PFP Completion Day

This article was written by myself and another student during our year in the Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP). This article was featured on the PFP newsletter - In The PFPipeline. This particular article covered the graduation of the students from the PFP.

PFP year AY16/17 has been a hell of a journey for all of us, PFP year was more than just a foundation year for us to prepare for year one, PFP and the CFS was our safe-space, our sanctuary, shielding us from the terrors of year one. Most importantly, to most of us, PFP was our home, and forever will be. Just like all good things, our year in CFS had to come to an end. On the 7th of April, all of us gathered to celebrate the end of year zero here in Temasek Polytechnic.

Time to put on those ripped jeans, flannel shirt and slip on those Vans! More than two hundred PFP students AY16/17 gathered outside Auditorium 3, before entering to watch the PFP completion day performance. Students were given three themes to choose from, hipster, fairytale and masquerade. In the end, the majority chose hipster, with everyone looking hip and fresh! Students started gathering outside the auditorium, collecting their PFP certificates and having lunch with their friends! Not to mention, Photo booths and dedication booths for each class’ care-person was also set up, so that students and lectures alike will always remember the special day with the fondest of memories.

Completion day was opened by the ever enchanting Hadah from 1B1 and witty Matthew from 1B3, this comedic duo started off the day with hilarious jokes and silly banter to rally the audience, getting us energised for the wonderful day ahead. Then came the deputy director of the Centre for Foundation Studies, Ms Katherine Raja, with her opening speech. Right after Ms Raja’s speech, PFPrincess Gong Ju and radiant Rasinah, started off the celebration by enthralling the audience with their beautiful rendition of ‘torchlight’.

Next in line after Gong Ju’s and Rasinah’s stunning performance was the president of the PFP ambassadors, Andersen Chew, he took center stage and gave his heartwarming speech on how it has been a great honor serving and how we should never look back but keep looking forward. An enormous round of applause came, as Andersen received the certificate from Ms Rajah. The applause did not stop there, the other PFP ambassadors soon followed up to collect their certificates and the crowd went wild, cheering for every single ambassador from start to finish.

With the audience gone all sentimental and emotional, it was time to rev up the crowd, the perfect time for a surprise performance by the PFP students in the TP Dance Ensemble (TPDE)! The ‘Rabs kebabs” fluttered on stage with flourished dance moves, with a combination of Hip-hop, b-boy and contemporary styles of dance. Seeing their friends execute their moves with energy and precision got everyone yelling, screaming, jumping and kicking at their seats, with girls and boys

Time for the second game, a lip sync battle! Two contestants from the crowd, Joan Yip and Ashton were chosen to dance and lip sync along with the songs given to them. The winner would then be decided based on the volume of cheers the two performers got from the audience. Joan performed first and dazzled the audience. Ashton tried his best but unfortunately could not outperform leaving Joan the ultimate winner!

Right after a bedazzling performance by both Joan and Ashton, came the photo montage put together by Anthony Mercier of 1D1. The video showcased photos taken throughout the entirety of the academic year, smiley, goofy and some just plain mischievous. The photo montage got everyone in the crowd feeling emotional and nostalgic, for the PFP students, we were all saying one last goodbye to our PFP year, before heading out into year one.

The cooperation of the crowd was once again needed for the next event, as a mass dance activity was about to begin, ‘What’s in the dance’. Three members from the logistics committee went on stage to dance along to hit songs such as, Pineapple Pen and TT. Laughter and joy filled the room as the whole cohort tried to dance along to the hysterical choreography. The five minutes of dancing left everybody breathless.

Who knew PFP had so many talented people in our midst? Well, the 7th of April was the day when Kelly, Delia, Benedikt, Gabriel, Sylvia and Jordan shone like stars together as one band. Not only was this the students’ time to shine, but Mr Kenny even showed off his exquisite drumming skills performing with the band, with classic and enthusiastic songs such as -- ‘Check Yes Juliet’, ‘The Great Escape’, ‘Fight Song’ and ‘Cool Kids’!

Our current batch of PFP students were not the only ones to perform for completion day. Temasek Polytechnic invited three very talented, and attractive, alumni from the pioneer batch of PFP to sing songs with the help of only the guitar. Their synchronized voices, along with the impeccable strumming and combination of falsettos, lead to the cries of many girls that day. Furthermore, a video was played in the background which montaged the memories the pioneer batch had in their PFP year.

For the final and closing act, the pioneer batch of students were joined up with the current students’ band and performed their very last song -- ‘Uptown funk’ by Bruno Mars, getting everyone dancing and moving to the song’s energetic and upbeat rhythm.

Right after the wonderful performance by the combined band, the CFS staff were asked to take their leave, leaving only the students in the auditorium, where students were invited to come up to stage to dance and enjoy themselves. A dance battle soon followed with the logistics team behind the curtain was pitted against the Rabs Kebabs, the logistics team pulling off comical and silly ‘dance’ moves, while the Rabs Kebabs showed off their stunning b-boy moves, executed with deadly precision. Things even got more wild when more and more people started to flood the stage, flaunting their talent for rapping and dancing to K-Pop music! Such a crazy event was surely a rather apt end to our PFP year here!

To wrap it all up, the photobooth, the two speeches, the hilarious games, the spectacular performances and the charismatic emcees, made for an unforgettable completion day. A day that marked the end of something so meaningful and to the start of something new, year one in Temasek Polytechnic.

written by

Clemens Choy and Andrew Forbes