Faces of Northbrooks

Mr Ramasamy Venugopal

The Outstanding STEM Teacher Award is a biennial award organised by Science Teachers Association of Singapore (STAS) and Singapore Association for the Advancement of Science (SAAS) to recognise teachers who are role models in the teaching and learning of STEM. These teachers ignite a passion for STEM in their students, use innovative methods to engage students in learning of STEM, and are passionate about making STEM interesting and relevant to students. 

Congratulations to Mr Ramasamy Venugopal (1st person on the left) for winning the Outstanding STEM Teacher Award 2019!

Mr Venu from Northbrooks Secondary School, was key to the success of the school’s ALP. He was part of the team that contributed to the successful development and implementation of the STEM ALP focusing on Flight and Aerospace. 

Mr Venu believes in developing a holistic ALP that incorporates the STEM domains and facilitates the development of STEM dispositions. He worked closely with his team of teachers to ensure that the ALP remains relevant and sustainable. He made the learning of Aerospace come alive by giving students the opportunity to appreciate the real-world relevance of the field. To ensure sustainability of the school’s ALP, Mr Venu rallied his team of teachers in the learning of knowledge and skills required of the programme. Now, the teachers can helm the instruction of the lessons.

Mdm Nair

By Licia Tay (4G)

It is a busy morning at the Northbrooks Secondary School canteen. As students queue for food, a familiar figure sends some of them into a panic as they scramble to adjust their uniforms and neaten their hair. She scans the crowd and spots a potential rule-breaker and pulls him aside. “Boy, what are your name and class? Your hair is almost covering your eyebrows. Please get it cut by tomorrow.”

The figure is none other than Madam K Madavy Nair, or more affectionately known as Mdm Nair to students and staff of the Northbrooks community. 

Mdm Nair is the school’s discipline officer and has been at the job for almost 13 years, ever since retiring from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 2005.  Mdm Nair’s role at Northbrooks is to help maintain the school’s overall discipline and this includes conducting attire checks to providing ‘free’ haircuts to students.

While she is a much-feared figure in the school, she is also well-loved. Cards thanking her line her workstation in the discipline room, also known as the Green Room. 

Madam Nair says she enjoys disciplining students as she finds it “immensely rewarding” when she notices positive changes in a student’s behaviour such as when they come to school on time or greet teachers politely. “Wah! It is truly fulfilling to see that a student has changed for the better,” she says.

Mdm Nair also shares that maintaining discipline “runs in her blood”. 

“My parents were disciplined, especially my father who was the disciplinarian at home, ” Madam Nair adds.

Her father worked with the British Royal Air Force in Singapore and she spent her childhood years growing up at the air force’s Seletar airbase. It was growing up at the base that inspired her to pursue a police career after witnessing the police in action there. Eventually, she joined the SPF in 1970 and served for 35 years. She also served as a bagpiper in the SPF band for 17 years. 

“My police work enabled me to get personal with residents in distress, deal with family, marital and neighbour disputes as well as counselling young, wayward children. I met different types of people on the job and I also derived great job satisfaction when a case was successfully solved.”

 A lesser-known side of Mdm Nair to most Brooksians is that professional walking is also another great passion of hers. 

“Sports is in my blood. It is like an addiction to me. If I do not exercise for just a day, I find there is something missing.”

Among her notable achievements in sports is representing Singapore in competitive walking at the 1981 SEA Games in Manila and coming in 4th position in the 5km and 10km walk.

She credits her husband, an international walk judge, and also her coach, for training her to excel.

“He is the one who gave me all the encouragement and motivation. I owe these achievements to him,” she said.

Although Mdm Nair has since retired from competing in international walking, the sprightly woman still continues with her regular training which involves walking for two and a half hours every weekday. This helps to keep her re-energised and fully charged so that she will be able to perform her work without feeling exhausted. In addition, it also helps her to think better and move faster.

When asked if she has any words of advice for Brooksians, she says: “My dear students, always remember the school values, ‘GIFTED’- Graciousness, Integrity, Fortitude, Empathy and Discipline. Respect and Character.”

“Focus on your studies and also age is no barrier for sports. It’s all in the mind and it takes willpower to overcome. I strongly encourage all students to keep fit and exercise regularly,” she adds.

Melvin Ang (ALUMNUS 2004)

By Ngeow Wei Qi, Nuh B Muhamad, Niki Sonia Noushin Saleh & Seth Neo (Sec 4G, 2019)

At one of the lowest points in his life, businessman and former Brooksian Melvin Ang found himself at home, staring at his room’s ceiling, not knowing what to do with his life. It was 2006 and the then 18-year-old had just dropped out of Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP).

Melvin had been doing well in his engineering course in NP but frequent squabbles between his parents over financial issues at home took a toll on him. In his second year, he suffered sleepless nights and this affected his attendance. Eventually, he was asked to leave.However, Melvin did not give up on learning and turned to reading books.

From there, he slowly built his knowledge about business. He demonstrated resilience by starting a small business selling refurbished guitars. To his surprise, he managed to earn some money, enough to fund his private diploma and first year of university. His guitar business also gave the 30-year-old the confidence to start a few other businesses and eventually, his own brand, Kanshoku Ramen Bar.

Thinking back on his polytechnic days, Melvin recounted, “It was a big mistake not to talk to anyone about the issues I was facing, and not even my closest friend knew what I was going through at home.” He admitted that his introverted personality had made him reluctant to seek help. He added, “I would encourage anyone, no matter what the problem is, to seek help from a trusted adult.”

Despite the challenges he faced as a teen, Melvin now owns three Kanshoku Ramen Bar outlets. One outlet is located at Northpoint City. He started the chain 4 years ago with a partner. Although he had no experience in the food and beverage industry, he was interested in how the business would operate. He wanted to create a system where food quality would be consistent and operationally efficient throughout his outlets.

Looking back at his time in Northbrooks, Melvin shared that the teachings of the school never parted from him. “I learnt this Chinese phrase from Northbrooks - 饮⽔思源. In English, it means to be grateful to the origin, to be grateful to people who have guided me before.”

”For most of the things I do right now, I will always try to remember who has helped me before. This phrase is pretty much etched into my life,” he disclosed

We are pleased that Mr Melvin Ang, who graduated from Northbrooks in 2004, was our guest of honour at Speech & Prize-Giving Day 2019.

Wang Sishi (Alumna 2017)

“I am from Wuhan, China.  After taking the international examination for foreign students, I was posted to Northbrooks Secondary.  When I first joined this school in 2014, my command of English was very weak, I struggled in understanding the lessons and expressing myself.  In Secondary One, English Language (EL) was my weakest subject and I nearly failed it.  I was always nervous and intimidated whenever my teacher asked me to answer questions during lessons.  I was scared that my peers would make fun of me of my awkward expressions and mispronunciations.  Despite all these challenges which seemed insurmountable, I did not give up.  I started to read and write more to improve my proficiency in English.  With consistent hard work, I eventually managed to pass EL with flying colours in my Secondary One End-of-Year Examination. During that process, I slowly gained more confidence in EL.  When I reached upper secondary, I realised that the standard had gotten higher and my EL result became mediocre.  In order to do well, I started to write essays more frequently and attempted more practice papers.  Eventually, I managed to get an A1 for my GCE O-level English grade.

In Secondary Three, I started to learn Chemistry.  At that time, I was quite apprehensive since it was a totally new subject to me.  Luckily, my Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Agnes Lee who was an approachable and dedicated teacher.  She ignited my passion for Chemistry and made me more confident in learning it.  This is one of the reasons why I decided to choose to offer Chemistry in JC despite knowing the complexity of the subject.  Mrs. Lee gave us hand-written notes and she went through every question to make sure we understood the concepts well.  She also set challenging exam papers and these pushed me to study harder and delve deeper into what I learned.  I am deeply grateful for what she did for us.

My school life in Northbrooks was definitely a wonderful journey.  I started to take on more leadership roles and in Secondary Four, I became the President of the school’s Environmental Art Club.  I also learned to deal with setbacks and frustrations through the support provided at Northbrooks. These experiences were invaluable and they made me a stronger person.” -  Sishi (Interviewed during NBrSS Speech Day 2018)

Victor Ker Wei Hao (Alumnus, 2014)

“To me, Northbrooks Secondary is a place where all the students can develop their talent and find their direction in life.  It has caring teachers who go beyond their call of duty to guide students in both academic areas and character building.  Northbrooks also provides a conducive environment where every student can learn and grow and offers a robust curriculum that develops students holistically.  My teachers’ style of teaching ensured that I grasped concepts more easily and hence I became more efficient in my studies.  My CCA, NCC, exposed me to unique experiences that strengthened my character over the years.  With 100% confidence, I can say that these factors that Northbrooks provide have guided and motivated me to strive for the best.” – Victor (Interview at SP Graduation Ceremony, 2018)