International Relationship Day 2018: Revel in the Rhythm

On the 4th of April 2018, the Leo Club of Wesley Methodist School held its annual International Relationship Day. The theme for this year's I.R. Day was "Revel in the Rhythm". The main purpose of this project was to show the audience how music and dance can unite the world as well as allow the audience to witness the magnificence of the music industry which undoubtedly connects us all no matter the age. This event was also aimed to deepen the friendship between Leo Club members of our school and Leo Club members of other schools attending this event. This year, I.R. Day was spearheaded by our I.R. Director and Organising Chairperson, Leo Sitara Darini Vijayavel, along with her Assistant Organising Chairperson, Leo Tam Her Nie, and committee members, Leo Low Pey Jean, Leo Chn Wei Xuan, Leo Chong Ning Xin, Leo Choo Wen Ni, Leo Chan Zhi Yu, Leo Saw Jin Hui and Leo Tan Yong Ze. About 390 people attended our event, including members from the Lions Club of Ampang, the school management team, teachers, students, and Leos.

At 3:15 p.m., the registration counter was officially opened. Our ushers, who were dressed in colourful embroidered shirts, were sent to their respective predetermined stations in order to welcome the guests into the school hall. This year, the guest of honour was Penang-born singer, Ms. Bihzhu. The hall was decorated with beautifully handcrafted and hand-painted decorations by the decoration team, as vibrant paintings of various pictures related to music and dance lined the gallery, accompanied by rows of multicoloured crepe paper flowers and led candles in jars wrapped with music scores to provide ambient lighting. The spotlight stands were also decorated with handmade music notes entwined with fairy lights which illuminated the hall. Furthermore, lines of colourful flags were hung across the hall, and the entrances were adorned with drapes in different hues. Outside the hall, a painted cardboard cutout of a mariachi band stood at the entrance to welcome guests over a banner with our IR Day theme. We also prepared a vivid and brightly-coloured photo booth for the guests.

Once all the VIPs had arrived and had been ushered to the hall by our club's President and I.R. Director, the hall was dimmed, and the show started at 3:50p.m. with an opening video of famous dance scenes from movies synced to a countdown. Succeeding that, a dance performance by the Leo members ensued. It was an amazing performance, and it undoubtedly helped to kickstart the event with its upbeat music and energetic dance movements. This was followed by the emcees of the event, Leo Hu Shing Ye and Leo Niklas Ng Zi Zhan, making their entrance, then introducing themselves and addressing the guests accordingly. Then, the singing of the national anthem as well as the recitation of the Leo Pledge were carried out according to protocol. After that, the meeting was called to order by Presiding Officer, Lion Lee Choon Heng. Subsequently, a roll call session was led by the emcees to acknowledge the guests present that day.

The event progressed with a tango dance performance by our Leo members, dressed in matching red and black outfits, which swayed and moved to the rhythm of the tango music. As the dance ended, it was time for the Organising Chairperson, our I.R. Director, Leo Sitara Darini Vijayavel to give her inspirational speech. Soon after, a singing performance was presented by a group of our Leo members, who blew the audience away with their a capella renditions of a selection of songs. This was followed by a speech by the principal of Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur (International), Mr. Wong Chee Kheon. Next, the audience were treated to an amusing video presentation, in which the emcees went around school playing the game 'Finish the Lyrics' with the teachers and students.

Following that, the first part of a sketch was presented by the sketch team, which depicted the tale of a young boy named Andrew, who becomes enraged after his father conceals his mother's illness, which causes her eventual death, from him, leading him to run away from home in order to escape the painful memories of his hometown. Act 1 of the sketch ended with Andrew moving to a distant country, where, 10 years later, he decides to return home to honour his mother's death anniversary. Our guest of honour, Ms. Bihzhu, was then invited to the stage to deliver her speech on music and dance. Soon after, the sketch was resumed, and the audience was touched as Andrew returned home to reconcile and reunite with his friends and his father who he had left behind, through music.

After the end of the sketch, the event proceeded with the presentation of tokens of appreciation to our VIPs by our club's faculty advisor, Mr. Lee Sek Khoon, along with the presentation of souvenirs to the club which attended our event by our club President, Leo Khor Jia Shin. The meeting was then adjourned by the Presiding Officer, Lion Lee Choon Heng. The event finally drew to a close with the grand finale, which was a lively dance performance by our Leo members who were positioned all around the audience.

Our guests were then welcomed to the canteen to savour some light refreshments, which included nachos and dip, corn salad, sprite, and churros. The VIPs were also served delicious chicken tacos. We are truly grateful to have our food sponsor, MEZCLA, this year, to generously provide the food and refreshments for us. After that, all the Leo members cleaned up the areas used for I.R. Day such as the hall and the canteen. We then had a debrief session in the canteen, and took a group picture afterwards. They were then dismissed and allowed to go home. The end of I.R. Day marked the end of our string of tiring but thoroughly rewarding major events for this fiscal year, which had been held over the past few consecutive months. Through the Leo members' unwavering perseverance and commitment, we had managed to carry out a successful I.R. Day, which managed to convey its message to the audience. It was a good show, which could not have been put together without the hard work and effort of the Leo members.