Four years of school life - a lifetime of memories

Posted by shuping under Personal, Reflections
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Named after a Cedar tree, Cedar Girls’ Secondary School is my alma mater. My love affair with the school started with my insistence on choosing it as the school to go to after the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE), even though I could choose somewhere with a higher school ranking. It was never my first choice, but even till today, I’ve yet to understand what made me so adamant that Cedar was where I wanted to go then. I’m just glad I made the decision 10 years ago and since then, I’ve never looked back.

Located at Cedar Ave (near Aljunied), Cedar Girls’ Secondary School was founded in 1957. Back then, it only had an enrollment of 507 girls, 13 classes and a staff of 18. Its first principal gave it an enduring motto -  “Honesty, Perseverance, Courtesy”, together with the distinctive and well-loved blue and grey uniform. Besides being named after the Cedar tree, the word Cedar actually stands for Confidence, Energy, Dedication, Ability and Reliability, values imparted to each Cedarian.

The tree is also featured on the school emblem as a symbol of the sturdy adult the school seeks to nurture - someone who is steadfast in character, strong in her sense of belonging to the school and country, and gracious in her nature - just like the Cedar tree.

There is so much about Cedar which I remember fondly of - the different areas in school, the celebrations, the school song, the jogging sessions twice every week and of course the dedicated teachers. What struck me the most was the strong school spirit felt across the school, seen most prominently at the annual National Track and Field meet held at the National Stadium. It’s a scene that would always stay plastered in my mind - the sea of blue (because the whole school would attend it and our uniform is blue) with the yellow cedar flag flying high and the cheering voices of over 1,300 students heard clearly all around the stadium.

It is hard for the students to even stay calm and composed during the meet. All will be engulfed by the excitement; the heart seemingly stuck right at the throat when you witness your peers chasing an athlete from the rival school and eventually crossing the finish line first, separated by one second. Coupled with the euphoria and intense exhilaration when you heard the name ‘Cedar Girls’ Secondary School’ announced as the champion of the meet, it makes it a day never to be forgotten by any Cedarian who has been to the event. Of course, we will end off the day with the school song, sang proudly and ever so loudly by everyone. On a side note , I’m always very amused that we sang the school song so much louder than the national anthem (not that we don’t love the nation).

During the track and field meet

As I reminisced the past, I realised the significance that the different parts of the school held. I remember the courtyard as the place where my friends and I would be busy posing questions to each other in the morning in preparation of the common test later in the day. I remember it also as the place where spot checks were held and we’ll all be attempting to pull the skirts nearer to the knee so that we will not be penalised.

The courtyard

I remember the track as the place where the different classes competed to be the first class to assemble for the jogging sessions, that were held twice every week before the recess break. The time taken to assemble, the attendance of the class and the cheering which will be heard during the run were part of the criteria for the much coveted Best Class Award given at the end of every term - and it was the dream of every class to achieve it.

The track

I remember the canteen as the place where the whole class gathered and started discussing about the teachers and the other classes, though this changed when we reached secondary four. We started to pack the food back to the classroom to eat while we rushed to finish the endless pile of homework and other schools’ exam papers.

I remember the multi-purpose hall because of the celebrations held there (I refuse to associate it as the place where the much-dreaded examinations were held). I always looked forward to the celebrations on special occasions - Racial Harmony Day when we dressed up in different ethnic costumes, National Day when we sang the National Day songs in harmony, with arms around each other, swaying to the rhythm of the songs, Teachers’ Day when we presented self-made presents by the class to the teachers and we cheered for the committed teachers for their hard work and effort put in.

My class during racial harmony day

Then I remember the classroom block where we spent most of our time - learning, occasional dozing off during lessons and whispering to each other at the back of the class.

The classroom block

The four years in Cedar have been etched in my mind as I cherish every single memory I have had being a member of the school. Even till today, the occasional flipping of the yearbooks and the old albums still makes me oh-so-nostalgic about everything which I have gone through. It was a pity, though, that I did not take as many pictures of the school and my school life as I would have wanted.

My class still meets up during the Chinese New Year at our teachers’ house each year as we catch up on how the school is doing and with each others’ lives. A must for each gathering is definitely reminiscing with the teachers of how mischievous we were in class in the past. There are always the endless topics and memories as the years go by - just the thought of everything puts a smile on my face again.

A Lunar New Year this year

Another back in 2006

However, sometimes you can spend your day reminiscing, thinking back and smiling at all that have happened, but when you are back to the reality, you realise that you’ll never be going through that same part of your life anymore. You’ll never be part of these secondary school days ever again - running around in school, laughing with your friends, cheering at the top of the voice (besides all the Go Singapore!).

Sometimes I wish there is a time-machine which I can make use of to go back to the days again and never to come back.Even though the school building is under renovation now, and the clock tower would be gone after that (I’m still upset about it), I’m sure the love we have for the school will never diminish. No matter what, I’m still glad that I’ve been through that part of my life with Cedar and that I am made who I am today because of what the school has nurtured in me. And to quote from the chorus of the school song, I will proudly say:  To Cedar Girls’ School we belong, with pride and love let’s sing this song, let us unite and together vow, to dedicate our loyalty now - because, this is home.

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