Follow this link to see the article on the Schoolbag website, or click here to view the pdf version of it.

JinXiang: How did the name Ang mo kio came about? 

Mr Tan: Actually the name probably came from the historical records. Because the word                             Ang mo kio is came from dialect translation means European bridge. And probably there was    a bridge around here build by the columbium people . 

JinXiang: So what was Ang mo kio known as before it was developed into a new town?

Mr Tan : Actually it was only a continuation of a rubber estate from Serangoon garden all to Mayflower and then the other parts were all bushes. So actually there was nothing outstanding about the place except there was a series of path all of the place. And if you look at the map of those days, you will find the number of path. But when you go down and

walk and take a look you will find that those path don’t even exist. 

JinXiang: So what amenities were there back in 1970s? 

Mr Tan: When you talk of the amenities, I was thinking in terms of what were there available back in 1979. In the year 1979, it’s the time I step into this place. And not very far from the school the present school site, there use to be a wet market and a number of shops and that was really a town centre at that time. There were shop houses in this area. 

JinXiang: What is unique about Ang Mo kio? 

Mr Tan: There is nothing unusual about Ang mo kio except the development had been a very peaceful one. So people move in as the houses were ready. 

JinXiang: Were there many people living in Ang mo kio in the 1960s? 

Mr Tan: Actually in the early 70s, Ang Mo Kio new town has not been build, is only built after 1975 then the town was being built around the area. So in terms of people living in Ang mo Kio at that point of time, there were not many people only a few thousand people living around he small blocks here.  

DaoQian: I shall take over and ask you about Ang mo kio Secondary School. 

DaoQian: Do you have any idea that was Ang mo kio secondary school the first seconday school built in Ang mo kio?  

Mr Tan: Yes, It was the first school. Because there was one other school and that was a primary school.  

DaoQian: So why was the school named after the town? 

Mr Tan: The named of the school was done by the people in the Ministry of Education and in those days school were named after places or roads. Just like Thomson Secondary School, Upper Thomson Secondary School and here we have Ang Mo kio Secondary School. 

DaoQian: So what was the challenges you faced as the first principal of the school? 

Mr Tan: When the school was ready, the school building was ready, the school was already functioning at a borrow building namely the premises of HuiYou Secondary. So we have our first batch of Sec 1 classes since January of 1979. Then later in the year end of April the school was handed over to the Ministry and then to me. And then after the handing over, the furniture came in. The furniture came in literally every member of the staff and  students. At that time the students were not around but we manage to get a few and we all had to collectively help to carry the furniture into the class room like the tables and chairs. 

DaoQian: So Do you have any impression of the Ang mo kio student back then? 

Mr Tan: Actually the student back then were very eagle to come to school because here we are having is a brand new school and here is a school that is downstep to them. So we started off with the Secondary 1 classes in the 1979. then the following year we open our classes to pupils from secondary 1 to 4 plus class for a level of the Chinese stream. 

DaoQian: So any idea on how many teacher in our school? 

Mr Tan: I cant remember.  Because some teachers did not belong to our school because our school was being use to house pupils from mayflower primary school because there school was under construction.  

DaoQian: So what is your most memorable moment during your term of office in the school? 

Mr Tan: I think the thing being in the school was that there was a lot of things to be done and then we try to do the things as fast as we could. Just like one of thing we had to do is the opening ceremony. In the past, schools that want to prepare for their opening ceremony had borrow bands and dancers from other school in their neighborhood but when we prepare our own in the year 1980s , we have literally everything ourselves. We have our own dancers; we have our band perform the tune that we wanted because we engaged company to do it to supply us our equipment and to prepare our pupil to play the require the music that we wanted for the function. We were part of the community, we also encourage our facility to be use by the people association so there was a decentralized parade using our school drums. And during those days, the parade for the decentralized has being held all over the island in housing estate.  

DaoQian: So were there any school songs back then? 

Mr Tan: Talking about the school song, I don’t know what is the present school song. We had one song that was compose for us by a Filipino friend from Melina. He composed for us and then when I brought the song and the music back; it was set to the brass band for Mr. Ananta to the ACDC. 

DaoQian: Were you involved in creating the school motto? 

Mr Tan: I cannot say I was involved; I was involved in literally of everything. But quite a lot of things are collective effort by a group of people. That mean staff members contribution, members from SAC, because at that time, our school committee consisted of people from the commercial sector. Just like the first chairman. The first chairman was once who work in an insurance company. 

DaoQian: What was the school motto then? 

Mr Tan: I cannot remember. 

DaoQian: So do you have any idea what does the school logo represent or rather are there any school logo back then? 

Mr Tan: I cannot remember. 

ALL: Thank you Mr. Tan.

Interview with Mr Lai Fah Chong on his childhood

by

Tan Yi Zhen of Class 22

Interview with Cheo Sow Ling on her childhood

by

Chin Wei Ni Winnie of Class 22

Interview with Lai Siew hung on fashion in the 1960s

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Goh Tsi Hui Amelia of Class 23

Interview with Phang Ban Heng on living conditions in the 1960s

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Tan Zhengjie and Johnaton Phang of Class 25

Interview with Mr Koo Kim Seng, a grassroot leader, on Ang Mo Kio in its early years

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Lim Zhi Le Jerome and Lu Junyao of Class 2A

Interview with Mr Tan Joo Kheng, the Principal of AMKSS, on his experience of running the school in its pioneer years

by

Wong Jin Xiang and Tay Dao Qian of Class 3A

Interview with Mr Koo Ah Lek, SAC member of AMKSS, on his experience as an advisory member of the school

by

Wong Jin Xiang of Class 3A

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Please click here to read more.

The following students from the Cheerleading Club contributed to the mammoth task of making up some 400+ student performers for this year’s NOMAD:

Fiona Chua Hui Ying (3C)
Ang Xiao Si (3D)
Chloe Low Yan Ling (3D)
Heidi Heng Zhi Ping (3D)
Liaw Si Li (3D)
Phyllis Low Mok Wee (3C)
Yeo Shi Jia (3D)
Tan Xiao Wei (3D)

Dear friends and colleagues in the media,

Date: 4th July 2008 (Friday), and 5th July 2008 (Saturday)
Time: 7.30pm to 10.00pm
Venue: Ang Mo Kio Secondary School, 6 Ang Mo Kio Street 22

On the 4th and 5th of July 2008, Ang Mo Kio Secondary School will be presenting the fruits of its well known and innovative school arts programme in an school-based, site-specific, inter-disciplinary, multi-media and community based arts production titled 1964.

With the year 1964 as the jumping board to a variety of artistic adventures, the school that surprised Singapore in 2005 with a swimming pool in its school canteen has gone to yet further lengths this year to stretch the boundaries of school-based art making.

Watch modern re-interpretations of dances from the 1960s under a mirror ball, in the company of Astroboy and friends in our Club Legenda – A Retro-Dance Hall set in the middle of a school! Mingle in the crowd in Ah Gong’s Coffeeshop, and Night Market, sit under a tree to listen to a storyteller and his Creepy tales before the joss stick runs out! Relive the drama of HDB Living as you move out of My Kampung for the ‘first’ time. Be tickled by Its Shaw Time!, complete with a Fashion Show from the 1960s. Sit in the open air and enjoy new short films commissioned for the festival Enjoy avant garde renditions of John Cage’s notorious music 0’00″ and no less than 2 brand new Festival Commissions by exciting young Singaporean composers.

Featuring student works created under the guidance of more than 20 artists like Noorlinah Mohamed, Gani Abdul Karim, and Lau Sheow Tong, come lose yourself in the NOMAD Experience in a school where the adage ‘All the world’s a stage!’ comes alive!

The school warmly welcomes any enquiries regarding the festival. Ask us anything regarding the festival! Our festival publicity representative: Miss Deepa Sivasothy can be reached at 9066 7330, 6454 8605 and via email at deepa_sivasothy@moe.edu.sg.

For information at your fingertips about the festival, do visit our Festival Media Centre at: http://amkssnomad.wordpress.com/media-centre/. The same website also documents the creative process of this unique festival, part of our efforts to promote creative school based arts.

We look forward to seeing you at the festival!

NG Tian Hui (Mr)
Festival Creative Director
M: +65 9383 7300
O: +65 6454 8605 ext 860
F: +65 6458 2425
Ang Mo Kio Secondary School
6 Ang Mo Kio St. 22
Singapore 569362
AMKSS Website: http://www.angmokiosec.moe.edu.sg/
NOMAD Website: http://amkssnomad.wordpress.com

The “Symphonic Overture” for band is written in celebration of the opening of the NOMAD Festival 2008. The composer has collaborated with the Ang Mo Kio Symphonic Band earlier in the year, and have created this work as a homage to the technical proficiency of the student musicians.

A mysterious beginning leads full flight into a tumulteous flurry of notes in the woodwinds, and modulates from key to key, before plunging into the actual first section of the work. Here, a heroic theme marches through rhythmic punctuation before reaching a more sombre lyrical passage, and then returns once more.

After a transition that relies on the transient nature of the bells, the sombre theme is now set in major mode as portrayed by a lone piccolo. The other musicians join in and sing a song of hope and love together, but is interrupted by uncertainty of the future. What does the future hold for us? The lyrical passage now returns in its most tragic form yet, in the solo clarinet, with an oboist sobbing in the background. A dramatic rise of tension finally leads into a punctuated passage reminiscent of the first section.

The first section returns once more, but is heavily altered, in terms of accompaniment, character and atmosphere. What was arrogance before has given way to humility. Hesitation becomes confidence to fight for one’s ideals. With that, the introductory passage returns, and closes the work in a celebratory gesture.

The Symphonic Overture describes from a simplistic viewpoint what Singapore has faced since the events of 1964. It is ridden with drama and tension, but at the same time, clear melodies and musical direction to be savoured. It is the wish of the composer to convey his message through a mainstream harmonic and thematic language that can be enjoyed by everyone in the audience, as well as the musicians performing it.

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JinXiang: Thank you sir for granting us an interview. Let us start our first question. When were you first appointed as a SAC member?

Mr Koo: Let me give you a history how I become a SAC member. I joined the school SAC member in 1979 and that was the year when the school started. I was introduced by Mr Tan Joo Keng the first principal of Ang Mo kio Secondary. He was actually my school teacher when I was in Outram Secondary school back then. And after I left school, I still keep in touch with Mr Tan regularly. And one day, he called me and asked me would I be interested in doing some community work and I was invited by the school principal. The school principal said the first thing he need to do is to form a school SAC and he invited me to sit in the committee and sit as a treasurer. And that was the first time I heard of the SAC. So I told him I am not very familiar with the SAC and he told me to come and join for 1 term which is 2 years and after that you can decide do you wish to continue. Then that was supposed to be a 2 year term and it turned out to be a long 30 year term.

JinXiang: So what is a role of a SAC member in the school?

Mr Koo: From day 1 I have been appointed as the SAC treasurer as I have been an accountant so I am more familiar with the accounts. The important thing is that I look after the school account and then to present statement of account to the SAC members during the meeting. And also to ensure balance budget means revenues against expenses that means do not overspent. Normally what happen is before a new financial year started, the school principal is also the secretary of the SAC, will present or submit a project statement to the SAC. The statement will show the various projects that the school would like to implement in the following year. And I was a treasurer, I would help to evaluate the various projects and then to ensure that the SAC have sufficient financial resources to implement these various project. And then I would recommend to the committee for the approval and once the approval is given, the school will proceed with the project by the approving budget given and that is my role. To summarise it, my main role is to look after the account of the SAC and to make sure the funds of SAC are probably use.

JinXiang: What was your impression of AMKSS students back then and now?

Mr Koo: In the past I believed that the student are more concentrated on their studies but today the student are more balanced in the way of CCA and their studies. As a SAC member, I was used to get invitation from the school, two or three times a year to attend the school function, and I think the most important was the Speech Day. But today the school have more and more activites so invitation has also extended to the SAC member. And I also notice that the students today are more actively participating in programmes or events organized by the neighborhood grassroot organization.

JinXiang: What was the most memorable moments during your term of office with the school to date.

Mr Koo: Ok I will relate this with one incident which I will never forget. Few years ago I was thinking to step down my place as a treasurer and retired cause I have served the school SAC for more than 25 years at that point of time already. And I thought it was a good time for me to step down, and let some younger people to take over or continue. But unfortunately at that point of time, there were quite a few member including our chairmen would want to retire and step down. And our school SAC suddenly shrink or deduced to very few members and there was not enough members to hold the meeting. So it was really a crisis and the school principal at that point of time requested me to stay on until things are sorted out. So at that critical moment, I not only decide to defer my retirement, but also help management to recruit some grassroot leaders and come and help us. I managed to convince them and they come and join our committee. Today our committee are back to strength and we have 15 members, and form a very strong team and consists of different backgrounds and professions.

JinXiang: What do you think are the achievements of the school?

Mr Koh: If based on the result I learnt from various newspaper, I think the school has been doing very well. In the old days, it was just a neighborhood school and now Ang Mo kio Secondary school have become very popular. A lot of student would like to get in but they are unable to. The school intake had rise, in term of points and I also know that the school is ranking within the 30th in Singapore.

JinXiang: Thank you!