Montfort School Blog

Festive roar !

2010-03-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

Montfortians eager to welcome the Lunar Year of the Tiger, had worked hard to put up a commendable performance on the 12th of February 2010. The Wushu tigers purred and roared into the lives of the Montfortian audience, who received enthusiastically, the performance that was put up by the prancing Montfortian Tigers.

Following next, The CLDDS performers made an entrance to the stage on stilts! It was an eye-catching Cowboy-themed Western dance that was put up to the catchy and popular Jay Chou song. It garnered quite a number of singers from amongst the audience. Jay Chou would have been pleased!

The importance of Reunion Dinners was transmitted to the young audience in a play put up by the ELDDS members. The character of Spicy Grandma enacted skilfully by Kenny Yaw of 4E4, conveyed the message that despite the generation gap, Chinese New Year is a significant cultural event.

A scintillating performance by Montfort's own magician, Anthony Tan of 4E2 had everyone spellbound for that 10 minutes. His bag of tricks included colourful hankerchiefs, and hot strings.

To add a multicultural flavour to the days event, TLDDS took the stage by storm with a Bollywood-inspired energetic dance. Singer Sai from Secondary 2AA gave a melodious rendition of a popular Tamil song, and despite many Montfortians not being able to understand the language, they enjoyed the song.

The event was a success. Students returned to their classes, and lessons resumed.

The Move - The Hot And The Not

2010-03-08T00:26:00.000-08:00

Montfort has moved! 4th of January saw Montfortians making their presence felt in the new surroundings of Serangoon North Avenue 1 . Thrilled and excited at the newness of things and the abundance of space , the gentlemen embarked on a voyage of discovery . With sprawling basketball courts amongst the leafy environment , the Montfortians felt they were more in a 'resort' than in a school .

However , reality hit upon entering the rather small and 'basic' classrooms. Definitely the students felt a sense of loss especially at the absence of air conditioning and spaciousness of the classrooms of Montfort @ Hougang . But knowing that two years would eventually pass would help get us through this temporary deprivation of comfort . Persevering Montfortian decided to rise to the occasion and to enjoy also the present location and the perks of space and the green world around them . Onwards we go!

Sec 1 Orientation 2010

2010-01-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

It's very nature is hard to describe.

But as the fire died down, I realized Zenith 2010 (Sec 1 Orientation) was very much about 4 words; "a man for others".

The simplicity of our school vision amazes me, in a way that so much can be achieved when one is "a man for others". More than anything, these 4 words encompass how everyone should be.

Firstly, the Orientation Group Leaders (OGLs) and councillors gave up so much time for the secondary 1 students. To ensure that the students were safe, healthy and happy; to ensure the programme was successful. At the end of the day, they were more tired most can imagine. But they did not sleep, they practiced campfire songs and a special dance, all for others.

This dance was choreographed in less than 2 hours, and the OGLs learned it in less than half an hour, in the middle of the night. Absolutely incredible.

Secondly, the teachers spent days and nights perfecting the camp. When the time finally came, they worked even harder to make sure things ran smoothly. How they had the energy to cheer at the top of their lungs during the campfire is a wonder. Not to mention them coming up to dance for and with us. Teachers are special people; it's probably the most 'giving' occupation; and all our teachers are certainly great examples of that.

Thirdly, the old boys who came back to help and support us. Without them, there wouldn't be that much joy and encouragement than there was. And for making that choice to come back even though some are years from their Secondary School days, we are indebted to them for helping carry on the Montfortian traditions.

Many things happened during camp; games, preparation, campfire. Many feelings were felt; some happy, stressed, sad, tired. And there's a lot to learn from it, to improve and work on. If everyone took back something in common, it would be about being there for others.

We learned, taught and loved.

Camp was a show. A show of true Montfortian love.

That's the simplest way I can put it, because it's very nature is hard to describe.

- Brian Josef Theng

From Montfort boys to men

2009-12-31T04:28:00.000-08:00

Front row, from left) Archbishop Nicholas Chia with Gabrielite Brother Emmanuel and Father Patrick Goh (extreme right) together with old boys and Montfort Secondary Principal Andrew Tan (back row, extreme left). Photo by Dareen Boon

ALSO TURNING 50 was Montfort Secondary School. The anniversary was commemorated with a dinner for 500 alumni and their families at the school premises in Hougang on Nov 21.

Its roots, however, actually go further back. In 1916, it was founded as Holy Innocents’ English School, at Upper Serangoon Road, by Father Henri Duvelle, then-parish priest of Church of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

After the Gabrielite Brothers took over in 1936, the school was renamed in 1959 in memory of their founder, St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort.

Father Patrick Goh, who graduated in 1960, said the school, together with the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary next door, provided him with a strong religious formation with students gathering for the Sunday children’s Masses and regular confession on the first Fridays

Students and teachers had a close relationship, he said. Father Goh remembers how he and his classmates used to make fun of a Science teacher – Brother Thomas – for the way he spoke English with his native Spanish accent. But jokes aside, he was “a dedicated teacher”.

“I’m very happy that Montfort has continued to contribute to the education of young people to become useful people in society, and not forgetting many of them have become priests,” Father Goh said.

Other old boys contribute to Montfort by returning to the school.Seah Kok Woei, 30, has been teaching physics and computer applications at Montfort for four-and-a-half years now, after requesting the Ministry of Education for a posting to his alma mater. He said that values such as self-discipline, humility, teamwork and resilience were not taught through textbooks, but from involvement in co-curricular activities and school events.

“These values have put me in good stead in my years after graduating from Montfort to junior college and all the way to the present moment,” said Mr Seah, who hopes to pass on these values to his students.

He also sees no difference between the school back then and now, except for the school building and some staff. “The school has always maintained the same vision and mission that the Founder set out to achieve – helping the poor – and therefore, the doors of Montfort are always open to students who seek to be a better individual through a Montfortian Education,” said Mr Seah.

21 Nov - Farewell by Old Boys

2009-12-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

The Montfort Alumni held a dinner at the Montfort School Hall on 21 Nov. It bids a fond farewell to our Hougang Ave 8 Site for 2009. The evening was graced with the attendance of His Grace, Archibishop Nicholas Chia, Bro Emmanuel, Andrew Tan, the architect of the school and many old boys (and girls), as well as teachers who came. It was an evening of great revelry. Mr Peter Chua, George Ong & Fauzi and a host of others provided songs that entertained the evening.

More pictures are available at:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fkweesonglim%2Fsets%2F72157622728154183%2F&h=19e7b427cacce1c5ae19413a2fa9b21e

Valedictorian Speech - School Graduation Ceremony

2009-10-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

There was fantastic speech given by our valedictorian from 4E1, Daniel Lee and this is a tribute to it:

"It has been four years, and for some of us, five since we first entered this school. Many, many things have happened since then, as we learned how to be gentlemen, scholars, sportsmen, leaders and most importantly a Man for others.

In these past years, Montfort Secondary School has created many opportunities for us to learn these outside of the classroom. One such example would be the trip we made to Perak, Malaysia last year. In learning the history and geography of the state, we were scholars. Trekking and white-water rafting gave us opportunities to be sportsmen and making our way through the challenging caves helped us develop leadership qualities. In our interaction with the locals and tribesmen, we learnt to be the perfect and chivalrous Montfortian gentlemen.

However, all these experiences would not have been made possible without the help of our dedicated teachers and unceasing efforts to guide us through the labyrinth of our journey through school. Not only did they guide us through our lessons but they also put up with our eccentricities, our teenage pranks and of course our endless complaints. Despite their heavy schedules, they made the time to help us. At this juncture, on behalf of all the Montfortian gentlemen present here, I would like to thank all the Form teachers and our Subject teachers for their care, guidance and given to us and not forgetting their infinite patience and tolerance.

What does the future hold for each on of us after we leave Montfort? Is there a future minister among us today, or a billionaire entrepreneur or perhaps another Archbishop? I stand here today full of dreams and hopes that mine will be a bright and fulfilling one. While I cannot see what lies ahead, I am confident that Montfort has prepared us well for the challenges that we will face in our future. Long after we have forgotten differentiation in A Maths, we will be able to differentiate between good and evil, wisdom and folly. And these are what will stand us in good stead when life becomes too complicated or too weary, so that we may constantly strive to be a Man for others.

But now let me turn back to where we are now and what we can do here and now. My fellow Montofrtians , let us use these coming national exams, whether they be our O level or N level exams, as a way to for us to show our gratitude and appreciation to our teachers. Let us show our teachers that all their teaching and our efforts will not go to waste; let us put in that last burst of strength and conquer the exams, so that we can be proud of ourselves, knowing that we have done our best.

Age quod aqis. Thank you."

Montfort Plate Champs 2009

2009-08-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Montfort Rugby C Div team emerged as Plate Champions in the National Schools C Division Championshiop after beating Greenridge Secondary 26-22 in a hard-fought final played on Friday 21 August at Saint Andrew's Secondary.

Both teams played a pulsating match that saw both teams giving their best performance for this season.

Both teams scored four tries each but it was the deadly goal-kicking of Montfort Captain Mohd Shamir that sealed the match for Montfort.

Montfort converted three of the four tries whilst Greenridge was only able to convert one of their tries.

Both sides showed great spirit.

For Montfort, the front row of Matthew Ho, Alvin Yap and Lewis Syn dominated their opponents with deadly scrummaging.

The second-row partnership of Kenny Lee and Azhar gave the much-needed push in the scrum's engine room.

The loose forward trio of Kang Dong Wan, Chinnakrit and Eugene Sito were at the breakdown almost instantenously.

The backline was well-marshalled by Captain Mohd Shamir who linked up well with our Kiwi scrum-half Harry Stokes who gave it his all despite the sweltering heat and suffocating humidity.

Centres Kirish and Ivan were devastating in the line-breaks and defensive tackling duties whilst Dominic Daniel was his usual calm self in the full-back slot .. cooly cleaning up high balls.

Wingers Musli and Randell were equally tenacious in the tackle counts.

Above all the match today was a great advert for rugby. The Montfort boys consoled their beaten compatriots from Greenridge at the end of the final whistle by referee Mr Mohd Azhar Yusof.

In the end, the real winner of today's Final was rugby as both sets of players set aside their rivalry and shared a combined team group picture after the match. They truly deserved the applause from the spectators, made up of parents, old boys and school senior management, who thronged Saint Andrew's.

Scorers:
Tries: Mohd Shamir (2), Kenny Lee, Kang Dong Wan
Conversions: Mohd Shamir (3)

Montfort Rugby Lions vs Greenridge
Props: Matthew Ho and Alvin Yap
Hooker: Lewis Syn
Locks: Kenny Lee and Azhar
Flankers: Eugene Sito and Chinakrit
No 8: Kang Dong Wan
Scrum Half: Harry Stokes
Fly-Half: Mohd Shamir (C)
Centres: Kirish Deepan and Ivan Lim
Wingers: Musli and Randell Toh
Full-Back: Dominic Daniel
Subs (Used): Syahiran

http://montfort-rugby.blogspot.com/

Mr C Kunalan Visits Montfort Sec on IPW Day - 14 Aug 2009

2009-08-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Mr C. Kunalan, dubbed Singapore's fastest man with the national 100m record for over 30 years visited our school on the 14th of August. Mingling with the lower secondary students during their recess, the lighthearted former sportsman viewed the Sec 1s IPW projects. The students got a chance to explain their projects to him and many crowded around just to get a photo with him.

Later on, I got a chance to conduct an interview with him.

As a runner, what was your motivation that kept you going and trying?

“I just wanted to see how much stronger and faster I could become”. Mr Kunalan further explained that he started running in 1963 and in only 3 years already won in the Asian Games. This pushed him to go further and try to get more in running. Mr Kunalan went on to be Singapore’s Sportsman of the Year for 1968 and 1969.

Did all the publicity and media hype ever affect your career?

“I think after every competition I’ll look for two things. Number 1 was the 9 o’clock news. Number 2 was the next day’s newspapers.”Also, the school would announce his wins as he was a teacher at that time.

When competing, do you think winning is everything? Or are there more important values involved?

“At that time, we never heard of these Olympic motto and values. My thinking is, don’t do anything stupid. Because it will embarrass your friends, your colleagues, your family…” Of course, if he didn’t well, he would feel really sad for days even.

Talking about the Youth Olympics, are you afraid that young athletes might think of going for gold rather than upholding that true Olympic spirit?

“No. I hope they will go for gold but at the same time uphold that spirit.” He spoke about how even by not winning, every participant can uphold that spirit by being gracious and saying that they’ve tried their best, that many people have contributed to them being able to reach such a far stage. “If you start saying winning is not important, then nothing’s at stake.” Mr Kunalan then spoke on how in sports, we get tested many times. “When we pass many of these tests, you will be prepared for life.”

Is there anything you’ve learned through sports that can be applied in other aspects of life?

It is important to remember the Olympic values of Excellence, Respect and Friendship, Mr Kunalan expressed how it would then be easier to do things in life itself. And despite the troubles we may face, we can use our strengths to keep us strong. He himself would remind himself of his sporting achievements to get him through tough days. “Sports kept me strong.” But this need not be limited to sports only. Everyone can use their own strengths to keep them confident.

That being said, sometimes students who completely devote their time and effort to their CCA or sport neglect their studies. What do you think of this?

“That is why we have the Olympic Motto (Citius, Altius, Fortius; meaning Swifter, Higher, Stronger).”

He mentioned how everyone could have the 5 Olympic rings etched in their mindset, with the motto of 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' as the top 3. He suggested having 'Encouragement & Perseverance' as the other 2 rings' as a personal goal

Referring to the Olympian value of Excellence, he said, “Excellence includes studies. Especially in Singapore where without academic qualifications, it would be hard. ”

Over the years, how have your focuses, hopes or dreams changed?

“Some people have dreams. I never had dreams. I just wanted to do well.” Mr Kunalan recounted a proverb learnt in primary school – “If a thing is worth doing, it is a thing worth doing well.” He never knew that he would be a teacher, or even a sportsman. He simply did these and he did them well.

Lastly, do you have any advice for our students?

“Listen to the teacher or coach. And communicate with them. Then you would understand what they mean when they say things. That’s when you can use my proverb, ‘If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well.’ Otherwise, don’t do it.”

Brian Theng, 3E1

44th National Day Celebrations

2009-08-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

Singapore's birthday was commemorated in our school on 7 August.

The day started with the observance ceremony in the field and the uniformed groups were out in full force for the parade.
The parade started with the marching in of the contingents followed by our national flag. The song, 'My People, My Home' was sung during the ceremony. Mr Tan read the National Day Message from the Minister of Education. In particular, he recalled how in the PM's National Day Rally a few years back, the PM spoke about it raining on one of the first national day's in Singapore. No one moved even though it poured to show their commitment and love for their country.
Returning to class, the students were treated to cake, as a symbol of it being Singapore's birthday. Our Principal and Vice Principal went around the classes and took part in celebrating with the students. Though school ended early, it was truly a memorable day and I'm sure everyone went home proud of being Singaporean.

Brian Theng, 3E1

Students' Council Ex-Co 2009-2010

2009-08-05T06:16:00.001-07:00

From Top to Bottom, Left to Right:

Brian Theng, 3E1 President

Tay Wi Li, 3E2 Vice President, Head of Discipline
Ng Kang Jie, 3E1 Head of Communications and Events
Muhd Fareez, 3E1 Head of Communications and Events
Hang Ying Wei, 3E1 Head of Administration and Human Resource
Anthony Tan, 3E2 Head of Service and Welfare
Lim Chu Rui, 3E1 Head of Training and Development
Isaac Heng, 3E1 Head of Resource Management

Kwan Yi Yan, 2E4 Assistant Administration and Human Resource (Internal Appointment)
Clarence Lim, 2E2 Assistant Service and Welfare (Internal Appointment)
Dennis Tan, 2A1 Assistant Training and Development (Internal Appointment)
Terry Chia, 2E2 Assistant Resource Management (Internal Appointment)

Not in Picture - Amos Kwek, 2E2 Internal Assistant for Communications and Events (Internal Appointment)

The new Executive-Committee (Ex-Co) for 2009-2010 has been selected. There are 5 secondary 2s (internal appointment) who will be assisting the Ex-Co in their work.

Communications and Events refers to mainly student welfare and student needs, event planning and Service Learning Club projects Also, school morning assembly and announcements and deployment for school/external events.

Administration and Human Resource oversees the Provisional Councillors, attendance and paperwork, councillor review, the contact lists.

Service and Welfare takes charge of the internal council welfare; council feedback & suggestions, the contact relay system, internal announcements, and council service awards.

Training and Development involves training schemes and programs, platforms for council discussion, in-service training and general development for councillors.

Resource Management takes care of council resources, event resources and is in charge of the council room, as well as managing the council files, blazer loan etc.

Discipline involves maintaining the high standard for councillors, day-to-day duty deployment, council grooming and attire.

Presidential Elections 2009

2009-07-07T01:16:00.000-07:00

The Presidential Election is here again. Please click on the photos to access their blogs.

Tay Wi Li, 3E2

Lim Chu Rui, 3E1

Brian Theng, 3E1

Our Montfort Life

2009-05-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

A Day in Montfort

God Alone (code: 001)

God Alone (code: 002)

Montfort School Heritage Centre Visit on 24th Apr 09

2009-04-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Christopher Ess and Victor Reyes browsing through an old school magazine

Goh PengYeow

Sammy and Simon Tan JweeSeng

The Secondary 4 cohorts of 1972 visited the Heritage Centre. They saw some of the old pictures and memorabilia displayed and brought back lots of fond memories. Mr. Kwee Song managed to take pictures of their old classes photo when they were at Secondary Two standards. It was a sweetest gathering spent.

Chua ChenHow, Dennis and Sammy

Chan HongSeng, Nicholas Lee HweeChoon and Chua ChenHow

Montfort School 1972 Golf Fund raising at Sembawang Golf Course

2009-04-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

KaiHow and ChenHow

Chee Meng,Philip and Song

Montfort School 1972 Golf Fund raising at Sembawang Golf Course was held earlier on 24 April 2009.

Dennis Mok

An afternoon of golf was spent with Sec 4 ex-Montfortians from year of 1972. There were 13 of the old boys plus 2 invited guests. A total of $1500 were generousity contributed by the ex-Montfortians, and we would like to thank Sembawang Golf Course GM, Charlie for his help to make this possible for the day.

Time for a cool beer after the game

Thanks you for making our cohort's gathering a wonderful and unforgetable event.

93rd Founder's Day

2009-04-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

Montfort school's 93rd Founder's Day was commemorated on the 25th of April 2009. As part of this year's programme, the Indoor Sports Hall(ISH) was officially opened. It is named the Chew Hua Seng Foundation Indoor Sports Hall after Mr. Chew Hua Seng, who was the Guest-of-Honor for the day.

After inspecting the guard-of-honor, Mr Chew, along with other distinguished guests toured the ISH. This was followed by a sports procession and showcase by the various sports groups like the basketball, tennis, softball and badminton teams. Also, boys from Montfort Secondary and Montfort Junior showcased a synchornised workout, something similar to our mass workout.

At the same time, there were several perfromances in the Montfort Secondary hall. This line-up included the Montfort Junior String Ensemble, Montfort Sec NPCC, TLDDS and a joint Wushu performance. Then, Mr Chew and guests from the ISH preceedings joined the hall programme.
Prizes were given out to oustanding students who had excelled in the previous year's 'N', 'O' levels and the PSLE exams. Also, teachers who had been recently promoted were given the due commendations.3 video presentations were shown; the first being on the life of Montfort, followed by a video on Montfort School and lastly, a photo slideshow on the earlier ISH opening. As a fitting end to the commemoration, 'Glory to thee Montfort' and the school song was played, and everyone in the hall sang their hearts out.

Brian Theng, 3e1

The Ubin Days

2009-04-03T00:51:00.000-07:00

For some, elation is the word to describe their end-of-the-dreaded-camp feeling. For others, it was an unforgettable experience, filled with fun and learning. I've learned that my class (3E1) is not just a bunch of study-hards put together - we're more than a class, we're a team.

We got to visit Chek Jawa, wetlands where we could see nature untouched. From mudskippers and crabs to jellyfish and a school of fishes, we could observe how these lived in their natural habitat, the mangrove. Sadly, we were there at high tide, and most of the corals were under the water. Still, we got to learn all about why these mangroves are so important to us and why we should conserve them.

The whole camp was, to me, about leadership and teamwork. It pushed us, at individuals, all the way to the top and more. But it also pushed us as a team. We motivated and kept each other going. We worked together towards a common goal and persevered all throughout the 4 days.

The best part of the camp was the kayaking refresher and expedition. For the refresher at Water Venture (Sembawang), we took the capsize and rescue seriously, but had loads of fun doing it as well. The two-man kayak gave us a opportunity to work together as a team, and when we had to raft up, a class.

The expedition out from Ubin Lodge to Frog Island was unique. A challenge was posed to us - when rafted up, everyone had to stand up and the guys from the kayaks at the end had to switch places. From this, I think a few leaders stepped out, and the others followed...we cooperated. Everything was possible. And when an initial idea didn't work out, we changed it quickly and efficiently.

Well, I learned that everyone had to work together, and never act alone. From kayaking to even going to a makeshift toilet(a tree) at 1am in the morning, we needed a buddy to make sure nothing happened. Motivation was the thing for the night walk. Though it wasn't as dark as it was supposed to be, some guys were not exactly hyped-up about it. But the others encouraged them.

As for the best memories, they cannot be captured on film, nor written down. I guess these are the times when we got to be with our friends. That was what that made the whole camp so special to me; The people I had around me. Nothing would have been fun without them, and nothing would mean something special if they were not there.

Maybe it's more than a 'man for others' here in Montfort. It's a brotherhood. A special bond that brings us close together. It's more than a 'discerning individual', but a collective class of people who stick to whatever is right, and make sure everyone else does it together with them. No one wants to say it, but I feel that we're closer than we think. We all love our friends. We show it in what we do. We don't say it.

Brian Theng, 3E1

ExHiLeaRate Week 2009

2009-04-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

The primary objective of ExHiLeaRate Week (31st March to 6th April 2008) is to provide the necessary platforms for Montfortians to exhibit as well as internalise School Values, selected “Habits of Mind” and Servant Leadership traits, aligned to the five aspects of the School Vision – ‘The Scholar’, ‘The Sportsman’, ‘The Gentleman’, ‘The Leader’ and ‘The Man for Others’.

Secondary One Montfortians were taken through a slew of activities to develop class and school spirit. A 2D1N camp at Sentosa forges a strong bond between the Sec One Montfortians. They have learnt on team-building activities and bonding, namely introduction to High- and Low- Elements, Rafting, Geocaching.

Secondary Two Montfortians focused on 1-Star Kayaking as well as Proficiency Level 1 Abseiling accreditation, Dragon-boating, Improvised Rafting, Rock-climbing and High Elements, in preparation for Montfort’s quest to participate in “The Hillary Challenge”.

Secondary Three Montfortians roughed it out in a 4D3N Camp on Pulau Ubin, where they challenged themselves to Kayaking Refresher Course, Orienteering, Night Walk, and Eco Programme at Chek Jawa.

The Secondary Four Normal (Technical) students also gained advance module accreditation from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) when they undertook the Category A Elective Module, Video Production.

Aside from fun activities, there were serious enrichment training activities like Math Trails, and PET Rocket for the Secondary One. These activities are designed to motivate pupils to learn Math and Science in an interesting way.

Also activity such as Community Waypoint Challenge also designed to toughen up the Secondary Two to prepare them for the CIP/Service-Learning. They have visited and gained insights into Charitable Homes and VWOs in the vicnity of Hougang/Serangoon.

Lastly, for the Sec 4E/4N/5N students, various enrichment programmes such as Motivational Course by Adam Khoo Programme, IP, ECG Portal, NE Survey,and *CIP (for selected classes) are also conducted to motivate and cultivate good learning habits for extensive knowledge acquistion for the Montfortians.

10th Annual Track and Field Meet

2009-03-28T04:11:00.000-07:00

On the 27th of March, the school went down to Hougang Stadium for sports day. Despite the rainy weather we have been having, the skies were clear and the sun was out for sports day.With the spirits high, the houses relentlessly cheered for their runners, with one record being broken this year.For this year's mass participation, almost everyone from each of the 4 houses went on to the track in support of the Angsana Home. The teachers also ran a short race while the whole school cheered them on.
And at the end of the day, Proulx was crowned overall champion for the third year running. Gonzaga came a close 2nd with Majella and Berthomieu following.
Brian Theng, 3e1

Montfort sports

2009-03-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

Badminton
The badminton boys took the North Zone Badminton Championships in both the 'C' and 'B' divisions. They beat Singapore Sports School 4-1 in both games.

Softball
Our softball giants took 3rd in the 'B' division nationals. After being the first 'B' div team ever to make it to the semi-finals, they went on to beat Catholic High at the 3rd/4th placing to clinch the bronze.

4 Boys' Town students to help build India hospital - Feb 29 ST

2009-03-02T06:19:00.000-08:00

NEWS FROM BOYS TOWN SINGAPORE

4 Boys' Town students to help build India hospital
They are among 70 youth involved in project in May
By Lim Jun Yi -

WHEN the teenager's behaviour became too much for his parents to bear, they put the 16-year-old into the Boys' Town.

John, as he wishes to be called to protect his identity, has spent only 11/2 years there but he is making such good progress that last month, he was named the Boys' Town Model Student of the Month

He has come a long way. And in May, he will go even further.
He will be among 70 young people who will be roughing it out in India's Nilgiri mountains.

They will be working alongside skilled masons to construct a 2,600 sq ft hospital for the local community, which now has
no ready access to medical facilities.

The project, called Operation Vannakam, is undertaken by the Raleigh Society (Singapore). It aims to give youth of all backgrounds an opportunity to contribute to society.

Four of the 63 Boys' Town students who applied for the programme were accepted.

John and three of his schoolmates will spend five weeks involved in manual labour - foundation work, brick-laying, roofing, tiling, flooring and painting.
They will join other youth volunteers aged 15 to 35 from various fields, among them, bankers, lawyers and photographers.

The organisers hope that by providing access to medical facilities, they will help to improve the socio-economic and health conditions of the local community.
Mr Daniel Tan, the expedition's director, said: 'We wanted to include all youths. All the participants, without exception, should be allowed to develop their full potential and acquire skills that will stand them in good stead in life.'
John intends to keep a detailed journal of his trip.

'I hope that it will be a life- changing experience,' he said.

'The first people that I will share it with are my Boys' Town brothers, of course.'

NCDCC UOPA Award 2008

2009-02-25T18:19:00.000-08:00

Last year, Montfort NCDCC took part in the first ever NCDCC UOPA Award, a competition to recognize and reward the best performing units.

We are proud to announce that Montfort is one of the only 4 schools in Singapore to be awarded Gold, the highest award achievable. This is indeed due recognition to the hard work of the Montfort cadets, who in 2008 truly lived up to their motto of ‘Learn, Lead and Serve’ through their active engagement in various activities, for example: 1) educating the public in Hougang on fire safety during Emergency Preparedness Day, 2) taking part in SCDF Exercise Northstar where they learnt how to evacuate the public on board ships in the open sea and 3) also took part in the National Day Parade. Although a young unit, this award validates and confirms the hard work and maturity of Montfort’s NCDCC.

"Many thanks to the Principal, Vice Principals, Teachers, Parents and other UG Groups who have helped brought NCDCC thus far" - Contributed by Kevin Pang C.K .

RESULTS OF NPCC UNIT OVERALL PROFICIENCY AWARD 2008

2009-02-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

Montfort NPCC unit was awarded GOLD for our efforts in 2008.

A warm congratulation to all our dedicated and committed Teacher Officers, Honoury Officer, Cadet Inspectors, Cadets (Sec 1 to 5), ex-cadets and not forgetting our parents for making this possible.

" Thanks everyone in supporting NPCC activities to make it a success - E.g. teachers for allowing cadets to attend HQ courses/events in the afternons and making sacrifices to shift the some of the cadets'enrichment programme to another date, etc. " - speech by Vincent Loh (DM)

" Congratulations to all the NPCC teacher officers too! I've observed your NPCC trainings countless times, and have always thought that NCDCC have so much we can (and have tried to) learn from you. A well deserved Gold. :) " - speech by Kevin (Teacher)

Thank you all for your wonderful work.

- Contributed by Mr. Vincent Loh.

Snippet from Xavier College run by Brothers of St Gabriels in Fiji

2009-02-17T15:18:00.000-08:00

EDUCATION - Prefects embody the best in student qualities
17-Feb-2009
http://fijidailypost.com/feature.php?date=20090217&index=736

Address by FILIPE BOLE Interim Minister for Education at the Prefects’ Investiture Ceremony, Xavier College, at 11.00am on Friday, February 13, 2009.

I am deeply honoured to be joining you all on this special day, to commission a number of very special students, who will, no doubt, be expected to uphold the ideals of this exemplary institution.

And firstly, may i heartily congratulate the prefects and their families for the appointments that will be officially conferred on you today.

I understand that the nomination and selection process here is quite rigorous, and you all should be justifiably proud of your appointment.

Your nomination as prefects of Xavier College, is a milestone achievement, and i have no doubts at all that your parents and your families are immensely proud of you today.

Furthermore, I am sure that the whole Xavier community is thoroughly delighted and take much pride and absolute enjoyment, in seeing you rise to leadership positions in this great school.

The great leader:

Ladies and gentlemen, more than 2,600 years ago, the famous Chinese sage, Lao Tzo, wrote what is known as the Tao Te Ching, a classic piece of literature that outlined leadership qualities and integrity.

Leadership, according to the ancient sage involved humility, generosity, empathy, and even a dash of spontaneity. In over two thousand years since then, many would argue that very little has changed.

And today, I wish to remind the 2009 prefects of Xavier College, that the best way to approach your leadership role is by being humble, generous, being full of empathy, and by being spontaneous when the need arises.

The term “prefect’ is derived from the Latin word “praefectus”, which literally means “put in front” or “put in charge”.

And for the popular roman army, the prefects were the front line troops.

For those of you who have been selected as prefects, it would be remiss of me not to remind you that immediately after your investiture, you will begin with a new set of challenges, and from here on, you are expected to form the front line, in all matters related to this school.

While times have changed, entering the realm of student leadership remains both a challenge and an honour.

Prefects are expected to embody the best in student qualities, that the school has to offer. You will, no doubt play a major role in building up this school as it aspires to better academic greatness.

You will, as of today play a major role in strengthening the unique characteristics of Xavier College, as it asserts its values and priorities. For many of the prefects, this will be your first exposure to leadership.

It will likely be the first in a lifelong journey of leadership – something Xavier College students are known for – a tradition, i hope all of you will carry on in humility in line with the charisma of this institution.

Over the years, the concept of leadership has gained a lot of attention for academic and practical analysis. Models such as “transformational leadership”, “servant-leadership”, “authentic leadership”, to name a few, have been vigorously debated upon.

The leader-subordinate relationship:

But ironically, there seems to be very little on the role of subordinates. After all, without the subordinates, the leaders will have no one to lead.

And in a school such as Xavier College, where the population is slightly over 700 students - and the student body made up of 18 prefects - on average, each prefect is expected to be in charge of about 40 subordinates.

I definitely do not envy you for your job!

Ladies and gentlemen, while we can argue about what makes a good leader, it is perhaps just as important to know what makes a good subordinate, and what ingredients make an effective leader-subordinate relationship, eventually develop into greatness.

I am of the opinion that the key lies in a reciprocal-exchange relationship. Over the course of the year, both sides will need to develop a healthy leader-subordinate relationship.

And the foundation of this relationship, I am deeply convinced lies in higher levels of trust. In all human relationships, trust is extremely important, and as many of us are aware, a very important variable in developing trust are our individual personality traits.

Be reminded that despite our different personalities, in order for a leader-subordinate, or prefect-student relationship to flourish, our differing personalities must be nurtured to snap into place, like a well-constructed jigsaw.

Having said that, I am convinced that this college, has very successfully achieved such a relationship amongst its stakeholders. The successes of Xavier College, speak volumes of the commitment and dedication of those who have been part of this school over the years.

The Columban Fathers who established the school in 1953 prepared a firm and credible foundation, I am sure. The Montfort Brothers of St Gabriel, who took over the reins in 1988, have taken the school to such great heights.

Scoring 100 per cent pass, over the last 20 years for FJC, and 100 per cent pass in FSLC for the fifth consecutive year, is no mean feat.

I am told the school has also managed to score a 100 per cent pass for four years in a row for Form Seven. You certainly deserve to celebrate your achievements.

But before we begin that celebration, it is only fitting that I conclude with a final word of advice to the special people in whose honour we are all gathered here.

To the 2009 prefects of Xavier College, as you begin your first day as commissioned leaders, the demands placed on you will require you to think in an open and collaborative way. My advice to you is to always work to make a difference - each day -
having no regrets.

Secondly – learn to embrace change.

I am told that the school’s theme for the year is “change for the better”. Indeed, I would think that the position of prefect provides a marvellous opportunity to change many things and many students for the better. In consultation with your teachers, you must learn to embrace change, to shape it, to create new changes constantly.

Thirdly, I strongly recommend that you to take the Hippocratic Oath of doing no harm to anyone. I encourage you to do more than that, of course.

But if that’s all everyone did everyday – just getting the base right – what a great world this would be!

On a specific and practical level, one activity that most prefects spend a lot of their time doing is talking. They give out instructions, they reiterate the school rules, they remind students of good behaviour, and they stand in for the teachers, when teachers are
not around.

And for this reason, school prefects need to understand that they will have to be very careful with what they say. The inspirational Mother Theresa once said “kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Wonderful words of wisdom!

And finally, I urge you all to keep your senses. Keep your sense of balance. Today you have an additional role to play.

In this life, the roles we play are certain to conflict at times.

You are subordinate to your teachers, you are leaders to your colleagues, you are a student of the school, a son or a daughter at home. Harness the skills to strike the proper balance.

Secondly, keep your sense of identity. Your sense of getting to know the inner “you”.

While there are times when you must let go to grow, you must never let go of who you
really are, where you came from, and what you believe in. This is so vitally important.

Keep your feet firmly rooted to the ground, and never ever let the additional power that comes with the position, detract you from the core values and virtues that make you a good person.

Your selection as prefect is proof of your existing good qualities. Remain humble, be vigilant and most importantly just be yourself.

Finally, by all means, keep your sense of humour.

A successful leader, once said that “in the whole scheme of things, humour is our only tie breaker. It is our ultimate sanity check. It is the only thing separating us from other mammals roaming the earth”.

I couldn’t agree more. So hold on tightly to your sense of humour. I applaud you for your decision to serve this school and the community.

And I know you are fully prepared. Indeed, I applaud your courage, and i share your optimism.

Finally, to Brother George and the whole Xavier community, thank you for having me here, and I wish the school, the very best that this year has to offer.

Badminton Fixture updates

2009-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

On request from Alumni members and students, these are the fixtures for the North Zone and National Badminton Finals. Montfort is currently playing in the Zone championships:

1. North Zone Championships

a. C Boys finals - 23 Feb 2009, 1430 hrs@Montfort Secondary School Indoor Sports Hall

b. B Boys finals - 25 Feb 2009, 1430 hrs@Montfort Secondary School Indoor Sports Hall

2. National Championships

a. Individual Championships - 24 Mar 2009, 1300 hrs@Jurong East Sports Hall

b. Team Championships for B and C divisions - 21 April, 2009@Jurong East Sports hall

15 Dec 2008 - Leadership Changes

2008-12-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

1. Welcome Mr Andrew Tan to Montfort

As of 15 Dec, Mr Andrew Tan is the new Principal of Montfort Secondary School. We congratulate and welcome him to Monfort and we look forward to his leadership & wisdom.

2. Thank you Mr Simen

A farewell was conducted for Mr Simen by the School Executive Committee (SEC) and attended by staff and his Grace, Archbishop Nicholas Chia. The highlight was Bro. Emmanuel's tribute to Mr Simen when he said that "Mr Simen embodied the charism of St Louis Grignion De Montfort". Mr Simen was principal of Montfort Sec School for 8 years from 2000 to 2008 revolutionized the school in many ways.

3. Graduating Students Dinner 14 Nov 2008

The 4E/5N and 4NT students had their graduating students dinner on 14 Nov. It was a fun-filled event with loads of games and even a Mr Montfort Competition! In a very well-run and well-organized event, the dinner showed the good sport and true spirit of true Montfortians!

Mr Simen

2008-10-14T01:54:00.000-07:00

Today Mr Simen announced that he would be leaving Montfort after 8 years as principal. He said that Mr Andrew Tan would be taking over as of next year. During the eight years, Montfort changed it's starting time to 8:30 to curb the late-coming problem. The alternative uniform was introduced, the Valor@Montfort opened and mass workout began; amongst many other firsts. Mr Simen greatly encouraged the students to do well in whatever they did and greatly supported the sports teams and other CCAs. He is posted to Henderson Secondary School.

Brian Theng, 2E4

Montfort in the News

2008-09-25T02:50:00.001-07:00

(Click to Enlarge)
Straits Times 25 September 2008

Montfort Wrestling

2008-09-22T03:44:00.000-07:00

Cael Sanderson
On the 22nd of September, four sec 2 classes were treated to a meeting with Cael Sanderson and three others who are part of a newly formed organization for wrestling in Singapore. Cael Sanderson is a 4-time consecutive NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) champion and a undefeated college record of 159 - 0. Among many other accomplishments, Cael Sanderson is an Olympic Gold Medalist of 2004 in the 84kg category.

Being a Giant
Mr Sanderson told the Montfortians that to succeed in anything, one must have that focus required. This also includes prioritizing, staying committed and working hard. He spoke about wrestling, and how many things can be learned from the sport. Wrestling teaches, he said, responsibility and accountability because it's one-on-one and not a team effort. Courage and confidence and also be learned from the sport. In 2006, he became the Head Coach of Iowa State University taking over Bobby Douglas.

Life Lessons
When answering questions posed by some of the Montfortians, he said to never be satisfied with what we have already achieved. If we are, things (eg. going to school) would get to boring. Therefore, we should keep going and trying to beat ourselves. When asked how many times he lost, Mr Sanderson said that he lost several times but he learned more from losing than winning. He also stated that it is important to participate and that "you'll never regret trying."

Mr Sanderson also spoke about wrestling in general and about dreaming big, because anyone can accomplish his dreams. "When you see a person on a mountain, you know he did not fall there." What this means is that to reach any goal, one must take it day-by-day, step-by-step, just like climbing a mountain where the trail gets steeper and harder and the climber must keep working harder to reach the summit.

Being whatever you want to be
Mr Edmund Lim said that wrestling is a sport that teaches positive values. As part of post-examination activities, some sec 2 classes will try out wrestling and any potential players could be short-listed. Who knows, one of our Montfortians could be part of the wrestling team of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Mr Mike Denoma said that Montfort could be Singapore's top wrestling school as we could start wrestling next year.

Brian Theng, 2E4

Mid-Autumn Festival

2008-09-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

The school’s Mid-Autumn Festival was held on the 12th of September 2008. The students, some with their parents, trickled into school and by 7.30 everyone was seated and eager for the night’s activities to begin. Only thing missing was the teachers. Unknown to them, the teachers were waiting for the signal to proceed out to the quadrangle, carrying their eye-catching lanterns.

Huge cheers were heard when the students saw their teachers and after everyone settled, the emcees, together with Mr Edmund Lim and several other teachers, officially declared the event opened. The first performance of the night was by the Montfort Wushu Team. They displayed their highly precise and quick movements, both with and without weapons. Some of them even swung their weapons only inches away from the audience. After a short game involving bean bags and colored wood pieces, the first competition involved three pairs of student-teacher to peel a pomelo and hand out pieces to the audience.

The next performance was a Chinese dancer, who danced something about the moon and the mid-autumn festival. Then the about four groups of students who had a mini Chapteh competition, which was judged by three chosen teachers. The teams had to display teamwork and not let only one person do all the work. Next was the CLDDS performance, which involved the actors saying Chinese tongue twisters, and it got quite difficult as they had to saw it to a beat. As the night’s event was about to draw to a close, a game of Gasing was played, with two teachers first explaining how the game worked. For the last event and competition of the night, three pairs of student-teacher made a mooncake. The teachers were Mr Foran, Mr Chrys Ho and Mr Lim Kim Huat. First, they were taught by Mdm Su. Then, they had to do it on their own.

After the performances and competitions were held, everyone was invited to the canteen for light refreshments like fruits, mooncakes and kueh. The parents who came were able to talk to the teachers and students got to do the same. Everyone enjoyed the event and went home with the same smiles.

Done By:
Brian Theng
with Colin Hernandez and Lucas Yap

The Jam - Sept 16 2008

2008-09-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

1. EL Jam

The 'Jam' is an informal gathering of musicians to play improvised or unrehearsed music. It's a Jazz noun meaning "short, free improvised passage performed by the whole band" and dates back from 1929, and yielded the idea of a jam session (1933); Most probably, it comes form the word 'jam' (n.), because it was "something sweet, something excellent."

The EL Department had a Jam competition where students took turns picking a topic from a bag. They then had to speak one minute on the given topic. Some topics included 'Hobbies' and 'The best thing about being a teenager'. Interestingly, someone just had to mention 'KNOWING GIRLS' as one of the best thing about being a teenager. I wonder how come 'zits' never figured prominently in the 'jam'.

2. Another Vice-Principal

Mr Simen announced to the school that there was a new Vice-Principal attached to the school. He is Mr Andrew Tan, former Vice-Principal of Meridian Junior College. Mr Tan gave out Sepak Takraw Prizes for the Inter-House Takraw competition.

It was interesting to note that although Sepak Takraw is a game of Malay origins, there were many teams with a good racial mix. Some Chinese students even won the Most Valuable Player award for their teams.

3. The Origins of Sepak Takraw (from http://www.bangkok.com/sport-sepak-takraw/origins-&-history.html)

Sepak and Takraw roughly refer to the kicking, smashing motion the players use to knock the ball around and across the net.

Where sepak takraw originated from remains a matter of intense debate in Southeast Asia, as several countries proudly claim it as their own. Whilst this may never be satisfactorily determined, there is some agreement that the game was introduced to Southeast Asia through commercial contact with China, where an ancient form of the game originated.

It is believed that many variations of the game evolved from an ancient Chinese military exercise, where soldiers would try to keep a feathered shuttlecock airborne by kicking it back and forth between two people. As the sport developed, the animal hide and chicken feathers were eventually replaced by balls made of woven strips of rattan. The first versions of sepak takraw were not so much of a competition, but rather cooperative displays of skill designed to exercise the body, improve dexterity and loosen the limbs after long periods of sitting, standing or working.

The modern version of sepak takraw is fiercely competitive and began taking shape in Thailand almost 200 years ago. In 1829, the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for the game. Four years later, the association introduced the volleyball-style net and held the first public contest. Within just a few years, sepak takraw was introduced to the Physical Training curriculum in schools.

In Bangkok, the murals at Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing sepak takraw in a ring with a troop of fellow monkeys. Other historical accounts also mention the game earlier during the reign of King Naresuan of Ayutthaya. The game became such a cherished local custom that an exhibition of volleyball-style sepak takraw was staged to celebrate the kingdom's first constitution in 1933, the year after Thailand abolished absolute monarchy.

Nowadays, sepak takraw is played on a modified badminton doubles court, with the net standing five feet above the ground. Each team consists of three players; left inside, right inside and back server.

Almost every nation that played this game knew it by a different name. In Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, it's called 'sepak raga', whereas in Thailand it's commonly known as 'takraw'. The same game goes by the name of 'sipa' in the Philippines, 'da cau' in Vietnam, 'rago' in Indonesia, and 'kator' in Laos. Since sepak takraw was played and enjoyed in several countries, there were a lot of inconsistencies in terms of how the game was played and judged.

In 1960, representatives from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Lao and Thailand met in Kuala Lumpur to standardise rules and regulations for the game. And after a long and heated debate, consensus was reached that the sport would henceforth be officially called sepak takraw

They also formed the Asian Sepak Takraw Federation (ASTAF), and translated the rules into English, setting the stage for the first international competition, held in Malaysia in 1965, at the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, or SEAP Games, the predecessor to today's Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). This chain of events set the stage for the international development of sepak takraw. However, it was the replacement of the natural rattan ball, which tended to splinter and warp, with the more standardised synthetic plastic ball that really kicked the game's popularity into high gear.

In 1990, sepak takraw was included at the Asian Games in Beijing. Women also got in on the action with the first women's championships in Thailand hosted in 1997. Today, more than 20 countries have national sepak takraw associations with representatives on the board of the global governing body, the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF).

News from Montfort College, Chiangmai

2008-09-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back to School

Hope your first few weeks of school have gone smoothly. I can't tell you how great it feels to know that everyone is back in school as I have been teaching since the middle of July and am soon to be on break. It is still monsoon season here and the rains have been like no other than I have experienced before. It is a lot of fun to sit and watch out over the river during a storm.

Teaching bilingual science to the boys can be a challenge when I am teaching without my Thai teacher. Fifty-four students in a class is hard to handle. Luckily it is only on rare occasions that I am left alone with them. They don't mess around with a Thai teacher in the room. My favorite times are working in the computer lab classes a week and teaching conversational English to other teacher is also fun.

One of my favorite adventures so far was our trip to the border school. It is one of the queen's special projects for the hill tribe living on the border of Burma. (Myanmar) This is where my son Toby will be a volunteer and spend a few months up there. We traveled for about two hours by van and turned onto a dirt road for another half hour up into the mountains. The school is in a valley surrounded by mountains and vibrant green forests. About thirty students attend the school and are of all ages from about five to eighteen. The children were all dressed up and ready to greet us when we arrived.

Our Montfort boys brought each student a large bag of rice. The people of the village are very poor. The people of the village have been taught to grow cash crops like corn in the place of what they used to grow in the past. It was a great trip and I would like to volunteer a week up there myself. I am learning how to cross the street without getting hit and this is no easy task. I usually walk to school each morning which takes me around fifteen minutes.

Most times people will stop and offer me a ride when they see the uniform or the Montfort shirt. This can be embarrassing if they stop on a motorcycle and you are wearing a skirt. The women here ride sidesaddle in skirts and dresses on these small bikes and they hold on to nothing. They must have exceptional balance. I had to tell the man I preferred to walk because I knew that if I tried toride that way, we would have ended up in an accident and that would not have been pretty.

http://carolhinsdale.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

Excerpts from a Blog from an Alumni

2008-08-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!

This morning, I went back to Montfort Secondary School to visit my teachers! I bought 9 chocolate bars with nuts to the school. I saw my form teacher Mdm Nora. I said hi to her and passed her one of the chocolate bar!

Later i saw Mrs Helen Tan!!!! My favourite POA teacher in my secondary school days! I ask what happened to her because I heard about her surgery and she says she is fine already. So Glad! I passed one of the choco bars to her as well, chatted with her abit and she is doing great! =) Cheers! She is still so cheerful as before! Take good care alright!

I saw my English teacher, Mrs Lee Poh Lin, and she's great! She is a very nice teacher as well!

I saw my Combined Science teachers Mrs Jamie Tan and Mr Leonard Ng and kind of miss my Chinese teachers from China. They have left the school and I hope they are doing great! I was surprised to see Mr Bao Hong Liang outside a classroom! I remember vividly that he was one of my brother's favourite Chinese teacher. I went forward to greet him and asked him if he remembered my brother. I was surprised that he remembered my brother after so many years.

I had not seen him for years and inquired about this.

'How come so many years never see you'

He said he recently returned to teach this year. He even said I looked my my brother. Haha! Wow! It has been so many years and he still remembers my brother. That's cool!

I miss Montfort school although I do have some bitter memories. The teachers are the only ones I miss so much! I also miss my principal, Mr Simen Lourds!!!!!! He is really a great man!!!!! Long live Mr Simen Lourds!!!!! 3 CHEERS FOR HIM!!!!!

- S... K...

Aug 29 - Teacher's Day

2008-08-29T16:06:00.001-07:00

There were three special events which marked Aug 29

a. Teacher's Day
b. ACES Day (All Children Exercise Simultaneously Day)
c. Prize Presentation for students

The day began with the usual mass exercise in our school but it was poignant to note that simultaneously, in all other schools in Singapore, there were also exercises done there. The campaign underscores the importance of health and fitness in a holistic education.

We then proceeded to the hall for a quiet reflection on the role that teachers play in our lives.

Mr Simen then addressed the school and our prize presentations were underway. Prize winners received certificates for doing well in their subjects. It serves as a motivator to strive on.

The Secondary 4N and 4NT students who would be sitting for their English Language, Chinese and Social Studies examinations during the one week break were also given pins to motivate them to live up to the school motto of 'Age Quod Agis'. School leaders, subject teachers and form teachers pinned a 'Sprinting Giant' pin on their collars, telling them that when the 'chips were down' and when all else looked bleak or stressful, look at the pin and feel like it's an angel on your shoulders, easing your burden and knowing that we are all behind them.

The Teacher's Day then began with a whole host of exciting and interesting activities:

a. A Break Dance performance by a group whom we spotted dancing in school.

b. A song by Benedict Yeo from 3A2

c. A game which received roars of laughter which called for you to identify your teacher based on photographs of our teachers' back, hair, eyes, hands, eyes, children's photographs.

d. A very funny and humorous skit about teacher and students exchanging souls for a day.

e. A solemn pledge taken by teachers to educate students to be holistic individuals.

Photos:

Matthew Seong

If they happen to ask you about Montfort School...

2008-08-12T04:59:00.000-07:00

Why are you doing this?

At a very special Contact Time intended only for teachers, Mr Simen spoke about the importance of being clear on what we are doing:

"In all that you do...in whatever programs you are taking charge of and involved in, do you know what you're doing?", he asked. He emphasized the importance of always asking yourself, "Why are you doing things".

At Montfort School, the reason why we do things is very simple:

A. The School Mission and Vision

All our programs are geared towards sharing and achieving the school vision and mission.

(i) School Mission (Why We Exist). Montfort is a Catholic School. We nurture students to be compassionate and discerning individuals through a holistic education.

(ii) School Vision (At the end of the day, we can only hope our students will be like this...) He will be a discerning and compassionate individual who is a scholar, a sportsman, a gentleman, a leader and above all, a man for others.

Mr Simen, then expounded and re-iterated for the 5819th time what a scholar, sportsman, gentleman and leader is.

The Scholar: The Scholar is not cramming your head for examinations and then just doing well in it and acing his exams for its own sake. It is someone who is focussed, disciplined and inquisitive. He comes to school regularly and does the work assigned regularly. He does his best and his all in his studies. He does not let any family or financial situation or obstacle disadvantage him because he always does his best.

The Sportsman: The Sportsman is not merely the sportsman who represents the school as a player. He participates in PE and CCAs actively. The Montfortian sportsman is the person with determination, perseverance, and a never-say-die attitude. He also exhibits sportsmanship / gamesmanship.

The Gentleman: The Gentleman is compassionate and discerning. He constantly knows what is right. They know the appropriate behavior in different settings and work well with others.

The Leader: The leader sets examples for others. He is responsible because he is a discerning individual who is able to distinguish right from wrong. He is confident and takes the lead in any challenges posed to him.

B. The Desired Outcomes of Education

"Its not how much you do (or how many programs you have), its whether everything to do is geared towards the desired outcomes of education". Mr Simen quoted the former Director-General of Education and expounded on its meaning.

The Desired Outcome of Education is to develop the individual and the citizen. Values as the foundation of the person.

At the end of Secondary School, students should:

a. Have Moral Integrity

b. Have Care and Concern for Others

c. Work in teams and value every contribution

d. Be Enterprising and Innovative

e. Have a broad-based foundation for further education

f. Believe in their ability

g. Appreciate the aesthetics

h. Know and Believe in Singapore

C. School Values

The school values are:

a. Faith

b. Compassion

c. Integrity

d. Humility

e. Respect and Teamwork

f. Passion

g. Perseverance

How can we be sure that when a student the school he has these values and has reached the school vision of being a Man for Others? Well, he is trained this way. We hope and we pray, leaving all in God's providence, that with the many processes we have put in place and by never wavering from the school vision and mission, we have trained and programmed our student in this manner for lifelong learning as a process. Education is about giving people hope and that confidence

D. TEACHERS ARE THE KEY (for teachers only)

The 3 SEM core values underlying people management are: (i) Leading with Purpose; (ii) Students First; (iii) Teachers the Key.

The key is the teachers. "You and I run this school" Mr Simen said, "We run things and manage this for our students". He emphasized that it was important for all staff to feel relaxed, empowered, confidant and to carry themselves well and to be happy about our school.

It is also important to be clear about:

(i) The approach that you take

(ii) The deployment - what levels. Whether student laders, by levels, what levels/ depts.

(iii) Assessment and Review - at the committees; at strategic planning sessions, department meeting and whether important data is presented to us. How do you know?

Before Mr Simen ended, he iterated,

"CLARITY AND SHARED VISION FOR EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT. IT BUILDS SCHOOL CULTURE" (AND WE HAVE HAD 92 YEARS OF THIS SINCE 1916)

It should give us the motivation, confidence and swagger to speak as a team with one voice.

Heritage Quest V - The Northeast Line. 10 Aug 2008

2008-08-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Heritage Quest V was held on 10 August 2008 at Hougang Mall. The theme was 'The Northeast Line'. It was the 5th exhibition held to get our students to conduct exhibitions for the purpose of public education. This time, the focus was on takin their projects beyond the Upper Serangoon district into interesting sites along the Northeast Line. They also blogged on their research and participated in an amazing race to get to know these palces better.

The Guest of Honour for our event was NMP and ASEAN Outstanding Youth of the Year 2008, Ms Eunice Olsen. She was accompanied by several of our students who were her cousins. She also surprised everyone with her candid nature and friendliness. Many of her uncles and cousins were educated in Montfort.

The day began with the Kompang boys welcoming her and a silk gift given to her. The Wushu performance was fantastic! Especially even on such a small stage. Several old boys even returned to peform. The chorale, fresh from their performance from the National Day Parade the day before (they returned only at midnight) also sang three songs. The TLDDS also performed an Indian dance. It was a very successful event with many members of the community, stopping during their morning marketing, to view the exhibitions and the event.

National Day - Youth Racial Harmony Day

2008-08-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

1. Youth and Racial Harmony Day, 25 April postponed

Youth and Racial Harmony Day was postponed because our canteen vendor Mr Daniel Hoe passed away during the week. He had been with us for 10 years and we keep him in our prayers. Prayers were said in the morning for him and a condolence book laid out for the week. He leaves behind his wife and two son.s We keep him in our prayers

2. ASEAN Day, 7 August 2008

Montfort School celebrated ASEAN Day on 7 August. Mr Lloyd Yeo read out the message from the Director-General of Schools. He began by asking students 'where are you from?' and emphasized the importance of feeling and being Asian because it gives all of us a common sense of identity and sense of belonging.

3. National Day / Racial Harmony Day 8 August 2008

The National Day and Youth and Racial Harmony Day was celebrated on on 8 August 2008. There was a joint observance ceremony held in the School Field. It was delightful to see Montfort School as one full school. Students then proceeded to the hall for a hall assembly. It featured an Indian Dance, Video clips on 'Common Space' and a wonderful performance by teachers singing Kit Chan's recent National Day song. In the true spirit of racial harmony, Ms Rashidah, Mrs Prema, Mr Christopher Foran, Mr Edwin Lee and many other teachers sang the song in mandarin.

There was also the Annual Youth and Racial Harmony fair held. Class 4E2 were champs again in raising the most amount of funds. The Parent Support Group even had a store and came in a close second. A total of $8,155 was raised for the School Pocket Fund for our needy students.

Montfort Chorale will perform as part of the National Day Combined Schools Choir during the N-Day parade on 9 August 2008.

Montfort Softball

2008-08-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

1. Montfort Softball Team beat ACS 5-3 and held on a last minute surge to enter the Semi-Finals of the National Softball Tournament

2. Montfort Softball Team calls themselves 'Giants' and slew the Chinese High team 4-0 to enter into the Finals of the National Softball Tournament.

3. Montfort Softball Team lost out to Raffles Institution 5-8 in a hard fought game held at TPJC. Montfort softball team are the second best team in Singapore!

Montfort had won several SRC Championships but never come in second in the Nationals. Their last Top 4 Standing was in 2003 and 2004. We wish our Montfort Softball team all their best in their future performance and hope the sporting culture at Montfort continues to grow.

The spirit rages on

2008-08-06T04:20:00.000-07:00

At Tampines JC, our Montfortian Giants played against Raffles Institution for the title of National Softball Champions. Despite their hardest efforts, the giants were unable to win their first National title. Nevertheless, the Montfortian spirit will not falter. The silver medals they got are definitely worth ten times more than gold, because they played with all the heart and gave it all. Though they were disappointed by the loss, which was only by a small margin, they will definitely return to the finals next year, even more eager to win the title. As Winston Churchill said, "Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.", the school is extremely proud of the team making it this far and this close. Reaching the final took about 8 years in the making, winning it will take far less than that, we the kind of 'never say never' can-do spirit which the team possess. I'm sure the team will return to give another 100% plus the 200% they gave today.

Brian Theng, 2E4

Student Council President Elections

2008-08-01T00:54:00.000-07:00

Student Council President Elections
On the First of August, the whole school gathered at the hall for the Q&A session with the two student council president candidates, Boey Teng Ann(3E1) and Daniel Lee(3E1). The student population was able to pose questions and clarify any doubts during the session.

No Promise
With Mr Victor Ong as moderator, queries where quickly raised and it almost became like a mini-debate session. One asked why there were the candidates made no promises for them. Their response: not all promises can be kept as the president is not the ultimate authority in school, whichi is the principal. Therefore making promises that may not be kept would only anger the student. Promises that are possible may take a long time to fufill. But one promise they can keep is to promise that they do the right thing, and not what is popular or easy.

Councillors
Several questions were asked about the student councillors and their bad points. The simple response was that the councillors are people, and noone is perfect and make mistakes. Questions about the council were not really related as the Q&A session was for the school.

Raising the bar
One student posed the question of raising the standard of the students and not only the councillors. The candidates agreed that a change in the council is needed first, as they are of smaller size. Then, with the councillors as better role models, the students would most likely follow their example. That way, the whole school's image could be changed.

The reason why the the candidates posed questions back to the school population as some of the questions asked were not thought through first.

Daniel Lee wishes to get the student population to suggest what they want to see/have in school and will impliment student character development, together with the school's current programme, to fufill his vision of 'everyone is a man of reason'.

Boey Teng Ann hopes to use his knowledge, experience and ability to take action and get results to win the election.

Overall, they feel that as it is just the 2nd time the whole school is electing the president, the school is not 'seasoned' enough for a true and real election. What they can also promise is the fact that no matter what the outcome of the election is, they will work together for the benefit of the school. The results of the election would be releasd on the 4th of August, Monday

Written by:
Brian Theng, 2E4

Boiled Frog Theory

2008-07-29T16:03:00.001-07:00

Mr Simen reminded the school about the importance to gather quickly at assembly session and that there were a minority who were either:

a. Too unconcerned about starting the day well and doing the small things well.
b. Those who just simply didn't care.

He then demonstrated how students should get ready quickly for the assembly with Mr Faizan and told a real interesting parable of the boiled frog

The boiling frog story states that a frog can be boiled alive if the water is heated slowly enough — it is said that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will never jump out.
The story is generally told in a figurative context, with the upshot being that people should make themselves aware of gradual change and aware of its surroundings. They should gravitate towards school as an organization otherwise in the future they would be a jeopardy to others and to themselves.

Passing on of our School Canteen Operator, Mr Daniel Hoe

2008-07-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

On 22 July, a special assembly and announcement was made in the hall by Mr Simen about the passing on of our school canteen operator,Mr Daniel Hoe. He was popularly known to us as Uncle Daniel.

On the 21st of July, Monday 7pm++ He passed away in Hospital because of cardiac arrest. Here are some excerpts we were able to gather from our student blogs:

"I left school around 4.45pm and I can't believe he passed away. He was a healthy and active man. As a person,he was ever so cheerful,and never failed to greet us with a smile when we purchase drinks from him. He was a person with a generous heart,and a charitable spirit. This year, as with so many of our years, he had even donated to us coconuts to be sold by my class at the Youth and Racial Harmony day Funfair"

"I remember he was very helpful,and offered much assitance when i went with a few classmates to get the drinks and coconuts from him..He even lend us a big bucket to put the drinks..Not forgetting the ice that we use during the Funfair was kindly donated by him."

"I remember his selfless acts,staying back till 5 plus everyday to sell drinks to us because we have late lessons.He never complained when he had to walk all the way from the vending machine back to his stall,just to sell us a bottle of drink,or just a cup of drink...He would just cheerfully ask us "Yes,Ah boy?What do you want?"
He would also ocasionally chat with the students..I remember he helped us a lot during our choir camp,regarding the food and stuff."

"I guess The student body on the whole respect him a lot.During recess,if there were to be quarrels or scuffles in the canteen,he would always be the first one to step in to break up the feuding ones because he is there all the time.I admire his bravery."

" Uncle daniel was a Nice man,with a generous and charitable heart.His bravery and charitable spirit shall always be remembered.To His Family,My deepest condolencesm"

- Daren Ng

Being the Punctual Gentleman

2008-07-17T01:11:00.000-07:00

Mr Simen emphasized the need to be punctual and to be in sync with what being a gentleman is about. He emphasized that it was important to 'wake up the giant' and not to be the dwarf because it was observed that some students did not move with urgency and promptness to the assembly courtyard when the signature tune was played.

Sporting Achievements Update

2008-07-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

Goh Shao Jie of 4A1 did the school proud by clinching 1 Gold and 1 Silver medals at the recently completed National Inter-School Canoeing Championships (C1-1000m and C1-500m category). This is definitely a well-deserved reward after gruelling hours of training!

The 'C' Division Rugby team has completed the qualifying stages in the National Inter-School Rugby Tournament and came in overall second in their group. They are now in the Cup Category Quarter-Finals, being grouped together with RI, Pioneer and ACS (Barker). Let's wish them well for their first game this Thursday.

The 'C' Division Softball team has also completed the qualifying stages in the National Inter-School Softball Tournament and came in tops in their group. They are now in the quarter-finals stage, with strong possibility of getting into the semi-finals. We wish them all the best too!

Olympic Day Run

2008-07-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

A group of rugby and softball players went for the Olympic Day Run last Saturday morning, 12 July at West Coast Park. It was an enjoyable non-competitive 3km run. They enjoyed themselves, mingling with 3500 runners from schools and organisations such as Singapore Sports Council, Macdonald's, Montfort Junior School and North Vista Secondary School.

2008-07-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

2 July - NCC Day

Montfort School celebrated NCC Day on 2 July. All decked out in green, the NCC formation snapped to attention and loudly affirmed their loyalty to the nation by singing the national anthem with gusto. They took a pledge to the nation and to their corps with the kind of bravado and courage that Olde George Patton would have been proud of. They so amazed the school with their spirit that many of our fellow Montfortians could only watch and gawk with awe-inspiring admiration.

3 July - Visit By Jakarta School, SMK 105

All decked out in their colourful and groovy batik-style uniforms, 40 students from SMA (Sekolah Menengah Pertama) 105 from Jakarta visited Montfort Secondary School.

They were hosted by Mr Edmund Lim and Mr Faizan. Student counsellors and our Indonesian badminton students brought them around the school.

Their program included morning lessson with us and also a joint morning workout with us. It was a real good 'sweat-out' with out Indonesian counterparts. Even the girls joined in and put many of our Montfort students to shame with their fitness and discipline! The picture above shows them at our assembly in the school field.

Charity Begins at Home - Treat for the Needy and Most Improved

2008-06-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Friday (28 June 2008)

The Concert Treat

2 students from each class were given a TREAT! Tickets were given free to the most improved student to watch a concert put up by the Hosanna Music Ministry entitled Planet Love. Two of our former Montfort boys, Stefan and Andrew played drums and bass on the band. The concert was held at Jubilee Hall, at the prestiged Raffles Hotel.

Proceeds to ticket sales goes towards the opening of a new chapel and education center for Montfort youths in Sabah. The new institution is the Montfort Youth Training Center in Sabah.

Some of the most touching parts of the concert was when one of the singers spoke about their personal life and choices. One had lost her aunt, her dad and found out that she had cancer. Yet, she willed that she would live on as joyfully as she could because "her act of love" for her mom and brother, being responsible for them, demonstrated that love can influence and inspire others to make the same choice with someone else. The more you choose to love others, the more you are creating opportunities for others to do the same.

Visitors commented that our boys were well-behaved. They greeted Brother Dominic at the door and were in their best weekend outfits. For some, it was their first concert and evenining spent at a posh hotel like the Raffles. (The $5 price tag to the drinks were a shock to many at the intermission)

Charity Begins at Home - Our Work in Sabah

In the same spirit, the Brothers of St Gabriels have been reaching out and changing the lives of the less privileged youth in Sabah, East Malasia, since 1999. The spirit of St Louis Marie de Montfort is liave at the Montfort YOuth Training Centre set up in Donggongon, Penampang, to cater for youth who have not had the chance to continue their educaiton. They receive a craft/ voaction like metal fabrication, motor mechanics, carpentry and are challenged to grow in a holistica programme under the guidance of brothers.

In very simple and touching fashion, Jude Anthony, a 17 year old previous substance abuser Montfort student at the center said, "Before I came to Montfort (Youth Training Center). I don't like to study and as working away from home as a shop assistant. I did whatever I like. I took drugs, alcohol and smoked. NOBODY COULD STOP ME. Until, one day, I was caught and jailed for a night. I was tested positive for drugs. The policeman let me go but told me that if he caught me again, he will put me in jail forever. My parents were very angry. I was very angry and didn't know what to do. A Sister at St James' Church in Tenghilan told me about Montfort and advised me to apply. I waited a month and was vey happy to get in!For the first month, I could not speak English and felt very lost. Now I can speak English and feel good about myself. Montfort programmes are different from others and have taught me to have a good attitude. A thousand thanks to the Brothers, Sisters, Staff and my family for not giving up on me"

Lorenzo Juli, a graduate from the center also shared his life, "Montfort asks of me to teach and correct my friends and whoever outside there to come back to live better lives and wake-up from being blind to what is happening to the family and in this world. Even though I hated what my father was doing to our family, i myself went down the same path. Montfort taught me the good values and to live my life with confidence. If not for MOntfort, I cannot see any future in teh way I was living my life. Drinking and smoking did not solve any of my problems but added to them more and more. i still love my parents. I wished they had guided me more and I wished that our family circumstances were not so bad. I now want to help my younger brothers and sisters. uring my semester breaks, I visited my father and I believe that through my prayers and seeing the changes in me, he is beginning to change too. He is not drinking so much now. He told me he was sorry he failed me when we were young. We can talk openly now. Today, I thank everyone at the Center who helped me in so many ways in shaping my life to meet the challenges of the world. Without you all, I believe that I would remain just another one of the boys in my kampung who does not know how to be focussed on building a good future".

A reformed and inspired believer, Clementine Bede Gungkit, 1919 shared, "my father tried to put me in jail because of my problems and I did not listen to him. My mother was very angry with my father and she snt me to study in Montfort. I had never found a better place to study, not even in my former school. But I am blessed because God gave me this opporturnity to study in Montfort where i learn about discipline, honesty and God. I am more disciplined, honest and my attitude changed. I would like to say a big "THANK OU" to Brother Francis, Sisters, staff, instructors and my family members, especially my parents, without them I would not be what I am today".

JUBILEE HALL

Designed in late Victorian style by theatre specialist, Charles Cosler of New York, Jubilee Hall features 388 luxurious seat velvet curtains, a balcony and an expansive stage.

A magnificent oil painting on canvas (oleo) depicting an old Singapore town scene forms the frontdrop of the stage. Complementing the grand oleo on the outside walls of Jubilee Hall are classic fresco murals of landscapes of old Asia by renowned artist, Carlo Marchiori.

The gracious setting of the Jubilee Hall is the ideal venue for corporate events such as trade launches, seminars, lectures and award ceremonies. When night falls, the Hall presents a variety of plays, musicals, recitals, dances and films.

Adjacent to Jubilee Hall, the foyer area serves as a venue for exhibitions, morning coffee breaks, afternoon teas or cocktail receptions.

Visit by Indonesian College

2008-06-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Indonesian College Students and their Cikgus and Principals, visited Montfort Secondary School. They were from Government Senior High School 7 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Their morning featured a walk-about and dialogue session with Mr Simen and the Vice-Principals. The students and teachers were inquisitive, asking many interesting and insightful questions. They also sampled our canteen food and were very glad to be able to interact witho our Lower Secondary students during recess time. They were also delightfully surprised to meet and speak to our Indonesian Lower Sec badminton stars - Ricky and Chandra.

Emeritus Archbishop Gregory Yong Passes On

2008-06-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

June 30 2008, Monday - Emeritus Archbishop Gregory Yong Passes On

The school spent a moment of silence as we prayed and remembered Emeritus Archbishop Gregory Yong who passed away on Saturday.

Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean (May 20, 1925 – June 28, 2008) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore.

Born in Taiping, Malaya on May 20, 1925, he was educated at St. George's Institution and St. Michael's Institution in Ipoh, Malaya. In January 1941, he entered the Minor Seminary and in 1944 graduated to the Major Seminary. He was ordained in 1951 and posted to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Singapore. Hence his close association with our school.

In 1953, he left for studies in Rome where he was conferred a Doctorate in Canon Law, the very first local priest to achieve the distinction. Back in Singapore in 1956, he was sent as assistant Parish Priest to the Church of the Sacred Heart. In the following year, he joined the teaching stuff of the Minor Seminary. After a short stint as assistant Parish Priest at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, he was appointed to a teaching position in the Major Seminary, again, the very first local priest to be thus honoured.

On July 1, 1968, he was consecrated Bishop, and took over the Diocese Of Penang from Bishop Francis Chan who had died on October 27, 1967. Bishop Francis Chan was also closely connected with Montfort School when he was parish priest of the church of the nativity and came to several of our school funfairs.

(Brother Louis Gonzaga and Bishop Francish Chan)

On February 3, 1977, Archbisop Gregory Yong was appointed to succeed Archbishop Michel Olçomendy as the first of the local clergy to lead the Church in Singapore. On April 2, 1977, he was officially installed as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore. He was the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Singapore, which was formed in 1972 when the Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore split and held the office until retiring on October 14, 2000. Archbishop Gregory Yong also officiated over the ground-breaking ceremony of Montfort Secondary School's groundbreaking ceremony at its new premise in 1991. He died on June 28, 2008 at St Joseph's Home, Singapore of a heart failure

Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong will lie in state at the Good Sheperd Cathedral on Monday and Tuesday. There will be nightly masses at 8pm. The funeral mass on Wednesday, July 2, is at 1:30pm. Catholic students are encouraged to attend the wake and pray and reflect on the good works of His Grace.

Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS) Meeting at Montfort School

The ACCS conducted their meeting at Montfort School on Friday 28 July 2008. Leaders from the various Catholic schools were at the meeting, including our own Management Chairman, Mr Chua Cher Choon.

Some of the Catholic missionary groups who run schools in Singapore are:

a. The Brothers of St Gabriels (1936) / St Louis Grignion De Montfort - Assumption English School (1953), Assumption Vocation Institute (1938), Montfort Junior School (1917), Montfort Secondary School 1917), St Gabriels Primary School (1953), St Gabriels Secondary School (1953)

b. The Canossian Sisters / Canossian Daughters of Charity (1894)/ St Magdelene of Canossa - St Anthony's Canossian Primary School (1894), St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School (1894), Canossa Convent Primary (1941)

c. The Marist Brothers / Little Brothers of Mary (1949)/ St Marcellin Champagnat - Maris Stella High School (1958)

d. Franciscan Missionaries of Singapore (1954) / St Mary of the Passion/ St Francis of Assissi - Hai Sing Catholic School (1959)

e. Sisters of the Good Shepherd/ Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (1940) St Euphrasia Pelletier - Marymount Convent School (1957)

f. Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus / Les Dames De Saint-Maur (1854) / St Nicholas Barre - CHIJ Primary & Secondary (Toa Payoh) (1854), CHIJ (Katong) Convent (Primary and Secondary) (1930), CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School (1933), CHIJ St Theresa's Convent (1929), CHIJ St Joseph's Convent (1938), CHIJ OUr Lady Queen of Peace Primary (1955); CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity Primary (1957); CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel (1960/ Cooling CLose COnvent); CHIJ Kellock Primary (1964)

g. Lasalle Brothers / De La alle Christian Brothers (1852) / St John Baptiste La Salle - St Joseph Institution (1852); De La Salle School St Joseph's Institution International (2007); St Patrick's School (1933); St Stephen's School (1957); St Anthony's Primary School (1879)

h. Parish Schools / Church of the Nativity - Holy Innocent's High School (1920); Holy Innocents' Primary School (1920)

i. Parish School / Church of St Peter and Paul - Catholic HIgh School (1935)

j. Catholic Junior College (1975)

Perak Regards

2008-06-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of Miss Xu Wanjing, I am pleased to inform that all 63 students and 10 teachers who took part in TravelBug@Montfort to Perak have arrived home safely.

Our Montfortian Giants had behaved well whilst on tour. Their behaviour drew praise from the Tour Manager from Transinex and the Adventure Specialist Manager from NOMAD Adventure.

Our Giants were really lived up to their Man For Others tag - Their team spirit was evident whilst overseas when the stronger boys helped the less able ones tackle the caves and rapids. I for one had a lot help during rafting from the 3E1 and 3A1 boys.

I hope that form teachers who had boys who went for the expedition leverage on the "can do" spirit manifested by the lads during the trip. If they can tackle Gua Tempurung and Sungei Kampar, the Year-End exam is a breeze.

.....

Finally without God's blessings, this overseas expedition would not have been as smooth and hassle-free. HIS watchful presence kept our boys well clear of trouble.

Many Thanks to Tour Organisers Hazel and Mary from Transinex and Connie from NOMAD Adventures (Malaysia) for a smooth and safe Overseas Expedition. Their professionalism, expertise and passion for outdoor adventure pursuits left an indelible mark on all participants.

Here's to more TravelBug@Montfort expeditions in the future.
Best Regards,
Xu Wanjing and Jasbir Singh

TravelBug@Montfort in Perak (The Second Wave)

2008-06-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

The 2nd batch of Montfortian Giants came up to Perak on the morning of 27th June to emulate the adventurous spirit of their first wave peers by tackling the dark musty Gua Tempurung Cave, fast-flowing Sungei Kampar and vertigo-inducing trek up to an Orang Asli village.

Montfort Secondary teacher, Mr Jasbir Singh, who had stayed behind in Ipoh after the first frame to receive the second wave of Giants filed this report about the exploits of the second wavers as well reflecting the common qualities of the Giants of both the first and second wave:

"The night before our Giants arrived in Ipoh, the skies opened up over the capital of Perak. I was genuinely concerned that this sudden thunderstorm and lashing rain would pose an even greater challenge for the second wavers who would arrive on Friday morning.
The sustained rain spell would mean that the underground caving expedition to Gua Tempurung would be more challenging because the water levels would have risen dramatically in the underground caverns.
True enough, when I stepped into the underground cave on Friday morning with the second wave, it confirmed my worst fears.
The second wavers were caving in waters deeper than their peers from the first wave. But I was thoroughly impressed with the gung-ho attitude of the second-wave boys who were made up of mostly boys from Sec 3E3, 3E4, 3A1, 3A2, 3AA and 3AB as well as a smattering of lower secondary boys who were unable to join up in the first wave.
The heavy rains of Thursday night had also caused the Sungei Kampar to swell and was more fast-moving.
But once again our second wave Giants rose up to the challenge of the rafting in deeper and faster waters. I was lucky to be in the same raft as four boys from Sec 3A1 - Ben Matchap, Lewis Stokes, Stanley Lim and P Aravind. They were a fearless bunch, just like the first wave of rafters from Sec 3E1 and Sec 3E2 that I had hitched a ride with [Thanks to Danial, Saravanan and pals for assisting me down Sungei Kampar.
Now that both frames have successfully completed their TravelBug@Montfort a few things striked me as the co-facilitator of this trip {The other co-facilitators were Mr Faizan and Miss Xu Wanjing}
1) Our Giants Fear Nothing But Respect Everything Whilst In The Arms of Mother Nature - They tackled the caves, rapids and jungles with a gung-ho spirit but always respectful towards the force and awe-inspiring qualities of Mother Nature.
2) Our Giants Are Truly Man For Others - The stronger boys chipped in to help the weaker team-mates, constantly encouraging and giving a helping hand to their mates. Truly a Man For Others.
3) Our Giants Are True Gentlemen - As a teacher-in-charge for Rugby as well NPCC these past decade in three other schools, I have brought many boys abroad for more than 10 training tours and adventure expeditions ranging from New Zealand to Australia to Indonesia. This batch of Montfortian Giants in Perak were probably the most well-behaved and disciplined lot I have ever led. They kept to strict timings and their behaviour on-and-off the adventure sites were impeccable. To the extent that the tour organisers from NOMAD Adventures and Transinex were thoroughly impressed with our Gentlemen and said that they would love to work with Montfort again.
4) Our Giants Are True Nationalists - They looked out for their fellow Singaporeans whilst abroad always mindful that once abroad, we stand united as Singporeans irrespective of race, language or religion."

To cap a great week of adventure, TravelBug@Montfort is pleased to announce that all 29 boys and six teachers (Mr Tan Thor Cher, Mr Danny Ng, Mr Chris Foran, Miss Rashidah, Miss Xu Wanjing and Mr Jasbir Singh) from the second wave arrived home safely on Sunday night.

Many Thanks to Tour Organisers Transinex and NOMAD Adventures (Malaysia) for a smooth and safe 2nd Frame.

TravelBug@Montfort Day 2 in Perak (The First Wave)

2008-06-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

Our Montfortian Giants experienced the tough living conditions of the indigenous Orang Asli people of Perak when our 34 Giants and five teachers undertook a four-hour land expedition deep into an Orang Asli settlement situated about 50km from Ipoh town on Wednesday.
Bouyed by the exhilirating experience of overcoming the caves and rapids on the first day, our Giants woke up bright and early for their jungle trek raring to go.
Our Giants traversed a rugged mountaineous terrain for two hours before we finally reached the Orang Asli jungle settlement. Once there, our Giants picked up practical Orang Asli jungle survival skills like trapping a mousedeer and wild boar using bamboo sticks. Our Giants learned also how to use a blow-pipe to maim wild animals like monkeys. We also experienced a refreshing dip into a fast-flowing 25 metre water fall.
Today's experience was wonderful because we had a chance to sample the day-to-day life of an Orang Asli when we visited a small Orang Asli hamlet. We saw how the Orang Asli led simple yet meaningful lives.
In the afternoon, we visited the oldest tin-mining town in Southeast Asia, Papan. Papan is a small vibrant village of people who work as shopkeepers, farmers, professionals, labourers, builders, contractors, welders and a few tin-miners.We visited Sybil's Clinic where we learnt about a heroic nurse, Sybil Kathigasu, who during the Japanese Occupation risked her life to assist the anti-Japanese resistance fighters. It was a really moving experience to learn about how she single-handedly took on the wrath of the Japanese.
A message from our Gentlemen in Perak as summed up by Kingston Tan (2E3): "We had a safe expedition today because of the thoughts and prayers of everyone back home in Montfort. We missed our teachers and classmates so much, but we learnt a lot from the Orang Asli people today." We are also glad to announce that as of the second day in Perak, the teachers are pleased to inform all participants' parents that there was NO CASUALTY and all boys are safe and sound.
Our 34 Montfortian gentlemen and teachers, who are the first wave of TravelBug@Montfort participants, will be leaving Perak for Singapore on Thursday morning and are expected to be back in Singapore by Thursday evening.
A second wave of 30 students and six teachers headed for Perak will be departing at 11pm on Thursday.
Many Thanks to Tour Organisers Transinex and NOMAD Adventures (Malaysia) for a smooth and safe 1st Frame.
Look out for their reports to be filed on Friday and Saturday nights, which will have a more "human interest element"

TravelBug@Montfort Day 1 in Perak (The First Wave)

2008-06-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

Thirty-four Montfortian gentlemen from Sec 2 and Sec 3 and five teachers (Mr Faizan, Mr Toh, Mrs Leong, Mrs Lee and Mr Singh) from Montfort Secondary embarked upon a-three-day-three-night overseas expedition to Gopeng Nature Reserve in Perak.

The 39 participants met up at school on Monday night and were encouraged by our Vice-Principal to be on our best behaviour as we were the ambassadors of Montfort Secondary across the Causeway.

The Montfortian gentlemen and their teachers endured an eight-hour coach ride to Gopeng in Perak.

Upon arriving in Perak on Tuesday morning [24th June], our adventurous gentlemen tackled the famous Gua Tempurung by undertaking an adventure caving expedition deep into the bowels of the 400-million-year-old limestone cave.

Crawling on all fours, our gentlemen explored the cave which was submerged in knee-deep waters. At some parts of the cave, our gentlemen had to navigate the low ceiling of the cave with barely enough room to breathe.

But like true warriors, all our boys emerged unscathed and completed the caving expedition in under two-and-half hours. This was a remarkable achievement as most teenagers will take almost twice the time.

While in the cave, our gentlemen learnt how to overcome their fears of the dark and tight spaces. They also picked up some geographical lessons on limestone caves.

After adventure caving, our brave gentlemen tackled the white-water rafting at Sungei Kampar. Sungei Kampar is Grade 2+3 Rapids. This makes it a challenging Rapid for teens.

In their six-man rafts, they navigated the 7km route with much gusto.

Said Leon Wee of Sec 2E3: "It was a great feeling to be able to handle the rough waters. It boosted my water confidence.

Added Yuvaraj of Sec 2E3: "This is a great personal accomplishment. I had learnt the importance of relying on my team-mates. It was adrenaline-fuelled experience. I would definitely recommend my classmates to go on the next TravelBug@Montfort next year."

As of our first day in Perak, the teachers are pleased to inform all participants' parents that there was NO CASUALTY and all boys are safe and sound.

Our Giants will be tacklling a four-hour trek on Wednesday [25th June] to an Orang Asli settlement and sample their lifestyle.

First Day of School - June 23 2008

2008-06-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

It was the first day of school and a special prayer was said for students who are embarking on their Perak Trip on Monday night and Thursday night.

During the holidays, another group of students went to Shanghai and they had a fruitful trip. We thank the lord that they have returned both safe and sound.

School day also began with Mr Simen welcoming us back to school and the theme fo the term: FOCUS & ATTENTION = PERFORMANCE

Below are the excerpts of a blog from one of our students (mind the grammar but it makes it all the more genuine)

"Today , my Principal say a very important word or you can say phrase. I forgot to say that Mr Simen is a very good person which is MONTFORT secondary principal . He is a nice person I can say I hope people who had graduated from P6 and I hope all of you who have read my blog please come to MONTFORT secondary . It is located at Hougang ave 8 you can see it in front of you . Ok today my principal told us that he watch show which is on discovery channel . He says he saw a person and his friends climbing to mount everest . Mr Simen says that all of them are trying very hard to climb the mountain . then a guy say THIS COULD BE THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE OR THE BEST DAY IN MY LIFE . Life are unpredictable there are up and downs so many happiness and so many unhappy incidents outside,school,family so many things which i just can,t describe it . well i hope you all know what i mean "

http://wanloong95.blogspot.com/

Mr Simen spoke the story about the Alchemist. Below is a synopsis:

The novel by Paulo Coelho tells the tale of Santiago, a boy who has a dream and the courage to follow it. After listening to "the signs" the boy ventures in his personal, Ulysses-like journey of exploration and self-discovery, symbolically searching for a hidden treasure located near the pyramids in Egypt.

When he decides to go, his father's only advice is "Travel the world until you see that our castle is the greatest, and our women the most beautiful". In his journey, Santiago sees the greatness of the world, and meets all kinds of exciting people like kings and alchemists. However, by the end of the novel, he discovers that "treasure lies where your heart belongs", and that the treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired.

"The Alchemist", is an exciting novel that bursts with optimism; it is the kind of novel that tells you that everything is possible as long as you really want it to happen. That may sound like an oversimplified version of new-age philosophy and mysticism, but as Coelho states "simple things are the most valuable and only wise people appreciate them".

As the alchemist himself says, when he appears to Santiago in the form of an old king "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". This is the core of the novel's philosophy and a motif that echoes behind Coelho's writing all through

Mr Simen also went on to say that this was the higher forms of our Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) learning framework at Montfort School. It was also the basis for 'Awakening the Giant in You' and choice that we make every day.

With genuine intentions, Mr Simen also delved into the matter of what made education so important. He said that "The happiest moments of the year are when the students are around" simple because he chose to be a teacher-at-heart. Freedom of choice is God's greatest gift to man and what distinguishes him from animals. Therefore, because he chose to be a teacher and to be involved in education, "the happiest momements is when students are around and when there are students to teach"."

Montfort Scouting Camp - Excerpts of Blog

2008-06-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

These weeks were good as each of us have played a vital role in making the campfire possible. Like the gifts (Ivan, Daniel Phang) , firepit (Matthew), Emcees (Mervin), Performances (Kingman, Sanjay, Zhi Kai, Stuart) and food (Keith).

The campfire was good in my opinion .... but we got to remember one thing - It's the process of preparing for the campfire that is more important - We as a crew managed to solve the problems that we encountered along the way and these problems have taught us lessons that we can learn from and the ideas that came from our brainstorming and how it can be implemented in the next campfire.

This is the final leg of Scouting for us this year, the Ventures and I feel that the time we spent together has bonded us very closely.

It's has been 4 years since we first got to know each other and through the punishments, swearing, hardships, fun times, 'le pah' times, camps and all the other times, we really got to know each other better, one's strengths, weaknesses and how one reacts to a specific kind of situation, may it be good, bad or even funny.

But now it's time for us to go and get ready for the final sprint - the O's. May all of us put our final burst of energy in this final sprint and get back again some other time.

On a final note, I would like to thank those who have made this campfire possible, your effort was greatly appriciated by Montfort Knights.

http://e-return.blogspot.com/2008/06/montfort-knights-biannual-campfire-2008.html

Parents-Teachers Meeting

2008-06-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the Mid-Year-Exams are over and we have the usual Parent-Teacher Meeting as well as the collection of report books.

There is sure to be a few really depressed students as they did not receive the required grade set by their parents or themselves. Anywaym, although the Semestral Assessment 1 (SA1) is 25% of the overall grade while the Continual Assessment (CA1)is 15%, there is still a chance to bounce back in the Semestral Assessment 2 Exams and Continual Assessment 2 Class tests.

Back to our class, our class did poorer than last year, leaving the first 2 positions in the level to be taken by Class 2E1. However, the top scorer in our class managed to swipe position 3 and 4. Position 5 for the level was a student from another class.

We must strive to work harder to achieve ouyr future endeavours. Our education in Montfort Secondary school will be over in the blink of an eye: 1 and a half years more, after our O-Levels and then...boom! We're in JC/Poly now.

There is not much time now and if we do not make EVERY EFFORT POSSIBLE to realise our TRUE POTENTIAL, our future is being shaped.

Of course, every student's potential may be in something else, but that doesn't mean you are bound to fail in education. Education is but a part of life that can be mastered by ANYBODY, as long as you take your effort. It's where you learn discipline, focus and a systematic way of thinking and writing.

Education is also very important in life because it develps Wisdom. And wisdom is something nobody can take from you, using the DIK-LW formula. (Data-Information-Knowledge / Learning-Wisdom)

Cheers!

Laurent Ee
Taken from http://montfortinnovators.blogspot.com/
Edited by Montfort Blog

POSed Day May 30 2008

2008-05-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today had POSed day.

what is POSed day?

Its Post secondary education day.Where some tertiary institutes come over to our school to set up booths and give talks to us on our options after the "O" lvls.

We proceeded to the hall,and the event started with a short prayer and then Mr Simen gave a short speech to address the guests. He spoke about the origins of POSed Day and encouraged our students to be engaged in finding out information for ourselves on POSed Day. "Don't be a passenger on a moving bus and view just fleeting images", he said.

Then the guest speaker Mr Christian chua gave a speech on "Breaking through the Glass Ceiling". It was a very meaningful and as usual very humourous talk. He mainly concentrated on the word "MOTIVATION". He say that if we were to break the word up,the word "motivation"comes from the word motive. Motive, as defined by Mr Chua, is a "reason to..". One must have a motive to do something or a reason to be motivated to do something. For example,one might be motivated to score well so that one can get a PSP as a reward if he or she scores well.The reward is the "motive"or rather the stimulus to trigger why he or she wants to do well.

What is the glass ceiling? It is a ceiling that is invisible and we think that it is there above our heads and it is preventing us from breaking away from our comfort zone. This so called "glass ceiling" is placed on us by others,, by ourselves ,and over time we belive in them.For example,people might tell one that he or she cannot make it big in life because he or she is from a poor family. Over time,he or she believes and thus cannot achieve. Thus, to achieve in life,we must first break through this glass ceiling as it is not there at all in the first place,but rather,its there because we think it is there!Very true indeed!

Mr Chua also shared about how he bacame a professional public speaker.He sold his new book at a discounted price at $15-/and then we walked down to canteen to have our refreshments.

Then it was back to the hall where Mr Trevor gave an overview of our options after the O Levels. We next attended talks by the JCs and Polytechnics and visited their exhibition booths.

I went on the polytechnic route and visited the booths with some of my friends. We chatted with the Ngee Ann Polytechnic lecturer who briefed us about the DPA (Direct Poly Admission) and for the benefit of my readers,these are some points she mentioned to us"

a. The DPA is a newly introduced route.

b. Only 100 places are available

c. Candidates are selected through their"talents".which would be written in a summary of about 250 words on why he or she is a suitable candidate for the course of choice.

d. The previous year's results would be taken into consideration though it would not have such a heavy weightage.

e.Candidates would have 3 choices for courses they would like to apply for

f. Sucessful apllicants would be called back for interviews

g Their "talents" must have some relation to their course they are applying for or they have some experience in that field.(e.g for computer courses,a candidate who has won a national competition in computer engineering would stand a better chance then another who did not participate)

h.If candidate is given a place,actual O Level aggregate must be less then 26.

I visted the other booths and collected brochures.

Here are some courses I am intersted in:

.Temasek poly:Tourism and hospitality mgt,Resort and leisure mgt
.Ngee ann poly:Tourism and hospitality mgt
.SP,NYP:Tourism mgt
.Republic poly: Resort and hospitality mgt
.Mass comm or maybe buisness studies too.

Temesek Polytechnic has an academy in sentosa so i guess I am keen to go there. Republic poly is tied in with Raffles hotel and the cut-off point is 17 for 2008.....so i guess i can make it there if all fails for me?

- Excerpts from http://darences-welcometothecescommunity.blogspot.com/

Shell Science Fair Best Enterprising Science Project - Champs 2008

2008-05-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Our four students from Sec 2Es participated in the Shell Science Fair 2008 (Lower Secondary Category) last week in Singapore Science Centre.

Fifty schools participated and the team won the "Best Enterprising Project" for their project titled "Biodegradable Plastics".

We would like to congratulate the boys on winning the award and thank those who have helped in one way or another in supporting the students.

Chemical Car Powered Competition 2008

2008-05-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last saturday on the 24th of May, 5 teams (comprising eighteen students from 3E, 3NA and 4E) represented our school at the Chemical Car Powered Competition 2008 organised by the School of Life Sciences & Chemical Technology, Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

They faced fierce opposition from strong teams like Nanyang Girls', RI, ACS ,CHIJ St Nicholas etc, but kept their cool and blazed through 3 rounds of intensive competition and finally one team made it to the semi-finals. The team clinched 3rd place.

We would like to congratulate the boys on winning the 3rd place in the competition and thank them for their hard work and dedication. We would also like to acknowledge our Lab Asst. Thomas Ang for going out of his way to help the boys in the competition.

Last Day of School - May 23rd

2008-05-23T02:03:00.000-07:00

You Lift Me Up

It was the last day of school. The day began with Mass Workout and a surprise performance by the choir, which sang "You Raise Me Up". It was connected to Mr Christoper Foran's prayer. We reflected on God giving us comfort and solace, as well as strength. The challenge was for us to also give the same comfort, solace and strength to our peers.

It was also a way for us to engage and contribute to the community. As the choir sang, many students were stunned and moved by the wonderful performance. It was also a performance for members of the public waiting for their buses to go to work, as well as for the workers who were working on our new indoor sports hall

They Workd So Hard! Wave and applaud them!

At the end of the morning assembly, Mr Lloyd Yeo pointed out that while the choir was singing and even during prayer time, several workers working on the new indoor sports hall took a brief respite from their work to appreciate the music and to even prayer. When Mr Edmund Lim announced that the school had raised $22,596.15 for victims of the Myanmar and Sichuan disasters, the workers even stopped and applauded.

The school turned around, waved to the workers, applauded and thanked them for the hard work they were doing for the indoor sportshall.

Montfort in the News - Tamil Murarasu

2008-05-23T02:01:00.001-07:00

Montfort school was featured in the news for the special brand of education they provide. Below is a translation of the Tamil Murarasu report which appeared on the main newspaper, front page and youth section. The originals can be found outside the school office for parents, students and teachers to read.

Summary of Student Reports

“It was a day when our hearts felt heavy and our eyes shed tears. We had a special assembly today to send our condolences and to spare a thought for those who were affected by the China and Myanmar disaster. We prayed for the continued safety of the survivors. All of us also observed a moment of silence to pay our respects to those who had lost their lives in the disaster.

The assembly was very informative. With the use of visual aids, teachers explained the causes for earthquakes and cyclones. Students saw devastation and destruction caused by nature. They also say the crying faces of pain. A girl was screaming because her legs had been amputated.

Our Principal, Mr Simen Lourds, also shared his personal experience with us. He told us what death and sorrow meant to him. We were almost in tears and our hearts ached and hurt for those affected by the disaster.

Because our school vision is to be Men for Others, we decided to help the victims of he disasters. All the students came forward to donate generously. The donation will be channeled through the Singapore Red Cross Society to the disaster victims. Parents also supported our effort whole-heartedly.

The Day I Still Remember

We can only imagine the suffering of the victims of the China and Myanmar disaster. 14-year old Mohamed Jameel of Montfort Secondary School has however, personally experienced both war and the Tsunami disaster from a first-hand account.

He had returned to India from Kuwait when war broke out in 1991. He had also seen the Tsunami tragedy when he was in India. “My memories returned to those events I experienced when I saw pictures of children crying and the elderly people waiting to be rescued”, he said, “These memories sadden me”.

He said,” I saw vehicles burning and bomb blasts from the windows of of my plane while I was waiting to take off from the airport. Even now, the scene remains vivid to me”.

In Our Hands

Every Thursday morning, as part of the Mother Tongue Reading Program, 30 minutes is spent reading the Tamil Newspaper at Montfort Secondary School.

Tamil teachers encourage all students to read the newspapers and to summarize interesting news. They must also reflect on the news in writing. This helps the students improve their linguistic skills and vocabulary.

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14th ASEAN Schools Badminton Championship in Manila

2008-05-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

The following students from Montfort will represent us in the 14th ASEAN Schools Badminton Championship in Manila, Philippines from 22nd June to 29th June 2008.

Agrippina P P
Andrianus Prasojo A
Christian Yahya C

We wish them well and know that they will do us proud!

Morning Reflection for 15 May 2008 - Mr Azman

2008-05-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

Morning Reflection on 15th May 2008 - Building a contributive community

In the past few days, we’ve heard the news about the cyclone that hit Myanmar, killing thousands of people.

Recently, we’ve also read the news on the earthquake in China that killed more than 8,000 people. When we sit and ponder, we couldn’t help but feel how fortunate we are to be safe from such natural disaster.

However, the self-satisfaction and contentment we feel about being spared such tragedy needs to breed in us understanding, compassion, charity and action.
Always think of how we can contribute effectively and meaningfully to help others, no matter how small.

In the holy book of Islam, the Quran, it was mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 148:

“Then strive together (as in a race), toward all that is good, wheresoever ye are, Allah will bring you together. For Allah hath power over all things.”

The meaning is that "It is only when we begin to move and compete to do good, that change that we desire will come".

By doing this, our thoughts, sympathy, prayers and donations are few of the many ways we can contribute to help others in need.

Mr Azman then led us in united and universal prayer,

"Oh Allah (God), the compassionate , the merciful, grant us peace and safety. Save this earth from harm. Grant our country and the entire world safety, peace, calmness and tranquility. Amin"

Special Morning Assembly Program - Sichuan Earthquake & Nargis Cyclone

2008-05-19T20:06:00.001-07:00

1. PRAYER

Morning prayer was led by our Hindu & Tamil Language teacher, Mr Perumaland Mr Christopher Foran who is our Catholic English Language teacher from India.

Mr Lloyd Yeo also led a prayer about how to pray, how to give charity and how to give love.

On Love

He makes his sun shine on band and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! You must be perfect – Just as your father in heave is perfect.

On Charity

When you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets. They do it so that people will praise them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you help a needy person, do it in sucha way that even your closest friend will not know about it. Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private will reward you.

On Prayer

And when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private will reward you.

2. SHARINGS

Earthquakes

Mr Kevin Pang, led off with the geographical causes for earthquake and explained that Mount Everest and the rest of the Himalayas form part of the Tibetan Plateau and are still rising because of the collision, 45 million years ago, between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Wenchuan was the epicentre of the earthquake and was especially bad because the quake occured only 6.2 miles below the surface. The nearer the quake is to the surface, the more devestating the quake. It also measured 7.8 on the richter scale and the tremors, could be felt in Bangkok, Hong Kong and in Shanghai, more than 930 miles away.

Earthquakes could never occur in Singapore but tremors could be fault. He warned that the best way to survive an earthquake indoors was to couch under a heavy desk or table, well away from windows or glass dividers and to crouch your body so that heavy debris would not hurt you. Outside, stand away from buildings, trees, telephones and electrical lines. On the road, drive away from underpasses and overpasses; stop in safe area; stay in vehicle.

2. Cyclones

Miss Xu Wanjing explained the main source of energy for tropical cyclones is the warm water in the tropical regions. To initiate a tropical cyclone the sea-surface temperature generally needs to be above 26.5°C.

Miss Xu demonstrated how Cyclone occur by getting boys to demonstrate low pressure, moist air and high pressure. She asked the boys to imagine that she was warm water and moist air. Because there is low pressure there and high temperature, the moist air rises. HEat A cyclone develops when it taps into heat released from nearby air particles. This results in condensation of water vapour contained in the moist air.

While tropical cyclones can produce extremely powerful winds and torrential rain, they are also able to produce high waves and damaging storm surge. They develop over large bodies of warm water, and lose their strength if they move over land. This is the reason coastal regions can receive significant damage from a tropical cyclone, while inland regions are relatively safe from receiving strong winds. Heavy rains, however, can produce significant flooding inland, and storm surges can produce extensive coastal flooding up to 40 kilometres from the coastline. If the conditions around the system deteriorate or the tropical cyclone makes landfall, the system weakens and eventually dissipates.Windspeed was close to 190 km per hour, that is three times the speed of a car travelling on the highway.

Exam Week - The Week of Compassion & Tragedy

2008-05-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Montfort For Myanmar's Aid

12 May 2008

Morning prayer for the week was dedicated to the victims of Cyclone Nargis which hit Myanmar on May 2 and 3. Total death toll may be between 68,833 and 127,990. More than 100,000 may have died. Between 1.6 million to 2.5 million people are in urgent need of food, water and shelter. Only 270,000 have been reached so far.

Members of the Ecumenical Council led morning prayers for the week and shared about 'compassion' and 'charity', common denominators found in all religions. They also prayed for all who were suffering and lost loved ones in Myanmar
.
During the week, another earthquake hit Sichuan, China. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Wenchuan County, about 159 km northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu, has severely affected an area of more than 100,000 square kilometers, according to the rescue headquarters. The confirmed death toll in Sichuan was 19,509 on 15 May, and more than 50,000 people were feared dead.

There was also some special pictures and information put out on the tragedies
outside the office. On 21st May, Wednesday, there will be a special collection for Myanmar and the Sichuan victims

Death of Former Montfort Boy (2005 Batch)

Montfort School also said prayers for one of our Montfort boys, Roslan Saharo, 18, who was just two months into his basic training. He was a police trainee and passed away on 16 May 2008 after collapsing during a 2.4km. A cheerful, helpful and good-natured student, he will be remembered by his form teacher, Ms Vivian Tan & those who taught him.

The Principal, Vice-Principals, Mr Faizan, Mr Vincent Loh and Ms Vivian Tan visited him to pay their final respects and to offer their condolences to the family.

On their own, more than 20 former Montfort boys had also gathered at the wake and funeral to give their final respects and to offer their condolences to the family. It was indicative of the class unity and special experience they shared with Roslan.

Straits Times Article

Police trainee, 18, dies 2 days after collapsing during run
By Esther Tan. 16 May 2008

A GROUP of 120 full-time police national servicemen set out on a 2.4km run early Tuesday morning around the parade square of the Home Team Academy.
But one of them never completed the run and was found lying unconscious in the camp in Old Choa Chu Kang Road.

Mr Roslan Saharo, 18, who was just two months into his basic training, would never wake up again.

After two days in a coma, his family decided yesterday morning to take him off life support.

Relatives said doctors told them he had heat stroke which caused multiple-organ failure and left him brain dead. An autopsy will be performed today to determine the cause of death.

Family members and relatives were devastated by his sudden death. 'He was such a lively and jovial boy. We will miss his laughter and never-ending smile,' said uncle Dzulkifli Wasnam, 33.

They are now trying to find out the circumstances of his death.

Two of his uncles said a police officer told them at the hospital that Mr Roslan was discovered missing from the group only after the run ended.

But last night, a police spokesman told The Straits Times an instructor had seen him 'stumble and fall' and he was given 'prompt medical attention'.

His brother, Mr Riduwan Saharo, who was a combat medic during his national service days, said there should have been a 'last man' at the back of the group to ensure no one lagged behind.

'Where was the last man when my brother fell?' asked the 26-year-old. 'And where was his buddy?'

Mr Roslan's family said he was healthy and active - he played floorball for Institute of Technical Education College Central.

But on Sunday, when he had to report back to camp, he was coughing badly and told his father he was ill, said his sister Rubiah Saharo, 29. She advised him to see a doctor, but he said he was rushing back to camp.

One of Mr Roslan's uncles said the police told them an instructor had asked the group before the run if anyone was not feeling well, but Mr Roslan did not speak up.

Police said they will render support and assistance to Mr Roslan's family.

Montfort Feast Day Special

2008-05-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

1. Books of Montfort

Among his books are " The Secret of the Rosary" and "True Devotion to the Virgin" first published as " Preparation for the reign of Jesus Christ." The title of which, in the light of revelations given to Sister Faustina Kowalska, makes his teachings on spirituality relevant for today.H

ere are a few lines from his "True Devotion" book;(54)" ...Mary will always triumph over Satan, the proud one, so great will be her victory that she will crush his head, the very seat of his pride. She will always unmask his serpent's cunning and expose his wicked plots, she will scatter to the winds his devilish plans and to the end of time keep her faithful servants from his cruel claws.But Mary's power over the evil spirits will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will wait for her "heel" that is; her humble servants.Her poor servants she will rouse to fight against him. In the eyes of the world they will be little and poor, and like the heel, lowly in the eyes of all, downtrodden and crushed, as is the heel by the other parts of the body.But in compensation for this they will be rich in God's graces, which Mary will bestow abundantly upon them.They will be superior to all creatures by their great zeal and so strongly supported by Divine Assistance that in union with Mary, they will crush Satan's head with their heel. That is; their humility.(59)....Such are the great men who are to come. By the will of God, Mary is to prepare them to extend His rule over the impious and unbeleivers. But when and how will this come about? Only God knows.

St Louis Marie's death in 1716, his followers in the Company of Mary continued to make this devotion a major part of their teaching and preaching, but, for some reason, they never thought to publish his book, although they possessed the manuscript. They did, however, value the manuscript sufficiently that, when the French Revolution brought chaos to the Vendée region where the Mother-house of the Company of Mary was, they hid it, along with other precious papers, in a field nearby. After the revolutionary fury had abated, they retrieved these papers and put them back in the library of the Mother-house, but then, it seems, forgot about them. It was only in 1842 that one of the members of the Company of Mary, doing some research in the library, came across the old manuscript and recognised the handwriting of St. Louis Marie. The manuscript was quickly authenticated, and in 1843 was published for the first time as "Traité de la Vraie Dévotion à la Sainte Vierge" (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin).

Legacy of Montfort

His greatest contribution to the Church is "Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin." Such did Pope John Paul II, embrace this devotion that he consecrated himself and every place he visited as pope to Mary.

The phrase of " Totus Tuus" on his Papal flag was taken from the prayer of St. Louis:Totus TuusTotus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt, O Virgo, super omnia benedicta. All YoursI am all yoursand all that is mineis yours O VirginBlessed above all.

Totus tuus (completely yours) was Louis's personal motto; Karol Wojtyla/ Pope John Paul III chose it as his episcopal motto

On 8 December 2003, Pope John Paul II wrote to the Religious of the Montfortian Congregations, a letter to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the publication in 1843 of the "Traité de la Vraie Dévotion à la Sainte Vierge" (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin). In the letter he reflects on certain aspects of the teaching of St. Louis Marie de Montfort concerning consecration of oneself to Jesus through Mary.

http://www.montfort.org/English/Letter160.htm

Biography of Montfort

Louis Marie de Grignion was born 31 January 1673 in the small town of Montfort-sur-Meu, just West of Rennes in Brittany, France. He was the eldest surviving child of the large family of Jean-Baptiste Grignion and his wife Jeanne Robert.

Louis Marie passed most of his infancy and early childhood in Iffendic, a few miles from Montfort, where his father had bought a farm known as "Le Bois Marquer". According to those who knew him at this early stage, he showed signs even then of a spiritual maturity uncommon in one of his age.

At the age of 12, he entered the Jesuit College of St Thomas Becket in Rennes, where, as well as doing well in his studies, he developed some of the enthusiasms which were to mark his later life. Listening to the stories of a local priest, the Abbé Julien Bellier, about his life as an itinerant missionary, he was fired with zeal to preach missions. And, under the guidance of some other priests he began to develop his strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin. At the same time, he began to experience the deprivations suffered by the very poor, and his love and care for them grew, not only in theory but in a practical way.

At some time during his college days, he became aware of a call to the priesthood, and at the end of his ordinary schooling, began his studies of philosophy and theology, still at St Thomas in Rennes. However, he was given the opportunity, through a benefactor, to go to Paris to study at the renowned Seminary of Saint-Sulpice. He set out for Paris towards the end of 1693.
Preparing for the Priesthood

As he left Rennes, to begin a new stage in his life, Louis Marie acted out a little drama which was symbolic of the life-style he had now determined to pursue. His family had offered him a horse to ride to Paris, but this he refused; his mother provided him with a new suit of clothes, and his father presented him with 10 écus to cover the expenses of his journey. Some of his family accompanied him as far as Cesson, where the road to Paris crossed the River Villaine, and there said their good-byes to him. Crossing over the bridge, Louis Marie took the first opportunity offered to him to give away his 10 écus, and then to exchange his new clothes for those of a beggar, and continued on his way, determined from then on to rely solely on Providence for his needs, and to live close to the poor.

When he arrived in Paris after a 200 mile journey, it was to find that his benefactor had not provided enough money for him to enter even the "Little Saint-Sulpice", as it was called - a separate college linked with the main seminary, but provided especially for the poorer students. So he lodged instead in a succession of boarding houses run by some of the Sulpician priests, where the diet was poor and the accomodation sparse, in the meantime attending the Sorbonne University for lectures in theology. Perhaps with rash over-enthusiasm .he added his own penances to the rigours of this life, with the result that, after less than two years, he became very ill and had to be hospitalized in the Hotel-Dieu. It was almost a miracle that he survived both his illness and the blood-lettings administered as part of his hospital treatment; and perhaps even more of a miracle that, on his release from hospital, he found himself with a place reserved at the Little Saint-Sulpice, which he entered in July 1695.

Saint-Sulpice had been founded by Jean-Jacques Olier, one of the leading exponents of what came to be known as the "French School of Spirituality". With its emphasis on the mystery of the Incarnation, and on the place of Mary in God's Plan of Salvation, it was an ideal place for Louis Marie to develop the themes of his personal spirituality. Yet, other aspects of Sulpician spirituality do not seem to have attracted him so much: the tendency to place the clergy on a pedestal, to the point where there was a danger of their becoming "settled", not to say smug. His time at Saint-Sulpice, however, gave him the opportunity to study most of the available works on spirituality and, in particular, on Mary's place in the Christian life, especially when he was appointed librarian, nor did he waste the opportunity. He also had time to develop catechetical skills, especially among the deprived youth of Saint-Sulpice parish.

The time arrived for him to be ordained a priest in June 1700, and a few days later he said his first Mass at the altar of the Blessed Virgin in the church of Saint-Sulpice. He remained for a few more months in Paris, before setting out on his priestly ministry.Early Priestly Ministry
Louis Marie's first appointment as a priest was to the Community of Saint-Clément in Nantes. As his letters of this period show, however, he felt frustrated there owing to the lack of opportunity to preach as he felt he was called to do. He considered various options, even that of becoming a hermit, but the conviction that he was called to "preach missions to the poor" increased, and he began to think, even at this early stage, of founding "a small company of priests" to do this work under the banner of the Blessed Virgin. After a few months, he was persuaded to go to Poitiers by Mme. de Montespan (the repentant former mistress of King Louis XIV), whom he had first met in Paris. There he agreed, although somewhat reluctantly (since he did not think he was called to "shut himself away in a poor-house") to become chaplain to the inmates of what was known as the "Hôpital Général" - a sort of work-house where the very poor were incarcerated in order to keep them off the streets. Here Louis Marie set about serving these poor people with all the enthusiasm which he normally reserved for such as these. In the course of his reforming efforts, he seems to have fallen foul of the authorities at the poor-house, and around Easter 1703 he left for Paris.

The next year was to be a particularly painful one for him. He first went to join the team of chaplains at the Salpétrière, the first "Hôpital Général" set up by St. Vincent de Paul; but after a few weeks he was asked to leave (we do not know why). This was the beginning of a period when almost all his old friends and acquaintances rejected him. As with many other saints, it seems that his extraordinary sanctity challenged those less inclined to follow the gospel literally, and they accused him of pride and self-deception. He spent almost a year living in a very poor lodging in the Rue du Pot de Fer, without friends and without any definite ministry. This gave him the chance, however, to develop his thoughts on Jesus Christ, as the manifestation of the Wisdom of God, and he probably wrote his book The Love of Eternal Wisdom at this time.

The poor of Poitiers, however, had not rejected him, and they wrote to ask him to return to them. With the agreement of the Bishop, he returned to Poitiers to become the Director of the "Hôpital Général", and once again set about his reforms. He was helped in this by a young woman, Marie-Louise Trichet, who felt called to be a religious and to dedicate herself to the service of the poor. Louis Marie persuaded her to come to work with him at the "Hôpital Général", where later she was joined by another young woman, Catherine Brunet. These two, after many years of waiting, were to become the first members of the Daughters of Wisdom.

Louis Marie still continued to attract opposition by his reforms, and after several more months, he was persuaded by the Bishop and Marie Louis Trichet to leave the Hôpital for the second time. He began preaching missions in and around Poitiers, and probably felt that at last he was doing the work God had called him to do. Among the first missions was one in the very poor suburb of Montbernage, where he put into practice many of the features of his later missions: the call to a renewal of Baptismal Vows, the processions and lively liturgies which attracted the people who had often been neglected in the past. But his success seems to have aroused the jealousy of some who had the ear of the Bishop, and at the beginning of Lent 1706, he was forbidden to preach any more missions in the Diocese of Poitiers.

What was he to do now? He had become more and more convinced that he was called to preach missions, yet here was the Bishop of the Diocese forbidding him to do so. His thoughts turned to the Foreign Missions but he felt he needed some higher guidance. So he set off to make a pilgrimage to Rome, to ask the Holy Father, Pope Clement XI, what he should do. The Pope recognised his real vocation and, telling him that there was plenty of scope for its exercise in France, sent him back with the title of Apostolic Missionary. On his return to France, Louis Marie headed for Mont-Saint-Michel to make a retreat before seeking another field for his missionary endeavours in Brittany.

Missions in Brittany

After making his retreat at Mont-Saint-Michel, Louis Marie set off to find the missionary band headed by one of the greatest of Breton Missioners, Father Leuduger, and having caught up with them in Dinan, was accepted as a member of the team. Over the next few months he was involved in many missions in the dioceses of Saint-Malo and Saint-Brieuc, including one in his own birth-place, Montfort-sur-Meu

and others at Plumieux and La Chèze (where he rebuilt an ancient chapel, long since fallen into ruins, dedicated to Our Lady of Pity). Always he would choose for his own attention the poorest areas of the towns where the missions were held , and would often introduce some new initiatives for the relief of the poor, for example a soup-kitchen which was set up in Dinan.

He was perhaps not at his best, however, working with a team and, after several months, he left the mission band to spend a year at Saint-Lazare, just outside Montfort-sur-Meu, with two lay-brothers who had joined him. Here he occupied himself with teaching catechism to those who came to this ancient priory and schooling the two brothers in the art of community living. At the end of a year, he must have felt that other places offered him more opportunites for preaching missions and in 1708 he left to work in the Diocese of Nantes.

For two years, he preached many missions in and around Nantes, the vast majority of which proved extraordinarily successful in terms of the conversions wrought among the people. His reputation as a great missioner grew, but most of all he began to be known everywhere, by the ordinary people, as "the good Father from Montfort". He tried to perpetuate the spiritual results of his missions by setting up confraternities and associations which would encourage the people to be faithful to their renewal of Baptismal commitment, and by erecting physical reminders of the mission in the form of mission crosses. At Pontchateau, he attracted many thousands of people to help him in the erection of a more imposing reminder of the love of God, in the shape of a huge Calvary.

The Calvary of Pontchateau, however, was to be the cause of one of his greatest disappointments. On the very eve of its blessing, the Bishop, having heard that it was to be destroyed on the orders of the King himself, forbade its benediction. The whole sorry affair of the condemnation of the Calvary was the result of jealousy and petty revenge, but the Bishop evidently felt he had no choice but to curb the "excesses" of this extraordinary priest, and a few days later he forbade Louis Marie to do any more preaching in his diocese. This was just one, though perhaps the greatest, of the many instances where Louis Marie was called to share in the Cross of Christ. He did not let it get him down, but on the contrary reflected and meditated on it, and set down his reflections in one of his short writings, the Letter to the Friends of the Cross.
Although he was not banned from all work in the Diocese of Nantes, it was clear that if he wished to continue his preaching, he would have to go elsewhere. On the invitation of the Bishop of La Rochelle, he left Nantes in 1711 and entered the last period of his life, preaching missions in the Dioceses of La Rochelle and Luçon, in the Vendée region of France.

Last Years

The next five years, until his death in 1716, were extraordinarily busy ones for Louis Marie. He was constantly occupied in preaching missions, always travelling on foot between one and another. Yet he found time also to write - his True Devotion to Mary and The Secret of Mary, rules for the Company of Mary and the Daughters of Wisdom, and many Hymns which he used in his missions, often set to contemporary dance tunes. He made two major journeys, to Paris and to Rouen, to try to find recruits for his Company of Mary, of which he dreamt more and more as he drew towards the end of his life. And from time to time, he felt it necessary to withdraw to a place of quiet and isolation, in the Forest of Mervent or in his little "hermitage" at Saint-Eloi near La Rochelle.

His missions made a great impact, especially in the Vendée. It has been said that one of the reasons for the vigourous resistance of the people of this region to the anti-religious and anti-Catholic tendencies of the French Revolution 80 years or so later, was the strengthening of their faith by the preaching of St. Louis Marie. Yet he found it very difficult to persuade other priests to join him in his work as members of his Company of Mary. Finally, in the last year, two priests, Fr René Mulot and Fr Adrien Vatel, did join him, and he also gathered a certain number of lay-brothers to help him in his work.

The Bishop of La Rochelle, Mgr Stephen de Champflour, proved a great friend to him, although others continued to oppose him, and there was even an attempt made on his life< Together with the Bishop, he established free schools for the poor boys and girls of La Rochelle, and called Marie Louise Trichet and Catherine Brunet, who had waited patiently in Poitiers for 10 years, to come to help him. At last, they made their religious profession and the congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom was born. Soon there were others too who joined them.

Worn out by hard work and sickness, Louis Marie finally came in April 1716 to Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre to begin the mission which was to be his last. During it, he fell ill and died on 28 April. Thousands gathered for his burial in the parish church, and very quickly there were stories of miracles performed at his tomb. The two priests of the Company of Mary, Fathers Mulot and Vatel, retired to Saint-Pompain, with the handful of Brothers, where they waited for two years before taking up again the mission preaching so beloved of Louis Marie.

He had hoped after his ordination in 1700 to go to the foreign missions, favouring the French colonnies of Canada. His spiritual director however, sent him to minister to the needs of the French Church.

Recognising there was a lack of priests to minister to the people, he prayed for and eventually began a small society of priests. Walking from diocese to diocese his outspokenness on wrongdoing and the erroneous doctrines of the day made him many enemies.He met continuously with opposition and disapproval. He began to wonder (as had Saint James!) whether he was truly following the path of God.

To find his answer he travelled the thousand miles or so on foot to a private audience with Pope Clement XI. The Pope encouraged him to continue his apostolic works and evangelisation of France.

For the next sixteen years He travelled throughout the west of France, preaching, teaching catechism, organising the building of shrines and schools and renovating delapidated churches.All of this strenuous work, his heavy penances and an attempt on his life by poisoning eventually took its toll.

At a mission in the village of St. Laurent - sur Sevre, having struggled to give his sermon on "the kindness of Jesus" he became seriously ill. That afternoon on the 28th of April 1716, it beame certain that death was near. Holding his little statue of Our Lady in his hands, and kissing his crucifix he exclaimed " In vain do you attack me; I am between Jesus and Mary. I have finished my course; all is over. I shall sin no more". Then he died peacefully.Thousand came to pay their respects, and his tomb in St- Laurent has been a place of pilgrimage ever since.

He was canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 20th 1947, and his feast is kept on the anniversary of his death, April 28th.

You who pass this way, what do you see?
A light quenched,
A man consumed with the fire of charity,
Who became all things to all men,
Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort.

If you would know his life,
there was none more holy;

If his penance, none more mortified;
If his zeal, none more ardent;
If his devotion to Mary, none more like Bernard.
A priest of Christ, he showed forth Christ in his actions,
and preached him everywhere in his words;
unwearied, he rested only in the grave.
A father to the poor,protector of orphans,reconciler of sinners,his glorious death was the image of his life.As he lived, so did he die.
The epitaph engraved in Latin on his tomb is an excellent summary of his life:

Visit
http://bobandpennylordblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/saint-louis-marie-de-montfort.html for a clip on the lift of Montfort

Montfort Alumni Yercaud - India (1917 - 1972 batches)

2008-04-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

“Old” Boys and Girls of Montfort and SHY, with their partners are cordially invited to a combined Schools Reunion, to be held in Yercaud from 22nd to 24th January 2010.

(Because of the large numbers of old boys and girls who have passed out of the schools it is not practical to have a reunion for all. Therefore it is proposed to concentrate on the senior brigade of boys and girls who passed out up to year 1972. We are trying to create an opportunity and incentive to get as many of our buddies to return to India to renew their acquaintances with their school colleagues. The fun and laughter at this happy event can only make you feel good, so come along and reminisce with us with a drink or two.)

This is a unique event, organised by the Australian Overseas School Groups with the guidance and assistance of various school members in India.

The concept of the combined schools reunion follows on from successful reunions held in Perth (2005) and in Melbourne (2007). These two meetings were filled with warmth and nostalgia, which confirmed the strong bonds we have with our alma mater.

The event is also an opportunity for overseas residents to plan that holiday in “Incredible India” and to make this reunion a part of the holiday itinerary.

An internal package for overseas travellers can be arranged to cover the following, however you will need to custom make your own return air travel arrangements into India and then on to Madras (Chennai) or Bangalore to meet up with the batch travelling to Salem:

Train Travel with the Batch from Madras or Bangalore Stations to Salem Junction and back.
Bus transportation from Salem Junction to the Hotel in Yercaud & back
Hotel Accommodation and breakfast for the 3-4 day period. (Grand Palace Hotel)
For those making their own way to Yercaud, accommodation can be found at various other Hotels and Resorts.

Costs and details will be advised closer to the date of the reunion once numbers have been confirmed. Please register your interest so that we can plan ahead and keep you informed.
Finally, we ask each and every one of you to pass this “Invitation” to all your colleagues in the relevant year batches and have them contact us at the earliest.

Date: 22nd to 24th January 2010
Location: Yercaud
email: montfortandshyreunion2010@gmail.com

Best Wishes to you and your families
Reunion 2010 Committee

2008-04-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

MONTFORT SCHOOL 92ND FOUNDER’S DAY

It is indeed my privilege and honour to be invited to our school’s 92nd Founder’s Day celebrations. Its been more than 30 years since I left the School. My 10 years here have given me lots of pleasant memories which I still share with my 3 kids, the youngest being 16 years old. I actually taught my children to sing our School Song.

The Montfort School that I knew did not have all the modern facilities that you all now enjoy. But trust me, I had as great a time as a student as all of you here today. Modern facilities and air-conditioned classrooms do not make a school – these are just the hardware. What makes the difference are the teachers, parents, students and most importantly the values that the School represents – these are what I would call the software.

Since I left Montfort, I have kept in touch with some of my schoolmates whose children attended the school. I have also been involved in some of the School’s fund raising activities, and I know that Montfort continues to impart the great values and all rounded education that I enjoyed in my days.

Unlike all of you, when I first attended Primary 1, I did not even know my alphabet. My parents do not speak English. They had little formal education. My Dad was from China and worked as a clerk. My Mum sold soon kueh at Serangoon Gardens wet market. Some of your parents would probably know her cos she made the best soon kueh around. They would usually be sold out by 10 am. Mine was indeed a very humble family.

I spoke only Teochew, with a sprinkling of colourful Hokkien which I would only use only on very special occasions. I stayed in Hougang for the first 15 years of my life. English was never spoken at home. Hence, the China man accent that I still have today!!

Where I am today, is due largely to the strong foundation and guidance which I received from my teachers and the Brothers of St Gabriel. The theme for this year’s Founder’s Day is “Thanks be to our Lord”. As we give thanks to God, we must remember those whom God places in our path to guide us and lead us. I “Thank You” – Montfort and all my teachers.

At Montfort, I was taught not only the maths, sciences, languages and other academic subjects – I was also equipped with strong core Christian values which formed the cornerstone of many decisions in my life.

Don’t get me wrong. I had my fair share of scuffles and fights in school. I was probably sent out of class more times than any of you!! One of my favourite and most memorable spots in school was the place behind the church where we settled our differences by slugging it out until the discipline master came along. Those were fun times and what memories are made of.

When I completed my secondary 4 education here in Montfort, I was one of 2 from the school who decided to go to National Junior College. NJC was the first and only junior college at that time. I must say when we went to NJC we were pitted against the best in Singapore – that was the real test of a Montfort education.

I am pleased to say that both of us did Montfort proud. We were awarded Colombo Plan Scholarships to study overseas. I took up engineering in New Zealand. I should add that without this scholarship, I would never have been able to afford a tertiary education. The scholarship was truly a blessing. I am grateful that I am blessed with a Montfort education that helped pave the way for my scholarship.

Now you may wonder how an engineer ended up a lawyer?

It is only by the grace of God that I was offered another scholarship to read law when I was a young civil engineer of 4 years. It was a daunting move – from a predominantly science background which dealt mainly with steel and mortar, to one involving humanities.

I took up the challenge as I always remember our school motto, "Age Quod Agis" which means "Do well in whatever you do." This guiding principle is something which I hold close to my heart even to this day. I have no doubt that the 10 years of education in my formative years was instrumental in giving me the confidence to take the leap.

This is a motto which exemplifies our school and what it represents. It is something that I would ask all of you to hold on to dearly. Let this be a guiding principle in YOUR lives.

During my time, our school had one of the best school bands in Singapore. Our soccer, badminton and softball teams were also amongst the best. That was over 30 years ago.
I am pleased to learn that this tradition to “Do well in whatever you do” has continued. This year, Montfort won the National Badminton Championships B & C Divisions. Our students emerged the e-gaming champions in the National competition. We have a Wushu national gold medalist and a student representing us in canoeing for the pre-Olympics event.

There will always be challenges in life. To Do Well, you will need hard work and perseverance.
Our school motto calls for us to “Do well in whatever you do”. This is not measured by how much you earn. It simply means doing your best in WHATEVER you do.

When you do well, do it not only for yourself, but also for your parents, your loved ones, your Alma Mater and your Country.

As you Do Well, never forget your roots and those who helped you along the way.
Maintain your friendships. Friends will be the ones you need as you venture forward in life. I still play tennis every week with friends I made 30-40 years ago.
I would like to conclude by inviting all of you to remember our School Creed which is the Prayer to St. Louis Marie de Montfort. In this prayer, we pray for:

Faithfulness and Integrity
Care, compassion and filial piety
Wisdom and discernment
Loyalty to the Alma Mater and the Country.
You will all Do Well, if you strive as best as you can to uphold these values.
May God bless all of you.

Mr Tan Chee Meng, Senior Counsel
Guest of Honour, Founder’s Day
26 April 2008

Founder's Day Updates

2008-04-28T19:59:00.001-07:00

28 April 2008

Mr Simen spoke about the grand celebration held on Founder's Day. He highlighted the humble backgrounds of the Guest of Honour, Mr Tan Chee Meng and the Special Guest Chew Hua Seng who donated both time, effort and resources to the school.

"On their behalf...because they wanted me to convey this to you", Mr Simen said, "Thank you for the many things you have done for Founder's Day and for the school. Live up to the expectations and motto of Age Quod Agis and contribute back to the school"

Mr Simen also mentioned that 28 April was the feast day of St Louis Grignion de Montfort, the Founder of the school. He passed away on the same day in 1716. t is no coincidence that 200 years later, in 1916, Montfort School was founded.

A special prayer was said to St Louis Grignion de Montfort with the school principal leading the whole school

"St Louis Grignion de Montfort, please intercede for us. Continue to give our school great years ahead. We pray through you on our feast day that we will continue to follow in your footsteps and for the many blessings that you have bestowed upon us. Continue to shower your blessings down on us, to give us the same spirit, the same zeal, the same enthusiasm that you had to do good and to always be that Man for Others. Bless the staff, school helpers, vendors that you will also give them the strength, spirit and zeal to continue the good work that you did and that we will live up to the Great School on whose namesake we keep. All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen"

Prayer by Brother Emmanuel

Brother Emmanuel said a special prayer on Founder's Day. It has deep meaning because it speaks of a special prayer to St Louis Marie de Montfort

"Before I recite the prayer of St Louis Grignion de Montfort, which has become part of our (Brothers of St Gabriels) daily devotion and routine, I would like to read a brief passageon the writings of St Louis Marie de Montfort on the 292nd anniversary of his death.

It is amazing that our students and a large number of the Catholic population of the world, let alone, of the people of Singapore be so ignorant of who that great saint is.

St Louis Marie de Montfort's motto or slogan was God Alone = D + S = Dieu Seul!. The writings of St Louis motto are of great interest today for many reasons

Firstly, it is because the motto is centered on Christ, the Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom.
Secondly, because they focus attention on the importance of Mary's role in the Mystery of Christ and of the Church - a subject of renewed interst both within the Catholic Church and other Christian churches. Thirdly, because they eobdy a form of Marian Spirituality that goes far beyond mere Marian devotion, as Pope John Paul II pointed out in his Marian Year encyclical: St Louis Marie de Montfort proposes consecration to Christ through the hands of Mary as an effective means for Christians to live faithfully their baptismal commitments. Fourthly, because they reflect the thinking ans pastoral experiences of a man of vision whose writings have a definite prophetic ring relative to the latter times. They likewise reflect his unusually profound understanding of the scriptures concerning Christ, Eternal and incarnate Wisdom, as well as his personal discovery of Mary, the "easy, short and perfect and sure way" to obtain full possession of Divine Wisdom in our souls. In a sense, we can say that his writings have revolutionized the whole concept of true devotion to Mary by presenting it as a way of life, a very special way of living our initial baptismal commitment to Christ, namely, with and through Mary. His writings also reflect an indtense desire to present a clear, dynamic and convincing nature of the authentic Church teaching along with practical help for Christian living. His motivation was unservingly: To Do All for God Alone."

The prayer which Brother Emmnauel read was as follows:

Dear St Louis Marie de Montfort
Grant us the grace to be true Gabrielites
that is to say true sons of Montfort,
Faithful to our duties at all times
'Striving always for the highest
standard in behavior, sports and academic performance.
Give us the love to be caring people
Helpful to all especially to the poor,
The weak and the disadvantaged.
Imbue us with the courage to face and overcome
All difficulties and hardship
And the wisdom to tell right from wrong.
Sustain us in all our endeavors
That we may uphold the Gabrielite School motto: Age Quod Agis
And be always true and loyal to our Alma Mater and our country
Amen

St Louis Marie de Montfort, Protector of children and Youth,
Pray for us

The 92nd Founder's Day

2008-04-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

On 26th April 2008, the school celebrated the 92nd Founder's Day, close to the 292nd feast day of St. Louie Marie Grignion de Montfort (28th April). The Guest-of-Honour was Mr Tan Chee Meng, senior counsel (class of 1972).

First, the morning involved all uniformed-groups in an outdoor parade. Then, everyone moved in to the hall for the String Ensemble Performance by MJS, the MFSS Chorale and the WuShu performance. The principals from both school spoke about their school's performance over the year. Also part of the programme was the award presentations for top PSLE, GCE 'N' and
'O' level students, together with the Colours Awards and Meritorius Awards.

Another old-boy of the school, Mr Chew Hua Seng, came to give his support to the school, by contributing a large sum of money. A video presentation was shown featuring old-boys on their thoughts about the school and how it has helped them.

"The modern facilities were only the hardware, it is the teachers and students who make the difference in school." - Mr. Tan Chee Meng

I Can't Forget - Bro. Gerard Majella

2008-04-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Mr Lloyd Yeo spoke about Bro. Gerard Majella as the run-up of activities to Founder's Day.

"Rev Bro Gerard Majella, the first Bro. Director of Holy Innocents', is an old resident of the East, having first come to Bangkok in 1913. Two years later, he had to return to France, his native land, which was then embroiled in a World War with Germany. After the war, he was again posted to the Assumption College in Bangkok, but in 1926, he went to Lnodon to become the Director of St Gabriel's School in Wimbledon. 1934 saw him back in Siam as the Director of the College there, but for the good and faithful servant there can be no restg when the harvest is greatg and the labourers are few, and in November 1936, Brother Gerard journeyed southwards to Upper Serangoon, Signapore, to take over the direction of Holy Innocents' English School which had been handed over to the Brothers of St Gabriel.

Bro. Gerard was Director of the school until May 1938 when he was replaced by Rev Brother Louis Gonzaga. A new Novitiate was opened at Bukit Timah for the training of young Brothers for Malaya, Siam and India, and Bro. Gerard was appointed Superior. He remaind in the post until WW2 and spent 2 years in Bahau, where he suffered very severely from Malaria. In 1946, he returned to Siam, for the Novitiate was no longer functioning.

During his stay as Dirctor of the school, he skilfully continued the work done by Mr PA D'Costa, the former Headmaster, while at the same time introducing the traditional methods of education used by the Brothers of St Gabriel. He started the School Certificate Class for the first time and the results were most encouraging. He helped in the management of the class by teaching Scripture, and some of his old boys are now holding posts of responsibility, one of them being Mr Low Kok Pheng, who is the Assistant Controller of Foreign Exchange.

I Can't Forget

I have loved you so well
How much I cannot tell
That all that love of yore
Still glows, O Singapore!
I can'tr forget

That hazy Serangoon
A gem under the moon;
Its balmy grobves and streams
With birds that sing their dreams
I can't forget

Those cheery boys whose bands
Gladden high and low lands;
The shady homes and huts,
The palms and their green coconuts
I can't forget

The spacious Church whose spire
To pray would fain inspire
Whose aisles the lofty folds
Are mother's arms to young and old,
I can't forget.

But least of all that School
Where love is still the Rule,
Where one could meet angels and saints
That dear, that Holy Innocents'
I can't forget.

Keenness

2008-04-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

Mr LLoyd Yeo read an excerpt frolm the editorial of the 1952 School Annual at assembly for Founder's Day. The exerpt was written when Bro. Louis Gonzaga was Principal. It has deep resonance and meaning even today.

"Keenness is the basis of all good and joy in life. It enters into our concerns and gives them a soul which knows no limit to its powers; it is the sign of the presence of genuine life. It must not be confused with a type of ambition which originates fgrom a certain desire to show off. Keenness rightly understood is but an ardent interest which one takes in any underaking; it is the first and last element of success. Do you wish to succeed at school? Be deoted heart and soul to your studies. Once you have made up your mind to be keen on them, you will soon develop a growing interst which cannot fail to bear fruit. Your books will become your friends; every lesson will afford you some satisfaction, and a time may come when you will find it hard to tear yourself away from your studies.

If a man gives himself entirely to any pursuit, it can't well be dull for him although it may appear so to those who are merely watching him. Look for instance at the archaeologist bending over old parchments and scrutinizing through his magnifying glass some characters which time has almost completely obliterated; "What a boring task" you will say. Yet this is no dreary occupation to one who is keen on research work.

Yes, keenness changes the aspect of things. It renders attractive and even fascinating that which formerly seemed repulsive. It brings pleasure wheresoever it sets in.

It is therefore evident that keenness in life counts for much. In games there is little else that matters. The schoolboy who is keen on his work stands head and shoulder above his classmates. This does not mean that he will necessarily be first as he may not be well fittd for studies, but his efforts for plodding persistence will be a by-word to boys and teachers.

The employer who is looking for someone to fill up a vacancy in his business will naturally select the applicant who is likely to be earnest about his work. he will not insist on experience; after all, a boy who leaves school to take up a job is not expected to know very much. The routine of office work, the intricacies of transactions, the knack of journalism are things which time alone will teach. Experience will do good only to the mind that is really eager to profit by it.

Keeness is the pleasant avenue that leads to success. That boy will always be admired and respectged who is keen in all his undertakings, in his friendships and his defence of the genuine principles of life."

We are the champion, Mr Simen

2008-04-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

SPORTS IN SCHOOLS
To sir with love, from Montfort
By Christopher Ong

Straits Times

EVEN before they started, they were confident of beating Singapore Sports School for the Pilot Pen Cup Schools National B Division Boys' badminton title yesterday.

In fact, so confident were Montfort Secondary School that they printed T-shirts emblazoned with the words 'MR SIMEN We are the CHAMPION''.

Their self-belief was not without reason as they had beaten the Sports School twice this year - 4-1 in the group stage and 5-0 in the North Zone championships.

Explained Christian Y. Christianto, 17: 'We wanted to win for our principal, Mr Simen Lourds.
'We had promised him that we would retain our title.'

Christian kept his part of the bargain, as his powerful smashes helped him to a 21-13, 18-21, 21-14 win over Wang Ding Kang.

From that first-singles victory, Montfort went from strength to strength, winning 3-0 eventually.

Their easy success was not unexpected, as their line-up included the U-16 and U-18 singles champions of last month's Pilot Pen Cup schools individual championships.

The win gave Montfort the double, as they had beaten Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 4-1 in the C Boys' final earlier.

But it was a double heartbreak for the Sports School,who lost 1-3 to Xinmin Secondary in the B Girls' final.

In fact, they had also lost to Montfort and Xinmin in the B Boys' and Girls' finals last year.
However, their B Boys' captain Gabriel Teo was upbeat in defeat.

Said the 16-year-old: 'I believe there will be lots of opportunities to win against them.
'With more training and experience, we'll beat them one day.'

In the C Girls' final, Raffles Girls' School outplayed Nanyang Girls' School 4-1.

National Inter-Schools Badminton Championships 2008

2008-04-21T04:18:00.000-07:00

Today our Montfortian Giants were crowned winners of the National Inter-Schools Badminton Championships 2008 after the 'C' division boys took on ACS Independent and the 'B' Division played Singapore Sports School in Toa Payoh Sports Hall.

The supporters were out in full force with the Lower Sec cheering on the 'C' Div in the morning and the Upper Sec cheering on the 'B' Div in the afternoon. All our supporters outnumbered and out-cheered the other school's supporters and played a vital part in ensuring victory. It was an extremely well deserved victory for our boys and a great achievement for our school. This is also the 7th year running the 'B' Div has won the cup and the 'C' Div took back the cup after "loaning" it last year.

Congratulations to both our 'C' and 'B' Division boys! All the hard work paid off, Age Quod Agis!

2008-04-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

We were early (for Sports Day on 20th March) lar.Yea. We were crazy one lar,kept chanting, "We want milo". Haha. (With regards to) the mass participation thingy,our class walked around the stadium and chanted "We want milo" and "4e2" for the 400meters.Haha :) Class spirit!WOOHOOO..Yea!.

Gonzaga (were awarded) 3rd and I am shocked because we were last in everything.Like cheers,banners, notice board competition ..aiyah all the house events lar.

And the house which was Berthomiew.The funny thing was,they were 1st in all the house events. SERIOUS!haha!

Prolux won. Majella was 2nd. I was shocked that Majella did not win the notice board competition!They were 2nd!

Here are the 4 houses notice boards,according to the ranking of the scores. The houses are named according to the pioneering Brothers of St Gabriels

a. Brother Gerard Majella
b. Brohther Louis Gonzaga
c. Brother Noel Berthomieu
d. Brother Albert Proulx

(We used their surnames for the houses but when they were living, they were referred to by their first names Eg. Brother Gerard, Brother Noel, Broher Louis, Brother Albert)

Excerpts from http://darences-welcometothecescommunity.blogspot.com/

Odyssey of the Mind Competition 2008

2008-04-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

First of all,Odyssey of the mind.This year,Montfort sent out 4 teams.3 Division 2 Teams and 1 Division 3 Team.I Think we did rather well.For the division 2 teams,it consists of teams from the sec 1 and 2 levels.Mr christopher Foran's Team which took part in LTP(long term Problem)3 The Wonderful Muses was the best performing team.They took 4th placing in their problem in a field of 11 teams!Well done juniors!Mrs Jamie Tan's Division 2 team which took part in LTP 5,The eccentrics came in 6th placing out of a field of 12 schools.while Ms chong's team which took part in LTP 2,Dino stories came in 8th placing out of 9 schools. But whatever it is,it is a very good showing for newcomers to the competition.

My team is the senior team of the 4.we participated in division 3 which consists of sec 3,4 and jcs.we competed in LTP 4,tee structure.we were pipped from the 4th placing by RGS by a mere 9.57 points to 5th placing out of 10 schools.we were fielded into a very strong field.in fact, we expected ourselves to get either 9th or 10th placing.But we never let our guts down,responded positively,and took this competition not as a competition but as a platform for us to express ourselves and have fun in the process.i guess we really did have fun.here are the scores!

Tee Structure Div III

1 ACS (Barker Road)

.......(Wt Hld LongTerm Style Spont Total/pnlty)

Calc: (150.00 196.51 41.79 81.61 319.91)
Raw: (165.00 40.00 38.70 25.30 0 )

2 Raffles Jnr College
Calc: (84.09 124.79 43.52 75.16 243.47)
Raw: (92.50 35.00 40.30 23.30 0 )

3 River Valley High School
Calc: (72.73 97.15 38.52 100.00 235.67)
Raw: (80.00 21.00 35.67 31.00 0 )

4 Raffles Girls' School
Calc: (29.55 72.57 50.00 74.19 196.76)
Raw: (32.50 37.00 46.30 23.00 0 )

5 Montfort Secondary
Calc: (22.73 72.73 37.04 77.42 187.19)
Raw: (25.00 43.00 34.30 24.00 0 )

6 Hwa Chong Institution
Calc: (36.36 56.13 39.63 81.61 177.37)
Raw: (40.00 17.00 36.70 25.30 0 )

7 Bartley Secondary
Calc: (25.00 45.93 33.48 64.52 143.93)
Raw: (27.50 18.00 31.00 20.00 0 )

8 Singapore Chinese Girls'
Calc: (6.82 40.54 33.80 62.26 136.60)
Raw: (7.50 29.00 31.30 19.30 0 )

9 Hwa Chong Institution (Div IV)
Calc: (0.00 0.00 34.56 61.29 95.85)
Raw: (0.00 0.00 32.00 19.00 0 )

10 Nanyang Girls' High
Calc: (0.00 0.00 31.32 44.19 75.51)
Raw: (0.00 0.00 29.00 13.70 0 )

I had to make some amendments to the way it is displayed as i am havin some trouble uploading the original on blogger.

Now, i will Rank for all the different sections.

Spontaneous
1)River valley high
2)ACS (barker)
2)Hwa chong instituition
4)Montfort secondary School
5)Raffles Junior college
6)Raffles Girls school
7)Bartley secondary school
8)Singapore chinese Girls
9)Hwa chong instituition(div 4)
10)Nanyang girls school

Weight Held Ranking
1)Acs (barker)
2)Raffles Junior college
3)River valley High school
4)Hwa chong institution
5)Raffles Girls school
6)Bartley Secondary
7)Montfort secondary
8)singapore chinese girls'
9)Hwa chong instituion(div 4)
9)nanyang girls school

Bonus points
1)Montfort secondary
2)ACS (Barker)
3)Raffles Girls School
4)Raffles Junior college
5)Singapore chinese Girls school
6)River valley High school
7)Bartley secondary
8)Hwa chong instituition
9)Hwa chong instituition(div 4)
9)Nanyang Girls High

Long Term(Weight held+ Bonus points)
1)ACS (barker)
2)Raffles junior college
3)River valley High
4)Montfort secondary school
5)Raffles Girls school
6)Hwa Chong secondary
7)Bartley secondary
8)Singapore chinese girls
9)Hwa chong instituiton(div 4)
9)Nanyang girls school

Style
1)Raffles Girls secondary
2)Raffles Junior college
3)ACS (barker)
4)Hwa chong instituition
5)River Valley high
6)Montfort secondary school
7)Hwa chong Instituition(div 4)
8)Singapore chinese Girls
9)Bartley secondary
10)Nanyang girls school

overall
1)ACS(Barker)
2)Raffles Junior college
3)River valley high
4)Raffles girls school
5)Montfort Secondary school
6)Hwa chong instituition
7)Bartley secondary
8)Singapore chinese Girls
9)Hwa chong instituition(div 4)
10)Nanyang girls school

we were actually 4th after the long term and spontaneous round.but because RGS had a full 50 points for style,we lost our lead and were pipped to 5th.it is very dissapointing.But whatevr it is,we had fun.And we have shown to the other schools that we are a threat!!!We might have lost the battle but we have not lost the war!!!

I hope Montfort can send more teams in the near future.i am ready to volunteer to help the teams!!!I think i want to be one of the OM judges..soOOOOO Cool!!

http://darences-welcometothecescommunity.blogspot.com/

IT Awards, Band Awards & Odyssey of the Mind

2008-04-15T02:13:00.000-07:00

1. Bronze Award in World Media Masters for Educational Games Development organized by the Ministry of Information and Communication for the Arts (Lower Sec Boys)

Our boys were disappointed despite being voted in as "Most Voted School" by the public.

2. Band Awards

The school band was awarded a certificate of merit for competition. Marching category.

3. Softball.

Montfort School beat North Vista 12-2 this week on 14/4/2008.

4. Odyssey Of the Mind

Mr Christopher Foran's team emerged fourth in the OM competitions! Hip Hip Hurray!

CCA Achivement 2008 Update

2008-04-10T02:29:00.000-07:00

Badminton
- North Zone (NZ) Champions for 'B' & 'C' Divisions

Softball
- NZ 'B' Division Runners-up
- SRC Carnival 'B' Division Runners-Up

Rugby
- M1 Touch Rugby U-14(10 aside) - Plate Semi-Finalist
- U-17 National Schools Rugby Tournament (Main) - Plate Semi- Finalist

Canoeing
- Singapore Canoeing Marathon - Goh Shao Jie, 2nd Place
- National Junior Championship - Goh Shao Jie, 3 Golds, 1 Silver for C1 & C2 500m & 100m Category

Tennis
- Combined Schools Team: Abdul Hakim

Wushu
- 1 Gold in National Competition
Matthew Alex Voon (B Category)
- 1 Bronze in National Competition
Koh Sheng Shong (C Category)

MOE Award
- School Awarded 1st SAA(Sports) in 2007

Scouts
- Frank Cooper Sands Awards (Gold)

NCC
- Best Unit Proficiency Award (Silver)

NPCC
- Best Unit Proficiency Award (Silver)

MOE Award
- School retained its 5th SAA (UG) in 2007

Exam Strategies

2008-04-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

STUDY STRATEGIES FOR EXAMS

Mr Lloyd Yeo spoke about exam strategies and the 5 legged stool. It was the last time the 4E/4N/5N would meet as a group before the rest of the schoo lreturned and he mentioned that he felt it was important that they understood how to translate learning to wisdom.

He told the boys that 'exam' was the easy part and then ran through various strategies which could be used to do well in the coming mid-year exams.

1. Scheduling of revision

Find out which is the last paper for the exams. Begin revision with the last paper. (Eg. Science). Also find out what your first paper is (Eg. History)

Begin revision by studying your last paper first. Spend at least 2-3 days on intensive revision for a single subject.

Why do you begin revision with your last paper first? By advancing your revision towards your first paper, you only revise your first paper 'once', thus saving time.

2. Methods for revision

a. Spend about 2-3 days for intensive revision per subject. Have at least 1-2 months revision time.

b. Different subjects have different methods for study.

Languages

Change the mindset that English Language and Mother Tongue languages can't be studied. They can. Study useful phrases and vocabulary items that you can use for your essay. Collect and collate good essays for intensive revision. Mr Lloyd Yeo shared about how through this method (he was horrible in his mother tongue), he was able to get a B3 for his Chinese (but failed oral exams). It also helped him achieve distinctions for his language.

Science, POA and Maths

Practice makes perfect. Look through the different kinds of questions they set or you through your 10-year series or assessments. Try out ONLY the difficult ones. Find out how to do them and TAG them. Revise by trying them out during your revision.

Humanities (History, Geography, Social Studies)

Organize and collate your notes. There are only about 2-3 key questions which they can test you on. Your job is to know what they are for each chaper and to make notes based on them. Studying whould not be 'reading the textbook'.

Examiners twist and turn, changing the questioniong style and focus. As a student, your job is to understand the question, organize your answer and write clearly and logically. Be clear about what you are saying and give the relevant details.

3. Atmosphere and Environment

Mr Lloyd Yeo also emphasized that it was important to know the atmospher and environment which was suited for your method of study. Mr Lloyd Yeo shared with the school that he believed that special places had 'special vibes', vibrating at different speeds, suited to the individual's study needs.

He gave the example of how he could never study in the bedroom because it was too near his bed and he'd fall asleep. He could never study near a TV or computer, it was too much of a distraction and temptation. He could never study in the day-time, it never seemed quiet enough.

The only place he could study was on a hard, wooden chair in the kitchen during the early hours of the morning when it was quiet and silent.

"You know you've found your spot when you are able to sit there for 2-3 hours at a stretch", he said.

4. Know the kind of learner that you are

Mr Lloyd Yeo told the audience that he could never study with music on. It was too much of an interference, especially songs with lyrics. He would start humming or singing, then he would be intent on taking down the lyrics.

Mr Yeo said he could only study in absolute silence or for a change, with classical music, marches or music without lyrics.

He also mentioned that he was a kinaesthetic learner. Kinaesthetic learners are those who have 'worms in their pants' and need constant movement and physical activity to focus.

He told the school about how when he was in varsity, he would walk around with his notes and pace the corridor to study, he would chant and read aloud, he would also stand on the table or chair with his notes his hands, balancing and bouncing his body up and down on the bench as he studied. He did this when no one was looking in a corner of the school because he knew it would've looked weird and was inappropriate in a formal study atmosphere.

5. Discipline + Focus = Performance

STUDY SKILLS FOR LIFE

El Guapo (Spanish for The Handsome One)

Mr Lloyd Yeo made a mistake and called frog El Guapo. Actually, it meant handsome one.

frog (Spanish) : rana
toad (Spanish) : sapo

Anyhow, his main point was to use the initials of G-U-A-P-O to emphasize how you could succeed in life. This, he metioned is called, wisdom.

The first three letters are taken from Mr Simen's earlier accounts of the Three Legged Stool.

(i) Generative Conversation - The way to react was not to be cynical but to have good ideas and strong, meaning, deep conversations. The focus should be on "Yes" and continued flow of ideas, generating greater enthusiasm and interest. It should not be "Yes Buts" conversation which focus on the negative. "Why?" but not "Why Not". Teamwork is the basis for this.

(ii Understanding Complexities - Nature is simple but man is not. We have a tendency to complicate it. This is why it is important to have systems thinking and think about issues at a deeper level. It means to think and sort it out at deep level, not in an emotional, instinctive manner.

(iii) Aspiration - Personal Mastery and Shared Vision. Personal mastery is important is because only when you master your own emotions, put your life in order, can you set your mind to any task.

Mr Yeo added a fourth and a fifth.

(iv) Prayer & Reflection - Quiet time is important to recharge your batteries and put all before God, trusting that in his infinite wisdom, he'll know what is right and guide you on the right path. That way, you can do your best in what you do. Age Quod Agis. It would also put all your worries and concerns aside.

(v) Organization - You also need to get yourself organized, know where things are, and know what approach you are going to take, in order to be successful.

So, El Guap = Wisdom & creating the desired future you want for yourself

(Rich Garces, Major League Reliever, Pitcher, Arriba, arriba!)

Coach Carter - Mr Edmund Lim's Motivation Talk

2008-04-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

Mr Edmund Lim gave a motivation talk using the example of Coach Carter to inspire the 4N/4E/5N students.

Here's one student's reflection from his blog:

" Watched Coach Carter the movie, in sch. Caught only part of it. The session was called Motivational Talk.

Well, i think its good. Yup. but, i seriously like this movie. From the bottom of my heart, i think is a great great great movie. This movie should be publicised to all schs man. Hope all the teachers in all schs in Singapore are dedicated and willing to push to the limits to let their students do well.

Im lucky i came to montfort,the teachers are well better than other schs, and they're dedicated.

hmm.A Conditioned body is required to attain a high level of discipline.That's what i need.

PERIOD OF CONDITIONING.It is easy to be successful, but its the choices we make in life, thus we sufferthe rightful consequences.

JUST MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.

Quote from Coach Carter :Our deepest fear is not that we're inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we're powerful beyond measure.It is our life, not our darkness that most frightens us.You playing small does not serve the world but there is nothing in life enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.We were all meant to shine as children. It's not in some of us but in everyone.And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give permission to other people to do the same.As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.- Timo Cruz from the movie

The charism of St Louis Grignion De Montfort

2008-04-05T06:33:00.001-07:00

St Louis Grignion De Montfort had a special devotion to Mary.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort created a theology revolving around this concept. He stressed that the quickest way to Jesus is to go to Mary. After all, She is His Mother, the Queen of Heaven, and Our Mother also. Plus, She is the only human (besides Jesus) to be immaculately conceived. Therefore, Montfort said that the most humble way to pray is through Her.

Likewise, Montfort spoke about being slaves of Jesus by having a devotion to His Blessed Mother. One of the best ways to do this is by making an official consecration to Her.

St. Louis de Montfort suggested taking 33 days as a preparation period for this consecration, and renewing this consecration through the same prepartions each year.

Each of the 33 days consists of readings and prayers.This consecration starts with twelve preliminary days, which help one to recognize the spirit of the world.

This is followed by three weeks dedicated to growing in the knowledge of 1) ourselves, 2) Mary, and 3) Jesus Christ.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort's Prayer to Mary was as follows:
Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father.
Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son.
Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign.
Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul.
Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am thine by justice.
But I am not yet sufficiently thine,
I now give myself wholly to thee without keeping anything back for myself or others.

If thou seest anything in me which does not belong to thee,
I beseech thee to take it and make thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.

Destroy in me all that may displease God;
root it up and bring it to nought.
Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee.
May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind.
May thy profound humility take the place of my pride;
may thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination.
May the continuous sight of God fill my memory with His presence;
may the burning love of thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine.
May thy virtues take the place of my sins;
may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and make up for all that is wanting in me.

Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine to know Jesus, and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but thine to praise and glorify God; that I may have no other heart but thine to love God with a love as pure and ardent as thine. I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly, it is thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons. It is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest.

Such, 0 heavenly Mary, the 'best part', which the Lord has given thee, and which shall never be taken away from thee - and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below; I wish for no other than that which was thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death, as the humblest of thy servants. The only grace I beg thee, for me, is that every moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say "Amen, so be it, to all that thou art doing in heaven. Amen, so be it, to all thou didst do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all thou art doing in my soul," so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.

Adapted from http://sanctafamilia.blogspot.com/

News from Brother Rene in Rome

2008-04-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Praise for Gabrielite schools here
By Joyce Gan (Singapore Catholic News)

SINGAPORE – The Superior General of the Brothers of St. Gabriel Congregation, Brother Rene Delorme, is encouraged by the work of Brothers and laypeople involved with the seven Gabrielite schools in Singapore.
They all have “the same community spirit, and a lot of commitment to help the students grow”, he said at the end of a two-week mid-February visit to Singapore to learn about the programmes and challenges of the Gabrielite Brothers here. This was Brother Renes third visit to Singapore.

“In particular, I am very impressed by the work done in Boys Town,” he said. “Their work in helping the young men to learn a trade and having a wellrounded formation in terms of learning different subject matter, living in community, developing social relationships, is beautiful.”
Brother Rene is based in Rome. For up to six months every year, he and four councillors visit countries where there are Gabrielite missions to learn what their needs are and see how to address those needs.

There are 1,270 Brothers working in about 250 schools in 35 different countries. The Brothers run academic schools ranging from kindergartens to universities, technical schools and schools for the blind and deaf. There are also many Brothers involved in “all kinds of projects for human development”.

“My role is to coordinate all of that,” Brother Rene said. “When the councillors and I return to Rome after our visits, we share among ourselves what we have seen and heard – the joys but also the difficulties and situations that need to be improved.

“I find a very professional approach here” to helping students, he observed. “[But] most of the places the Brothers are working in are with people living in poor conditions. Sometimes, they need help.”

In Africa, for example, not everyone can go to school. In keeping with founder Louis de Montfort's spirituality, the Brothers make their presence available in such places to try to give an education to those who would otherwise be denied it.

In many countries, the Brothers run Centres for Street Kids, which is, in a sense, a humble way of starting a school. Brother Rene was born in St. Michel des Saints near Montreal, Canada. He has two brothers and two sisters. He studied at a Gabrielite High School and was impressed by the Brothers there.

“Because of their testimony in living and working, I felt I would like to have a life like that too,” he recalled. “Little by little it developed in my mind. I think that's what vocation is about. God doesn't come to you and tell you, "I want you to be this and that. It's a feeling in your heart.”

Upon graduation at 17 years of age, he asked to join the Gabrielite Brothers and took his first vow at 19, in 1964. He spent 28 years from 1970-98 working in schools before he became Provincial. Brother Rene was elected Superior General of the congregation in 2000. He was 55.

“It's a journey full of challenges and there are many problems in different institutions and projects, but through it all I find lots of joy. As a congregation, we feel a responsibility to make Montfort's charism go on and we do it with many laypeople. Here at Boys' Town, you call Montfort a man for others and (teach students) to do things for God. This is important because everyone is an image of God.”

“I'm very happy to be a Brother of St. Gabriel,” he added. “And if I could do it again, I'll do it the same way.”

Brother Rene visited the Gabrielite Brothers in India before coming to Singapore. He has left for Malaysia.

Presently, there are 33 priests in the Archdiocese who have attended Gabrielite schools at one time or other.

http://www.catholic.org.sg/cn/wordpress/?p=2041

ExHilirate Week

2008-04-03T08:33:00.001-07:00

This week, the whole school is out on camp:

a. Sec Ones - Sentosa (High Elements, Pet Rocket & Maths Trail)
b. Sec Twos - Changi (One * Kayaking, High Elements)
c. Sec Threes - Ubin (Kayaking, High Elements, Jetty Jump)
d. Sec Fours - Intensive Revision, Archery, Fine Dining

Desiderata Wisdom - "desired things"

2008-04-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Mr Yeo shared the story of his life with the Sec 4s and Sec 5s.

He began by asking if the students liked coming to school which drew about '20 hands' from the audience. He then spoke about his life and how he too had trouble liking school because his personal life was not in order.

He emphasized the importance of having your personal life in order (personal mastery) before you could succeed in life. He also spoke about how it was important to move from data-knowledge-application of knowledge - to wisdom.

Sharing and printing a copy of the Disderata, he spoke about how it could be a guide to wisdom:

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrenderbe on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery,
and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.Strive to be happy.
(Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.)

"Desiderata" (Latin for "desired things", plural of desideratum) is an inspirational prose poem about attaining happiness in life. It was first copyrighted in 1927 by Max Ehrmann.

In the 1960s it was widely circulated without attribution to Ehrmann, sometimes with the claim that it was found in St. Paul's Church, Baltimore, Maryland, and was written in 1692 (the year of the founding of St. Paul's). Nevertheless, the estate of Ehrmann has kept various editions of the work in print. A spoken-word recording of the essay was made by Les Crane and reached #8 on the Billboard magazine charts in late 1971.

The Gentlemanly Blog

2008-03-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Why do you use the best language you can on blogs?

It's because you're on a public domain. Being a gentleman means that you know the difference between and public and private domain and you don't trash people or issues in public. The insensitivity can hurt many, whether it is intended or unintended is immaterial.

Consider what some have said about how some we blog and you'll see that we're setting a really positive example:

"I'm blooooooody impressed when I blogged hopped,from .......so on,All their monfort friends are all so profound.I'm impressed with their fluent language, descriptive words, and everything.I'm damn jealous.Since montfort people are alrdy like that,I cant imagine top end schools like RI? RGS?Their flowery words sure make me more jealous. HAHA"
(blog link removed on request)

Keep the flag flying.

25th March 2008

2008-03-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

happiness > progress > unity

Mr Simen referred to an earlier incident about two boys getting into a scuffle. Fights sometimes occur when one looks at another. Then they look at each other and assume that they are staring at each other. Typically, " What? Not Happy arh?" would be said.

Mr Simen explained by giving a few personal encounters. Instead of getting angry and thinking "Why is he/she looking at me like that?", he walked up and greeted the person. Maybe he/she saw you before, but cannot exactly remember who you are. If everyone is friendly and not jump to conclusions, there would be happiness, then progress, and lastly unity, as we all say in the National pledge "pledge ourselves as one united people".

If one realises that another is staring at him, it would only be right to say that he has been looking at the other for the same amount of time, in order to conclude that the other is "staring" at him. There is no need for anger, just a smile or "hi!" would be enough. The other could be an acquaintance and not necessarily a friend whom one goes out with often.

Happiness, progress then unity. At times we were misjudge others. We simply 'think' and not 'know' and jump to conclusions. "I think he is staring at me" Is he really doing that? A friendly gesture would not only make your day a brighter one, but it may prevent the cuts and bruises caused by a scuffle. An unnecessary one.

By Brian Theng, 2E4

First Day of School - Term 2

2008-03-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Montfort Giants in Action

Mr Simen spoke about how fantastic the school had performed in term 1. He read out an email to the school from teacher with more than 30+ years experience on how she felt so touched and warmed by the friendly atmosphere extended to the guests. In all her years of attending symposiums, she mentioned that this was the best! Congratuations to all Montfortians!

Term 2 Focus

Mr Simen also mentioned that the mid-year examinations were nearer. He expected everyone to be in full swing and to set aside their distractions and bad habits. Focus and attention would produce results.

Flu Virus

Mr Simen also addressed the flu epidemic. He assured students that the school had been dysinfected and all table types cleaned. He also mentioned that canteen vendors had been briefed and ensured to hygiene. There were no reports of a rise of virus infections in the hospitals and there was no cause for concern. However, he urged students to do their part and to see the doctor if they were sick. He also told them their part and to be more conscious of hygiene matters.

2008-03-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

7 March 2008 - Last Day of School

The past two days were hectic in lieu of the 3 events being held in school:

(1) Northzone Learning Symposium
(2) Chinese Dept Online Cultural Quiz
(3) Talk to Parents on Teenagers

Tables had to be cleaned and homerooms spruced up. Dry runs conducted. The uniformed groups had ushering duties and their manpower used to move pots and plants. The teachers and counsellors were on duty....And it worked out 'imppecably" !

All participants were amazed at how beautiful the school was! They were also delightfully overwhelmed by the warm reception received -

a. counsellors receiving them, showing them to the various venues for breakout sessions and bidding them farewell

b. teachers, facilitators and technical assistants helping the presenters

c. school leaders organizing the event, receiving them and bidding them farewell at day's end;

d. the airconditioned environment of the hall and classrooms

Early Dismissal

School was dismissed on6 March at 1:30pm and 1030am on 7 March in lieu of our victories in badminton. For many, it was also time spent preparing for the various upcoming events.

Meaningful Prayer & Term

Mr Christopher Foran introduced a new form of prayer through song. On Wednesday, he spoke about the difficulty of saying sorry and played us a song. It touched the hearts of many because the reflection was about teachers, students, parents, family and those we cared so much about:

What have I got to do to make you love me?
What have I got to do to make you care?
What do I do when lightning strikes me?
And I wake to find that you're not there
What do I do to make you want me

What have I got to do to be heard?
What do I say when it's all over?
And sorry seems to be the hardest word

It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's sad, so sad

Why can't we talk it over?
Oh it seems to me that sorry seems to be the hardest word

On Friday, the prayer was a thanksgiving prayer for the term. There was a quick recap about the term's many events and a song of praise about how "If you believe it, you will see it"

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and dayS
pread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open doorI
believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me,
ohIf I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

4 March 2008

6th Student Leaders' Investiture

2008-02-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

The 6th Student Leaders' Investiture was held on 29th February. The Guest of Honor for the event was Mr James Tay. The theme was 'leadership, the hidden quality within'.

After the arrival of the councillors, the opening prayer and a video presentation by the council, Mr Tay spoke about being a good leader. He said that real leaders are ordinary people, and they must learn to respect others. He spoke of a few key points that a leader should:

-let go of his ego
-first become a follower of others
-build positive relationships and values
-work to excellence
-be disciplined

Mr Simen said that all student leaders play an important role in the school to guide the rest of the students and are expected to be role models. Student leaders must know and embody the school values.

He told a short story of a mother bringing her daughter, who eats too much sweets and cannot stop her, to Mahatma Gandhi. After thinking for a while, he told them to visit him again 3 weeks later. When they came 3 week later, he simply told the young girl that eating too much sweets were bad for her and would give her tooth aches. The mother of the girl was a bit surprised, and asked "you could have told this to us the first time we came, why do tell us now?' Gandhi replied "3 weeks ago, I too had a problem of eating too much sweets, so I put myself to the test and stopped eating sweets before I could give that piece of advice."

This means that if we want to tell our schoolmates to follow certain expectations, we must be sure that we can follow these expectations ourselves.

As Zerah Goh, the former president and R. Saravanan, the current president said, student leaders must be servant leaders, uphold the morals and values of the school and should be initiative and strive to be a gentleman, leader, sportsman, scholar and above all a man for others.
They must have team spirit to carry out their responsibilities entrusted to them.

Links: Council video presentation
Presentation of badges for Executive committee of 2008
Presentation of LOA to Sec 2 General Councillors

By Brian Theng, 2E4

Sporting Victories & Losses

2008-02-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

1. Sports News

Montfort Rugby - Montfort beat Evergreen 21-10 and lost out narrowly to SJI 19-14

Montfort Softball - Montfort were Northzone B Boys Runners Up. They lost out to Maris Stella 10-9. They are in the midst of the National Championship and have won all games - beating Yuying 10-2.

Montfort Sepak Takraw - Montfort beat Naval Base Sec. 2-1. They lost out narrowly to other teams in the tournament.

2. Be on your guard. Awaken the Giant in you

Mr Lloyd Yeo spoke about awakening the giant in you. He told the school that it was always important to be alert and to do the right things. Citing examples of how Montfort boys had prevented a gang fight by contacting the police and how others had contacted the police when they spotted suspicious teens breaking into a house, Mr Yeo emphasized the importance of civic virtue and civic consciousness.

He then read out excerpts from the Straits Times about Mas Selamat Kastari, the JI leader, who fled from Internal Security Department's Whitley Road centre on Feb 28. He had allegedly planning to crash a hijacked plane into Singapore's Changi Airport. Mr Yeo told the boys to be on the lookout for strangers in the school and for suspicious looking people in public places. He also flashed the wanted man's list to the school.

Mas Selamat had earlier been arrested in February 2003 in the island of Bintan to assist Indonesian police in their investigations of several bombings in Indonesia in 2001 and 2002. Mas Selamat had changed his identity, assuming the name of Edy Heriyanto and obtained an Indonesian passport. Found in his possession were literature on making bombs. He was jailed for 18 months in 2003 for immigration offence. On 20 January 2006, he was arrested again for using a fake identity card in Java, where he was visiting his son who was said to be studying at a religious school there. Singapore requested for Mas Selamat's extradition and he was handed over to Singapore on February 3

World Scouts Day - 22 Feb 2008

2008-02-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

1. World Scouts Day

"Today is WORLD SCOUTS DAY. Scouting turned 101 years old.the parade went pretty well.It reminded me that scouting has a very rich history and that i should be pride to be a scout. I realized how much i needed this reminder." - Muthusalami.blogspot.com

Thus ends a Montfort School boy's blog about world scouts day.

Mr Aloysious Low read a meaningful message about the scouts and Mr Lloyd Yeo spoke about the history of the scouts movement and read excerpts of Baden Powell's (scouts founder) last letter to the scouts.

"...I have had a most happy life and I want each one of you to have a happy life too. I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness does not come from being rich, nor merely being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so you can enjoy life when you are a man. Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one. But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best. 'Be Prepared' in this way, to live happy and to die happy - stick to your Scout Promise always - even after you have ceased to be a boy - and God help you to do "

2. House Captain Elections

Montfort School had their House Captain elections today.

The houses are named after the pioneering brothers who helped establish Montfort School. The house masters and mistresses who take charge of the CCA carry on that legacy.

1. Berthomieu House (Brother Noel)
2. Gonzaga House (Brother Louis)
3. Proulx House (Brother Albert)
4. Majella House (Brother Gerard

The Series of great events

2008-02-21T03:55:00.000-08:00

YuanXiao

Being the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, called YuanXiao or the lantern festival, Mrs Lim told the school the story behind the day and why we were about to eat TangYuan. TangYuan is a Glutinous rice ball filled with peanut or sesame seeds.
Next, Mr Victor Ong, proceeded and announced that the whole school was going to eat TangYuan, all 1400 of us simultaneously and make a record. After a short "3, 2, 1, MONTFORT!" everyone ate their own share of TangYuan while a Chinese Newspaper recorded the event. After this momentous event, the school headed for the school hall, where more was in store for them.

Sports, sports, sports!

After everyone had settled down, Mr Yeo spoke about humility. Stating that Jesus washing the feet of his disciples was a sign of humility, he said that when the teachers gave out the TangYuan, they too were showing a sign, or act of humility.

Mr Faizan took over, and said that the sporting spirit in the school was very much alive, like the sporting spirit of Singapore, as it was bidding for the First Youth Olympic Games. A bid that was successful, after the results were announced at the Padang in the evening.

First up on stage were the rugby boys. Mr Toh said that the rugby boys of the opponents school stated that they would 'thrash us 80-0', but our giants proved them down right wrong and took them down 38-17.

Mr Faizan was back, together with the sepak takraw boys. The sepak takraw was created last year and after they lost their first two games, Mr Faizan challenged them to win their last, and they did so. The B Division team showed the Montfortian sporting spirit and defeated Naval Base Secondary 15-12.

Mdm Nora came up with the badminton boys next. Montfort were the North Zone Champions of both B and C division, a great triumph. In the finals, the C division beat Singapore Sports School 4-1 and the B division boys beat Sports School 5-0! These results were greeted by loud cheers from the whole school.

Mr Simen's Brithday Celebrations
Mr Yeo stepped on to the stage and said that there was going to be community singing, by Mr Ong, Mr Azman, Mr Edwin Lee and Mr Yeo himself. They sung a original tune, titled dede, because when they wrote the song, they did not know what to call it, and called it dede which was what was played on the guitar. The first verse went:

There was a man
His name was Simen
and Simen says
We'll take you high
How high my friend
Up 36K
The air is thin
I cannot breath
BUT......hallelujah (x2)

He brought us to

A land of Giants

He showed us how

To be a Man.

What kind of man

A gentleman

A Man for Others

and a leader too

AND...hallelujah (x2)

He crafts a plan

with his masterhand

We're on a quest

to the promised land.

He'll take us there

We're right on track

Take a look around

(hey there, why are you not singing)

Why're you so glum

Happy Birthday x4

A note from the badminton team stated that the team wishes our principal a happy birthday, and would continue to win trophies for our supportive and sporting principal.

The drumline, teachers and councilors greeted Mr Simen a belated birthday as he got onto the stage for the cake cutting ceremony.

He said " Colleagues, gentlemen. I'm overwhelmed and didn't expect this. You shouldn't have done it. But it's a very nice gesture. I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. My wish is for all of you to be self-disciplined, focused and to perform well in whatever you do. That is the formula for success. I wish that we all could be successful. Including the staff."

He then proceeded to cut his cake and everyone sang the birthday song for him. He did agree for a half day, although we would not have it today, as we had one on 19th Feb.

Youth Olympics
At about 7.15 in the evening, the president of the IOC (international Olympic Committee), Jacpues Rogge, announced that Singapore was going to host the very first Youth Olympics in 2010. This was welcomed by thousands who gathered in the Padang, including Prime Minister Lee. I'm sure everyone in Singapore is very proud of this achievement.

This has been an eventful day for all and will definitely be remembered for years to come.

By Alvin Lim and Brian Theng, 2E4

19 February 2008 - Brother Rene Delorme Visits Montfort School

2008-02-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

1. Report on Brother Rene, Superior General of Brothers of St Gabriel visit

Brother Rene visited the school on 19 Feb 2008. In his own words, he felt the exuberance, warmth, cheerfulness and happiness in the school. The most heartwarming part of his visit was when he was at the koi pond platform and students from all around the balcony cheered and applauded to welcome him. He visited the I-Mac Lab and spoke to teachers and students in the D & T workshops, Art class, Science Labs and Chinese classes. Boys scrambled to pay their respects and to greet the boys.

A student from Sec 4E5, on his own accord, even gave Brother some oranges for luck. Some lower Sec Bstudents also gave small handwritten notes of thanks and messages to him.

As the boys were dismissed from classes, Brother Rene, Brother Gaspar and Brother Emmanuel were near the staircase well on the first floor, greeting, shaking hands and exchanging well-wishes to almost every single student who walked past. Now that's a class act!

I think one of our fellow Montfortian's blog says it all:

"School ended dam early today because Brother Rene, head of the Brothers of St Gabriels, come down today and also because of the win over Sports school for the C div North Zone (badminton) title. The brothers came into my class during Chinese lesson.they were pretty cool..before recess, classes came out to fill the corridors. Everybody faced the centre of the classroom blocks where the pond is to welcome the Brothers. The Brothers stood in the center of the classroom block at the ground floor. They were being towered by masses of students all the way to the 4th floor. Everybody cheered and applauded. It was pretty awesome."

2. Excerpts of Brother Rene's message to school

Excerpts of Brother Rene’s Speech to Teachers

"I have found my visit to Montfort school very impressive. There is lots of creativity and life here. There are many innovative things you have done to engage the students. For this, I thank the teachers and congratulate all of youAs we went around the classes, we saw many students who were enthusiastic, cheerful and happy. They were working on projects and after greeting us, they returned to their work and did them diligently. There is so much application.We went around shaking hands and sharing words with many teachers and students. It gave me the opportunity to ask them, "Do you like coming to school in Montfort?" . Many told us they liked coming to school and they found it fun. There was so much enthusiasm, cheerfulness and happiness here. I have been involved in schools for 28 years and loved every aspect of it- the enthusiasm, the sense of warmth, the cheerfulness the life. Everytime, I return to the school for visits, I get that same sense and I miss it. It shows us that you have continued Montfort's work here very well. He lived 300 years ago and his vision was for a god centered education for students. His vision was for love of god and other-centeredness. The brothers came to help run Montfort School in 1936 and you have carried on in that same spirit and mission very well.

The mission was to teach the young about God's love and service to others, to help them be aware of their talents, to develop them, to help them grow, to build character and personality and make a difference in this world and tommorow's world and to be men for others. The education we provide is important because it has consequences for the future. They will grow up to have be parents, workers and this process of learning and education has no end. There are currently 1270 of us in the world in 35 countries and on behalf of them, we thank you for the work you have. Without you, many things could not be accomplished. There is not a single day that passes when you are not in our prayers.As the superior general, I have 4 assistants. One from Senegal in Africa, two from India and one from France. Our mission is to meet the brothers around the world and the people working and learning in our schools. We see the joys, listen to the difficulties and help the whole Montfort project to go on beautifully. We cannot do this alone because there are too few of us. Alone, this would not work.

It is because there are thousands like us who believe in this beautiful adventure who make it a reality. For this, I am grateful to so many of you who try to make it a world of harmony and peace.In Montfort Secondary school, we were welcomed by the students along the balcony with so much exuberance and enthusiasm. It says much about the leadership in the school and with them, the department heads and teachers. In your slides, we got to know of the many successes and awards you have achieved - academic, non-academic and also spiritual. Many of them are also sustained and I understand, that’s not easy. For this, I thank you all.

I would also like to thank and congratulate Mr Chua Cher Choon, the School Management chairman for the good work he does. He returns time and again to help with the many challenges the school faces.I would also like to thank Brother Emmanuel and Provincial Superior Brother Gaspar for supervising our schools here. Their warm welcome everywhere they go shows that they have done a great job in our schools. They represent the pioneering brothers who were here, those who had contributed so much and given quality education with their whole heart and mind through their concern for others. For this, I thank them and thank you for the visit.

Brother Rene
19 February 2008
Montfort Secondary School

Singapore's cleanliness / Visit by Brother Rene Delorme

2008-02-19T02:42:00.000-08:00

18 Feb 2008

Mr Yeo spoke about the vows that all Brothers take. The vows of poverty, obedience and chastity. The vow of poverty means that the Brothers give all their money to the poor or the Treasury of the Brothers, which helps maintain all the schools. The vow of obedience means that Brothers cannot say 'no' to the superior-general, Brother Rene Delorme. If a Brother, no matter how long he as stayed in a country for, has to move to another country as ordered by the superior-general, he would have to. The vow of chastity simply means that a Brother cannot get married.

19 Feb 2008
Singapore's cleanliness

Mr Simen read an article from the Straits Times Forum, which can be found in the 'Home' section.

The letter, from an American visitor, about the difference of Singapore's cleanliness between 1988 and now. During a visit in 1988, she was impressed with the cleanliness of Singapore. And she recently came back for another visit. Even though she liked the fact that Singapore had the likes of a 'garden city', it was not as clean as 20 years ago.

Mr Simen said that Civic Education meant something to people 20 years ago, and teenagers today take the fact that Singapore has many cleaners for granted and therefore litter. He also stated that other countries used to use Singapore as a benchmark for their own country's cleanliness, but over the years, instead of improving the standard, the cleanliness level deteriorated. This is because the effort to keep Singapore clean is lax, Singaporeans become complacent on cleanliness. This affects Singapore's image as a clean country.

Grooming

A student text-messaged Mr Simen regarding grooming checks and that "even though our hair is long but we keep it neat, we still have to cut." Mr Simen explained that these measures the school takes are for us to understand the importance of grooming, especially when we grow up.
In St. James Power Station, there is a policy that states only people above the age of 23 are allowed to enter. This is because people at this age have most likely completed university and has started working, and therefore are able to present themselves well. Most people think that teenagers dress untidily and do not present themselves well, so these grooming checks ensure that the Montfortians are prepared for the future and should take these in the right spirit.

Visit by the Superior General of the Brothers of St. Gabriel, Rev. Brother Rene Delorme

Brother Rene, accompanied by Brother Emmanuel and Brother Gasper, entered Valor@Montfort just before the Angelus. Afterwards, they were greeted by class 2E4 and toured the lab while Mr Simen spoke to him about the lab. From there, he proceeded to the pond area where he was greeted by loud cheers and screams as the whole school had a chance to see him. This visit is a great honor and we could see that Br. Rene was impressed. A very humble man, Br. Rene is in his 2nd term as the Superior General. School was dismissed early at 12.30pm and Br. Rene spoke to the staff in the hall. It was a privilege for us to meet him and we sure no one would forget today.

By Alvin Lim and Brian Theng, 2E4

Our Montfortians Unite! Total Defence Day

2008-02-15T04:46:00.000-08:00

Our Montfortians sealing up the class for the simulating chemical attack.
Our Montfort Military Band
Our Montfort NCC unit.
Our Montfort NPCC unit
Our scouts setting up a fire using natural resourses.
Our NCDCC demostrating CPR.
Mr Lloyd Yeo spoke about being prepared. He said when one loves something or someone, for example our country, it entails a sacrifice. Uniform groups usually have their trainings on Saturdays. They turn up for training because they love their CCA, and taking time out on Saturday is sacrificing their time.

Mrs Faith Yeo then explained the importance of commemorating Total Defence Day.She said that we should not think that we can only play a part when we are in National Service, as we can play our part in the other 4 aspects of Total Defence.

Next, representatives from the various uniform groups (UG) spoke about how their UG has taught them to play their part in Total Defence. The NPCC were first and said that being in NPCC has developed in its members the social aspect of Total Defence. Included in this aspect is respecting others and giving equal opportunity to everyone. The NPCC participated in the President's Star Challenge in 2006 which had them helping the needy, also part of social defence.

Then, the NCC spoke about military defence. Projects required members to research more on Total Defence. This, widens their understanding. The NCC also organizes several camps, projects and exchange programmes to expand everyones knowledge on Military Defence.

Psychological Defence can be on the individual, national or international level. As a Band member explained it, we can't have what we can't defend. Singapore also has nation building events, like singing the National Anthem or the National Day Parade.

The Scouts put up a display on how to create fires using dry materials such as branches and leaves. The Scouters learn any skills during training, all applicable in times of crisis. Skills like building shelters, making fires can be used when Singapore is in crisis.

Next, the NCDDC displayed life saving techniques like CPR. These techniques can be used to save other lives , including family members. Mr Kevin Pang said that anyone suffering a heart attack would require assistance by someone who knows CPR. With these skills, we should always be prepared in case of a sudden situation.

Mr Yeo concluded by saying that in times of crisis, there would surely be a sort of discomfort, as the Montfortians were about to find out when they sealed up their homerooms later on, simulating a chemical attack. We should not only tolerate this discomfort, but respond to it.

Done by,
Brian Theng and Alvin Lim from 2E4

2008-01-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 25, 2008

St. Louis de Montfort Church: A history
By Hermine Lees
http://www.the-tidings.com/2008/012508/montfortside.htm

Founded: 1963
Location: 5075 Harp Road, Santa Maria, Los Angeles
Santa Barbara Region: Deanery 1

The roots of this Santa Maria parish go back more than 100 years --- and beyond, including the Chumash Indians who long ago hunted deer, bear and rabbits in the wild unconquered land. The city, named for an unknown Indian, finally was incorporated in 1905 after various land grants, ranchos and enterprising pioneers settled the land. That same year the first Catholic Church was established in the area, St. Mary of the Assumption.

That parish also included the settlements of Los Alamos, Sisquoc, Bettaravia and Orcutt. To attend Mass, people traveled many miles in different directions until the first 50 families formed the nucleus of St. Mary's. Then, time, progress and expansion filled the next 60 years. All led to the early '60s decision of Cardinal James Francis McIntyre to divide the parish in half to accommodate the ever-increasing growth of the Santa Maria area.

St. Louis de Montfort was named for the 18th century French saint, who founded the Company of Mary and was one of the greatest apostles of the Rosary in his day. The saint's spirituality has been espoused by millions, especially Pope John Paul II whose motto was "Totus Tuus" referring all to Mary. Pope Pius XII canonized St. Louis in 1947 and his feast day is April 28.

His namesake parish officially started on March 2, 1963 when Father Vincent McCabe became the first pastor. The 42-year-old priest from County Leitrim, Ireland, knew the area well; he had served as an associate at St. Mary's. During his 11 years at St. Louis, he built the school, new church and in 1967 established the mission church of St. Anthony in Los Alamos. That little mission chapel --- started in 1905, administered by priests from Santa Ynez, Lompoc and St. Mary's --- received much-needed repair through the efforts of Father McCabe and the local community.

The first services for St. Louis de Montfort were held in an old airport mess hall at Goodwin and Industrial Roads. A 10-acre site was purchased in 1964 at Clark and Harp Roads and on Jan. 30, 1966, Father McCabe celebrated the first Mass in the new church when it was listed in Orcutt. The concrete masonry building seated 1,000 persons with the altar facing the people. Msgr. McCabe later headed San Roque parish in Santa Barbara for 14 years; he is presently a chaplain at Santa Teresita Medical Center in Duarte.

The Josephite Fathers were given permission to administer the parish in 1975 with the appointment of Father Anthony Runtz as pastor. A native of Staten Island, N.Y., he had lived in England for 28 years and served with the British Army signal corps. Ordained in 1958, Father Runtz was assigned to the U.S. in 1964 and was an associate at St. Mary's for nine years before his pastorate at St. Louis.

For eight years he headed the parish, added the parish hall, built a new rectory and school playground and helped in restoring the historic San Ramon Chapel in Sisquoc. A talented woodworker whose cabinetry and furniture were evident at the parish and at the missions, Father Runtz died in 2006 at age 78.

The little church in Sisquoc (a Indian name for quail) built along Foxen Canyon was completed in 1875. Services were held once a month until 1908 when the chapel was turned over to St. Mary's. By 1967 San Ramon was dedicated as Santa Barbara's first historical landmark after extensive restoration work was completed. Father Bertin Foxen, great-grandson of Captain William Foxen, who helped build the original chapel, celebrated the 100th anniversary Mass in August, 1975.

From 1985 to 1990, Josephite Father Guillermo Garcia, a native Angeleno, served as pastor until his appointment as Superior General of the order and then lived in Belguim. The Josephites were founded in that country in 1817 by Father Constant Van Crombrugge who also founded the Daughters of Mary and Joseph. They came to California in 1963 and expanded their ministry to parish work and education, particularly at St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria. The Josephites' principal work remains the formation of youth into a love of Christ and the Church.

Josephite Father Mark Newman, from England, served the parish for 11 years, having previously been principal of St. Joseph High. The current pastor is Father Charles Hofschulte, from South Gate, also a teacher and former local superior of the order.

Japan grant for Montfort youth training centre

2008-01-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Japan grant for Montfort youth training centre
BERNAMA

KOTA KINABALU, Sat:

The Consulate-General of Japan here has presented a grant of RM275,326.51 to the Montfort Youth Training Centre (MYTC) here for its new campus in Kinarut, Papar.

A contract offering the grant was signed here today by Consul General Koichi Morita and MYTC Director Francis Chua. It was witnessed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, who is also the chairman of the MYTC board of directors.

Morita said the Japanese government decided to continue with its Grassroot Grant Assistance Programme in Sabah, which began in 2001, so that the youths in the rural areas of the state could improve their skills and techniques through vocational training.

Chua said the new centre was expected to begin operations at the end of February and would enrol new students in June.

He said the new centre, which took about a year to complete at a cost of RM5.5 million raised by the MYTC, would be able to accommodate 125 students compared with only 60 at the existing campus. — BERNAMA

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/NewsBreak/20080119132844/Article/index_html

http://sanctuaryofhope.blogspot.com/2007/07/monfort-youth-training-centre-mytc.html

NE - Be Engaged, Alert and Always Ready

2008-01-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

1. NE Speech - Be Engaged,Alert and Always Ready to Serve

Mr Simen delivered a speech to the boys about National Education.

He thanked Junjie and Roy for beginning the day so well with the National Anthem singing and drill commands in the morning assembly. There was the right rhythm, melody, tone, pitch, intonation with the right amount of gusto and ultimately deep meaning. Junjie and Roy are Sec Two students who both demonstrated and led ALL on how the morning assembly should be done and are a real source of pride to both school, community and nation.

Mr Simen then read out an article from a book written about Great Captains and Architects of Singapore's success. The book was titled 'Heart Work'.

He read excerpts of an article about Phillip Yeo and how he graduated from engineering, remained unemployed for 3 weeks and was finally given a Public Service Commission (PSC) posting to the Ministry of Finance.

(The Public Service Commission has awarded scholarships since 1961. The objective of PSC scholarships is to enable the civil service to attract its fair share of talent. It is a tool to help the civil service meet its manpower needs in key areas, as well as to develop a pipeline of public sector leaders)

He first worked as a budget officer in the Ministry of Finance and was in charge of acceding and working out budgets for the Ministry of Health. It was a task seemingly irrelvant to his training as an enginner but to him....

"IT WAS BETTER THAN BEING UNEMPLOYED AND IDLE AT HOME"

Yeo then worked as a systems engineer in the Ministry of Defence, and worked under Dr Goh Keng Swee (He is the "Economic Architect" of Singapore, contributing greatly in shaping to Singapore's development as Finance Minister, Defence Minister, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Education and Chairman of Monetary Authority of Singapore and Chairman of several government-led companies). Yeo had to deal with the economic problems associated the British closure of their military basis in Singapore in 1967. For both Goh and Yeo,

"STAYING EMPLOYED WAS NOT AN OPTION. IT WAS A NECESSITY"

For both Yeo and Goh, creating jobs, seizing opportunities, staying relevant and always having an eye to the future are important milestones. For them,

THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO SECURE THE FUTURE THAN TO GO AT IT AND CREATE IT

Mr Simen told the school that we are who we are because pioneers set out before us to secure the future by creaing it, not by giving up and succumbing and becoming victims to it. He told the school that if you don't value and put in effort like our pioneers, we would lose what we have achieved. He told the school that the affluence makes you think that 'it'll last forever'.

"YOU NEED YOUR OWN HARDWORK OR IT WILL VAPORIZE"

Mr Simen told Montfortians to have confidence in the future. But in order to do so, they cannot remain idle and disengaged. They have to be engaged, alert and ready

"THE IDLE MIND IS THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP"

He linked it to the school's value - passion and perseverance . As a student, you must have

HARDWORK AND HEARTWORK"

"Passion drives values", Mr Simen added, "approach things in school with passion. Be pro-active rather than just let things happen. If you have no heart, you will be aloof and withdrawn, and have to drag yourself to school".

He concluded his speech with the thought for the day:

"BE ENGAGED, ALERT AND ALWAYS READY TO SERVE"

2. Prize Presentation - Banner competition

Mr Faizan spoke about how 70% of students were so engage in the mass workout on Wednesday. He also highlighted that on Sec One Orientation Day, the CCAs created banners and participated with full fervor and zeal. It was an example of being engaged, alert and service.

Hampers were given out to students who did well in the banner competition

Champion Banner - IT
Winners - Scouts, NPCC, Art, Intectual Games, NCDCC

Jan 17 - Phillip Yeo

2008-01-18T06:16:00.000-08:00

Philip Yeo served in the Administrative Service from June 1970 to 31 March 1999. He served in various appointments in the Ministry of Defence, including Permanent Secretary for logistics, technology research & development and defence industries. He left MINDEF to assume the appointment of Chairman, Economic Development Board in January 1986.

During his EDB chairmanship, Yeo redirected EDB's focus from the traditional fields to new areas of business. These included: Internationally exportable services; developing high-tech industries like biomedical science, [4] [5] semiconductors, aerospace and specialty chemicals;[6] nurturing local small and medium-sized enterprises and encouraging Singapore companies to make direct investments abroad. Yeo pioneered Singapore's participation in overseas infrastructure development projects such as those in the Bintan Industrial Estate and the Wuxi-Singapore Industrial Park in China.[7]

During this time, Philip Yeo also served as the first Chairman of the National Computer Board (now Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore from 1980 to 1987[1]. He played a leading role in formulating and championing Singapore's first national computerisation plan to evolve the nation into the information age.[8]

Yeo graduated in 1970 in Applied Science (Industrial Engineering) from the University of Toronto under a Colombo Plan scholarship.[1] He obtained a Master of Science (Systems Engineering) from the University of Singapore in 1974. In 1976, he obtained a Master in Business Administration from Harvard University under a Fulbright scholarship.

Yeo has been conferred honorary PhDs from University of Toronto, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Imperial College of London for his work in Economic Development in Singapore and Asia.

Yeo was Board Member (from 1980) and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Singapore Technologies Holdings from 1987 to 1993. He also served as Chairman of Sembawang Corporation (1994 - 1998) and the successor SembCorp Industries (1998-1999), Pidemco Land (1999 - 2000) and CapitaLand formed from Pidemco after a merger (2000 -).

Yeo stepped down as Chairman of A*STAR and become chairman of the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (Spring Singapore) on 1 April 2007[9]. He was also appointed senior adviser on science and technology to the Minister for Trade and Industry. In his role as Advisor for Economic Development in the Prime Minister’s Office, Yeo will assist the Prime Minister’s Office in establishing new economic links with interested foreign governments who value Singapore’s development experience, and provide strategic inputs to establish strategic partnerships and open up opportunities with other fast-growing economies