A Legacy of Memories

Mrs Nadarajah has been at KLASS for over three decades. This July 2023, she will be saying her final goodbyes as she will be retiring. The primary campus will feel the void but Mrs Nadarajah’s legacy will live on in every part of the school. We decided to get one last interview with her before she enjoys her time with her family and a well deserved break.

What’s your most memorable moment at KLASS?

The most memorable moments for me were when the whole campus was involved in a special day. I particularly remember our famous Activity Weeks. ‘Arts Alive in 2005’ stands out as a particular favourite with every year dancing to a different genre in the infant playground with parents cheering us on. A real community feel. Equally, the many charity weeks we held over the years deserve a mention. The field would be full of stalls all created and set up by the students. What fun we had while raising lots of money to help children in need.

What will you do once you leave KLASS?

I will divide my time between Malaysia and Scotland. My sons live in the UK, so it will be lovely to see them more often.

What will you miss the most about KLASS?

The students and the families. Following the progress of students who move up through the school has been a real privilege. I love hearing how everyone is getting on and what amazing careers they have chosen. So, I’ll miss ex-students returning and watching them marvel at how small the campus looks.

Which person has had the most impact on you from your years at KLASS?

The person I remember the most is principal, Mrs Patricia Lee. I only worked with her for a couple of years before she retired, but she left a lasting impression. She was kind but firm with both staff and students. She knew every student and parent by name and even remembered alumni when they came back to visit. She was genuinely interested in her students and wanted to make a difference.

What do you imagine your mornings to be as a retiree?

A little quieter; sitting on my balcony bird spotting with a cup of coffee. I will not miss the traffic jams or the busy Jalan Kerayong morning arrival!

Do you have a pet; what is his/her name?

Oh yes, I have many pets: fish, dogs and turtles. Then there is the lone monkey and large monitor lizard that make an appearance in the garden from time to time. My pets are all rescue animals and somehow they found me. I did have a dog once called ‘Bellamy’! I think you know why.

Which is your first holiday destination after retiring?

I’m off to visit my family in Scotland, but not for long; I’ll be back in Malaysia soon. I’ve lived here for nearly 40 years - it’s definitely home for me!

If you could choose a superpower what would it be? It would be to have the ability to sprinkle kindness around the world. Acts of kindness make for a positive community and a happier environment for everyone.

What’s your most favourite song and why?

Apart from the Alice Smith song, it would be hits from the 70s! That’s my era..

If you could invite three people to dinner, living or dead, who would you invite?

Well, it would have to be Alice Smith herself! Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet her daughter Lyndsey when she visited Alice Smith for the 50th anniversary. Later I met her son and grandchildren. To make it an interesting dinner party, let’s throw in a few of those other early principals. What was Mrs Muir really like?

Teachers are the backbone of every school. A student’s experience of school will always stem from a teacher’s guidance and attention.

Dvij Sharma

I’m one of the lucky ones who had the support and mentorship of Madame Wong right from Year 7 all the way to Year 13. Unsurprisingly, she is one of the people with whom I associate my fondest memories of Alice Smith, as early as my first school trip to Ipoh and as late as my final days of A Level French. In addition to being a great teacher, it was always clear that Madame Wong genuinely cared about my wellbeing both inside and outside the classroom, and wanted to see me realise the potential I didn’t even know I had. In fact, I remember almost wanting to quit A Level French in early Year 12 after a string of disappointing grades, deciding that I just wasn’t cut out for how difficult it was. Madame Wong’s advice to me? “Don’t be so hard on yourself, the learning curve is steep but you’ll be fine. It’s not worth the stress.” Of course, she was right; I was fine. But even today I’m struck by two things: she believed in me at a time when I didn’t believe in myself, but more importantly, reminded me that my health was more important than any grade could be. How many teachers would do that for their students? I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Madame Wong, and am very thankful that our years at Alice Smith coincided.

(KLASS 2014 - 2020)

Thape Dlamini (KLASS 2000 - 2003)

Mr Wood, Sports Department.

There’s a lot of things that stuck with me. I ended up becoming a PE Teacher and it’s because of Mr Wood. There are a few things I remember about him. The senior Rugby team was always up and running; my brother was part of the team. I was desperate for us younger people to play as well because I had played previously when I went to school in Belgium. Mr Wood actually got a team up and running. There was one year we were supposed to go to Hong Kong and he called for a team meeting to break the bad news to me that I was 5 days too old to meet the trip’s requirement; which meant alot to me

We were on a school trip in Year 10 to Tioman last term there as I recall and I misbehaved and left my room when we were not allowed to leave our room and Mr Wood was on the trip and he was one of the tutors my Year 10.

I wasn’t in the good books of my Head of Year whereas Mr Wood knew me well as I did a lot of sports; Athletics, Aquatic alot of Football and Basketball

Stephanie Kampl (KLASS 1998 - 2003)

Mr Gardiner was my biology teacher way back when and because of him, I went on to do biology for A Levels. I remember this one time, we were going through the difference between the different types of pollination. He dressed me up with the skeleton’s wig (which was always wearing a colourful wig and science lab coat), wrote the plant name parts on my arms and I had to stand on a stool. It was hilarious! But he was a great teacher and I learnt a lot!

Omar Ogbeide (KLASS 2007 - 2021)

I want to take this chance to give a shoutout to a few special teachers - Mr Shine, Mr Williams, Mr Edwards, Ms Curwood, Ms Walton, Ms Nice, Mr Nelson, Mr Lyford and Ms Jonathan - thank you all so much for supporting me during my time at KLASS. I wouldn’t be where I am without you guys. There was never a dull moment in your classes and I will always cherish the chats and memories we shared over the years.

I have so many fond memories of school and the amazing teachers I could talk about. The thing that really stuck out was A Levels Economics and that was thanks to Mr Johnston. He was just incredible, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard. He was just so fun, so fair and you really have to hand it to him because Econs is not an easy subject to teach. He made it so digestible, so fun, so interesting. I mean we all had fantastic grades. I remember I told him I was a really visual person and I was really really struggling and from that point on he made everything that he could into shapes, into diagrams. I really can’t thank him enough for that. Best of all he treated us like adults; when you are 16, 17 that’s exactly what you want. It was such an amazing experience and I had such a great time in class.

Ms Muttiah was one of my standout teachers at school. She was always so encouraging, patient and kind. She really pushed me to improve my English Literature and because of her and Ms Early I succeeded at the subject at A Levels. Ms Muttiah always put her students first and was always there to help out with university applications too. Thanks for being such a great teacher!

Throughout Sixth Form, as things progressively got more stressful with work piling on, exams coming up, and university applications, I would always look forward to the Friday afternoon ‘Picnic Friday’ sessions in the Computer Science department. Mr Edmonds and Ms Quaye would let us have these super chilled and relaxed lessons where we would all bring in snacks and drinks, and take the time to do independent work so we could catch up on what we might not have had time for during the week, or to continue working on our programming projects. I remember looking forward to Friday afternoons so much because there would be no pressure of extra work or extra deadlines, and we could just get things done with maybe some music on in the background – a wind down after a hectic week. Sometimes Ms Quaye would chat to us one on one or even as a group to touch bases and see how things were going, not just academically but also pastorally, and I know the whole class felt as if she and Mr Edmonds really.

(KLASS 2006 - 2020)

Rikigoro Shinozuka

(KLASS 2009 - 2012)

It’s 3:00 pm on a Wednesday afternoon in 2010. The relentless sun is beating down on the rain- soaked grass field behind the sports hall where pools of mud hide the white painted 400m loop we (used to) proudly call our track at Equine Park. Barefoot intervals of 8x400m is the menu served by none other than Mark Williams for the scrawny few of us that thought this ECA was a great idea. We do our usual 2-lap warm up, followed by some stretches and running-specific drills, receive a great pep talk, and then it’s go time. As we speed through the intervals with Mark leading the pace, each repeat hurts more than the last to the point of breaking. “Imagine you’re holding feathers!”, “Look towards the trees!” ,

“Float! Relax! It’s all in your head!” - These are just a few of the words of wisdom that Mark would yell at us as we tunnel-vision and hyperventilate at the brink of collapse, questioning why we are doing this to ourselves. Yet, somehow they worked. They got us through the sessions, strengthened our mental and physical endurance, and ultimately made us better runners. Fast-forward to today and here I am, a professional triathlete pushing myself to the limits and competing against the world. I still often imagine myself holding feathers as I run and remind myself that the limit is all in my head. I still think back to the knowledge of Mark that remains ever so relevant now in everything I do- racing or not. And so this little story is a tribute to Mark Williams, who I never even had a class with, for being a positively significant influence who I’ve grown into today.

Jemaimah Mustapha

(KLASS 1992 - 2003)

I will always remember the first day we had Mr. George as our science teacher. We were in Year 7 and making such a noise outside his classroom, waiting for the new science teacher to appear. Suddenly the door swung open and Mr. George looked so angry and told all of us to enter his classroom now, pointing inside. We all hurried in silence to our seats, all looking at each other and thinking ‘Oh no, this is going to be a tough class’. I can honestly say I was so scared. Science was a problem subject for me and to have a very strict teacher that would torment me did not sound like a fun year ahead.

As class started, he introduced himself very seriously. But then he started smiling, talking about science in a fun way, and making jokes. I don’t remember what the joke was but it definitely lightened the mood. We all sighed in relief and, after that, we looked forward to his classes. Mr. George made science so interesting that someone like me, who had a hard time in science, suddenly loved the subject.

Some of my friends and I still talk about that day. It is a funny story that never gets old.

I just want to say thank you to Mr. George for handling us misfits well (I am pretty sure we were known as the loud troublesome class) and still making science so enjoyable.

Jesselyn Lee (KLASS 2010 - 2013)

These are teachers who were there every year I was at KLASS and guided me every step of the way, and are the reasons I am who I am today.

One teacher who I’ve not only known for more than 15 years but I’ve also come to view as my inspiration as a teacher now myself is Mr K.D. I came to KLASS as a shy 12-year old but full of passion for the historical world. Although I was new to KLASS, Mr K.D. was not a stranger in my life as he previously taught in a different school I attended in Dubai. I think it would be accurate to say that Mr K.D. helped to bring this passion out through my work. He always encouraged me to explore my interests, and would indulge discussions around various topics, prompting me to go further to research whatever he told me. Even on my last visit to KLASS less than 6 months ago, we found ourselves conversing about modern history with the same zeal. It was not only through History classes that I came to develop a bond with Mr K.D. but also through Tour Choir back in 2012. The group’s trip to Russia prompted a certain excitement among those of us who love History, even more when Mr K.D. was enthusiastic to share his knowledge about Russia’s past. Now that I am a History teacher, I can only hope to be half as good as he was to my class.

At 16, I began to ponder my future. I had questioned for more than a decade at that point whether I should become a teacher or not. I had the desire to share my knowledge with the next generation, but I could not tell whether it was my vocation. I expressed this desire to Ms Nice, perhaps the last teacher one might expect me to turn to because I had very little interest in learning Bahasa Melayu – yet I had every reason to. Entering her class on the top floor, that same cold room we always whined to increase the temperature, there was always a sense of warmth there because of Ms Nice’s sweet personality. I told her I was discerning becoming an educator, and she told me in a very sombre, clear voice, “Teaching is not a job; it is a calling.” There was no teacher in my life who knew that better than her because we shared the same Catholic faith. I could tell she felt very deeply that to teach a student did not just require the ability to do so, but the call of a higher power to actively pursue such a life. Every single year since she told me this, I kept this advice very close to my heart, and I believe it wholeheartedly today. Each day as a teacher brings various challenges, and sometimes I am exhausted; but knowing that I was called to this vocation, I never feel like giving up – and Ms Nice helped me realise exactly what I was meant to do in this life.

The use of words is a delicate yet important action. It conveys what one thinks and expresses how one feels. To be deliberate with words is a necessity in order for us to understand others as we wish to be understood. Ms Muttiah was instrumental in helping me find different ways to explain exactly what I was thinking, and while she did not teach me every single year I was at KLASS, she was a crucial part of developing my vernacular. In between English lessons and working on the World Book, Ms Muttiah took me to a cornucopia of vocabulary. I remember struggling to write essays because I had the right thoughts but I struggled to put them on paper without “going off tangent.” Thanks to her patient guidance, I left KLASS with a bizarre love for writing essays, and a keen eye for essays that stray from the topic. Ms Muttiah has always been one of my greatest and beloved supporters, and I am indebted to her for keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Dominique Yahaya (KLASS 1974 - 1982)

I was at Alice Smith from 1974 until 1982. In those days, Prep 2 was as far as it went and it was heartbreaking to leave, I was extremely fortunate to be able to meet up with a large number of school friends at the Platinum celebrations in 2017 and as we reminisced about our school days and the numerous teachers who had, in one way or another, left us a great impression, one teacher in particular stands out for me, Mrs. Lawrence, music and choir teacher.

Mrs. Lawrence was an exceptional teacher, she taught us how to play the flute (yes, that very important instrument without which no one is deemed to be a musician…),thetriangleandmostimportantly,tosing,obviously!Eversince,singing is something that has never left me and is always a great remedy to dull moments. Mrs. Lawrence would make all the musical arrangements for the yearly school concert, teaching each class its bit to make the show a harmonious ensemble from Kindergarten to Infant 3 or Junior 1 to Prep2.

Mrs. Lawrence obviously had great ideas for the school choir. There were the more traditional carols for the Christmas concert where all the parents would happily sing along,but also the modern versions of Noah’s Ark, Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat, to name just a few. To this day, there are times when bits and pieces of the hymns and songs we learned with her come back to mind and if we’re missing a piece, all we have to do is go back to our group of school buddies and, without doubt, each of us will have a bit to add to rebuild the songs.

Wei Pong even dug up his book of songs!

Mrs. Lawrence had a strong voice, no-one would have interrupted her when she spoke but it was not out of fear, just plain awe. She had a great smile and would always encourage us to give the best of ourselves at all times. It was alright not to be talented, as long as we enjoyed ourselves. We would spend hours rehearsing, sitting on the wooden benches in the assembly hall while dear Sambhi and other members of staff listened in as they walked past.

When we left school after Prep 2, we spent the last day getting our uniforms signed by our teachers and Mrs. Lawrence, without failure, would leave her unmistakable mark on our dresses and shirts… music !

Lisa

Ms Gunny was one of my favourite teachers because she goes the extra mile and her teaching ways were different and inspiring. I always remembered how her tolerance and calmness helped me and other kids through our years at KLASS. There were a few special kids with speech impediments and she did not treat them any different. She ensured that they were equally treated and given enough attention to succeed in class.

Otis

Alba

Mika