The REAL Phantom comes to town
Seri Suria and Seri Cahaya of the R.E.A.L Education Group produces "The Phantom of the Opera"

The Performances and Response

April 2008 would forever be etched in the minds of the children at the REAL Education Group's flagship schools, Sekolah Seri Suria (SSS) and Sekolah Seri Cahaya (SSC). Seri Cahaya performed to a packed audience in all 4 days of their performances which was held on 17th, 18th 19th and 21st April 2008 whilst Seri Suria equally played to a packed audience on 24th, 25th, 26th and 28th April 2008. The response for the schools' Inaugural Drama presentation were so over-whelming, that after the first show respectively, both the schools were forced to organize extra shows to accede to demands from the public and from the schools in Selangor. A total of 35 schools and more than 3000 students and teachers thronged to Sekolah Seri Cahaya to watch the version of "The Phantom of the Opera", a compulsory English Literature text for Senior 2 students. Similarly, more than 3500 students from 25 schools packed the Hall of Character at Sekolah Seri Suria to catch the performances.

The children of Seri Cahaya and Seri Suria rose to the occasion and received thunderous applause after every scene. In fact, the falling chandelier scene was so realistic that a few students ran out of the hall screaming in fear, much to the happiness of the props director at Seri Cahaya on the effectiveness of his props.

The Invaluable Lessons Learnt

The production of this drama, directed by renowned drama teacher in Port Dickson, Mr. R.Sivagurunathan and the tireless efforts of the Seri Cahaya and Seri Suria's concert co-ordinators and their respective music teachers, had allowed the schools to mould in his students, confidence, teamwork, perseverance, dedication and passion -- all of which were reiterated by the performers themselves when they cited what they learnt from this experience. Another highlight of this play is the fact that the performers were all without any formal musical or acting background and consisted of a group of enthusiastic children ranging from as young as 10 years old!. The force of the Cahayan and Surian spirit could be seen from the fact that the play was put together in barely 3 calendar months. Both schools complemented the drama with a choir and violin ensemble consisting mostly of junior or primary school children which fed the halls with their angelic voices.

It is a feature in the REAL Education Group where we bring our 'lesson' to outside the classroom environment. In fact, the process of preparing for the drama would have taught the performers to be able to 'think on their feet' when things do not go as planned, work under pressure/stress as well as to control of their emotions, all of which are essential characteristic when the students leave the protective school environment and venture into the working environment. This according to Mr. Felix Lee, General Manager of both schools, is the focal point of R.E.A.L education which is to prepare our children for life.

Proceeds Goes to Charity

On top of that, this live presentation was extra meaningful as all profits from the production by Seri Cahaya would be channelled to the "National Autism Society of Malaysia ( NASOM )" in conjunction with the World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April 2008 whilst the profits from the production by Seri Suria would be channelled to the Selangor Association of Retarded Children.

Competition Result

REAL Education Group has made the drama presentation, "The Phantom of the Opera", a competition between the two schools. The purpose for making it a competition is twofold. Firstly, it is to bring about unity, teamwork, initiative and creativity among the school teachers. Secondly, it is to cultivate teamwork, perseverance, ability to think on their feet, working under pressure and learning how to handle challenges and disappointments among the students.

On May 17, 2008 REAL Education Group organized an appreciation luncheon cum awarding ceremony for both schools. In the words of Mr. R. Sivagurunathan, he does not envy the tasks of the judges because it was a close competition between the two schools.

Before announcing the winner, Mr. Ng Yee Hing, the chief judge and director of REAL Education Group, presented an evaluation of the overall performances with the purpose of advising the students where they have done well and how they can improve further. Winner of the Challenge Trophy is the school which scored the highest marks according to the following criteria:-

• Overall performance and audience appeal
• Stage props and coordination of scenes
• Costumes
• Sound effects and music sense
• Preparation, organization and teamwork of the organizers
• Quality of souvenirs and other point-of-sales
• Orderliness and premise management
• Initiative and creativity in organizing
• Commercial consideration; Filling up of hall capacity
• Profit generated for charity.

All the judges took great pains to decide the ultimate winner but as in all competitions, there will be a winner and a loser. Winner of the Drama Challenge Trophy for the year 2008 for the Phantom of the Phantom of the Opera is Sekolah Seri Cahaya. Congratulations and well done!

The Directors of REAL Education Group had observed the reaction of the cast and crew from Sekolah Seri Suria when the winner of the Challenge Trophy was announced. They are very proud of the Surians because they accepted defeat gracefully. The Surians had showed good character and good showmanship by cheering and clapping for the Cahayans when the winner was announced. Surians, you are a winner in your own right!

Other than the Challenge Trophy, 3 other categories were awarded and the winners are:

1. Best Actor -- Shaun Wan (SSS) as the Narrator
2. Best Actress -- Kristal Ho (SSS) as Christine Daee
3. Most Outstanding Character -- Aaron Ee (SSC) as Monsieur Armand

The teachers of Sekolah Seri Cahaya had also prepared a special segment during the luncheon by staging their own version of The Phantom of the Opera. Go to <realeducatiogroup> YouTube Channel to watch their performance. Several other videos highlighting this event are also available on our YouTube Channel.

Happy Teacher's Day
May 16th, 2008

We would like to wish all our teachers in REAL EDUCATION GROUP a
HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY!!

A special message from the EXCO members...

Read this touching story specially dedicated to our teachers.

Why are our REAL Teachers special?

Winners of the Spot The Car Sticker Contest

EV at 20
2 September 2006 marked the 20th Birthday of EV. Carrying the theme, "Glams and Glitters – Staff Appreciation Nite", a total of 650 staff was gathered at the Sime Darby Convention Hall to commemorate our 20th Anniversary. Corporate video presentation, staff awards, REAL Partnership and best dress nominations were among the highlights of the celebration.

The corporate video presentation kicked off the 20th Anniversary celebration and moved the staff to tears, reminiscing the growth of EV. Our anniversary this time was that of killing two birds with a stone; celebrating EV's 20th Birthday and recognizing and awarding long service staff and REAL partners. During the staff award, 91 staff were awarded for their 5 years service whilst 42 and 7 staff were recognized for their 10 and 15 years of loyalty respectively.

Among the 650 staff, comprising the Board of Directors, principals, teachers and administrative staff, 3 pairs were nominated for the best dress awards. The 3 best-dressed pairs put up a dance performance before receiving their gifts.

This 20th Anniversary also served as the platform for REAL Partnership where some principals were offered REAL partners.

EV hopes to reward more loyal staff and double REAL Partnerships in the coming anniversaries.

Reader's Digest Charity Drive
EV has always been a community organization since our early establishment. It is our culture to share with and contribute to the society. One significant charity that EV has recently accomplished was the Reader's Digest Charity Drive. EV members from all business units played a role in raising RM60000 from this exercise, where for a minimum contribution of RM10, the donor was presented with a token copy of the September issue of the Reader's Digest that featured an article about REAL Education and CEC. We gave the funds collected from the drive to 4 charitable organizations, namely, World Vision Malaysia Berhad, Selangor & Federal Territory association of Retarded Children (Kuala Lumpur), Assunta Children Society and Mercy Malaysia.

SSS Charity Run & Cheque Presentation to Charitable Organisations
Sekolah Seri Suria, led by its principal, Mrs Mano, organized a 5km Charity Run in aid of the flood victims in Johor Bahru. The run, which was held on 9 February 2007, collected RM20,000 from generous donors, namely the students, parents, teachers, Alfa International College (formerly known as Alif), ex-students from our schools, and staff of Education Ventures. In addition to collecting donations, the charitable event also aimed to inculcate positive character development such as the habit of caring and sharing amongst the Suria community and other invited participants.

The CEO of Education Ventures, Mr Sim Quan Seng and his team of Directors, Mr Ee Ching Wah and Mr Ng Yee Hing were pleased to be able to generate RM20,000 from the Charity Run and to donate the amount to help the flood victims. Our CEO, in his speech, proudly named EV as a "sociably-responsible organization" as we in EV believe in giving back to the society in terms of monetary, time and emotions and adopt the culture of "making this world a better place". Mr Sim also expressed his intention to give an additional 2 day annual leave to the staff for them to visit and help out in charitable organizations.

After presenting medals to the deserving runners of various categories, a cheque presentation ceremony took place. Four charitable organizations: World Vision Malaysia Berhad, Selangor & Federal Territory association of Retarded Children (Kuala Lumpur), Assunta Children Society and Mercy Malaysia, were represented by their respective ambassadors / officials to receive donations that were generated from last year's Reader's Digest Charity Drive.

Miss Francisca Peter, the Ambassador for World Vision Malaysia, made the event more meaningful with her enlightening speech. The veteran songbird mesmerized the audience with 'Setia'. The ceremony ended with our National Anthem, Negaraku.

An impromptu press conference succeeded the Charity Run and cheque presentation. Our CEO and Directors shared their views about charity deeds with the representatives from the 4 charitable organizations as well as the members from the press, namely, The Star, TV3 and RTM1.

Helping the JB Flood Victims
February 14, a day for giving, a day for sharing. Our CEO, Mr Sim Quan Seng and Director, Mr Ng Yee Hing led an entourage of 40 staff and students to 4 schools in Johor Bahru on 14 February 2007. This trip was no other than to help the flood victims with the money raised at the Charity Run at Sekolah Seri Suria on 9 February 2007. Four schools were identified, with the recommendation from the Education Department Johor Bahru, to receive a RM5,000 mock cheque each. The 4 schools were SK Parit Kemang, Batu Pahat, SK Tengah Sepakat, Yong Peng, SMK Seri Gading, Batu Pahat and SMK Datuk Sulaiman, Batu Pahat. The principals of the schools were deeply touched by the generous amount donated to them. Education Ventures also gave away school bags, pencil cases, T-shirts and tumblers to the students of the respective schools.

It was indeed a day of real sharing when the students from Sekolah Seri Suria, Sekolah Seri Cahaya and Alfa International College, who were part of the entourage, were charged with emotion looking at the devastating state of the 4 schools due to the cruel flood. They understood the predicament of the JB victims and shared feelings and words of encouragement with the students there. The students joining the entourage also felt a sense of gratitude as they realized how lucky they were living in comfortable homes and attending schools in 'heavenly' conditions.

Truly it was a day of experiential learning of human values for the entire entourage. It is no wonder our work culture sayswe work to make this world a better place.