There is a place
A very special place to be
It's right in the heart of the city
Our very own St Nicholas
And in this place
Our hearts will forever stay
Filled with sweetest memories
For all eternity
Though mountains may bring us apart
We're always one at heart
Her daughters who are true
Who are true
St Nicholas we love you so
We'll always do
Index
- Our Founder - Father Nicholas Barre
- Pre-primary, primary and secondary schools - Locations
- Introduction
- Hotel Van Dyke (1933 - 1949)
- Victoria Street (1949 - 1971)
- Victoria Street and others (1972 - 1983)
- Pre-Primary Section
- Ang Mo Kio : 1985 to present
- Poem
- St. Nicholas School Celebrations
- Pre-Primary Section
- Fundraising and Charity Events
- Celebration Events
- Parents of St. Nicholas Girls' School
- History Timeline
- Archive
Our Founder - Father Nicholas Barre
Nicholas Barre was born in France at Amiens in the fall of 1621.
When he was about ten years old, an event occurred which profoundly moved him. A sister of his, to whom he was particularly attached, took ill. The doctors despaired of her recovery, and one afternoon when her brother returned from school, he found her at death’s door. Panic-stricken, he ran to his own room, threw himself down before the altar there, and with an earnestness compounded of grief and hope, begged God to spare his sister. When he came out, he ran straight to his mother and looking at her with a radiant smile said – “Mother, do not worry. Marie is not going to die: she is going to get better.” And recover she did.
Almost immediately after that incident, at the age of ten, Nicholas took a vow of service to God for the rest of his life. He went to Jesuit College in his home town. Learning was no trouble for him. He took to it as a duck to water. Naturally reflective and clear-thinking, endowed with a prodigious memory, and capable of enduring his own company indefinitely, he reached admirably to the highly systematized education of the Jesuits.
Having finished his education, this young man faced a rosy future in the form of a brilliant career in the law courts. However, he turned it down for quite another manner of life. In October 1640, he got himself admitted to the Couvent des Minimes of Amiens. That order was one of the strictest in the Church, laying stress on silence and mortification as a means to deep humble love of God and others. A biographer writes of him at this time that he was a young man “of deep silence… and humbles in everything he did”, that he never spoke of himself and discouraged others from doing so. He shield away from all limelight.
As a result of these unusual qualities of nature and of grace, Nicholas was, while still only a deacon, appointed Professor of Theology, and sent to Paris to teach the young candidates for the priesthood in the Place Royale. This procedure on the part of his superiors was a mark of confidence and respect, quite out of the ordinary.
After fifteen years of self-giving in this capacity, he fell ill and became depressed. Uncertainty possessed his mind. This mental trail brought him back to Amiens where he was given the charge of sacristan. Here his native air and the calming influence of his charge soon restored him to complete health. Nicholas was now ready for his real life’s work. In 1659, he was sent to the city of Rouen .
Fond of retirement and fostering with loving care the fragile virtue of humility, here in this great center of Normandy , the quiet man became famous.
People began to speak about his preaching. It was said that he made sermons as interesting as plays. He was described as having “an eloquence quite unusual, and a homely wit that is altogether refreshing.” He once said,” When you are assailed by a barrage of insults, run to shelter, keep quiet, the storm will pass and you can continue your journey or resume your work afterwards, as if nothing at all had happened.”
By the time he reached his fortieth year, Father Barre had uppermost in his mind the idea of teaching the poor, adult sinners and ignorant children.
One of his first helpers was a lady of fashion who was well known for being a hard and selfish woman. Following her conversation, she put herself at the disposal of Father Barre. Spending most of her time among the poor, living like them, seeing life from their viewpoint, understanding their ways and becoming their friend, she became interested in the priest’s ambition to raise by means of Christian education the moral standards of the despised people in Rouen . Under his guidance, she started classes herself at Darnetal, a suburb of Rouen , and when Father Barre opened his first schools, it was her he turned to for support.
In the meantime, other powerful friends had appeared, men of prestige in the city who were in position to estimate the importance of the new educational endeavour. Two of them were parish priests; four were lay gentlemen. Then, there were the teachers, or the “maitresses” as they were called. So, at Sotteville-les- Rouen , the first “ Charitable School ” was opened by the “Charitable Mistresses” in 1662. Those teachers went out each morning form Rouen to Sotteville, about a mile’s journey, and there they spent the day teaching the poor children, going, where necessary, from house to house to find them.
The venture was a great experiment. It was eminently successful. Encouraged by his success, Father Barre opened classes in the heart of Rouen itself, in a house given by a benefactress. Another school was started near the Carmelite Convent, and after a little while, three more in the streets.
Many conversations to the faith took place among the people they reached this way. The teachers also taught catechism to the people. However, success in the Lord’s service is usually troubled by difficulty and it provoked the jealousy of existing teachers known as “writing-masters”. The opposition of these men and their partisans who denounced the timely schools as “importance novelties” caused Father Barre to suffer a great deal. His energy was drained, and his health ruined.
Nevertheless, he had very definite ideas about his work. The social need calling for most urgent attention was education – not any kind of education, but the type that would reach out to every individual child, bring it to school and arrange for it there a syllabus of studies within the scope of its limited ability. He had attempted, with little or no success, to put these principles into action for boys; he failed to obtain from the men teachers at the absolute detachment from material things and the complete dependence on Providence which were needed for the task and which were so whole-heartedly given by the women. Girls are the future mothers of families and on them depend the habits and morals of the home. The schools were to be free: the studies, the three R’s, and a thorough grounding in the doctrines and duties of Christianity. Special programmes should be drawn up for Sundays, conferences, games, etc. particular attention given to young girls to preserve their morals and to help them in times of trouble. To comply with these needs, he maintained that the teachers (sisters) should not be cloistered.
What were the new schools called? Father Barre himself was always in favour of: ”Charitable Christian Schools of the Holy Infant Jesus”, but when many of the schools were opened, the founder had not yet revealed his complete plan, so different localities gave different names to their schools. When he founded his schools in Paris , he gave them the name of his hearts’ desire – the schools of the Holy Infant Jesus.
In 1675, for some unknown reason, Nicholas Barre was recalled from his apostolic work in Rouen to resume in the Convent de la Place Royale in Paris , his philosophy and theology classes to young seminarians. A princess of royal blood, Marie of Lorraine, one day, asked him to go and see her about a project she had in mind – to open a school for poor girls in Paris . She earnestly asked him for a few of his Charitable Mistresses to run the school.
At this juncture, a new protector appeared on the scene, none other than Louis XLV himself. Father Barre was approached on the matter of popular education, and was assigned the task of educating daughters of nobility instead.
But before that work could be finished, Father Barre’s health began to decline visibly. On May 24, 1686 , as he descended the altar steps after celebrating his mass, he was overcome by a violent attack of convulsions and collapsed. He never recovered.
Father Barre died at the age of 64.
-Extract from the book on the life of Father Barre-
Pre-primary, primary and secondary schools
Victoria Street : 1949-1983
Ang Mo Kio 1985 to the present
In the 1930s, the Chinese population of Singapore was increasing rapidly. Alongside the many Chinese labourers and traders on the island were a small but growing group of wealthy, educated Chinese. This segment of the Chinese population sought a good education for their children and the religious orders that were operating schools opened new schools to meet this need. Next to St Peter and Paul's church on Queen Street , a French missionary priest opened the Sino-English Catholic High School - later Catholic High School - for Chinese speaking boys. In response, Reverend Mother St. James, the principal of Town Convent, decided to set up a school for Chinese speaking girls.
At the same time this decision was being made, something else seemingly unrelated was taking place not far away. Close to Town Convent stood a small twenty room hotel, Hotel Van Dyke. It catered mainly to visitors to Singapore until 1929, when the hotel was given over to a syndicate of working girls and fell into disrepute. The proximity of this hotel to Town Convent created a very undesirable situation, and the sisters were determined to rectify this. Their solution was admirable. In 1931, the sisters simply bought the hotel and the land it stood on, thereby putting the hotel out of business.
Hotel Van Dyke: 1933-1949
The sisters soon found a new use for the hotel. On 16 January 1933 , the hotel opened as the Chinese section of Town Convent. It was called Victoria Girls' School, and would only later acquire the name St Nicholas Girls' School. The school was very small, comprising an initial batch of only forty students in two classes: primary 1 and 2. The entire staff was made up of only two members, a Chinese teacher and the principal, Sr Solong from France , who also taught English. Within the first few years, enrollment more than doubled and classes were extended to standard III (the equivalent of primary 5), showing that a Chinese-based education for girls was indeed in demand. In 1936, Sr Felix, an Irish nun, took over headship from Sr Solong, and opened standard IV classes so that the school now provided a full primary education. Sr Felix remained principal for only a year, handing over the reign to Spanish nun Sr Mercedes in 1938. Under Sr Mercedes, the school opened their first secondary class (known as Simplified Normal I) and a teacher training section to ensure itself a pool of qualified teachers, which up till then were in short supply.
In 1940, Sr Francoise Lee took over. She was Singaporean Chinese and it was fitting that she should run this Chinese medium school. Much can be said about Sr Francoise. She remained principal of St Nicholas for thirty years and was totally dedicated to building the school. Under her steady rule, the school's standards, direction and mission were established, which continue to nourish St Nicholas today. The fruits of earlier principals' labour were also paying off. The teacher training section produced its first group of teachers in 1941. In that same year, the secondary section expanded to include classes up to Simplified Normal IV and with that St Nicholas became a full school, providing complete primary and secondary education. Sr Francoise was eager to continue the school's rapid expansion, but clouds of war were looming. In December 1941, Japanese forces invaded Singapore and education on the island grounded to a halt. After the British surrendered in early 1942, schools reopened but in a limited capacity and under Japanese authority. St Nicholas, like so many schools, had to change its name to one chosen by the Japanese. Chinese continued to be taught at St Nicholas during the Japanese Occupation, but English was forbidden and Japanese was introduced in its place.
The Japanese Occupation ended in September 1945 and the British returned to government. With that, the British ordered all schools to resume pre-war levels of operation. Sr Francoise wasted no time in reopening St Nicholas, and by November that year the school was up and running. School attendance all over Singapore had dropped drastically during the Japanese Occupation, with many children staying away from school altogether for the entire period. Now that a state of normalcy was returning, parents rushed to send their children back to school and attendance soared. In 1946, St Nicholas had over 700 girls. The outdated Hotel Van Dyke could not accommodate the burgeoning school population, and new school premises had to be found.
The school grows: Victoria Street 1949-1971
St Nicholas moved into Town Convent on Victoria Street in 1949. The two schools were so closely related that this was the natural solution. In preparation for St Nicholas's arrival to Victoria Street, it was decided several years prior that a new school block be built for Town Convent while part of the original school building be given over to St Nicholas. The new block was erected along the Stamford Road side of the convent complex.
At Victoria Street , St Nicholas enjoyed the facilities and spaciousness of a proper school. A student of a Junior Middle III class in 1957, Anna Quek, wrote of her school, 'The school is quite big, it has a big hall, a playing field, a chapel, a library and a tuck shop. There are twenty five classes, thirty five teachers and more than a thousand pupils in my school.' In 1951, a new system of secondary education had been put in place. The old system of Simplified Normal I-IV had been replaced by a new system comprising Junior Middle I-III and Senior Middle I-III. This was again revised at around 1960 to Secondary 1-4, followed by Pre-University 1 and 2 - the system which is in use today. In 1963, the first pre-university class of St Nicholas graduated. For the next twelve years, St Nicholas provided a pre-university education, until 1975 when that section of the school closed down.
St Nicholas enjoyed its first outstanding academic successes under Sr Francoise. Its Senior Middle school graduates of the 1950s included a Colombo Plan scholar who went on to read for a degree at Sydney University, a student who took up a degree in science at New York University, eight students who went to Nanyang University, eighteen who entered the Teachers' Training College and one who entered the University of Malaya. Considering that it was an exception in the 1950s for women to pursue an education beyond secondary school, these achievements put St Nicholas well ahead of its time.
In 1971, Sr Francoise retired after thirty years as principal. She is to date the school's longest serving principal and was undoubtedly its driving force for the many years she was in charge. Speaking of her feelings towards the school she helped build, Sr Francoise said 'The school is very dear to me because I was like a midwife, welcoming its birth and fostering its growth through the years. Just to think of St Nicholas makes me feel good and young again.' Several locations: Victoria Street and others 1972-83
Taking over from Sr Francoise in 1972 was Mrs. Hwang-Lee Poh See. Under her leadership, the school expanded dramatically in both size and stature. St Nicholas' school population had been increasingly steadily - in 1971 there were 1,500 students, more that double the post-war school population. Anticipating that this rise would continue, Mrs. Hwang-Lee immediately started seeking permission from the Ministry of Education to build a bigger school in a new location. Approval took a long time in coming. In 1979, seven years after Mrs. Hwang Lee had first approached the Ministry of Education she had yet to get the permission she sought. Finally she personally called on Mr Goh Keng Swee, the then Minister for Education, to promote her cause and permission was eventually granted.
Pre-Primary Section
This state of disarray continued for the next few years. In 1982, the former Tao Nan School was no longer available to St Nicholas and they had to move out. The school's remaining two locations former Raffles Girls Primary School and the original St Nicholas on Victoria Street did not have enough space for the entire school and a replacement for Tao Nan had to be found urgently. Again, Mrs. Hwang-Lee went straight to the top; this time to Mr Ho Kah Leong, then Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Education. With his help, St Nicholas was allocated a brand new but unfurnished school on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. This school was designated Chong Boon Secondary School , but for now it would be part of St Nicholas Girls' School. Primary 6 to Secondary 4 classes were run at this location. Operating out of three locations was tricky to say the least. Facilities, such as libraries, language rooms and science laboratories, had to be set up from scratch at all three locations, and staff had to shuttle between the three sites.
In 1983 there was a further move. Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) works had begun at Raffles City , and tunnelling was being done right under the convent complex on Victoria Street . The government was acquiring the convent complex from the Infant Jesus Sisters, and Town Convent was slated to move out at the end of 1983. St Nicholas, which had been trying to leave Victoria Street for ten years, was now being told to go. The Victoria Street and former Raffles Girls' Primary School (which was also affected by MRT work) sections of St Nicholas were both moved to a school at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8; the Avenue 10 section remained where it was. For the fourth time in three years, the school found itself in a new location and having to build new facilities.
By now, St Nicholas's search for a permanent school had borne fruit. Extensive surveys in consultation with the Chief Town Planner led to the choice of a site on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2, Street 13. While St Nicholas juggled its operations between its various locations, construction was underway at this site. In 1984, the new school was completed and handed over to St Nicholas much to the relief of staff and parents. Finally, they could look forward to having a real home. Not one to do things on a small scale, for the massive move Mrs. Hwang-Lee called in one of the biggest organisations in the country, the army. Soldiers from Amoy Quee Camp were sent to her assistance, and in one month they completed the move. On 2 January 1985 , after five years of nomadic existence, St Nicholas Girls' School was home again.Ang Mo Kio: 1985 to present
The new school was well worth the wait. It was breathtakingly beautiful, spacious and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. Much thought was given to good aesthetics and the creation of an inspirational environment in the design of the school. Set on elevated land, the school enjoyed a view of Pierce Reservoir and Singapore Island Country Club with all their greenery. The land was terraced to provide different elevations, so each elevation had its own space and view. Classrooms came with balconies and window boxes for plants. Garden courtyards further added to the tranquility of the school, while concourses on the first and second floors gave a sense of spaciousness. Even the rooftops were included in the design, with roof gardens and rooftop terraces ensuring that beauty pervaded the school.
Facilities at the new school were astounding. A two-storey air-conditioned library housed the primary and secondary school collections. An entire school block was dedicated to non-print resources and included two audio visual aids rooms, a language lab and seven language rooms and two computer rooms. In a separate area, four large music rooms and a lecture theatre intended for music lessons were built. The investment in music facilities would reap a huge reward in 1997 when St Nicholas was given approval by the Ministry of Education to offer the Music Elective Programme as secondary school programme for musically gifted children.
The school hall boasted two stages, one at each end, and modern lighting and sound systems. Built to accommodate both primary and secondary sections of St Nicholas, the hall had a capacity of two to three thousand. Equally large was the canteen. Athletes had a 400-metre bitumen running track at their disposal, while a gymnasium the size of the school hall catered to many other sporting needs. Spectators to track events were provided with stands, which included a covered VIP section. All this was in addition to usual school facilities, such as science laboratories, home economic rooms and art rooms. Amidst the sophisticated design and facilities of the school, the humble spirit of the Infant Jesus Sisters also found its home. A beautiful, serene chapel was built, and the school was punctuated with statues and pictures of saints. In a courtyard between the primary block and the hall a Sisters' Bridge was erected, and in the concourse by the hall stands a statue of Blessed Nicholas Barr, presiding over the glorious fruits of his labour.Poem
Seventy
Autumn time
Time to reap and harvest
Celebrate the fruits of our labour
Grandchildren toasting us more good years
A meaningful life
Bask
Is seventy
Rejoice our little ones
Now women of distinction
Leaders in character and caliber
We cannot sit back and relax
For we have more girls
To hold
In
Love
Truth, justice, freedom
Root our students in values and character
Provide our students with wings
To meet challenges of
Tomorrow
Thank you
For blessing the SNG family
Students, staff, parents, alumnae, Board
Friends
We pray for God's continued blessing
A new journey
Amen
St Nicholas School Celebrations
Pre-primary section
St Nicholas Girls' School is unique in its provision of pre-primary education. Established in 1979, the pre-primary section takes in six year old girls and prepares them for the next level of education, primary 1 which they enter at the age of seven. In Victoria Street , the pre-primary section was situated in a small corner of St Nicholas. When the school moved to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2, the pre-primary section expanded and was given a dedicated outdoor activity area. The pre-primary curriculum includes reading, writing, math, games, art, music and dance, which culminates each year in a colourful graduation concert and exhibition.
Fundraising and charity events
St Nicholas is thankful for its success and in gratitude organises fundraising and charity events. Supported by well endowed and generous parents and alumnae, these events often raise remarkable sums of money. But raising money alone does not constitute charity, and St Nicholas also shares with the less fortunate its time, energy, love and compassion. Some of the school 抯 fundraising and charity events include:
1981 |
Concert for senior citizens at Victoria Theatre |
1984 |
A Singathon was held in the school compound in Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 which raised $400,000 |
1988 |
A Food and Funfair was organized in school which raised $450,000 for the school building fund |
1989 |
A fundraising concert for Villa Francis Home for the aged, staged at Singapore Labour Foundation Auditorium |
199 |
A fundraising golf tournament for an extension to the school's facilities organized by parents |
1999 |
A concert in Mandarin to celebrate the International Year of Older Persons: Involving 3,000 students and staged at Nanyang Polytechnic Auditorium |
A similar concert in English: Tapestry of Love held at Kallang Theatre |
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Thailand , South America and Africa |
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2001/02 |
A total of S$100,000 was raised for the President's Challenge and Infant Jesus Sisters missions in Singapore , |
2003 |
A food and funfair International Extravaganza was held in the school which raised more than $500,000 for the school facilities |
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St. Nicholas's school celebrations
St Nicholas excels in many aspects of school life, and one of them is spectacular school celebrations. Put together by generous, well connected and highly motivated staff, parents and alumni and students, St Nicholas' school celebrations are often grand, elaborate affairs with a level of professionalism that is hard for schools to match. Mrs. Hwang-Lee was responsible for setting the school in this direction, beginning with its 40 th anniversary celebrations in 1973, and Mrs. Helen Choo is now carrying on what has essentially become a school tradition. Some particularly stellar events over the years have been:
1973 |
40th anniversary celebrations: a concert at the National Theatre |
1979 |
45th anniversary celebrations: a concert at the National Theatre |
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Teachers' day garden Party: this was attended by thousands of students, parents and alumni |
1983 |
Golden Jubilee celebrations: a dramatic performance entitled "Jenny's Rainbows" at DBS Auditorium, a banquet for |
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over 1,200 guests at Neptune Theatre and Restaurant and a school Reunion at Victoria Street , attended by |
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thousands of former students |
1988 |
55th anniversary celebrations: a school fair, a high mass, a banquet at Westin Stamford Hotel and an art and craft |
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exhibition with about 5,000 displays |
1993 |
60 th anniversary celebrations: a musical and dramatic performance St Nicholas Extravaganzas at the World Trade |
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Centre auditorium, a high mass celebrated by His Grace, Archbishop Gregory Yong, a gala evening at the |
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Singapore Indoor Stadium entitled St Nicholas Thanks You involving 5,000 performers comprising students, |
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parents, alumnae and their families, attended by 30,000 guests. |
1994 |
Singapore Youth Festival. St Nicholas staged the opening performance, a dance entitled "Youth Rejoicing, Youth |
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Resounding" comprising 888 secondary 1,2 and 3 students |
1995 |
School concert: St Nicholas Night in Evening of Music and Dance at Singapore Labour Foundation |
1996 |
School play: Project S.H.O.P.(Stop Harming our Planet) at Victoria Theatre attended by parents, grandparents, |
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former students, alumnae and the community |
1997 |
School play: Dream, Dare, Do at Kallang Theatre |
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Cyberfest SNG ' 7' an exhibition of information technology projects by staff and students, attended by over 10,000 guests including officials from the Ministry of Education |
1998 |
65th anniversary: a high mass celebrated by His Grace, Archbishop Gregory Yong and other priests, an elaborate |
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exhibition SyNerGise n Wings of Eagles' of over 2,000 school projects attended by 20,000 visitors, a banquet at |
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Suntec City Convention Centre for 5,000 guests |
1999 |
School exhibition: SyNerGise II-On Wings of Eagles' |
2000 |
School exhibition: SyNerGise III-On Wings of Eagles' attended by over 5,000 visitors |
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Concert: In Evening Under the Stars a symphonic performance attended by the Ambassador of Sweden, Her Excellency Mrs. Eva Walder-Brundin |
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Farewell celebrations for Mrs. Hwang-Lee: a road show comprising performances by twenty different school groups, a grand tribute attended by 10,000 guests and a banquet at the Mandarin Hotel for 1,600 guests |
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Offical opening of the Lifeskill Center and upgrading of the running track by Minister of Health Mr Lim Hng Kang attened by more than 2000 guests |
Parents of St Nicholas Girls' School
St Nicholas is fortunate to have a large pool of parents - a mixture of alumnae and non-alumnae who generously support the school's activities. Their generosity extends itself in many ways - financially as well as in terms of commitment and genuine interest in the school. For event after event, they volunteer their precious time and give resources. They turn out in overwhelming numbers for concerts, fairs and sports days. They respond to requests for feedback on key decisions facing the school and attend meetings to help those decisions be made correctly. So close is the bond between parents that they have their own pledge which is recited at parents' functions.
History
Founded on 16 January by the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus sisters as a Chinese School . The first principal was Sister Solong from France . The school was named "Victoria Girls' School". |
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Sister Felix became the next principal. She was Irish. |
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A complete primary school was established. |
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Sister Marie Mercedes became principal. |
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Sister Francoise Lee took over the post of principal. She was the first |
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First graduation ceremony was held. |
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Interruption by World War II. |
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After the war, the school was reopened on November 1st. |
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The school premises moved to Victoria Street . |
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The first batch of lower secondary pupils held their graduation ceremony. |
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The first batch of upper secondary pupils held their graduation ceremony. |
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The school conducted Pre-University classes. |
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Graduation of the first batch of pre-university pupils. |
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Plans for a new school building with 28 classrooms at Lorong 1, Toa Payoh, Sister Francise Lee retired at the end of 1971. |
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Mrs. Hwang-Lee Poh See became principal when Sr. Francise Lee retired |
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The school celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a concert at the National Theatre. Mrs. Hwang, the Principal, anticipating that the site might not be sufficient to house a rapidly growing student population, approached various authorities for a change in the site, a bigger one which could accommodate a bigger school building with more facilities and classrooms. |
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The Pre-University classes were closed. |
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The school population increased tremendously over the years. The Primary 5 and 6 pupils had to be accommodated at the old Tao Nan School while some secondary classes has their lessons at the former Raffles Girls' Primary School. |
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A concert for Senior Citizens was held at the Victoria Theatre . |
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The pupils left Tao Nan School . The school made use of the whole RGPS compound. About half the pupil population was accommodated here. |
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1. Part of the student body moved to the former Chong Boon Secondary School at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. 2. The school celebrated its 50th Golden Jubilee with a dinner for over 1,200 guests at the Neptune Theatre Restaurant, a drama presentation entitled 'Jenny's Rainbow' at the DBS Auditorium and a School Reunion at Victoria Street , attended by thousands of former students. |
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The entire premises fo Chong Boon Secondary School at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 was offered as a temporary site. It accommodated Primary 6 to Secondary 4 pupils. The Townville Primary School at Avenue 8 was used to accommodate the pupils from the rest of the primary section. A Singathon was held at Chong Boon Secondary School at Avenue 10. |
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The entire school moved to our present premises at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2 Street 13. |
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The school was officially opened by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, Minister for Education, on 23 August 1986 . |
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The school celebrated its 55th Anniversary with a Fun Fair, Drama Night, Thanksgiving Concelebrated High Mass, a banquet at Westin Stamford Hotel and an Art & Craft Exhibition with about 5,000 displays. |
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The Official Fund Raising project for the school expansion programme was started - The cost for the new school expansion was about $11 million and that for the repair and renovation of the existing building was about $5 million. The school raised about $6 million. A letter appealing for direct donation was sent to all parents. |
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The ground breaking ceremony for the school expansion was held. The St Nicholas Alumnae Association organised a donation draw to raise funds for the school. The construction of the New Expansion Building came into progress. |
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The school celebrated its 60th Anniversary:
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1. The school put up an original play, "PROJECT S.H.O.P (Stop Harming Our Planet)" at the Victoria Theatre . It was attended by parents, grandparents, former students, alumnae and the community. |
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1. History was made when the first election of student leaders was held. The student body went through the entire process of elections - nomination, campaigning and going to the poll to elect the following: head prefect, deputy head prefects, head monitor and deputy head monitors. 2. The school organised a Teacher's Day Cross Country Walk-a-Jog on 30 August. Guest-of-Honour was Ms Brenda Yeow( Inspector of Schools). 3. The school held its first 'Cyberfest SNG '97', to showcase the Information Technology efforts of the staff and students from 5, 6 and 7 September. The Guest-of-Honour was Ms Lim Soon Tze (Director of Schools). More than 10,000 pupils, parents, alumnae, officials from various departments of the Ministry of Education and well-wishers, viewed the exhibits. |
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1. The COMPASS Group led by Minister for Education, Rear Adm. Teo Chee Hean, visited 2. SyNerGiSe II -- On Wings of Eagles, Project Fair 1999 3. 孝亲敬老文娱晚会 A concert in Mandarin by our 3000 pupils to commemorate the 4. National Chinese Cultural Quiz through IT for Primary Schools, 8 July 5. A Tapestry of Love |
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1. First-ever Sports Meet at Night 2. 云开月明 3. An Evening Under The Stars 4. The Official Opening of the Lifeskill Centre and the upgrading of the Synthetic Running Track, 3 July. Our Guest of Honour was Mr. Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Health. The event was attended by more than 2000 parents, alumnae guests and well-wishers. 5. Musical Potpourri 6. Yellow Suitcase & Red Spittoon 7. N4 Concerto 8. National Chinese Cultural Quiz through IT for Primary and Secondary Schools 9. School Exhibition: SyNerGiSe III - on Wings of Eagles cum Health Fair 2000, 10. Farewell to the Principal, 3 Nov. - 27 Dec Three major farewell functions were carried out:
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1. Our very first Swimming Carnival was held at Yio Chu Kang Swimming Complex on 11th 2. Our Symphonic Band put up a performance at the Swissotel the Stamford and Raffles the Plaza. 3. Our very first WITs Convention 4. The annual SNG Science Odyssey finals were held on the 13 th Jul in our school. Here to grace the occasion were guest-of-honour Dr Diong Cheong Hoong, Head of the Singapore Institute of Biology and N4 Cluster superintendent Mr Tan Kiak Seng. 5. Promenade was our first "Arts in the Park" concert where guests walk around the school to view various choral, dance and drama performances. 6. Launch of first Student Electronic Suggestion Scheme 7. SyNerGiSe V on Meeting of Minds was held from the 1 st to 3 rd Aug with problem-based learning projects done by the Pri 5 and interdisciplinary project work done by the Sec 1 & 2 pupils |
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1. Admission into the Singapore Quality Class. Membership in the SQC is 2. 70 th Anniversary Concert ?Fluid Fusion at Kallang Theatre. Held on the 3. National Track and Field Championship- Twin Championship titles for the 4. The Annual Science Odyssey was held in our school on the 4 th and 12 th 5. Project Work Symposium in place of SyNerGise. This year, 7 other 6. 70 th Anniversary Dinner at Raffles City Convention Centre on 29 Aug. |
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1. Multimedia Information Technology Society launch 2. St Nicholas Badminton clinch the B-Division championship 3. B and C Division Table Tennis teams both emerged champions in the 4. Citibank purchased 12,000 of our lifeSpriNGs water to be distributed to its four branches in 5. St Nicholas Debating team emerge as runner-up in the Singapore 6. Launch of the Grandparents Breakfast Club 7. Public speaking convention ? Compassidence 8. Student Immersion Programme 9. True Blue An IJ Arts Fest celebrating 150 years of the CHIJ Spirit 10. National Interschool Swimming Championships 11. National Interschool Trampoline Championship 12. National Interschool Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship 13. National Interschool Track And Field Championships |
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