Nature retreat awaits winners
Put together a creative poster and be rewarded with a paradise getaway in the highlands.
PICTURE this: air crisp and cool and greenery as far as the eye can see. Evergreens and spurs scent the air. It feels like spring, the season of birth.
To complete this picturesque scene, a sky of an azure blue hangs overhead. It’s the perfect holiday as you soak in the experience in this all-expenses-paid holiday with three of your schoolmates.
This getaway can be yours this year-end holiday if you take part in The Star’s NiE (Newspaper-in-Education) Game4Life contest. The second runner-up teams and respective supervising teachers get to relish a blissful two-day, one-night retreat to Awana Hotel Genting Highlands, courtesy of Resorts World Genting.
Located 3,000 feet above sea level, and just a 45-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, Awana Hotel provides an escape from the tropical heat and bustle of urban life.
The resort is equipped with various facilities for team-building activities, such as indoor rock climbing, indoor abseiling, outdoor flying fox and outdoor abseiling. Those who wish to challenge themselves can have a go at these activities.
The eco-sport activities here are structured specifically for guests to thoroughly enjoy the full spectrum of its natural environment -- from scenic mountain views to awe-inspiring treetops and tranquil cascades of rivers. Led by qualified guides, you will be able to access the otherwise hidden parts of the mountain and enjoy the lush greenery of the Malaysian rainforest.
But if the great outdoors is not your cup of tea, the resort offers plenty of other activities for guests to choose from. Those who fancy racquet sports may choose to make use of the many sports facilities at the resort, such as tennis, badminton and squash courts.
Apart from that, the resort has a heated swimming pool. Its water is set at an ideal temperature so guests can enjoy an hour or two of pleasurable swimming.
Other activities at the resort include archery. Or, if a simple exercise is what you want, the gym would be the apt place to stretch and crunch those muscles.
Genting Highlands is also home to the longest cable-car ride in Southeast Asia. The Genting Skyway takes passengers over a magnificent 130-million-year-old rain forest to the glitzier part of the mountain, the City of Entertainment Resorts World Genting. Here, winners are in for a treat as they soak in the sights and sounds of the entertainment hub.
Does this sound like a dream holiday to you? If it is, get together with your friends and wow us with a sports-themed PSA (Public Service Announcement) we can’t ignore.
The Star’s NiE programme, now in its 19th year, uses the newspaper as a resource to teach English in the classroom. It aims to make English class lessons fun and enjoyable using hands-on, engaging activities. Year after year, students and teachers across the nation wait for the Star-NiE annual contest as it has become the highlight of the programme.
This year’s contest concept requires students, in teams of four, to create Public Service Announcement (PSA) posters that illustrate how sports can be a vehicle for social change.
Apart from the prize sponsored by Resorts World Genting, many more attractive rewards await winners.
Grand prize winners for the secondary school category will walk away with an all-expenses-paid trip to the United Kingdom worth RM50,000, courtesy of Taylor’s University. The grand prize winners in the primary school category, on the other hand, win a three-day, two-night trip to Universal Studios Singapore courtesy of The Star.
Schools also stand a chance to clinch the Merit and Oustanding Awards at state level. The Merit Awards will go to the top five entries in the state while the Outstanding Award will be presented to the best among the top five.
The contest, held in cooperation with the Education Ministry, will see students earn certificates and extra curricular points for their projects.
The Star-NiE contest Game4Life is open to students from the Primary and Secondary schools in Malaysia.
The contest is supported by the Education Ministry. The contest closes on June 24. For more information, call Star Media Group’s audience management or marketing representatives (see table below) or visit http://contests.thestar.com.my/nie.