Catholic High School, Singapore

Catholic High School 公教中学 Sekolah Tinggi Katolik Lycée Catholique
Location
9 Bishan Street 22, Singapore 579767 Bishan , Singapore
Coordinates	1°21′17″N 103°50′41″E
Information
Type	Government-aided, Autonomous, Special Assistance Plan (SAP) Integrated Programme
Motto	亲爱忠诚，敬业乐群 (Care, Honesty, Service)
Religious affiliation(s)	Christianity (Catholic)
Established	1935 (1935)
Founder	Reverend Father Edward Becheras, M.E.P.
Sister school	CHIJ Saint Nicholas Girls' School
School code	7102 ('O' Level Programme) 9131 (Integrated Programme)
Principal	Poh Chun Leck
Supervisor	Father Henry Siew
Gender	Male
Enrolment	1,400 (secondary) 1,600 (primary)
Language	English Chinese
Campus size	7 hectares (17 acres)
Color(s)	Red   Green   Blue   Yellow
Affiliation	Catholic Junior College Eunoia Junior College (for IP)
Website	catholichigh.moe.edu.sg

Catholic High School (CHS) is a government-aided autonomous Catholic boys' school in Bishan, Singapore, founded in 1935 by a French missionary, Reverend Father Edward Becheras. One of the Special Assistance Plan schools in Singapore, it has a primary school section offering a six-year primary education, as well as a secondary school section offering a four-year secondary education. Since 2013, it has partnered with Eunoia Junior College for a six-year Integrated Programme, which allows its secondary school students to proceed to Eunoia for Years 5 and 6 and take the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examinations at the end of Year 6.

History

Clock tower of Catholic High School

Sino-English Catholic School (1935–1942)

Catholic High School was founded in 1935 as Sino-English Catholic School (英华公教中学) by the Reverend Father Edward Becheras, a French missionary. Although it was a Catholic school, it accepted both Catholic and non-Catholic students, and was run along the lines of a Sino-English school. The school first started as an extension of the Church of St. Peter and Paul. Fr Becheras envisaged the school as a bilingual institution from the start, emphasising instruction in both English and Chinese, a policy that continues today. In addition, Fr Becheras emphasised the teaching of science, uncommon at that time.

In 1936, Sino-English Catholic School moved into a purpose built school building at 222 Queen Street, beside the Church of St. Peter and Paul. Two years after the new school campus was completed, it reached its maximum capacity. Among notable features of the old school is the science room in the school, the first such feature in any Catholic school in Malaya (Singapore was part of Malaya at that time).

Expansion

After the Second World War, operation of the school resumed, adopting the name Catholic High School (公教中学) . An increased enrolment saw the need for a new wing to be added to the high school compound, on the adjacent site of 51 Waterloo Street. The new wing featured an auditorium, staff rooms, tutorial rooms equipped with audio-visual equipment. Due to constraints in available spaces, the adjacent church grounds were used for physical education lessons.

In 1950, the Marist Brothers took over responsibility for the administration of Catholic High; a primary section was opened in 1951, with a new school building at 8 Queen Street. A boarding house for Catholic High students was also built. Under the supervision of the Marist Brothers, the school thrived along with Maris Stella High School, which was founded in 1958 to ease overwhelming applications for admission to Catholic High School.

In 1954, Catholic High School expelled all seventy students who were involved in the National Service riots for their absence from class, a move that shocked the nation. Catholic High School was the only institution that carried out expulsion as follow-up actions. The incident affirmed the school's zero tolerance of students' involvement in any political activities, and the school's stance of committed learning

Pre-university classes were offered in Catholic High School between 1952 and 1975, with a number of outstanding graduates attaining the President's Scholarship. In 1974 the administration of the school was handed back to the Catholic diocese. Before the full nationwide adoption of the junior college system in 1975, Catholic High School was the only Chinese-medium high school in Singapore that offered both the Chinese-medium Senior High Certificate (华校高中文凭) and the English-medium Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examinations to all of its students.

Attainment of SAP status

The Catholic High School was classified under the Special Assistance Plan in 1979. This enables it to offer students in the top 10% of the cohort both English and Chinese as their first languages. In the same year, pre-primary classes were started to prepare students for primary school Chinese study. With continued increase in enrolment, the Queen Street buildings could not house all the students from all levels, even with double-sessions arrangements. Satellite sites augmented the Queen Street school grounds. Pre-primary and lower-primary classes were housed at Gentle Road and upper-primary classes were housed at Norfolk Road. In March 1987, discovery of structural cracks at the Queen Street premises of the primary section caused the campus to be declared unsafe. Despite clarification later as a misjudgment, the incident prompted a decision by the Ministry of Education to relocate Catholic High School, for safety concerns in wake of the Hotel New World collapse. The high school section was relocated to the premises of Guangyang Secondary School in Bishan. Both the primary and secondary sections of the school moved to its current, permanent campus at Bishan Street 22 in 1992. In 2008, Catholic High School was awarded the School Distinction Award under the MOE Master Plan of Awards, in recognition of its value-added holistic development of its students through exemplary processes and practices.

Launch of Joint Integrated Programme

On 1 September 2010 the Ministry of Education announced that Catholic High School would become an Integrated Programme school in 2013. It partners CHIJ Saint Nicholas Girls' School and Singapore Chinese Girls' School in the programme, and students from the school will proceed to Eunoia Junior College from 2017.

School identity and culture

Dress code

Catholic High School is one of only a handful of Singapore secondary schools to have uniforms complemented with short trousers for all levels. The rule was well supported by the students, stating its convenience and comfort in the local climate.

House system

The house system is used during school sporting events. The four houses — Edward, Noel, Philippe and Joseph — are named after former principals and supervisors of the school.

House and Color		Remarks
Edward		Named after Rev. Fr. Edward Becheras, founder and first supervisor of CHS.
Noel		Named after Rt. Rev. Noel Goh, third, fifth and seventh supervisor of CHS.
Joseph		Named after Rev. Joseph Chang, principal of CHS, (1960–1974).
Philippe		Named after Rev. Philippe Wu, principal of CHS, (1950–1956).

Houses are allocated to teachers and students.

Campus

Catholic High School Bishan Campus

The seven-hectare Catholic High campus consists of two blocks, primary and secondary. There are five floors as well as a basement. Classrooms for Primary 1 and 2 students are on the first and second floors, while classes for Primary 3,4,5 and 6 are on the higher floors. A common area is shared between these two blocks, where the secondary plaza and two school halls are located. The two air-conditioned, multi-purpose halls serve as venues for assembly, large-scale talks, performing arts events, and indoor sporting activities. In addition, another smaller auditorium is used for performing arts events. Secondary 4 students have their classrooms on level 5 which are also air-conditioned. There are also computer rooms, science laboratories and an eco-garden on the primary campus. Two canteens, as well as a cafeteria, serve food for both the primary and secondary students. Students can also buy school materials at the bookshop.

The school campus also houses a 400 m running track and a multipurpose open field. There is a discus cage, javelin-throwing ground, shooting range, two tennis courts and a basketball court. The Catholic High Sports and Recreational Centre, also known as the Indoor Sports Hall, was completed in December 2008. It houses two basketball courts, volleyball courts and badminton courts, in addition to spectator stands. There are two gyms on the secondary campus. On the primary campus, there is a multipurpose hall that is half the size of the Indoor Sports Hall. Catholic High is one of few schools with an in-campus sports class, where students go through rigorous sports and academic courses. Sports Class students may choose to take Physical Education as an 'O' Level subject, in addition to the standard 'O' Level curriculum. A new high elements rope course was completed in 2010.

The school hall of the Catholic High was a training venue for athletes competing in gymnastics events of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

Academic information

Catholic High School has offered the Music Elective Programme since 2011. This four-year programme allows students who have an interest in music to study music at a higher level, leading to a GCE O-level Higher Music certificate.

CHS-SNGS-SCGS Joint Integrated Programme

Catholic High School jointly offers the Integrated Programme (IP) in collaboration with CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School, Singapore Chinese Girls' School and Eunoia Junior College from 2013. Under the programme, students may skip the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination in the respective schools, and complete year 5 & 6 of pre-university education in Eunoia Junior College leading to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level examination.

As a dual-track school, 4-year Secondary Special/Express course is offered alongside the Integrated Programme.

CCAs, Subjects offered and Talent Development Programs

Subjects Offered

• Additional Mathematics
• Art
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Chinese
• Design & Technology (Lower Levels)
• English Language
• Exercise And Sports Science (for OP students)
• Food And Consumer Education (Lower Levels)
• General Music (Lower Levels)
• Geography
• Higher Chinese
• Higher Music (as part of Music Elective Programme)
• History
• Humanities (OP students only: Social Studies, Geography/History/Literature In English)
• Literature (Chinese)
• Literature (English)
• Mathematics
• Music
• Physical Education
• Physics
• Science (modular; for Lower Levels)
• Higher Art (Through MOE Art Elective Programme Centre)

CCAs

Physical Sports

• Track and Field

• Volleyball

• Basketball

• Softball

• Wushu

• Table Tennis

• Floorball

Performing Arts

• Modern Dance

• Chinese Orchestra

• Edward Becharas Choir

• Symphonic Band

• Chinese Drama

• English Drama

Uniform Groups

• NPCC

• Scouts

• NCC Air

• NCC Land

• St John's Ambulance Brigade

Clubs and Societies

• ION ( iMedia, Occulus, Nuclei)

Talent Development Programmes

Music Elective Program (MEP)

The Music Elective Programme (MEP) is an MOE programme that allows students with passion in Music to study music. MEP students in Catholic High School enjoy the opportunity to study Music at a deeper level in an enhanced curriculum for Music in the MEP Studios. Students will be prepared to sit the GCE O-Level Higher Music Examination in their Secondary/Year 4 year, at which their musical knowledge and skills will be assessed via the activities of listening and analysis, performing, and music writing. The MEP can also be offered in JC1 and JC2 in JCs such as Eunoia Junior College. Outstanding CHS Level 1 MEP students enrolled in 2022 may be awarded CHS’ Joseph Wallace Family Music Scholarship. This is a non-renewable 1-year scholarship, i.e. the outstanding MEP student from each level will stand a chance of being awarded this scholarship.

Bicultral Studies Programme

This programme aims to deepen students’ understanding of history, social evolution, economic developments and international relations of contemporary China with the rest of the world, particularly the West. Students will be exposed to historical analyses, experiential learning and other approaches that cultivate their interest and deepen their learning.

Besides covering topics related to China, students will also learn more about their roots and roles as Southeast Asian Chinese and how the development of China will affect them.

Students will have the opportunities to carry out research studies, attend various seminars and workshops organized by MOE and the school, as well as go for overseas immersion programme to both China and western countries.

English Talent Development Programme

This includes the following genres

Genre 1: Creative writing

• As visionaries, innovators and pioneers, students’ creative vision and writing abilities will be stimulated and developed through a balanced programme of mentorship, reading, analysis and writing workshops. Students will also engage in discussions about writing techniques in terms of writer’s craft and will undertake an exploration of the wider issues related to the practice of writing.

Genre 2: Journalistic writing

• Good journalistic writing requires competent writing which has always been associated with the command of correct language and style. Students will critically read the craft of other journalists and engage in the formation of their own original journalistic pieces to discover and develop their own writing styles. Thus, they will be facilitated to develop a writing voice that is an involuntary and intimate expression of their personality and vision.

Genre 3: Script-writing / Play-writing

• Students will learn the basics of script-writing, working on key elements such as plot, characterisation, dialogue, conflict, setting and dramatic tension. Reference will be made to published writing from a variety of genres, with ample mentorship for budding dramatists. This gives them a chance to create scripts for their peers, reflecting issues relevant to their times.

Genre 4: Public Speaking and Debate           

• Strong oratory skills are paramount in making a significant impact in the society and country at large. In this programme, students will be able to hone their oratorical skills through vast exposure to real-life contexts and meaningful platforms. With guided weekly coaching and mentoring, students are developed to be confident and articulate speakers, with a keen ability to think quickly and sharply on their feet.

Cnergy Programme

The CΩERGY Programme is a stretch programme whereby consistently high-performing IP and OP students who exhibit strong aptitude and interest in science are selected at the end of Level 1 based on a set of criteria. In Level 2, the students attend lessons after school and participate in enrichment programmes and activities that aim to broaden their experience and advance their learning in science and technology. In Level 3 and 4, these students go through an accelerated curriculum during curriculum time when their counterparts are going through the mainstream curriculum.

The origin of the word “CΩERGY” comes from the word “energy” which is a common theme and big idea that cuts across all science subjects. The letter “C” replaces “e” and it represents Catholic High School. The ohm symbol Ω is the SI derived unit for electrical resistance and it symbolises the scientific nature of the programme within the department. The Latin phrase fiduciam in scientia means confidence in science which all students in the programme is expected to possess.

Through the involvement and participation in external competitions and workshops, students are often exposed to real-world problems and products. Field trips or visits provide students with first-hand experience and an opportunity to apply content knowledge with field experts. Such outside classroom platforms also allow for independent learning and access to different environments, materials and equipment. Students may also join overseas trips to Japan for immersions with Toyonaka High School and Osaka University.

In keeping up with our tradition of strong academic achievements, our talented students continue to achieve excellence in many areas like competitions and proficiency tests. In the recent Singapore Junior Biology Olympiad 2021, our school garnered a total of 5 Gold Medals, 6 Silver Medals and 15 Bronze Medals. We have also consistently done well in other competitions like the National Air Race and Drone Odyssey Challenge. We have also produced many A*STAR and YDSP scholars over the years.

School Vision, Motto, Song, Slogan, Mission and Values

School Vision

The Catholic High student is a leader, gentleman and bilingual scholar of high integrity and robust character, who is passionate about life, learning and service to others.

公教学生是个具有高尚情操，坚韧个性，同时，热爱生活，

热爱学习，并且愿为人群服务的领袖、双语学者与彬彬君子

School Motto

Care, Honesty, Service (亲爱, 忠诚, 敬业乐群)

School Song

公教中学   屹立星洲

黉宇高耸   环境清幽

宣传文化   中西并筹

阐扬学术   文质兼收

振兴教育   惠及同俦

发挥道德   砥柱中流

莘莘学子   勤勉研求

弦歌讽诵   涵泳优游

白云渺渺   绿水悠悠

敦品励学   无间无休

蕉雨淅淅   椰风飕飕

振我邦国   万祀千秋

School Song (translated)

Catholic High School stands tall,

On this Island of Singapore;

Serene and picturesque are its precincts,

And to Heaven does its spire soar.

Propagating Cultural heritage: East, West and more.

Striving towards excellence is our very goal.

Promoting bilingualism benefits one and all.

Cultivating virtues as steadfast as mountains amidst turbulence.

Diligent are the boys in scholastic pursuits,

Joyfully they sing, play and grow,

Never slackening in life-long learning,

Never departing from social mores.

Through the clear sky the white clouds float,

Into the deep sea the green waters flow.

On this tropical island,

We build a nation, forever strong and free,

Reaching out together from here to eternity.

School Slogan

My Blood is Green

The phrase “My Blood is Green” speaks volume of the strong affiliation and sense of belonging that our students, staff and alumni have for our school.

School Mission

To establish CHS as a school of distinction in innovative and challenging programmes, a forerunner in character building and a beacon for the mindset of excellence, firmly built upon the foundation of Christian values.

School Values

Love (仁民爱物)

Constancy of Purpose (锲而不舍)

Creativity (革故鼎新)

Continuous Improvement (力争上游)

School events

Catholic High Music Awards

The Catholic High Music Awards (CHMA or CH Music Awards) is an annual school talent search competition which gives students a platform to showcase their musical abilities. This competition is organised by the Catholic High School's iMedia Club (ION), a main co-curricular activity, in collaboration with the school's music department. It is currently one of the large-scale school concerts in Singapore.

The contest was originally a small-scale event held during one of the weekly school assemblies. It has evolved over the years into its current form under the guidance of Wang Jiunn, the then-concert producer. In its six-year run, CHMA has been held in the Catholic High school hall every year.

Students compete in various categories: Solo Vocalists, Group Vocals, Rock Bands, Instrumental Bands, Duets and Creative Expressions. After several rounds of auditions, judges select the best students to be the finalists, who perform on the finale night concert. External bands are often invited to perform during the finale night concert. Several finalists have gained attention and had enjoyed moderate success in other talent competitions, such as Tan Zhi Yi in One Million Star and Paul Twohill in Singapore Idol.

Politics

• Baey Yam Keng, Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC
• Desmond Choo, Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC
• Chan Soo Sen, former Member of Parliament for Joo Chiat SMC
• Chen Show Mao, former opposition Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC.
• Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry
• Lee Chiaw Meng, former Minister for Education, former Minister for Science and Technology
• Lee Hsien Loong, third Prime Minister of Singapore
• Jamus Lim, opposition Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC
• Lim Swee Say, former Cabinet minister

Public service

• Chao Hick Tin, former Court of Appeal judge
• Hoo Cher Mou, former Chief of Air Force
• Lim Tuang Liang, Chief of Staff (Air Staff)

Academia and research

• Chao Tzee Cheng, forensic pathologist
• Chong Tow Chong, president of the Singapore University of Technology and Design
• Chong Chi Tat, mathematics professor at the National University of Singapore
• Su Guaning, former president of Nanyang Technological University

Business

• Lee Hsien Yang, former chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore

Media and entertainment

• Edmund Chen, actor
• Kuo Pao Kun, playwright, theatre director and arts activist
• Liang Wern Fook, singer and composer
• Gen Neo, singer, producer and composer
• Elvin Ng, actor
• Tay Ping Hui, actor

Sports

• Kendrick Lee, national badminton player
• Gabriel Quak, national football player
• Timothee Yap, national sprinter

External links

• School's official website
• Catholic High School Old Boys' Association