When the students of SJK(C) Cheah Fah entered the Johor Bahru District-Level STEM Carnival for the very first time, they weren’t expecting to walk away with a trophy. But walk away with it they did—clinching the top prize in the Bridge Building Competition and securing a strong 7th place in the Water Rocket Challenge.
Held on June 25 and 26, the carnival brought together young minds from across the district to test their creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork under pressure.
For Lee Sijin, Lim Yuan Pro, and Yap Jun Chi, months of hard work paid off when their structurally sound, carefully designed bridge outperformed the rest. Coached by Ting Saiu Mei and Lok Wei Kie, the three students showed not just technical skill, but also exceptional resilience. During practice sessions, their models often collapsed. But each failure became a lesson—and with every attempt, they came back stronger.
In the Water Rocket Challenge, Liam Owen Haw Bock Boon, and Ee Kang Bo made their mark by demonstrating precision and control in their launches. Their performance earned them a spot in the top 10, a remarkable feat under the guidance of Law Chai Yean and Loh Ying Juan.
According to Principal Ing Boon Keong, the success was as surprising as it was sweet:
“To be honest, I was extremely happy and pleasantly surprised by such an outstanding result. When we first decided to participate, we weren’t very confident. The decision to take part in the Bridge Building Competition and the Water Rocket Challenge was based on the belief that education today cannot be separated from digitalisation and technology. If we don’t keep up with the times, we might start falling behind—or even become disconnected from society and eventually eliminated.”
He added that this was their first year joining the competition, starting everything from scratch. But with a committed team of teachers and strong support from parents, the students rose to the challenge:
“Everyone contributed ideas and worked together, and that teamwork led to today’s result—winning first place in the district-level competition on our very first try.”
“The Water Rocket Challenge was equally impressive. The teachers even sacrificed their weekends to refine the rocket design. In the end, we secured 7th place. It’s a team effort all the way.”
SJK(C) Cheah Fah, located in Sunway City Iskandar Puteri, is no ordinary school. Built with the support of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and Sunway City Iskandar Puteri, it embodies what quality education can achieve when driven by vision and supported by community. Since opening in 2022, the school has seen rapid growth in both enrolment and student achievement.
"Every bridge built is more than a structure—it’s a connection to the future. Every rocket launched is a symbol of our children’s dreams taking flight. Stay tuned—this story is just getting started,” Ing added.
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