Head Boy Kyle Chang, Class of 2019

As a new student joining Crescent School in Grade 4, Kyle Chang’s first day of school got off to a rocky start. As he described it eight years later in his speech at Crescent’s opening assembly, he never imagined that day that he would eventually be part of the Grad Class of 2019 and Crescent’s Head Boy.

 

As Head Boy, Kyle is ready to step outside his comfort zone to serve all the students at Crescent. He hopes they all will be inspired by the 2018/2019 Prefects’ motto: Once A Brother, Never Alone. Being a brother means being part of a family, he said at the assembly. “Even though everybody in this brotherhood is unique, we will support each other during times of need.”

 

There is room for improvement in all aspects of life – even happiness. Therefore, I do not believe perfect happiness exists. It’s also dangerous to have an idea for “perfect happiness” because if you achieve it, wouldn’t everything be downhill from there?

If I were to plan my own weekend, I would include: sleeping in, a day out with friends (we’ve done quite a few escape rooms in the past year), watching exciting sports games, and a nice dinner with my family.

 

My greatest extravagance is definitely my love for truffles, the fungi that grow underground. In fact, I did my speech in Grade 8 on truffles. Did you know that chocolate truffles get their name because they look like the truffle fungus?

 

Surviving a school year without losing anything.

 

My teacup is my most treasured possession. I drink herbal tea from it every night. It has stickers of reindeer that change colour based on the temperature, so I don’t burn my tongue!

 

I want to be happy and positively impact those around me.

 

Rafael Nadal is my hero. While he has won the French Open a record 11 times, it is his unwavering work ethic and respect for others that I truly admire. Rafa also dealt with serious injuries throughout his career; however, he recovered from each of them and returned to peak form. He once said, “I always work with a goal – and the goal is to improve as a player and a person. That, finally, is the most important thing of all.”

 

My favourite sports to play are tennis and golf. My favourite sport to watch is cricket.

 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It was a page-turner, and it is the only book to have drawn a tear to my eye. However, as I’m writing this, I’m in the middle of reading 1984. Ask me this question again during the school year, and my answer might be different.

 

“Climb mountains to succeed, but don’t forget to enjoy the view.” I work hard to reach my goals, but sometimes I get so focused on achieving them that I forget to enjoy the process. If I do achieve my goal, I must remember to reflect, and be happy about how far I have come.

 

What is your favourite place at Crescent School?

My favourite place at Crescent School is the Drawing Room. My first Crescent memory comes from there; I was waiting to be called for my interview when I applied to enter in Grade 4. This room is very comfortable, and it is the nicest room in the school!

 

I love my three golden dojo loaches, which are freshwater fish that I keep in an aquarium. One of them is eight inches long! My father told me that they can survive out of water for a few days, then go back into the tank without dying. I won’t be testing that theory anytime soon though….

 

How much am I allowed to write? I am eager to continue working with the Prefects and House Captains. We have a really diverse Student Leadership Team this year. It’s going to be fun spending time with them, and we are going to make many positive changes in the school community. We will encounter challenges, but we will execute our plans to overcome them. Finally, during my journey through the Upper School, I have developed more relationships with students – across all four grades – than I could have ever imagined. To be in a position where I have the chance to bond with every student at Crescent is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I will not take that for granted.

 

My father drove into a curb and got a flat tire. Luckily, a cyclist stopped to help replace it, and we just made it to school on time.

 

Go explore everything that Crescent School has to offer and make friends along the way!


Read Kyle Chang's opening assembly speech