School mergers are often a bittersweet experience. Some may view it as a blessing, with new opportunities and experiences waiting for them in a new place, while others may focus on the irreplaceable loss of their favourite things in the previous school.
Indeed, this may resonate with many secondary school students at the present as the local news has reported an extensive merger exercise of twenty-two secondary schools. The exercise will be carried out over the next two years and the mergers are due to a shortage of cohort intakes. There’s definitely plenty of excitement and anticipation among not only the students, but even the teachers as well!
If you’re one of them, you might be caught in a whirl of emotions. Will everything be the same? Will I fit in with the new surroundings? What should I do? Does this new uniform look fat on me?
Calm down, take a breather, and let me tell you a similar experience I had in the past. I’ll also let you know what to expect. Have a quick read, and maybe you can put your mind at ease!
You’ll be stepping out from what you’ve gotten used to
When I was in Primary 3, news broke out that my school was intending to merge with a neighbouring school due to decreasing intake. I was crushed knowing that I’ll be saying goodbye to my favourite food stalls, classrooms and hopscotch area. It was even more depressing knowing that I won’t be able to experience the overseas school trip at Primary 5, which my older brother had told me a lot about.
The neighbouring school that we were merging with was thankfully still nearby, but it was still a distance away to push me off my comfort zone. I was so used to taking a bus directly outside my house to school, but now it meant a 10 minute walk down to a further bus stop for another service!
You’ll be intimidated by what you see or hear
When we first entered the new school for orientation, we were warmly greeted by the new principal in the hall who immediately gave us a run down on what to expect. However, my attention wasn’t focused on him, but rather on the numerous students around us who were openly staring. It was quite an awkward experience, with me and my classmates wearing uniforms that were strikingly different from theirs. It felt like we were in the wrong place.
What made matters worse was the rumours circulating that the neighbouring school was known for gang members and bad influences. Many were often long tales invented by people who simply wanted to spin the gossip wheel, but in such an uncomfortable situation, every student in the place seemed like a potential bully or troublemaker.
You’ll need to adapt to the new place
For the first few days in the new school, the hallways and corridors were so unfamiliar. It was easy to get lost. I couldn’t even remember where the toilets were. The jungle gym and the sports equipment felt so different from the ones we had at our old school. Even the tables and chairs that we use in a daily basis didn’t feel right.
It’s simply our human nature to subconsciously notice changes in our regular environment, but it’s nothing to be worried about. I quickly got used to the new changes after a few days, but it was quite funny to look back now and recall the time when I actually had to step into another classroom to ask the teacher inside for directions to the nearby toilet!
You’ll meet new faces and make friends
In the classroom, the seating arrangement was so that every new student had a local peer to help them adjust to the school. I was paired with a Malay boy who began talking earnestly once introductions were made. I was a little apprehensive at first, due to all the rumours I’ve heard, but I soon opened up and we found out that we shared a lot of things in common.
He introduced me to his clique of friends. Lucky for me, we all had similar interests. It was they whom I began hanging out with during and after school, playing soccer during recess or meeting at the playground after school hours. We eventually went on to be the best of pals and buddies, staying in contact even up to now. It would be hard to imagine what would’ve happened instead if the merger didn’t happen and I’ve not gotten to meet them at all.
You’ll be surprised at what the new curriculum has to offer
Although I was disappointed with the loss of an overseas school trip, the new school had other opportunities to offer. An example would be a term semester when our English lessons were entirely conducted in the computer lab. The teacher would run us through instructions for a very simple composition using Microsoft Word, or project work that required us to use PowerPoint.
This would never have happened in my previous school, as access to the computer lab was heavily restricted due to the rules and regulations implemented. It was a welcome change from constantly writing on paper. What’s more, as we were often left to our own devices, that usually meant a secret party of Runescape, Gunbound or any flash games that we would find after scouring on the Internet.
You’ll find that it isn’t as bad as you thought it would be!
As time progressed, I personally felt that my stay in the new school wasn’t as bad as I had dreaded it to be. Sure, there’s still the worrying lapse while trying to fit into the new environment. But once that discomfort had been dispelled, you’ll find that school life not only realigns back to normalcy, but offers way more opportunities than before.
From new people to interact with, new food to taste and savour, new extra-curriculum activities to participate and enjoy, it will be a refreshing change to go to school after constant exposure to the same old timetable.
There’s of course, no denying the loss of a few old classmates and teachers, who might be transferred out, and the possible disbandment of tight-knit co-curricular activity (CCA) clubs. But it gets easier to cope as you form new relationships with your new schoolmates. So don’t look so glum, stay positive and look at the school merger as a whole new adventure just waiting for you to explore and take advantage of!
