| Year |
Events |
|---|
| 1904 |
- On 18 January 1904, at the earnest request of the Education Department and the then Bishop of Malacca, Mgr. Fee, the La Sallian Brothers opened a school in Kuala Lumpur. The Staff consisted of three Brothers and three lay masters. According to the Malay Mail, Sir Hugh Clifford who visited St. John's in August 1927 recalled that it started with an initial enrolment of 18 boys.
- On 15 January, three days before classes were to commence, three Brothers arrived to take charge of the school – Brother Julian Francis from Hong Kong, Brother Andrew Corsini from Burma and Brother Cyril Alexander from Penang.
- The school building was a two-storeyed wooden structure, 80 feet long and 20 feet wide, with brick pillars and a verandah facing the north.
- Later in the year, Brother James Gilbert arrived from Singapore to take the place of Brother Julian Francis as Brother Director of St. John's Institution
|
| 1905 |
- On 2 January 1905, the school reopened with an additional staff member, Brother Vernier Augustus. A Standard 7 was set up and entrusted to Brother Cyril Alexander.
- With this new set-up, expansion was needed. So Father Renard lent to the school the house of the Chinese Catechist which was capable of holding one class and also an attap shed near the site now occupied by the Telecoms.
- In August 1905, Brother Felix Paulian arrived to join the staff
|
| 1906 |
- In June 1906, Brother Imier of Jesus, Provincial Visitor of the United States paid a visit to St. John's . He later became Superior General in 1913.
- As the school rapidly increased in numbers, the Brothers began to look for a suitable site for a new building. Meanwhile, more classes were opened and accommodated in temporary structures.
- Finally the government provided a piece of land given to the mission for religious and educational purposes.
- The building was designed by fellow staff member, Brother V. Augustus
- On 3 November, the foundation stone for the new building was laid by Sir Henry Conway Belfield, Resident Councilor for Selangor.
|
| 1907 |
- After much difficulty and delay, the new building was finally completed and officially declared open by the High Commissioner and Governor, Sir John Anderson on 10 August 1907. At the end of the year, the new building was advanced enough to be used for the Cambridge Examination for all the candidates of Kuala Lumpur.
|
| 1908 |
- Brother Gilbert was given a short but well deserved rest in Ceylon and the school was left temporarily in the charge of Brother Augustine. Brother Gilbert also intended to start a Science Laboratory but his intention was not fulfilled because during his absence, Brother V. Augustus on whom he had been relying for the scheme had been transferred to St. Xavier's Institution in Penang
|
| 1914 |
- The Brothers' Building was enlarged by the addition of two new wings which were to house the chapel and offices and the Juniorate and Novitiate.
- Brother Marcian Cullen was appointed Director of the newly formed Juniorate.
|
| 1915 |
- A Cadet Corps was formed followed shortly by a Scout Troop which unfortunately did not last very long
|
| 1916 |
- Brother Gilbert who continued in office till 1916 had cherished the dream of a swimming pool in the valley south of the school, but financial and other difficulties prevented his fulfilment
- He also started a fund for the construction of a school hall, but the outbreak of World War I checked his efforts—and those of his successors, too.
- In November 1916, Brother Claude Marie Guibert replaced Brother Gilbert as Director and remained in office till his transfer to Malacca in 1921
|
| 1921 |
- Brother Stephen Edward Buckley (Director 1921–1925) demolished the Brothers' Building and replaced it with the present one, to which additions were made later.
|
| 1925 |
- Brother Louis, who was appointed Sub-Director in December 1924, took Brother Stephen's place in 1925 and remained until his transfer in 1930. He initiated the plan of enlarging the playground by filling up part of the valley, but the success of this enterprise was reserved for his successor, Brother Cornelius.
- The golden statue of Jean Baptiste De La Salle, the founder of the Brothers as it stands in front of the famous red and white Romanesque style building of St. John's Institution which is an iron cast statue, arrived from France in February 1925 and was installed the same year in a ceremony carefully conducted by Rev. Father L. Duvell under the watch of Brother Louis
|
| 1930 |
- Brother Cornelius Nulty served as Brother Director from 1930 to 1946 and under his energetic management, many projects were brought to a successful conclusion.
- Brother Cornelius enlarged the playground, a project that was started by Brother Louis. He then turned his attention to the building of the hall which was finally completed in 1936 with the provision for two more storeys in the future.
- Brother Cornelius next built a new wing on the east side of the Brothers' Building, which became the Boarding Department (later De La Salle Institute, now St. John's International School). He was on the process of starting work on the Science Laboratory, the cherished dream of the Brothers for a long time, when the Second World War broke out and turned his attention to other things.
|
| 1942-1945 |
- During World War II, SJI was closed but crowds of refugees flocked to Brother Cornelius for help and stayed in the school for security. When the war ended and peace returned, these refugees organised a scholarship fund to express gratitude to Brother Cornelius and to perpetuate his memory.
|
| 1946 |
- In September 1946, Brother Cornelius was given a leave of absence to recuperate from the effects of the war, and was replaced by Brother Amor Matthias. Brother Matthias made every effort to reorganize our school which was completely torn apart during the Japanese Occupation
|
| 1948 |
- In May 1948, Brother D. Joseph Brophy began his term of office during which he established the feeder schools of La Salle School, Sentul and La Salle School, Brickfields, completed the plans for La Salle School, Peel Road (later renamed as SMK Yaacob Latiff in 1993) and saw the beginnings of La Salle School, Klang
- In St. John's itself, he renovated the school hall as well as built a new, up-to-date cafeteria. A large comfortable space staff room and new offices appeared. A spacious modern library was furnished and equipped and an extensive P.A. system was installed.
|
| 1953 |
- On 15 April, the first issue of the Term Review was on sale. The Term Review was the predecessor to the current editorial board of The Garudamas, the school magazine.
- On 11 February 1953, Col. J.S. Wilson, the Director of International Bureau of Boy Scouts, accompanied by Mr. E.M.P. Payne, Scout Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya, visited St. John's
- On the 14th January, a fun-fair was held to raise funds for the extension of the school field. The school library was officially opened by Bro. Director
|
| 1954 |
- In the Golden Jubilee year, Brother D. Joseph achieved his final objective – the completion of the field extension.
- The Golden Jubilee year saw the publication of a special Magazine of the same name.
- "Macbeth" performed by the St. John's Institution's Dramatic Society, proven well, became a major hit and started going on tour to schools across Kuala Lumpur and Malaya
|
| 1955 |
- After nearly seven years of strenuous work, Brorher Joseph was given a short holiday, but after his return, in May 1955 he was posted to St. Xavier's, Penang and Brother Tiberius Lawrence Spitzig starts his first term as Brother Director of St. John's Institution.
- The Dramatic Society staged its second play, 'Twelfth Night', and the newly formed school orchestra made its first public appearance at the play's public performance in the hall. Brother Celestine (later, Brother Director) was responsible for the success of the play.
|
| 1956 |
- Brother Lawrence carried out more work on the renovation of the school and added 14 classrooms at a cost of M$90,000 (equivalent to RM4,713,959.78 as of 2024)
|
| 1957 |
- At the urgent request of the Government, a vocational school was built, costing $50000 (equivalent to RM2,618,866.72 as of 2024). The vocational classes are located at the foot of the hill (behind the present day St. John's Primary School)
- The Brothers took over La Salle to Jinjang
- General Sir Francis Festing, Commander-in-Chief of the Far East visited St. John's.
|
| 1958 |
- In accordance with a new government directive, a Board of Governors for the school was set up and the first meeting was held on 24 September. In the primary section, the Board of Managers held its first meeting on 13 March.
|
| 1959 |
- His Excellency Mgr John Gordon, Chargé d'Affaires of the Apostolic Delegation of Thailand and Malaya visited SJI on 27 January.
- Construction of the St John's Primary School began on the site of the Old Boys' Club. The building could accommodate 24 classes and would cost M$220,000
- A new branch school, La Salle School, Petaling Jaya, was started
- On 22 October, Mr Liew Kwong Hon, a former Johannian who had donated $50,000 towards the election of the Science Block and Laboratory in 1949, died
|
| 1960 |
- On 16 September, St John's Primary School was officially opened by Brother Fintan Blake, Visitor.
- The new chapel on the middle floor of SJI was officially opened and used on 19 October.
- On 28 July, Brother V. Augustus died after a short illness. He arrived in Malaya in 1904
|
| 1961 |
- Renovations to the Brothers' Quarters on the 3rd floor wee completed. The Visual Aid Room (RESOS) was further improved and the Library reorganized and moved to the second floor. A new Biology laboratory was added to the Science Department.
- The Primary School building was officially blessed by Mgr Dominic Vendargon
- At the end of 1961, Brother Lawrence was transferred to Penang to take over St. Xavier's Institution. He had been with St. John's since prewar days, and as Director had brought about many changes and improvements, particularly to the classrooms and the Brothers' Quarters.
- He encouraged extral-mural activities which led to the founding of St. John's Orchestra and the Cadet Corps Band. Under him, the Brothers' work expanded into and were firmly established in Peel Road, Jinjang and Petaling Jaya.
|
| 1962 |
- Mr. Ng Eng Hiam, donated the new library in the Brothers' Quarters and founded the St. John's Institution Librarians.
- Brother Ignatius who replaced Brother Lawrence gave all his attention to raising of academic standards in the school.
- In June, Brother Nicet-Joseph, Superior General of the La Salle Brothers paid a visit to the school and spent a lot of time with the Brothers and in other schools under their care.
- In September 1962, due to failing health, Brother Ignatius was forced to return to Ireland, and his place was taken by Brother Joseph McNally
|
| 1963 |
- Under Brother Joseph McNally, St. John's entered into a new phase of expansion and development. His first major project was the draining and enlarging of the school field, made possible by the generous donation of $20,000 from Mr Lim Foo Yong
- The first St. John's Big Walk was organised in which more than 1000 boys took part
- The present school badge (designed by Brother Joseph McNally) was used, replacing the old badge by Brother Cornelius Nulty.
|
| 1964-1967 |
- The most important event in 1964 was the Diamond Jubilee of the school
- An elaborate programme of celebrations was organised in May which lasted two weeks. Among the highlights was an operetta "The Bamboo Princess" which was acted by pupils of the school and the Convent. The distinguished guest for the occasion was His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Selangot, who also attended the Diamond Jubilee Athletic Meet.
- In January 1964, the school embarked on its programme of expansion and development by the formation of a Development Committee headed by the then Minister of Home Affairs, the late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, and in the next three years, the following projects were completed:
1. A new Six-Form Arts Block consisting of a four-storey building with nine classrooms and a modern cafeteria. The foundation stone was laid by Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman and on completion, the building was blessed by His Excellency, Bishop D. Vendargon on 28 August 1965.
2. The improvement of library facilities with the addition of an air-conditioned reference library for Form Six and two reading rooms above the lending library. The library was officially declared open by Mr Ng Eng Hiam who had generously donated $30,000 to the project.
3. A handsome portico leading through a marble-floored colonise to the main staircase of the school.
4. The construction of a block consisting of two lecture theatres, each capable of holding 300 pupils, and a modern gymnasium. This block is named the Shaw Building.
5. The old tennis court in front of the school was moved to another site to provide a much needed car park for the teachers.
6. In the Primary School, a new, spacious and impressive hall, named Dewan Tun Dr. Ismail, was built to cater the needs of both the Secondary and Primary Schools.
- Being an artist, Brother Joseph brought art and beauty into these expansions and renovations, blending harmoniously the old and the new in architecture. His Japanese Garden added beauty and serenity to the atmospheric of the school.
- In mid-1967, Brother Joseph's term of office came to an end and Brother Basillian Wong became the 17th Director of St. John's.
|
| 1967-1969 |
- Brother Basillian's immediate and main task was to clear the immense debt incurred in the expansion and improvements carried out during the previous years—a task which he courageously and successfully accomplished eventually.
- Among the fund-raising projects carried out was a two-day food and fun fair in August 1968 which realised $42,000.
|
| 1969 |
- In January 1969, Brother Joseph Yeoh, a former Johannian returned to become the Brother Director. He was the first local Brother to head the school and whose father, Mr Yeoh Teik Soo, had been a teacher here for 40 years. Brother Joseph gave all his attention to both school and extramural activities and ensured that the school's excellent facilities were made available to both the morning and afternoon sessions. Under him, there was an outburst of activities in the school and St. John's reached its greatest heights in sports and games during his tenure.
|
| 1970 |
- St. John's captured the coveted King's Cup for Badminton which it retained for two years and the Benson & Hedges Gold Trophy for the National Under-21 Badminton Championship
|
| 1971 |
- On May 15, Brother Michael Jacques, Assistant Superior General of the Christian Brothers, paid an official visited to St. John's.
- The Main Block was given its current red and white colour scheme. The school was previously painted completely white in the 1960s.
|
| 1972 |
- A Charity Big Walk raised $43,000 to establish a welfare fund for needy pupils and a Fishathon netted $9,000 which was used for improving school facilities and the school band.
- Eighteen La Salle Schools, including St. John's, assembled at the school field to welcome Brother Charles Henry, Superior General of the La Salle Brothers.
|
| 1973 |
- For the first time, the student body cast their votes for the election of the School Caotain. The Parent-Teacher Association was formed, with Senator Tan Sri SOK Ubaidullah as the first chairman.
|
| 1974 |
- 70th Anniversary of the school was celebrated on a grand scale
|
| 1976 |
- Awards Day was first introduced by Brother Joseph Yeoh to show appreciation to those who had excelled in games and school activities and those who had given valuable service to the school.
|
| 1977 |
- The P.T.A. organised a lottery in aid of St. John's Development Fund which brought in $69,000. The money was used for the installation of a central air-condition unit in the Reference Library, the purchase of a larger school bus and the renovation of the Lecture Theatres.
- The Scouts Den was officially opened by the former Minister of Public Enterprise, Datuk Hj Mohammed Yaakob on November 5
|
| 1978 |
- Brother Joseph Yeoh was awarded the Ahli Mangku Negara (A.M.N.) by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in recognition of his services as an educationist.
- He left St. John's at the end of the year for his new post as Auxiliary Brother Visitor of West Malaysia. He had served the school for a whole decade.
|
| 1979 |
- Brother Lawrence Spitzig returned as director of the school and presided over the school's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Bro. Lawrence re-introduced the annual English and Bahasa Malaysia public speaking competition to the school. Public speaking became part of the English and Bahasa Malaysia curriculum and was compulsory for all students, resulting in SJI having many enabled and proficient public speakers amongst the students.
- Pass rates of the 1979 results were a dismal to all, Royal Military College at 46%, Victoria Institution at 50%, St. John's Institution at 55.5% and Methodist Boys School at 66.3%
|
| 1983 |
- The "Good Shepherd" of St. John's, Brother Lawrence, retired on his 65th birthday on 4 February. He joined the Christian Brothers at the age of 17 and still serve St. John's until his passing in 2009 at the grand age of 91.
|
| 1984 |
- To kick off the 80th Anniversary of the founding of the school, Carnival Day and several projects were introduced to raise funds for the construction of a four-storey building adjacent to the science block to accommodate the lower and upper sixth form classes. This is the beginning of a series of fund raising projects initiated to upgrade the school and its facilities. Over the years, St John's has been blessed with generous contributions from its generations of former students and benefactors.
- One of the first official functions of the then Education Minister, Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was the opening of the Association of School Canteen Operators held at St. John's Primary School. The theme was "anti-junk food".
- A month later, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi returned to SJI to launch the 80th anniversary "Karnival Ria" festivities and made a handsome and decorative speech on racial integration. Pak Lah, as he is affectionately known until today, sent his son Kamal to St. John's.
- Old Boy Bosco D'Cruz returned to compere the 80th anniversary dinner gala. Bosco, a well known TV personality and dramatist, was one of the earlier Johannians to make an impact on the local performing arts scene.
|
| 1986 |
- Funfairs, carnivals, Job-A-Longs and Walkathons were held to fund the building of the sports complex. The 1986 Walkathon netted an incredible RM120,000 which allowed construction to begin. The "sports block" was promised by the company, Dairy Maid as compensation for the temporary loss of the school field. It was to have two halls, one of which is an open air on the ground floor, and the other with a stage with a floor area for three badminton courts. On the first floor, three squash courts (one with a gallery) and an education gallery with a library (pusat sumber) and surau
- One of the programmes initiated by Brother Cassian Pappu was the exchange programme with Japanese schools. Every year, a batch of Japanese school seniors would spend a month in St. John's, learning English and Bahasa Malaysia and experiencing Malaysian culture. St. John's in turn, sends a contingent over to Japan
|
| 1988 |
- The new Form 6 Block was built and named Bangunan Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon (the Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon Building).
|
| 1989 |
- The Form Sixes moved in the newly completed Form 6 Block (Bangunan Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon) and with this, floating classes came to rest. This building is the last major renovation and upgrade that came to St. John's Institution.
- The 85th Anniversary was celebrated in a big way with Heritage Night and the publication of a slim souvenir booklet called "The Johannian Heritage". Raja Datin Seri Nor Mahani, a fondly remembered teacher, also left the school that year. She was regarded by many as an excellent teacher and teacher-advisor to Garudamas, handling many SJI projects from Speech Day to the Heritage Night Gala, from the Literary and Drama Society to the famous St. John's Fencing Club (disbanded in 2022) which she pioneered.
|
| 1991 |
- The third and current library was officially donated and opened on 13 January 1991 by Mr. Ng Thiam Weng, son of Mr. Ng Eng Hiam.
|
| 1994 |
- By 1994, St. John's Institution boasted over 60 clubs and societies, the highest number of any school in the Klang Valley.
- The sports complex comprising a badminton hall, three squash courts, and concourse was officiated by Brother David Liao on 18 January.
|
| 1997 |
- In 1997, with the retirement of one of St. John's most charismatic teacher and a renowned coach for the school's hockey team, Mr Vincent Fernandez, the team suffered a huge setback. His career as coach at St. John's has seen the institution become a steady supplier of national players. When he left the school field, and no doubt, still today, years after his passing, the rumblings of the underground cars could be felt by students playing on the grass above. This led to a particularly Johannian joke about the hopes of many goal bound balls thwarted by the untimely car going over speed bumps.
- Also the same year, a Johannian scaled the heights of Everest. One of only two Malaysians who reached the summit, N. Mohanandas (now conferred Datuk) might not be your typical banner-waving Johannian, but his son, who studies here, carries the torch in his father's name.
- On 31 March 1997, St. John's became the first school in the country to open a Smart Lab. The Smart Lab is a component of the Smart Schools project launched by a renowned Johannian and the then Minister of Education, Dato' Seri Najib Razak. During his visit, the Old Johannian (now St. John's Alumni Association) pledged RM250,000 to the school for renovation and refurbishment work.
|
| 2002 |
- Brother Michael Wong, or "BMW St. John's Edition Auto Cruise" as he was affecionately referred to in a valedictory citation, retired at the obligatory age of 55 after serving SJI for 12 years. He was the last Brother Director in St. John's thus marking the end of the Brothers' directorship in SJI for 98 years.
- Mr. Peter Yii Sing Chiu, the first lay principal from Sarawak was appointed to head SJI after Brother Michael Wong's departure.
- Being a Methodist, Mr. Peter Yii Sing Chiu is considered the first non-Catholic and the first lay principal of St. John's.
|
| 2004 |
- Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a Johannian, was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia on 8 January 2004
- On Friday, 20 February 2004, Brother Lawrence Spitzig received the Order of Canada. The country's highest award was presented to him by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General, in an investiture ceremony in Ottawa. Brother Lawrence suffered a stroke shortly after.
- St. John's is 100 years old and over 100,000 children have passed through her hallowed halls. The intricate facade has been whitened to elegance, shrunken with age, hemmed in by blocks and rouged back to glory. She has stood on the hill and watched the denizens of Kuala Lumpur transform from tin mines to the cosmopolitan globalites of today. She has seen the country develop from a loose federation of states to an independent Malaysia and the formation of now Malaysia. For short, St. John's centennial birthday was celebrated with high hopes and dreams that SJI will continue to birth and nurture children for the nation.
|
| 2006 |
- Early of October 2006, a new brick fence with the same design, motives and colour as the school's facade was constructed, complete with a guard house at the main entrance. The car park was upgraded with red interlocking tiles to match. New washroom facilities for the Form Six girls were added to the ground level of the Arts Block (popularly known as the Form 5 Block). Work was completed by January 2006, in time for the new school term.
|
| 2007 |
- On 30 March 2007, St. John's institution (then SMK St. John) was selected as a Phase 1 Cluster School by the Ministry of Education with the vision to achieve the status of a world class cluster schools by 2015. SJI is now on the track to return to her academic glory days.
|
| 2008 |
- "St. John Gah di Persada Dunia" is the new school cry. Many foreign school delegates visited the school, including Maldives, Australia, Ireland and Japan.
- The work on upgrading and greening the school field was completed. Upgrading the school wiring system was carried out, a much needed repair after numerous and frequent blackouts caused by overloading and old wiring.
|
| 2009 |
- St. John's receives its second lay principal, Mr. Leong Kum Loy.
|
| 2010 |
- On 21 May 2010, St. John's is declared as a National Heritage Site by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Malaysia.
- St. John's receives its third lay principal, Mr. Lim Hean Hwa. He is a former student of St. John's under Brother Joseph Yeoh in the 1970s.
|
| 2011 |
- The restored tower clock on the Main Block, dedicated to the late Brother Lawrence Spitzig, was unveiled and officiated by former principal, Mr. Leong Kum Loy, in conjunction of St. John's 107th Birthday on 18 January. The project was an initiative by Megat Mizan Nicholas Denney, chairman of the Board of Governors of St. John's.[7][8]
|
| 2014 |
- St. John's receives its first non-Christian lay principal, Dr. M. Puvanendran. He was a Senior Assistant from 2005 - 2010.
|
| 2016 |
- St. John's Institution, one of the oldest secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur, has regained its right to be known by its old name and no longer as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St John.[9]
|
| 2022 |
- St. John's receives its first Catholic principal since 2002, Mr. Ravi Chandran a/l Krishnan.
|
| 2024 |
- St. John's Institution celebrates its 120th birthday with a loud bang.
- "St. John's 120th Anniversary, Honouring Our Past, Continuing Our Legacy" was the theme.
- On 19 October, a dinner gala was hosted at MITEC. Every member of the St. John's Alumni Association was present including Ras Adiba Radzi, a Malaysian politician, community activist and veteran news presenter. The ceremony was graced by His Royal Highness, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah, Sultan of Perak.
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