Sunday April 24, 2011

Eager to start

By EDMUND NGO
edmundngo@thestar.com.my

NOW armed with practical tips and the know-how of producing a magazine, students in Perak are eager to get started on the Mag Inc 2011 contest.

More than 360 of them from upper primary and secondary schools all over the state attended the contest workshop held at SM Teknik Ipoh recently.

The workshop was conducted by Taylor’s University School of Communication lecturer Natasha Mohd Hishamudin and The Star columnist Nithya Sidhhu.

The annual Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest, jointly organised by The Star and Pizza Hut, will see students producing a creative three-page mini magazine based on the theme “Speak Out!”

Students looking at last year’s winning entries during the workshop.

Sidhhu explained the rules and regulations of the contest including common mistakes that students may make in submitting their entries.

Student Aaron Ong, 17, from SMK St. Michael said there were lots of useful information in the workshop which the team found helpful as they were newcomers.

”My team plans to focus on the sub-topic of relationships between teachers and students and hopefully readers, especially adults, would understand how youths think,” he said.

Meanwhile, M. Dhasneswaran, 11, from SK Methodist (ACS) Kampar was excited he could produce a magazine based on his interest.

”I like video games so together with my teammates, we are eager to create a magazine on that topic,” he said.

At the workshop, students also learnt the use and importance of various elements found in a magazine such as the editor’s note, masthead, and background visuals.

A mini contest was held with participants racing to outline rough concepts in their magazine.

SMK Jalan Pasir Puteh students, who focused on stress management during examinations, were announced as winners in the mini contest.

”The small win has boosted our confidence and we will do our best in the contest,” said 16-year-old Victor Leong.

Meanwhile, teachers present at the workshop said the Mag Inc contest was a perfect platform to encourage students to read and improve their command of the English language.

SM Teknik Ipoh English teacher Anita Mohd, 38, said many students do not read the newspapers and also frequently used SMS-type English.

“With the contest I see more students reading the newspapers and becoming more interested in improving their English language skills,” she said.

Participants were also reminded to produce authentic, creative entries and to avoid plagiarism.

For this year’s contest, Taylor’s College and Taylor’s University are sponsoring scholarships worth up to RM150,000.

Grand prize winners can choose between three options: to enrol in any of Taylor’s Colle-ge Pre-U courses (SAM/ICT/Cambridge, worth RM100,000 collectively), or to enrol in Taylor’s University Foundation Studies or Diploma studies (worth RM150,000 collectively).

Apart from the scholarships, the Upper Secondary category grand prize winners will join the grand prize winners from the Lower Secondary and Primary levels for a four-day, three night all expenses-paid-trip to Hong Kong Disneyland, courtesy of The Star and Pizza Hut.

The runners-up in those three categories will be heading to Resorts World Genting for a three-day, two-night stay, courtesy of Resorts World Genting.

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Sunday April 24, 2011

Eager to start

By EDMUND NGO edmundngo@thestar.com.my

By EDMUND NGO
edmundngo@thestar.com.my