Victoria School

[kiaaik]

2013/09/25

This Class Of Ours – 30 Years On, Teo Ser Luck Reflects On His Time In VS

Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Mayor, North East District, reflects on his time in Victoria School.

Article in Chinese, English translation kindly provided by Ms Fan Yinghui.

An old black and white photo was uploaded on Facebook recently. It was my Secondary Four class photo. This photo came as a pleasant surprise for me. It was uploaded by our then vice class monitor, who was among one of the more active students in class.

I looked at each of my classmates carefully. On top of evoking memories for those days, I cannot help but wonder how these are classmates doing now, where they are and what industries they are working in.

I left a comment on Facebook and started to chat with my vice class monitor. Later, more and more old classmates joined in the discussion and in the end we started a discussion group on Whatsapp.

Old classmates began to upload their photos on Whatsapp. I almost could not recognize some of them, while some others looked the same. Gradually, we managed to contact more old friends whom we have lost contact for a long time in the Whatsapp group. With the increase in number of people in the group, everyone hoped for a gathering, therefore, we set a meeting date.

Back then, we were a very special class. We did not have fabulous academic results, and were the last batch of Technical Class students. We had outstanding sports performance and other classes were very reluctant to compete with us in those areas. We were a group of very unique and exciting students, with diverse talents among us. What we have in common is our street smart and skills of survival.

Most of my classmates came from low-income families, but on campus, we were carefree and enjoyed working and playing together as a class. I still have deep impressions of our mischievous deeds till now. Many said that those stories were still spreading on campus.

After thirty years, we finally gathered together again. Even though we were unable to contact all classmates, but the attendance was enough for us to organize this class gathering. Physical appearance of most classmates changed, with many growing horizontally.

Among my classmates, some went to further their studies in college while others entered society directly; but we are all leading very good lives now. We have international lawyers, accountants, senior military officers, pilots, directors, consultants and entrepreneurs in our class.

Most of my classmates were married and with children. During the gathering, we proudly took out our mobile phones to show each other our family. To my surprise, even those then very naughty students had loving and fatherly expressions when they spoke about their families. Our teachers surely would not have expected us to turn out this way.

Statistics can help us with seeing trends but can never help us predict the future. We should also not use academic and family background to judge someone’s future developments. Everyone has their potential that push them forward to greater heights. Or maybe it is indeed the survival skills that we had since then that influence where we are currently.

We were not top students back then, but I think that the more people looked down on us, the more we supported each other. Through this process, our friendships enhanced.

I am glad that everyone who attended the gathering is doing very well in their respective fields. Most importantly, all of us never gave up in face of adversity. We will definitely continue to find opportunities for gathering and sustain this rare friendship that we have had for decades.

http://www.ova.org.sg/2013/09/class-ours-30-years-teo-ser-luck-reflects-time-vs/

[kiaaik]

Ong Yong Jia (4G, Class of 2010) is conferred the President’s Scout Award 2013.

[octopusmum]

i am staying in Toa Payoh and really like this school. but the problem is, it is a bit far from my place… does anyone happen to know if there will be a mrt station built near the school in the near future? i know the nearest is Bedok but still need to take buses from there…


thks

[kiaaik]

octopusmum:

i am staying in Toa Payoh and really like this school. but the problem is, it is a bit far from my place... does anyone happen to know if there will be a mrt station built near the school in the near future? i know the nearest is Bedok but still need to take buses from there...


thks

There will be one station at Siglap for Eastern Region Line. However, the completion is scheduled for 2020.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Region_MRT_Line

[octopusmum]

HI


thks for the infor… but 2020 is too long… my son would have completed sec school education by then…

[KP2]

Hi , can anyone let me know what are textbooks followed for the all the subjects in sec 1 (IP ) by Victoria school?

[itsy]

Hi,

My son has been offered a direct admission to VS via Art Elective Programme. May I know if there is any parent with son currently in the programme to share their experience? I know that it is a 4 yr programme, but I would like to know what is expected of my son and how intensive is the programme. I wouldn’t want him to spend so much time in the programme that will affect his other subjects. Thanks in advance.

[kiaaik]

Sunday Times article. The only 2 NUS undergrads who have played in the SLeague - Fabian Tan and Sudhershen Hariram. Both are former VS students.

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Better options, so players quit for greener pastures

Published on Nov 17, 2013

GOING against the grain, degree-holders Aloysius Yap, Sudhersen Hariram and Fabian Tan chased their dreams of becoming professional footballers in the S-League.
However, the trio have since left the game in search of more viable careers elsewhere.
While all three have fond memories of their footballing lives, all hung up their boots when good job offers came along.
Until last August, Yap juggled between studying at the Singapore Institute of Management and playing for Woodlands Wellington, his third club after Balestier Khalsa and Gombak United.
Good enough to play for the elite National Football Academy, he stopped when he graduated with a degree in banking and finance, and found a job with OCBC.
"As a student, I felt very rich when I was paid $2,000 a month to play football," the 26-year-old personal banker said. "But, in the long term, reality sets in. Bank executives stand to earn more than $100,000 a year."
Sudhersen, on the other hand, already had an economics degree from the National University of Singapore when he joined Tanjong Pagar United in 2011.
Over two seasons, the right winger made about 20 S-League appearances, earning $1,500 monthly, but also took up law studies.
Now into his final year, the 27-year-old said: "If the money had been better, I might have stayed for a few more seasons.
"It was tough balancing studies and training and it is not a viable career. "
Nonetheless, both Yap and Sudhersen insisted that they loved their time under the stadium floodlights.
Yap said: "I pursued my passion and my family, especially my father, were supportive. If I had any regrets, it would be that I never made it as a national player."
Tan became the first NUS undergraduate to play S-League football with the Young Lions in 2006.
Now 28, the defender stopped playing in 2010 after spells with Geylang United and Gombak to join an international trainee programme with Maersk.
The shipping giant posted him to Copenhagen last year, and he has been based there as a shipbroker since then, negotiating for European shipping companies to build ships at Asian shipyards.
"It was my childhood dream to be a professional footballer and don national colours. It had to be something special for me to leave the game," he said.
While he wished he could have made the breakthrough into the national team, Tan insisted: "I would not trade those years for anything else."
He has also qualified for the Asian Football Confederation "C" coaching licence last year, and hopes to encourage more Chinese youths to turn pro.
He said: "I hope I can provide some inspiration to young players through my journey. Other university students may go for internships or exchange programmes but I pursued my dream. I have no medals but I have no regrets."

[smum]

Can anyone share what is Victoria School academic result? Not able to find it on the school web page.


% of students in O level track going to JC?
% passes for 5 O level subject?

[octopusmum]

Does VS provide school bus service? thks