St. Michael's Institution
Saint Michael's Institution is an all-boys school in Ipoh, Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated on Jalan SP Seenivasagam, formerly Clayton Road. Within the same compound are two primary schools, St Michael's I and II. The school has a long history of events such as the annual drama play, which was first held more than sixty years ago and is still continuing.
St Michael's Institution is part of the La Sallian worldwide community of schools. The Ipoh City Council has designated the original building block as a historical landmark in Ipoh. It received a five-star rating from the Education Ministry of Perak.
History
The modern era
Dato' Bro Vincent Corkery retired as director of the school in 1988, and Chong Suan Ee became both the first Malaysian and who is not a Brother to become the principal of SMI. He was succeeded by K Subramaniam, Teh Chor Aun and Louis Rozario Doss.Under Doss, the school underwent structural improvements, funded primarily by money raised from the annual school plays. Doss retired in 2006, passing the baton to Phoon Chong Chee. Madam Loh Wei Seng took over in 2011 and is the first female principal of SMI. Like Doss, she is a former student of SMI.
In the new millennium, enrolment increased to more than 2000 students, putting St Michael's among the 100 largest schools in Malaysia. The large enrolment caused the average number of students in each class to far exceed the government ideal number of Thirty. A typical class in St Michael's has about forty students. Sixth Form can be more packed, with some classes with fifty or more students.
In November 2005, construction on the new primary school building began on the school's back field to replace the original wooden building that was falling apart due to termite infestation and posing a danger to students. The new primary school building was completed by the end of 2006 at a cost of RM2.4 million, all of which came from former students and donors.
Facilities
The school has a school hall, a lecture theatre, a resource centre that is the Marian Library, six science laboratories, two computer laboratories, a Living Skills building, a food court that is famous among schools in Perak, a foyer where the statue Pater Familias is prominently found, a chapel, and a pavilion for students. A notable feature is the five-star boys toilet. For sports, there are two basketball courts, a volleyball court, four badminton courts, and two football fields. On the second level of the school's main block is the Heritage Room, a small museum that houses many items, documents and antiques that are part of the school's history.Clubs and Societies
The school offers a lot of sports, societies and uniform units for students to join. There are currently thirty-three societies, fifteen uniform units, and more than twenty-two sports offered in the institution. Among these sports and games are water polo, golf, badminton, basketball, soccer, football, table tennis, international chess, Chinese chess, rugby, volleyball, softball, handball, squash, and bowling. The societies included is Leo clubs, Interact Club and more. The uniform units include The Michaelian Military Band, Scouts, The Michaelian Chinese Orchestra, Teenagers Cadet, St. John's Ambulance, Michaelian Indian Orchestra, Michaelian Taekwondo Squad, Michaelian Wushu Club and more. The scout troop of St. Michael's Institution is numbered 02 Kinta, which is combined from the former 24th Ipoh and 29th Ipoh Scout Troops. Every year, there are scouts who successfully achieve the prestigious King's Scout Award Award.List Of Brother Directors And Principals
St. Michael's Institution is part of the Lasallian Educational Institutions. SMI's two alumni associations belong to the Malaysian Federation of Lasallian Associations, the umbrella organisation for all Lasallian alumni associations in Malaysia.Brother Directors and Principals
- 1912 - 1920 : PJ Mor Singh
- 1920 - 1921 : Brother Paul Gallagher
- 1921 - 1924 : Brother V Augustus
- 1925 - 1929 : Brother Sigolin Henry
- 1926 : Brother V Joseph
- 1930 - 1935 : Brother Dositheus
- 1936 - 1938 : Brother Finan Ryan
- 1938 : Brother Marcian Cullen
- 1938 - 1948 : Brother Patrick O Donovan
- 1948 - 1955 : Brother Denis Hyland
- 1955 - 1960 : Brother Pius Kelly
- 1961 - 1971 : Brother Ultan Paul Rosario
- 1972 - 1975 : Brother Vincent J Corkery
- 1975 - 1985 : Brother Ultan Paul Rosario
- 1986 - 1988 : Brother Vincent J Corkery
- 1989 - 1991 : Chong Suan Ee
- 1992 - 1994 : K. Balasubramaniam
- 1995 - 1998 : Teh Chor Aun
- 1999 - 2005 : Louis Rozario Doss
- 2006 - 2011 : Phoon Chong Chee
- 2011 - 2015 : Loh Wei Seng
- 2015 – 2017 : Chan Nyook Ying
- 2017 - 2018: Gunalan Tony
- 2018 - Present : Sit Wai Yin
Notable alumni
- Lee Loy Seng, first and former mayor of Ipoh and founder of KLK Bhd
- Michael Chang Min Tat, Federal Court judge and Commissioner of Law Revision and Law Reform
- Lim Keng Yaik, former president of the Gerakan Party and Minister of Energy, Water and Communications
- Lin See-Yan, Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia and former Deputy Governor of Bank Negara
- Paul Leong Khee Seong, former Minister of Primary Industries and former Deputy President of the Gerakan Party
- Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, former Second Minister of Finance of Malaysia
- John Thivy, 1st President of Malaysian Indian Congress
- Leong Yew Koh, first Governor of Malacca
- Robaayah Zambahari, one of Malaysia's top heart specialist
- Lee Lam Thye, former politician and national activist
- Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore
- Yeoh Ghim Seng, former speaker of the Parliament of Singapore, former vice-president of Singapore and acting president of Singapore
- Tan Yee Khan, All England badminton doubles champion 1965 and 1966
- Koo Kien Keat, Badminton Doubles World Championship Silver Medallist 2010
- Peter Pek, first publisher of Superbrands Malaysia, host of reality television series The Firm, and host of Brand Malaysia with Peter Pek''
- Yeoh Eng-kiong, Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food of Hong Kong
- Patrick Teoh, DJ and actor in Malaysia and Singapore
- Ahmad Farid Ridzuan, CEO of Media Prima International, Business Division
- Ismail Omar, 9th and former Inspector General of Royal Malaysian Police
- Nan Yusri bin Nan Rahimy, Group Managing Director of Deleum Berhad
- Bernard Chauly, Director
- Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim, Historian, co-author of Rukun Negara
Trivia
- Bernard Chauly's Goodbye Boys is about eight scouts from the 02 Kinta Troop of St. Michael's who set out on a hundred-kilometer expedition. The school is seen in scenes throughout the movie. The movie is based on Chauly's similar experience as a scout during his days at St. Michael's.
- Vincent Corkery was by the Sultan of Perak in 2010 in recognition of his contributions to education and SMI.