Reflections from Freshmen’s Night 2024
Being in a boarding school is a significant adjustment, especially when it’s your first time away from home. At TIS, students are encouraged to immerse themselves in the community, participate in activities, and connect with others.
Saturday night was a highlight! Freshmen’s Night showcased the talents of our new students, creating an atmosphere that was both exciting and relaxing. The performances on stage were truly memorable, and the reflections from the students captured the spirit of the evening.
My opinion on the ‘Freshman’s Night’ was not the best initially because it was compulsory for every newbie. As someone with stage fright, it was really ‘annoying’ that I didn’t have any choice but to stand in front of the whole school and do something that could potentially be embarrassing and traumatising. So going into the rehearsals I wasn’t feeling the best or wanting to put in my all because I was being forced. During the rehearsals, I was concerned about many things, namely the song list for the performers. So, in the form, we were asked for our names, grades and the songs we needed. In the first rehearsals, we were asked again, which I didn’t understand but still did just in case. Then when we all couldn’t rehearse, we were asked for our songs again. This was quite concerning because, on D-Day, we were still being asked for our songs. I got upset because we were asked to fill in the forms by Wednesday so they had from Wednesday till Saturday to get the song list but it was still not prepared. That was very frustrating. So, during the performances, it was okay and fun in some ways. I still had my stage fright so my performance wasn’t really enjoyable to me. But overall, it was great. ~ Maame Sika DP 1
Participating in the Fresher’s Night at my new school was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. As a newcomer, this event represented more than just an opportunity to showcase my talent, it was my first real chance to connect with my peers and make a lasting impression. Reflecting on the experience, I see it as a significant opportunity for me to come out of my shell and integrate into a new community. When I was informed that participating in the Fresher’s Night was compulsory, a mix of excitement and anxiety accompanied my preparations. Choosing to perform a dance routine, something I had loved doing for years but had rarely shared publicly, felt like a bold step. The preparation was intense, filled with rehearsals, self-doubt, stage fright and nervousness but it also provided a sense of purpose and motivation. It was a way for me to contribute to the school community and, hopefully, make a positive impact on those around me. In conclusion, participating in the Fresher’s Night was a valuable and transformative experience. It allowed me to overcome my initial apprehensions, make friends, and gain confidence in my abilities. It highlighted the importance of togetherness and community as TIS is a Family school. Events like these can bridge the gap for new students, making them feel welcomed and valued. This night was more than a showcase of talent; it was a celebration of new beginnings and a significant step towards finding my place in a new school. I’m very grateful to have had this experience and I’m looking forward to my new family here at TIS. ~Ameerah Nia Ligbi (Grade 9)
After finding out about freshman’s night, I felt very uneasy as I did not know what I could do in front of the whole school. After many decisions on whether to join a group or not, I decided to sing a song alone. It was a great idea to practice before the actual event. The student-led rehearsals were very productive and I definitely felt calmer after the practice. The actual event was extremely exciting, I almost lost my voice from cheering people. All the students were so supportive of all the performances whether or not the person did well or not. All in all, it was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed myself.
Two days before the BIG Night, we had some rehearsal and, at that time, I was just planning to play some drums. So I just practised playing the beat that I wanted to do. I knew that my show was going to be boring, but the show was to see the talent of the newbies, so I stuck with drums. The next day, we did our second to last rehearsal and I still stuck with the drums. On Freshman night, we had our final rehearsal right after lunch. That night, was the night. I was getting nervous, but I saw that the Grade 7s were going first, so I knew that it wouldn’t be my turn for a long time. There was a certain performance that made me change my performance at the last minute Bradley’s performance. He was singing a song and everyone was hyping him up and I didn’t want to turn the hype down, so when they said that there was gonna be a break, Sean and I had the same idea. Getting sturdy. So we told the seniors what we wanted to do. We picked the song and told the producers when to put the song on. The plan was that I would play the drums then drop the stick and would pretend like I was injured. Sean would come onto the stage, then the song would play. I was grabbing my leg like I was injured, and then I would get sturdy with him. When we were both dancing, I saw many people around the edge hyping us up. As we continued, we got more and more hyped up. I got tired so we ended our performance and everyone was applauding us. Overall, I think I made a good decision to change my performance at the last minute. ~ Elias Cisse Grade 8
Two days before the BIG Night, we had some rehearsal and, at that time, I was just planning to play some drums. So I just practised playing the beat that I wanted to do. I knew that my show was going to be boring, but the show was to see the talent of the newbies, so I stuck with drums. The next day, we did our second to last rehearsal and I still stuck with the drums. On freshmans night, we had our final rehearsal right after lunch. That night, was the night. I was getting nervous, but I saw that the Grade 7s were going first, so I knew that it wouldn’t be my turn for a long time. There was a certain performance that made me change my performance at the last minute Bradley’s performance. He was singing a song and everyone was hyping him up and I didn’t want to turn the hype down, so when they said that there was a break, Sean and I had the same idea. Getting sturdy. So we told the seniors what we wanted to do. We picked the song and told the producers when to put the song on. The plan was that I would play the drums then drop the stick and would pretend like I was injured. Sean would come onto the stage, then the song would play. I was grabbing my leg like I was injured, and then I would get sturdy with him. When we were both dancing, I saw many people around the edge hyping us up. As we continued, we got more and more hyped up. I got tired so we ended our performance and everyone was applauding us. Overall, I think I made a good decision to change my performance at the last minute. ~ Kekeli Agyekum Grade 7
When I came into the school, freshmen night was not an initial thought wandering in my head although I heard past students share their experience of performing on freshmen night it was not something I was anticipated for due to it being out of my comfort zone. The decision was made and I was going to perform, in search of what to do I asked former students which genre of music would get the crowd moving which is also mainstream thus the crowd would sing along. I got lots of song recommendations such as; “Heartbreak Anniversary” – Giveon,””Love”- Keyeshia Cole, and “All Falls”- by Kanye West … just to name a few. I spent days looking for the right song to perform, asking questions, watching performances and even trying to find a competent excuse to avoid performing on freshmen night until I randomly heard Snooze playing in the next-door room. Snooze is catchy, has a flow to it, is mainstream and the song is only two minutes, Snooze was the perfect song. I spent the next few days learning the lyrics of the entire song. In no time I was able to sing the song from A-Z. Performing alone was never a thought of mine so I sought a partner to share the spotlight with. Most of the newbies were already in groups except Joziah who claims to have an “angelic voice” therefore it was a no-brainer to perform with him. As freshman night got closer I became more anxious and kept forgetting the lyrics. Joziah and I even contemplated whether we should change the song or not but time was not on our side. Freshman night was the next day and we were not trying to embarrass ourselves. The day came upon us and the performance was a success and a great way to build myself. ~ Nii Armah Grade 9
When I first heard of freshman’s night I was very anxious and nervous in regards to publicly performing in front of many unfamiliar faces, but a very little part of me was excited due to what I had heard some friends say about it and how it is fun and exciting to see everyone’s performances. At rehearsals, I think I was even more nervous than before, but I wanted to have fun overall and make a memorable experience out of it, so my friends and I practised on stage (although it was not the best) and still maintained a positive attitude. When the night came for us to perform, I was more excited than before but still a little nervous. However, when we got on stage and heard the support from the students, I felt much better and more comfortable putting my best foot forward. Overall, I enjoyed freshman’s night and will definitely be a memory I’ll never forget. Zoey Opare DP 1
How I felt when I heard about freshmen’s nightI was concerned about how I was to go about it since I had never heard of this event before. I figured it was a sort of rite of initiation to be considered a student at the school. During newbie’s week, I was already thinking about what I was going to do since the older students especially my roommates spoke of how important this night was for all the students both newbies and oldies. Since I decided what I was doing late due to orientation, I only spent a few days to prepare. I chose ‘O Holy Night’ because it was a song, I was used to singing so I was already familiar with the lyrics so all I had to do was practice timing. I was initially going to do poetry but felt that it would take too little effort into preparing. I felt nervous about the upcoming performance and hoped that everything would go well. During the actual day of rehearsals, there were technical difficulties, so I did not et to practice until judgement day. This seriously decreased my confidence on whether I was ready to perform. After the performance of freshmen’s night, I felt relieved that I would never have to experience this ever again. It was like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. I was told by various people that I did well, so it helped improve my confidence a little. Overall, I give thanks to God that everything went well. To be honest, the expectations of the students put a lot of pressure on not just me but all the students in general. ~Oluwanifemi Toriola DP 1
My hands were already shaking when I first heard about the freshmen’ night. I was unsure what to do, what to wear, who to perform with and who I wanted to be remembered as.It was like my mind was trying to solve a puzzle in which the pieces were scattered. Two days after the announcement, the pieces were slowly coming together but it was not complete yet(at least I knew who I was performing with)the fresh feeling of fear began creeping inside me. While all the friends I decided to perform with knew all the steps, I was performing like I had two left feet and as a result no one felt the need to practice so I just sat down through every day of the week knowing achy behind my head that I was going to dance horribly.
Days passed as if it was seconds and it finally got to Friday (The day we had to practice)It was done in the MPH. Even though it was only the entertainment committee present I was still scared to practice in the sense that I was aware that I was not prepared enough. My heart almost left my body when they called our names to practice. It went as I expected. Horrible. I missed every step and my dance was off the beat. I sobbed a little and decided to put a lot of energy into my main performance the next day and practised extremely hard again the night came quickly and we were one of the last performances. I cheered so hard for the other performances that I lost my voice. I finally got my turn to perform the spotlight was so bright that it blinded me so I was unable to see the crowd and I could only hear the loud, supportive cheers which pushed me to perform to my heart’s content. After the performance, I was reassured that I performed well because of the large amount of praise I received. To be honest, it was worth the shot and a lesson I learnt from this experience that ”practice makes perfect.” ~ Akua Asafo Adjei
Leading up to the event, I wasn’t particularly concerned about the Freshman’s night. That was until it was announced that it would happen that next Saturday; that was a wake-up call for me. Following that, I was stuck on what to do to showcase my talents, since the skills and hobbies I currently have didn’t seem to fit the stage. Eventually, I decided to play the ukulele, an instrument that I had learnt 6 years prior in the UK. Since then I hadn’t had the time or energy to revise my skills, so I figured it was the best time to do that. This was around Wednesday-Thursday, and I went to visit the music department to borrow a ukulele- but at the time I arrived, it was closed down. That forced me to wait till Friday at 4:00 pm to return to finally get and practice it, until dinner came. There were rehearsals that day, but I didn’t have the chance to do mine so I had to do it the next day. At that point it was the day of the event, and time was running out to learn the song. Unfortunately, that day I was too preoccupied with other activities during the day to practice much- so naturally, I chose to practice right up to and during the show. I waited until it was the year 9’s rehearsals then I chose to leave the MPH to get some peace so I could perfect the song. I practised for a solid 10-20 minutes nonstop before I decided it was enough (thanks to that I now have a small blister on my right thumb). Funnily enough, that was the time my name was called. I had to rush back to the MPH, late, but ready. The performance itself was okay, but a bit disappointing for me. This was because I had been learning the song up until the chorus, but when it was my turn the song started at the chorus due to technical difficulties, leaving me to improvise the rest. Overall, I think it was a worthwhile experience, but not one I would do again soon (without training beforehand). ~ Alfred Sorie Kanu DP 1
The first time I heard of freshmen’s night nothing but dread filled me.I hated the idea of going on stage to perform for the whole school. The days drew closer and my dread was becoming a reality. “What am I going to do for the performance?”, “Will I do a solo performance”, “and Will it go well”. All these thoughts scarred through my mind. When I finally figured out what I wanted to do; a sense of relief washed over me. Klenam and I planned to sing an old-school song: Love by Keyshia Cole. Saturday, after breakfast we practiced and that familiar feeling came again but it went well and I was very confident about the actual thing. Freshmen’s night came and went, the performances were an interesting mix of talent and whatever you call the opposite. What I really like about TIS is they cheer you on for any performance and that really boosted my confidence. My act with Klenam went extremely well– at least I think it did– we got a lot of compliments after. I am grateful for this event and it gave us (newbies) a chance to showcase our talent. ~ Maame Araba Kwegyirba Edu-Afful DP1
Originally when I was told about Freshman Night I was anxious at the thought of having to perform in front of many people. Not only because I was new, but also because I had never performed in front of people before. However, after the first few performances, I began to realise how fun it could be. All students were supportive in the acts from Grade 7 to 11, whether it was cheering from the crowd or even jumping in front of the stage! ~ Papa Intsiful DP1
One of the most captivating moments of my time in TIS so far was rehearsals that took place for Freshmen Night. The energy in the room as we prepared for our performance was electric. The practice session had anticipation, but it had nothing on the surge that went through me the day the final rehearsal went on and people started running up to the stage, hyping us up. It felt surreal; contagious was the excitement in the air, and that moment made me realize how big of a deal this night would be. Then finally came Freshmen Night. I cannot describe the rush of adrenaline when I went up on stage with my friends. We performed Mo Bamba, and the hype was unreal. As the beat dropped, the crowd went wild, and we fed off that energy as we gave our performance of a lifetime so I would say. People were running up to the stage again, like in rehearsals, and it seemed we were on top of the world. It was indelibly etched in our minds, and it was worth all the hard work and nervousness. The Freshmen Night was not an event, but the defining moment of my time in TIS so far. One of the best! ~ Michael Awuah DP1
Freshman Night was a vibrant kick-off to an exciting semester. As the day approached, my friends and I were a mix of excitement and nervousness. We put together a quick and simple dance routine and prepared for the night. To be honest, we were scared and anxious about performing in front of the entire school, and there were moments when we even wanted to give up. However, with encouragement from our classmates and seniors, we pushed through. When the night finally arrived, our nerves began to settle. As I watched everyone showcase their talents, I noticed the enthusiastic cheers and support for each performer. This made me excited but also led me to question, “What if everyone doesn’t enjoy my performance?” The nerves returned, making me even more anxious than before. My friends felt the same way, with some being more nervous than others. I tried to stay calm and reassure my friends that everything would be alright. As we walked onto the stage, the butterflies in my stomach began to settle when I heard the cheers and applause from the audience, even before we started our dance. That alone brought a smile to my face. The more we danced, the more applause we received. The event was filled with excitement and fear, and it was also a huge opportunity for me to socialize with many people I didn’t know before, people who could become friends—and even family. ~ Gwendolyn Obeng-Kenzo DP 1
Before I came to TIS, my friend told me about freshmen night, an event that took place on the first weekend of the school year after the continuing students arrived. During this event, all the new students were expected to perform in front of the entire school. My friend assured me, “Whatever you do, we’ll hype you up.” As the days passed, anxiety and nervousness built up as my friends and I continuously practised and perfected our dance. On the night of the event, we watched as the performances unfolded. When our turn came, we were called on stage. As we ran up to the stage, I felt the anxiety and nerves leaving my body. With the spotlight shining in our eyes, we danced to the best of our ability and the audience did hype us up. Freshmen’s night felt like an initiation into the school. After that night, I felt comfortable in my skin and I felt like I belonged. Freshmen’s night was an opportunity for all new students to express themselves and showcase their talents. Moving forward, this night will serve as a reminder of where we started and the potential we all have to make the next four years memorable and impactful. ~ Kameela Kassim Grade 9
Freshmen’s’ Night was an unforgettable experience filled with excitement and joy. When the seniors first told us about it, I was a bit nervous about showcasing my talent in front of a crowd, especially since my talent was dancing. I don’t usually get scared or nervous easily, but dancing in front of a whole new school full of people I hadn’t spoken to yet send a shiver down my spine. I was glad I got to dance with my friends, which made me feel a lot more comfortable. During rehearsals, I got a sneak peek of the other newbies’ talents, which were amazing and made me question my performance. I started to worry that people might laugh at me. When the night finally came, the atmosphere was filled with energy, and I could feel the anticipation and fear in the air. The instrumentalists were dressed in their smart casual clothing, the singers were beautifully dressed, and the dancers wore different colours that complemented each of them. Watching everyone showcase their unique talents, from singing and dancing to playing instruments and performing comedy skits, was both inspiring and entertaining. As my friends and I were called on stage, my nerves started to settle down, mostly because the spotlight was shining on me and I couldn’t see all the people watching. The audience cheered enthusiastically for everyone’s performance, creating a sense of support that made the night even more special. I enjoyed every moment, from the hilarious jokes to the breath-taking performances. It was a night full of laughter, applause, and an amazing opportunity for me to socialize and make new friends in higher and lower grades. ~ Nicole Davidson-Amaning Grade 9
After finding out about freshman night, I felt very uneasy as I did not know what I could do in front of the whole school. After many decisions on whether to join a group or not, I decided to sing a song alone.
It was a great idea to practice before the actual event. The student-led rehearsals were very productive and I definitely felt calmer after the practice. The actual event was extremely exciting, I almost lost my voice from cheering people. All the students were so supportive of all the performances whether or not the person did well or not. All in all, it was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed myself. Angel Gracious Ogyiri DP 1
I, a passionate pianist, prepared for their performance on freshman’s Night, feeling both excitement and anxiety. With the stage lights shining and the audience buzzing, they knew it was their moment to shine. They took a deep breath, walked onto the stage, and lost themselves in the music. The familiar melodies filled the air, and I felt a rush of pride and accomplishment. The piano became an extension of mine, and they poured their heart and soul into the performance. The audience erupted in applause, and I felt a rush of pride and accomplishment. Playing at Freshman’s Night was not just about showcasing oneself but also about sharing a passion with others and leaving a lasting impression. The experience bolstered their confidence and reaffirmed their love for music. I will always hold this night dear, a memory of conquering self-doubt and delivering a performance that resonated with the audience. ~ David Bannerman Grade 8
