Victoria Junior College
1016834
225965580
2008-07-16T06:24:33Z
210.24.243.94
/* History & Origin */
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{{Infobox Singapore School
| name = Victoria Junior College <br> 維多利亞初級學院 <br> Maktab Rendah Victoria
| image = [[Image:vjclogo.jpg|120px]]
| motto = Nil Sine Labore <br> (Nothing Without Labour)
| established = 1984
| type = Government
| session = Single-session
| principal = Chan Poh Meng (wef 28 Dec 2006)
| city/town = [[Marine Vista]]
| school code = 0706
| enrollment = 1744 (for 2006)
| colours = Red, Yellow, Beige
| homepage = [http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg www.vjc.moe.edu.sg]
| border_color = red
| uniform_color = #FFFFCC
}}
'''Victoria Junior College''' ([[Abbreviation]]: '''VJC''') is an institution of higher learning, established by Singapore's Ministry of Education in 1984 to be the affiliated Junior College of [[Victoria School]]. It has a selective admission criteria and offers a curriculum that prepares students for admission to [[Oxbridge]] and the [[Ivy League]] universities. Throughout Asia it is considered to be the best [[university-preparatory school]] situated beside a [[beach]]{{Fact|date=June 2008}}. Most alumni are Ivy League or Oxbridge graduates{{Fact|date=June 2008}}.
== History & Origin ==
VJC was established in 1984 by Singapore's Ministry of Education to give graduates of [[Victoria School]] (VS) an option to join a 2 year Junior College course in a Junior College named after and affiliated to [[Victoria School]]. Victoria School boys that chose to enter Victoria Junior College after secondary 4 can have 2 bonus points on their 'O' level aggregate score.
Besides Victoria School, other feeder schools have been [[Dunman High School]], Cedar Girls School, Tanjong Katong Secondary School (formerly Tanjong Katong Technical School), Tanjong Katong Girl's School, Katong Convent, [[Methodist Girls' School]], [[Singapore Chinese Girls' School]], Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, St. Nicholas, [[Anglican High School]] and [[River Valley High School]].
VJC received her first batch of 776 students at the (then) brand new ''Marine Vista'' campus, equipped with 51 tutors. The pioneers batch of VJC set the standard and left their legacy, which includes VJC's cream-colored uniform. Victoria's uniform has been cited as one of the sexiest uniforms and voted one of the major reasons for top-student applications to the school. {{fact|date=June 2008}}
The school enrolment as of October 2006 is 1933 students (including 234 [[integrated programme|IP]] students) and 151 staff members.<ref>[http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/01_aboutVJC.shtml See VJC webpage]</ref>
==Description==
Victoria was one of the top five junior colleges in Singapore until the ranking of junior colleges was discontinued, and the only junior college to offer the prestigious [[Humanities Scholar Programme]] (HEP) and the Theatre Studies and Drama (TSD) Programme. It also offered a university-level [[French Language and Literature|French]] curriculum as part of the Language Elective Programme (LEP) until it was temporarily discontinued.
Unlike the other top-tier university-preparatory schools that have been established since the seventies in Singapore, such as [[Raffles Junior College]], [[Hwa Chong Junior College]], and [[National Junior College]], VJC was established as a relaxed and charming seaside college for the rich youth living in the [[Katong]] neighbourhood. It subsequently rose in the national rankings and within 5 years, under the guidance of Principal Lee Phui Mun, also known as the [[Iron Lady]] of the [[Lee Family]], was viewed as better than the other schools in the region and had put up a strong challenge with schools in the rest of the country in terms of ranking and admissions to prestigious universities. Currently, VJC, together with Raffles Junior College, Hwa Chong Junior College, National Junior College and Temasek Junior College, forms the [[Asian]] league of preparatory schools for [[Oxbridge]] and the [[Ivy League]]. It is the affiliated Junior College for [[Victoria School]]. ((Fact|date=June 2008}}
Unlike other top-ranking schools in Singapore, VJC's alumni cover a diverse range of professions, with alumni as leaders in the [[military]], [[corporate]], [[finance]], [[Mass media|media]] and [[entertainment]] sectors, and recognized as possessing high [[emotional quotient]] (EQ) levels in addition to [[intellectual quotient]] (IQ) levels. VJC is the only top-tier school in Singapore that fosters a culture of social interaction, cohesiveness and mutual support, as opposed to Japanese-style [[cramming]], with one of the lowest rate of [[suicide]] amongst top schools in [[Singapore]].{{fact|date=June 2008}} This is in part due to its [[Anglican]], [[Christian]] tradition. {{fact|date=June 2008}} At VJC, students are often invited to home parties by [[visiting professors]], [[lecturers]] and [[tutors]].
Victorians in the college are also immersed into a lively and warm college atmosphere. Victoria Junior College is recognised as a unique college with amazing college spirit amongst the students and teachers alike. Other than having 6 Official Mass Dances in the college, the college also has a wide array of Cheers. The College spirit is widely portrayed in the annual Orientation Day at the start of the year for the freshmen, as well as match supports and college events such as Open House.
As a feeder school for the wealthy [[Katong]] youth, who predominantly hail from scions of wealthy, established Catholic and Anglican families, it is the only preparatory school in Asia to offer sea sports such as [[yachting]], [[sailing]] and [[water-skiing]]. Victoria has also produced the most number of Asian [[celebrities]] due to its history of Arts education. {{fact|date=June 2008}}[[David Beckham]] was a visiting coach for the Victoria soccer team.
In addition to the usual programmes of study offered by similar institutions, VJC also offers a special programme in Theatre Studies & Drama. Since 2005, a four-year [[Education in Singapore#Integrated Programme|integrated programme]] which follows an International Baccalaureate system has been available. Previously, VJC also offered the French Language Elective Programme before it was temporarily discontinued by the Ministry of Education in 2006, due to weakening [[political]] ties with [[France]].{{fact|date=June 2008}}
Victoria Junior College is located in the [[Marine Vista]] precinct along the east coast of Singapore, about one kilometre from its [[affiliate]]d school, [[Victoria School]].<ref>See[http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel.php?travel_id=9603&travel_site=67694 Map of Victoria Junior College from Street Directory]</ref>
==College symbols==
It shares the [[motto]], school colours and almost identical [[Crest (heraldry)|Crest]] with [[Victoria School]] (VS) since the former was established to be the latter's affiliate. The meaning, significance and history of these symbols are all inherited from [[Victoria School]].
===Crest and heraldry===
The school crest and heraldry was based on the Anglican tradition, and modeled after [[University of Oxford|Oxford University's]] crest.
===Colours===
Yellow : Signifying [[dignity]] and [[excellence]] from a [[colonial]] legacy.
Red : Signifying [[universal brotherhood]] and [[equality]].
===Motto===
''"Nil Sine Labore"'', or "Nothing without Labour" in English. This motto was inherited from Victoria School, and was created in March 1940. It emphasizes the need for Victorians to persevere in order to fulfil their dreams and desires.
== College anthem ==
The college anthem inherited from [[Victoria School]]'s original pre-1987 School Song, after very slight modifications were made in the lyrics so that VS and VJC can share a common Victorian Anthem. ["School" was dropped after "Victoria" in the first 2 paragraphs shown below in 1987 by Victoria School]
Lyrics by J A Frazer (pre-87' version)<br>
Music by W E Meyer
Victoria in Singapore<br />
There are other schools we know<br />
Victoria is something more<br />
The school that watch'd us grow
For here we've learnt and striven too<br />
And played the sportsman's game<br />
Victoria we give to you<br />
The honour that you claim
Victoria, thy sons are we<br />
And we will not forget<br />
Victoria, thy triumphs seek<br />
And victories we share yet
For others came before and went<br />
And carried to the world<br />
Victoria's fame and our intent<br />
To keep her flag unfurled.
== Past academic luminaries and celebrity tutors ==
*[[Keith Penrose Mallinson]] (Oxon.) Lecturer and Humanities Tutor in British, Russian and American History.
*[[David Beckham]] Visiting coach for soccer
*[[Catherine Beylard]] (Aix-en-Provence, PhD.) Lecturer in French Language and Literature.
*[[Reynold Buono]] (Columbia) Director, [[Singapore Repertory Theatre]]. Theatre Studies & Drama. Performance Studies. Shakespeare and Hamlet.
== Past Principals ==
*1984 - 2001: Mrs LEE Phui Mun
*2001 - 2006: Mrs CHAN Khah Gek
*Present : Mr CHAN Poh Meng
== Facilities ==
The original institution has remained at its [[Marine Vista]] campus ever since its inauguration in 1984, with major changes and renovations made to the campus over the years.
The campus site comprises 6 Lecture Theaters, named LT1 to LT5, and LT AVA where LT1 and LT5 are the largest lecture theatres in the school, along with air-conditioned tutorial rooms and computer laboratories. The college campus is arranged in a compact formation; other notable facilities include the Performance Theatre and the Victoria Archive, which were both completed in 2001. VJC is also the only campus in Asia with a state-of-the-art Performance Theatre, which has a seating capacity of over 800.
Recent additions to the school campus include the renovation of the "Concourse" and the General Office, the completion of Treehouses and the Students' Lounge, the last of which has been nicknamed "The Igloo" due to its freezing temperatures. Facilities in The Igloo include a 7-foot pool table, a [[PlayStation 2]] video game console, as well as a dart board and [[Foosball]] table.
== Academics ==
Victoria offers a traditional UK-style [[Advanced Level (UK)|A-level]] curriculum, with [[Ivy League]]-style liberal arts offerings. Its excels in a [[Sino-Japanese]]-style of academic [[cramming]] with a comparatively lower [[suicide]] rate. It also offers a variety of sea sports for the [[beauty]]-conscious and the [[aesthete]]s.
Lessons are conducted in the traditional Oxbridge Lecture-Tutorial style. This system means that a large group of students will initially attend a series of lectures given by a renowned academic or lecturer on a particular subject. Subsequently, they will be re-grouped in cosier seminars in order to attempt tutorial questions. Finally, they will meet with their individual Subject Tutors to go through those questions in detail, and to clarify any further doubts or to follow through another line of enquiry.
=== Pedagogical technicalities ===
The standard practice is to pick 4 H2 level subjects or 3 H2 level subjects and 1 contrasting H1 subject to study for and to be examined for the next 2 years. The choice of subject combination is made on the very first day of school, during the orientation programme, in which subject talks will be given, and the students will make their choices. The allocation of classes are based on the subject combination, and done randomly, to ensure an equal ratio of boys and girls in each class, and to ensure the widest spread of diversity.
=== Student Body ===
=== Humanities and the arts ===
True to its [[England|English]] roots, Victoria is internationally-renowned for its hardcore history in the [[Arts]] and [[Humanities]]. Most students score above 700 for SAT I and obtain distinctions in [[Cambridge]] A-level [[General Paper]]. Victoria has a formidable [[Debating]] Team, with an established tradition in [[Oratory]] and [[Rhetoric]]. The Victoria Debating Team has won national and international competitions including the [[United Nations]] Debates, the [[Rotary]] Championships and the Phillip Jessup Debates.
[[Theatre Studies]] is also its [[forte]]. Each year, students perform politically and socially controversial plays in a mini-festival and it is open to members of the public. Visiting guest lecturers have included [[Broadway]] legend [[Lea Salonga]]. Under the guidance of [[Reynold Buono]], Victorian alums in the Arts are international icons. [[Geraldine Kok]], MFA [[Yale]], has performed in New York and Broadway. [[Ava Lyn Koh]] has starred in feature film Crime Of Passion. [[Alex Liang]], an actor and model in London, has appeared in numerous UK TV programmes, ads, feature films and music videos including [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]'s [[Hung Up]] [[music video]]. Arts alums [[moonlight]] as daytime corporate attorneys but perform in the night. Other known artistes include local and regional stars such as [[Michelle Chong]] and [[Joanne Peh]]. Theatre stalwarts, director [[Natalie Hennedige]] and playwright-actress [[Eleanor Tan]] continue to stir the Asian arts scene. Victorians are also the first Asians to break into [[Hollywood]] - [[Lydia Look]] in [[Rush Hour]] and [[Lucy Liu]] (who was on exchange from [[Stuyvesant High]] in New York).
20 nationally ranked students are named [[Humanities]] Scholars each year in the Humanities Programme.
=== The Past Faculty System ===
Victoria has produced leading scientists in [[stem-cell]] research, [[geriatric]] [[healthcare]] specialists and prize-winning [[Olympiad]] prize-winning mathematicians. This extremely large student body is further sub-divided. Historically, the scientists and mathematicians, academically brilliant [[nerd]]s are known affectionately as the "asses" and are good-humoredly categorized by their "asses" in numbers - a homophone for the abbreviation "S." for "Sciences". The following explains the technicalities:
* The S1 Faculty.
'''Science 1 (S1)''' faculty elects Mathematics C and 3 other pure sciences, namely [[Physics]], [[Chemistry]] and [[Biology]]. Known as the "Triple Science" faculty which denotes a [[pre-med]] academic track. Students in this category prepare for the most stressful and competitive [[Medical School]].
* The S2 Faculty.
For 2004 & 2005, the '''S2 faculty''' elects [[Mathematics]] C, [[Biology]] and [[Chemistry]] with
either [[Physics]], [[Literature]], [[History]] or [[Economics]]. This is for those with a soft "S", aiming to pursue dual careers in the Sciences and the Arts, such as Pharmacists with a passion for writing.
** Historically, the S2 faculty elected alternative subjects such as Mathematics C, Further Mathematics, Physics, and Economics.
* The S3 Faculty.
The '''S3 faculty''' elects Mathematics C, Further Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Computing or Economics (from 2004 onwards). This is the faculty that has produced the techies and the [[computer engineer]]s who work for [[Google]].
* The S4 Faculty.
* The '''S4 faculty''' elects Mathematics C, Physics, Chemistry and Economics. Variation includes substituting Economics with [[Art]] or [[Computing]] or the Humanities.
* The Humanities and Arts Faculty.
The '''Arts 5 (A5)''' faculty elects English Literature, Economics, and two other subjects, from the choice of History, [[Geography]], Mathematics C, Art and Theatre Studies and Drama (TSD). Taking both History and Geography as the two remaining subjects is considered on a case-by-case basis, while TSD and French / Art as the two remaining subjects is rarely offered, often with the requirement to drop either English Literature or Economics if one wants to pursue this choice.
This is because Humanities and Arts courses are the most intellectually demanding classes. In addition, the [[Cambridge]] examinations still exert a strong [[colonial]], [[Euro-centric]] bias, disadvantaging students of [[Asian]] and [[Chinese]] descent. [[Alum]]s with an [[IQ]] of 500 from Gifted programmes or students who have obtained distinction in Cambridge S-papers (equivalent to 2nd year Cambridge university work) have been known to fail or obtain low grades in the final examinations for [[History]] and [[Economics]], since a large portion of these essays depend on [[subjective]] grading. As such, Victoria's policy has been to advise students against these dangerous permutations. However, most of Victoria's most successful alums have benefited from unusual combinations due to a scarce supply of applicants with unique academic background in the labor market.
* The S6 Faculty.
* The '''S6 faculty''' takes Mathematics C, Physics, Economics and either Chemistry, Computing, Geography, History or English Literature. S4 students may also be placed in this faculty to avoid an imbalance in faculty sizes.
== The Present Faculty System ==
From 2006, the faculty system has been changed. In the new faculty system:
* The '''Arts 1 (A1)''' faculty replaces the A5 faculty. However, it is compulsory for all Arts students to take Mathematics as one of their A-level subjects. This is because Mathematics is an easy "A" for most Asian and Chinese students, especially those from [[Dunman High]] since the [[Dunman High]] Mathematics syllabus includes A-level work. Some have even studied university-level Further Mathematics at age 14.
* The '''S3 faculty''' now elects Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry as their 3 basic subjects, and a choice from either English Literature, History, Geography, Economics, Art, Chinese/Tamil/Malay Language & Literature, Theater Studies and Drama or General Studies in Chinese
* The '''S4 faculty''' elects as it is, taking Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as their 3 basic subjects. However, taking Computing with Physics and Chemistry is not allowed now due to the requirement that students must take a contrasting subject (i.e. a Humanities subject).
* The '''S5 faculty''' elects the previous S6 faculty, and take Mathematics, Physics, Economics as their 3 basic subjects, and a choice from either English Literature, History, Geography, Computing, Art, Chinese/Tamil/Malay Language & Literature, Theater Studies and Drama or General Studies in Chinese.
* The '''S6 faculty''' elects a new subject combination. Students in this faculty take Mathematics, Chemistry, Economics as their 3 basic subjects, and a choice from either English Literature, History, Geography, Computing, Art, Chinese/Tamil/Malay Language & Literature, Theater Studies and Drama or General Studies in Chinese.
PCME students may be allocated into S5 and S6 classes in order to avoid an imbalance in faculty sizes, since the S4, S5 and S6 subject combinations are quite similar.
Since 2006, Science students have been allowed to offer Theatre Studies and Drama (TSD) as a contrasting subject, whereas previously, this option was exclusively offered to Arts students. This is due to the tremendous financial and staff resources dedicated to Theatre Studies and Drama Department, which should be evenly spread out in the college. However, Science students, especially those offering classes with labs, have been known to fail at Theatre because of the impossible demand of 4 lab courses. It means staying in the college all week and weekend, day and night. Some drop one of their science courses.
=== Curriculum Hours ===
Curriculum hours vary widely across each level and differently for different classes. Morning Assembly (and the time after which one is considered late for school) is at 0740, and the first lesson starts at 0800. Each period is 35 mins, and the dismissal times range from as early as 1210 to as late as 1725 for all days. On Wednesday, the day allocated for CCAs however, the latest dismissal time is 1430. There are no specific periods allocated for break time or recess, to prevent overcrowding of the canteen. It is usual for students to have 2 or more consecutive periods of breaks, and this is especially common for students in the Arts Faculty.
For 2006, the last year of Special papers, most year 2s have Special paper lessons on Thursdays and Fridays from 1430 to 1650.
Students are only allowed to leave school from 1245 onwards.
=== Class Naming Conventions ===
VJC uses the naming convention that is common across most other JCs. Specifically, each class is called a CT (Civics Tutorial) group with a form teacher called a Civics Tutor. Each class follows this naming system of year of formation, followed by the stream (S for science, A for Arts and V for the Integrated Programme), then the faculty number and then the class number. For example, 08S37 denotes that the class was formed (or the students entered the school) in 2008, S for the Science stream (A for the arts stream, V for the Integrated Programme), the first 3 for the faculty (Science S3) and the second 7 denotes that S37 is the 7th class in that faculty.
This means that there will be only one of each class and the class name remains unique to each class only.
For the Science Faculty, the last digit of the class name usually represents the subject combination that some students of that class may be taking. SX1 students would be taking Geography as their 4th subject. SX2 students would be taking History as their 4th subject. SX3 students would be taking English Literature as their 4th subject. As an example, some students in S51 would be taking Geography in place of Chemistry, since the S5 faculty takes Physics, Maths, Economics as their 3 basic subjects.
For 2004:
04S11 – S17, 04S21 – S27, 04S31 – S36, 04S41 – S47, 04A51 – A55, 04S61 – 04S64
For 2005:
05S11 – S19, 05S21 – S28, 05S31 – S34, 05S41 – S47, 05A51 – A55, 05S61 – 05S64, 05V11 – V14
For 2006:
06A11 – A15, 06S30 – S39, 06S40 – S49, 06S51 – S56, 06S61 – S64, 06V11 – V14
For 2007:
07A11 - A15, 07S30 - S39, 07S41 - S49, 07S51 - S56, 07S61 - S65, 07V11 - V14
For 2008:
08A11 - A15, 08S30 - S39, 08S41 - S49, 08S51 - S56, 08S61 - S65, 08V11 - V14
=== Special Programmes ===
The following special programmes are available:
* FastTrack@VJC Teaching and learning with Broadband Programme
* Hospital Attachment Programme
* HP Email Mentoring Scheme
* Humanities and Social Science Research Programme
* Humanities Scholarship Programmes
* Mathematics Enrichment Programme
* NUS Education Programme for Gifted Youths (NUS-EPGY)
* Scholarships Programme
* Science Enrichment Programme
* Science Research Programme
* Science and Mathematics Olympiads
* Science Focus
* Taiwan Immersion Programme
* Technology and Engineering Programme
* [http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/academics/dept/english/tsd/home.php Theatre Studies and Drama Programme]
* [http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/vip Victoria Integrated Programme]
== Co-Curricular Activities ==
Victoria offers a wide range of co-curricular activities. The Students' Council and the Civics Tutorial Council works in organising school-wide activities, at the same time also organising college events on their own and proposing initiatives to benefit the student body as well.
The Civics Tutorial Council, also known as the CT Council, is a key student leadership body comprising of a CT Representative from each Civics Tutorial Group (Class). The CT Councillors are efficient and effective in serving as the bridge between the college and the class, promoting the welfare of each and every single Victorian. The CT Councillors also work hand-in-hand with the Student Councillors and the House Committee members in organising, maintaining and planning college events and functions.
The House Committee comprises the key figures for each of the six Houses, coming together as a united body, organising inter-house activities and assisting the CT Council and Students' Council for various events.
Every year, new activities are proposed by students themselves. 2004 saw the founding of a [[Fencing]] Club and [[Golf]] Club and in 2005, [[Rock Climbing]] was established as a CCA.
Clubs with low membership are merged with other related clubs so as to add to the variety of activities each club does. In 2004, IT Council merged with iComp, and [[Contract bridge|Bridge]] and [[Chess]] Club merged with Defence Science Club to become the Strategic Games Club.
'''The List of various CCAs in Victoria Junior College'''
===Student Leadership===
*25th Students' Council
*17th Civics Tutorial Council
*5th House Committee
===Sports Groups===
*[[Air rifle]]
*[[Badminton]]
*[[Basketball]]
*[[Bowling]]
*[[Canoeing]]
*[[Cricket]]
*[[Cross country running|Cross country]]
*[[Fencing]]
*[[Floorball]]
*[[Frisbee]] (still an unofficial CCA)
*[[Golf]]
*[[Hockey]]
*[[Judo]]
*[[Netball]]
*[[Rock climbing]]
*[[Sailing]]
*[[Soccer]]
*[[Softball]]
*[[Squash (sport)|Squash]]
*[[Swimming]]
*[[Table-tennis]]
*[[Taekwondo]]
*[[Tennis]]
*[[Track]]
===Performing Arts===
*[[Chinese Orchestra]] (Gold - SYF 2007)
*[[Choir]] (Gold With Honours - SYF 2007)
*[[Dance]] Club (Gold With Honours - SYF 2007)
*[[Drama]] Club
*[[Guitar]] Ensemble (Gold - SYF 2007)
*[[Harmonica]] Band (Gold - SYF 2007)
*[[Piano]] Ensemble
*[[String instrument|String]] Ensemble (Gold With Honours - SYF 2007)
*[[Concert band|Symphonic Band]] (Gold With Honours - SYF 2007)
===Clubs and Societies===
*Animal Welfare Society
*Art Club
*Artery (Arts Society)
*[[Astronomy]] Club
*Bizclub
*Career Development Council
*[[Chinese language|Chinese]] Society
*College Magazine
*Community Involvement Council
*Debating and Oratorical Society
*Earth Watch
*FIREfly@VJC
*[[First Aid]] Club
*French Club
*Global Affairs Society
*Health and Fitness Club
*[[Horticulture]] Society
*Infocomm
*[[Rotary International|Interact]] Club
*[[Japan]]ese Club
*Library Council
*Lighthink (General Paper Society)
*[[Lion Dance]] Troupe
*[[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]] Cultural Society
*Mathematics Society
*Outdoor Activities Club
*PA Crew
*[[Philosophy|Philosophical]] Society
*[[Photography]] Society
*[[Robotics]] Club
*Science Council which consists of:
**Chemistry Society
**Medical Society
**Physics Society
*Science Research Society
*Strategic Games Club
*Subjectif
*VJC Archive
*Writers' Circle
*Singapore Youth Flying Club (external)
A list of the CCAs available in VJC along with links to their websites can be found on the College Website [http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/02_ccas.shtml here]
Established clubs such as the VJC Choir regularly participate in international competitions. On [[19 July]] [[2004]] the choir represented Singapore in the '''Choir Olympics''' held in [[Bremen (city)|Bremen, Germany]] and participated in 3 categories: Musica Sacra, Contemporary Music and Open Mixed. The choir emerged as the category champion in '''Open Mixed''', and as second in the '''Musica Sacra''' and '''Contemporary Music''' categories. Gold standard medals were also awarded for each of these categories. Furthermore, the VJC Choir participated in the '''9th Concorso Corale Internazionale''' (International Choir Competition) from [[9 April]] to [[12 April]] [[2006]], held in Riva Del Garda, Italy. The choir participated in the '''Sacred to compete in the Grand Finals, in which , Guam, Australia and Japan took part in the Festival. The VJC Symphonic Band achieved a gold award in the adjudicated performance.
Many other performing groups also excel regularly in the biannual Singapore Youth Festival.
In 2007, the Choir, Dance, String Ensemble and Symphonic Band achieved the Gold with Honours award at the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging, while the Chinese Orchestra, Guitar Ensemble and Harmonica Band were awarded the Gold award.
As for sports, VJC has done well over the past few years. One of its niche areas in the sporting arena is in the sport of Soccer. The guys' team, has made it to the finals of the National A Division Inter-School Soccer Championships for the past 7 years, missing the finals in [[2007]] after being defeated by eventual champions [[Raffles Junior College]] on penalties in the semi-finals. The girls' team, formed in late 2005, emerged champions in 2006 and finished runners-up to [[St. Andrews Junior College]] in 2007.
The college is also strong in sports such as [[Cross country running|cross-country]], [[softball]] and [[sailing]].
== Houses ==
During competitive intra-school events, the school population is divided into six houses. These houses and their respective colour codes are:
* [[Aquila (constellation)|Aquila]] (Blue)
* [[Draco (constellation)|Draco]] (Red)
* [[Lynx]] (Green)
* [[Pegasus]] (Purple)
* [[Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix]] (Orange)
* [[Ursa]] (Yellow)
The House Committee is in charge of each house, with each house having at least 4 House Comm members: The House Captain, The Vice-Captain, The Treasurer and The Secretary. Integrated Programme students into the House Comm are called "Caplets". House points are earned through inter-house activities.
The house system was introduced in 2004 in order to prepare students for the change in curriculum in 2006, when the current faculties such as S1 and S2 faculties will be eliminated. Before the house system, the school population competed as faculties. Currently, the house system distributes students from different faculties evenly, eliminating the size advantage that the S1 or "triple science" faculty used to have from offering the most popular subject combination.
The house with the highest grand total of points wins the La Coupe Etoile (or The Star Cup), awarded to the Champion House at the Farewell Assembly for the Year 2s at the end of each year.
'''Past Champion Houses'''
2004: Draco
2005: Ursa
2006: Aquila
2007: Pegasus
== Affiliations ==
Victoria Junior College is affiliated to [[Victoria School]], Victoria School boys choosing to enter Victoria Junior College can get two bonus points off their 'O' level L1R5 academic aggregate although Victoria Junior College also has a small portion of its total student intake enrolled through VJC's own Integrated Programme (IP) - which non-affiliated students and VS boys has equal opportunity of enrolling.
Both institutions are under the charge of the Victoria Executive and Advisory Committee (VEC/VAC) and share a common alumni association — the Old Victorians' Association (OVA).
Both campuses do co-organize concerts, overseas trips, OVA events and other events together as affiliated school.
== Former Victorians ==
* [[Politics]] and [[Government]]
** [[Chia Ti Lik]]: Lawyer; Workers' Party candidate, 2006 General Elections
* [[Corporate]] and [[Entrepreneurship]]
** [[Douglas Foo]]: Founder of [[Sakae Sushi]]; Entrepreneur of the Year, 1992
** [[Adam Khoo]]: Entrepreneur, best-selling author
* [[Arts]], [[Culture]] and [[Mass media|Media]]
** [[Television]]
*** [[Felicia Chin]]: Actress, Mediacorp; Winner, 2003 Star Search
*** [[Joanne Peh]]: Actress, Mediacorp; Miss Elegant and Miss Personality, [[Miss Singapore Universe]], 2002
*** [[Michelle Chong]]: Compere and actress, Mediacorp
*** [[Diana Ser]]: Celebrity journalist and presenter; Nominated for Best Current Affairs Presenter, Asian TV Awards, 2004
** [[Singing]]
*** [[Ho Yeow Sun]]: Singer; First and only Asian singer to top the US Billboard Dance Chart and the UK MusicWeek Chart; Only singer selected to be music ambassador for 2008 Beijing Olympics
*** [[Jasmine Tye]]: 2nd runner up, [[Singapore Idol]], Season 2, 2006
*** [[Keely Wee]]: Female champion, [[Campus SuperStar]], Season 2, 2007
** [[Film-making]]
*** [[Kelvin Tong]]: Local movie director - Eating Air (1999), The Maid (2005), Love Story (2006), Men In White (2007)
*** [[Tan Pin Pin]]: Award-winning filmmaker
** [[Radio]]
*** [[Joe Augustin]]: Radio presenter and voiceover artist
** [[Miss Singapore Universe]]
*** [[Cheryl Marie Cordeiro]]: Winner, [[Miss Singapore Universe]], 1999
*** [[Nuraliza Osman]]: Winner, [[Miss Singapore Universe]], 2002
*** [[Jessica Tan (Miss Singapore/Universe 2007)|Jessica Tan]]: Winner, [[Miss Singapore Universe]], 2007
** [[Literary]]
*** [[Davyd Chong]]: 1st Prize Winner, [[Channel NewsAsia]]'s Get Rea! Songwriting Competition, 2004
*** [[Dave Chua]]: Local writer; Winner, Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award, 1996
*** [[Sandra Davie]]: Journalist, Straits Times
* [[Sports]]
** Football
*** [[Fabian Tan]]: National Under-23 (Young Lions) footballer; One of the few Chinese and only NUS undergrad in SLeague
** Sailing
*** [[Koh Seng Leong]]: Olympian (Sailing), 2008
*** [[Lo Manyi]]: Gold medalist, Sailing, SEA Games, 2005; Olympian (Sailing), 2008
*** [[Toh Liying]]: Gold medalist, Sailing, SEA Games, 2005; Olympian (Sailing), 2008
*** [[Deborah Ong]]: Olympian (Sailing), 2008
*** [[Lim Tze Ting]]: Gold medalist, Sailing, Asian Games, 2006
*** Sarah Tan: Gold medalist, Sailing, Asian Games, 2006
*** [[Roy Tay]]: Gold medalist, Sailing, Asian Games, 2006; Flag-bearer, Singapore contingent, Asian Games, 2006; Sportsboy of the Year, 1999;
*** [[Teo Wee Chin]]: Singapore's first world youth sailing champion, World Youth Sailing Championships, 2005; Gold medalist, Sailing, SEA Games, 2005; Gold medalist, Sailing, Asian Games, 2006; Sportsboy of the Year, 2002
** Squash
*** [[Mah Li Lian]]: SEA Games gold medalist and national squash champion; Sportsgirl of the Year, 1987; Sportswoman of the Year, 1989 and 1991
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.vjc.moe.edu.sg/ Official site of Victoria Junior College]
*[http://vs.moe.edu.sg/ Official site of Victoria School]
*[http://www.ova.org.sg/ Old Victorians' Association]
*[http://blog.vjc.sg/ Blog]
*[http://cosiety.vjc.
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