majlis pelantikan ahli mpp dan prr bagi sesi 2016-2017

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PULSE
For the students, by the students
Pulse PTES’s Bilingual Newsletter!
Issue #3
2016
Kata Mutiara
Keluarga Bahagia
Lahirkan Masyarakat
Berkualiti
MAJLIS PELANTIKAN AHLI MPP
DAN PRR BAGI SESI 2016-2017
Oleh: Siti Norkalbi Hj Md.Seruddin, BE 16
Gambar: Md Khairul Shafiq Kamarul Rozali AE 1
Principal: Cikgu Haji Ismail bin Haji
Zainal
ADMINISTRATION
Office: 2671660
Fax: 2671665
Official Website: https://
sengkurongsixformcenterpublic.sharepoint.com/
Pelantikan MPP &
PRR
PP1-3
Kenali MPP Kita
P3
ISB-Global Issues
P4-6
Futsal Victory
P16-17
Vision :
Enhance Teaching and Learning
For Individual Excellence
Mission:
To provide the opportunity for all
students to realise their potential
and become better citizens.
Ahli baru penuntut lelaki MPP dan PRR sedang berikrar
Dewan Serbaguna Pusat Tingkatan Enam Sengkurong, Sabtu, 30 April 2016 bersamaan
dengan 22 Rejab 1437 hijrah, acara dimulakan dengan kehadiran para pelajar dan pensyarah-pensyarah. Majlis dimulakan dengan bacaan ayat-ayat lazim suci Al-Quran dan
tafsir yang dibacakan oleh penuntut PTES. Seterusnya, persembahan Tausyeh.
Bagi menyempurnakan majlis, ucapan alu-aluan disampaikan oleh Cikgu Alexandar bin
Bandang, Timbalan Pengetua Pentadbiran. Majlis penyampaian Sijil Penghargaan, Surat
Lantikan dan Lencana kepada Ahli-Ahli Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar dan Pembimbing
Rakan Remaja bagi Sesi 2016 - 2017 yang disampaikan oleh Pengetua PTES iaitu
Cikgu Haji Ismail bin Haji Zainal.
MAJLIS PELANTIKAN AHLI MPP DAN PRR BAGI SESI 2016-2017
Gambar:Md Khairul Shafiq Kamarul Rozali AE 1
Ahli baru penuntut perempuan MPP dan PRR yang dilantik
Kemudian, Acara Penyerahan Tugas Majlis
Perwakilan Pelajar dan Pembimbang Rakan
Remaja sesi 2015-2016 kepada Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar dan Pembimbing Rakan Remaja sesi
2016-2017. Diteruskan juga dengan lantikan
Yang Di-Pertua bagi Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar
sesi 2016-2017 telah dipegang oleh Abdul Haziq Azri bin Hj Abd Nasir (BE4) dan Presiden
Pembimbing Rakan Remaja bagi sesi 20162017 pula ialah Muhammad Zhoriif Zahiruddin
bin Haji Persidi Ahmad (BE15). Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar dan Pembimbing Rakan Remaja perlu berjanji menjadi pemimpin yang bertanggungjawab dengan melafazkan ikrar mereka. Kemudian, mantan Yang Di-Pertua Majlis
Perwakilan Pelajar sesi 2015-2016 iaitu Muhammad Shakir Zufairy bin Salminan memberikan ucapan, dan diteruskan lagi dengan
ucapan Yang Di-Pertua Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar sesi 2016-2017. Bagi mengakhiri majlis,
bacaan Doa Selamat telah dibacakan oleh Ustaz
Haji Mohammad Danil bin Haji Duraman. Majlis diakhiri dengan sesi bergambar ramai bersama Pengetua dan Ahli-Ahli Jawatankuasa Majl
Penuntut PTES memberikan pesanan penghargaan mereka
kepada bekas ahli MPP dan PRR 2015-2016
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KENALI MPP KITA
Oleh Reisydah binti Hj Abd Hamid, BE 12 dan Siti Norkalbi binti Seruddin, BE 16
Mohammad Nazirul Mubeen
Naib Di-Pertua I
Abdul Haziq Azri
Yang Di-Pertua
Nur Syamimi Nadhirah
Naib Di-Pertua II
Abdul Haziq Azri bin Hj Abdul Nasir, BE 4
Abdul Haziq Azri bin Hj Abdul Nasir berumur 17 tahun dan mengambil mata pelajaran Biology, Chemistry, Matematik dan
Thinking Skills. Bekas penuntut Maktab SOAS tersebut memutuskan untuk menyertai ahli Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar berhasrat mencuba sesuatu yang baru dan menarik. Selain itu, beliau ingin mengubah diri serta menimba ilmu baru agar menjadi
seorang yang lebih baik dan berguna pada masa akan datang. Tujuan beliau menyertai program ini kerana ingin meninggalkan sekolah ini dengan senyuman dan kenangan yang indah selain membuat suatu inovasi di sekolah ini.
Mohammad Nazirul Mubeen bin Haji Noor Hisham, BE 14
Mohammad Nazirul Mubeen bin Haji Noor Hisham, 17 tahun, bekas penuntut Intitut Tahfiz Al-Quran SHHB. Beliau
mengambil mata pelajaran Syariah, Usuluddin, Bahasa Melayu dan General Paper. Menurut beliau ingin menyumbangkan
sesuatu kepada sekolah ini dengan menjadi seorang ketua yang boleh mengetuai penuntut-penuntut PTES dan menjadikan
sekolah ini sebagai sekolah yang cermerlang. Seperti yang diharapkan oleh Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia iaitu untuk
membangun dan menjadikan negara ini sebagai negara Zikir. Saya percaya bahawa belia pada masa kini memainkan peranan
penting untuk mencapainya. Oleh itu, saya bercita-cita untuk menjadikan warga sekolah ini menjadi individu yang berpegang
teguh dengan agama Islam dan berdisiplin.
Nur Syamimi Nadhirah binti Irriawadi, BE 1
Nur Syamimi Nadhirah binti Irriawadi, 17 tahun, bekas penuntut Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Hasan. Beliau mengambil
mata pelajaran History, Sociology, Psychology dan AS Literature. Sebahagian besar tujuannya sebagai alasan untuk menjadi
warga PTES yang berguna, saya ingin menyumbangkan sesuatu yang berguna dalam jangka masa dua tahun yang singkat ini.
Saya sendiri sebenarnya mencabar diri hingga tahap potensi yang maksimum, agar saya tidak terus dalam zon yang selesa.
Selain itu, sekolah ini perlu menyediakan padang sekolah untuk kegunaan acara padang, elemen-elemen kehijauan di dalam
bilik-bilik darjah juga boleh meningkatkan lagi keselesaan penuntut.
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ISB-BORNEO GLOBAL ISSUES CONFERENCE
As some of you may know, the ISB-Borneo Global Issues Conference, organised by the International School Brunei (ISB)
has now become an established annual event on the school calendar. A student-managed conference which focuses on the
knowledge of international concerns and current affairs, debating and presentation skills, as well as instilling values of global
citizenship, the conference attracts not only delegates from local government schools in Brunei Darussalam, but also representatives from countries such as Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Singapore, England, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Qatar.
This year’s ISB-BGIC – the twelfth edition of the event – took place at ISB and the International Convention Centre from
Friday 4th March – Monday 7th March 2016 and saw six PTES students, along with their teacher supervisor Cikgu Dk Ida
Iryani Pg Haji Abu Bakar, take part.
The six students in question – Lyam Lim Jin Sing, AE 15; Mohammad Mustafa Ahmad, AE 15; Ayesha Bashira AbdulHakeem, AE 2; Nur Amanina’ Hasnishah binti Haji Hasnani, AE 7; Nurul Farah Fatasya binti Mohammad Ramli, AE 10 and
Pratibha Siva Nathan, AE 15 – all came away from the conference feeling that it had been a worthwhile experience and below are some of their thoughts on their experience and participation in this year’s ISB-BGIC conference:
Pratibha Siva Nathan:
BGIC was a very worthwhile experience which helped me think critically about an important issue, “Universal Primary Education”, which was the theme for this year’s BGIC. We learnt to be outspoken and to come up with feasible solutions to current problems. It also brought out our competitive drive. We learnt the UN procedures and how to address other delegates.
Furthermore, I got to meet and team up with a range of people from different schools so there was an exchange of ideas and
thoughts. BGIC put my teamwork skills to the test. It was a big change from our normal school environment so I was slightly
out of my comfort zone but I managed to have a great time. This experience was unique and I am more than glad I grabbed
this opportunity.
Nurul Farah Fatasya:
The Borneo Global Issues Conference was definitely, and genuinely among the best four days I have ever experienced. It
took place at both ISB and the ICC - with a number of training workshops weeks before the actual event - where each participant was to act as delegate of a specific country, to debate resolutions regarding globally pressing problems such as environmental, eco-social, human rights as well as political issues. I myself had the opportunity to be a delegate of Bangladesh, and
managed to be a Main Submitter of a resolution under the Human Rights Committee which, Alhamdulillah, was one of the
resolutions which passed, within the committee.
Despite having to go through hectic times, being constantly bombarded by criticism from other delegates during debates,
experiencing podium-frights and anxiousness, I strongly believe that along the way we did learn a variety of lessons. This
four-day event taught me many things which are highly applicable to our daily lives, especially in classrooms – I certainly
learnt that to be mature, we need to accept criticism to better ourselves and not to take things too personally. I also learnt to
properly follow a set of rules (i.e. to never use personal pronouns during a debate, to use proper terms such as "point of concern", "point of information", "motion to…") as if we were to incorrectly carry out these rules, we would be called out by the
Chairs in front of a whole audience, thus making the rules much more important and demanding. I learnt to think critically
and on the spot (especially to produce for/against speeches in a set time which, among other things, required being more alert
and critical in examining resolutions to be debated), to produce properly structured speeches and resolutions, to be more
aware of current cases, to have more empathy regarding sensitive issues, and overall, I was taught to maintain my professionalism and confidence in public speaking.
Not only that, I also realise that, along the way, if I hadn’t participated as much as I did in the event and kept quiet, I would
never have known what it would have felt like to be criticised for my mistakes and learnt from that afterwards. It was honestly an experience I would never take back.
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ISB-BORNEO GLOBAL ISSUES CONFERENCE
Ayesha Bashira Abdul-Hakeem:
BGIC, an undeniably amazing experience where I learnt so much, from being more audible and confident in public speaking,
to becoming more mature as a person. Although these are precious skills, perhaps the most valuable thing I learnt was, "I am
me, because you are" – a quote from one of the speakers. By this he meant that there is no way you can be who you are without the people around you and no matter how useless they may seem they will always have an impact on who you are today.
To conclude, despite the crazy days and sleepless nights to create and resolve issues, I honestly appreciated the chance I was
given and this experience will be forever in my heart, and remain in my mind as an insightful and spectacular lesson.
Nur Amanina’ Hasnishah:
BGIC was such a remarkable experience. Memories were shared, friendships were made, voices were heard and ideas were
exchanged among everyone within those four days. The theme, "Universal Primary Education" – which is the second of the
United Nations Millennium Development Goals – taught us so many things. For example, there are 58 million children in the
world that don’t go to school and many more who have to struggle and face hardships just because they want an education.
This is in contrast to children in some countries, like ours, who are lucky enough to be provided with free education, but it is
sad to see that some of them take it for granted. There were a lot of things that I learnt throughout those four days, such as
thinking critically and being open minded. I left BGIC with an increased level of confidence. It was definitely an experience
that I will never forget or regret taking part in.
From L-R: Tasya, Nani, Lyam, Pratibha, Ayesha and Mustafa
Lyam Lim Jin Sing:
Taking part in BGIC as an unorthodox country (DPRK) probably taught me more than being any other country would have.
Firstly, BGIC taught me to be more confident and speak in a more concise manner. This will help me to get my ideas and
opinions across to people more effectively in the future.
Besides that, being the delegate of DPRK showed me that although being an outcast country due to a multitude of reasons,
the country still has a voice among other countries. Downsizing it, this shows that even if a person is socially excluded, it
does not mean that the person is unable to contribute to society.
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ISB-BORNEO GLOBAL ISSUES CONFERENCE
Mohammad Mustafa:
First of all, BGIC was a properly coordinated and well-organised event. The theme for the event was “Universal Primary
Education”. It was one of the most memorable things I have ever been able to participate in throughout my education at
Pusat Tingkatan Enam Sengkurong and this is why: The people and atmosphere of this whole event was not only one of the
most pleasant and welcoming, but also one that made me feel like a native English speaker. I finally found people who I
could engage in conversation without having to switch languages. Being the school representative was also a nice experience, and I was able to gain some recognition due to that. BGIC had two guest speakers, Chernor Bah and Jamira Burley
who both gave captivating and motivational speeches. Chernor Bah shared some of his personal experiences about his life in
Sierra Leone and, in particular, of how when he was a refugee, his mother would ask him to read every night despite their
circumstances. Today, he is a Sierra Leonean lawyer and politician who is currently the Deputy Speaker of the Sierra Leone
parliament.
Jamira Burley, coming from the slums of Philadelphia where shootings were weekly and police sirens were very frequent,
pushed herself to become someone and, today, she is recognised by the White House as a Champion of Change. I made
many friends along the way as well, a lot of whom are from ISB and are people of different cultures and backgrounds.
BGIC definitely boosted my confidence in voicing my opinions and asking questions. Both are very useful tools when communicating. It also taught me that there are no dumb questions when discussing certain subjects. All in all, BGIC was a
magnificent and delightful experience. I would like to thank Ms Ida and the Principal,Cikgu Haji Ismail bin Haji Zainal, for
giving me the opportunity to participate in it.
The editors of Pulse hope that the above comments will inspire other PTES students to take part in next year’s conference.
A full report of the ISB-BGIC can be found on the PTES website: https://sengkurongsixformcenter-public.sharepoint.com/
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BUBA DEBATE FINAL
As reported in the last edition of Pulse, the PTES Debate Club – the PTES Badgers – organised a school-based mini-debate
competition in March to decide which students would represent the school in the final of the British Universities in Brunei
Association (BUBA) National Debate Competition.
On the day, GRAPH – a team made up of Munjiyah Adawiyah binti Haji Arine, Jonah Matin bin Jasni and Nur Farah Nadiah binti Ghazali – came out on top and they duly took their place in the final held at Jerudong International School on
Thursday 28 April 2016.
PTES were the opposition in the final and, facing a team from Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah (MD), it
was always going to be a tough ask for our three musketeers to persuade the judges to agree with the topic: This house believes that higher education should not be free.
However, far from giving up without a fight, the PTES team delivered their arguments coherently and with the confidence
of more seasoned debaters.
Despite losing, the team remained upbeat and kindly gave their thoughts on the experience:
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BUBA DEBATE FINAL
Farah: Ahh how should I put it…? It was a very memorable experience, one that has taught myself and the rest of the PTES
Badgers how to improve ourselves significantly. The debates were very insightful since we were able to compete against
amazing debaters and we were able to grow into better debaters along the way. Our final debate was against Maktab Duli,
and it was one of our most momentous debates. We came second to a very formidable foe and if anything, we'd like to thank
everyone, especially the English Department (probably our number one fans!) for their support and encouragement pushed
us beyond our limits and capabilities.
Jonah Jasni : For me this was a memorable moment because I had never done anything like this before and to think that I
qualified to go to the national level and then proceed to the Final was very surreal to me. The thing that I enjoyed the most
during BUBA was the fact that I had the most incredible team members who taught me and even inspired me to become
more like them. I also love the fact that everyone who participated in the school level debate and our debate seniors helped
nurture us and helped prepare us for the finals. During our speech preparation I could actually see how supportive our
friends were and how helpful the teachers were. It was a shame that we lost, but alas like all things, something must come to
an end. I truly appreciate everyone that helped me and my team to get to where we are now.
Munjiyah: It was such an experience! I'm thankful to my team,
the senior debaters and especially the PTES English Department. for being our number one supporters! Going against MD
was terrifying at first..but it was also exciting! We never
thought that we would get a place in the finals but alhamdulillah, we did. I am incredibly honoured to have worked with the
other members of my team - and I especially have the greatest
respect for Joe as it was his first experience of debating and he
improved tremendously in such a short time. As we stood on the
stage nervously waiting for the debate to start, it occurred to me
how much we had grown over the past year. Farah and I
evolved from clumsily fumbling our way through a speech to
From L-R: Munjiyah, Jonah and Farah
eventually being confident enough to even include a few jokes
and metaphors here and there. The BUBA debate final was truly a momentous occasion for all of us despite us falling short
of first place. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your kind and gracious support and we hope that
our junior debate team can continue our legacy and make us proud!
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ROYAL BRUNEI ARMED FORCES OPEN DAY
On Thursday 1st June a group of 20 PTES upper sixth students, accompanied by two members of the.Career and Higher
Education Section – Cikgu Hjh Nurul-Hakiimah binti Hj Mohammad and Cikgu Siti Khadizah binti Roslan – received an
invitation to attend a Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) 55 th Anniversary Open Day held at Military Academy Training
Centre in Tanah Jambu.
The day was organised as a way of creating awareness about the diverse activities carried out by the military in Brunei as
well as to encourage students to consider a career with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces as a possible option in the future.
The group of students as well as supervising teachers were given a personal tour by Lt Mohammad Hanis Fakhri bin Haji
Bakri.
The open day clearly found favour among the PTES students who attended as the following comments show:
Joyce Yong Tsuei Yan, BE 10:
‘We were invited to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces so that we could find out what else we could do – apart from serving in
the military – in the event of being offered a MINDEF Scholarship. Lieutenant Mohammad Hanis, who took us on a tour of
the RBAF’s new premises, opened our eyes to the possibility of becoming dentists, physiotherapists, lecturers or counsellors.’
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ROYAL BRUNEI ARMED FORCES OPEN DAY
Muhd Shafiq Bin Hj Muhd Muzalee, BE 11:
‘The school administration arranged an
educational field trip to the RBAF Defence Academy in Kampong Tanah Jambu. Twenty students and two teachers incharge went on the trip. I was very much
interested in going on this visit as I my
ambition is to join the Royal Brunei
Armed Forces later.
‘When we reached the Defence Academy, we were greeted by one of the RBAF
personnel who informed us that he was
going to be our guide for the trip. Then,
he showed us around the academy and
took us to see the exhibition that had been
specially prepared for the open day.
The exhibition profiled different aspects
Teachers and students at the new RBAF Defence Academy, Kg Tanah Jambu
of the Ministry Of Defence and members of the public were given the opportunity to learn and ask questions about recruitment, training and the organisation of the RBAF as a whole.
‘One of the things we learned concerned the physical requirements that have to be met by people wanting to join the RBAF.
We learned that to become a soldier, potential candidates must undergo a number of physical fitness tests and that they have
to be physically strong in order to pass them.
‘The whole trip was educational and enjoyable as well. This was a very important trip for us as we received detailed information about how to join the RBAF, thus making it easier to make the correct choice of career later.’
***
PUZZLE PAGE WINNER RECEIVES PRIZE
Cikgu Christine Kendrew winner of two of the puzzle competitions in the last issue
of Pulse. See new puzzles on P 18 of this issue.
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PTES CHARITY DRIVE WEEK
Nur Syamimi Nadhirah binti Irriawadi, BE 1
A Charity Drive Week, filled with various fundraising events, was held at Pusat Tingkatan Enam Sengkurong from 11 th to 16th
April 2016. Activities included the Heritage Charity Challenge, a movie session and food sale. By conducting this Charity
Drive Week, the campus community was able to donate to less fortunate families in the country, especially those that live in
the vicinity of PTES.
The highlight of this week-long event was the Heritage Charity Challenge, which was held on the 14 th and 16th of April 2016.
The Challenge aimed not only to raise money but to raise awareness of the local heritage and traditional games of Brunei Darussalam. More than 20 teams of students and teachers of Pusat Tingkatan Enam Sengkurong participated in the fun-filled
fundraising event conducted by the Sociology and History Departments and their students. For the Sociology Department,
organising such an event has always been an annual project but collaborating with a different department was a delightfully
new experience.
The Heritage Charity Challenge consisted of 18 different games and challenges such as ‘Main Getah’, ‘Simban’, ‘Takraw
Rally’ and the ‘Kelupis Hands-Off Yummy Tummy’ game. The physically and mentally arduous yet enjoyable games were
spread over two days with nine exciting challenges held on each day. There were also games that were combined with physical challenges (such as Keeping Fit and Plank it) whereby the participants were given information about Brunei while carrying
out these challenges and then had to answer related questions after completing the said activities.
Picture: Ak Muhd Arif Faisal BE13
On both days, the Challenge
commenced at 2.45 p.m. and
ended at around 4.30 p.m.
Participants in the event provided
positive feedback, as they were
more than satisfied with the overall experience. „Some challenges
were quite tricky,‟ said Nurul
Hazirah binti Abdullah of BE 14,
„but it was good experience. I
learned a lot from this challenge:
time management, teamwork,
critical thinking skills and also to
respect other teammates as well
as well as to show good sportsmanship.‟
She added, „Win or lose, it did
not really matter. We did it for
charity and not just the prize.‟
Action from one of the challenges
Meanwhile, the Kelupis Hands-Off Yummy Tummy game, where teams were required to eat kelupis – steamed rice enveloped
in a banana leaf – without using their hands, was felt to be cringe-worthy and yet it was still considered the most amusing experience for the majority of the participants.
Nurhanna binti Haji Mohammad Amin of BE 9 and Reisydah binti Abdul Hamid of BE 12 both stated that it was definitely the
most memorable challenge of all.
Together with all the fun, the games also brought
knowledge of local heritage, which is, sadly, in danger of being
„lost‟ to future generations. As stated by Reisydah, “Even those with very little information of Brunei‟s history, culture and
customs could participate and gain knowledge at the end of the day.”
For BE 3 student Nurizzatul Hakimah binti Ahmad, it was exactly that. “I did not know most of the traditional games before,”
she said, “but now I do!”
In the Students Category, first place went to HAFs, with H3 in second and Tiga Abdul in third place. Fourth place went to 2
Malays 1 Chinese and fifth, to UNITY. The winners of the Students Category received BND100 for their efforts. As for the
Teachers Category, third place went to Angsa Biru, second to Black Piranha and the overall winners were PTES SECRET
AGENT. Various prizes were also awarded to the teams that produced the best performances for each challenge.
Other than the Heritage Charity Challenge, additional fundraising events such as a food sale and the screening of two movies
were also held on the 11th to the 13th of April 2016, thus adding to the amount that was later donated to charity.
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PTES CHARITY DRIVE WEEK
All the events were professionally handled by the students of the History and Sociology Departments under the supervision
of the teachers of these two subjects.
The events were made possible through the efforts of the supervising teachers from the Sociology Department namely, Cikgu
Hajah Soveyanna binti Haji Abas, Cikgu Haji Md Noor Hadi bin Haji Md Nasir and Cikgu Wajihah binti Haji Abdul Lamit
as well as Cikgu Nabawee bin Ahmed of the Travel and Tourism Department.
The supervising teachers from History Department were Cikgu Herman Alfonso Serudin bin Haji Yahya, Cikgu Siti Ardjuna
binti Haji Mahmud, Cikgu Pengiran Noraizan binti Pengiran Haji Hussain and Cikgu Hajah Noraini binti Haji Abdul Rahman.
The overall money raised from these events was staggering. More than BND 2,500 – all of which was used to buy necessities
and household supplies – was distributed to eight different underprivileged families that are accredited and recognised by the
Islamic Religious Council, Brunei (MUIB) and the Department of Community Development (JAPEM).
The grand finale, which was the delivery of the supplies, took place on the 21 st and 27th April 2016 and thanks go to the Principal, Cikgu Haji Ismail bin Haji Zainal; the Deputy Principal Academic, Cikgu Tutty Hyrneeita binti Haji Abd Latip; the
Doing brisk business at the food sale
Deputy Principal Administration, Cikgu Alexandar bin Bandang; Cikgu Abdul Razak bin Ali and Cikgu Mohd Asri bin Haji
Husin for their help in terms of transport.
A Doa Selamat was held to bless the occasion and the students and teachers involved spent some time chatting with the
members of the eight families concerned before departing.
After all the fun during a long and exhausting week, a significant change was therefore made to the lives of these families.
The Charity Drive Week stimulated the heartfelt sentiment of giving among PTES teachers and students and it is hoped that
these efforts will inspire others to constantly help those in need.
Thanks go to all those volunteers, too numerous to mention, who gave freely of their time to ensure that the Charity Drive
Week was a resounding success.
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SHAKESPEARE STUDY DAY
Dk Aida Nadiah binti Pg Hj Dahlan, BE 15
On 20th April 2016, a group of Pusat Tingkatan Enam Sengkurong (PTES) lower sixth English Literature students and their
lecturers were invited to attend Shakespeare Study Day which was organised by Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Anak Muhtadee
Billah (MD). One of the PTES English Literature lecturers, Cikgu Roziana binti Juned, also had the task of running a workshop on this day.
All the sixth form centres in Brunei took part in the event as well as a number of primary and secondary schools. This was
therefore the perfect opportunity to expose lower sixth English Literature students to different plays which would allow them
to perhaps gain a new perspective on Shakespeare’s drama.
The event began with the arrival of the guest of honour, Haji Rahman bin Haji Nawi – Director of the Department of Curriculum Development at the Ministry of Education – who was welcomed to the college by Hajah Monaliza binti Haji Abdul
Halim, the Acting Principal of Maktab Duli, as well teachers and staff.
After the recitation of the Surah Al-Fatihah, Dr. Kathrina binti Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Daud, a lecturer from the Faculty of
Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Brunei Darussalam, delivered her keynote speech in which she expressed the
view that in order for anyone to understand Shakespeare, it is imperative to remove the idea of him being an intelligent man.
There was also a speech of welcome by Cikgu Albert Polita, Head of the MD Shakespeare Study Day Committee before the
students from various participating schools presented a series of stage performances.
Actors and backstage crew involved in a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Workshops on three of Shakespeare’s plays – Anthony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Twelfth Night – also
formed part of the Shakespeare Study Day programme and your Pulse reporter was on hand to obtain comments from two of
the PTES students who attended:
Fresh from attending the workshop on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nur Syamimi Nadhirah binti Irriawadi of BE 1 was
asked to say why she felt it was important to study a play which is some four hundred years old. ‘Studying something that is
centuries old is important in order to uphold our appreciation for such literary works,’ she asserted. In response to the question concerning the main theme of the play, Nur Syamimi was quick to suggest the following: "Life is full of ups and downs.
Have fun, overcome it and just enjoy the moment.’ Before rushing off to the next workshop, Nur Syamimi had time to say
what she felt the moral of the play is: ‘Parents only want the best for you. If you don't agree with what they want you to do,
don't run away into the forest! Talk to them. Tell them your views calmly and respectfully.’
Meanwhile, Hanifi bin Yassin of BE 13 was interviewed after having been to the workshop on Twelfth Night. Asked about
the difference between watching a play and reading it, he expressed the view that watching, instead of simply reading the
play, allows the reader to have a more thorough understanding of how theatrical devices such as humour and wit, are used by
the playwright. As for his take on the thematic content of the play, Hanafi suggested the following: ‘The main point of
Twelfth Night is that it tries to convey that love is a complex thing which allows people to fall for others without really knowing their true identities.’
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CIKGU ROZIANA BINTI HAJI JUNED INTERVIEW
Dk Aida Nadiah binti Pg Hj Dahlan, BE 15
Taking time out of her busy schedule, Cikgu Roziana (CR) agreed to give a short but exclusive interview to Dk Aida Nadiah
(DA) of Pulse:
DA: Why is Shakespeare Study Day
celebrated?
CR: Shakespeare Study Day is not
only held to celebrate Shakespeare's
birthday, but also to help English
Literature students to appreciate his
writing," Cikgu Roziana asserted
when asked why Shakespeare Day is
celebrated.
DA: How do you think the way in
which Shakespeare Study Day is
celebrated in Brunei could be improved?
CR: I would also like to see an equal
balance of academic and nonacademic activities and why not extend the event till the end of the day?
It is Shakespeare Day, after all
DA: When did you first discover
Shakespeare?
CR: At college, the Shakespeare
play that I studied was Henry IV Part
1. That was my very first contact, on
paper, with the playwright, the first
Cikgu Roziana asking students for comments
play that I read and understood. However, I have to say that it is not my favourite. A few months later, I went to see The Tempest on-stage and I fell in love with the
main character, Prospero, and his slave, Caliban. The play was not performed on a conventional stage, but on a thrust stage that
offered a more intimate experience for the audience. When Prospero conjured up the tempest, I remember feeling an icy-cold
breeze on my face. I'm not certain what was used then. Perhaps the production used a huge industrial fan. It was a whirlwind
experience for me and I declared then that that performance was my favourite Shakespearean performance of all time. A decade after that production, I went to see The Tempest again, but elsewhere, and this time it was performed on a conventional
stage. Both Prospero and Caliban were still bewitching. My heart was pounding when Prospero conjured up the tempest but
this time, the actor only used a huge drum that was beaten mercilessly to produce a deafening sound of rage and power. It was
then I realised that it is not fair to have a favourite performance because these different productions of the same play gave me
two contrasting experiences.
DA: What, if anything, has been done to help your students?
CR: The PTES English Literature teachers have formed a small, yet supportive, community that aspires to improve the students' knowledge of and maintain their interest in literature.
The editors of Pulse hope that Cikgu Roziana’s enthusiasm for her subject will continue to inspire PTES English Literature
students for years to come.
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WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY
.Dk Aida Nadiah binti Pg Hj Dahlan, BE 15
On 23 April 2016, PTES lower sixth Literature students took part in World Book and Copyright Day when they were invited
to facilitate an English Literature workshop for Sekolah Menengah Awang Semaun English Literature students. This event
aimed to improve the current reading culture and generally raise awareness of books in Brunei Darussalam because, even
though, World Book Day is celebrated globally, it is still a relatively foreign idea here.
The day started with the arrival of the guest of honour, Dayang Marina Chek binti Haji Bujang, Acting Senior Special Duties
Officer for the Ministry of Education (MOE) being greeted by all staff members and students in the school hall. Among the
other invited guests were officers from the English & Other Languages Unit, Curriculum Development Department, MOE;
17 English Literature students and Cikgu Roziana binti Haji Juned, an English Literature lecturer at PTES.
To start proceedings there was an opening speech from the Principal, Awangku Haji Jafri bin Haji Suhaili. In his speech he
highlighted the fact that the school’s pass rate had decreased to 62% and stated that this was due to the minimal time students
devote to reading. He pointed to a correlation between reading and success and thus emphasised the need for students to read
more.
The Principal’s speech was then followed by a World Book and Copyright Day awareness talk by Mr Darren Taylor of the
English Department, several book reviews by the Iqra Club and the Bahasa Melayu Department and a Jawi reading session.
The latter activity was an exercise in reading Jawi aloud by engaging with the audience and was led by Awangku Haji Jafri
himself.
From left to right:Ckg Roziana binti Hj Juned, Dyg Marina Chek binti Hj Bujang and Awangku Hj Jafri bin Hj
Suhaili along with PTES English Literature students at World Book and Copyright Day
The most integral element of this activity was the emphasis on the importance and origin of reading through Qur'anic verses
as is stated in [96:1-5] Recite in the name of your Lord who created,Created man from a clinging substance.Recite, and your
Lord is the most Generous -Who taught by the pen Moreover, the guest of honour, Dayang Marina Chek, personally donated $200 in cash which was later spent on books at the
school exhibition. In addition to this, the Curriculum Development Department, under the MOE, donated more than 200
books to the school’s literacy programme.*
A little later, PTES lower sixth Literature students were taken to the main hall to run a literature workshop during which SM
Awang Semaun English Literature students were enlightened on such topics as what to expect in AS and A2 Level Literature
examinations, how to form good reading habits and how to analyse a poem effectively. For this part of the workshop the Literature students used the poem One Flesh by Elizabeth Jennings as a sample text.
Although the PTES Literature students were the main facilitators of the workshop, Cikgu Roziana was also on hand to give
some sound advice. She refuted the claim that students don’t have time to read when she stated that, "All those times spent
reading people's profiles on Facebook and Instagram accounts can be channelled elsewhere. Students can subscribe to any
reading apps and start reading."
In an overall comment about World Book and Copyright Day, Cikgu Roziana praised SM Awang Semaun for successfully
showcasing the students' enthusiasm and their fondness for the books that they had read or were reading – emphasising that
the focus of the event was not just on books in English, but books in Malay and Arabic as well. She also expressed the
hope that PTES would also organise an event to celebrate this day each year.
*If anyone here at PTES wishes to donate books to SM Awang Semaun, please give them to Cikgu Roziana binti Juned in the
Level 2 staffroom.
13
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Abdul Quddus bin Hashim, BE 6
The afternoon of Wednesday 27th April 2016 would have been a normal, boring one if it hadn’t been for the Music Club! This
was because the Music Club organised its eagerly awaited Battle of the Bands Contest and Newbie Performance.
Six bands took part in the performance – three senior bands competed in the Battle of the Bands Contest while three junior
groups went head to head in the Newbie Performance.
The Master of Ceremonies for the event was the head of the Music Club, Cikgu Michelle Bobb, and the judges were Cikgu Dk
Nur Sajidah Rohani binti Pg Hj Roslan and Cikgu Khairina binti Hj Ibrahim of the English Department, former President and
Founding Member of the Music Club, Ahmad Najib bin Ramlee, and a special guest judge, Miss Khalilah Baharulalam.
Before the event began, Cikgu Michelle Bobb told everyone present what the aims of holding the competition were. She said
that one of the aims was to give the senior members of the club a last chance to perform before they went off to study for their
A levels while another aim was to give the new members their first taste of performing in front of an audience. On a slightly
sadder note, Cikgu Michelle stated that a final song would be played as a tribute to Prince, who had passed away the previous
week.
Alternating between newbie and senior groups throughout the two-hour programme, first on stage was newbie-band The High
Fliers. The group – consisting of Abd Haziq Azri bin Hj Abd Nasir of BE 4, Mas Hanifah Md Isnanuddin of BE 5, Md
Khairul Amiruddin bin Hj Khairul Azni Emba of BE 7, Siti Nur Syahindah @ Narul Syahindah binti Abdullah of BE 13 and
Md Riduan bin Awg Hj Sulaiman of BE16 – sang their version of the song My All by Mariah Carey.
Next up was senior band Anonymous 4 – made up of Mohd Alif bin Azmi of AE 6, AE 8 student Nur Nabilah Amani binti
Simat and Muhd Alif bin Sahdun of AE 9 – with the song Too Late to Apologise by One Republic and a mash-up of If I Die
Young and Safe and Sound.
Newbie band Weekdays – with Md Khairul An'am bin Rafiq of BE 1, Md Fahkruddin Bin Hj Md Shahron of BE 7, Md
Aiman Shan Bin Zulkiflee of BE 10 and Abdul Rahman bin Amzah BE10 – were next to take to the stage to sing Can't Feel
My Face by The Weekend.
Back to the seniors and it was the turn of Interlude to wow the audience with the songs Seven Years, by Lucas Graham and
She was Mine by A J Rafael and Jesse Barerra. This experienced trio of musicians – Ahmad Fadhil bin Hj Matzin of AE 9,
Muhd Afiq bin Md Azim AE 9 and Mohd Husnil Iman Bin Hj Amirul Azeemy AE 7 delivered a stellar performance and
clearly won the hearts of the audience. However, with one more senior band to come, victory was by no means a foregone
conclusion.
The Blanque, were the final newbie band to perform. With lead singer Siti Waznah binti Hj Abdul Kahman of BE 2 – ably
backed by BE 11’s Mazlina binti Hj Mazlan as well as BE 13 students AK Abd Hadi Bin Pg Hamdilah, Ak Mohd Amirul
Rahiman bin Pg Md Norhamdani and Kimberly Grace Chen – the song Elastic Heart by Sia has rarely sounded so good by
anyone other than the original artiste.
To close the programme of performances, the duo of Ahmad Nasran'ul Hakeem bin Md Zalani of AE 2 and Ak Mohd Nazri
Ninalga bin Pg Mahri of AE 3, going by the name of AN, gave two high class renditions of, Hello by Adele and Sweater
Weather by The Neighborhood, which left the group Interlude looking worried.
After these amazing and entertaining performances, along with the addition of some hardcore dubstep music, the judges were
faced with a difficult job. However, after a long, nervous wait for the participants, the judges finally came to a decision and
the results were as follows:
1. Interlude
2. AN
Anonymous 4
After the results were announced and the prizes awarded, the proceedings came to an end with a rendering of Purple Rain by
Prince as a tribute to Prince.
14
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Winning group Interlude performing in The Battle of the Bands
Following the Battle of the Bands, I managed to catch up with some of the senior and junior performers to ask for their comments:
Mazlina binti Hj Mazlan of Blanque, Md Riduan bin Awg Hj Sulaiman of The High Fliers and Abdul Rahman bin Amzah of
Weekdays all admitted to feeling very nervous before their performances, especially as it was their first experience of playing
before a full house: ‘We didn’t expect that so many students would want to come and see us perform,’ said Md Riduan while
Abdul Rahman talked of his group’s contrasting feelings: ‘We felt nervous at first, because of the large number of students in
the audience but, afterwards, we felt great,’ he stated.
However, the senior band representatives Nur Nabilah Amani binti Simat of Anonymous 4, Ahmad Fadhil bin Hj Matzin of
Interlude and Ahmad Nasran'ul Hakeem bin Md Zalani of AN said that they felt the mixed emotions of happiness and sadness. They were happy because they had put on a great and memorable show together, but they were sad because this was
their last performance together and felt that they could have performed slightly better.
While the junior bands were given set songs to sing, the senior groups had more say in the matter.
Asked about their choice of songs, Nur Nabilah of The Anonymous 4 had this to say: 'We picked Too Late To Apologise because it is our favourite song, while the decision to sing the mix of If I Die Young and Safe and Sound because we wanted to
perform an interesting song combination.
As for Interlude, Ahmad Fadhil explained: ‘We chose the song Seven Years because it is a popular song and we wanted the
audience to sing along.’
Meanwhile, AN’s Ahmad Nasran'ul Hakeem was also keen to say why his group chose the songs they did: ‘We chose Hello
because it is our favourite song and Sweater Weather because of pressure from our friends who wanted to hear us perform it.’
Before our interview concluded, the senior members of the Music Club had time to wish the junior members the best of luck
and called upon them to maintain the club’s standard of discipline and, above all, ‘to spread the love of music’. They also expressed their thanks to Cikgu Michelle Bobb for giving them confidence and experience when performing as well as instilling
in them the joy of music.
On behalf of all the members of Pulse, I would like to wish the upper sixth members of the club good luck in their examinations and would like to thank them for the great performance.
15
MUHAMMAD KHAIRUL SAVES THE DAY
Muhammad Zahin bin Zainudin BE 14
The PTES Football Club managed to maintain the college’s fine footballing tradition at inter-school level when they recently
lifted their first piece of silverware of the year after a pulsating final had to be settled by a penalty shoot-out.
The two-day inter-school futsal tournament, which was organised by the Ministry of Education and hosted by Pusat Tingkatan Tutong (PTET), took place on Thursday 21 st and Saturday 23rd April with eight participating teams in the hunt for the
winners’ trophy.
The eight teams were divided into two groups for the round-robin stage of the competition before the first two in each group
progressed to the knock-out phase.
After an early setback, when PTES lost (1 – 2) to bitter rivals S. M. Masin, the team – under their inspirational captain, Muhammad Haziq – rallied well to beat S. M. Tanjong Maya comprehensively (3 – 0) before booking their place in the semifinals after a 1 – 1 draw with hosts PTET.
In the semi-finals, PTES faced a strong team from S. M. RIPAS who were determined to make life difficult for their opponents; and their resilience was reflected in the scoreline, with PTES ensuring a final berth with a narrow 1 – 0 victory.
Smiles all round for PTES after Muhammad Khairul Amiruddin’s goalkeeping heroics helped them to victory
The final saw a repeat of PTES’s first match of the round-robin phase and was thus a chance for the team to gain revenge
over their local rivals, S. M. Masin. This they managed to do, but it was a hard-fought affair.
With fatigue setting in as a result of their efforts in the earlier rounds, coaches Cikgu Mohammed Yussainie bin Hj Zainie
and Cikgu Pg Muhd Mukmin Abdul Latif bin Pg Hj Hamzah made the decision to move star striker Muhammad Abdul Khaliq into the defence – a move which did not stop him scoring from a glorious long-range shot. PTES then had a number of
scoring chances which were squandered, and they were made to pay for theses misses when, with the final whistle beckoning,
S, M. Masin scored a richly deserved equaliser.
The final thus had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
When PTES failed to convert two of their five penalties it looked as though victory was slipping away. However, an inspired
performance between the sticks by goalkeeper Muhammad Khairul Amiruddin bin Hj Khairul Azni Emha eased any doubts
and ensured that the name PTES would be engraved on the winners’ trophy. Final score: PTES 1 – 1 S. M. Masin (PTES win
3 – 2 on penalties).
16
MUHAMMAD KHAIRUL SAVES THE DAY
To make it a day of double joy for PTES, star player Muhammad Abdul Khaliq bin Hj Lazim was voted Player of the Tournament.
Everyone was understandably very happy with the result – especially Deputy Principal Administration Cikgu Alexandar bin
Bandang who came along to support the team – and this was a fitting way for the upper sixth members of the club to bow out
in order to focus on their A levels.
Thanks go to the coaches, for preparing the team for this tournament, to the players, for delivering when it mattered, and to
the students of PTEM who cheered on the PTES team after their own school had been eliminated from the tournament.
Coaches: Cikgu Mohammed Yussainie bin Hj Zainie and Cikgu Pg Muhd Mukmin Abdul Latif bin Pg Hj Hamzah
Squad: Muhammad Haziq bin Hj Mahdini @ Marco Rells (Captain) AE 11; Muhammad Zahin bin Zainudin BE 14;
Muhammad Abdul Muim bin Muhammad Basheer AE 8; Abdul Hanan bin Hj Abas BE 14; Nor Azwar Zuwairey bin
Hj Norshamli BE 11; Ahmad Fauzan bin Hj Hamdan BE 8; Muhammad Khairul Amiruddin bin Hj Khairul Azni
Emha BE 7; Haziq Rif’at bin Hj Muhammad Yamin AE 4; Muhammad Abdul Khaliq bin Hj Lazim AE 8; Nor Adli
Zhafri bin Hj Norshamli AE 13.
Inspirational captain Muhammad Haziq (left) along with Player of the Tournament Muhammad Abdul Khaliq
17
PUZZLE PAGE
1. Can you place the nine letters EATNISTFS in the grid below to form 3 English words that read from top to bottom and 3
English words that read from left to right?
Answers to puzzle Issue # 2: Words across: EVENT; TITLE; ACRES. Words down: Evict; Metre; Inlet. Winner:
Cikgu Christine Kendrew.
G
F
A
S
W
A
F
E
R
H
S
R
2. How many words of 4 letters or more can you make from the letters in the word square below. All words should contain the
central letter (A). Each letter can only be used once and there should be one nine-letter word. No plurals, foreign words or
proper nouns are allowed but verb forms ending in ‘s’ are permitted. Answers in the next issue.
O
N
T
I
A
M
T
P
R
Winner of puzzle Issue # 2: Cikgu Christine Kendrew. With 10
words: AGO; GARROT; (ALLI)GATOR; GOAT; GRAM;
GRIM; GYRO; MIGRATORY; YOGA; YOGI.
3. A man is training for a marathon. In the first week of his training programme he sets himself a target of running an average
of 12 kilometres a day. However, after five days he only manages to run an average of 10 kilometres a day. What is the minimum distance the man has to run over the next two days if he wants to achieve his target for the week?
Answer to puzzle Issue # 2 75 ml. No correct entries received.
These competitions are open to all students and teachers, although English and Mathematics teachers are ineligible for prizes
in the competitions that relate to their subjects. Answers to Mr. John before the end of July, 2016. Answers and the names of
the lucky winners will be printed in the next edition of Pulse. Previous winners of previous competitions can enter but are
ineligible for prizes in order to encourage others to take part.
18