SMK Tinggi Setapak
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Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tinggi Setapak (Setapak High School) is located in (Air Panas) Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Originally established in 1955 in High Street Road (thus, then known as High Street School). Later moved to its current location in 1963.
Students comprise from Form 1 up to Sixth Form. Although known as a boys school, the Form Six classes are coed.
The school is very active especially in the local sports arena, taking pride especially in the youth hockey championships.
Recently, the school just celebrated her Golden Jubilee, 50 years after its establishment.
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[edit] History
The school was established on 12 January 1955 with the name High Street School, which is located in High Street in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The building was first used by Victoria Institution (VI) when it was founded and later by the Teknik Institute until 1954. It was opened by Mr Encik Othman b. Mohamed (the Menteri Besar of Selangor at that time).
Although that building lay next to the Jalan Bandar Traffic Police HQ, drug addicts accidentally set fire to the building in the late 1990s. It has since been rebuilt with concrete. Students or Alumni who have not seen the original can only thus imagine the structure built from entirely from wood.
Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj, who was the Sultan of Selangor at that time, officially opened Kuala Lumpur High School on 11 April 1955. Since then, the school has always been affectionately known as 'High School' and is the only school to use the tag even up until today in the age of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan. The first headmaster was Mr. Herman M de Souza. The school’s first motto was "Lead By Leading" and the language used in school was English.
The British who set up the school had a purpose. With VI serving the elite class and St. John's serving the middle class, High School's students were trained to be the stenographers of the city. Thus, a strong under-dog mentality grew from the very first days of the school.
In 1962, the school was moved due to the construction space needed to build an overhead bridge. The school was placed temporarily in the St. John Institution on the evening session for two semesters from April 1962 to end of year 1962. According to ex-student accounts, this was where High School's infamous rivalry with St. John's began. It was a clash of two classes of society and with Convent Bukit Nenas nearby, there were several nasty skirmishes that took place.
In January 1963, the school moved to what is now known as Hot Spring (Air Panas) and was officially opened by the Ministry of Education, Mr. Mohhamed Khir Johari on 15 April 1968. From the date of establishment, 13 headmasters had served the school.
The school's logo was the second one since 1968. Mr. Kevin de Souza, Head of Arts in 1968, designed the first school badge.
With the school motto "Ilmu Tangga Kemajuan" (Knowledge is the key to success), which was used until 2002, was changed to "Setapak Di Hadapan" (Stepping Ahead Forward).
[edit] Traditions
Contrary to belief, gangsterism is not a tradition of the school! But since the beginning, students who went to High School have always been edgy and colourful. The move from the inner city area to the suburbs affected the student makeup as such. The early 1970s saw many students from poor or impoverished families attending classes at High School.
The result was a clear and quick build up to the pack mentality. Students who went to school in the 1970s and 80s almost had to join group (or gang) to be accepted as part of the 'in' crowd. But much to their credit, Prefects of the school maintained a very strong hold on the student population. This ended in the mid-90s when the in coming principals with no understanding of the school culture or mentality allowed 'outsider' students who had just joined the school for their STPM or Sixth Form education to become school captains.
Gangs in the glory days of the 1970s and 80s numbered over a hundred students. The gangs were almost always drawn along racial lines and clashes were limited as a very strict code of honour had developed along with the gangs. So between the prefects and the relative calm of the students, High School was a hard but interesting place to study at. In fact, many students from that era have gone on to become low-profile but highly successful men.
In the middle of all this, there were sports and the long standing Pipes and Drums of Setapak High. The school's most persistent sporting team would have to be the hockey team followed closely by the football team. High School has almost always played a free flowing form of hockey. But most of the great teams of the 1970s and 80s fell to rivals St. John's in the Dato Keramat zone finals. The major difference being discipline and training methods. With very rarely a coach or teacher in their midst, High School hockey was all about individual ability. But still, some trophies came the way of the school.
One very prevalent incident occurred in 1983, when St. John's visited High School for a hockey match. Witness accounts do vary with blame being put on High School students, St. John's supporters and outsiders watching the match. One thing for certain is that a massive brawl broke out at the final whistle and the St. John's bus was set on fire. Such was the fury of High School back in the day. This was only matched in 1995 when after a High School basketball student was stabbed by a St. John player/ supporter, the student body mobilised en masse and several bus loads visited St. John's at high noon.
If the hockey team was the scene of highs and lows of the school, the Pipes and Drums have seen mostly ups. Set up in the 1970s by the Canadian Pioneers which in turn were a spin off from the Scottish Highlanders, the Pipes and Drums were the pride and joy of the school as it epitomised almost military discipline with artistic ability. In almost all activities, the school band led the way. And while there is still the joy of waking up to a Piper's Call even today, the dream of many Drum Majors of the past of 100 pipers has never come close to being realised.
One tradition of the school that has died is the School Bus. This was the hard work of many students during the heady days of Chakaravarthy, without doubt the most famous and best principal the school has had. The money raised by the students eventually got them a bus in the mid-1980s. This vehicle was rightly considered an intimidating chariot. School teams rode it to venues and opposing schools would see the school crest on the side and the words 'SMK Setapak High' and cringe. Sadly, the bus was sold due to reasons that were never made clear to either students or alumni that had raised the money in the first place.
But the most forthright tradition of the school has to be the 'Never-say die' attitude that is impressed on the students who attend there. While other schools enjoy a higher profile or networked contacts, most Setapakians are highly independent, resourceful and typically loyal to whatever cause they fight for. Hopefully, as the 21st century plods on, this will continue as the school evolves under closer contact with the Ministry of Education and its master plans.
[edit] Anthem
The school's anthem entitled Ilmu Tangga Kemajuan was designed and given the lyrics by Loo Siew Kuan and Rozita bt. Ramli whom were Sixth Form students.
[edit] Ilmu Tangga Kemajuan
Cita-cita yang tinggi,
Kami sematkan di hati,
Demi untuk memenuhi,
Hasrat ibu pertiwi.
Sekolah Tinggi Setapak,
Bimbinga mu dibangga,
Mari kita perjuangkan,
Ilmu tangga kemajuan.
Disiplin tetap dijaga,
Semangat teguh sentiasa,
Majulah sekolah kita,
Untuk selama-lamanya.
Sekolah Tinggi Setapak,
Bimbingan mu dibangga,
Mari kita perjuangkan,
Ilmu tangga kemajuan.
[edit] Headmasters
- Mr. Herman M de Souza (Jan 1955 – May 1966)
- Mr. S.M. Ponniah (June 1966 – Dec 1966)
- Mr. N. Rajendra (Jan 1967 – Dec 1970)
- Mr. Michael Loh (Jan 1971 – Apr 1971)
- Mr. Peter Tay (Apr 1971 – Jun 1981)
- Mr. V. Chakaravarthy (Jun 1981 – Jan 1988)
- Mr. Jun bin Jais (Feb 1988 – Sept 1988)
- Mr. Abdul Manafbin Mohamed (Oct 1988 – Aug 1992)
- Mr. Haji Muda @ Ibrahim bin Aki (Aug 1992 – Jan 1994)
- Mr. Abdul Rahim bin Hj. Mohamad (Feb 1995 – Mac 1996)
- Tuan Haji Aziz bin said (Mac 1996 – Jun 1998)
- Tuan Haji Mohd. Kasim bin Wan Abu Bakar (Jan 1998 – Feb 2000)
- Tuan Haji Mohd. Nor bin Rajikin (Feb 2000 - Oct 2005)
- Puan Hajjah Che Azizah binti Saad (Nov 2005 - )
[edit] Administration
- Academic staff (teachers)
- Non Academic staff
- The School Prefects = motto “Discipline is the Basis to Success”
- The School Librarians = motto “Perpustakaan Samudera Ilmu, Penyambung Wawasan Bangsa”
- The Prefects of Self Access Centre (SAS) = motto “English towards Excellence”
- School magazine = motto “Quality magazine is our Responsibility”
- Board of School Monitors = motto “Leadership through example”
- School Koperasi = motto “Koperasi Servicing for everyone”
- Guidance and Counseling Unit (UBK) = motto “UBK Gemilang, Pelajar Gemilang”
- Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya = motto “Help yourself to help a friend”
- Boad of Form six (MT6) = motto “MT6 Pemangkin Masa Depan Sekolah”
- Boarding house of Abdul Rahman Talib = motto “kecermerlangan Seimbang”
[edit] Co-Curriculum
[edit] Uniform Club
- Skim Anti Drug Badge = motto “ Perangi Dadah Habis-Habisan”
- Young Entrepreneur Program
- Club Seni Silat Gayong = motto “Gayung Bersahut, Kata Bersambut”
- School Band consist of drums and bagpipes
- Red Cross Society
- St John Ambulance Malaysia = motto “For the Service of Mankind”
- Firefighter Cadet = motto “Menyelamat Dengan Segala Apa Yang Ada”
- Polis Cadet = motto “Mesra,Cepat dan Betul”
- Kadet Bersatu Malaysia = motto “Gempur Wira – Gagah Setia” are army type of club
- Kadet Remaja Sekolah = motto “Ilmu, Iman, Amal”
- Teakwon-do Club = motto “Badan Sihat, Minda Cergas”
- Anti Crime Club = motto “Together Prevent Crime”
