St. Teresa's National Secondary School

Last updated
St. Teresa's National Secondary School
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. Teresa
Address
Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg

Kuching, Sarawak
,
93000

Malaysia
Information
TypeAll-girls convent
MottoAmare Et Servire (Love and Serve)
Established1885
PrincipalMary John
Number of studentsc. 1,300
LanguageBahasa Malaysia, English
Colour(s)Brown
YearbookThe Looking Glass
Affiliation St. Joseph's National Secondary School, Kuching
Website www.smkst-teresa.edu.my

St. Teresa's National Secondary School (Malay : Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. Teresa) is an all-girls secondary school in Kuching, the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It was founded in 1885. The school is a mission school partially owned by the government.

Contents

Location

The school is located opposite St. Joseph's National Secondary School, which is an all-boys school. [1] Situated at Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, the school comprises five buildings altogether. The convent block, built in 1925, holds St. Teresa's Secondary School's Administrative office.

The school is divided into two sessions, morning session (upper secondary students of Form 3, Form 4 and Form 5) and afternoon session (lower secondary students of Form 1 - Form 2)

The school founder was Sister Teresa Cheetham.

It is a tradition in SMK St Teresa to hold a biennial Food and Fun Fair for fund-raising purposes to improve the school's surrounding and to add facilities. [1] Today, the school has approximately 1300 girls with 74 teachers. The school has 35 classes with each form comprising 7 classes. There are 3 science stream and 4 arts stream classes for Form 4 and Form 5.

History

St. Teresa's School was named by Reverend Father Jackson MHM in honour of a Carmelite sister. He arrived in Borneo in 1881 upon the invitation of Rajah Charles Brooke to establish Catholic mission schools in Kuching and Kanowit. The name chosen for the convent and school was in fulfillment of a promise made years prior by Rev. Father Jackson. While still a student, he found great difficulty in mastering Philosophy and Theology. In his distress he appealed to the great Saint Teresa of Avila to intercede for him and promised he would do something in her honour, if his wish was granted. [2]

St. Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515 and died in 1582. She came from a noble family with high moral values. However, she gave up all her material possessions and became a Carmelite nun in 1536. Because of her great wisdom, intelligence, humility, diligence and integrity she was declared a Doctor of the Church in September 1880. Since its foundation in 1885, the school has been entrusted under her patronage and protection, and therefore it is expected that the students of St. Teresa's School emulate and uphold her qualities and virtues. [2]

St. Teresa's School in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, had its beginnings in a small shop, at 149 Yorkshire Street, Rockdale, in England. The shop was kept by Alice Ingham and her widowed stepmother. [2]

Ingham and a small group of friends conducted religious classes for children; they nursed the sick; they assisted with parish work. After a few years of this, Ingham was asked by Bishop Herbert Vaughan to undertake the management of domestic affairs at a newly founded missionary college in Mill Hill, near London. This meant that she was to be in charge of household toil- cooking, cleaning and pressing linen with heavy charcoal irons until 2 in the morning with four sisters. They no longer taught, nursed nor earned money for their many charities. [2]

In 1883, the Congregation of St. Joseph's Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart was officially formed. Some of its members grouped in communities outside the college, but Mill Hill was where Mother Francis (Alice Ingham) lived. Mill Hill was the Congregation's centre of gravity- it was also the link between Sarawak and Rochdale. [2]

A political exception in its day, Sarawak in the late 19th century was an oriental principality founded by Sir James Brooke in 1841, who expanded the boundaries of Sarawak, until his death in 1868, leaving a sizable amount of land to his nephew, Charles Brooke. [2]

Rajah Charles Brooke had been in his uncle's service throughout his adult life. Rajah Charles disliked European commercial influence of the money-grabbing kind. The Borneo Company was the only foreign firm allowed to operate in Sarawak for a long time. He believed that unchecked western influence was sure to exploit and spoil the natives of Sarawak, and included the Christian missionaries in his suspicions, remarking once that Bishops are a bit of a nuisance out here and the missions do not benefit the Dayaks. [2]

The Rajah expected the missionaries to settle the Dayaks; to transform them into law-abiding citizens of the sturdy gentlemen type. When Rajah Charles mentioned the Dayaks, he usually meant the Ibans, Sarawak's largest tribal group, and the one he understood and loved the most. [2]

And so, when a letter came to him from the Bishop Vaughan requesting permission to set up a Catholic Mission in Sarawak, he wrote back: "... the Sarawak Government will have no objection to there being a Catholic Mission. I would recommend that your missionaries, on their arrival, to a district of Dayaks who have been almost untouched by teachings of any sort. This district would not be far from the capital, in which almost everything in the way of clothes, etc. can be obtained..." [2]

Principals

source: [3]

School management

Sports houses

Every year, Sports Day is held during the early part of the year. Students are divided into different houses (usually when they first enrolled into the school, without any specific classifications; students are not allowed to switch between houses) and compete with each other to earn the title of "Best Sports House of The Year". Each house has different colours. These houses include

Previously, names of flowers were used instead.

Extra-curricular activities

Students are encouraged to be involved in at least one club of each category.

Clubs and societies

Uniform bodies

Sports and games

Prefectorial board

The board serves to make sure that the students of the school do not break any school rules. Prefects are divided into different units (usually in a cycle every month) :

The councils include the Head Prefect, Assistant Head Prefect I, Assistant Head Prefect II and followed by the head of every unit. Both sessions (morning and afternoon session) have different councils and at times have different ways of implementing the school rules. However, these prefects work together during big school events like Sports Day, Teacher's Day, school-level Independence Day Celebration and so on.

School uniforms

Regular students

Prefects

Wednesdays

Wednesdays are declared throughout all public schools in Malaysia as "Hari Memakai Pakaian Unit Beruniform" where all students are instructed to wear their uniform bodies uniform.
Students without these uniforms are allowed to wear a standardized white T-shirt (differs with every club) with the school's track pants.
School prefects are exempted.

Special events

Facilities

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuching</span> City and state capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Kuching, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River at the southwest tip of the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo and covers an area of 431 km2 (166 sq mi) with a population about 165,642 in the Kuching North administrative region and 159,490 in the Kuching South administrative region—a total of 325,132 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Brooke</span> British soldier and adventurer; Rajah of Sarawak (1803–1868)

Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak</span> Rajah of Sarawak

Sir Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, GCMG, born Charles Anthoni Johnson, ruled as the head of state of Raj of Sarawak from 3 August 1868 until his death. He succeeded his uncle, James Brooke, as the second White Rajah of this small country on the coast of Borneo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarikei</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Sarikei is a town, and the capital of Sarikei District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located on the Rajang River, near where the river empties into the South China Sea. The district population was 56,798.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Rajahs</span> British dynasty which founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak (1841-1946)

The White Rajahs were a dynastic monarchy of the British Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak, located on the north west coast of the island of Borneo, from 1841 to 1946. The first ruler was Briton James Brooke. As a reward for helping the Sultanate of Brunei fight piracy and insurgency among the indigenous peoples, he was granted the province of Kuching, which was known as Sarawak Asal in 1841 and received independent kingdom status.

Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg bin Abang Sapiee was a Malaysian politician who served as the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak from September 1963 to his death in March 1969. He assumed the newly established post following Sarawak's independence from Great Britain and the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bau, Sarawak</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Bau is a gold mining town, capital of Bau district in the Kuching Division of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Green Road National Secondary School (Malay: Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Green Road), previously known as Green Road Secondary School (GRSS), is a public English medium secondary school in Kuching, the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj of Sarawak</span> 1841–1946 kingdom on northern Borneo

The Raj of Sarawak, also State of Sarawak, located in the northwestern part of the island of Borneo, was an independent state with a treaty of protection with United Kingdom starting from 1888. It was established as an independent state from a series of land concessions acquired by an Englishman, James Brooke, from the Sultan of Brunei. Sarawak received recognition as an independent state from the United States in 1850, and from the United Kingdom in 1864. The area now forms the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Rentap (1800–1863) was an Iban-Dayak warrior and a recognized Iban hero in Sarawak during the reign of the first White Rajah, James Brooke. His praisename, Rentap Tanah, Runtuh Menua translates from the Iban language as 'Earth-tremor, World-shaker'. His famous and frequently quoted slogan was "Agi idup, Agi ngelaban" which translates into "Still alive, still fighting".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas' National Secondary School</span> School in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

St. Thomas' Secondary School is an all-boys secondary day school situated in Kuching, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the oldest school in Sarawak, though the school was originally at St Mary's location back in 1848. The school is the fourth oldest in Malaysia. The students of St. Thomas are called Thomians regardless of gender. It is a government-aided Mission School. It is regarded as one of the best school in Sarawak in a wide range of fields.

The Diocese of Kuching is a diocese of the Anglican Church of the Province of South East Asia that covers Sarawak and Brunei. Founded in 1962, the see was originally established as the Bishopric of Sarawak linked to the Diocese of Labuan in 1855. The current bishop is the Most Rev'd Danald Jute, 14th Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Kuching and Brunei, who was consecrated on 13 August 2017. His seat is at St. Thomas' Cathedral, Kuching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuching High School</span> School in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Kuching High School, officially Kuching High National-type Secondary School, is a public secondary school in Kuching, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The school provides secondary education from Transition to Form 5, which culminates in the sitting of the public examinations of Form Three Assessment in Form 3 and the Malaysian Certificate of Education in Form 5. The school was founded in 1916 as a Chinese private school and from 1963 until today it became a Government-aided school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Astana, Sarawak</span> Official residence in Sarawak, Malaysia

The Astana is a palace in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, on the north bank of the Sarawak River, opposite the Kuching Waterfront. It is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, the governor of Sarawak. The name is a variation of 'istana', meaning 'palace'. It was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift to his wife, Margaret Alice Lili de Windt. The palace is not normally open to the public, although the landscaped gardens are, which can be reached by a boat ride across the Sarawak River. It is part of the Kuching Heritage Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limbang District</span> District in Sarawak, Malaysia

The Limbang District is one of the two districts of Limbang Division, Malaysia. It has a total area of 3,978.10 square kilometres. The major town is Limbang. It has one sub-district, which is Nanga Medamit Sub-District. It borders Brunei Darussalam to the west and east, Lawas District to the southeast and Miri District at the south and southwest. Due to being squeezed in between Brunei at its north and coastal areas, Limbang is accessible by road only by going through immigration posts.

The Methodist Girls' School, Klang is a semi-government-aided, all-girls' school—consisting of a primary and secondary school—located on Jalan Raya Barat in the Klang District of Selangor state, in Malaysia. The school was established by Ruth Eklund on 24 May 1924, after she discovered that there were a number of female pupils attending the Anglo Chinese School during the academic year.

Wee Kheng Chiang was a Malaysian Chinese businessman of Quemoy Bân-lâm Hoklo ancestry who founded the United Chinese Bank. He was the father of Wee Cho Yaw, Chairman Emeritus & Adviser of the United Overseas Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SMK Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor</span> School

Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor or in English: Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor National Secondary School, is a public secondary school located in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The school was named after the Sarawakian hero Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapur.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.