Uplifting students the Montfortian way
The following article was first published in Catholic News on 18 Oct 2020. See all articles published in Catholic News here.
“Those whom the world rejects must move you the most.” (Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Assumption Pathway School’s patron saint)
The above quotation hangs visibly in our school hall as a reminder to the school of our founder’s mission to provide a “Montfortian Education that transforms individuals and communities to be spiritually inspired, respect the community of life, be fraternal in orientation, and just in all relationships. It is the goal of a Montfortian education to form enlightened and harmonious persons committed to a just and fraternal world”.
Assumption Pathway School (APS) focuses on the purpose and privilege of education every day, and we seek to tie education to human transformation and service to our community and country. That is why APS endeavours to embrace challenge, excitement and opportunity in a time of enlightenment, progress and hope. The school not only encompasses the Ministry of Education’s dedication to human and academic excellence, but also celebrates the full power of our founding mission and principles of inclusive education, contributing to the community and uplifting the disadvantaged.
A proud past
The APS story has a proud past, dynamic present and an exciting future. The school has more than 80 years of history, starting from the Boy’s Town Trade School to the Assumption Vocational Institute and currently Assumption Pathway School. APS is working every day to be a place where teachers and students find new meaning, new energy and new commitment in their lives. The caring and nurturing spirit of the school ties excellence to the authentic learning experience that the school is cultivating to develop the job-readiness of our students. Even though our students may not journey through the traditional mainstream educational pathway, they go through an academic and vocational programme that completely redefines their understanding of learning excellence and success.
We aim to cultivate in our students a deep and lasting desire for learning; and through our various creative arts, sports, talent management and Montfortian character development programmes, we hope to provide them with a source of wisdom, perspective and hope. We encourage our students to explore and develop those expressive and passionate skills necessary for effective communication and to lead meaningful lives as engaged citizens.
A dynamic present
Through all these programmes, we build self-confidence in our students. APS provides various platforms for the students to express themselves and showcase their talents. We were honoured to have participated in an art showcase at the Singapore National Gallery from October 9-15, 2020, the second year we have done so. This annual event, open to the public, is a highlight for the school, and an exciting opportunity for the students to showcase their passion for the visual arts. This year, students from Years 1 and 2 are taking part in the exhibition, but many of the large installations are group efforts.
Having been introduced to diverse art concepts and practices, the students’ artworks are inspired by renowned and iconic artists from Singapore and Southeast Asia whose works are also exhibited in the National Gallery.
Sharing her experience in preparing for the showcase, our student, Ms Angelica Joy Albuera Sola testified, “This art exhibition brought colour into my life, just as God has.”
And Mr Eric Leong, Principal of APS shared, “It is a great honour to collaborate with the National Gallery. As a school, we are really blessed with great opportunities and help from many organisations and partners. APS has indeed been blessed by God.”
An exciting future
APS hopes to develop a positive environment and a community that thrives on trust, respect, and gratitude. We say YES to kindness and NO to acts and expressions of disrespect and cruelty; YES to technology as a tool for learning and NO to technology as a source of distraction and egotism; YES to hard work and resilience, and NO to self-doubt and laziness.
Another important aspect of the Montfortian spirit is saying YES to living lives of service. We encourage our students to be involved in community service with the understanding that everybody has a shared responsibility to build and improve the world that we live in. We seek to inspire in our students a commitment to peace and respect for everyone regardless of race and religion.
Contributed by Assumption Pathway School
Photos: Assumption Pathway School
