Maxwell Boys’ School

Maxwell School ( Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Maxwell ) is a semi-control for boys ( and female students in form 6 ) and the oldest school in the north of Kuala Lumpur as well as one of the oldest in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. A student of the school is known as a Maxwellian. Maxwell School is well known for its high achievement in education and other activities in secondary schools level. Maxwell School is famous for its form 6 and has always produced among the top STPM results in Kuala Lumpur. It is considered as one of the best schools in Kuala Lumpur for its form 6 education.

The History of the Maxwell School Established in 1917, it opened its doors to 110 students and five teaching staff on 1 June 1922. During its pre-war days, it functioned as a feeder school (primary school) to the Victoria Institution. By 1933, the school was shut down to public due to the recession but was opened as a private school from 1934 to 1938. It was then given to the Trade School for their use. During the Japanese Occupation, it was used as a camp for the dreaded Japanese Kempeitai. After the war, the school was used as a hostel by the newly formed Technical College until 1953, when, in September, the school was re-opened as Malaya’s first Modern Secondary School. Today, the Maxwell School is still housed in the same building and has remained a secondary school ever since. School Headmasters and Headmistresses 1917 – 1918 War Period 1919 – 1922 Establishment Period 1922 – 1925 Montague B. Brockwell 1925 – 1928 C. N. Beamish Aug 1928 Harold Ball 1928 – 1930 Agnes R. Cooke 1930 – 1930 M. Wheatley 1930 – 1933 C. W. Bloomfield 1933 – 1938 R. Thampipillay 1939 – 1941 Closed 1941 – 1945 War Period 1946 – 1953 Closed 1953 – 1954 William C. Cleine 1954 – 1956 Donald Priestley 1956 – 1957 Paul Chang 1957 – 1957 Razak Khan 1957 – 1961 Ong Choon Ghee 1961 – 1961 A. E. Navarasingam 1961 – 1968 Wong Ah Fatt 968 – 1979 P. Nadarajah 1979 – 1988 Victor Wong 1988 – 1990 Abdul Razak Mohammed 1990 – 1999 Ismail Sajad 1999 – 2001 Han Seng Kuang 2001 – 2006 Loy Liang Dee 2006 – 2006 Azmah BT Rajion 2006 – 2007 Datin Khairiah Abd Majid 2007 – Prst Datin Zainab Bee Bte. Ismail [edit] European Headmistresses 1922 – 1923 Annie Grenier 1923 – 1924 J. H. Dennett 1924 – 1926 Edith L. Earnshaw 1926 – 1927 D. A. Peck 1927 – 1928 Helen D. Leith 1928 – 1929 Agnes R. Cooke 1929 – 1933 Nellie F. Careless [edit] School buildings The school originally consists of two blocks, the present day main block and the gymnasium block, which is now the library. The design and features of the two blocks is typical of the colonial era structures bearing some similarities with the Malayan Railway station and Sultan Abdul Saman buildings, both with Moorish designs. The school consists of a two – storey structure which was later extended to a block of solid masonry construction with arched openings along the corridors, typical of many of the school buildings that were built that time.

There is a veranda on both sides of each storey ( main block ), high ceilings and broad stairways which depict typical colonial architecture. The Maxwell School is one of the very few schools in the nation that has not shifted and has remained in the original site from the very beginning itself. While the modern-day Ministry of Education has added many rectangular-shaped blocks to the school, the distinctive “H” shape of the main block is still one of the more interesting features of Kuala Lumpur.

The structures that make up the Institution itself is a heritage of the nation. [edit] School song The school’s first song was titled Disco Ut Serviam, written in 1954 by Mrs. A. V. Priestley, wife of the second post-war headmaster, Mr. Donald Priestly. The song was sung from 1954 until 1981. Service, not wealth or fame, From this our schools’ high aim, May we ne’er swerve, New boy and senior, Prefect and monitor, Eyes on the future, for learning we serve, And when in after years, we test in large spheres, Hand, brain and nerve, And fierce machinery, Commerce and industry, Science or policy, In all, we serve, So all our whole life through, The law which here we knew, We shall preserve, Heedless of selfish gain, May we with strength maintain, This, as our life’s refrain, Learning, we serve. In the early 1980s – when Mr. Victor Wong was headmaster – the late Mr. Leonard Wong was asked to compose a new school song. The lyrics was for the new song was written by Mrs. Soriah Abdullah and Mrs. G. Balakrishnan, with the music background provided by the latest Mr. Leonard Wong. Mara serentak, tuju kemasyhuran, Cabari dunia, capai kejayaan, Sumbangan bakti, mengharumkan Maxwell, Megah dan agung nama Maxwell. Tetap cekal, tempuhi rintangan, Buru cita penuh jiwa raga, Kegigihan satu amalan, Ikrar kita demi tujuan mulia.

Mara serentak, tuju kemasyhuran, Cabari dunia, capai kejayaan, Sumbangan bakti, mengharumkan Maxwell, Megah dan agung nama Maxwell. edit] Student life What defines Maxwell School as a unique institution is the experience its students gain outside the classroom. Maxwellians, as the students of the school call themselves, take pride in identifying themselves as a class of versatile students, both in and out the classroom. It is an unspoken rule that all freshman students are required to join at least one uniform body, take on an active role in one of the school’s 50 clubs and to participate in a least one sport. That said, Maxwell School has a variety of clubs, uniformed bodies and sports that caters for all sort of interests. The student life in the Maxwell School often revolves around societies and clubs and sport teams, despite the fact that Maxwell School does not have proper sporting facilities. [edit] Rivalry As like many other older schools, the Maxwell School has a fair share of rivals. St. John’s Institution, is the school’s traditional archrivals. This rivalry can be best observed during visits by Maxwellians to St. John’s Institution and vice versa. Setapak High School and the Methodist Boys School, Sentul can also be included in this list, stretching back to the mid 1950s. [edit] Traditions and heritage It is only normal for a school as old as Maxwell School to have its own heritage and traditions, ones that have stood the test of time.

While many of the colonial-period traditions have slowly eroded over the years, some are still in existence and practised. The first one, is the passing of the School Captain badge from Captain to Captain each year. Two, is the sewing of the prefects uniform done by the school tailor, and not bought from a retail shop. Another one would be of the invitation by the Old Boys’ Association of the school to the School Captain to attend the annual Dinner Night of the Association. Furthermore, the uniformed groups uniform is worn on every Wednesday. [edit] Sports Maxwell School has a proud history of achievements in sports, having won many state, national and international championships throughout the past 50 years.

Maxwell School currently participates in the Sentul zone at district level and in the MSSKL (Kuala Lumpur School Sports Council) tournament at the state level. Since its founding, the Maxwell School has won countless trophies and titles in football, hockey, athletics, cricket, sepak takraw and badminton. The highest achievement was made by the school football team in 1972, lead by Zainal Abidin Hassan, when the school emerged as runners – up in the Singapore Lions’ Cup, a regional football event for secondary schools. Maxwell School has produced many famous Malaysian sportsmen including Zainal Abidin Hassan, E. C. Dutton (national goalkeeper) S. A. Azman (national tennis player) and many Malayan and national cricket players. Another outstanding sportsman of the 60’s was Bashir Niamat Ali whose record time for the 100 yard sprint at the Selangor Combine School Athletics meet stood for many years. The heroes of Maxwell School’s sports achievements are certainly the coaches, teachers and senior students who had often spare time and effort of their own for the love of the school. [edit] House There are four sport houses in Maxwell School. Every year the sports houses compete against each other on sports day.

The Maxwell School Sports Day has been held since 1955. The houses are named after the founders of the state. The current houses are: Thamboosamy (Red) Swettenham (green) Yap Ah Loy (Blue) Sulaiman (yellow) [edit] Prefects Maxwell School has one of the oldest prefects board in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. It was founded 1929. After the war, the Prefects Board was re-initiated and the first School Captain was S. A. Azman in 1954. He later became one of Malaya’s first national tennis players.

Prefects represent the ideal Maxwellian, and the process of nomination for prefecture by teachers and senior students, training, elimination processes, a several month stint as a ‘Temporary Prefect’ (a probationary term), and the ‘ragging’ that invariably follows is a gruelling one, ensuring that only the cream of Maxwellian society is given the right to put on the Prefect’s badge. Maxwellian Prefects also must abide by a strict protocol and Code of Conduct. The motto for the Maxwell School Prefects Board is, “Dedicated Prefects Towards Discipline” [edit] School crest Mr. Donald Priestley undertook the liberty of designing the school crest himself in 1954. This crest has four colours – green, yellow, blue & white, with each colour having its own meaning. The colour green represents religion. The colour yellow represents royalty.

The colour blue represents age whilst the colour white represents youth. On this crest, the shield shows a tiger, an opened book, the school motto, a compass which supports the opened book and an arrow pointing down surrounded by 8 blue and white stripes. The opened book is actually the Book Of Knowledge and the tiger is The Burning Tiger. The compass symbolized the school’s status as a modern secondary school, offering technical and vocational subjects at that period of time. The school motto – Disco Ut Serviam – is the Latin word for I Learn That I May Serve.

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