Riverside Secondary School (Singapore)
Coordinates: 1°26′28.00″N 103°47′18.24″E / 1.4411111°N 103.7884000°E
| Riverside Secondary School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Woodlands | |
| Information | |
| Type | Government |
| Motto | My best and more |
| Established | 1987 |
| Session | single-session |
| School code | 3239 |
| Principal | Shanti Devi (Mdm) |
| Enrolment | Approx. 1,400 |
| Colour(s) | Blue, white |
| Website | http://www.riversidesec.moe.edu.sg |
Riverside Secondary School (abbreviation: RSS) is a co-educational, single session, government school on Woodlands Street 81, Singapore. Students of the school are referred to as "Riversidians". Mdm. Shanti Devi is the principal.
Riverside Secondary School has been ranked in the top 50 secondary schools in Singapore. Recognised by the Singapore Ministry of Education in April 2008 for its niche programme in dance, the school has been given approval to allocate up to 5% of its next student intake for discretionary admission via the Direct School Admission scheme.
History
1987 to 1996
Riverside Secondary School had its beginnings in 1987 at Fuchun Secondary School under caretaker Principal Mrs. Ngiam Geak Kim where it taught its first batch of Secondary One pupils together with nine teachers and two non-academic staff members.
Under the pioneer Principal, Mr O. J. Balasingam, Riverside moved to its present premises at Woodlands Street 81 on 21 December 1987. It is the third school built under Phase Two of the S100 Secondary School Type. It has an underground rifle range (now defunct), air-conditioned library and self-study facilities. The school was officially opened by Mr. Lee Yiok Seng, MP for Bukit Panjang on 14 July 1990.
Mr. Bala and staff crafted the school motto, school crest and uniform. He also co-wrote the school song.
The school presented its first batch of GCE 'N' and 'O' Level candidates in 1990. Riverside was awarded the Academic Value-Added Awards (Express) in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 as well as Singapore Youth Festival awards.
1996 to 2000
On 16 December 1996 the school welcomed Mrs. Lu Kheng Lui as the second Principal and in April 1997 Mr. Hoon Tien Ghun, their first Vice-Principal. Together with the staff, Mrs. Lu wrote the school's first vision statement and led the school in piloting the home-grown Interdisciplinary Project Work and the IT Master Plan Phase 2A.
After the completion of a four-storey extension block at the end of 1998, the school became single session on 22 May 1999.
The school continued to achieve Academic Value-Added Awards and accolades at the Singapore Youth Festival and Uniformed Groups competitions. While maintaining these achievements 'O'-Level Music was introduced and new CCAs such as Robotics Club and Creative Media Club begun. A milestone event was the musical, The Rat Race, performed by students.
2000 to 2005
In December 2000, the school welcomed its third Principal, Mrs. Stella Tan-Wee Bee Lian, and a new Vice-Principal, Mrs. Mohinder Singh, in December 2000.
Mrs. Tan and staff crafted the school's new vision and mission and focussed the staff on the development of the students using the LAM2PS (Leadership qualities, Aesthetics Appreciation Moral Values, Mental Capacities, Physical Capabilities, Social Skills) framework. The school goals are encapsulated by the RSP 2ACT (People, Partnership, Academic, Co-Curricular, School Tone).
To enhance the professional development and well-being of the staff, the school adopted the People Developer Standard (PDS) system in 2005 and received PDS certification in 2006.
In 2004, the school embarked on a whole-school approach to Character Development and National Education. Their efforts were recognised when they were awarded the Development Award in Character Development 2006, Development Award in National Education (2005) and Outstanding Development Award in National Education (2006).
The school was awarded the Sustained Achievement Award for Uniformed Groups in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and the Sustained Achievement Award for Academic (Normal) in 2005 and 2006.
In 2005, the school signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nan Huan Middle School in Suzhou, China and staff and students have benefited from school exchange programmes since then.
From end 2002 to end 2004, Riverside underwent upgrading works under PRIME. A milestone event was Fiesta Riverside, a food and fun fair held to raise $200,000 to build non-standard facilities (gymnasium, dance studio and robotics room) by staff and students.
A new school crest and a new school uniform were designed.
2005 to 2007
In December 2005, Riverside welcomed its fourth Principal, Mrs. Serene Pang. Mrs. Pang was passionate about partnerships with local and overseas organisations and this led to our partnership with the polytechnics and an overseas school in Chennai, India.
The school enhanced its Character Development Programme through building platforms for service learning for upper secondary students, including an overseas trip to Yunnan, China.
In December 2006 the Head of English Department, Mrs. Hilda Thong, was appointed as another Vice-Principal of Riverside Secondary School.
In 2006 the school was awarded the Development Award in Character Development and Outstanding Development Award in National Education.
2007 to now
On 15 May 2007 Riverside welcomed its fifth Principal, Mrs Sng Siew Hong.
In Oct 2007 the school was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew National Education Award.
On the 16 December 2013, Riverside welcomed its sixth Principal, Mrs Tan Kong Yin Yee.
Riverside alumni
An alumni association for graduands was founded in June 2007. The alumni relies on its web presence[1] to reach out to its members. The school assists the alumni in recruitment of members on graduation day. The alumni participate in key activities of the school, such as the yearly R3 Day and motivational talks. Executive Leadership of the alumni are made up of primarily student leaders from the Student Council and various CCA groups. Key EXCO positions such as Presidency are held for two years, with the vice-president taking over the title upon expiry.
Co-Curricular Activities offered in Riverside
Riverside Secondary's CCAs (co-curricular activities) are under four main groups: Uniformed Groups; Visual and Performing Arts; Clubs and Societies and Physical Sports. Uniformed Group CCAs include National Police Cadet Corp, St. John's Ambulance Brigade, Girls' and Boys' Brigade, as well as National Cadet Corp (Sea). Visual and Performing Arts include Drama Club (ACT@RS), Chinese, Malay as well as Indian Dance. Riverside also has a Robotics Club, as well as an Infocomm Club. Physical Sports CCAs include Football, Softball, Basketball and Badminton. Riverside also offers two CCAs for students to take up as their second CCA. They are the AV Crew, and the Library CCA.
Riverside conducts two sessions of CCA Exploration Week and three sessions of CCA Selection Week for students to take up a CCA. On the CCA Selection Week session, a student must queue up for an interview. After the interview, the teacher will notify the student whether they will offer him or her a place. If the student is not accepted, the student goes on to his second choice. If he is accepted, he will need to sign a form in order to be recognized as a member of that CCA. If he chooses not to sign the form, he can move on to his second choice. Students who have been rejected from all CCAs that they have visited have to stay back in school for the next Selection Week to choose their CCAs again. CCAs have a limited vacancy, and some CCAs require expertise in some areas. For example, the Infocomm Club requires students to have a basic knowledge about handling DSLRs.
Notable alumni
- Bonnie Loo: Singer and actress; Winner, Campus Superstar, 2013