Cedar Bulletin, Vol.I, issue 7

VOL.1 ISSUE VII | OCTOBER 2024

BULLETIN

SOCIETY FAIR The Society Fair, held on September 21st, 2024, kicked off to a vibrant start, filling the air with excitement and curiosity. Each society's respective heads put in tremendous effort to make the event a success, showcasing their unique offerings to help new students (AS) understand their mission.

Cedar Care, the community service society, hosted a delightful cupcake decorating activity and sold refreshing drinks to beat the heat. CedEco and Shutterspeed collaborated on a thrilling scavenger hunt, distributing prizes and encouraging talent showcases. STEM societies (Cords, Crew, and Juno Circle) dazzled with innovative ideas and visions.

The Strokes society helped uncover hidden artistic talents through canvas painting and clay modeling.

C#’s Sing Along stole the show, while Cedar Culinary made a stunning comeback, impressing with creativity and hard work. Cheers erupted after Cedar Publications' escape room.

CEBS provided an informative session on their flagship event, "Negotium," and encouraged students to join. Dramaybaaz and E-sports societies kept the audience entertained, while film enthusiasts fell in love with filmmaking at the studios. Cedar Unions (Parliamentary and MUN) facilitated debating activities, introducing students to public speaking followed by Sir Nabeel Shaikh explaining the importance of MUNs and how they are of great help in real life. Ted-ed and World Chronicles captivated story lovers, past and present. Codes society mesmerised programming enthusiasts with their vision and games, winning hearts.

STUDENTS’ SUGGESTONS

ETTIN

In conclusion, the highly anticipated Society Fair proved an outstanding success, bringing joy to many and clarity to AS minds about which societies to join.

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SOCIETY HEADS AND HOUSE CAPTAINS GOWNING On 24th and 25th September, at the PECHS and DHA campuses respectively, waves of excitement rippled through the crowd as the gowning ceremony commenced. Cedar StuCo members of each campus hosted the event, kicking things off by inviting Sir Ahmed Saigal on stage to announce the two house captains for each of the four houses.

Cheers and applause erupted from the audience as the newly gowned house captains were photographed and congratulated.

Anticipation built to a crescendo as the event progressed, culminating in the announcement of the society heads for each of Cedar’s numerous societies. Cedar boasts a diverse and thriving extracurricular programme and this became more evident as one by one the leaders from the broad plethora of societies were called to the stage. The diverse opportunities Cedar provided to hone our Knights were showcased as numerous societies came upon; from the STEM societies like CREW, CoRDS, Codes and Juno Circle, to the debate clubs like Cedar Union, MUN and TedEd; and even extending to creative and unique fields like culinary arts, drama, environmental initiatives, welfare, visual arts, and eSports.

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Soon, the Society heads for all these societies and others, including the heads of our very own Publications Society, were announced and were awarded gowns by Sir Ali Qazi, Sir Roque and the respective society patrons.

It was truly heartwarming to see all the beaming faces of students finally being acknowledged for their hard work throughout the year.

Then at long last, all the society heads and house captains gathered on stage to take the oath, pledging to be role models for other students and to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. The day ended with inspiring and joyous chants of ‘Cedar Knights!’ reverberating across the PECHS Cedar Hub and the DHA Futsal Court. It surely was not a day that anyone present there is likely to forget anytime soon.

CEDAR PADEL TOURNAMENT

MISINFORMATION WORKSHOP With the surge of AI-generated images and misleading headlines in today's socio-political environment, it is crucial to recognize the occasions when such misinformation has resulted in significant repercussions. Hence, this workshop was organized to address this by highlighting the mechanisms behind the rapid circulation of information in the digital era, and enabling students and the young populace to become responsible and socially conscious when accessing the internet.

Cedar recently organized its first-ever Padel Tennis Tournament, an exciting event to promote and celebrate Padel Tennis among ALevel students. The tournament followed a league system format, with each team guaranteed a minimum of four matches. Held at the Vamos Padel Club, Gizri on weekends, the event generated excitement and brought out the competitive spirit in students eager to showcase their talent.

Following these intense matches, the semifinals kicked off with Tayyab Khurram and Nafees Yaqoob facing Abdul Raheem and Ali Altaf in a match that tested the endurance and skill of both teams. The second semifinal match brought Ali Shaban and Shakir Shahid against M. Rehan and Zain Rajjani, resulting in a tightly contested game where every point mattered.

This workshop was sponsored by AQS, a student-led NPO, in collaboration with Cedar College. It was led by Mr Adil Ashraf, a LUMS graduate and media teacher, who works in policy making and even published a research paper on the same topic.

The session started by addressing the question “What is free speech?” followed by a discussion on media, content webs, isolation tactics, chamber wheels, and social media algorithms.

It also touched upon a number of real-life examples, for instance, the recent UK riots, and how unreliable news sources accelerate the spread of misinformation and create havoc.

The final match was the highlight of the tournament, as M. Rehan and Zain Rajjani went head-to-head with Ali Shaban and Shakir Shahid in a showdown that brought the crowd to their feet. Both teams gave it their all, delivering powerful serves, lightning-fast reflexes, and impressive rallies. In the end, it was M. Rehan and Zain Rajjani who emerged as the champions of Cedar's Padel Tennis Tournament, while the latter team earned the title of runners-up.

This workshop received positive feedback, with many students asking engaging questions.

It ended on a note about the organizers, AQS, short for ‘Aik inQilabi Sadaa’, a student-led media and journalism organisation covering social and political causes, whose mission is to amplify neglected and necessary humanitarian causes and drive societal change.

The Cedar Padel Tennis Tournament was not only a celebration of athleticism but also of great camaraderie. Students filled the stands, cheering enthusiastically for their friends and classmates, creating an electrifying atmosphere.

This tournament has undoubtedly set a high standard for future events, leaving everyone eagerly anticipating the next thrilling competition.

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CNMUN II The Cedar National Model United Nations (CNMUN) Second Edition held at Cedar College this year was nothing short of extraordinary! CNMUN has grown significantly from last year to becoming the second-largest A-level MUN conference in Karachi, with over 700 delegates.

Sir Raheel Masood, the Principal, and Sir Nabeel Shaikh, Head, CEP, gave inspirational speeches at the opening ceremony.

What really stole the show was our Chief Guest, Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, a renowned diplomat who has represented Pakistan in several international forums. His words set the perfect tone for what came next and the floor for debate was finally open!

Day one's committee sessions pulled everyone straight into action, giving everyone the chance to participate in some serious discussions, regardless of experience. Although there were some heated arguments, there was also a friendly atmosphere as delegates bonded, gained knowledge, and had a productive time.

On day two, more contentious committee sessions were held, followed by the eagerly awaited diplomatic dinner. Making friends, talking outside the conference rooms, and sharing laughs were probably more important than just the food. By the third day, it was evident that CNMUN would forever impact the students, even after their college days.

After the final debates wrapped up, students had a chance to unwind and have fun with their fellow delegates and Committee Directors during the entertainment session.

Before the closing ceremony, the delegates enjoyed an unforgettable evening featuring the talented individuals of the C# Society. With that, the closing ceremony finally commenced, and each individual who helped make this event a success was recognized. After that, awards were given out committee-wise.

In CNMUN the Best delegation went to Nixor College, following Nixor, the best small delegation went to our very own Knights at Cedar! With the tremendous amount of hard work from both the students and the admin, they have once again upheld the legacy for CNMUN making it an unforgettable experience for all!

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PROUD PAKISTANI

SPOTLIGHT

Zain Ashraf, a business executive, an entrepreneur, and a resident of Gujranwala, quickly rose to fame after making a name for himself by providing microfinances to underprivileged regions of Pakistan.

After majoring in Entrepreneurship and graduating from University of Miami in 2011, Zain realised the lack of financial support avalable for ordinary individuals to start their own business. After much hard work and perseverance, he became the founder and the president of Seed Out, a non-profit platform for crowdfunding. Not only did this encourage beginner entrepreneurs to start up their businesses through the help of the finances provided by Seed Out, it also helped the economy in general, as people who were perturbed from not having enough monetary funds, finally got a chance to initiate their dream.

Last year, one of our talented students, Mir Matar Khan ventured into filmmaking. Matar is currently studying in A2 and likes filmmaking.

His journey started with a vision to develop an action oriented psychological thriller. He shared his vision with his peers at Cedar’s Annual Film Festival who were very supportive and then worked diligently with Studio Abyss to produce a movie - ‘Biting Dust.’

He highlights some challenges in the process which are worth noting. One of them was to translate the script from English to Urdu. Despite multiple drafts and revisions, Matar was persistent, believed in himself and kept working to turn his vision into reality. In the process, he also found it hard to balance time between studies, his passion for filmmaking and spending time with friends and family.

Through his innovative ideas, Zain managed to provide diverse opportunities for individuals. Out of the 2000 entrepreneurs, forty percent were females, with multiple differently-abled and trans people.

Testing his limits, Zain also went on to become a leader at initiating an AI-based Student Scholarship Fund. More than 6000 students were able to go to school through Seed Out.

He also shares some advice for aspiring filmmakers or anyone with a dream - one, always be persistent; two, do not give up even when faced with obstacles and third, surround yourself with a strong support system, including family, friends and mentors.

Lastly, Matar would like to thank his friends, family, teachers and Cedar staff for supporting him in this journey. Cedar is also proud to have such a talent and looks forward to seeing more projects from him.

At only 32, Zain is honoured with several awards; Commonwealth Youth Award, University of Miami's list of 30U30, and most recently, Global Islamic Finance Award 2024.

Throughout all his success, this young entrepreneur never forgot his roots in Gujranwala. He is actively working for the development of his city; an “I LOVE GUJRANWALA” monument was set up by him and a trash dumping area was transformed to a park for families.

He continues to represent Pakistan and Seed Out throughout the world with showcasing his ideas in Organisation of Islamic Corporations, TedEx and Islamic MicroFinance Network, where he is being commended with even more awards, but all with his hometown in his heart and drive in his mind.

Mr Zain Ashraf

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KGS MOOT COURT

NO BACKPACK DAY

KGS hosted a mock court trial event, called MOOT court, with delegations coming in from various colleges like Lyceum, Nixor and KGS as well. Our own Knights too participated in this, the team consisting of Noor-ul-Arz, Mariyum Sajid, Marium Mandvi and Hassan Zia, representatives of our Cedar Legal Society.

'No Backpack Day' as the title suggests is a day where students are encouraged to carry their books to college in anything but backpacks.

The activity was planned by the Cedar Care Society and was held on the 27th of September.

For the students this activity was all about creativity and innovation, an outlet for self expression and abandoning the norms of carrying a backpack to college. There was a lingering anticipation in the air as the day of the event approached closer, and students were excited to showcase their ideas. On the day of the event, the college was brimming with inventive ideas as students redefined the ways of carrying books to college with people bringing in everything from strollers, coolers, pet carriers, buckets, pillows and a variety of unorthodox items. The students gathered in the courtyard where they displayed their amusing alternatives to a backpack.

The MOOT court commenced on 19th of September, with each delegation being given a faux case study and the members having to navigate their way through, in a manner similar to a judicial proceeding, with professional barristers as the judges. Cedar started off against the delegation of Lyceum and after a tough yet admirable face-off, our Knights proceeded against Nixor. Despite giving a strong competition to the opposing delegation, unfortunately Cedar could not qualify further. Even still, this event was a massive learning opportunity for our students, to delve in the real world and get familiar with the judicial system. Kudos to our team for showing such an enthusiastic response and stellar spirit, we wish them the best of luck for the future endeavors in the legal forte.

The event not only exhibited creativity, it was also a means for students to interact with each other and take a quick break from the ongoing tests and quizzes.

Left to right: Mariyum Sajid, Marium Mandvi, Hassan Zia, Noor-ul-Arz

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Best Art Interpretations from Bulletin 6 Alphonse Mucha’s Spring

Spring by Alphonse Mucha presents skillful drawing and decorative style showcase his inspiration from ancient art. The woman's flowing hair and gown evoke classic beauty.

By blending these influences, Mucha creates a unique visual language that celebrates nature and femininity.

This piece also explores the connection between nature and humanity. Spring's renewal is mirrored in the woman's gentle stir, suggesting a shared bond between seasons and human experience. Mucha encourages us to appreciate the beauty and interconnectedness of life.

Lastly, Mucha alludes femininity to Nature, maybe circling back to the term 'Mother Nature' by having a lady in all the portraits of 'The Seasons' series.

~Eman Mustufa

CEDAR’S FIRST EVER COMIC STRIP

Check out todays Murdle Mystery!

the stationery theif

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ART CORNER Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh was a Scottish painter who created “The Mysterious Garden” in 1911.

The painting currently hangs in the Scottish National Gallery of Art. It is made with watercolor and ink over pencil on vellum mounted to a board.

The Mysterious Garden shows a group of eight masked faces standing at the top of the canvas with bluebird-like creatures underneath the faces, draped like scarves, while in the foreground, another woman sleeps, possibly dreaming of the scene above her.

"The Mysterious Garden" doesn't tell a story in the way some other paintings do, or portray a slice of life. The viewer is left to interpret the message of Macdonald's work on their own, seeing the things they want to see. What would your interpretation be? Mail us at cedarpublications@cedar.edu.pk and get your responses featured in the upcoming Bulletin!

The Mysterious Garden by Margaret Macdonald

PUBLICATIONS ENDNOTE

Publications Team for Bulletin 7

The Cedar Publications team is proud to announce the 7th issue of the Bulletin.

This week, we delve into a closer look at the Gowning Ceremony, featuring the eventful and highly anticipated Society Fair, following the action-packed No Backpack Day and the enlightening workshop on “Misinformation in the Digital Age.” We also highlight Cedar College’s very first Padel tournament. This week's Bulletin covers all the keenly awaited events, ensuring that every Cedar Knight is in the loop with college activities!

We would also like to proudly present Cedar’s very first comic strip for the bulletin, bringing a daily dose of humor to you every week. Don’t miss out, look out for the next edition of the bulletin!

Patron: Aysha Sheikh

Wordsmiths: Aimen Mengal Anumta Rashid Editor-in-Chief: Armeen Amir Eman Mustufa Ayoosh Perchani Eman Mustafa Designer: Kasab Ahmed Adeena Tahir Maryam Asif Amnah Khan Syed Khizar Bin Rafey Mariam Yousufani Umme Abeeha Abidi

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