On the first Friday of the new school year, 6 January 2017, the school compound was abuzz with activity well into the evening. All the CCA members gathered in the Indoor Sports Hall (ISH) fully armed with their musical instruments, sporting equipment, and robotic apparatus. The room was awash with a myriad of colours; the green and blue uniforms, striking sports attire and loud CCA t-shirts, all vying for the attention of the new Secondary Ones, all hoping to draw the young recruits to their booths, all aiming to steal the hearts of the potential member and his charges.

The CCA Orientation started at 5.30pm when parents and Secondary Ones were invited to view the exhibits put up by all the CCAs. Walking around the hall, they were constantly greeted by different representatives eager to put across a positive word and a comprehensive explanation of their CCA activities and programmes. To drum up the festive mood, the new recruits were treated to performances put up by the concert band and drills by the uniformed groups. They tried their hands at ball games, touched robotic and photography equipment and even received sweet treats and flyers aplenty.

At 6.30pm, the Secondary Ones and their parents proceeded for refreshments and a short series of talks by the Principal, Mr Boo, the Discipline Mistress, Ms Zaiton, the Head of Department of PE/CCA, Mr Dan Koh, and representatives from the Parent-Teacher Association and Service Learning Club for an overview of the school’s vision and support for the students in the aspect of holistic development. At 7.30pm, as the curtain closed on the event, every CCA member, student and parent went back enriched by the unity and spirit of Outram that lingered in the air.

Wang Silang of Sec 3/4, a participant of the event, reflected: “So, that's what our school's CCA Orientation 2017 is all about - Variety! What I was seeing was exactly the same two years ago: red shirts, yellow shirts, blue shirts... All of them coming together as if a glamorous rainbow has just appeared at the top of York Hill. The Indoor Sports Hall, the venue for our CCA showcase was packed like sardines. The seniors were explaining to the young ones, and so was I. Many parents and students came to the Robotics Club booth for information and all of them were impressed by the ideas and products of this wonderful club of magic.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” - this famous law enunciated by Arthur.C Clarke proves to be true in many scenarios: the lessons given by our teachers are magical; the CCA training sessions we receive are magical; the sight of seeing so many young aspirational pupils coming to our school is magical... More importantly, this school called Outram Secondary School is magical as well, you just have to open your eyes. Although it was tiring to finish school in the late evening, it was a memorable day for us as we were able to help the Secondary 1 students make an informed choice for their CCAs.”