Catholic High School, Singapore
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| Catholic High School 公教中學 Sekolah Tinggi Catholic Lycée catholique |
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親愛忠誠 敬業樂群 Care, Honesty, Service
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| Location | |
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| Bishan, | |
| Information | |
| Type | SAP, autonomous, boys |
| Session | single session |
| Religious affiliation | Catholic |
| Established | 1935 |
| Founder | Rev. Father Edward Becheras |
| Principal | Mr. Lee Hak Boon |
| Enrolment | 1,400 (secondary), 1,600 (primary) |
| Colour(s) | Green, white, yellow |
| Website | Official site |
Catholic High School (公教中學) (Abbreviation: CHS) is an all-boys Catholic school in Singapore offering a six-year primary and a four-year GCE 'O' Level education. The primary school offers the Gifted Education Program (GEP) in addition to the standard PSLE curriculum. The school was founded in 1935 by the Rev. Fr. Edward Becheras, a French missionary, on the philosophy of producing scholars who are fluent in both English and Chinese.
The school has produced 20 President's Scholars and numerous recipients of other scholarships. Many of its alumni are leaders in the public and private sectors. Catholic High is recognized as one of the top schools in Singapore, having been ranked in the Band 1 tables of the Ministry of Education school academic rankings. [1] In 2008 it was awarded the School Distinction Award under the MOE Master Plan of Awards, which recognizes high-achieving schools with exemplary processes and practices.[2]
The principal of the school is Lee Hak Boon, with three vice-principals: primary section - Chaillan Mui Tuan; secondary section - Tay Chen Lai; and administration - Daniel Teo Guan Teck. The supervisor is Father Henry Siew, parish priest of the Church of the Nativity BVM.
Catholic High School is affiliated to Catholic Junior College.
The school is notable for being the school selected by Lee Kuan Yew for his children, including current Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong.[3]
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[edit] History
Catholic High School was founded in 1935 by the Reverend Father Edward Becheras, a French missionary. Although it is a Catholic school, it also accepts non-Catholic students. The school started within the Church of St. Peter and Paul. Becheras envisaged the school as a bilingual institution. He stated: "The way of Catholic High School is a way made of two rails — Chinese and English — free from any entanglement, straight to its end. Happy are those who follow. They shall obtain the scope of a sound education."[4]
The school was classified under the Special Assistance Plan in 1979. This enables it to offer students in the top 10% of the cohort both English and Chinese as their first languages. In the same year, pre-primary classes were started to prepare students for primary school Chinese study. Catholic High expanded its campus to accommodate its pre-primary and lower-primary classes on Gentle Road and its upper-primary classes at Norfolk Road. Both the primary and secondary sections of the school moved to their current, permanent campus along Bishan Street 22 in 1992, to cope with increased enrollment.
On 15 August 2008 the former campus of Catholic High School on Queen Street was reopened as 8Q SAM, an extension of the Singapore Art Museum featuring contemporary art.[5]
[edit] Supervisors of Catholic High School
- 1935–1957: Rev. Fr. Edward Becheras
- 1957–1961: Rev. Fr. J. B. Itcaina
- 1962–1964: Rt. Rev. Mgr. Noel Goh
- 1965–1966: Rev. Fr. Matthias Tung
- 1966–1967: Rt. Rev. Mgr. Noel Goh
- 1967–1969: Rev. Fr. Matthias Tung
- 1970–1983: Rt. Rev. Mgr. Noel Goh
- 1984–2006: Rt. Rev. Mgr. Francis Lau
- 2006–present: Rev. Fr. Henry Siew
[edit] Principals of Catholic High School
- 1935–1950: Mr. Yao Kwok Wah
- 1950–1956: Bro. J. Philippe Wu F.M.S.
- 1956–1958: Bro. Subran Sun F.M.S.
- 1959–1960: Bro. Marcellin Sheng F.M.S.
- 1960–1974: Bro. Joseph Dufresse Chang F.M.S.
- 1975–1983: Mr. Yap Koon Chan
- 1984–1990: Mr. Tan Kiok Ngiap
- 1991–1993: Mr. Liaw Beng Teck
- 1993–1997: Mr. Loke Kay Khee
- 1997–2002: Mrs. Goh Hwee Choo
- 2002–present: Mr. Lee Hak Boon
[edit] School symbols
[edit] Crest
Catholic High School has used the same crest since its founding. The blue colour symbolises the infinite and boundless universe in which man is free to think and choose how best to spend his time to develop his character as an individual. The cross represents Jesus Christ, who, Christians believe, suffered and died for the salvation of all mankind. The light signifies that Jesus Christ is the light of the universe.[6]
[edit] School song
| School song in English
Verse 1:
Verse 2:
Verse 3
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The school song was written in Chinese and was given an English translation in 1991 by Liaw Beng Teck, one of its former principals.
[edit] Dress code and discipline
Uniforms are compulsory for students. Catholic High is one of only a handful of Singapore secondary schools that require boys of all ages to wear short trousers throughout their time at the school. Long trousers are worn only on special formal occasions. Surveys at the school have shown that CHS boys support this rule. One has written "Shorts give us more room to move about, and are certainly more convenient when we sit, and especially when running ... Long pants are stuffy and inconvenient".[7]
Students in all grades wear a white shirt and olive drab short pants. An olive drab tie is worn at Assembly and formal occasions. Student leaders wear the tie as part of their uniform, with an additional silver tie pin engraved 'Student Leader' or a golden pin engraved 'Student Councillor'. A name tag and the school crest is worn. For student leaders, red, black and yellow flashes adorn the name tags, which represent Councillors, Prefects and Class Chairmen respectively. The PE kit is a white shirt with yellow sleeves and blue shorts with the school crest sewn on. The house shirts are similar in design, but with the house name instead of the school name emblazoned on the back. Only predominantly white shoes and completely white socks may be worn. Sports shoes which are not predominantly white are allowed only if needed for special events such as sporting competitions.
In 2009, a new design for the PE-shirt came out - a polo T-shirt with a yellow collar and has white sleeves as opposed to the previous yellow ones. The new design features a low-cut v-neck that makes the attire more comfortable.
The formal school uniform is an olive drab blazer and tie, worn over a long sleeved white shirt and black long pants with black leather shoes. It is worn during formal events such as investiture, or appearances on national television. This uniform is not to be confused with the formal attire of the Edward Becheras Choir and Symphony Band, which is similar but different.
Hair must be neat and must not touch the ears or collar.
[edit] Punishment
Catholic High maintains strict discipline and this may necessitate the use of corporal punishment in the form of caning for serious school offences. Strokes of the cane are always applied in private to the back of the offender's shorts, and he is given counselling before and after the punishment.
[edit] Houses
The house system is used during school sporting events. The four houses — Edward, Noel, Philippe and Joseph — are named after former principals and supervisors of the school, and are represented by the colours blue, green, red and yellow respectively.
- Reverend Fr. Edward Becheras was the founder and first supervisor of the school.[8]
- Rt. Rev. Mgr. Noel Goh was the school's third, fifth and seventh supervisor.
- Rev. Joseph Chang was principal from 1960-1974.
- Rev. Philippe Wu was principal from 1950-1956. .
Houses are allocated to teachers and students. There are leadership positions in each house, such as captain, secretary, treasurer and level coordinator. Sports events such as the annual cross-country and sports night help earn points for the houses. At the end of the year, points are totalled up and the house with the highest points wins the Challenge Shield.
[edit] Camps
Annual school camps are organized for the secondary 1-3 batch of students. These camps are designed to foster team spirit and camaraderie among students, as well as to build character. Camps complement the annual Overseas Educational Programs. Held on campus, orientation camp is organized by student leaders for secondary 1 students. It concludes a week-long orientation programme to instil the Catholic High culture and values in them. It ends with a student's investiture ceremony, where the secondary 1 students are officially sworn in.
Level camps are organized for the secondary 2 and 3 students. The secondary 2 camp is held at the MOE Changi Adventure Camp. Activities include kayaking, rock climbing and height-based challenges. The four-day three-night secondary 3 camp is held in Taman Negara, Malaysia. Students can choose their activities, including white water rafting, cycling, caving and trekking. Annual overseas educational programmes are organized by the school to China and the United Kingdom for the secondary 2 and 3 students respectively, in addition to overseas trips made by the humanities department and individual CCAs.
[edit] Student Leadership Board
The SLB consists of three boards: The Prefectorial Board, Students Council and Class Management Committee. SLB members can join by nominating themselves, or via a teacher nomination. In addition to possessing leadership qualities, student leaders have good character and academic results. The various departments within the SLB are headed by an Executive Committee (EXCO), which consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Committee heads. Student leaders are given opportunities to attend in-house or external leadership development courses and training camps.
Prefectorial Board
The Prefects are appointed by the school administration to assist in maintaining school discipline. The PB has the autonomy in daily enforcement of school rules and regulations. The Prefects are also tasked with assisting the Students Council in organizing school functions. Potential prefects are recognized at the Sec 1 and 2 level and are nominated by their class or CCA teachers.
Students Council
The Student Council is appointed by the school management to represent the student body in ensuring the well-being of students. Councillors are in charge of organizing school functions such as the Secondary 1 Orientation, Teachers Day Celebrations and the Secondary 4 Graduation Ceremony. They are also given a substantial amount of autonomy in managing student affairs, such as Meet-the-students sessions as well as focus-group discussions. Aspiring Councillors are interviewed by the EXCO and SLB teachers, where selected applicants go through a probation course before being officially sworn in as Councillors.
Class Management Committee
The Class Management Committee consists of two students from every class, the Chairman and the Vice Chairman, who are chosen by their form teacher or elected by their classmates. Their main job is to handle administrative duties such as daily attendance and form collection. They are also in charge of dissemination of information from teachers to classmates and vice versa, as well as ensuring the welfare and cleanliness of the class. The CMC also periodically assists the Students Council in organizing certain events.
[edit] Campus
The seven-hectare Catholic High campus consists of two blocks, primary and secondary. A common area is shared between these two blocks, where the secondary plaza and two halls are located. Beneath the plaza is the secondary canteen and gallery, where works of art done by the students are showcased, one of which is a 1:1 replica of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper. A lecture theatrette and recording studio are also there. The two air-conditioned, multi-purpose halls serve as venues for assembly, large-scale talks, performing arts events, and indoor sporting activities. The Catholic High Sports and Recreational Centre, to be completed in October 2008, will enable the hosting of indoor sporting events currently housed in multi-purpose halls. The auditorium, beneath the secondary block, is used for smaller-scale performing arts events. Classrooms on level 5 (graduating classes) are air-conditioned.
[edit] Sporting facilities
A 400m track and field houses a softball diamond and a multipurpose open field. There is a discus cage and javelin-throwing ground. Behind the field are two tennis courts and a basketball court. The Sports and Recreational Centre houses the basketball courts, volleyball courts and badminton courts, in addition to spectator stands. There are two gyms in the school, located in the Secondary campus. Catholic High is one of few schools with a in-campus sports class, where its students go through a rigorous sports and academic course. Sports Class students take Physical Education as an 'O' Level subject, in addition to the standard 'O' Level curriculum.
In 2010, Catholic High will be a training venue for athletes competing in Gymnastics for the Youth Olympic Games. [9]
[edit] IT Facilities
There are three general purpose computer laboratories and a Macintosh lab in the Secondary campus. Students and teachers can access the internet anywhere on campus via a wireless network. There are four internet stations in the Student Lounge. The iMedia recording studio is the only professional studio of its kind in secondary schools in Singapore, and is used for iMedia productions as well as song recording by CHMA finalists.
[edit] Aesthetics facilities
The two school halls can hold up to 800 seated guests, for concerts and plays. For a more intimate environment, the school auditorium is used to present theatre and drama productions.
[edit] Co-curricular activities
CCAs are grouped into core and merit CCAs. Joining one core CCA, which consists of sports, performing arts and uniformed groups, is compulsory for all students. Merit groups, which are optional, consist of clubs and societies such as Chess Club and the Media Resource Library (MRL).
[edit] Achievements
Catholic High has achieved Sustained Achievement Awards for Sports, Uniformed Groups and Physical Fitness under the MOE Masterplan Of Awards.
Performing Arts
- Chinese Orchestra
- Edward Becheras Choir
- English Drama
- Modern Dance
- Symphony Band
The Catholic High School Symphony Band won a silver at the World Music Festival in the Netherlands in 2005. It was the only High School band from Asia to perform there. From 2005 to 2009 the band has won two Gold With Honours and a Silver in the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF). What started out as a military band later evolved into a symphony band still maintains its roots and discipline as a military band.
In the 2007 Singapore Youth Festival, the Chinese Orchestra and Edward Becheras Choir achieved Gold With Honours, the highest accolade awarded. English Drama and Modern Dance achieved the Gold award. Symphony Band and Chinese Drama attained a silver.
In the 2009 Singapore Youth Festival, the Modern Dance, Chinese Orchestra, Symphony Band and English Drama won Gold With Honours. The Edward Becheras Choir attained a Gold. Chinese Drama attained a Silver.
Sports
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Track & Field
- Softball
- Table Tennis
- Ten Pin bowling
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Wushu
- Floorball
Basketball, Cross Country, Softball, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball and Wushu have consistent showings in the National playoffs.
Uniformed Groups
- NCC (Land)
- NCC (Air)
- NPCC
- Scouts
- St John's Ambulance Brigade
Uniformed groups have consistently won gold awards for the Unit Overall Proficiency Awards. The Catholic High Scouts, established in 1948, have won, for 12 consecutive years, the Frank Cooper Sands Gold award.
Clubs and societies
- IT Club (robotics, lego robotics, multimedia, programming)
- Chess Club
- iMedia Club (photography, AVA)
- iNews (publications)
- Debating and Oratorical Society (English)
- Media Resource Library
- Catholic Society
Catholic High has built up a debating reputation since the founding of its debating society in 1999. In the Julia Gabriel Secondary School Debating Championships, the national competition for debaters around Singapore, Catholic High has reached the finals three times, most recently in 2007, when the team lost narrowly to Singapore Chinese Girls' School. The same team also participated in the Victoria Junior College Debating Invitationals and emerged as champions. In 2008 the team won the winner's trophy for the Beurel Debating Challenge, in which one of its speakers won Best Speaker Of Finals. They also reached the finals for the impromptu debate competition, NUS Challenge Shield Invitationals. On 17 January 2009 the team reached the finals for the SRJC Invitationals. It was also in this competition that one of the speakers was ranked overall Best Speaker Of Tournament. Many members of the debating society have joined the national team.
Catholic High is also successful in chess, especially in Chinese Chess. It won the Raffles Cup Inter-school competition in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Many members of the chess team are also part of the national team. In 2005 the Singapore Youth team was made up entirely of Catholic High alumni.
[edit] School events
[edit] Catholic High Music Awards
The Catholic High Music Awards is a performing arts competition organized by the CHS iMedia Club. Originally a small event during Assembly where students go up to perform, it has evolved into a professional, large-scale competition, where lots of effort goes into the sound, lighting, decor, even the promotional materials. There are various categories that students can perform in: Solo Vocalist, Group Vocals, Rock Band, Instrumental Band, Duet and Creative Expressions. Creative Expressions, a new category in 2006, enables students to showcase their performing talents in unique ways. Duet, a new category in CHMA 2008, is a category where a student must perform a song with a student from another school. Contestants get to experience a professional recording session and publicity poster shoot in the CHS iMedia studio. External bands are often invited to perform.
Main Article: Catholic High Music Awards
[edit] Catholic High Homecoming Day
The CHS Homecoming Day is an annual event where a funfair is held on school grounds, attended by students, teachers and alumni. It takes place on the first Saturday of July. Food and funfair stalls are operated by parents, students, teachers and the school's alumni to raise funds for the school, with a fraction of the profits going to class funds.
[edit] Alumni
The CHA has funded many local/overseas enrichment programmes for students as well as staff development programmes for teachers. The CHA offers the OBA Founders' Scholarships for outstanding Catholic High students. Members of the CHA also volunteer as guest speakers at assembly talks, mentors for CHA scholars, and advisors for special projects such as the OBA-CH Innovative Problem-Solving Competition using IT and the IT Challenge Programme, etc.
- Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore
- Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister's Office
- Chan Soo Sen, Human Resource Director of Keppel Corporation, Former Minister of State, Ministry of Education of Singapore
- Chao Hick Tin, Attorney-General of Singapore
- Dr. Su Guaning, President of Nanyang Technological University
- Gan Kim Yong, Minister, Ministry of Manpower of Singapore
- Tay Ping Hui, local artist
- Edmund Chen, local artist
- Elvin Ng, local artist
- Dr. Liang Wern Fook, singer/songwriter and National University of Singapore professor
- Lee Yen Hui Kendrick, Team Singapore badminton player
- Lee Hsien Yang, Chairman of Fraser and Neave
[edit] External links
- Catholic High School website
- Catholic High Music Awards (CHMA)
- Catholic High School Old Boys' Association
- Catholic High iMedia CCA
- Catholic High School Symphony Band
- Catholic High School portal
[edit] Notes
- ^ School Achievement Tables and Honour Rolls 2007, Ministry of Education.
- ^ Winners of Special Awards 2004 to 2008, Ministry of Education.
- ^ Chew, David (26 April 2007). "Singapore Art Museum to lease former Catholic High building", Today (Singapore).
- ^ School Philosophy page, Catholic High School.
- ^ 8Q SAM, Singapore Art Museum.
- ^ School Crest page, Catholic High School.
- ^ "My Shorts Will Go On", Stomp (Straits Times Interactive). Retrieved 2006-08-22.
- ^ School History page, Catholic High School.
- ^ Youth Olympic Games, Singapore 2010.
Coordinates: 1°21′17″N 103°50′41″E / 1.35472°N 103.84472°E
