RGS Class of 1980: RGS Alumna is Singapore's Golden Girl

Yet another RGS Alumna, Quah Ting Wen, has emerged as Singapore's Golden Girl at the inaugural Asian Youth Games.

Do you know - RGS1980 is really the "101th" batch ???

Many thanks to our fellow RGS1980 girl, Janice Foo Moo Cheng, who clarified the following from RGS Director Outreach, Yeo Soo Ling :

It is true that RGS was founded in 1879 and that you and your peers celebrated the centennial in 1980 with a gala dinner of 100 tables. What happened was that mainstream MOE schools like RGS did not commemorate the founding of their school in the form of a ‘Founder’s Day’ unlike mission schools or government-aided schools. While Raffles Institution has, as its founder, Sir Stamford Raffles, RGS does not. There were two significant points in RGS’ history. The first was when a class was created for the education of girls as part of RI in 1844. That was when girls were just taught sewing and cooking skills to protect them from ‘undesirable persuasions’ of the time. The second was when RGS gained her autonomy from RI and had a separate Principal, staff and campus in 1879. In 1979, Miss Tan Leng Neo was the Principal but there was no occasion like ‘Founder’s Day’ then. In fact, it was Mrs Chee Keng Soon, the newly-appointed Principal in late 1979 who recognised the need to have our pupils understand the history of how the staff and students made RGS a premier school and, thus, instituted ‘Founder’s Day’ as an important event in the school calendar. She wanted Founder’s Day to be a time set aside to appreciate our past and to have the new cohort of Secondary 1’s understand the school’s legacy and instill pride in them for their new school. They needed to understand that this wasn’t just any good school, but RGS with its rich history and tradition of excellence! This decided, Mrs Chee and some key staff members then had to decide on a significant year in the history of RGS that would mark the ‘founding’, so to speak, of RGS and they concurred on 1879. There is, to this day, no exact date for RGS’ Founder’s Day; it is commemorated on the first Saturday in March of every year. And here is where the discrepancy emerged for you and your peers. When Mrs Chee insituted Founder’s Day in 1980, the staff realised that they had just missed the centennial year the previous year! Not to be daunted, Mrs Chee still went ahead and had a centennial celebration in 1980 because it was a momentous time in our history. Few schools at that time could boast of such a long history, let alone a rich history and good standing in the nation. I hope this clears up the little confusion. With great foresight, Mrs Chee began a tradition that still continues today and we will be celebrating RGS’ 130th Founder’s Day on 7 March 2009. The theme this year is “RGS 130 : Live the Legacy!

Our Humble History

RGS used to exist as a part of RI. Now, it is one of the premier secondary schools in Singapore. In 2004, she managed to clinch the spot as the top secondary school from her 'brother' school, Raffles Institution, ending her legacy on a high note with the Integrated Programme coming into place. The department for girls was opened on 4 March 1844 with an enrolment of 11, in the RI campus of Bras Basah Road. It included 5 day-scholars, and six boarders, who were clothed, fed and instructed by the institution itself. The demand for education grew and in 1847, the school moved to RI's eastern wing, extending towards Bras Basah Road. A 'Berlin wall' separated the boys' and girls' buildings. In 1871, the school moved into a house, the George Family's Old Mansion at the corner of Bras Basah Road. Miss Nelson was their first headmistress in 1879, and she ran the school with an enrolment of 77. It was this same year, when the school became a separate school, no longer a part of RI. Since then, 1879 has been officially regarded as the year of the founding of RGS. From 1882 onwards, English speaking boys were admitted to the lower, middle and primary classes till 1927, after which this was discontinued due to the increasing demand for accommodation for girls. The Raffles Old Girls' association was formed on 7 July 1950. The school motto was introduced in 1953, with the school's very first Annual speech day held on the same year as well. RGS was a government school from 1903 at Queen Street. In 1959, the primary and secondary sections of the school were separated and the secondary section moved to Anderson Road, while the primary section remains in Queen Street. The school stopped offering 'A' level courses in 1983, and the Gifted Education Programme started in 1984. The school later moved to a holding school located at Jalan Kuala in 1988 and moved back to a new building at Anderson Road on 1 November 1992, becoming independent on 1 January 1993. In 1994, the RGS chapter was formed, to replace the Women's Rafflesian Chapter.

Our Old School Song - Gaudeamus Igitur (before 1954)

Gaudeamus igitur, dum iuvenes sumus post iucundam iuventutem, post molestam senectutem nos habebit humus. {After a joyful youth and a tiresome old age, The ground will have us. Let us rejoice, therefore, while we are young.}
Vivant omnes virgines graciles, formosae vivant et mulieres, tenerae, amabiles bonae laboriosae. {Long live all the maidens, graceful and shapely. Long live our wives, tender, loving, good and hard-working.}
Vita nostra brevis est, brevi finietur. Venit mors velociter rapit nos atrociter nemini parcetur. {Our life is short, it will end soon. Death comes rapidly, snatching us fiercely -- No one will be spared.}
Vivat academica, vivant proffesores vivant membrum quodlibet, vivant membra quaelibet omnes sint in flore. {Long live academia, long live our professors. Long live anyone you please. May all be in their prime.}
Ubi sunt qui ante nos in mundo fuere? Vadite ad superos, transite ad inferos ubi iam fuere. {Where are those who were in the world before us? Go to heaven, go to hell Where they are now.}
Vivat nostra societas, vivant studiosi crescat una veritas, florat fraternitam patriae prosperitas. {Long live our society and our scholars. One truth arises, brotherhood and the prosperity of the homeland flourish.}
Vivat et res publica, et qui illam regit; vivat nostra civitas, maecenatum charitas quae nos hic protegit. {Long live the republic, and he who rules it, Long live our citizens, and charity Which protects us.}
Pereat tristitia, pereant osores pereant diabolus, quivis antiburachius atque irrisores. {May sadness and hate perish. May the devil and any scoffer perish.}

Our School Song - From High Olympus

From High Olympus flows to us the glory On us the sacred fire descends. Rise, sisters, rise, the world is all before ye Fear not to grasp what fortune sends.
Chorus: Sisters in learning, and sisters at heart Life lies before us, Here's luck to the start.

A little while the sun shines high above us And youth's elixir fills our veins. The magic fire that wills the gods to love us The fire by which the will attains.
Chorus: Sisters in learning, and sisters at heart Life lies before us, Here's luck to the start.

So heart to heart, we'll scale the heights of learning No mean desires our days shall shame. Whole-hearted, true, with pride and ardour burning On, sisters, on to life and fame.
Chorus: Sisters in learning, and sisters at heart Life lies before us, Here's luck to the start.

RGS School Song

Unite - Raffles' Sacred Cheer

(Rhythm is 3-beat. Stomp with foot on the first beat. Slap thighs for first two beats and clap on third. Similar to “We Will, We Will Rock You!” beat) (Start Rhythm) 5...6...7...8…

Rafflesians unite, we’ll show our might! … We’ll show them how Rafflesians fight! … We’ll walk to the fight in green black white, ‘Cos ain’t nobody’s gonna break our stride ‘Cos we’re for we’re for Raffles ooh Raffles ahh (x2) We’ll fight in the sun we’ll fight in the rain! … We’ll fight to give our school a name … We’ll walk from the game with pride and fame, ‘Cos we feel no fear and we feel no pain ‘Cos we’re for we’re for Raffles ooh Raffles ahh, We’re for We’re for Raffles YEAH!…

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RGS Class of 1980

Saturday, July 11, 2009

RGS Alumna is Singapore's Golden Girl

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Do you know - RGS1980 is really the "101th" batch ???

Our Humble History

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If We Hold On Together ~ sang by RGS girls after 1993 (RGS becomes Independent School)

Unite - Raffles' Sacred Cheer

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