Take 5 – 1st August 2016 by Ms Melanie Wu

Good morning Mdm Tan, Mr Lee, colleagues and GESSIANs,

Before I begin, I ask that you all take out your GESS Life Handbook to jot down these few points.

As you continue midway into Term 3, I’m sure many of you are starting to feel the intensity. N-level art coursework submission is just around the corner and many of you have also been working hard in your CCAs to prepare for National Day celebrations. At times, you might feel like you don’t really know whether you still have energy or the drive to continue. You might ask yourself, is it worth it? What will I get?

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…I am sure you have all heard of this saying at some point or another. Can you guess where it is from? 13 years ago, Disney Pixar gave us three lovable fish: Nemo, Marlin and of course Dory. Finding Nemo was a simple story: Nemo wandered off too far and was caught and Marlin and Dory had to rescue and find him even though they would have to swim through a huge ocean and go through obstacles. This past June, in the sequel movie Finding Dory, we met these three cute fish again as they went on a journey to help Dory find her parents and her home. It was probably one of the cutest movies, especially Baby Dory. It was hard not to love Baby Dory. So why am I talking about Finding Nemo and Finding Dory now?

Last year, I shared in my Take 5 about having GRIT – Growth, resilience, Integrity and Tenacity and the story of Canadian runner Terry Fox who ran with one leg because of cancer. He never completed his journey but he had GRIT and persevered. Just like Terry Fox, Dory embodies a lot of characteristics that we can learn from.

In the movie Finding Dory, Dory one day realized that she doesn’t really remember where she is from. At first, she has difficulty remembering things because of her short-term memory loss but eventually she began seeing flashbacks. With that and her goal set, she goes on a journey to look for her home and her parents.

Even though she knew she had a weakness – her short term memory loss – she didn’t let that stop her from working towards her goal of finding her parents. It wasn’t an easy journey and Dory encountered many challenges, but she always used her strengths of perseverance, staying focused and ability to make friends to her advantage. She also stayed positive, no matter the situation. In the end, she succeeded and had an incredibly fun time before reuniting with her family!

Gessians, less than 5 weeks until the end of this term and then End of Year exams will take place. I ask that you reflect and ask yourself every time things get difficult, “What would Dory do?” Like Dory, she would never let her weaknesses be an excuse for not being able to accomplish her goals. Like Dory, she will find ways, whether it is to try something else or to ask for help.

Continue to strive for excellence and perserve, ONWARD Gessians!