Alice Smith School
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| Alice Smith School | |
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| Motto | Sic Itur Ad Astra ("In This Way You Shall Go To The Stars") |
| Established | 1946 |
| Type | Mixed, Day British International School |
| Headteacher | Richard Dyer and Steve Caulfield |
| Founder | Alice Fairfield Smith |
| Location | Malaysia |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Houses | Fleming, Fairfield, Muir, Scott |
| School colours | White and Dark Green |
| Website | Alice Smith School |
The Alice Smith School is a co-educational international school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, founded in 1946. It is a British curriculum school with a strong international flavour. Although priority is given to students of British, Australian, New Zealand, and Irish nationalities, there is a wide range of nationalities at the school. Some 36% of students in the secondary school are Malaysian, with 64% from over 40 other nationalities. The school is administered by The Alice Smith Schools' Association, which is a non-profit-making educational foundation. Alice Smith is known to be one of the best international schools in all of South East Asia.
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[edit] History
In 1946 Hugh and Alice Smith arrived in Kuala Lumpur and needed a school for their children. They found that the schools usually attended by expatriates had not yet reopened. Like many other post-war residents, they did not want to be separated from their family after the turmoil of the recent conflict, so Alice Smith decided to educate her own daughter. She was soon educating the children of her neighbours, and by the time she and her family came to leave in 1950, Alice Smith was running a flourishing educational establishment which was then known as the Eaton Road School.
Alice Smith approached the St Andrew's Presbyterian Church*[1] on Weld Road (today Jalan Raja Chulan) with a proposal that St Andrew's took over the running of the Eaton Road School. The St Andrew's Session decided this it was not in a position to take on this responsibility but it would be willing to have the church represented through the Minister or other church official. [1]. Nevertheless, in 1950, Rev. Sydney T. S. Evans of St Andrew's helped to identify candidates for the first board of governors and to formally incorporate the Alice Smith Schools Association, a non profit making educational foundation, to administer the re-named Alice Smith School, in which a British style of education could be offered to British, Australian, New Zealand and Irish children. Rev. Evans himself became one of the first governors of the school[2]. This historical link with St Andrew's is maintained to this very day in St Andrew's having a permanent trustee governor on the board of governors of the school.
The Alice Smith School then started a kindergarten school in the present day fellowship hall of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in 1951[3] and this arrangement lasted until 1963. In 1952 the school moved to the present site in Bellamy Road (now Jalan Bellamy) near the then Sultan of Selangor's State Palace which became today's Istana Negara (National Palace) in 1957. In 1963, extensions to the school enabled the Alice Smith School Kindergarten to be re-united with the rest of the school[4]. Then on the 11th of September 1997, a second purpose-built campus at Equine Park opened as the secondary school and the Jalan Bellamy site became a specialist facility for primary education for children aged 4 to 11.
[edit] Campuses
The school operates at two sites: the Primary School is in a wooded area adjacent to Istana Negara at Jalan Bellamy. The facilities at the Primary School include two libraries, a gym, swimming pool, computer room, music room, hall and two play areas. The Year 3 and 4 building has been demolished and replaced with a new building with higher quality facilities including interactive white boards, new computers, etc. The Secondary School at Equine Park is approximately 40 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur, was purpose-built and includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a large sports hall, seven science laboratories, a performing arts suite, 5 computer suites,a theatre and library (which is has two floors). A 6th form block has also been built, and the gym is currently being extended, as are the science and music laboratories. There is a performing arts center being built which will include professional recording studios and all that is needed for a world class performing arts center.
[edit] Philosophy
The school exists to provide the highest standards of British Education in an international context. The school motto is Sic Itur Ad Astra (Latin: "Thus do we reach the stars") and its aims are to promote personal excellence of academic, physical and aesthetic achievement and develop individuals as responsible, reflective, caring and confident members of society.
[edit] School affiliations
The school is a member of the Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia (FOBISSEA), SEASAC, and the Council of International Schools, and is regarded as one of the best schools in Southeast Asia.
[edit] Alice Smith's 2008 California Choir
This year, with the recently appointed head of music, Alistair Hamilton, a 10 day California choral tour will be occurring. After auditions, where the students had to sing in front of Alistair Hamilton and Julie Anderson (also a music teacher,) students were finally chosen. Consisting of approximately 55 students (of ages 12 - 18), the choir, which is made up of four/eight independent parts, will travel to San Francisco and Los Angeles to sing a large repertoire of music at various venues. The choir departs Malaysia on June 27th 2008, and will return on July 7th 2008. Naming themselves 'Suara Merdu' (sweet sounding voices in Malaysia's native language of malay,) the choir will not only be singing in California but also sightseeing and thoroughly enjoying what the place has to offer. Here in Malaysia, the choir has already performed at many prestigious places, including the American Embassy, and Suria KLCC. The Alice Smith 'Suara Merdu' choir is the first of it's kind in South East Asia to travel such a distance for their own choral tour.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Council of International Schools: Alice Smith School
- Expat Exchange: Alice Smith School
- Britain in Asia Pacific 2004: Alice Smith School
