations. But, we do not do so because we are expected to be role models. We do so because we are role models. We are role models with a common desire to serve the community, to help those in need.

Receiving the badges of the school from our seniors

People don’t know how much you care, until you show them how much you care. My goal is that we will really go all out to help the community throughout our advocate journey, for example making the best of our time when we are doing our Big Sweep; to get to know the people whose house we would be cleaning, to forge friendships with them to show them that we care about them. In doing so, I hope that the entire 4^th advocates would share their experiences with their friends and let the school know what we stand for and hopefully, be supportive of us. 

Small steps can be taken to reach this goal, like maybe a simple SMS every time before the Big Sweep; to remind us why we are doing this project. We’re not there to just clean houses, but we’re there to be with the people. We are there because we are passionate to serve them regardless of how busy we are. 

The EXCO could work together in reminding everyone of our vision and identity over the course of our journey, because that is what we stand for. With this in mind, let our purpose and vision be known to the school, hoping that students will be likeminded with the same purpose and goal: to serve the community to the best we can.

“A life not lived for others is not a life” – Mother Teresa 

-Evan Mok, 4th Saints Advocate

Mark of Servitude (Badge Presentation Ceremony)

On 9^th January 2013, the 3^rd Saints Advocate was official presented with badges of the school, as an affirmation of the CCA’s contributions, past and present, as community builders and servant leaders.

It was an exciting afternoon, as the 3^rd Saints Advocate gathered in the lecture theater. With exhortations by the teachers and the Head-Of-Department of student leadership, and a review of our code of conduct, we were reminded of the office we bore as Advocates.

It is the office of the heart, where we serve our duties to the community, and display our leadership by our uncompromising voice for the needs of our community. This is our mission, and by the badge, we declare it to the school wherever we go. This is not a cause for pride, but a symbol of compassion. This is not the emblem of authority; it is the mark of servitude. And this mark we do gladly bear.

For the two years of Advocates before us, though no badge has been given to them, they have this mark imprinted on their hearts. On their steadfast foundation, on their broad shoulders we stand, to take this CCA to even greater heights: heights of love.

Legacy, learning, and leaping for joy (: