Cedar Girls' Secondary School

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Cedar Girls' Secondary School
四德女子中学
Sekolah Menengah Perempuan Cedar
Image: CGSSbadge.jpg
Motto Honesty, Perseverance, Courtesy
Established 1957
Type Government, Single session
Principal Mrs Ou Yang Geok Cheng
MOE Code 3004
Colours Blue, Grey, Yellow
Locale Geylang Bahru (holding school), Singapore
Enrollment over 1400
Website http://www.cedargirls.sch.edu.sg/
Ministry of Education
Flag of Singapore Republic of Singapore

Cedar Girls' Secondary School is an all-girls educational institution/high school established in 1957 in Singapore with an enrolment of 507 girls, 13 classes and a staff of 18. The school went single session in 1992 and gained autonomous status in 1996. All classes are in the Express or Special Stream. According to the new school ranking system put in place in 2004, Cedar is a Band 1 school, making it one of the top secondary schools in Singapore.

Contents

[edit] School Identity

[edit] Motto

Honesty, Perseverance, Courtesy

[edit] School song

The song is sung every day during morning assembly. The lyrics are as follows:

Unite Cedarians unite
We’ll persevere all the way
Make sure our torch is burning bright
Courteous, honest everyday
Forever loyal ever true
For Cedar our best we'll do
Excel in work and in games
Always strive for greater fame
Hold high the banner gold and grey
Progress we must all the way
Forever loyal ever true
For Cedar our best we'll do
The future beckons us on
Full of promises beyond
Though fears and dangers still abound
With strength and grit we'll surmount
Forever loyal ever true
For Cedar our best we'll do
Chorus
To Cedar Girls' School we belong
With pride and love let's sing this song
Let us unite and together vow
To dedicate our loyalty now


[edit] Uniform

The school uniform consists of a blue blouse tucked under a grey skirt (with shorts underneath) and a grey tie with diagonal yellow stripes. The school badge is pinned over the left chest with the name tag above it. White canvas shoes with white socks above the ankle are worn.

From February 2007, Cedarians are allowed to wear sports shoes to school. However, the shoes must be predominantly (about 70%) white. Stripes must be in the school colours of grey, blue or yellow.

The Prefect Councillors wear black canvas shoes with white socks. Their golden name tag bears the school crest as well as their prefectorial status. They also wear a larger school badge near the bottom of their silver tie. Pupil leaders, apart from the prefects, wear a silvery name tag bearing the school crest and their leadership rank.

The school's PE shirt is yellow with a collar. The school's current PE shirt, with a yellow collar and a modified version of the school badge over the left chest, is the third of its generation. The school's second PE shirt, which bears a grey collar and the design of the school badge over the left chest in addition to having the school name ("CEDAR") printed on the back, is, as of 2007, still a very common sight in the school. The school's PE shorts is grey, with "Cedar" embroidered near the bottom of the left shorts leg in a cursive script.

[edit] Pupil Development

[edit] Academics

In Cedar, the classes are lettered according to the word CHAMPIONS. Thus, the classes for Secondary One and Two are lettered from 1C to 1S and from 2C to 2S respectively. For Secondary Three and Four, in order to provide for more flexible subject combinations, the classes are lettered according to CHAMPIONSZ, with an extra Z class as compared to the lower secondary levels. For the first time in 2008, however, the new Secondary 3 level stuck to the traditional class lettering system, where there are only 9 classes, the final class being 3S.

[edit] Co-Curricular Activities

Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) are designed not only for leisure and recreational purposes, but also to nurture Cedarians into leaders of character who serve with courage, conviction and compassion.

[edit] Awards & Achievements

[edit] Special Award

School Excellence Award (Highest educational award given) (2006-2010)
School Distinction Award (2004-2008)

[edit] Level Two Award

Best Practice Award (Staff Well-Being) (2005-2009)
Best Practice Award (Student All-Round Development) (2005-2009)
Best Practice Award (Teaching and Learning) (2003-2007)
Sustained Achievement Award (Academic Value-added) (Special/Express)
Sustained Achievement Award (Arts)
Sustained Achievement Award (Uniformed Groups)

[edit] Level One Award

Achievement Award (Academic Value-added) (Special/Express) - Gold

[edit] Principals

The principals who have graciously brought the school to where it is today:

  1. Mrs. M. N. Oehlers (1957)
    • First principal of Cedar
    • Designed Cedar's distinctive blue and grey uniform
  2. Mrs. P. C. Tan (1958-1976)
    • Longest serving principal (18 years)
    • Helped to develop Cedar's identity of self-discipline and determination
  3. Mrs. Niva Dutt (1977-1983)
    • Led Cedar to higher levels of achievements, academically, in ECA and in sports
    • Currently a Deputy Director at the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore
  4. Mdm Tan Chen Choo (1984-1996)
    • A motherly principal who said her greatest satisfaction in her career "is seeing the students being able to maximise their potential and achieving whatever they can to the best of their ability".
  5. Mrs Tay Sor Har (1996-2000)
    • Started the school on a reflection culture
    • Introduced new initiatives like IT and life science
  6. Ms Susan Leong (2001-2005)
    • Provided good approaches and systems for teaching and learning, pupil and staff development
  7. Mrs Ou-Yang Geok Cheng (2006-)

[edit] Outstanding Cedarians

[edit] Chow Wen Xin (2002-2005)

Wen Xin was the top student of Singapore in the year 2005. She took her O Level exams in 2005 and received her results in February 2006. She scored 10 straight A1s, beating 37,426 students who sat for the examination.

[edit] Yeo Si Ning (2003-2006)

Si Ning is the first Cedarian to receive the President's Guide Award. This is the highest award attainable and a guide must display impressive leadership and guide skills through various tough tests taken over months to earn the award. Si Ning is the leader of Cedar's Girl Guides 2nd Coy (2006) and the Assistant Head Prefect 2005-2006 of the school.

[edit] Joy Priya (2006-2009)

Joy is the current Head Prefect (2008-2009) at Cedar Girls' Secondary School, taking over Grace Ang's role. Votes for Joy casted by the student body outnumbered votes casted for her fellow nominees, Grace Tang and Nasuha Thaha. As debate captain, Joy is well-versed and very articulate. Joy is a good friend to talk to and is well-liked among her peers. Joy will be sitting for her O-Levels next year and amazing results are expected of her.

[edit] PRIME

On the 14 February 2007, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that under the programme PRIME Phase 9, eight more schools will be upgraded from 2008 to 2010. [1] Cedar Girls' is one of the selected for this upgrading.

Cedar will move to a holding site at 3 Geylang Bahru Lane from Dec 2007 to Dec 2009 during upgrading. The holding site was formerly the site of Victoria School from 1984 to May 2003. After Victoria School vacated the building, it was occupied by Saint Andrew's Secondary School from Jun 2003 to Dec 2004 and later on by Geylang Methodist Secondary School from Jun 2005 to Jun 2007. In Dec 2009, Cedar will move back to its present site and the new academic year in 2010 will begin at its new building.

[edit] Notable Alumnæ

  • Dr Georgia Lee, renowned aesthetic doctor
  • Tan Hsueh Yun, Sunday Times columnist
  • Jacelyn Tay, Mediacorp Actress
  • Teo Ser Lee, Miss Singapore, actress/compere

[edit] External links