After the election of parents' committee members, the students' performances began.

The school's string ensemble performed two pieces followed by a performance by the Guitar Club. They sang some folk songs with two teachers.

After dinner and the lucky draw, the annual meeting ended with a chorus sung by teachers and parents, accompanied by the school orchestra.

Kelvin Tsui

On January 3, about 40 students from Lam Tai Fai College took part in 'Smart Teens' - a six-day fireman's training camp. The training was hard, but we finally made it and learned a lot.

When we started the camp we did not know about team spirit, but as time went by and after a lot of punishment, we began to improve.

Instead of caring only about ourselves, we learned to care about each other as well. We knew that if other members did not do well, we would be blamed as well. For example, if someone's uniform was not correct, it would also be our fault because we did not remind that person.

We learned to do things that we seldom did at home, like making the bed, sweeping the floor and cleaning the toilet. After the exercises and tasks, we became stronger, more patient, thoughtful, considerate, responsible and brave. We learned to cope with the challenging life in the camp and stop complaining.

The most unforgettable day was January 5. Some of us were sleeping or having a shower when we were told we had to take a physical test. We were shocked and rushed to the playground to line up. It took us nine minutes to get ready and the instructor said we were too slow, that if we were firemen, the people who needed help would not have been rescued.

So, we were punished: we had to run for 35 minutes and do press-ups and other exercises. We were so tired that some of us could not control our tears, including myself. Although it was tough, none of us gave up. We encouraged and supported each other.

That night our team spirit grew.

At the end of the five-day training we all looked forward to the 'passing out' ceremony. It was a chance to show our parents and teachers that we overcame all the challenges.

When one of our teammates talked about her feelings and what happened over those few days, some of us cried again, not because of fatigue, but because we knew we would miss those days.

My mother was glad to see that I had really changed. She said I had grown up.

Constance Lau Sin-ling