Victoria School
From Freepedia
| ||
| Name |
Victoria School | |
| Abbreviation |
VS | |
| School Code |
3014 | |
| Chinese Name | 维多利亚学校 | |
| Address |
2 Siglap Link Singapore 448880 | |
| Country |
Singapore | |
| Town |
Marine Parade | |
| Founded |
1876 | |
| Community |
Urban | |
| Type |
Autonomous Government Secondary | |
| Religion |
Secular | |
| Students |
Boys | |
| Levels |
Secondary 1–4 | |
| Colours |
Red, Yellow | |
| Motto |
Nil Sine Labore | |
| Newspaper |
Victoriana | |
| Website | ||
VS Open House 2005 : Victoria School Open House for PSLE pupils will be held on 29 October 2005, 9.00am to 2.00pm. Primary 6 boys interested in joining Victoria School in 2006 are warmly welcomed to attend our open house. View the Open House Website
Victoria School was founded in 1876, and had its origin in an early English Class organised by Mr M. Hellier while Singapore was still a colony under the British Crown. Today, it is one of the very few remaining all-boys institutions, and holds the status of an autonomous government secondary school. Since its inception, Victoria School has proudly produced Queen Scholars, Members of Parliament, ministers, military officials, businessmen and athletes. In fact, the institution prides itself on being the former institution of the incumbent President of Singapore, His Excellency Mr S R Nathan.
The school also has a strong niche in several sporting events and has achieved solid gold in the performing arts scene, just as its affiliated sister college Victoria Junior College (VJC), is. It also prides itself in hosting students and scholars from both locally and abroad, as part of its mission to 'provide a stimulating environment that promotes life-long learning for high-calibre students from Singapore and abroad'.
The school has moved five times from its first campus in Kampong Glam; well-known VS campuses include the Tyrwhitt and Syed Alwi (Victoria Bridge) campus, of which the latter is featured on the reverse side of the Republic's S$2 bill alongside the former Raffles College (King Edward VII College of Medicine). The institution's new campus is located at Siglap Link in Marine Parade, and was designed to face the East Coast, thus earning the Victoria institutions (VS and VJC) the status of ‘schools by the sea’ as both institutions receive much sea view and breeze, even occasionally conducting lessons and activities at the East Coast Parkway. The VS Siglap Link campus was officially declared open in 2003 by the President, H E Mr S R Nathan.
The state-of-the-art Siglap Link campus boasts of excellent sporting and aesthetic facilities including a boarding house (Victoria Hall) aside from the Learning Metropolis blocks to complement outdoor and holistic learning, despite controversies over costs and expenditures. To name a few, the school currently houses a 500-seater auditorium, a digital media laboratory and art studios, a three-story multi-media resource library, a self-sustaining 150 metre ecological pond-cum-garden, an air-conditioned hall and several other air-conditioned studios and resource rooms for CCA and student use. In fact, the current campus also houses SPRINT @ VS, the Southeast CDC Sports Performance, Research and Injury Treatment Centre. The VS Siglap Link campus also represented Singapore in the biennial Vienna architectural convention in 2004.
Contents |
Profile
Recent History
When top schools were given a choice to go independent, autonomous or remain government-based in 1990, Victoria opted to become autonomous as it wished to cater to the general population at large; going independent would translate into students paying school fees very much higher than average, for example, such as in the case of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). However, some cited this as a reason which prevented the school from vastly expanding and differentiating its programmes and curriculum alike the Raffles family of schools which opted to go independent.
Victoria School became the second government school after Dunman High School to have a Gifted Education Programme (GEP) department in Singapore when it started with one GEP class in 2001. The school achieved good progress in GEP until 2004, when its enrolment in GEP was deemed too small to form one class. Similarly, Dunman High School had its enrolment cut from two classes to one in 2004.
The school was optimistic of making it to the ranks of top schools in Singapore when it moved to its current state-of-the-art campus. When Hwa Chong Institution and the Raffles family of schools embarked on their own independent integrated programme, Victoria School tried, but disappointingly failed, to attain approval from the Ministry of Education to start a four-year integrated programme with its sister college, Victoria Junior College (VJC) in 2004. VJC ended up going with the integrated programme alone (known as the Victoria Integrated Programme or VIP), which commenced in 2005. (See [2])
A full account of Victoria School's history since 1876 can be accessed from the school's official website [3].
Recent Achievements
Although VS has constantly been winning various accolades since its early days, VS made much achievement especially worth noting in 2005. In the biennial Singapore Youth Festival (SYF), the school's cultural and performing arts group has done well: the VS Choir and Concert Band attained Gold with Honours (the most prestigious award attainable), while the Chinese Orchestra, Indian Dance troupe and English Drama attained the Gold award in the 2005 SYF, of which the latter struck sceptics dumb as the school’s drama team had neither prior experience in English Drama competitions, coaching nor a proper workable budget. This has made some nickname the Victoria institutions, both VS and VJC, a stellar "solid gold" cultural powerhouse. In spite of this, some have pointed out that there seem to be notable lack of support for arts and performing scene in VS of late as the school has channelled more funds into sporting CCAs, which sometimes do not reap as many accolades.
VS also had a clean sweep of all the 2005 National Cross-Country Championship titles, the only sport in which it is a consistent performer, to add to its SYF achievements, toppling independent schools such as Hwa Chong Institution (former The Chinese High School) and the Singapore Sports School. On the day of the National Cross-Country Championships, more than 1000 students clad in their bumble bee yellow and black school t-shirts, bearing the bold word "Victorian" on their backs, left the Turf City stadium with pride. However, VS faltered during the National Track & Fields Championships by winning only overall second runner-up for both ‘C’ and ‘B’ divisions in 2005, losing out to the Singapore Sports School.
VS has also been awarded the Ministry of Education's Sustained Achievement Award (SAA) for the Arts (since 2004), Physical Fitness (since 2004) and Uniformed Groups (since 1999), testifying to the school's holistic education.
Recent Academic Performance
In terms of overall academic performance, the 2004 cohort scored an L1R5 (First Language and 5 Relevant subjects) mean of 11.2, and L1B5 (First Language & Best 5 subjects) mean of 11.1, pushing it up to at least the second band in the revised ranking system. Confirmation is being awaited by the Ministry of Education, and the finalised school ranking based on the 2004 GCE 'O' Level results will be released in the third quarter of the 2005.
Although a huge improvement from the 2005 batch is not expected, the school has put in place programmes such as the Enhanced Study Programme (ESP) alongside enrichments such as Learning Styles and Resiliency courses to aid weaker students aside from maintaining the school's performance excellence. Upon request from students, the school has also extended its library operating hours past office hours, and has also made the study area on the second floor viable to all students. This is just one of the many examples in which one can see how the school orients itself towards the students' welfare and interests, exemplifying the caring and holistic atmosphere in VS.
Programmes
While possibly not as extensive or diverse when compared to that of independent schools such as Raffles and Hwa Chong, VS does have its fair share of programmes to complement its regular academic curriculum framework.
The school has been hailed for its leadership programmes (recognised by many as being one of the best in Singapore), which hones future leaders for the community. This includes programmes such as the Secondary One Orientation Camp, Camp Instructors' Camp, Leadership Training Camp and Secondary 3 Adventure Camp, of which the latter two are held overseas. Many of these camps, albeit funded by the school, are actually organised and facilitated by (senior) students themselves, giving them a chance at applying what they have learnt pragmatically - something which very few educational institutions offer. Consequently, Victorians are sought after for their leadership skills, and are offered various scholarships such as the SAF Scholarships after their GCE 'A' Levels.
In line with the institution's core value of establishing 'strategic alliances' and being 'global-minded', VS has established links with many school abroad to promote a Singapore-branded education and an exchange of ideas - particularly in China (PRC), of late. Subsequently, the school has bilateral exchange programmes with schools in China, Malaysia, Thailand and possibly India and Australia - some examples are Chung Hwa High School (Malaysia) and Hebei-Baoding (PRC). The school also had students studying foreign languages representing the Ministry of Education’s Language Centre (MOELC) on the month-long Study-cum-Immersion Programmes (SCIP) to countries like France, Germany and Japan.
Victoria School's sister college, Victoria Junior College, offers the Victoria Integrated Programme (VIP). The VIP is a 4-year JC-plus course in which Victorians bypass the traditional GCE 'O' Level examinations and directly sit for the GCE 'A' Levels at the end of Year 4 or JC2.
School Identity
Mission
“Our mission is to be a premier school recognised for our rich tradition of excellence, and our ability to groom upright and balanced individuals with leadership qualities. We are dedicated to instilling in Victorians a spirit of achievement, and nurturing them into becoming innovative and respectable leaders”.
School Crest
The school crest is somewhat similar to Oxford University’s crest [4], highlighting vestiges of the school’s English origins.
The open book symbolises lifelong learning, while the torch symbolises truth and the passing on of a tradition. It also illuminates the way of Victorians who venture forth to excel beyond the shores of Singapore.
School Colours
Yellow: Stands for dignity and excellence, especially in the Asian context.
Red: Symbolises universal brotherhood and equality, and is one of the State colours.
School Motto
"Nil Sine Labore"
The school's motto is in Latin, meaning "Nothing without Labour", emphasising the need for Victorians to work hard in fulfilling their dreams and passion as great things can only be achieved through hard work.
Core/Key Strategic Values
The institution has eight core/key strategic values (in no order of importance): performance excellence, professionalism, innovation, integrity, compassion, tradition, strategic alliances and global-mindedness.
(See [5] for more information on VS)
Victorian Anthem
The Victorian Anthem has a somewhat upbeat neo-colonial tinge to it, mirroring the school's origin as an English institution. The Anthem - a common symbol of pride amongst Victorians from both VS and VJC alike - is proudly sung by members of the Victorian community on important events, and on Mondays during flag-raising assembly.
Lyrics by J A Frazer
Music by W E Meyer
Victoria in Singapore
there are other schools we know
Victoria is something more
the school that watch'd us grow
For here we've learnt and striven too
and played the sportsman's game
Victoria we give to you
the honour that you claim
Victoria thy sons are we
and we will not forget
Victoria thy triumphs see
and victories we share yet
For others came before and went
and carried to the world
Victoria's fame and our intent to
Keep her flag unfurled.
Victorian Culture - The Victorian Spirit
Victoria School prides itself on its strong esprit de corps. Students, old boys and staff alike will start cheering for the school during sporting events, as well as other important events. This strong spirit is indeed one of the key trademarks of Victoria School which distinguishes VS from other schools at these events.
VS never fails to be one of the largest and most colourful contingent in sporting events such as the National Championships. Like in previous years, nearly the whole student population which amounted to more than 1000 students (who fondly call themselves Victorians) made their way down to Turf City to support their school Cross-Country team which put up a good show that day and swiped the championship titles clean in the 2005 Annual National Cross-Country Championships meet. This perfectly exemplifies the kind of bonds the students in VS share, and how the institution emulates its core values such as Tradition - an institutional core value which they strongly hold on to in light of their long history as one of Singapore's oldest educational institutions.
VS students clearly have a distinctively strong sense of pride for their institution, and more often than not ends such big events with the famous school spelling cheer and singing the school song (known as the Victorian Anthem amongst the student populace).
Cultural and sporting excellence
The standard of the cultural and performing arts groups in VS is excellent. In 2003, the school achieved a grand slam by attaining Gold status in the prestigious biennial Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Competition for its Chinese Orchestra, Concert Band, and Indian Dance. The Victoria School Choir, famed for being the best all-male choir in Singapore, also struck Gold. The VS Choir is part of the prestigious Singapore Choral Excellence scheme, while the VS Concert Band had represented the Republic in exchange programmes in Australia before. This enabled VS to attain the Sustained Achievement Award (SAA) for Arts by the Ministry of Education in 2004.
The school has even more cause to celebrate with fresh news that they have once again made a clean sweep in the 2005 SYF competitions for the Concert Band, Chinese Orchestra, Choir, Indian Dance, and for the first time in trying out a new field, English Drama. In addition, the Chinese Orchestra is also one of only two all-boys Chinese Orchestras (the other coming from the current Hwa Chong Institution, formerly The Chinese High School) to have achieved two consecutive golds in past years. In total, VS achieved a total of five Golds, of which two are with Honours (Choir and Concert Band), making VS a "solid gold" all-boys cultural and performing arts powerhouse in Singapore.
VS also has a healthy track record in sports such as Cross-Country, Badminton, Cricket, Tennis and Track & Field, although she is often unable to compete with the very best independent schools like Raffles and ACS(I) who dominate most sports. In 2005, VS finally managed to do the double, its first since 1999, winning both the National Cross-Country 'B' and 'C' titles to add on to its SYF achievements, toppling independent schools such as Hwa Chong Institution (former The Chinese High School) and the Singapore Sports School.
On the whole, the school has a strong performing arts and sporting culture, as can be seen from intra-school events such as the biennial Drama Festival (Dramafest) and Evening of Music & Drama (EMD), as well as the Annual Victoria School Sports and Cross-Country Championships, although the there has ben some displeasure over the school prioritising and allotting more to the sports CCA which sometimes do not reap as much gold medals; the English Drama, for example, had to work with the budget of less than a thousand dollars for their SYF Central Judging Competition - a far cry from what other CCAs receive.
Demographics
Unlike most top schools in Singapore, VS stands out for having a student demographic that most accurately reflects that of the nation at large. While ethnic Malay students, for example, are under-represented at top independent schools and Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools, this is not the case in VS. Ethnic Chinese Victorians come from both Chinese-speaking and English-speaking homes. Victorians come from a good variety of socio-economic backgrounds, and have on their enrolment numerous Southeast Asian (ASEAN) and Chinese scholars.
People have remarked, and rightly so, that VS is a microcosm of Singapore's diverse and cosmopolitan society.
Victoria Hall
Victoria Hall is newly-built hostel inside Victoria School. It is home to about 500 boarders of different nationalities such as Malaysians, Indonesians, PRC Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese and Thais, staying and living together and bringing together a melting pot of cultures. However, the majority of boarders in the hostel are the PRC and ASEAN students.
The Hall prides itself as being the only hostel in Singapore that is both beside the sea and beside East Coast Park, thus allowing for both a bay view and for boarders to enjoy the sporting facilities at the Park.
Many of the boarders study at Victoria School and Victoria Junior College.
Affiliations
Victoria School is affiliated to Victoria Junior College, and both campuses are co-housed in East Coast side-by-side. The two schools occasionally conduct joint programmes and activities, such as concerts and overseas trips.
Both institutions are under the charge of the Victoria Executive and Advisory Committee (VEC/VAC), and share a common alumnus - the Old Victorians' Association (OVA).
Prominent Victorians
- Encik Yusof bin Ishak: Journalist, Singapore's 1st President
- Mr C V Devan Nair: former Unionist, Politician and Singapore's 3rd President
- Mr S R Nathan: former Ambassador, current (6th) President of Singapore
- Mr S Dhanabalan: former Cabinet Minister, current Chairman, Temasek Holdings and DBS Bank
- Peter Sung; former Minister of State
- Major Abbas Abu Amin; former MP and former Chairman, Football Association of Singapore
- Prof Edwin Thumboo: Director of National University of Singapore Centre for the Arts
- Lt General Ng Yat Chung: Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces
- Dr Ong Chit Chung: Member of Parliament (Jurong GRC)
- Koh Eng Tian; former Solicitor-General
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