Anglican High School

Anglican High School (Singapore) 圣公会中学
Location
Tanah Merah
Information
Type Govt-Aided, SAP, autonomous
Established 9 January 1956
Session Single Session
School code 7101
Principal Maureen Lee (Mdm)
Enrolment 1500+
Colour(s) Green, white, red
Website www.anglicanhigh.moe.edu.sg

Anglican High School (AHS) is an autonomous, Special Assistance Plan (SAP) and Government-aided co-educational secondary school in Tanah Merah, Singapore.

History

“ As you start this school, you start entering into a great Christian inheritance.[1]
-- Archdeacon of Singapore, the Ven. Robin Woods, at the opening of Anglican High, on 9 January 1956.		 ”

AHS was founded in 1956 by the Chinese-speaking congregations of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. It was the only Anglican school in Singapore with Chinese as its medium of instruction. All others were English-medium schools.[2]

Anglican High was officially opened on 9 January 1956, and led by her first principal, Rev. Huang Yang Yin.[1] Three Chinese teachers, three English teachers, and 123 male students began education at St Andrew's Secondary School. Later on, female students were admitted.

The present "8-and-a-half mile" Upper Changi Road site was acquired, and on 15 March 1959, the new school's foundation stone was officially laid by the Archdeacon of Singapore, Ven. Dr. D. D. Chelliah.[3] It was to be built with a new school facility with 16 classrooms, three science laboratories, an administration-cum-staff room, an assembly hall and a clock-tower. And finally on Jan 25, 1960, the new Anglican High school officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of Singapore, the Rt. Rev. H. W. Balnes.[4]

The new school introduced a pre-university level (Pre-U 1 and 2), and was phased out in 1978 when Junior Colleges were introduced in Singapore.

In 1979 AHS became a bilingual Special Assistance Plan school, and in 1995 the government awarded it Autonomous status, giving the school greater control over its affairs.

In 2005 a new school building and the AHS Heritage Centre were officially opened by the Rt. Rev. John Chew, Bishop of Singapore.

An indoor sports hall was completed in 2008 and was the hosting venue for the inaugural 2009 Asian Youth Games FIBA 33 (3-on-3 basketball) event.

The school is currently led by school principal Mdm Maureen Lee. In March 2010, former Anglican High principal Mr Moo Soon Chong died at the age of 63.[5]

School crest

School song

The school song was only written in Chinese and there is no official English version available. It was changed in 2001 as some of the Chinese phrases used in the original song were difficult for the students to comprehend. Many of the alumni expressed disappointment with the change as they felt that the original meaning of the song was diluted and a heritage of the school was lost. However, the school went ahead with the change. Further petitions to reinstate the original song were unsuccessful.

The current version:

浩荡圣中气象雄 如鹰展翅岛中

圣洁公义我尊崇 远近嘉名号圣公

治学立业谦恭 师友爱乐融融

把握今天勤用功 创造锦绣之前程

进德修业树校风 向着标杆力冲

永为基督之精兵 永为邦国之忠臣

Uniform and discipline

Male students wear a white shirt with five metal buttons, two on the two chest pockets and three on the shirt front. Boys wear either short or long trousers, white in colour, depending on whether they are in lower or upper secondary, respectively. Girls wear a white blouse with three metal buttons on the front, along with a white pleated knee-length skirt. Girls may wear shorts underneath the skirt.

The school crest is worn on the left chest. Class committee members have a special school badge, accompanied with the words "Class Leader".

All students wear white AHS socks, which cover the ankles.[6]

Student councillors wear a slightly different uniform. Boys wear a white shirt with only one chest pocket, while girls wear a white blouse with no pockets. A red tie is worn by council members. They also have a special badge, the school crest with the words "Student Councillor", "Student Council Senior Member", or "Student Council President/Vice President" according to their roles, with Chinese translations.

PE attire is worn by all students for PE lessons and is a green-collared white polo tee with green shorts. The school crest is printed on the front, with "Anglican High" on the back.

Student councillors wear a green blazer with pants/skirts at important school functions, with court shoes. There is also a red blazer set with light grey pants/skirts used by the school band on official performances, like school anniversary celebrations and National Day ceremonies. This is also used by non-Student Councillors participating in school functions as ushers, emcees, etc.

There are strict rules about hair length, hairstyle and colour (dyeing not permitted).

To achieve a high level of discipline, there is a demerit point system. One demerit point is given for minor offences (e.g. latecoming or improper attire), three demerit points for serious offences (e.g. truancy or defiance), and five demerit points for very serious offences (e.g. smoking, fighting or vandalism). Disciplinary actions include corrective work and detention. For five demerit points, internal suspension or corporal punishment is awarded. The latter is for boys only and consists of several strokes of the cane.[7] The strokes are delivered to the student's buttocks, over his shorts or trousers. The caning ceremony is usually performed in front of the boy's classmates, but in serious cases a special assembly of the whole school is called to witness the punishment. Parents are informed after the caning has taken place.

Conduct grades, ranging from Excellent to Poor, are given each semester, in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines.

Co-curricular activities (CCA)

Students have four major types of CCAs to choose from - the Clubs and Societies, the Performing Arts, the Sports and the Uniformed Groups.

The 'B' division boys/girls basketball team received top honours for the East Zone basketball championships, and the 'C' division badminton players topped the East Zone in the inter-school competition. The AHS Performing Arts group returned with a total of two Gold with Honours, two Golds, three Silvers and one Bronze after the 2009 Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging. Uniformed groups achieved six Golds and one Silver.

CCAs also participate in school-based activities and concerts. The school band and choir hold annual public concerts. The English Drama Club joined in the "Splat!" drama event; the Chinese Drama Society also holds performances bi-annually. UGs participate in the school's own National Day Parade in celebration of the nation's birth. This annual parade is held with the participation of the school band and choir.

Clubs and societies

Performing arts

Sports

Uniformed groups

Others

== Notable alumni == Dasmond Koh: Television presenter and DJ[8]

Ho Yeow Sun (Sun Ho): International pop singer[8]
John Clang: International photographer
Nelson Kwei: Prominent music conductor
Rachel Chua: First runner-up, Campus SuperStar Season 3[9]

Jerry Yeo :mediacorp actor Jack Neo: Movie Director

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Big, happy school, says Archdeacon". The Singapore Free Press. 10 January 1956. p. 3.
  2. ↑ History page, Anglican High School.
  3. ↑ "Stone-laying". The Straits Times (Singapore). 14 March 1959. p. 9.
  4. ↑ "Bishop to open new school". The Straits Times (Singapore). 18 January 1960. p. 4.
  5. ↑ "Former Sports School principal dies". Channel NewsAsia (Singapore). 17 March 2010.
  6. ↑ Illustration of uniform.
  7. ↑ Rules and Regulations page, Anglican High School.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 好强的"大姐头"何耀珊. ZbCOMMA (in Chinese).
  9. ↑ "学生齐来献才艺－－"青春展才艺"表演者介绍Part 4". Shin Min Daily News (in Chinese). 18 November 2009.

External links