St. John's Institution

St. John's Institution (Malay: Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. John^[1]) is a secondary school for boys (sixth form is co-ed) and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known as SJI and the students of St John's Institution bear the name Johannians.

The school is named after Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, the founder of the De La Salle Christian Brothers Order and also known as the Patron Saint of Teachers.

SJI consists of a primary school and a secondary school. The primary and secondary schools initially functioned together until the increase in enrolment of pupils led to a separation of the primary school in 1960. The primary schools are formally known in Malay today as Sekolah Kebangsaan St. John (1) and Sekolah Kebangsaan St. John (2) while the secondary school is called Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. John.

SJI is among the first 30 schools selected into the Cluster School scheme when it was first introduced in 2007 by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia .^[2]

The La Sallian Brothers and the Board of Governors still hold much autonomy over management of the secondary school compared to the Malaysian Ministry of Education. This has allowed the secondary school to maintain a certain amount of prestige. Though the school land is owned by the Roman Catholic Church (including St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur which is next to the school), much of the school funding is received from the Government of Malaysia.

Site and architecture

The main school building is located in Jalan Bukit Nanas, in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, next to the Bukit Nanas forest reserve, giving it a lush surrounding. St. John's Primary Schools are located across the road from the main school building while the Convent Bukit Nanas, an Infant Jesus Sisters' school for the girls, the AIG building and the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur are located further down the road. The Fatima Kindergarten (housed in what is Kuala Lumpur's oldest catholic church and now converted into a community service centre) and the Roman Catholic St John's Cathedral are located on the road leading up to SJI.

The school is famous for its imposing red and white-brick main building with Grecian-Spanish influences. It was gazetted as a National Heritage site by the Government of Malaysia on May 21, 2010^[3].

Administration

The school has traditionally been headed by the Brothers of the La Sallian order, with a Brother Director (like a headmaster) and a Brother Supervisor (like a deputy headmaster). In recent years, the Brother Supervisor was replaced with three assistant principals, who are not in the La Sallian order.

Former Brother Directors are:

The headship of the school has since passed on to the laity and the present principal is Peter Yii Sing Chiu, who became the first non-brother and non-Catholic to head the school in 2002.

Former principals include:

Brothers who have served as headmasters of the primary school when it was split from the secondary school include Brother Patrick Arokiasamy, Brother Alban Tang and Brother Matthew Liew.

History

1904

• At the request of the Education Department and the then Bishop of Malacca, Mgr. Fee, the La Sallian Brothers opened a school in Kuala Lumpur. According to records, it started with an initial enrolment of 18 boys.
• Three days before classes were to commence on January 18, three Brothers arrived to take charge of the school – Brother Julian Francis from Hong Kong, Brother Andrew Corsini from Burma and Brother Cyril Alexander from Penang.
• The school building was a two-storey wooden structure, 80 feet long and 20 feet wide, with a brick pillar and a verandah facing the north.
• Later in the year, Brother James Gilbert arrived from Singapore to take the place of Brother Julian Francis as Brother Director of SJI.

1905

• On 2 January 1905, a Standard 7 was set up and entrusted to Brother Cyril Alexander.
• With this new set-up, expansion was needed. So Father Renard lent to the school the house of the Chinese Catechist which was capable of holding one class and also an attap shed near the site.

1906

• In June 1906, Brother Imier of Jesus, Provincial Visitor of the United States paid a visit to SJI. He later became Superior General in 1913.
• More classes were opened and accommodated on temporary structures.
• Finally the government provided a piece of land given to the mission for religious and educational purposes.
• On November 3rd, the foundation stone for the new building was laid by Sir Henry Conway Belfield, Resident Councilor for Selangor.

1907

• At the end of the year, the new building was advanced enough to be used for the Cambridge Examination for all the candidates of Kuala Lumpur.

1908

• On August 10, the new building was declared open by the High Commissioner and Governor, Sir John Anderson.

1914

• The Brothers’ Building was enlarged by the addition of two new wings which were to house the chapel and offices and the Juniorate and Novitiate.
• Brother Marcian Cullen was appointed Director of the newly formed Juniorate.

1915

• A Cadet Corps was formed followed shortly by a Scout Troop.

1921

• Brother Stephen Edward Buckley demolished the Brothers’ Building and replaced it with the present one, to which additions were made later.

1925

• Brother Louis installed a statue of Jean Baptist De La Salle on the front facade of the Main Block.

1930

• Brother Cornelius Nulty served as Brother Director from 1930 to 1946 and under his energetic management, many projects were brought to a successful conclusion.
• Brother Cornelius enlarged the playground, a project that was started by Brother Louis. He then turned his attention to the building of the hall which was finally completed in 1936 with the provision for two more storeys in the future.
• Brother Cornelius next built a new wing on the east side of the Brothers’ Building, which became the Boarding Department (later De La Salle Institute, now St. John's International School)

1942–1945

• During World War II, SJI was closed but crowds of refugees flocked to Brother Cornelius for help and stayed in the school for security. When the war ended and peace returned, these refugees organized a scholarship fund to express gratitude to Brother Cornelius and to perpetuate his memory.

1948

• Brother D. Joseph Brophy established La Salle Sentul, La Salle Brickfields, La Salle Peel Road and La Salle Klang, which were intended as feeder schools for St John’s.
• In SJI, he renovated the school hall as well as built a new cafeteria, space staff room and offices. A modern library was furnished and equipped and an extensive P.A. system was installed.

1953

• On April 15, the first issue of the Term Review was on sale. The Term Review was the predecessor to the current Editorial Board of The Garudamas, the school magazine.

1954

• In the Golden Jubilee year, Brother D. Joseph achieved his final objective – the completion of the field extension.

1955

• Brother Tiberius Lawrence Spitzig starts his first term as Brother Director of SJI.
• The Dramatic Society staged its second play, ‘Twelfth Night’, and the newly formed school orchestra made its first public appearance at the play’s public performance in the hall. Brother Celestine (later, Brother Director) was responsible for the success of the play.

1956

• Brother Lawrence renovated the school and added 14 classrooms at a cost of M$90,000

1957

• General Sir Francis Festing, Commander-in-Chief of the Far East visited SJI.

1958

• In accordance with a new government directive, a Board of Governors for the school was set up and the first meeting was held on September 24. In the primary section, the Board of Managers held its first meeting on March 13.

1959

• His Excellency Mgr John Gordon, Chargé d'Affaires of the Apostolic Delegation of Thailand and Malaya visited SJI on January 27.
• Construction of the St John’s Primary School began on the site of the Old Boys’ Club. The building could accommodate 24 classes and would cost M$220,000

1960

• On September 16, St John’s Primary School was officially opened by Brother Fintan Blake.
• The new chapel on the middle floor of SJI was officially opened and used on October 19.

1963

• The present school badge (designed by Brother Joseph McNally) was used, replacing the old badge by Brother Cornelius Nulty.

1965

• The Form 5 Block (or Arts Block) was officiated by the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Mgr. Dominic Vendargon on the 22nd of August 1965.

1967

• The primary school hall, Dewan Tun Dr. Ismail was completed.

1969

• Bro. Joseph Yeoh, a former Johannian returned to become the Brother Director. He was the first Malaysian to head the school. It was during his leadership that SJI achieved its glory years in academics and sports excellence.

1972

• Awards Day was introduced by Brother Joseph Yeoh to appreciate the achievements made by the students of SJI.

1979

• Brother Lawrence Spitzig returned as director of the school and presided over the school's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Bro. Lawrence re-introduced the annual English and Bahasa Malaysia public speaking competition to the school. Public speaking became part of the English and Bahasa Malaysia curriculum and was compulsory for all students, resulting in SJI having many enabled and proficient public speakers amongst the students.

1984

• To kick off the 80th Anniversary of the founding of the school, Carnival Day and several projects were introduced to raise funds for the construction of a four-storey building adjacent to the science block to accommodate the lower and upper sixth form classes. This is the beginning of a series of fund raising projects initiated to upgrade the school and its facilities. Over the years, St John's has been blessed with generous contributions from its generations of former students and benefactors.

1988

• The new Form 6 Block was built and named Bangunan Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon.

1994

• The sports complex comprising a badminton hall, three squash courts, and concourse was officiated by Bro. David Liao on the January 18th.

2002

• Bro. Michael Wong, the last Brother Director of SJI retired, marking the end of the Brothers' directorship in SJI for 98 years.
• Mr. Peter Yii Sing Chiu, the first lay principal was appointed to head SJI.

2009

• St. John's receives its second lay principal, Mr. Leong Kum Loy.

2010

• St. John's is gazetted as a Heritage Site by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Malaysia.
• St. John's receives its third lay principal, Mr. Lim Hean Hwa. He is a former student of St. John's under Bro. Joseph Yeoh in the 1970's.

2011

• The restored tower clock on the Main Block, dedicated to the late Brother Lawrence Spitzig, was unveiled and officiated by former principal, Mr. Leong Kum Loy, in conjunction of St. John's 107th Birthday on January 18th. The project was an initiative by Megat Mizan Nicholas Denney, Chairman of the Board of Governors of St. John's^[4][5].

The La Sallian heritage

As St John's was founded by the La Sallian Brothers, it is related to many other La Sallian schools located all over Malaysia and around the world. These schools call each other brother schools and the La Sallian Heritage which binds them together.

Uniformed bodies

Some of the school uniformed bodies are the St John's Cadet Corps (Pasukan Kadet Bersatu Malaysia), St John's Cadet Band, St John Ambulance, Eagle Scout Group, Red Crescent Society, Police Cadets, and Kadet Remaja Sekolah. Martial arts are also included in this category. They are the Taekwondo Club, Karate club, Silat Gayung Club & Kendo Club.

8th Bukit Bintang KL Eagle Scout Group

The 8th Bukit Bintang KL Eagle Scout Group was established in 1963.

St John Ambulance of Malaysia (KL SJI A/C Div.)

Part of the St John Ambulance, an international voluntary service organisation dedicated to training and providing first aid to the sufferings and needies. The only organisation which provent that actions speak louder than words working towards the motto "Pro Ulitate Hominum - For the Service of Mankind". KL SJI A/C has made the school proud with several achievements in the state and national scene, most noted in 2006 and 2007.

St John's Institution Cadet Corps

The St John's Institution Cadet Corps was established in 1915,also known as the first cadet in Malaya. It is the oldest cadet in this school formed by Lt. Eric Chart. It was under the command of the British Military Somerset Light Infantry during the colonial days.

St John's Institution Cadet Band

The St John's Institution Cadet Band was formed in 1916. The Cadet Band is also one of the few bands in Malaysia which include bagpipes in its ensemble.

In 2005 the St John's Institution Cadet Band Alumni was registered as an alumni body representing ex-band members. Today the members continues their passion through the formation of the Alumni Band, mainly Pipe and Drums, performing at private functions. It is also the only band in Malaysia to have a Marching Euphonium . An instrument same as the marching baritone but a little bit longer.

Sports

St. John's Institution has five sports houses named after five Brother Directors. Each house also has an emblem of its own. They are:

• Claude house (Blue) - The emblem is the fleur de lis (French lily), a symbol of appreciation to the founder and French Brothers.
• Cornelius house (Red) - The emblem is the crown, a symbol of respect for authority. The crown was also part of the old school crest introduced by Bro. Cornelius.
• D' Joseph house (Green) - The emblem is the star, a symbol of hope in search of knowledge. Prior to 1964, D'Joseph house was known as Director's house.
• Gilbert house (Brown) - The emblem is the bee, a symbol of industry, diligence and endeavour .
• Stephen house (Yellow) - The emblem is the green shamrock, Ireland's national flower. It is a symbol of gratitude to the Irish Brothers who have served the institution.

In addition, St. John's also has sports clubs that are open to students namely football, hockey, badminton, basketball, sepak takraw, gymnastics etc.

Notable Johannians (Lasallians)

• Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, Sultan of Selangor
• Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Perak
• Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia
• Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn, Home Minister of Malaysia
• Benedict Ponniah, Chairman of the First International Labour Conference in Singapore and First Under Secretary to the Secretary General of the United Nations (1949)
• Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia
• Dato' Seri Abdul Azim Mohd. Zabidi, former chairman of Bank Simpanan Nasional and UMNO Treasurer
• Tan Sri Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman, former director-general of Health
• B. R. Sreenivasan, former vice chancellor of the National University of Singapore
• JJ Fernandez, Hitz.fm Morning Crew
• PAUL RIZAL BAIRD, Film/Video Producer, Director
• Joshua Fernandez, Commercials Film Director, Executive Producer
• Afdlin Shauki, Actor, Comedian
• Mejar Dr Faiz Khaleed, Malaysian Astronout
• Farish A. Noor, political scientist and human rights activist
• Hans Isaac - actor, producer and director

See also

• Lasallian educational institutions
• Saint John Baptist de La Salle
• De La Salle Christian Brothers

Citations

• The school history is obtained from the Golden Jubilee school magazine (1954), Diamond Jubilee Souvenir book (1964), 75th Anniversary Commemorative book (1979) and 100 Years Centenary coffee table book (2004).

References

1. ^ n.d., n.d. (2010-06-22). "SMK St. John Gets National Heritage Status". The Star (Malaysia) (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/22/nation/6318953&sec=nation. Retrieved 2010-12-30. 
2. ^ n.d., n.d. (2008-06-08). "Sekolah Kluster 2007". ePutra (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). http://eputra.com/sekolah-kluster-2007/. Retrieved 2011-02-19. 
3. ^ n.d., n.d. (2010-05-21). "SMK St John's is National Heritage site". New Straits Times (Malaysia) (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). http://www.nst.com.my/articles/SMKStJohn_sisNationalHeritagesite/Article/file=/2010/5/22/nation/6318953&sec=nation. Retrieved 2011-01-28. 
4. ^ n.d., n.d. (2011-01-18). "'Old' clock ticks again at St John's". The Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). http://mmail.com.my/content/61178-old-clock-ticks-again-st-johns. Retrieved 2011-01-22. 
5. ^ n.d., n.d. (2011-01-26). "St John's Institution unveils new clock". New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/3clkc/Article/. Retrieved 2011-01-28. 

External links

• St. John's Institution