Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary)
| Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary) 巴耶利峇美以美女子中学 |
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| Location | |
| Hougang | |
| Information | |
| Type | Autonomous, Secondary |
| Established | 1917 |
| Session | Single |
| School code | 7026 |
| Principal | Ms Quek Li Gek |
| Enrolment | Approx. 1,350 |
| Colour(s) | Blue, red, gold |
| Website | Link |
Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary) (abbreviation: PLMGSS) is an all-girls school located in Hougang, Singapore, running on a single session catering to pupils in the Special, Express, Normal Academic and Normal Technical streams. Since 1995, PLMGSS has been offering Higher Chinese (HCL) to her pupils. There are 61 teachers, 80% of whom are committed Christians. Approximately 25% are old girls, a special feature of the school.
Contents
History
On 31 October 1916, the Secretary of the Methodist Episcopal Building and Location Board purchased a piece of land with an area of 93,000 sq ft (8,600 m2) in the district of Amokiah and started the school known as Paya Lebar School. This was the beginning of Paya Lebar MGS.
It was started as a branch of the Anglo-Chinese School with the name Paya Lebar English School. The first headmaster was Mr. Robert Hanam. It began in 1917 with a staff of three and a pupil enrolment of 24 boys. In 1918, it began taking in girls. It was an elementary school providing education up to Primary 4.
In 1935, Mrs Chew Hock Hin became Principal. She is regarded as founder because she was founder of the Girls' School and reorganised the school with help from the American Crusade Fund. The school after World War II was co-ed with the boys in the PM Session and the girls in the AM Session. It became a government-aided school in 1949 when still a primary school. In 1954, the school presented its first batch of School Certificate girls who scored 100%.
In 1986, Paya Lebar MGS made its move from Boundary Road to the present campus along Lorong Ah Soo. The year also saw the creation of two schools, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary) and PLMGSS.
In 2005, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary) was relocated to a holding site in Serangoon North Avenue 1 while construction works went on at its Lorong Ah Soo site. In 2007, the school returned to Lorong Ah Soo.
Co-curricular activities
The school has been selected as the East Zone's Centre of Excellence for the Performing Arts.
The school has 9 performing arts groups, namely, Band, Choir, Cherubs, Chinese Drama, Dance, English Drama, Guitar, Guzheng Ensemble and Handbell Ensemble. All of the performing arts groups have achieved at least a silver in the past few Singapore Youth Festival Central Judgings. This year(2013), at the Singapore Youth Festival MOE Arts Presentation, their Band has achieved a certificate of Commendation, Choir with Distinction, Cherubs with Distinction, Chinese Drama with Accomplishment, Dance with Distinction, English Drama with Distincton, Guitar with Distinction, Guzheng Ensemble with Distinction and Handbell Ensemble with Distinction.
The Handbell Ensemble has travelled overseas to showcase their skills. One event they attended was the 13th International Handbell Symposium, organized by the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, held in Orlando, Florida in August 2008. The nine girls (out of the group's 35 members) performed a South-east Asian piece, Lenggang Kangkong.In 2012, the Guzheng Ensemble participated in the Harrogate International Youth Festival.
Affiliation
The school is affiliated with Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary) (PLMGPS), giving PLMGPS students priority for admission. PLMGSS is also affiliated to the Methodist Church in Singapore and other Methodist Schools in Singapore including: Methodist Girls' School, Anglo-Chinese School, Fairfield Methodist Secondary School and Geylang Methodist Secondary School.
Extra Information
In 2012 the school has won the School Excellence Award(SEA). Therefore, the school board directors decided to treat the whole school, including the cleaners and canteen staffs, a trip to Universal Studios Singapore (USS).
Notable alumni
- Chia Yong Yong: Singaporean lawyer, disability advocate and a Nominated Member of Parliament of Singapore
- Glory Barnabas: Former national sprinter
- Julie Tan: Actress, Mediacorp
External links
