This is article is part of the Undisrupted series, a series of articles detailing our troop's response to the current COVID-19 situation, allowing training to continue even when physical CCA sessions have been postponed showing that our troop is truly prepared and unwavered even in the face of the pandemic. By Joel Lim The COVID-19 pandemic has left a tremendous impact on the routines of many scout groups around Singapore, suspending in-school training and thus foiling the training plans of many around Singapore. Here at Catholic High Scout Group, we are determined to be unfazed by this situation and come out stronger after this tough time, unshaken and undisrupted. In this edition of Undisrupted, the topic in focus is the Astronomy badge, one of the most intellectually demanding badges to attain among the proficiency badge electives. In light of COVID-19, Ventures had to alter the requirements that were initially set to match the situation we are in and deepen the knowledge and understanding of Astronomy in Scouts. Astronomy, under normal circumstances, heavily involves the outdoors and is definitely not an easy badge to complete in the confines of one’s home. In order to overcome the challenges imposed by the circuit breaker measures, Ventures used Google Hangout meets to continue meeting up online, conducting lessons the ventures had prepared for scouts to attain the minimum requirements for the badge as well as the extension of astronavigation. This further extension in learning brings the abstract concepts of Astronomy back in relation to scouting. Astronomy and Scouting today, are often seen as mutually exclusive. However, as Catholic High Scouts, it is important not only to learn astronomy concepts at the surface or theoretical level but also to apply this newfound knowledge into scouting and astronavigation. Catholic High Scouts know never to take something at face value, but think outside of the box and challenge recognized perceptions. Through this journey, scouts were tasked to reflect critically through understanding the history of disproven theories such as the universe being static, posing questions such as “Is it justified to believe something is right based just because it is generally accepted?” Furthermore, scouts were humbled as they realized just how little humanity knew about the universe: there were so many undiscovered possibilities; so many unknowns about the universe. As we realize just how minuscule we are in the wide scheme of things, we become less egocentric and attain a greater awareness of ourselves and the world. As such, attaining the astronomy badge has also pushed scouts to think critically about moral issues that exist in our society today, inculcating values and principles to build them up as Scouts. To address the elephant in the room, how is it possible to observe constellations from the four walls of our homes? This is a problem that stumbles many others who wish to attain this badge in the midst of the COVID-19 situation. In Catholic High Scout Group, no challenge is too tough, unachievable or unconquerable so long as one has the correct mindset and will to overcome it. Ventures leveraged on technology and utilised mobile apps with star-mapping capabilities to observe the movement of constellations. This not only allowed scouts to continue pursuing the badge indoors but also provided them the ability to observe other constellations that would otherwise not be visible to the naked eye. The use of technology has allowed scouts to go above and beyond the set expectations and hold their work to an even higher standard. In conclusion, the Astronomy badge is not an easy feat on its own, let alone additional requirements and extensions put in place. In spite of this, Catholic High Scout Group will not let our standards drop nor let our guard down because we understand that the onus is on us to uphold the glory and bring honour to our troop by being the absolute best that we can be.

This article is part of the Undisrupted series, a series of articles detailing our troop's response to the current COVID-19 situation, allowing training to continue even when physical CCA sessions have been postponed showing that our troop is truly prepared and unwavered even in the face of the pandemic. By Seah Zhang Qi, SPL and Ryan Loh, ASPL For this year’s NDP celebration, the Sec 3 excos were tasked with making two videos that celebrate national day and represent all that we wanted to tell to others during this time of Covid-19, to be played during the national anthem and pledge taking respectively. Video production was nothing new to us, as we had experience producing a video for CHS Open House. During the video brainstorming and ideation, many people were involved, who contributed video scene ideas, theme suggestions, etc. Yu Hern oversaw the filming and editing of the pledge video, and Shu Heng oversaw the editing of the anthem video. Zhang Qi and I oversaw the entire project, helping with the editing process and organising manpower. Aligning our theme of the video with this year’s NDP theme, we wanted to showcase scenes of Singapore under safe distancing guidelines, and how everyday life has changed but still continued. However, we faced many challenges and issues, with most of them attributing to the ongoing covid-19 situations and the restraints placed because of this situation. We had to keep in small groups while recording which severely limited what we were able to do which narrowed down our options by a large amount. Initially, we were faced with the problem of filming, as poor weather conditions and safe distancing guidelines made it hard to go out. However, we managed to improvise, filming safely from a distance, in a car. Having to juggle our school commitments and this video project was also a challenge we faced, as many of those involved were Secondary 3 students taking their Termly Assessments soon. However, we continued to put in the effort for this video, making time for filming and editing without sacrificing on our studies. From this, I learnt that while time may be finite, there will always be enough time. Prioritisation was key in this project, where we prioritised scenes that could be filmed earlier so that the editing process could be sped up. My main takeaway is to always strive for excellence. Throughout the editing process, there were always improvements made. As minor as some of these improvements may be, we should still put in our best effort, and produce our best work. This is what it means to be a Catholic High Scout. Additionally, we also decided to go for a video where we got many other scouts to help out with the filming and being part of the video by singing the national anthem and saying the pledge. However, this also proved to be challenging as the filming groups had to be confined within their own class and they could only work with scouts from the same class. This meant that filming would also be handled by the scouts of that class. Therefore, what we imagined the video being like was completely different from what was produced. Therefore, we scrapped that idea and moved on to the next. This process of trying ideas and scrapping them continued for a while due to the many issues that we faced because of the guidelines that we had to follow. In the end, we persevered, and after countless ideas, we decided on showing and representing the daily life of Singaporean citizens despite the covid-19 situation. This was meant to show the perseverance of Singaporeans not giving up even in the face of hardships and challenges. We recorded clips mostly through drive-bys where the camera would be in the car recording scenes of the daily life of Singaporeans. This way, we were able to produce a good video celebrating Singapore’s birthday with meaning while still fulfilling the covid-19 guidelines. This experience was the first time that I had to work with others to scrap and record so many different ideas. Through this experience I really learnt the value of not giving up and persevering towards the end as if you do not give up, you will definitely keep getting closer to your goal. In sum, this small contribution to our community has enabled us to learn so much more about ourselves and allowed us to be moulded, and shaped into better scouts. Scouts with purpose, drive, perseverance, and excellence.

This is article is part of the Undisrupted series, a series of articles detailing our troop's response to the current COVID-19 situation, allowing training to continue even when physical CCA sessions have been postponed showing that our troop is truly prepared and unwavered even in the face of the pandemic. By Wong Zheng Tat In this edition of the Undisrupted series, the focus is on the Cook proficiency badge elective. To ensure the continuous development of scouts during this circuit breaker period, Catholic High Scout Troop tailored our own cook badge module for scouts to attain their cook proficiency badge even during this adverse period. Taking advantage of this situation, Catholic High Scout Troop holistically developed Scouts in their cooking, video editing, self-directed learning, and written report skills. Scouts were required to film a video of them cooking their dishes, while also taking photos during the cooking process. This showcased and upheld the integrity of Catholic High Scout Group, leaving no room for doubt. Furthermore, through refining the attainment standards of the cook badge imposed by the HQ, Scouts were able to complete the tasks through improvisation. While the criteria stated left room for ambiguity, such as “purely wheat dish” which left room for many interpretations, the ventures provided the scouts with the direction to make the right decisions and ensure their dishes fit the vague criteria. This ensured that scouts would be on the right track and would not have their efforts in vain. Catholic High Scouts also recognize the importance of giving back. All dishes cooked by the scouts were shared with their family members, as a token of appreciation for their family. This is evident in the pictures taken after every meal was cooked, with the dishes laid out finely on the dinner table While others look at the circuit breaker period as a time of unrest and uncertainty, we view it as an opportunity for scouts to explore other aspects of scouting. Through this cook badge journey, scouts pushed themselves to cook the most delectable dishes and craft the best-written reports. They explored other parts of themselves that they did not know existed; unleashing the inner cook in them. Ultimately, this journey not only taught scouts how to be better cooks but cultivated in them the spirit of self-directed learning - one who constantly tests his limits and explores the unknown.

This is article is part of the Undisrupted series, a series of articles detailing our troop's response to the current COVID-19 situation, allowing training to continue even when physical CCA sessions have been postponed showing that our troop is truly prepared and unwavered even in the face of the pandemic. By Damien Kang “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin COVID-19 has proven a challenge in Singapore, and Scouting in Singapore has also come to a pause. However, in Catholic High Scout Group, we strive to be the best that we can be and defy all odds. In this article of the Undisrupted series, the focus is on the Photographer proficiency badge Originally, the requirements needed Scouts to know about basic functions of photography, take photos of different subjects with 4 different themes, as well as learn about film processing and the different types of photography available. In order to further the understanding and knowledge about photography principles, the ventures came up with additional requirements according to the base understanding established by the original requirements, which consisted of constructing a pinhole camera and taking photos of different subjects from the Scout's home. This fulfills the challenge of scouting from home, encouraging scouts to draw inspiration from their home, and finding new angles to take photos, while the construction of the pinhole camera aids in understanding the scientific concepts on how the camera works. With the requirements set, the Scouts worked tirelessly throughout the months of May and June. As with the other Proficiency Badge Electives (PBE), Ventures and Scouts worked tirelessly to make the PBE a success. The purpose of the ventures mentoring and guiding the scouts in achieving the proficiency badges is to inculcate a sense of rigour in the learning of the scouts, pushing them past the norm and doing their best to put the troop on the top. Ventures took up the responsibility as mentors to vet the Scout's documents, narrowing down to even the finest of details that would otherwise be overlooked such as grammar and line spacing. As part of the Photographer badge, we had to check every photo and make sure that all the requirements were met and that they all exceeded the expectations that were set. This attitude of excellence is thus crucial in the pursuit of the absolute best and highest honour we can bring to the troop. The PBE is also vital in showcasing the adaptability of Catholic High Scouts, to think on our feet and adjust the requirements that were sent to us to surpass expectations. Furthermore, with the mentorship throughout this PBE required constant communication between Scouts and ventures, we had to find new ways of contacting them as we could not meet up in real life. This was done through Zoom meetings and Google Hangouts, the keys to achieving success in the PBE. At the end of the day, we strive to make every report perfect and flawless so as to make our mark, stand out from the crowd and put our troop at the top.

By Liu Muxin We had our Troop Investiture today where all the ranks, appointments and promotions were awarded. All Secondary 4 Scout members were promoted to Ventures and we now have new PLs and a new SPL. Let's look forward to a great year ahead!

By Seah Zhang Qi and Ryan Loh For Saturday’s 集合 we focused on our patrol identity to strengthen the bonds within our patrol and consequentially, the troop. The Patrol Leaders had planned thoroughly for the construction of their box and flag as they knew from prior experience that a bonded and happy patrol would be efficient and listen to their patrol leaders. Patrol identity is extremely important as it determines whether a patrol can succeed. With the Sec 1s newly incorporated into the patrol, the activity was a good way to welcome them and let them feel as though they were already part of the patrol. By now, all of the patrols had finished the construction of their boxes and were well underway to completion, with only painting left. This activity served as an opportunity for the patrols to flex their creative muscles, having to design essentially everything on their own. The activity also trained their problem-solving skills, such as altering designs to adapt to the dimensions given. As for the flags, the patrols were returned with their original patrol flags to decide whether they needed a new flagstaff. This fun activity was also a good way to ease the Sec 1 scouts into the troop and get them familiarized with their patrol members. As the day went on, the patrols got more and more excited as the patrol boxes were finally coming to shape. Each patrol had scouts eagerly painting their boxes with vibrant colours and beautiful designs that would catch anyone’s eye. The flags had simple yet elegant designs that would give make any patrol member feel proud to be in the patrol. The scouts had paint all over their hands but were working with smiles across their faces. Through the building and designing of the patrol items during the Jihe, the scouts were able to learn and realise the importance of having strong bonds within a patrol and many were also able to get to know each other better and get more comfortable with each other through this activity. This activity has also strengthened their understanding of the patrol spirit giving confidence to its members, and with that confidence, the patrols and troop would become more confident and stronger. A strong patrol spirit is the basic unit of a strong, united troop. By putting the troop before patrol, patrol before self, the scouts put their troop at the top by forging a strong patrol spirit, doing their best for the troop.

By Ian Chien and Lucas Loh The key focus of today's and the next few subsequent Jihes was patrol identity. To succeed as a patrol, identity and patrol spirit are the keys to success. Alex, Michael and I were tasked to take care of this activity. After the patrol flag and patrol box briefing from Siu San, we began overseeing the various patrols to aid them in the process of the building their boxes. Ultimately, this is an opportunity to teach the patrol leaders to take charge of their newly formed patrols and to achieve efficiency through the division of labour. The patrol leaders were briefed by Alex and me on the various safety standards and procedures before they were released to start off their activities. Shortly after, we began reorganizing and repacking the entire QM. The secondary 4 ventures were taking charge of the new revamp, which involved repainting the benches and improvising on whiteboards that will be used in future. Things are going well thus far, with the QM looking spick and span, ultimately providing a conducive environment for briefings, lessons and activities. This will in turn boost our efficiency for our future training operations. As for the following few weeks, the patrols would be competing as a whole to make the best patrol box, best patrol flag and the best patrol mounting board, doing their best for the troop. Only with patrol spirit, can we skyrocket our efforts in building up troop spirit, ultimately advancing our skillsets and always staying multiple steps ahead of the game.

By Wong Zheng Tat and Lucas Loh Even in the face of the COVID-19 Situation, the Catholic High Ventures stayed true to its goal of building strength for the troop. These few weeks, the Ventures have been training relentlessly for Orienteering as part of their PSA journey, adapting to the new guidelines imposed by the Ministry of Education. The Ventures have undergone rigorous training for the past few Saturday training, with both theory tests and practical exercises each week. Through this effective curriculum and intense drilling, these Ventures have managed to hone their orienteering theory, map sketch as well as precision bearing, making them more than ready to face the Pioneer Exploration Assessment (PEA). For Orienteering Theory, the ventures had to sit for a 1h 30min, 100 mark theory paper involving both map and compass theory, as well as a mapping exercise. This paper was set to not only meet but surpass the standards demanded in the Skills and Fundamentals Theory test for the PEA. With twice the difficulty and twice the length of the paper, our theory paper makes the high standards demanded from a PEA candidate seem trivial, to overprepare our Ventures for any obstacle they face. For their Orienteering Practical, the ventures honed their awareness and sharpened their attention to detail. For the Precision Bearing Activity, the ventures were only afforded an error range of 1 degree, making sure that they were well within the more liberal standards of the PEA assessment. In addition, the Venture Programme for Orienteering is a testament to putting the troop at the top, as it is led by previous PSA candidates from our troop who not only willingly, but also have a duty to the troop to train the next batch of PSA candidates. These Ventures, having undergone the assessment themselves, know the enemy (the assessment) inside out to fight the war. By training the next batch, they ensure success and allow their successors to be even more prepared and even more excellent than themselves. Such an efficient training system is only possible at Catholic High as the Ventures are trained by Ventures who understand the assessment, knowing themselves and the enemy, to execute their tasks to perfection, each time focussing on reducing the time needed. This spirit of excellence is the only way to be a premier scout group, to put the troop at the top.

By Joash Cheng and Lucas Loh This weekend, we continued brushing up on our camp development skills in the areas of both the basha as well as lashings. For the Sec 3s, they were grouped into their 8 patrols and learnt to work together as one troop to build their patrol bashas. This is one way in which we exemplify the importance of knowing ourselves, with the PLs of the patrols being forced to get to know the ability of their patrol members, so as to best utilise the manpower. This was also the a strong reminder of the importance of awareness, as building a Basha is no easy feat, requiring scouts to be spatially aware, self aware, as well as are of their own safety. The Sec 2s, on the other hand, were tasked to improve on their shear lashings as it is an essential knot in many structures such as the flagpole and gateways. Through tying and retying, they perfected their technique for each wrap, each frap, getting to know the lashing with each pull in the right direction, with the right force so as to tie a shear lash that represented them putting the troop at the top. This is an essential value of Scouting at Catholic High, taking whatever means necessary to bring honor and glory for the troop, be it in the humble shear lash or in a pioneering project for a competition. This art of lashing develops a inner composure, to seek excellence as the quality of one's knot is solely dependent on one's perseverance and effort. This, the a constant push towards tying the knot faster and tighter each time, is the pursuit of excellence and truly putting the troop at the top, no matter how tired we may be. Finally, the Sec 1s were inducted first through a sharing and interaction with our GSL Mr Andrew Chua, giving them insight and purpose to their Scouting Journey. Afterward, they were taken through the theory of Camp Development, teaching them many basic but important understandings of building a campsite, in terms of placement and design. This is actually a way to train spatial awareness, allowing scouts to visualise the space and uses of a campsite, as well as understanding the importance of knowing their terrain. Through Camp Development, we have brought out the hallmark troop values of putting the troop at the top, as well as knowing yourself.

By Lim Ni Ler and Lucas Loh Following the previous Jihe, the scouts further developed their campsite development skills and sharpened their knotting and tying skills. For the Sec 1s, they will be introduced to the most essential skillset in scouting--basha construction. As for the Sec 2s and 3s, their objective was to be able to build gadgets. For the Sec 1s, two of our very capable ASLs, Yu Chuan and Alex took the Sec 1s for basha. The ventures demonstrated once for the Sec 1s  to observe how a proper basha should be done. Along the way, the ventures explained the importance of each step and how the sec1s could apply their knowledge on knots such as the 1 round 2half hitch, to building a basha. They were then split into even smaller groups and began practising. Along the way, ventures supervised and corrected every mistakes so as to achieve perfection, to ensure the Sec 1s got the best start in knotting. The Sec 2s and 3s meanwhile, were given designs of interesting and useful gadgets and were tasked to construct one within the time limit of 1.5hrs. All of them were cooperative and displayed teamwork amongst patrols and thus achieved maximum efficiency, hitting the target. They Sec 2s and 3s were then asked to propose changes to the gadgets to add to the gadgets capacityand functions, hence coming full circle in the process of gadget design. Gadgets and basha are the fundamentals of a campsite and provides a way to evaluate patrols and their leaders. Good patrols will have strong and well designed gadgets that allow them to thrive in the camping environment, or taut and pristine bashas which they take great pride in. Hence, Camp Development is a way for the PL to show care for his men, as well as a way for the Patrol to express itself and show their standards.

By Yu Chuan and Joash Ho In preparation for future camps, the troop started the term with a training session on gadget construction. The troop was split into the 8 patrols to learn the basics of gadget building from knot to structure. Each Patrol was mentored by a venture and was taught the do and do not when constructing gadgets. To put what they learn into practice, the patrols were tasked to build 3 essential gadget types, Clothesline, Shoe rack and the Quartermaster Rack based on past year NPC designs. The Scouts worked under the watchful eye of the ventures to ensure mistakes were pointed out and corrected. This ensured that the gadgets were built to high precision and stability to set a good example of what the Scouts should aim to build during the camps. The newly joined Secondary ones were taught the basics of knotting. Small group training under timed conditions guaranteed that the basics of knotting were instilled. This thoroughly prepared them for building gadgets and structures when they join their new patrols. After an insightful and enriching session on gadgets, the troop was treated to scouting station games with our new secondary one recruits. This was in spite of the COVID-19 situation as our troop was adaptable and managed to plan around the new restrictions in place. The station games aimed to train scouts to use their Scouting knowledge to complement their problem-solving skills. The station games included high altitude retrieval while other stations were communication-based to allow scouts to realize the importance of working as a team. This gave the scouts space to innovate and develop their ideas to come up with ways to clear the station. The enriching day of activities ended with our flag lowering ceremony and the troop being evermore prepared for the things to come. This troop meeting enforced the importance of foundational skills. The mastery of foundational skills is the key to improvement and progress in any aspect of our lives. But what does it mean to attain mastery of a foundational skill? To our troop, mastery of knots tangibly means: Being able to tie a perfect square lash under a minute. Being able to tie all basic and advanced knots blindfolded. Understanding that one knot can have a multitude of applications. And most importantly taking pride in every knot that you tie. This can be achieved by inculcating the mindset of 自我超越 (mastery of self) and 自强不息 (continuous self-improvement). Every Catholic High Scout knows that they expected to be better, faster and more efficient that any other scout. Hence, this mindset needs to be inculcated early on in their development in Scouting. Ventures and seniors must prove to their scouts that the impossible can be achieved, so that the scouts believe that the impossible is tangible and this motivates juniors to do their best. This meeting is not only a lesson for scouts but also a lesson for ventures. Scouts learn the importance of a strong foundation. Ventures learn what it means to set a good example.

By Lucas Loh Today was a significant day for the troop as it marked the release of a brand new, revised knotting syllabus to be used for the years to come. This knotting syllabus reflects the changing demands of excellence in our troop, bringing our knotting standards to a whole new level, not only directing the scouts on what knots must be learnt, but also teaching them how to do so. This troop wide standardisation of excellence ensures that we will all be able to put the troop at the top, together, and that the baseline and bare minimum for our Scouts is excellence and being a cut above the rest. Such an important role of inculcating the best was entrusted to the ventures, who were also the ones who came up with the knotting syllabus in line with the PSA Knotting Standards. This ensures that our Scouts, by the end of their Scouting phase, will be at the national standard for Ventures. Other aspects of the Knotting syllabus include a new section on rope theory and rope care, both of which are fundamental to ensuring the long-term longevity and robustness of our ropes. Finally, this syllabus comes in line with our nCOV-19 Preparedness Plan, as the syllabus document allows for scouts to learn knots at home, in case of activity cancellation or school closure. This knotting syllabus has been made available here, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aFpi4rO6gK2bm9UWko3h31a879eQaD0f/view?usp=drivesdk for the collective good of Scouting in Singapore and the World.