Orchid Park Secondary School

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School History

Orchid Park Secondary School was established in January 1999, temporarily sited at Woodlands Ring Secondary School. In September 1999, the school moved to its present premises on Yishun Street 81.

The school was officially opened on 21 April 2001 with a celebratory concert, Around the World in 80 Minutes. The opening portrayed the school’s leaning towards the arts, which quickly became a key aspect of its heritage. Further anniversary concerts and the Arts Panache – a major performing arts event – became recurrent features of Orchid Park’s history. In 2009, the school celebrated its 10th anniversary with the concert, One World. In 2014, Orchid Park commemorated its 15th anniversary with the fourth Arts Panache known as ‘@Fifteen’, held at Republic Polytechnic.

In 2002, Orchid Park made its first foray into business. Art Rock Café, a bubble tea outlet run by students, began operations. In 2005, the school started Le Shoppe and Wardrobe, which supplied artworks and stage costumes respectively.

In 2011, the school began its niche programme in visual arts known as ‘ARTOPIA’ (Accessible learning that is Relevant and Talent-driven in Orchid Park focusing on Interest-building and Authentic learning).This programme is an integrated ‘whole brain’ Orchid Park schooling experience that is accessible and relevant to all students, talent-driven, integrated and carried out in an authentic context. In 2014, the school extended ARTOPIA to establish its Applied Learning Programme in visual art. Two years later, the school became one of two schools in the north selected to offer the Enhanced Art Programme.

Another area that the school has seen success in is community youth leadership. This was then chosen as the focus of the school’s Learning for Life Programme known as ‘CoRE’ (Community OutReach Education), which was established in 2016. The school’s development in community youth leadership emerged as part of a broader theme in the later years of the school’s history –student empowerment, which entails giving students agency in leading, making choices and setting goals. Student empowerment is manifested in student-run school events, such as Cross Country and Sports Carnival, as well as the inception of Special Interest Groups and student-initiated activities.

Principals:
- Mr Low Eng Kee (1999–2007)
- Mrs Helen Tan (2008–2013)
- Mr Shawal Bin Hussin (2014–present)

Key Milestones


1999	Establishment of Orchid Park Secondary School at the temporary site of Woodlands Ring Secondary School. Relocation to its present premises at Yishun Street 81 later in the year.
2001	Official opening of Orchid Park Secondary School.
2002	First venture into enterprise – establishment of Art Rock Café.
2004	First Art Panache is held.
2005	Inauguration of second business venture – sale of artworks at Le Shoppe.
2010	Involvement in the official opening of the Youth Olympics.
2014	First People’s Association Youth Movement Loves Red National Day Carnival. Accorded Applied Learning Programme, ‘ARTopIA’.
2015	Accorded Learning for Life Programme, ‘CoRE’.
2016	Launch of Enhanced Art Programme.

School Motto

Onward and Persevere

School Crest

The open book represents knowledge, and its central position signifies its importance in education. The book is flanked by leaf branches on each side. The branch on the left represents social harmony, and the one on the right symbolises a gracious society.

On the left is the key feature of the school crest: an orchid overlaying a globe as well as two intersecting lines. The orchid is the essence of the school’s identity – an illustration of the school’s name and an embodiment of the five key values of Singapore: (1) nation before community and society above self; (2) family as the basic unit of society; (3) community support and respect for the individual; (4) consensus, not conflict, and (5) racial and religious harmony.

The globe represents the school’s place in a global community and the intersecting lines symbolise a networked society of which Orchid Park is a part. The two illustrate that even as the school engages and interacts with the globalised world, it remains deeply rooted in the local, interconnected community with which it forges close ties.

The school creed is laid out on the left side, forming the initialism, ‘Orchid’, with the first letter of each word. The ribbon at the base of the crest is a tribute to the pioneers of the school, who laid its foundation in 1999.

School Song

♫ Listen

Onward, onward we go
No mountain too high to scale
Onward, onward we row
No ocean too wide to sail
Persevere, persevere
No obstacle shall stand in our way
Our destination we shall reach one day
A happy and united school
Where everyone has a part to play
Orderly, Respectful, Caring
Healthy are our ways
Innovative and Diligent we shall always be
Our destination we shall reach one day
Onward, onward we go
No mountain too high to scale
Onward, onward we row
No ocean too wide to sail
Persevere, persevere
No obstacle shall stand in our way
Our destination we shall reach one day