Ong Ze Xuan

Join the Gifted Education Programme… but came back to Wellington again

Ong Ze Xuan was from the graduating class of 2008. He is a graduate from NUS High School.

“… and if I could pick my primary school again, it would still be Wellington.”

A lot of time has passed since I graduated from Wellington. Then I was in the Art Club for my first three years, which was at that time headed by Ms Rahayu and Mr Wee Chee Kok. I have fond memories there of batik dying (I thought more dye would look better), and of working together with seniors on art pieces to place around the school. I remember fondly that the piece I worked on was displayed outside the staff room for a period of time, and the part I contributed to was the very unusual shading of the ocean on the left (they told me to shade, but not when to stop!).

After Primary 3, I went to join the GEP programme, and left Wellington for a short period of time. However, I missed the school’s close proximity to my home as well as all the friends that I left behind, so I dropped out of the programme and came back to Wellington. I joined Badminton afterwards, for it was my favourite sport and I figured that I should get some exercise and experience a variety in CCAs. I’ll admit I was not a great player, but over the few years I was there, my skills improved dramatically as I spent time playing with people better than myself.

I was also unofficially a member of the Infocomm Club, which at the time was headed by Mr Roslee. Unofficial because despite taking part in all the competitions, I had never signed up to be a member of the Infocomm Club. Despite this unusual arrangement, I picked up skills in game design which I used to clinch first place at the National eGameCompetition. I enjoyed the many competitions because it allowed us to pick up many new skills that became useful later in life. Game making for example, served as a platform to introduce me to proper programming, which led me to major in Computer Science in high school.

I found the school atmosphere at Wellington to be very welcoming and conducive for learning, be it the colourful canteen tables, the well-stocked library or weekly workout sessions we had. There were also many science exposure workshops, ranging from toy making to silkworm rearing, which are very interesting experiential learning programs outside of the school curriculum that piqued my interest in science and engineering.

I think Wellington offers a great primary school experience for all students, with its multiple niche areas and capable teachers. I have greatly relished my time there, and if I could pick my primary school again, it would still be Wellington.