Principal Lo Sheu Ming
A new kid on the block, Springfield Secondary School wants to stand out from the other schools in the neighbourhood. And if its name is anything to go by, it has done just that.Principal Lo Sheu Ming recalled that when she took over the school two years ago, the school was known as Tampines West Secondary School.
"The name had no personality at all," said the former Principal of Balestier Hill Secondary School.
So, Sheu Ming and a few teachers came up with a new name.
"We liked the name as it is refreshing -- spring signifies youth and vitality, while field symbolises growth," explained Sheu Ming.
The teachers later came up with the motto, Better Self For Better Tomorrow
We are aware that our students are not high-fliers. They need to have more self-confidence to do well. To do that, they need to discover and build on their talents so that they can contribute to society.
Other than its name, the school with a country-club ambience aims to be different in other ways.
It has established a cognitive thinking programme for its 920 students to learn creativity.
"We want our students to think for themselves and to be able to speak intelligently, to have initiative and to master skills that will enable them to be life-long learners," Sheu Ming said.
To encourage students to read more, the school introduced the thrice weekly USSR - Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading -- programme.
The Ministry of Education will help set up the room which will carry exhibits and slides on career information. Computer software and audio-visual materials will also be used to help students find out the latest in the job market.
The room is open to all students in the zone. They can pick up pamphlets, booklets and prospectuses to help them in their decisions.
As Principal of a school which is less than two years old, Sheu Ming is realistic about how far the school can make a name for itself.
"We have to do it gradually. But the first step is to build
up greater loyalty among the students," she said.