by on 07/03/2018 9757
I turn the brass handle of the big wooden door and step into the cool, softly lighted interior of Tadika St. Ronan, turning my back to the thick and heavy midday air. As I walk along the quietly lighted hallways, I notice wall plaques and photos of students and teachers engaging in past school activities. I wonder what the founding members would have thought of me walking these hallowed halls. My footfalls are muffled within the echoes. There’s soft laughter, there’s talking. But all this seemed a little different today. And it seemed as if nobody was beside me or in front of me.
We arrived at Tadika St. Ronan just as school was let out for the day. St. Ronan is a purpose built double storey preschool building built in the shape of a horse shoe and painted a bright pink and orange.
Surrounded by huge leafy trees and palms, at first glance St. Ronan resembles a tropical resort more than a preschool. But come the year 2020 they will be celebrating 50 years, half a century, of providing preschool education to children in the area. And the extraordinary group of people who have made all this possible is Mrs. Maria Tan, the Chairwoman of St. Ronan, and her amazing group of passionate and dedicated teachers. A case in point is the present principal of St. Ronan, Ms. Asiah. Ms. Asiah has been with St. Ronan in various capacities for approximately 37 years!
St. Ronan began with Mrs. Maria Tan’s desire to provide care and a simple education for her neighbourhood children. With her motherly instincts and passion for nurturing children, this little group of neighbourhood children quickly began to grow. As the days turned into months and the months turned into years, little by little St. Ronan began to win over the different races that populated the Titiwangsa area. Today, St. Ronan is a happy melting pot of our society’s multiracial makeup plus a good smattering of the Kuala Lumpur expatriate community.
An oasis where there are no racial barriers. St. Ronan is a place where everyone is equal and all are afforded equal care and attention. Having a rich cultural heritage at St. Ronan means that when a festival or celebration comes along, the whole school will celebrate it as one. There will be lion dances and red packets during Chinese New Year, there will be delicious Malay delicacies during Hari Raya, during Deepavali there will be kolams and for Christmas, the traditional Christmas tree and presents are a must have. Other celebrations such as Lantern Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Thaipusam, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are also celebrated by the whole school.
Moving along, I have been here before. I smell the faint mustiness of aged paper, the unmistakable scent of old books prickling my nose. Tiny dust particles shimmer in the soft light, silence fills my ears. I indulge in this little reverie and allow myself, for a moment, to be embraced by St. Ronan’s past and its present. If these history steeped classrooms could talk, I wonder what tales they would reveal.
St. Ronan has consistently implemented a syllabus and curriculum, KSPK (Kurikulum Standard Prasekolah Kebangsaan) that has been approved by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia and consistent with the national aspirations and objectives. The inevitable march of time has seen great changes and improvements in the field of preschool education. St. Ronan has also changed and evolved and today it remains relevant and in the forefront of preschool education in Malaysia.
Today, it is not enough to just excel in the academics. Hence, St. Ronan also develops a student’s moral character and attitude and prepares him or her for lifelong learning. There is also a strong emphasis on helping children master English skills to a level that equals that of native speakers. Lessons combine all aspects of English language skills: listening, reading, essay writing, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Every year end, children will sit for examinations that are administered by Cambridge English. Having prepared two generations and hundreds of children for formal schooling since its founding in 1970, St. Ronan fully understands the need of an all-round and holistic preschool education for children. Today, aside from the usual school subjects, St. Ronan also offers enrichment classes such as arts and crafts, ballet, music, taekwondo and ESOL. There are also agama classes for her Muslim students.
The interior of St. Ronan is large and well ventilated with high ceilings and seven foot high windows all round. A grand staircase leading to the second floor dominates the centre of the building and beside this staircase is a water feature in the shape of a rock garden. In front of this grand staircase is St. Ronan’s very own multipurpose stage. The grounds of St. Ronan are large and very well maintained with huge outdoor climb, swing and play sets and ample space for the children to move and run around. Plus, there are dedicated areas for waterplay and sand play.
I think all who have experienced St. Ronan agree there’s just something special about it - it’s history, it’s building, it’s old photographs, it’s grounds, its scents. A love for education that has spanned an entire era. An iconic reminder of what has been and of what is to come.
Photographs and memories of a bygone past softly echo hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow.
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