Friday, July 14
To all ex-AHS-sians...
I checked my email today and found this email entitled "FW: Reinstatement of School Song of Anglican High School - Petition Online". I thought, what was it, what school song?? Upon reading the email, I then realised that the school song of AHS has been changed to a simpler version, and it was apparently changed in 2004! The new school management had changed the lyrics (no change in melody) from the old 文言文 version to a more easily understood 现代文 version.
Let's see...
The old lyrics:
浩荡嵯峨气象雄
黉舍峙狮岛中
圣洁公义道之宗
肇锡佳名号圣公
咨爾多士慎磨砻
维上帝临汝躬
春弦夏誦莫从容
干云之木自青葱
进德修业树风声
三教就四德成
永为基督之精兵
永为邦国之干城
The new lyrics:
浩荡圣中气象雄
如鹰展翅岛中
圣洁公义我尊崇
远近嘉名号圣公
治学立业须谦恭
师友爱乐融融
把握今天勤用功
创造锦绣之前程
进德修业树校风
向着标杆力冲
永为基督之精兵
永为邦国之忠臣
From the email, orginally written by an ex-teacher to inform some of his ex-students of the change, it seemed that the change was required as new students nowadays, even new teachers, could not apprehend the underlying meaning of the lyrics. This is part of the email:
"...The change started during the time of Mr David Wang, our ex- principal
who took over from Mr Moo. The reason is becos the old version of the school
song is written in the old form of Chinese (wen yen wen), and many of our
students (including teachers too) have problems understanding it, not less to
say appreciating the meaning behind it. It was Mr David Wang's idea,
therefore, to change the lyrics of the school song, but maintaining its melody
and rhythm.The new lyrics are suppose to bring out as much as possible the meaning of
the old one, so that the spirit is preserved. Two versions have been proposed,
one by Mr Wun Fook Cheong, another by Mr Liew Chee Kong. These were presented to the school board, and vetted by Revd Lim Kok Heng, our ex-school chaplain.
According to Mr David Wang, the lyrics also went thru the Chinese Dept teachers.
The final version was adopted and supported by the school board. It was first
taught and sung in school in 2004. So this is already the third year the school
is singing this new version.As I have been involved in the work in the school heritage centre, I got a
chance to speak to Mr Wang and heard his explanation. Hope this helps. I don't
think he is trying to do anything detrimental to the school culture, cos we know
he has contributed greatly to bring the school up in its academic results, as
well as lay down the strategic plans of the school. However, perhaps the alumni
was not involved, and understanding you guys have a lot of fond memories of old,
and may feel indignant about the change. But hopefully after understanding the
background you may act more objectively..."
Seriously, I dun think the new lyrics can preserve the old AH spirit. If new students cannot understand, then teach them la! I vaguely remember that during my first music lesson, HCL was patiently teaching us how to sing it, as well as the underlying meaning. Being sec 1 and freshmen, I dun think any of us understood then. Eh, in fact today, there are still some parts I am still unsure, and some parts forgotten...
Today, I'm already an ex-student, but the old school song is still roughly etched in my mind. The old chim lyrics surely represent some of the Chinese spirit that the forefathers of AHS had in mind, and I seriously do not like the idea of simplfying the school song just to make it easier to understand. The school song is part of the heritage of the school, so how can 说换就换？I wonder if the pledge is still read, and commands still being shouted, in Mandrian during morning assemblies. By simplfying the lyrics, it suggests that the Chinese standard of AHS students today have been brought to a lower level, which is ironical because of one AHS's core calues is to "to develop well-rounded individuals who are effectively bilingual, appreciate Chinese culture and value diversity."
Some ex-students, in response to the ex-teacher's email, have set up an online petition to show how they feel: http://www.petitiononline.com/AHS2006/ It may not make a great difference at this point in time, but at least it shows how I feel.
And the school management expect each alumnus to pay $80 for an alumni dinner when the alumni were not informed of such important issues previously??
