Celebrating Founders' Day in Schools

For every school, Founders' Day is a day to honour their achievements and successes.
As the name suggests, it marks the day the school was founded as well as shows appreciation towards its founding members. Celebrations are usually done in grand style with concerts, dinners and performances for past and present students of the school.
We take a look at the rich history of 2 primary schools in Singapore and how they commemorate this day with much pomp and ceremony.
1.
Yangzheng Primary School Yangzheng Primary School, one of the oldest schools in Singapore turned 100 in 2005.

The school started as Yeung Ching School in 1906 as a private school for Cantonese children.

When it was first founded, its medium of instruction was Chinese.
English was only introduced in mid 1930s.
During the Japanese Occupation, the school had to stop temporarily. It later resumed operations but had to include Japanese as one of the core subjects. After the Japanese Occupation, the school opened for full operations and books they were hidden previously were brought out once again.

Since then, YZPS has proved his mettle.

As a tribute to its ability to withstand all the challenges, the school held a year long celebration that included the School Advisory Committee (SAC) organising their Third Trip to Guangzhou. A Xiang Xing Hai Centenary Concert at Singapore Conference Hall for Xian Xing Hai (former pupil of Yangzheng Primary School)- a World Renown composer of the Yellow River Cantata was also organised to venerate his contributions.
With that, it marked another year in the school's calendar with many more years to come. 2.
Ngee Ann Primary School 2010 marks a monumental milestone for Ngee Ann Primary School.

Come 30th March, the school would be holding its 70th Anniversary celebrations. Operations began in 1940 when the late Mr Lee Wee Nam, the late Mr Yeo Chan Boon, the late Mr Lim Kim Seng and a few other members established a girls' school in a bungalow owned by a Kongsi member at River Valley Road, opposite what is now the AA building. In 1967, it opened up its enrolment to include male students.

Ngee Ann Primary School's current site in Marine Parade underwent a massive reconstruction in 1998 when its then site was deemed inadequate to meet the demands of increasing student population and the challenges of the new millennium.
The building was demolished and the school only moved back to its current premise in 2000.

For its 70th Founders' Day, Ngee Ann Primary School would focus its celebrations around the core values of charity and generosity.
A 2-day fundraising cultural extravaganza on 26th and 27th March, will kick start celebrations. The carnival would be officiated by Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong and all proceeds would be donated to the Movement of Intellectual Disabled Society (MINDS).
In tandem with the school's annual tradition, a grand banquet would be held the school compound.

The school expects hundreds of ex student and staff to return as part of the celebrations.