Teen voices in harmony at Thomian Carols
Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
CAROLS: To enter the grounds of S. Thomas' College, Mount
Lavinia, is like stepping back into history. The school's environment
and buildings boast of grandeur, years of tradition and fine
architecture.
The air was filled with organ music joined by 36 youthful voices as
we approached the College Chapel. Carols like Hark the Herald, O come
all Ye faithful and The first Noel were among those chosen for the
annual carol service at the College Chapel on December 3 at, 6.00 p.m.
All together: The Thomians hard at practice.
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The speciality about this year's event is that it will be the 60th
carol service held by the school. The Thomian choir hopes to sing 18
carols at this function.
"This is a very popular event which lots of people attend not only
from Colombo but from other areas as well. We have past Thomians who
arrive from abroad to take part, in this service," said Vinod Senadeera,
the choir master of S. Thomas College.
"It is a much looked forward to event among Christians. People of
other religions also take part."
S. Thomas is the first school which held this service on the same
format as King's College, Cambridge. Unlike other schools in the island,
S. Thomas includes traditional choral music in their service. The
Thomian choir hopes to launch a CD with 11 carols to mark their 60th
anniversary.
As the carol practises continued well into the evening, a few members
of the choir took a break to exchange ideas with Daily News Teen.
"It is a rewarding experience for me to give leadership for this
prestigious choir. This annual service is an important event in our
school calender. Therefore, we have been putting on a lot of hard work
to make this a success," said Charles Seevaratnam, 19, the leader of the
Thomian choir.
Charles had occupied this position for two continuous years and had
been in the school choir for nearly 10 years.
"I have been a member of this choir for the last nine years and I
consider it a great privilege to sing in the carol service," Sushan
Jayatheepam, 19, another senior member of the Thomian choir.
"It was my two brothers who encouraged me to join the school choir as
they have recognised the benefits of being members."
Sushan is interested in social service activities and he hopes to
engage in an occupation related to tourism.
Jurinesz Shadrach, 17, says S. Thomas College is one of the few
schools which has the membership of the Royal School of Church Music in
London. Therefore he prides in being an active member of the school
choir. His parents are very supportive towards his role.
"The speciality about being in a choir is that we learn how to work
as a group. There is dedication, discipline and harmony among us. Our
choir master taught us a lot about singing techniques. We learn about
different countries' music since Australian English, French and Latin
words are included, in the carols," Niresh Muthuratnanandan, 17,
expressed his ideas. He had been a member of the choir for nearly seven
years.
Denushka Perera, 14, admits that his parents encourage him to attend
choir practises. He had been influenced through his cousin who had been
a past member of the Thomian choir.
"We sing for the glory of God. This is a service of the birth of
Christ," he explained.
Marlon Jesudason, 15, says he joined in because his brother had been
a member. Marlon had been a member of the Thomian choir for six years.
He had sung Treble for four and had sung Alto for another six months.
Now he sings Bass.
Elmo Shanmugam, 18, says this opportunity gives them the chance to
meet past Thomians. He believes that the service gained recognition due
to team effort.
"We put a lot of work into the CD. We spent late nights recording at
the Chapel and I feel as if all our hard work has paid off'" he said.
Devaka de Silva, 19, said his parents are members of church choirs.
They are the main influence behind his decision of stepping into the
choir.
"Being a lover of music, I did not have any objections towards their
request. I was quite pleased about the fact because I believed in my
talent," he grinned.
Amila Gunasena, 17, is also the flautist in the school orchestra. He
admits that he can play the piano well and handle it occasionally in
morning services in the absence of the master.
Suranthaka Cabraal, 14, had made way from the school junior choir to
the senior choir. He is also an active participant of the basketball
team representing Colombo South.
"I joined the Thomian choir last year. This is my second and last
year as a member of the school choir. The choir had been improving
throughout the years and we have a very good standard," commented Rayesh
Gunasekera, 19. "Our choir master had always been there for us. We are
very grateful for his support."
Before hurrying back to their practises, the lads remained to express
their gratitude to their choir master, Vinod Senadeera, the former choir
master, Russell Bartholomeusz, S. Thomas' College warden, Dr. David
Ponniah, and Chaplain, Lloyd Weerasooriya. Then with smiles and a chorus
of thanks, they scurried back into the chapel to join their friends.
Pictures by Saman Sri Wedage
Teens reach dizzy heights
Ruwanthi ABEYAKOON
HONOUR: Two teenaged scouts of Dharmaraja College Kandy
brought honour to the motherland climbing a virgin peak called Baden
Powel Scout Peak in the Himalayas mountain Range. Chameera Chandrasena,
17 and Nalaka Hapuheena, 18 were the youngest in the group of eight.
The teenagers together with others had to find the track to this peak
(5890 metres). Their target was to find the easiest way to reach the
peak and prepare a report providing details of the track, what you
should take and open the track to the world.
Top of the world: On the way to the Baden Powel Scout Peak.
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Chameera shared his experience first with Daily News Teen. "This was
my first experience abroad. We had to climb eight hours per day for nine
days. The rain and the climate changes made our journey a difficult one.
Yet it was enjoyable and thrilling," Chameera said.
"For about three days we had to eat tinned food, chocolates and
biscuits. First I was feeling a little nervous but soon I adapted myself
to the environment. It was tiring. As we moved on there was less oxygen
and it was difficult to breathe. But we were able to overcome all
obstacles and take our National Flag to the top," Nalaka said.
Both Chameera and Nalaka had their training, climbing several
mountains such as Namunukula, Knuckles and Bathalegala. They have gone
places in scouting in Sri Lanka. Both have been honoured with the
President's Award, the highest award a scout can get. Gathering all the
experience and achievements they were able to enrich their life with
this new adventure.
"The whole journey was memorable. Each day we faced new experiences.
We woke up at 6.30 a.m. and on the day of reaching the peak, we had to
wake up around 4.45 a. m. Using compass and maps we found our way to our
goal," Nalaka said.
"At the foot of the mountain there were pigs, zebras and yaks. The
mountain was covered with snow and bushes. We had water from the streams
made of melted snow. It was wonderful. I will never forget this
journey," Chameera added.
Chameera studies in the commerce stream while Nalaka does
Mathematics. Both are determined to continue scouting even though they
are in A/L classes.
"We thank our master Ajith Jayasekera for his support. He had climbed
Himalayas 14 times. His experience strengthened us a lot. He helped and
guided us right throughout this tough journey," they said.
Chameera and Nalaka also thanked Sri Lanka Scouts' Association, their
Principal S. M. Keerthiratne and teachers, Chief Scout Commissioner H.S.
Weerakone, International Commissioner Shantha Madurawara, Scout Leader
Sarath Matharaarachchi and their parents for their support.
Getting ready for exams
EXAMS value your memories and your skills and ability to understand
what you are studying. Examinations test a student's knowledge and
understanding of a particular subject.
They bring questions from an entire module together in a challenging
environment. It is wise to remember that exams are not there as
punishment. Instead, they are a good way of testing to see how much
information you have learnt.
You can...
1. Start studying early.
2. Use your class notes and textbooks
3. Make a timetable for the period you are studying
4. Work together. For example, form a small group
5. Review all the materials at least once after your main study
session
6. Think up a few questions you might be asked on you exam, and try
answering them
7. Keep cool
Examinations are not really something to fear because, usually, if
you attend to revising your subject you should not have to much of a
problem when you get into the exam.
Avoiding Stress
Although examinations can be stressful, there are ways to avoid
stress. Revision before hand is very helpful, as is group discussion. In
the exam it helps to make a good plan, including points, because should
you fail to finish in time, the plan and points can gain you some marks.
Always go for the question you are sure of.
Relaxation
Allow yourself time for relaxation and thinking.
Use strategies like deep breathing to overcome panic Visualise
yourself in positive and relaxing situations
Past Papers
It is a good idea to look for past papers and have group discussions
to answer the questions. In most cases, examiners only make slight
changes from year to year.
Quite often questions are just reworded. By comparing questions from
year to year you can get a good idea about the substance the examiners
are looking for and prepare yourself to recognize the questions you have
revised for when you sit the exam.
Revise
Start revising early as this is connected to good time management
skills. Allow plenty of time to revise. Do not leave anything to the
last minute as it is really not beneficial. Sleep well once you know
where you are going.
The night before the exam have a good sleep, but, before that, make
sure you know the room number and time for exam. |