St. Gabriel's Secondary School
1°20′48″N 103°52′31″E / 1.346738°N 103.875214°E Template:Infobox Singapore School
St. Gabriel's Secondary School (referred to as "SGSS" or "St. Gabs") is an all-boys Catholic secondary school in Serangoon,Singapore. The school is affiliated to St. Gabriel's Primary School and Catholic Junior College and is one of 7 Gabrielite Schools in Singapore. Classes are offered in the Express, Normal Academic and Normal Technical streams.
The school ranks highly in MOE's annual school ranking list. In the 2009 National Secondary School Rankings, St. Gabriel's Secondary School was ranked a Band 3 and 6 (Normal and Express respectively). The school was also awarded the Achievement Award for Academic Value-Added in years 2007-2009 [1] and Sustained Achievement Award for Uniformed Group, Aesthetics and Sports in years 2008-2009 [2] .
The school has also met the requirements for the Singapore Quality Class (SQC) for business excellence with effect from 31 January 2008.
The principal of St. Gabriel's Secondary School is Mr Marcel Lee and its vice-principal is Miss Jackie Cheng.
School history
St Gabriel's School opened its doors on 3 June 1953 and was located at the junction of Hillside Drive and Upper Serangoon Road. Under the supervision of Rev Bro Louis Gonzaga and seven pioneer teachers, the school accepted 212 pupils for its first intake, consisting of only five classes: two of Primary 1, one each of Primary 2, Standard 1 and Standard 2. The school It was officially declared open on 13 December 1953 by the then Bishop of the Diocese of Singapore and Malacca, Mgr Michael Olcomendy. In 1954, Brother Elzear became the school's first Principal.
In 1959, the school had its first Secondary Four class, which sat for the Senior Cambridge Examinations for the first time the following year. St. Gabriel's School was now a full school. The primary section of the school was relocated to new building along Highland Road on 2 January 1969 and officially declared open on 12 July 1969, hence the creation of two separate schools, namely St. Gabriel's Primary School and St. Gabriel's Secondary School.
With the establishment of the Primary School, the Secondary School was reorganised when there was a shift in emphasis towards technical education. Some premises were converted into machine and electrical workshops to cater to the needs of pupils of SGSS and three other neighbouring schools.[3]
The Brothers of St. Gabriel's were at the helm of the school for 30 years (1953-1983) before the leadership was passed on to lay principals (1984- present).
School Crest & Motto
The School Crest was formally introduced in 2007 to replace the School Badge (1953-2007) and is now used by all Gabrielite Institutions. This is in line with the St. Gabriel's Foundation's aim to forge a common identity for all Gabrielite Institutions in the SE-Asia Region. Components of the School Crest are as follows:
A.M. with the lily flower: "A.M." is an abbreviation for “Ave Maria.” It represents the greeting of Angel Gabriel to Mary. It also shows our Patron Saint St. Louis de Monfort's strong devotion to our lady.
D+S with a cross: D.S. comes from the French words "Dieu Seul", which can be translated as "GOD ALONE". God Alone is the all-motivating force in the life of St. Louis Marie de Montfort.
Sailboat at sea: represents the hardships we experience through life. Just like the sailors at sea, if we are able to face hardship and overcome difficulties, we will come out being better people.
Star and the man in the boat: symbolizes the Star of the sea, where seamen navigate to their destination in the vast ocean. If we are focused on the essential values of life, we shall reach our ultimate destiny in life. The Star of the sea shall be the guiding light that lights up the way in our life.
Olive branches: symbolizes peace and prosperity. It is thus the duty of each one to promote peace in the world, a peace that will last. Coupled with peace is that of prosperity which connotes not only the generation of wealth but also the integral development of human society.
Labor Omnia Vincit: which stands for “Labour conquers all things.” Hard work embodied in diligence and perseverance leads one to achieve greater things in life.[4]
Mission and Vision
Mission: Shaping Lives for Service to God and Nation
Vision: The Gabrielite... Servant Leader, Lifelong Learner, Gracious Citizen[5]
Exchange Programmes
The school has annual exchange programmes with Kitago Junior High School in Miyazaki Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.
Affiliation
The school is affiliated with St. Gabriel's Primary School (SGPS), giving SGPS students priority for admission. St. Gabriel's is also affiliated to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore and the Monfort Brothers of Christian Instruction of St Gabriel. Other Gabrielite Schools in Singapore include: Assumption English School, Montfort Secondary School, Montfort Junior School and Assumption Pathway School.
Achievements 2009
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Uniformed Group
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Aesthetics Groups
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Sports
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Library
The library, named The Zone, is equipped with CD-Roms, DVDs, VCDs, CDs and internet-enabled computers. The library organises events such as the Inter-Class Debate Competition (2008, 2009), Photography Competition (2007), Jamming Competition (2007), and the Book Cover Design Competition (2006). The Zone's motto is "Partner in Education".
Notable alumni
- Pierre Png - MediaCorp artiste
- Indra Sahdan Daud - Footballer
- Hariss Harun - Footballer
External links
References
- ^ St. Gabriel Secondary School List of Academic Achievements, Retrieved May 19, 2010
- ^ St. Gabriel Secondary School List of Non-academic Achievements, Retrieved May 19, 2010
- ^ St. Gabriel's Primary School School History - Retrieved April 02, 2010
- ^ Monfort Centre- School Crest, Retrieved May 19, 2010
- ^ St Gabriel's - Mission & Vision, Retrieved May 20, 2010
- ^ St. Gabriel Secondary School List of Non-academic Achievements, Retrieved May 19, 2010