Sunday, November 25, 2007

"Are you competing at the level of top countries?" - Montfort Badminton

- Derek Wong


"The first question he and his badminton teachers asked themselves was whether schools were competing at the level of top countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. 'The answer was 'no', because our local boys were complacent,' Mr Lourds says. 'They thought they were good by just beating one another.' So, four years ago, he recruited a top Indonesian student to play for the school team although Montfort already had the national champion, Derek Wong. Derek was the son of former SEA Games singles gold medallist Wong Shoon Keat, Montfort's coach. The two qualified for the final of the national championship, recalls Mr Lourds. 'The Indonesian boy, Albertus Teddy Setiadi, beat Wong easily, allowing him only five points in each game,' recalls Mr Lourds. The humbling defeat had the intended effect of jolting the Singaporean boys. 'We train every day and at nights too,' says Mr Lourds. The boys get a break only to prepare for the O levels.





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Should schools stay off the bandwagon?

Reserve school sports for S'poreans, says a parent. But a school shows how foreigners make a difference

By Yap Koon Hong, Senior Writer

IF JAMES TEO had his way, schools will reserve all their places for badminton talent for children born and raised in Singapore.
He and hiswife, Fiona, both financial consultants, are sports-loving parents. Their son Moen, 12, will enrol in the Singapore Sports School's badminton academy next year, joining older sister Melody, 16, who plays netball for school and country.

Mr Teo says he will support his son fully if Moen indicates that he wants to pursue his badminton dream to the level of the Olympics.

He understands that Singapore needs foreign talent, but feels this should be used sparingly and as a short-term measure.

'Why get foreign talent at school-going age?' he asks. 'School sports should be reserved for Singaporeans only because all these foreign students are not going to represent Singapore.'

The money spent, especially by schools who hunt for top foreign schoolboys in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and China, could be better used to develop local talent.

'Instead of developing foreign talent, schools should invest in foreign expertise, the science and technology that other countries are using, to develop our youngsters,' he argues.

Keen Singaporean badminton players should be given more competitions to grow their skills.

The trouble with the schools-based system of competition is that players may not get the exposure they need especially if the school is knocked out early.

'Two, three matches and then they're out, after training for months in the run-up,' he says. 'It's demoralising.'

He would prefer to put more money into organising year-long tournaments for local school players to encourage them to take up the sport seriously.

If schools jump on the foreign talent bandwagon, Singaporeans will not get to learn and play the game in the first place, he adds.

'As it is, a badminton team is small, with only four or five slots,' he says.

He knows the top badminton school in Singapore is Montfort Secondary, but he says he never considered sending Moen there. 'My boy will be deprived of a sport,' he says.

Montfort Secondary principal Simen Lourds feels differently.

Mr Lourds, who used to play competitively growing up in Malaysia, is credited with reviving the school's status as champions.

'Our overall goal is not just to win badminton titles,' he says, referring to the strategy of recruiting foreign students crucial to Montfort's championship plans.

'We want to do our part in the national target of having a team in the final rounds of the sport's supreme tournament, the Thomas Cup, in 2012.'

The first question he and his badminton teachers asked themselves was whether schools were competing at the level of top countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

'The answer was 'no', because our local boys were complacent,' he says. 'They thought they were good by just beating one another.'

So, four years ago, he recruited a top Indonesian student to play for the school team although Montfort already had the national champion, Derek Wong.

Derek was the son of former SEA Games singles gold medallist Wong Shoon Keat, Montfort's coach.

The two qualified for the final of the national championship, recalls Mr Lourds.

'The Indonesian boy, Albertus Teddy Setiadi, beat Wong easily, allowing him only five points in each game,' recalls Mr Lourds.

The humbling defeat had the intended effect of jolting the Singaporean boys.

They bought into the school's programme of year-round training and competition.

'We train every day and at nights too,' says Mr Lourds. The boys get a break only to prepare for the O levels.

He did not reveal how many foreign players the school has drafted. But last year, Montfort dominated the two secondary schools tournaments. Of the 14 it fielded, nine were foreigners.

The school started a badminton alumni to persuade former students to provide sparring time for the players. 'We created the chance for them to play against men,' he says.

'So, the foreign talent is just one component in our effort to raise the level of the local game,' he says.

Last year, Derek turned the tables on his Indonesian schoolmate and beat him for the national title.

Derek has grown into such a promising talent, he is the only teenager in the senior national squad.

Half the national age-group players in the national association's stable are Montfort boys, says Mr Lourds.

They include Indonesians and a Thai who want to represent Singapore, he says, and that can only be good for the country.

As for the local talent? He says that Montfort players emerge regularly as champions in the annual national tournament which restricts entrants to Singaporeans.

'Our local boys have gained because of the higher level of competition and commitment we encouraged by recruiting the foreign students,' he says.

They also hold their own in regional tournaments, although they may not win.

'We are still behind, but we have closed the gap,' he says.

koonhong@sph.com.sg

Friday, November 23, 2007

A note from Class of 2E4

A Note from me to you - From Montfort Innovators/ Class of 2E4

We're approaching the End of the Year and looking back, we didn't even realise how fast time has past. In an blink of an eye the year is at an end, but your education is not. I believe we all have a large amount of homework to do, so do not procrastinate or you will panic before the start of the new school term. Besides, it is good to spend time during the holidays to brush up on some of the weaker areas in your schoolwork.... There is barely another month more to go and before you know it, the school term will start again!

Everyone, as we are approaching the end of the year, let us all reflect what improvement we have made in any areas of our lives. Lets us recall our happy times as well as our not so good times and move forwards towards Secondary 2 with a renewed vigour and achieve more and set higher goals, scale higher heights and ultimately achieve the Montfortian dream: A Man for Others.

Cheers!
Laurent

http://montfortinnovators.blogspot.com/2007/11/updates_18.html

Monday, November 19, 2007

Montfort Yercaud






Educational Institutions (1 and 1.5 kilometres from Yercaud)

The Montfort School and the Sacred Heart Convent are the two famous educational institutions at Yercaud imparting education mainly to boys and girls respectively.

Montfort Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School was founded in 1917 by Rev. Bro. Eugene of the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel congregation founded by Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort of Brittany, France. Louis Marie Grignikon de Montfort was canonized a Saint in 1947.

Originally started for the sons of Europeans in the military, civil, plantation and other services, the first Indian students were admitted in 1928.
Montfort has grown into a premier boarding school in the country with 850 students studying from Standard III to Standard XII and has the most state-of-the-art facilities in academics, sports and other extra -curricular activities. Girls are admitted to Standards XI and XII.

Sacred Heart Convent, Yercaud (SHY) was founded in 1894 by Sister Valdebert Kelly and Sister Gertrude Banz of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny founded by Sister Anne Marie Javouhey in France in 1812. Sister Anne Marie Javouhey was beatified in 1950.

In 1894, several residents of Yercaud were given lessons in English, French, Music, Painting, Singing and Embroidery. Soon an English-Medium School was opened and initially both boys and girls were admitted. Now, the school has grown to over 400 Girls from Standard I to Standard X and has become an exclusive girls school renowned for its academic excellence, all round development, extra and co-curricular activities. SHY celebrated its centenary in September 1994.

http://www.ayebemen.blogspot.com/
http://www.montfortyercaud.com/

Monday, November 12, 2007

School Achievements

These are some of the achivements we had for the year:

1. The Scholar - Academic achievements

Academic Value Added awards for Express stream classes for 3 consecutive years - 2005,2006 and 2007.

Physics - 33% distinction
Chemistry - 67% distinction
Biology - 37% distinction
Maths - 51% distincvtion
A Maths - 78% distinction
Geography - 58% distinction

2. The Sportsman and Leader

Niche school for Badminton awarded by MOE based on our great track record and programmes.

Our 1st Sustained achievement award (SAA)for Sports -
National Champions for Badminton B Division Boys
National 3rd for Badminton C Division Boys
North Zone B and C Division Champions

Northzone Champions for Softball C Division boys and 2nd for B Division Boys.
SRC Tournament B and C Champions.

Our 5th Sustained Achivement Award for Uniformed Groups (2002-2007)
Scout Frank Cooper Sands Gold Award
NCC Silver Award, Best Unit Competition
NPCC Silver Award, Best Unit Competition

3. The Gentleman

SYF Drama - Silver Award
SYF Band - Bronze Award
SYF Chorale - Bronze Award

Character Development Award

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Project Work on Valor@Montfort by Peter Wong, Raffles JC

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Peter Wong's (PW) Script

The world's population stands at 6.7 billion today. Of which, 217 million, play video games. Video gaming has become a modern widespread form of entertainment, a pastime in the lives of most teenagers around the world today. It is reported that an average gamer spends 7 and a half hours a week in front of a screen, playing electronic games. Surprisingly, 50% of parents do not keep track of their children's usage of video games, not knowing that 89% of the 70 top-selling games are violent in nature. In fact, 17% of these games have violence centred as its primary focus in completing tasks. Before you jump to the conclusion that video games are boys' toys, in a survey done in the US, it is shown that 38% of gamers are female.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am Ian Chew and I'll be opening my group's presentation with its introduction. And yes! We'll be presenting on task 2 - Entertainment. We have chosen to investigate into a change that has occurred in video games - a conceptual change. This refers to a transition in the way society views the playing of video games in the past to today.

Entertainment has become and integral part of life today, especially when we lead stressful lives and we seek forms of activities which will help us escape the hustle and bustle of the world. Video gaming qualifies as a form of entertainment as it gives pleasure and leisure to players from all walks of life. Our group has planned a series of events targeting schooling teenagers as we feel that they are the ones who play video games the most regularly. What we hope to achieve from the series of events we've planned will be elaborated on later by K and H.

To expand on the idea of the conceptual change that video games have undergone, I would to first explain how our group pinpointed the shift in the perspective from which different communities of society view video games. In the month of April this year, we chanced upon an article in the Digital Life section of the Straits Times reporting that Montfort Secondary School was then opening a gaming centre within its campus. We then set out to engage Mr. Simen Lourds, Montfort's principal, in an interview at his school's gaming centre opening ceremony. We recognised the opening of a gaming centre within a school as not only an encouragement to youths to play these games, but also an act of advocating the activity. Now, why would a principal make a decision which could possibly stir up protests from parents and teachers, and even the rest of society?

Mr. Lourds' answer to this question was, "Something had to be done to stop students from getting too addicted to this, but nevertheless they must be allowed to engage in gaming." Picture this: students changing out of their school uniforms into civilian clothes, sneaking into dark, dimly-lit places, full of smoke, spending long hours in front of a desktop monitor. This was a first-hand account of the principal himself, an encounter he had at a shopping centre. He later emphasised some benefits that video games have - the development of good hand-eye coordination, alertness and spatial awareness.

In the beginning, electronic games were designed to relieve stress. However, that was not the prime purpose. Progressively, as technology advanced, new forms of video games evolved, flooding young impressionable minds with images beyond what reality has to offer - images of violence, fantasy and supernatural powers at work. This is why, in a survey our group conducted, we found that 69% of parents show discontentment towards their children playing such games. Amongst the reasons attributed to this perception are the wastage of time and electricity, the addiction to the activity, and other side-effects.

However, our group has done a fair but of research on the Internet, in books, and through a survey and an interview. We found that the stigmatization of video games is not 100% true. In fact, video games have benefits and advantages to offer. After this, my teammate H will be covering this change that video games have undergone and expound on the positive effects it has on different communities today. Following her, H and K will present the details of our event and P, who's at the table, will drum it home with the conclusion to our presentation.

Before I pass the time on to H, I would like to take you through a short skit depicting a scene from the past. Thank you! Please enjoy!