In May, the entire 2008 Year One cohort migrated from Dunman High in Mt Sinai to the Downtown East for their Level Camp. It was a massive affair involving over 400 students, and took place over 4 days and 3 nights. It was an exciting learning experience for the Year One students, trying their hand in a range of activities from different cultures.

This year's Camp was focused on bringing out the Olympian in all the Year One students, and teaching them to be champions in the "Mind, Body and Soul". Appropriately, it started off with talks by personas who embody the Olympic spirit – like a key figure from Singapore's Youth Olympic Committee, Ms Elim Chew, and one of Singapore's greatest sporting inspirations, Mr C. Kunalan. Ms Elim's Chew's speech infected everyone with her energetic enthusiasm, while Mr Kunalan's down-to-earth personality and unpretentious anecdotes had everyone rapt.

There was a palpable buzz of excitement as everyone set off for their various learning stations. For most of the students, and some of the teachers as well, it was their first time trying out these activities, including Fencing, Silat, Gamelan, Indian Dance and Beijing Opera.

The Fencing activity generated the most excitement, especially with Z Fencing's personable instructors. The students got the opportunity to try their hand at sparring with one another, and learnt much about sportsmanship and discipline through this activity. Another activity that was immensely popular with the students was Gamelan, a traditional form of music hailing from Indonesia.

On the last night of the camp, the students celebrated the different cultures in Singapore with a grand finale, the Fusion Night. The event showcased the students' creativity, and saw an array of different performances, from skits to dances, that spoke of Singapore's cosmopolitan nature. One of the highlights of the night was the fashion show, where each class sent a representative modeling the class T-shirt and identity, made specially for the Level Camp.

The Camp ended on a high on 16th May, with everyone singing and dancing to the Level Song "At the Beginning".

Kal Chan