Perak Mission Schools Receive Aid

Cheque Presentation of RM400,000 for 45 mission schools in Perak.

Yang Berbahagia Dato' Seri Ong Ka Ting will be at St Michael's to present a cheque of RM400,000 on Friday, February 29, 2008 at 12 noon. The money is to be divided among 45 primary and secondary schools in the state of Perak.

Among the VIP guests expected to be present at the function are Dato Ong Ka Chuan, MCA Perak chief, other state MCA leaders, Brother Vincent Corkery, Board of Governors chairman Dato Seri Lee Oi Hian, St Michael's PTA chairman Mr Joseph Michael Lee Onn Hean and OMA president Mr Adrian Tsen Keng Yam.

Representatives of schools, some as far as Taiping and Teluk Intan will also be at the function.

Special Report On SMI Under 18 Basketballers

MICHAELIAN SPIRIT......

MSSD BASKETBALL COMPETITION (ZONE B) KINTA UTARA 2008

12 February 2008 : SMI versus SMK Aminuddin Baki , SMI won 20 against 17
Being the first match of the competition and played at 8.00 am after the long Chinese New Year break, SMI was clearly nervous and we were lucky to scratch through with a win from our feisty and spirited opponents.

13 February 2008 : SMI versus SMK Seri Ipoh, SMI won 40 against 5
Our boys had found their footings and outplayed their apponents who had no answers against our sharp shooters and solid defence,hence we emerge as Group A champion.

14 February 2008 : SMI versus SMK Anderson (Quarter finals), SMI won 54 against 17
We thrashed Anderson in this game and the team played their hearts out especially in the presence of our Principal, Mr Phoon who came to give his support.With this win we qualified for the semi finals where we were in for an exciting match with a formidable foe,SMK Poi Lam.

15 February 2008(8.00 am) : SMI versus SMK Poi Lam (Semi finals), SMI won 44 against 42
In this nail biting and heart stopping match,SMI was staring at defeat during half time but our boys managed to grit their teeth and produced some excellent shots in the third
quarter to narrow the score. At the last quarter, with some fine coaching from our coach and lots of moral support from the spectators, SMI pulled through by 2 points!Phew that was close! The boys were jubilant after this match and were rewarded with ‘Ang Pows’ from our coach who came prepared for this win!

15 February 2008(2.00 pm) : SMI versus SMK Menglembu (Finals), SMI won 53 against 46
Our boys were tired after the energy sapping match against SMK Poi Lam. The boys were hungry due the delay of this final which was scheduled at 12.30pm. They got off to a shaky start and SMK Menglembu gave us a run for our money. The opponents’ supporters outnumbered us and their players were aggressive but SMI prevailed and managed to hang on till the last whistle to be crowned as Zone B Champion for the second consecutive year! Well done to our Basketball Players and our thanks and gratitude to our coach Mr Eng Tin Fook for his tireless efforts during training and inspiring side-line coachings during matches!

Reported by Pn Tan Cheng Choo/Team Manager.

We highly commend our Michaelian cagers for their outstanding and shining performance. Your indomitable Michaelian spirit has prevailed and glaringly demonstrated for all to emulate. Congratulations!

Michaelian Cagers Rise To The Occasion!

We have also excelled in other tournaments. Cricket, water-polo, state level Cross Country and golf. It seems that the glorious era of Michaelian Supremacy has emerged.

That's The Way Fellow Michaelians!

Story Soon.

The Alma Mater That Never Fails To Mesmerize

The building of St Michael's has never failed to impress foreigners and locals alike. Foreign travellers who stopped by at the area would definitely snap a few shots for posterity. One often commented that St Michael's is such an outstanding building that its existence greatly complements the charisma and wonders of Ipoh Old Town.
For our Old Michaelians Association president Mr Adrian Tsen who often plays host to countless of visitors from abroad, the school is a spot he has never failed to promote when he takes them around town.
When his nephew Lin Xiao An from Tangxi in Dongguan, China and his wife Yao Yu Qin came to visit him in Ipoh, Mr Adrian obviously took them to St Michael's. Their son Lin Xu Tao, 7, was extremely excited that he persuaded his father to take many shots of the school to show his classmates back home.
The tour which lasted more than an hour was indeed enjoyable as the visit also included the newly-constructed primary school, 5-star toilet, the pavilion, the newly-replaced roof of the main building and the newly reburbished office area - places which the president had a pivotal role in constructing!

caption: from left Mr Harneak Singh (OMA Hon. Secretary), Mr Adrian Tsen, Xu Tao, Xiao An and Yu Qin.

10,000 hits

By Monday Feb 18, 2008, I believe this blog would have achieved 10,000 hits. To all Michaelians, present and old boys, my salute to all of you for keeping yourselves updated through this blog. Continue to visit us as we continue to bring you happenings and stories from your dear alma mater - St Michael's Ipoh.

Cheers to the green and white!

Michaelian Annual Cross Country 2008

It was more than just a run. It is an age-old tradition that befits unity, comradeship and to reinforce the spirit of hope of all Michaelians. The Run reflects our quest to commit and dedicate ourselves to be quality Michaelians, acknowledging the noble works of the Brothers, old boys, parents, teachers and those who continue to believe in the Michaelian Agenda. Thanks to Mr James Gough (an old boy), from whom we use here some of the images he had taken so professionally.

Two old boys who came to lend strong support, Mr Anthony Lourdes and Mr Harneak Singh. With them is Brother Matthew Bay.

Dental Treatment In St Michael's

The secondary school does not have a dental clinic like the primary. So when the dentist and her team of skillful dental nurses came a calling two days ago, we converted the Form 3A1 class into a clinic! And it looks like one. For a period of a week, the team will check the entire student population in St Michael's - more than 2000 students.

We record our gratitude to this team of dedicated nurses and the dentist, Dr Faryna bt Md Yaakub. Asked her one question. The answer:- Michaelians generally have strong and healthy teeth. Thank you Dr and your team for visiting us at St Michael's.

SMI CROSS COUNTRY 2008

Michaelians are running! We run for a purpose - for unity and comradeship. This weekend, we will all run to demonstrate the call to be an agent of change -- to make the world a better place, in line with our theme this year, "Michaelians Care For Mother Earth".

All Michaelians, young and old can join us.

Time: 7.30am to 11.00am
Venue: School Field

Date: Feb 16, 2008 (Saturday)

The Revival of Football Supremacy In St Michael's

Michaelians were once formidable and feared footballers. The team captain of 1956, Prof Khoo Kay Khim recalls:

"We played in no less than 19 games, winning all but one. Our highest score for the year was against Sultan Yussuf's School in Batu Gajah. We thrashed them 14-0. We also won against many established and well known teams."

In 1969, Michaelian Khoo Luan Khuah represented the National team at the Asian Youth Trophy Tournament.

Football was played on the vacant grounds at the vicinity of the school. The team of 1919 was an outstanding team - organising competitions against the Tamil Union, The Oriental Cinema and other soccer rivals in Ipoh. The school team had been actively participating in various tournaments both in and out of Ipoh. Competitions among schools were widely anticipated by Ipoh folks - one needed to pay for tickets to watch the matches.

Over the years, football standards in St Michael's had deteriorated. The school is remembered only by the mention of badminton. Games like cricket, hockey and football are not associated anymore among Michaelians today.

Things are set to change. Two teachers have taken upon themselves the herculean effort to revive the glorious days of Michaelian football. Thank you, Cikgu Adi and Cikgu Zulkarnain. They meticulously picked and groomed enthusiastic students for the Under 15 and Under 18 teams. Their hardwork and efforts paid off for the past four years as the teams went on to beat schools like Sultan Yussuf, Anderson, Sek Tuanku Abdul Rahman and ACS. We were champions for U-15 last year.

Bravo and cheers to our young and energetic footballers. Your dynamism has made its way to create a strong wave of excitement among Michaelians near and far.

Cikgu Zulkarnain (left) and Cikgu Adi.

KONG HEI FATT CHOY

Chinese Character which is pronounced 'fu' in Mandarin and means happiness. Greeting from me and my family. Wishing all of you prosperity and good health.The food I had at the reunion dinner with family on Chinese New Year eve. Come Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008, it's back to work. Kong Hei, Kong Hei!

Over To You, Master Timothy Chee.....

MICHAELIAN HERITAGE GALLERY

Samples taken from the book, MICHAELIAN HERITAGE GALLERY

Master Timothy Chee was instrumental in the publication of the book MICHAELIAN HERITAGE GALLERY, detailing the framed pictorial illustrations of the achievements and accolades from the days of La Salle until the establishment of St Michael's.

The framed woodworks were placed at the spacious verandas of the middle floor of the main building.

Sadly, the efforts and labour of love of individuals - Mr Timothy Chee, Mr Wong Chee Weng, Miss Lim Siew Im, Puan Darini Abdullah, Puan Nor'aini Ahmad and fellow students who were commissioned to complete the job, had left no traces to be remembered. The frames had been removed. When and the reasons? Not known.

The effort was accorded a mention when in 1987, during SMI Diamond Jubilee, the pictures of the items were compiled and a book on the wonderful work was published for posterity.

Four main topics were meticulously picked to portray the outstanding individuals who had one way or another contributed to the remarkable works which have left a shining example for us today.

a. La Salle & His World 1680-1980,

b. The Augustans Years 1912-1937.

c. The Patrician Years 1938-1956

d. The Paulian Years 1957-1987

Last week, Principal Mr Phoon Chong Chee met up with Mr Timothy Chee. Yes, plans are in the pipeline to restore the MICHAELIAN HERITAGE GALLERY. Brother Vincent Corkery, I believe, has all the material facts and documentations to assist in the revival of the project.

With these 'reminders' around us, Michaelians would be able to reflect on the past, treasure the present and tread confidently into the future.

Greetings and warmest regards,

Peter Khiew

The Amazing Power of Good Character

from left Ewe, Vikneswaran and Yuganeswaran (handing over the wallet to Ewe)

Honesty is characterized by truth and sincerity. Honesty denotes the quality of being upright in principle and action. Honesty implies truthfulness.This demonstration of virtue is very much alive in St Michael's.

While R. Yuganeswaran, a Form Two student was walking along the corridor, he noticed a black object which he thought was a piece of discard. He walked towards it and discovered that it was a wallet. He brought the wallet to his friend T. Vikneswaran, checked the content and found that it contained money, some cards and an ID. Their first thought was to hand over the wallet to the school authority.

Upon checking, we summoned for the owner. Ewe Cheung Chin came over and he did not even realise that he had dropped his wallet. When the wallet was shown to him and was told that the two boys had found his wallet, he was deeply touched. He went on instintively to shake their hands to thank them. We had many more instances when boys returned watches, books, calculators and stationeries.

We salute these boys who hold on to the power of good character. St Michael's is proud to have people like you.