Awesome possums
SMK Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
APART from the team’s catchy name, the NiE contest entry by Team Pesky Purple Possums had numerous elements that caught the judges’ eyes.
For starters, the PSA poster stood out with its ornate lines resembling colouring books for adults that are all the rage lately.
Then, plastered across the poster was their catchy headline that read “Pay with your life, or play for life?”.
A captivating visual and well thought-out text -- those were among the few reasons that earned Team Pesky Purple Possums the Outstanding Award for the state of Selangor, as well as a spot as one of the finalists in this year’s Newpaper-in-Education (NiE) contest.
Indeed, the Form One team from SMK Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, was inspired by the adult colouring book craze. Team member Justin Yong said: “We saw how nice the patterns were. So we picked this concept, among a few other ideas we had, and went ahead with it.”
Working together to come up with a winning PSA wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine for the team.
Jordan James Jeremiah, said: “By taking part in this contest, we learnt about teamwork. We learnt that we must give and take. We should also listen and consider other people’s ideas,” he said.
“And when we couldn’t solve a problem, we asked our English teacher Puan Tan,” he said.
The contest brought the boys closer. Team member Ahmad Kamal Aziz said that he enjoyed their group discussions. “I liked staying back in school to work on our presentation. It was fun when we got together.”
As the youngest finalist team in the secondary school category, NiE supervising teacher Tan Guat Suan said that they had done their best. She explained that the team’s PSA touched on gangsterism, which is a very real social issue in schools.
“Taking up a sport is a healthy hobby for teens,” she added.
She said that she encouraged students each year to join the competition as this took English language learning out of the classroom. “They get a chance to compete with other schools. And the prizes are attractive enough to motivate them.”
“My main aim was for the students to use the newspapers in the classroom. I like the NiE pullout because it helps students develop their character as well as their language. It also adds variety to class lessons.”
The school’s principal Zulaika A Rahman said that the importance of English is widely promoted in the school. “To be proficient in the language, you need to read a lot, and the best English daily is The Star because it is simple and easy to understand.”
The 21st century learning, she said, has four elements – collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. “All these elements are covered in the NiE programme.” “When they enter the NiE competition, it challenges them to be creative and they have to think out of the box. It enhances their communication skills. When they work in groups, they learn to cooperate to create a compelling presentation,” she added. Zulaika expressed her confidence in the team. “We are very proud of them. They are only 13 years old and already have creative ideas. I have said that they must strive for excellence and to go for it!” She added: “Winning is not the main factor. What is more important is their participation and the experience. They are only in Form One. The possibilities for them are endless. Age is not a factor. If there is a will, there is a way.”