Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)

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Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) (RGS for short, or known among Rafflesians as RG), is an independent girls' secondary school in Singapore. RGS was further recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2004 by being awarded the School Distinction Award (recognising schools with 'exemplary school processes and practices'), among other more minor awards. [1]

RGS offers the first four years of the Integrated Programme in the Raffles Programme, together with Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College, which allows students to be promoted directly to Raffles Junior College without taking the GCE 'O' levels. It was also one of the first few schools to offer the Gifted Education Programme.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not affiliated with Raffles Girls' Primary School.

The school also has a history of excelling in academics, sports and Uniformed Groups. RGS remains one of the top schools in Singapore, and has attained many sporting achievements.

RGS also offers a large and excellent range of Co-Curricular Activities, with 50 in total for the girls to choose from.

Motto

"Filiae Melioris Aevi", which is a Latin phrase, meaning "Daughters of a better age".

Vision

"To aspire, strive and dare to be active creators of a better age for all."

History

RGS used to exist as a part of RI. Now, it is one of the top girls schools in Singapore.

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. In 1879, the school separated from RI and Miss Nelson was appointed the school's first headmistress. 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. This was discontinued in 1927 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 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.

School song

Sisters in Learning and Sisters at Heart

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 moves 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.

From 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.

RChorus:
Sisters in learning and sisters at heart
Life lies before us,
Here's luck to the start.

Recording of RGS School Song

The school song was not composed specially for the school, but was chosen out of a songbook by the first principal, Miss Nelson. It was officially adopted as the school song in 1954. It was originally titled "From High Olympus".

Other songs sung at school events include "Inspiration", "Dedication", and "Pass it On". "At the Beginning" used to be sung as well.

Culture

Uniform

The uniform of RGS consists of a navy blue pleated pinafore over a white collared blouse. Students customarily fold their sleeves, following a time-honoured school tradition. The reason was because parents used to be very "kiasu" and bought blouses which were too big for their daughters, thus the beginning of folding of sleeves.

Students are also required to wear the school badge, with the school crest and its motto, and a name tag which denotes the year they are in by its colour, on the top left of the uniform. There are four colours: black, yellow, red and purple. The name tag colour is assigned based on when they enter. For example, if the graduating batch wore black name tags, the incoming Secondary 1 students will "take over" the colour. The pupils follow up with their name tag colour.

On Fridays, during Hall Assembly, students are required to wear a black and white striped tie on a green base as part of the uniform.

Students are required to wear white socks which cover the ankle bone, and white shoes. The shoes may be sports shoes, but these must be at least 80% white, and cannot be high cut. However, starting 2007, all students are required to wear shoes which are 100% white. Prefects are required to wear school socks.

Prefects, who are from Secondary 3 and 4, wear a white blouse with a skirt of the same hue as the pinafore. They also wear the same school tie at all times when in uniform. Their prefect badge is pinned at the bottom of the tie and above their name tag.

Student Leaders, who are from Secondary 1 classes, and Prefects-in-Training, who are from Secondary 2 classes, wear a green-black-white striped tie underneath the pinafore, as well as a Student Leader badge or a Prefect-in-Training badge respectively.

Class chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, members of the Student Leaders' Network and house captains also wear a badge above their name tag denoting their position. This badge is green for the chairpersons, and of corresponding colour to their houses for the captains. Peer Support Leaders also wear a pin that is positioned on their collars, while some CCAs also create their own school-approved badges to pin on their collars.

On Tuesdays, Saturdays and during certain school events, students don culottes, pleated knee-length shorts which look like a skirt. A white RGS PE polo T-shirt usually accompanies the culottes. The culottes can also be worn with a House T-shirt, a CCA T-shirt, or a class T-shirt, the latter which can be designed by students themselves with approval from teachers and the school administration.

Houses

There are five houses: Buckle (green), Tarbet (red), Richardson (blue), Waddle (yellow) and Hadley (purple). They are named after five past principals of RGS. Miss Hadley introduced the House System.

The five houses take part in friendly competitions throughout the school year, with two major events pivotal in deciding the overall champion house. These are the Swimming Carnival and the Sports Festival, held annually in the early part of the year. Throughout the rest of the year, various interhouse games such as netball, squash, photography and even sandwich-making allow members of every house to contribute to their house's tally of points while doing something they like. In this year's Sports Fest, Buckle clinched the first place in the cheer and cheerleading competition, while Hadley was awarded champion house for both Swim Carn and Sports Fest 2006.

Peer Support Board

The Peer Support Board consists of Secondary 3 and 4 pupils, Peer Support Leaders and Senior Peer Support Leaders respectively. This board was set up with the main aim of helping the new Secondary 1 pupils adapt to the relatively foreign environment, to offer emotional help, and support to their fellow peers whenever they are in low spirits and to serve the school as student leaders. The logo of the Peer Support Board is the dolphin, as dolphins travel in batches and help each other in need.

The Peer Support Board was set up in 1995 and is about 80 people strong. Plans are now afoot to introduce Junior PSLs or JPSLS from 2007.

The Peer Support Board Chairperson is Wan Qian Ling, and the Vice Chairmen are Teng Yen Lin and Bernice Heng

Prefectorial Board

The Prefectorial Board is the premier Student Leadership body in RGS and consists of student leaders from Secondary 2 to 4. The Secondary Twos are officially Prefects-In-Training, while only the Upper Secondary girls carry the honour of being a full Prefect and wearing the distinctive and traditional uniform, the only alternate uniform permitted in RGS.

A group of 9 Secondary Four Prefects make up the Executive Committee of the Prefectorial Board, led by the Head Prefects who are considered the Head Girls of the school. The Head Prefects also fulfil other duties associated with their role such as heading various Steering Committees for other school bodies, bearing the flag at school occasions, and commanding school assemblies.

The current and 57th RGS Head Prefect is Nadiah Hashim Ariffin. The Vice Heads are Vivian Lee, Wei Shuting and Alison Anne Joseph.

The Prefectorial Board is a closely knit group, with various batches each having a different batch name starting with the letter 'F'. The current board is headed by the Secondary Fours, called Fielmente, the Sec Threes, Fea and the Sec Twos, Filatheia.

The Prefectorial Board's room is a place where blazers for official school functions can be rented, school badges and school branded items can be bought, where lost and found items can be reported, and a general go to place for any sort of problem in school. Students who flout the rules used to call the corridor along the 2 Prefectorial Board rooms, "The Corridor of Hell", that being where they assemble for Detention Class.

Disciplinary System

Every school has a disciplinary system, and RGS is no exception. This system seeks to maintain the professional image the school desires for the pupils to have. Enforcement of this system is carried out in the form of bookings. Students may be booked for inappropriate attire, misuse of handphone or leaving their lights, fans or air-conditioners switched on when they are not in the classroom (this is usually a class booking). Three bookings for the same category of offence, and students will be required to attend a Detention Class, which allows students to reflect on their actions. Students generally consider the school's booking system relatively undemocratic due to the fact that committing three minor offences constitutes a Detention Class, fondly dubbed 'DC'. Minor offences committed as a class, for example, leaving the air-conditioners and lights switched on, would land the entire class in DC -- Class DC, where students are required to reflect on their misguided behaviour and write a reflection on it. Some brave souls have gone so far as to think it 'fun' since they have singing sessions after completing their reflections, but such bravery is kept within the walls of the DC room.

The disciplinary system is carried out by prefects who sometimes conduct spotchecks. They are also in charge of the maintenance of the booking system.

In severe cases, parents may be brought in for discussions with the Heads of Year or Principal to work together to guide the student back onto the right path.

Notable Alumnae

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