On the afternoon of October 9, the autumn breeze made the playground unusually lively. A group of fresh faces who did not yet know each other’s names was divided into five teams — they were the newly recruited Class of 2026 members who had just joined the Student Union through the recruitment drive. A few hours earlier, their first meeting had been nothing more than a shy "Hello." A few hours later, they had a shared team name, a hand-drawn team flag, a song of their own, and a circle no one was allowed to let go of. From "Hello" to "side by side," this ice-breaking journey began right here.

Station One | Hello, Strangers Who Become Comrades

The activity opened with a relaxed ice-breaker. By drawing lots, grouping up, and introducing themselves, students from different colleges were pushed into the same circle. Each group had to elect a captain on the spot — within five minutes, some volunteered, some were nominated, and the moment the applause settled, the phrase "our group" gained a concrete meaning for the first time.

Station Two | A Flag That Binds Us Together

The next twenty-odd minutes were the liveliest yet quietest moment of the whole event: each team chose a name and slogan, painted a team flag, rewrote a team song, and choreographed a team dance. Some picked up a brush, some puzzled over lyrics, some gestured out formations — a single flag and a single song held everyone’s ideas. In the showcase, each team took the stage in turn for three minutes, shouting slogans, raising flags, singing their songs, and dancing together, and the atmosphere quickly heated up. Those on stage might not have been performers, but at that moment they were one whole.

Station Three | A Circle No One Can Let Go

If forming teams made the new members want to "be together," then the "Hoop Pass" tested whether they could "move together": everyone joined hands in a circle and passed a hula hoop through each person’s body back to the start, never letting go with both hands. In practice rounds, the teams went from flustered to calling out a unified command — "lower your head," "lift your foot," "turn around." At the starter’s order, all five teams launched at once. Students who moved a little slowly were waited for as peers slowed their pace; those with physical difficulties were placed at the two ends of the line — no one was left behind. One circle linked everyone’s hands into a single line: miss one person and the circle breaks; loosen a grip once and the rhythm falls apart.

Setting Sail | From "Hello" to "Side by Side"

When the outward-bound training ended, the new members took away two things: a flag that helps us remember each other, and a circle no one can let go of. As the first group activity after the Class of 2026 recruitment, this ice-breaking journey let new members get to know one another through collaboration and find their roles through trust. From "Hello" to "side by side," the story of the Student Union has only just turned its first page. "Youth is with me, deeds bear our duty; Class of ’26 united at heart, we journey toward the horizon!" — this slogan shouted together was both the period at the end of the day and the starting point of every day to come. Breaking the ice and setting sail, moving forward together — there is a longer road yet to walk, side by side.