Our Campus
Explore the rich facilities and spaces that make up the CHS campus, from sports halls and galleries to cultural gardens that shape well-rounded bilingual scholars.
A Welcoming Home for Gentlemen, Leaders and Bilingual Scholars
As a full-school, we have a wide range of facilities to support our students’ learning and growth.
We have a full-size 400-metre six-lane running track, a Clock Tower with chapel and two sets of most facilities (e.g. 2 Multi-Purpose Halls, 2 Indoor Sports Halls and even 2 canteens to support the primary and secondary sections). These facilities are shared by the sections, giving us the flexibility and space to offer a greater spread of opportunities for our students.
We constantly improve and optimise our physical environment to support teaching and learning. For instance, since 2018, we have added a Digital Music Studio to support our Music Elective Programme; the Science, Technology and Research Space (STARS) to support the school’s distinctive programme in Space and Flight Science; a broadcasting studio to promote a bicultural environment as well as the student-designed Bunker to advocate student voice and agency. We are immensely proud of our newly created Aerospace Simulation Centre, which has incubated batches of young scientific minds.
Our Signature Clock Tower, Chapel and Beautiful School Ground
Our signature Clock Tower is representative of our school’s spiritual origin and mission school identity, as it reminds us daily of our purpose in proving quality education for the masses, regardless of their social background and religious affiliation. The Clock Tower houses our Chapel as well.
Our school ground is beautifully landscaped with many trees and shrubs, ponds and sculptures to provide serene and tranquil places for students to study, rest or just socialise with friends. Many of these sculptures depict aspiring sportsmen and students, and provide inspiration and motivation for our students too.
Plaza 广场
The Plaza is a significant venue where we host our bi-annual Family Day and Homecoming events. Together with the School Hall, it also serves as a gathering space for our secondary students during their morning assembly at 8:00 a.m.
Morning assembly typically includes the singing of the National Anthem, the recitation of the National Pledge, and value-based sharing by our school chaplain and teachers. It may also feature prize presentations to recognise student achievements, as well as special observances such as Racial Harmony Day celebrations and the National Cadet Corps Day parade.
In addition, students participate in Breakfast Sessions - small-group meetings with their Form Teachers to discuss school life and student well-being.
Multi-Purpose Halls 多用途礼堂
As a full-school, CHS has two Multi-Purpose Halls: one for the primary section and another for the secondary section. The two sections also share these halls, allowing for flexibility of use, e.g. our secondary section Open House uses both halls for different activities.
"Sino-English Catholic School" Traditional Plaque 公教牌匾
The traditional plaque (seen also at our former school compound in Queen Street) reads “Sino-English Catholic School”, and this was our original school name that gave hint to our origin as a bilingual education institution.
The words on the Level 3 roof “培养双语精英的摇篮” means “The place where we groom bilingual scholars and leaders”.
As one of the 11 Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools in Singapore, Catholic High School aims to nurture students to be proficient in both English Language and Chinese Language, and to have a good understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture. One of our SAP signature programmes is the Appreciation of Chinese Culture (ACC) module (taken by Level 1 and 2 students) to expose them to Chinese culture such as Chinese calligraphy, chess, philosophy and history.
Interactive Chinese Cultural Gallery
Our ‘Chinese Cultural Corridor’ showcases some of the bilingual and bicultural experiences that our CHS gentlemen goes through in their 4 years of education. The Chinese Cultural Corridor also helps to promote the learning of Chinese language and culture, and reminds our students of their evolving identity as a bilingual scholar. The wall murals along this corridor can be divided into a few sections, which include our SAP school history and heritage, SAP flagship programme, Appreciation of Chinese Culture (琴棋书画史), Bicultural Studies Programme and Chinese Literature curriculum.
The various Confucian quotes on the curved pillars aim to further reinforce moral values and Eastern wisdom in our students. The parapet along the traditional long corridors (长廊) are designed to mirror those at our former school compound at Queen Street, serving to remind present and past students the binding history and deep heritage of our school.
You can even find full-sized replicas of the Terracotta Army (兵马俑) around our school, showing the sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. These give insights to our students on the imperial funerary art in China from 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
Aviation Milestones Gallery
The Aviation Milestones Gallery celebrates the progression of flight in human history by showcasing the past, present and future of aviation. The gallery serves to educate and inspire students with a strong interest in aviation and aerospace through the showcase of the history of aviation, science of aviation and the development of aviation in Singapore.
Space Exploration Gallery
The Space Exploration Gallery captures important achievements or major events in humanity’s exploration of outer space. From the launching of the first artificial satellite in 1957 to the lunar landing by astronauts in 1969, the gallery provides an overview of how space exploration was launched by imagination, driven by science and powered by innovation. In this gallery, students use QR-code reader apps to find information about key events in the journey of space exploration. In 2019, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 lunar mission by constructing a mural mosaic of Neil Alden Armstrong, the first man to walk on Moon. This mural, together with other works of our student, are on display at the gallery.
Media Resource Library and Bunker 图书馆与 <堡垒>
Our Media Resource Library is a favourite place among students, housing a wide collection of books and multimedia resources. It is designed for not just reading, but also for seminars and group works.
Our school encourages students to read widely, and we also have our weekly morning Brain Gym. Students will read materials specially prepared by the teachers across all departments, with wide-ranging topics covering the arts to economics, from technology to politics.
Another highly popular spot is the Bunker, a space designed and run by students leaders for students. This space has been home to many discussions amongst students on various school events and projects.
Bamboo Garden and Lotus Pond 竹林与莲花池
Our school is dotted with many areas of greenery and landscaping that serve to remind our students of the values that we would like them to imbibe and uphold.
Located outside our music room is the Lotus Pond, where a saying in Chinese, “出污泥而不染”, is carved on a pillar. This phrase suggests that people, like lotus flower growing from mud, can learn to emerge from corrupting environment without being tainted. This is a metaphor, reminding all Catholic High students to uphold the highest level of moral integrity regardless of where they may be.
In our Bamboo Garden on level 1, the bamboos stand unwavering in the open environment, signifying tenacity and an indomitable spirit. The uprightness of the bamboo serves as a reminder for our students to possess moral integrity and courage. These bamboos are also hollow in the middle, which sounds like “虚心” in Chinese, symbolising humility and the receptiveness to the advice and teachings of others.
Sports and CCA Facilities 操场, 球场, 跑道,学生活动中心与课外活动室
Our schools offers wide-ranging and varied student activities and CCAs, and we have a variety of facilities to support these on top of supporting our daily lessons. Our facilities -many of which you can find on level 1- include CCA rooms such as Symphonic Band and Chinese Orchestra rooms, Dance studio, auditorium and lecture theatre. As a full-school, we have two of most facilities, e.g. 2 Indoor Sports Halls, 2 Multi-Purpose Halls and even 2 canteens to support the primary and secondary sections. We also have a table tennis training centre and a 400-m full-size running track with facilities for track-and-field sports.
As an all-boys school, our students often engage in rugged activities and sports, be it during their CCA, PE lessons, school-organised sports events (such as our Passion Pursuit (Elective) modules, inter-class sports competitions and our whole-school My B.I.G Run), or just unstructured play (e.g. frisbee games) during our 30-minute recess.
Our school focuses on holistic education, with a strong emphasis on Co-curricular Activities (CCAs). We have a wide range of CCAs for students to choose from, including Uniformed Groups, Sports, Performing Arts and a media and ICT club. Our CCAs have also been performing well consistently, clinching several awards throughout the year.
Science, Technology and Research Space (STARS)
The STARS lab is the base of our school’s distinctive programme – Space and Flight Science. The lab provides a versatile teaching laboratory space that can accommodate multidisciplinary experiments and demonstrations, especially in physical sciences. STARS is equipped with different types of drones, telescopes and electronic equipment to support students in authentic problem investigation and hands-on learning.
Our key partners are Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), Singapore Science Centre and Singapore Youth Flying Club.
