Balestier Hill Secondary School

Image Gallery

Balestier Hill Integrated Secondary Technical School building (1964).

Cover page of first school magazine (1967).

25th Anniversary Celebrations (1989).

Last Sports Day in 2016 as a Balestierian Family.

School History

Balestier Hill Secondary School started out in 1964 as Balestier Hill Integrated Secondary Technical School, an integrated co-education school with both Chinese- and English-language streams. It was one of the first secondary technical schools in Singapore. In 1975, the school was renamed Balestier Hill Technical School, and a new school song was written by two teachers, Mrs Chew YC and Mr Teo SB.

The school was renamed Balestier Hill Secondary School in 1992, and temporarily relocated to Dunearn Road to facilitate the building of its new premises. In 1995, the school launched its exchange programme with the city of Mihara in Japan. The Balestier Hill Technical Alumni Association was also set up to fostering ties among former students. In 1997, the school returned to new premises at Balestier Hill. Following the move, a new school logo was launched. On 24 June 2000, Balestier Hill Secondary School was officially declared open.

Rangoon Secondary School and Monk’s Hill Secondary School were merged with Balestier Hill Secondary in 2001 and 2007 respectively, and the school continued operating as Balestier Hill Secondary School. Embracing its vision of building an inclusive community, the school opened its doors to hearing-impaired students from Upper Aljunied Technical School and took over the running of the Hearing Impaired Programme in 2002. Balestier Hill was also the only school at the time that supported students with dyslexia and autism. Leveraging its students’ talents in the performing arts, the school staged its first public concert, Splendours, at the Victoria Concert Hall in 2003.

In 2012, in line with the school’s approach of having ‘outdoor classrooms’, it began a series of camps, leadership training, expeditions and specialised outdoor adventure programmes, run entirely by teachers. The school aimed to build character, leadership skills and resilience beyond the classroom.

In 2013, Balestier Hill achieved niche status in environmental education for the ‘Man and Environment − Developing 21st-century Competencies through Environmental Education’ programme. Its niche was strengthened with the Applied Learning Programme in the domain of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with a focus on environmental science and technology. In 2014, the school celebrated its golden jubilee.

In 2017, Balestier Hill Secondary School merged with Beatty Secondary School and has since been operating as Beatty Secondary School, retaining its Chinese name, 博理中学.

Principals:

• Mr Cheong Pak Lo (1964–1968)

• Mr Wong Kai Ping (1969–1975)

• Mr Thomas Tan Hui Mui (1976–1988)

• Miss Lo Sheu Ming (1989–1992)

• Ms Chan Mee Leen (1993–1998)

• Mr Lak Pati Singh (1999–2001)

• Ms Susie Ho (2002–2006)

• Ms Chamb Cherk Ing (2007–2012)

• Mr Abdul Harris bin Sumardi (2013–2016)

Key Milestones

School Motto

Wisdom through Knowledge

School Crest

The shape of the logo represents the school’s initials, ‘BHS’. The flow of the letters interlocking at the centre signifies the school motto, ‘Wisdom through Knowledge’. The colour blue represents knowledge and profound thinking, while the bright yellow represents wisdom and success.

School Song

We, the students of Balestier Hill Sec
In quest of knowledge we are here
Wisdom through knowledge, we strive to attain
Qualities of the mind
We pursue each goal earnestly
For honesty, thrift and sincerity
Under your wings, we will progress
At all times, let’s do our best.

校歌
我们是博理中学生,
为寻求学问追求真理,
努力学习充实自己,
和睦地在一起
认定我们的目标,
真诚献上我们的心愿
在你的保护下奔向前,
尽最大努力来实现