21st Annual Farewell: Back to the Early Days

On Saturday, July 13, 2024, the LEO Club of Wesley Methodist School hosted its 21st Annual LEO Farewell event at The Club - Bukit Utama. This event celebrated the dedication and hard work of the graduating LEO seniors over their two years of service and offered a heartfelt farewell. The theme for this year’s event, "Back to the Early Days," symbolised the break the seniors would take after completing their journey as LEO members. We aimed to give the seniors a well-deserved chance to relax and enjoy their final LEO event before embarking on the next chapter of their lives. Participants were encouraged to dress in semi-formal attire inspired by a childhood picture of themselves, adding a nostalgic and playful touch to the celebration.

This event was organised by the Organising Chairperson, LEO Raul Deshpande Nair, who was assisted by his Assisting Organising Chairpersons, LEO Christine Chen En Hui and LEO Pang Chee Meng together with their committee members LEO Mahesh Ng Sivaram, LEO Saw Zi Ying and LEO Jasmine Wong Xain Yi.

The Farewell Committee arrived at the venue at 1:00 PM to prepare gifts for the seniors, set up the audiovisual system, and decorate the hall. They had prepared keychains, tote bags, mugs, mini-LEGO boxes, and enamel pins for each senior. The rest of the juniors arrived at 2:00 PM, and attendance was taken briefly. Soon after, the juniors helped finish decorating the hall by inflating balloons and setting up the photobooth and entrance with handmade props created during the farewell preparation meetings. The Games Department began setting up for their game sessions, while the Performance Department continuously practised their dances and singing performances in anticipation of the seniors’ arrival.

As the seniors began arriving at 4:00 PM, the juniors were instructed to return to their seats and await the start of the event. The seniors registered their names with the registration managers and received their door gifts, which included a keychain attached to a tote bag containing a heartwarming mini LEGO gift. The senior Board of Directors received more personalised gifts. The Guest of Honour, Mr. Wong Chee Kheon, and the faculty advisors, Mr. Naresh, Madam Devika, Mr. Ramanesh, and Madam Noorasikin, also arrived. At 4:10 PM, all senior members entered the hall and were ushered to their seats by the Organizing Committee, warmly welcomed by the juniors who congratulated them on completing their LEO journey.

The event officially started at 4:15 PM, with emcees LEO Tan Jia Yang and LEO Bernice Low kicking off the opening ceremony, followed by a rapturous round of applause from the members. The emcees then invited the Guest of Honour, Principal of WMSKL(I) Mr. Wong Chee Kheon, to the stage to give his speech. After his truly insightful and inspiring words, Mr. Wong was presented with a Gift of Appreciation.

Following his speech was the first performance of the evening, "Just the Way You Are," sung by LEO Lee Yin Xin, LEO Yau Jing Jie, and LEO Ayrianne Lew En Xie, which perfectly set the tone for the rest of the evening. After the spectacular performance, the emcees brought up LEO Raul Deshpande Nair, the Organizing Chairperson of the event, to give his speech. He expressed his utmost gratitude to the seniors for their service, contributions, and guidance provided to the club.

In the second performance of the evening was a dance performance by the junior members along with the song ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ choreographed by LEO Ong Shiang Leng which received encouraging applause from the guests. Following that was a speech by the incoming President, LEO See Kye Zac. In his heartwarming speech, he thanked every senior for all the contributions and efforts they put into whilst serving as a member of the LEO Club. After his speech was one of the exciting sessions of the evening, the Games Session. The guests were ushered out of the hall to take part in the games as it had been set up outside. This decision was made by the Organising Committee to forge the final bond between the juniors and seniors one last time. After the exhilarating session, the guests once again entered the hall and took their respective seats. Following the games session was a mini quiz of the outgoing Board of Directors, a QR code had been at the registration counter for guests to scan and enter and complete the quiz. 

Following the quiz, an edited video interview of the outgoing Board of Directors and the Ex Farewell Committee was shown. The interview featured questions about their time and experiences in the LEO Club, as well as advice for future members. After the video presentation, it was dinner time. Guests were invited to exit the hall and proceed to the buffet that had been prepared in advance. The delicious food filled the empty stomachs of the guests, energising them for the evening ahead. While dinner was being served, a second video presentation was shown, featuring baby pictures of the juniors, seniors, and even the faculty advisors.

After the relaxing sessions, the emcees called up LEO Gwenyth Ong Wei Mun for the third performance of the evening. She delivered an energetic solo rendition of the hit song "Livin' La Vida Loca." Following her incredibly moving performance was the final act of the night by the outgoing Board of Directors. They performed the song "Finesse," with each Board Member taking a turn to sing. Their heartfelt and entertaining performance was a joy to watch, leaving the audience thoroughly delighted.

After a quick dinner reminder, the emcees began the Prize Giving Ceremony. The LEO of the Year sash was awarded to LEO Marcus Khoo Kai Xiang for his dedication as a LEO member. The winners of the games received Shoyuemi snacks and Nabati biscuits for their outstanding performance in all categories. The Ex Farewell Committee received bags containing phone charms, makeup bags, Jacker potato chips, claw clips, socks, and a glass cup, while the outgoing Board of Directors received lamps, picture frames with personalised portraits, and phone stands.

Following the Prize Giving Ceremony, LEO Ethan Foo Sheng Zhi presented his speech as the outgoing president of the LEO Club. Though short, his speech was sweet and heartfelt, capturing everyone's attention. After his speech, a final video presentation of the evening was shown, featuring many pictures of every member, taking the seniors down memory lane. Following the touching video collage, the juniors were asked to write notes to their beloved seniors and place them in envelopes with the seniors' names, which were stuck onto a Gratitude Board for the seniors to take home later.

Once the juniors finished writing their notes, the emcees officially began the closing ceremony. However, a short photo session was held to commemorate the loving moments spent with the seniors one last time. Afterwards, everyone was free to take their own photos and use the photo booth to capture scenes of friendship, joy, and the sense of family that the LEO Club of Wesley Methodist School has nurtured in the seniors, helping them grow into the mature individuals they are now.

Truly, this event has left behind treasured memories and emotions for all the members that will surely last a lifetime.