By Kristen Chan and Sunny Wong

On the 5th of October 2021, Renaissance College officially hosted its first ever Land Gala. Over 100 students attended, and a total of five games were played. Land Gala was an event designed to get  students involved in water-themed activities and give students the opportunity to build teamwork and cooperation skills with their advisories. 

Given restrictions due to the coronavirus, safety considerations required a radical alternative to the traditional swimming gala. The Land Gala was conceived to not only boost student engagement but also to provide a cool and interactive experience for all students. 

This event was divided and organized into three consecutive days: 5th, 6th and 7th of October for year levels 7-11 at different times. Students were instructed to merely bring a change of clothes. When the event took place, students were organised into advisories to head down to either the MPP or the 6th Floor Pitch. This applied to all years. 

The decision was made not only to fit coronavirus guidelines, but also to ensure that each student had a proper and vast amount of space to play these water activities. There were several games played: the Sponge Toss, Water Gun Fight and a complex Obstacle Course. 

Throughout the Obstacle Course, there were memorable moments. For example, there was one station where once all your teammates had arrived at the specific station, you then had to form a human pyramid. It got even more riveting as students had to decide on the appearance of lifejackets and kickboards which were used as students “air swimmed” towards the next activity. 

Some teachers took this opportunity to fire students with their water gun, meaning there was a 85% chance you got wet. 

When asked about the overall success of Land Gala, Eunice Lau from 11.6 added “I think that working with my friends rather than working with my advisory would’ve probably stimulated me to participate in the games more.” 

Although this was echoed by several others, Megan Leung from 11.5 also stated that it was “an unforgettable experience.” 

There is no telling as to whether RCHK will continue hosting this event in the future, but one thing is for certain, this is likely only the beginning of the school’s experimentation with new events that boost student engagement.