Damai Secondary School

Damai Secondary School (DMSS) is a government co-educational secondary school in Singapore. It stands next to the Bedok Reservoir, flanked by the Pan Island Expressway (PIE).

History
Damai Secondary School was established in 1994. Currently, it has approximately 1,500 students (known as Damaians).

The school has been expanded several times. In 2000, the National Education corner was added. Between 2002 and 2004 the school was upgraded under the PRIME programme, enlarging and improving the school facilities.

In 2002 and 2003 Damai came 49th in Singapore in its express stream results. In 2002 it was awarded the People Developer Standard (this was renewed in 2005 for another three years.)

Its technical stream was awarded the 30th Singapore NUTMEG Prize. This was presented by the managing director, Chang Yeng Yong.

The school has strong emphasis on National Education (NE)& was awarded the Outstanding Devt Award NE from 2006-2010. Its NE framework includes student leadership devt, student-centric processes, NE integrated curriculum & establishing strategic partnerships with the community. The school is currently working towards creating a Borderless Learning environment by 2010 using mobile devices, WiFi & Bluetooth technology. The school's inter-disciplinary Project Work is integrated with the use of ICT. In 2008, the school introduced the use of mobile learning, using Bluetooth-enabled handphones to engage its lower secondary students. The school shared its mobile learning approach at the Int'l Conference on Teaching & Learning with Technology (ICTLT) at Suntec City.

Subjects Offered : CHINESE, GEOGRAPHY (REVISED), HOME ECONOMICS, PRINCIPLES OF A/C, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY, MATHEMATICS (SYLLABUS A), SOCIAL STUDIES, ADDITIONAL MATHEMATICS, BIOLOGY, COMPUTER APPLICATIONS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE (SYLL T), LITERATURE(E), MALAY, MALAY N(A), SCIENCE (SYLL T), COMBINED HUMANITIES (S,G), CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, ART 'O' LEVEL, ENGLISH LANGUAGE, MATHEMATICS, MUSIC, TECHNICAL STUDIES, ELEMENTS OF BUSINESS SKILLS, HISTORY (REVISED), BASIC CHINESE,HIGHER MOTHER TONGUE, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, SCIENCE, BASIC MALAY, CHINESE N(A), CIVICS & MORAL EDUCATION, FOOD & NUTRITION, SCIENCE (PHY, CHEM)

Aggregate range
Aggregate range of 2005 Primary 6 pupils posted to 2006 Secondary 1

Normal academic 175 to 195

Express 210 to 247

Normal technical EM3 -101 to 108

139 to 157

Aggregate range of 2006 Primary 6 pupils posted to 2007 Secondary 1

Normal academic 172 to 198

Express 206 to 257

Normal technical EM3 - 103 to 124

140 TO 157

Aggregate range of 2007 Primary 6 pupils posted to 2008 Secondary 1

Normal academic 175 to 192

Express 206 to 241

Normal technical EM3 - 89 to 108

121 to 156

Aggregate range of 2008 Primary 6 pupils posted to 2009 Secondary 1

Normal academic 160 to 194

Express 207 to 254

Normal technical EM3 - 100 to 110

138 to 158

Aggregate range of 2009 Primary 6 pupils posted to 2010 Secondary 1

Express 200 to 221

Normal academic 165 to 195

Normal technical 101 to 154

Facilities
Damai has a main building including a general-purpose hall, about 40 to 50 classrooms (including the Geography and History Rooms), an AV Theatre, Media Resource Library, 4 Computer Labs, 2 Physics Labs, 2 Biology Labs, 2 Chemistry Labs, Staff Common Rooms, a Canteen, a bookshop, general office, conference room, Homec (home economics) kitchen, Homec Sewing Room, Design and Technology staff room, D&T Innovation Lab, and two D&T workshops.

There is also a "Harmony Room" with exhibits on the different races in Singapore and their unique cultures.

Damai is developing a "wireless mobile learning environment" through the use of Bluetooth or WiFi technology. This allows students to use their handphones occasionally in class to send answers to questions that their teachers sent using laptops.

Co-curricular activities (CCAs)
As an integral part of Singapore's educational system, Damai has planned for suitable CCA programmes to teach pupils skills, inculcate in them the correct values and desirable social attitudes, and provide for healthy recreation. Performing groups include English drama, Guzheng , Modern dance , School choir and symphonic band. Sports and Games includes canoeing, netball , softball and rugby. Uniformed Groups includes The Boy's Brigade, Girl Guides , NCC , NPCC , Scouts and SJAB. Clubs and Societies includes Art club, Library and Media club.

Student council
Members of the student council are known as student councillors, or simply "councillors". Entry is based on a teacher's recommendation or nomination when the student is in Secondary 1. Councillors obtain LEAPS CCA points under the "Leadership" category, and are given certain rights over other ordinary students' discipline. Councillors must wear a special school tie and a badge with the word "councillor" or "student councillor" on it. With effect from 2008, Student Councillors, Peer Leaders and National Education Ambassadors merged to form the Damai Student Leadership body, known as Student Leaders. The Student Leaders represent the student population of Damai Secondary School and have organized many school events. The Student Leaders organize events like the Secondary 1 Orientation Camp and Teachers’ Day celebrations yearly. The Student Leaders are also actively involved in other events like the Sports Day, Meet-the-Parents sessions and Prom Night. The Student Leaders also assist in the running of the school, which includes morning and weekly assembly duties. Student Leaders actively spread National Education messages to the student population, extend community outreach and promote the school image.

House Affiliations
To encourage a competitive spirit, Damai Secondary School has a house system comprising four houses. They are the Achievers (Red), Strivers (Blue), Victors (Green), and Winners (Yellow).

At the start of every year, each new student starting in Secondary 1 is allocated by the PE department into one of these houses, based on his/her index number in class.

There are regular house meetings for the selection of new house leaders, and allowing the house members to decide if they want to join in a particular sports events on sports day. Following the house meetings there are house-related activities such as sports or quizzes.

There is a cumulative points system, strengthened by participation in sport or other events. At the end of the year, the house that has accumulated the most points is declared "house of the year", winning the trophy of the house of the year.

Damai's emphasis on the society and National Education
In line with Singapore's holistic education system and policies, Damai Secondary School emphasizes the society and National Education.

Starting from lower secondary (Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 pupils, normally those aged 12 to 14), Damaians are given opportunities to serve society, and to understand the virtues of National Education. This is achieved by means of Community Involvement Programmes, through their curriculum and their CCAs. Flag Days, beach and park cleaning, and other volunteer works are examples.

Besides this, Damai has cooperated with many charitable organisations (such as Moral Elderly Care Centre of Bedok North) to organise and/or participate in community work.

There is an annual National Education Learning Journey for all Damaians. Based on their academic levels, students visit different places of heritage in Singapore. This provides them with actual experience of Singapore's history and heritage.

Damai has set up a National Education committee, supported by student NE ambassadors. (The NE ambassadors are named by DMSS Humanities Department). The DMSS NE committee is responsible for the planning of NE activities in DMSS, and for the NE-related facilities in DMSS.

NE-related facilities in Damai consist of a mini NE garden, a NE corner at one of the staircases, and a NE concept flowchart mural just outside the school canteen.

Damai's Twinning and Exchange projects
In view of rising globalisation, Damai has realised the need for interaction with other schools all over the world, for more resources and better strategies.

To this end, in June 2006 Damai entered a bilateral "sister schools" link with Dongpo Experimental Middle School (DEMS) (in Emeishan, Sichuan, China) in March–June 2006. In the process, two department heads from Damai were sent to China to visit the school, and to sign the agreement.

Twinning immersion projects have been held for some DEMS students visiting Singapore. Their activities in Singapore included curriculum immersion lessons, CCA hands-on, and NELJ. Meanwhile, administrative staff accompanying the students learned about the Singapore's education system, and the mode of operation in a typical Singaporean secondary school.

In 2009 Damai has established an Internationalization Committee to further develop cross-cultural learning and relation-building with people of other countries.

Achievements

 * Express Stream Value Added
 * Normal Stream  Value Added
 * Damai Winds Symphonic Band: Singapore Youth Festival Silver
 * Gu-Zheng: Singapore Youth Festival Gold
 * Modern Dance: Singapore Youth Festival Silver
 * English Drama: Singapore Youth Festival Bronze
 * Choir: Singapore Youth Festival Silver
 * Sports Event/ Competition Award/Results

Netball: 2nd ASEAN Netball Schools Championships Runners-Up -Yeo PeiQin (5A1) and Nurul Baizura (3E3/2005) represented Singapore -Yeo PeiQin was awarded "Fair Play Individual Award"; East Zone Tournament: 'B' Division Champion, 'C' Division Runners-up, National Interschool Championships: "B" Division 2nd Runners-Up, SRC Carnival: "B" Division Champion

Softball: East Zone Softball Tournament: "B" Division Runners-up, "C" Division Champion; National Level Softball Tournament: "C" Division Champion

AV Club: I-Skills Competition 1st place

Creativity Science and Innovation Competition Ranked 5th out of 29 schools

Uniform and discipline
Damai students wear an all-white uniform: white shirt (with dark school tie), white trousers and maroon coloured skirt for girls, white shoes and socks. Boys in secondary 1 and secondary 2 must wear short trousers, graduating to long trousers in secondary 3.

The disciplinary system is based on a demerit points system for minor offences. Students earn 5 demerit points each time their shirt is not tucked in or they are not wearing their tie or for being late to class, eating in class, etc. If they reach 10 points they must serve a detention. At 20 points there is another detention, and the student's parents are informed. Students who reach 30 demerit points in one term are suspended for a number of days (girls) or spanked on the bottom with a big cane (boys) and their conduct is marked "Fair".

Detentions are also given out for latecoming. The detention lasts 2 to 4 hours and must be served the following day. Students who fail to turn up for the allotted detention receive suspension (girls) or spanking (boys).

Every week there is an attire check to make sure the pupils are wearing their uniform properly and their hair is not dyed or too long.

Boys who are caught smoking in school uniform are disciplined with two smacks of the cane and are also referred to the health authority to attend smoking cessation clinic.

For other serious offences such as fighting or vandalism, the student, if male, must receive a "public caning" whereby he is brought in front of an assembly of the full student body either in the hall or on the parade square. Normally a public caning at Damai involves several boys punished in turn. The spanking ceremony is performed by the school's Discipline Master, with a minimum of two strokes across the buttocks for each offender. This serves as a deterrent and it is often only necessary to hold one or two public canings each term.

In 1997, then-principal James Ong told the Los Angeles Times that caning was administered at Damai for offences including fighting or disrespecting a teacher. "We do not seek permission from parents", he said. "We will cane first and inform you later. Parents must trust us to give the child a good education. We have the welfare of the children in mind."

School Logo
Designed by Samuel Teo Gek Seng, the DMSS logo incorporates the initials DSS of Damai Secondary School, forming the seed of education which is of primary importance in the formative years of young people and which when carefully planted will grow into flames of faith, hope, and charity, the three components of the school motto.

Notable Alumni

 * Olivia Ong: Singer