12 minute read

Honouring KLASS longest serving staff

Ahmad Azman Zambery

Facilities , Primary Campus Facilities, Primary Campus KLASS 1990 to present

Alison Nadarajah

Primary Vice-Principal KLASS 1986 to present

Maria Chew

Geography Teacher KLASS 1982 - 2022

Sandhi Ramasamy

Teaching Assistant KLASS 1991 to present

Rajalakshimi Kanapathi

Teaching Assistant KLASS 1989 to present

HONOURING KLASS Longest Serving Staff

At The Alice Smith School, staff are one of the pillars of our school community. Our staff go the extra mile to enhance and enrich the lives and learning of our students. Each staff member demonstrates a strong commitment to the wellbeing of our students and shows support towards the development of the school.

In celebration of our 75th anniversary, five longest serving staff who have been with the school for more than three decades were honoured. Catch a glimpse of what life has been for them working at the School for the past decades.

Maria Chew

KLASS 1982 to 2022, 40 years

Maria Chew, fondly known as Mrs Chew is currently the longest serving teacher in the history of the Alice Smith School! A teacher of Geography who gives her all to her students, Mrs Chew shares her journey of beginning her teaching career at the School.

I first visited Malaysia in 1980 when I came on holiday with my husband. His family told me about The Alice Smith School, saying it had a high reputation and standard of education. One day we both visited the Primary Campus on the off chance that a receptionist might be working and we might get a peek around.

However, I was really very delighted to discover that the Principal, Mrs Patricia Lee, was in her office. She was so charming and welcomed the opportunity to talk about the history of the school. We spent a wonderful afternoon with her which ended with a tour of the school. I kept in touch with Mrs Lee and in 1982, I joined The Alice Smith School. My husband and I hadn’t intentionally intended to set up home here, it just happened and that was mainly due to the fact that I was very happy teaching in the school.

I have many fond memories of various events that have happened over the years, such as the opening of the Secondary Campus in Equine Park and the opening of the great Humanities block which were very special. For me, the things worth cherishing are the little things that happen everyday in the classroom, like the joy that comes from teaching and interacting with the students. I hope that The Alice Smith School continues to flourish and develop in the coming years and that it maintains its strong community spirit.

My years at Alice Smith have just flashed by and I feel very privileged to have worked at the school for so long. It will be hard to imagine a life without the buzz of colleagues and students but I am fortunate to be taking with me a treasuretrove of very happy memories. I now feel thrilled and excited that I can spend more time in the UK with my children and grand children. Alice Smith School will always be in my heart. atmosphere has prevailed. Being kind and thinking about others before yourself was instilled in me by my first Principal, Mrs Patricia Lee, who led by example in her formidable style. Her old students have such loyalty and great fondness for the school. It’s something that still amazes me today. The impact she had on the school was extraordinary and I am proud to have known her and worked with her during my first years at Alice Smith.

I have so many memories but it is meeting former families and students who return to visit the school that gives me the most joy. My vision is that the children will continue, for many years to come, to love coming to Alice Smith and love learning and that our teachers will thoroughly enjoy working here. Even after 36 years, I have never got up in the morning and felt I did not want to go to work.

Alison Nadarajah

KLASS 1986 to present, 36 years

Mrs Nadarajah! Many of you from the late 1980s would definitely remember her. She’s been championing the student’s wellbeing and ensuring all the students at the Primary Campus are well taken care of. She shares her journey on how she started off as a teacher at the School and now has become the Vice Principal of the Primary Campus.

I was keen of work abroad. I spotted the advert of The Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur in the Times Educational Supplement. It was mid 1985 and the school was offering a five term contract from January 1986. The advert reads: The school, originally founded on a small scale to cater to the children of expatriates in Kuala Lumpur, has expanded to become the best-known English medium school in Malaysia. Because of the considerable presence of resident expatriate wives in Malaysia, The Alice Smith School has traditionally recruited most of its teaching staff locally. More recently, further expansion of the school has necessitated the employment of contract staff from Britain.

Educational consultants Gabbitas-Thring in London were engaged to conduct the interview. The post was for that of a Junior level teacher to teach in the 8 to 12 year range. In addition, the post required someone to take extra-curricular activities, in particular Guides, Cub Scouts and Brownies. I travelled down overnight to London from Scotland and was interviewed by a panel from GabbitasThring and Mrs Purchase, a retired senior leader from the school.

If you had told me in 1985 that I would still be teaching and living in Malaysia 36 years later, I would have been stunned! It was never the plan, however, I have been most fortunate and have a lot to be grateful for in my life. I met my husband and married in 1990. Having decided to stay in Malaysia and keep working, Alice Smith is where my loyalties lay.

Although there have been many changes over the years; staff, students, families and buildings, the same ethos and happy busy Teachers are not only the sole backbone of educating the students. The Teaching Assistants also play a huge role in supporting the development and growth of the students. Their contribution towards the students and the school shines through the journey of these two long serving staff Mrs Guna and Mrs Sandhi.

Rajalakshimi Kanapathi

KLASS 1989 to present, 33 years

It was 1987. I was 19 years old and I was working at Sekolah Sri Cempaka, Bukit Bintang as a teacher. We, the teachers together with the standard (year) 5 and 6 children came to Alice Smith School for a few friendly netball and soccer matches with the children of The Alice Smith School. During the matches, I wondered about how fabulous the school was looking and what it would be like to work at this prestigious school.

One day, I saw an advertisement in the newspaper with a school looking for Teaching Assistants for an expatriate school. There was no name of school, only a P.O Box address. I just applied for the job, not knowing it was The Alice Smith School. I was very excited when I received the letter for an interview which had The Alice Smith School letterhead.

Mrs Ann Nordin (one of the Heads) interviewed me; a lovely lady. During the interview, she asked me about my experience in teaching, as I was very young. I did inform her about me coming to Alice Smith for friendly matches.

I was offered the job and started working here on the 17th April 1989 which was during the Easter holidays. Mrs Nordin prepared some resources such as coloured papers, art papers and colour pencils and felt tips and told me to create activities for children with the given resources. I prepared the activities and explained what its purpose was and how I was going to use them with the children. Now when I think about this, I know Mrs Nordin liked my ideas as she took them and kept them in her office.

I loved the way we taught the children. Small number of children in a class with two teachers. We were able to guide the children one to one and I saw children progress in their learning. Alice Smith School is a UK syllabus school. Going to London was my dream. Mrs Marie Bakar (one of the Heads) lit the fire in me by encouraging me to go to London to study to be a Nursery Nurse but she couldn’t get sponsors that time. This inspired me to study course after courses until I went to University of London for my graduation in May 2014. I graduated with a double Diploma in Learning Disorder Management and Diploma in Counselling and Child Psychology. This is one of my most memorable experiences that I have had while working in this school. I am still learning a lot of new teaching techniques at present.

My aspiration is for Alice Smith to become a very successful school internationally. A school and a community that encourages our students to develop their cognitive and intellectual abilities beyond to reach the stars.

Sandhi Ramasamy

KLASS 1991 to present, 31 years

My house was neighbouring Alice Smith School. The lush green surroundings of the School were my playground, where I created little moments and big memories. I spent most of my time around here while my parents worked in this school - where it Since my parents worked here and I’ve spent almost all my childhood days in this school, I told myself that I’d work in this school one fine day, and thankfully, I managed to get a job here. I joined as a domestic staff then received an offer to be a Teacher’s Assistant. I was 19 year old, a young woman realising what was once an imagination is now more than I can imagine. I’m here marking my milestone for more than 30 years.

I was interviewed by Mrs Ann Nordin for my domestic role and later was interviewed by Mr. Tony Richard for the Teacher Assistant role. Prior to becoming a Teacher Assistant, I attended several trainings which were arranged by the School. When Tony interviewed me and offered the role I was very delighted and surprised. The interview was so swift as Tony asked me one question: Am I ready to take this job? And my answer was YES!

Alice Smith School will always and still has a special place in my heart. It is an honour for me to be here and celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the School and my 31 years of experience. I did not imagine that! Rather than saying a workplace, I would say Alice Smith School is a second home. The people I have come across have shaped, inspired, and made me realise many potentials that I wasn’t aware of. For example, I completed my Diploma in Teaching Assistant by COBIS. I’m genuinely grateful for each individual with whom I have crossed paths in my journey here and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ms Alison Nadarajah. She has given me utmost support, guidance and how she cared for me. She was my first Teacher in Year 3 where I attended as a Teaching Assistant. Without all these people, I wouldn’t have been here and thank you for always keeping me grounded. This School and the people here resemble the four-leaf clover; hard to find but lucky to have.

There are many ups and downs that I came through while working here. No matter what the hurdles were, the people here have never failed me. The moral support, inspiration and trust they have in me are impeccable. They certainly have a special place in my heart and are my backbone for keeping and making my journey continuously beautiful in this school. I cannot thank God enough for making my existence in this school a fruitful one, and as far as I’m here, I’ll serve my duty with utmost purity and dedication.

The memories are abundant in this school. But, one that I fondly remember till today was the change in my career back then in 1995. From a domestic staff to a Teaching Assistant. This role change has brought me the most memories and changes in my life. the Alice Smith School - it’s unbelievable and beyond amazing. Just as ever, how the school has been thriving and making a huge stance in this nation, I hope to see The Alice Smith School be one of the top educational institutions in this nation and internationally as well. I am confident Alice Smith School will make great strides and hold on to its name as one of the first British schools to celebrate many success milestones and hold a great fort here.

To upkeep the surrounding and environment of the school, we have our hardworking and responsible maintenance team. They keep the School looking presentable and comfortable so the students and staff do the best they can to mirror the international standard of education. This is the story of Azman who has been taking care of the upkeep of the school since 1990!

Ahmad Azman Zambery

KLASS 1990 to present, 32 years

I was out of a job and one day a friend recommended me a job at a school that he was working for. I applied for the maintenance position and immediately got the job. At that time, the school was very small and there were only a handful of maintenance staff. This is my first job and I started my career with Alice Smith School when I was 22 years old. I like working here and have made many friends in this school. It has a welcoming environment and it is also near my house.

The school has always supported the staff through their generosity of providing aid from the school in the forms of food and emergency funds. The school also has also provided skills training for my personal development.

I have so many memorable events that happened during these 32 years like the Christmas Bazaars and Eid Mubarak celebrations. I also remember, we used to have friendly football matches with teachers from the Primary Campus and the Secondary Campus. These events were really fun and I still remember them until now.

My wish for this school is to continue to thrive for success for the next 10 years and become more advanced and successful in the future.

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