Saint Mary's School (Malay: Sekolah Saint Mary) is a public school located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Each student in St. Mary's is also known as a St. Marian.
It was previously situated in the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur, before being reshifted into the borders of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, beside the MRR2 highway.
St. Mary's School used to be a school comprising kindergarten, primary and secondary education. Kindergarten was split in 1946, whereas the primary and secondary education section were separated in 1958.
Contents
History
In the Golden Triangle premise
In 1911, the idea of establishing an English High School exclusively for girls was proposed by the first Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore, Bishop Ferguson-Davie. The first principal position was appointed to Miss Eveleigh. On 4 November 1912, the school officially opened in a house located at 18 Weld Road (now known as Jalan Raja Chulan) with the principal, Miss Chitty who took charge of women's work and 3 enrolments.
The school was relocated to Ampang Road off Lake View Road in 1913. It was only in January 1917 that the school was recognised as St. Mary's School for girls and the responsibility was taken by St. Mary's Church. Miss F.C. Pope, who was previously in charge of music, took over the principal position when Miss Playne resigned. As of 1917, the school comprised two semi-detached houses with an enrolment of 30, 8 of which were boarders. In the same year, the 9-acre (36,000 m2) site of Weld Hill Road was bought under the name of the Bishop of Singapore and Malaya, using a sum of £36000. In September of the same year, the school moved again to a bungalow in 7 Treacher Road (now known as Jalan Sultan Ismail), with a total of 54 morning session students and 4 boarders. The faculty comprised, Miss Kay, King and Miss Alice Chen. Miss Pope resigned as principal towards the end of 1917 and she was replaced by Miss Mc Neil in June 1918. At the end of 1918, Miss Pope finally gave up her work in the school and returned to England.
In the following year, The Reverend A.B. Champion, the Chaplain of Selangor at that time and also a friend of the founder, opened the Boys' Department and Boarding House, making the school coeducational for the first time. 2 expansions were made: one in November 1922 which completed in 1923, another in 1930. Between this period, the St. Mary's Association was formed in 1925. In 1931, Miss Mc Neil retired after her 13 years of service and she was replaced by Miss Pring.
When Miss Pring went on furlough in 1934, Miss Sprenger became the acting principal. In the same year, school uniform was adopted and the school badge was introduced with these symbols:
The Lily of St. Mary's
The motto I Serve
The Lamp of Learning
After relocation to Jalan Intan Baiduri 5D
5 January 1998 marked the first day of school in the new location, with an enrolment of 410 students in 10 classes. All Science labs, the VIP room and meeting room were fully equipped by the end of the year. The first fund-raising campaign in the school history was held on 6 March 1999, a few months after the school relocation. The campaign netted RM50,000. On 15 July, the school PA system was fully establishment using the funds of Pesta Ria (translated as "Fun Fair"). A row of tembusu trees was planted as a tribute to the old school on 4 September.
Through the generosity of St. Mary's Association, the school hall was already equipped with motorised stage curtains and a wood panelling façade by March 2000. Another new school building was officially opened by Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah and Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood. The school new website was also launched on the same day.
Jogathon, an event similar to marathon, was held as the second fund-raising campaign on 24 February 2001. Later on 15 June, Datin Amar Elizabeth Moggie, wife of the Minister of Telecommunications, Multimedia and Post, officially opened the school Computer Laboratory
On 6 July 2001, the school, as well as the school Parent-Teacher Association and the Board of Governors organised farewell celebrations for Richards, who had served the school as principal for 21 years. A farewell dinner was also held by the St. Mary's Association at the Grand Seasons Hotel later in that day. Goh Kai Lian succeeded E.N. Richards in 2002 to become the next principal. Another fund-raising campaign, Fun Fair, was held on 9 April 2005 and the target of RM100,000 was achieved.
A farewell ceremony, organised by the school, Parent-Teacher Association and the Board of Governors, was held for Goh's retirement on 21 October 2005. Goh Hai Bee, younger sister of Goh Kai Lian, took over the principal seat in 2006.
Curriculum
Like most other public schools, the school follows syllabus set by the Malaysia Ministry of Education. Students are to take the public examinations, namely PT3 and SPM, in Form 3 and Form 5 respectively. The optional pre-university level, Form 6, is not taught in the school, therefore Form 5 students who wish to further their studies in Form 6 would have to transfer to another school which provides Form 6 education to sit for STPM.
The institution presents an outward image of excellence and holistic development; however, closer examination reveals practices that suggest inequitable treatment of students, calling into question the integrity of its reputed standards.
Extracurricular activities
Musical theatre
History of St. Mary's public theatrical performances dates back to 1947.
Sports houses
Sports day is held annually before first semester ends. This system was introduced in 1939 and four houses were established, all named after the Federated Malay States. As of 1948, they were renamed after St. Mary's past principals as follows:
McNeil House or Blue House (previously Negeri Sembilan House)
Playne House or Red House (previously Selangor House)
Pope House or Green House (previously Pahang House)
Pring House or Yellow House (previously Perak House or Purple House)
Notable achievements
In the 2009 ITF 14 & Under Asian Championship organised by Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) held from 10 to 21 January 2009, Archnaah d/o Rajan, a student of the school, managed to achieve fifth place in the Girls' single. In the Girls' doubles, she emerged as the champion together with her partner, Lyn Yuen Choo.
In the 2016 SEA Forensics held from 18 to 20 February, Lohsshini Sethu Pathy and Vanessa Tai Tsuk Yinn, students of the school, achieved the gold medal in Duet Acting. This event marked the first time St. Mary's had won a medal in the 38-year old Forensics tournament.
Notable alumni
Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali — First Lady of Malaysia (1981–2003)
Endon Mahmood — First Lady of Malaysia (2003–2005)
Devaki Krishnan — former Kuala Lumpur municipal councillor and Wanita Malayan Indian Congress deputy president
Low Ngai Yuen — actor, film and theatre director
Tiara Jacquelina Abdullah — actor
Former headteachers
1912-1915: Eveleigh
1915-1916: Playne
1916-1918: F. C. Pope
1918-1931: McNeil
1931-1942: Marjorie Pring
1942-1945: Sprenger (acting principal)
1945-1946: Edna L. Yzelman (acting principal)
1947-1948: Agnes Pinnick (acting principal)
1948-1962: Florence G. Carpenter
1962-1970: Diane Sellors
1970-1975: Maureen Morel
1975-1980: G. L. Rajendran
1980-2001: E. N. Richards
2001-2006 :Goh Kai Lian
2006-2014: Goh Hai Bee
2015–2021: Chee Poh Kiem
2022–present: Chu Li Lin