1. Report on Brother Rene, Superior General of Brothers of St Gabriel visit
Brother Rene visited the school on 19 Feb 2008. In his own words, he felt the exuberance, warmth, cheerfulness and happiness in the school. The most heartwarming part of his visit was when he was at the koi pond platform and students from all around the balcony cheered and applauded to welcome him. He visited the I-Mac Lab and spoke to teachers and students in the D & T workshops, Art class, Science Labs and Chinese classes. Boys scrambled to pay their respects and to greet the boys.
A student from Sec 4E5, on his own accord, even gave Brother some oranges for luck. Some lower Sec Bstudents also gave small handwritten notes of thanks and messages to him.
As the boys were dismissed from classes, Brother Rene, Brother Gaspar and Brother Emmanuel were near the staircase well on the first floor, greeting, shaking hands and exchanging well-wishes to almost every single student who walked past. Now that's a class act!
I think one of our fellow Montfortian's blog says it all:
"School ended dam early today because Brother Rene, head of the Brothers of St Gabriels, come down today and also because of the win over Sports school for the C div North Zone (badminton) title. The brothers came into my class during Chinese lesson.they were pretty cool..before recess, classes came out to fill the corridors. Everybody faced the centre of the classroom blocks where the pond is to welcome the Brothers. The Brothers stood in the center of the classroom block at the ground floor. They were being towered by masses of students all the way to the 4th floor. Everybody cheered and applauded. It was pretty awesome."
2. Excerpts of Brother Rene's message to school
Excerpts of Brother Rene’s Speech to Teachers
"I have found my visit to Montfort school very impressive. There is lots of creativity and life here. There are many innovative things you have done to engage the students. For this, I thank the teachers and congratulate all of youAs we went around the classes, we saw many students who were enthusiastic, cheerful and happy. They were working on projects and after greeting us, they returned to their work and did them diligently. There is so much application.We went around shaking hands and sharing words with many teachers and students. It gave me the opportunity to ask them, "Do you like coming to school in Montfort?" . Many told us they liked coming to school and they found it fun. There was so much enthusiasm, cheerfulness and happiness here. I have been involved in schools for 28 years and loved every aspect of it- the enthusiasm, the sense of warmth, the cheerfulness the life. Everytime, I return to the school for visits, I get that same sense and I miss it. It shows us that you have continued Montfort's work here very well. He lived 300 years ago and his vision was for a god centered education for students. His vision was for love of god and other-centeredness. The brothers came to help run Montfort School in 1936 and you have carried on in that same spirit and mission very well.
The mission was to teach the young about God's love and service to others, to help them be aware of their talents, to develop them, to help them grow, to build character and personality and make a difference in this world and tommorow's world and to be men for others. The education we provide is important because it has consequences for the future. They will grow up to have be parents, workers and this process of learning and education has no end. There are currently 1270 of us in the world in 35 countries and on behalf of them, we thank you for the work you have. Without you, many things could not be accomplished. There is not a single day that passes when you are not in our prayers.As the superior general, I have 4 assistants. One from Senegal in Africa, two from India and one from France. Our mission is to meet the brothers around the world and the people working and learning in our schools. We see the joys, listen to the difficulties and help the whole Montfort project to go on beautifully. We cannot do this alone because there are too few of us. Alone, this would not work.
It is because there are thousands like us who believe in this beautiful adventure who make it a reality. For this, I am grateful to so many of you who try to make it a world of harmony and peace.In Montfort Secondary school, we were welcomed by the students along the balcony with so much exuberance and enthusiasm. It says much about the leadership in the school and with them, the department heads and teachers. In your slides, we got to know of the many successes and awards you have achieved - academic, non-academic and also spiritual. Many of them are also sustained and I understand, that’s not easy. For this, I thank you all.
I would also like to thank and congratulate Mr Chua Cher Choon, the School Management chairman for the good work he does. He returns time and again to help with the many challenges the school faces.I would also like to thank Brother Emmanuel and Provincial Superior Brother Gaspar for supervising our schools here. Their warm welcome everywhere they go shows that they have done a great job in our schools. They represent the pioneering brothers who were here, those who had contributed so much and given quality education with their whole heart and mind through their concern for others. For this, I thank them and thank you for the visit.
Brother Rene
19 February 2008
Montfort Secondary School
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