La Salle Secondary School, Kota Kinabalu
Encyclopedia
La Salle School, Kota Kinabalu (Malay
: Sekolah Menengah La Salle Kota Kinabalu) is a co-educational secondary school
for boys and girls (mostly boys) and one of the oldest schools in Kota Kinabalu
.
It was established in 1953 by Father Bernard Davies a Mill Hill Missionary. Despite being a mission school, the students consist of all races regardless of religion.
La Salle Secondary School, Kota Kinabalu is divided into two pieces of land. The Senior Block (form 4 to Form 6), remains at its current location. The Junior Block (Form 1 to Form 3) has been relocated to the new ground to accommodate the increase in student enrollment.
The single-session secondary school is located in Tanjung Aru
. It is a few minutes walk from Pekan Tanjung Aru. Next to the Senior Block is SM Stella Maris.
Between 1941 and 1945, a wooden school building with eight classes was built on the site where the current site of the Sacred Heart primary school stands just adjacent to the Sacred Heart cathedral in Karamunsing.
Before the establishment of the secondary school in 1951, Father Bernard Davies, a Mill Hill Missionary started secondary classes at Karamunsing to prepare students for Senior Cambridge Examinations. In 1953, when the Catholic Mission obtained 7.653 acres (30,970.6 m²) of land in Tanjung Aru
, the school was relocated to the current site. It was initially named Sacred Heart Secondary School.
In 1958, the La Salle Brothers came to Jesselton (present Kota Kinabalu
and took over the management of Sacred Heart Primary School and Sacred Heart Secondary School. Brother Raphael Egan succeeded Father Arthur Crowther as the Principal. On 22 May 1958, Sacred Heart Secondary School was renamed to La Salle Secondary School after the Founder of the La Sallian Brothers, St. John Baptist De La Salle.
From a single block with wooden plank walls and attap roof, La Salle has evolved into Kota Kinabalu
's only two-campus school with the junior (Form 1 to form 3) and senior (Form 4 to Upper Six) blocks.
Brother Charles' retirement as the principal in 1986 marked the end of an era that began some 30 years earlier when the La Salle brothers took over the school's administration from the Catholic Mission.
The school is affiliated to other Lasallian educational institutions in Malaysia.
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
: Sekolah Menengah La Salle Kota Kinabalu) is a co-educational secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for boys and girls (mostly boys) and one of the oldest schools in Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
.
It was established in 1953 by Father Bernard Davies a Mill Hill Missionary. Despite being a mission school, the students consist of all races regardless of religion.
La Salle Secondary School, Kota Kinabalu is divided into two pieces of land. The Senior Block (form 4 to Form 6), remains at its current location. The Junior Block (Form 1 to Form 3) has been relocated to the new ground to accommodate the increase in student enrollment.
The single-session secondary school is located in Tanjung Aru
Tanjung Aru
Tanjung Aru is a sub-district of Kota Kinabalu of Sabah, in Malaysia. Its main feature is its beach called Tanjung Aru Beach which stretches to over 2 kilometres long. It also has its own township called Pekan Tanjung Aru...
. It is a few minutes walk from Pekan Tanjung Aru. Next to the Senior Block is SM Stella Maris.
History
The La Salle secondary school can trace its beginnings to the Sacred Heart primary school set up by Father Van Der Heyden in July 1903. From just a handful of students, the school's enrolment went up to 50 by June 1913 and 10 years later increased to 213.Between 1941 and 1945, a wooden school building with eight classes was built on the site where the current site of the Sacred Heart primary school stands just adjacent to the Sacred Heart cathedral in Karamunsing.
Before the establishment of the secondary school in 1951, Father Bernard Davies, a Mill Hill Missionary started secondary classes at Karamunsing to prepare students for Senior Cambridge Examinations. In 1953, when the Catholic Mission obtained 7.653 acres (30,970.6 m²) of land in Tanjung Aru
Tanjung Aru
Tanjung Aru is a sub-district of Kota Kinabalu of Sabah, in Malaysia. Its main feature is its beach called Tanjung Aru Beach which stretches to over 2 kilometres long. It also has its own township called Pekan Tanjung Aru...
, the school was relocated to the current site. It was initially named Sacred Heart Secondary School.
In 1958, the La Salle Brothers came to Jesselton (present Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
and took over the management of Sacred Heart Primary School and Sacred Heart Secondary School. Brother Raphael Egan succeeded Father Arthur Crowther as the Principal. On 22 May 1958, Sacred Heart Secondary School was renamed to La Salle Secondary School after the Founder of the La Sallian Brothers, St. John Baptist De La Salle.
From a single block with wooden plank walls and attap roof, La Salle has evolved into Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
's only two-campus school with the junior (Form 1 to form 3) and senior (Form 4 to Upper Six) blocks.
Brother Charles' retirement as the principal in 1986 marked the end of an era that began some 30 years earlier when the La Salle brothers took over the school's administration from the Catholic Mission.
Principals
- Father Bernard Davies M.H.M (1952–1954)
- Father. Arthur Crowther M.H.M (1954–1958)
- Brother Raphael Eagan FSC (1958–1966)
- Brother Brendan Dunne FSC (1966–1969)
- Datuk Brother Charles Michael O’Leary FSC (1969–1985)
Trivia
- The school was the first in Malaysia to set up its own archive and with the students' involvement and technical advice from the Sabah Archive it has preserved volumes of its records.
- La Salle was the first school in SabahSabahSabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
to set up a buy-back system for recyclable materials such as paper and plastic items. During recess, counters were set up and people turned up and sold their materials to the students.
- La Salle was the first school in Sabah to have their own parliamentary board.