Principal's Message 校长献词

Mr Chiew Jing Wen, Principal

A very warm greeting to all students and parents in our Nan Hua Family. As the 25th Principal of Nan Hua High School, I am extremely proud of our vibrant Nan Hua community, which characterises our love for learning, our compassion for all, and our zest for life as Nanhuarians. I am confident that our new Sec 1 students will also find in Nan Hua High School a nest where you can learn and grow.

An Institution of Bicultural Learning
As a centenary institution founded in 1917 through a philanthropic spirit to champion a better society for all, Nan Hua has grown from strength to strength over our 108 years to nurture generations of Nanhuarians who strive for excellence in life while remaining anchored in our unique sense of bicultural identity. Living out our school culture of Ren (仁), Excellence, Learning, and Collegiality in their interactions with peers and teachers with whom they learn and grow, our Nanhuarians carry a youthful exuberance, confidence, and spark which set them apart and place them in good stead to make the most of opportunities that come their way.

Nan Hua stands proud and tall today, in large part because of our deeply-committed and fiercely-dedicated staff. The tremendous support from our School Advisory Committee (SAC), our Parents Support Group (PSG), our Nan Hua Alumni, and our community partners, has also enabled meaningful opportunities for our students’ development over the years. Through their labour of love, our Nanhuarians can appreciate our bicultural identity with grateful humility, develop a sense of positive purpose to pursue their passion, and find meaningful balance and buoyancy in life and learning, through our unique Nan Hua experience.

Our New Nan Hua Vision & Mission (2025 – 2028)
With gratitude for the strong foundations laid by our predecessors and in appreciation of our vibrant Nan Hua culture, I was privileged to journey together with our Nan Hua family as Principal, to chart the next lap for Nan Hua High School. This re-envisioning journey has taken us more than a year in conversation, as we wanted to do our best to hear the different voices of our staff, our students, and our key stakeholders; sense our hopes and aspirations; so that we can move forward with a new set of Nan Hua vision and mission that connects us as one Nan Hua community; encourages every Nanhuarian heartbeat; and honours our Nan Hua identity.

As an educator, the holistic development of our students’ character, confidence, and capacity to care and contribute is very close to my heart. Amidst the winds of change that are upon our society and the global landscape, we need to prepare our children differently, for a future markedly different from what our schooling experiences prepared us for. I am heartened that our staff in Nan Hua shares this heartbeat. We must therefore deepen the strong foundations for bicultural learning that Nan Hua has laid over the years and empower our Nanhuarians to grow holistically as learners of learning for life, beyond merely students of subjects.

I am excited to share our new Nan Hua vision, for us to grow as a community of:

who embrace tradition and embody the spirit of Junzi (君子) in pursuing learning for our inner cultivation, so that we may lead with courage, compassion, and humility in our outward contribution in championing a better society.

As a school, we strive to achieve this vision through our mission, to nurture:

We believe that each Nanhuarian must develop a passion not just for learning but for life, who are able to:

• Embrace the cultural strengths of our Chinese values and traditions and harness their individual character strengths, to develop a healthy sense of identity with confidence;
• Uphold Ren (仁 Humanity) in exercising empathy and thoughtful consideration for the well-being of others, to uplift lives around them with selfless compassion; and
• Appreciate perspectives and experiences across cultures and contexts with humility and sensitivity, to collaborate respectfully in strengthening our multi-cultural society with cultural versatility.

Our timeless Nan Hua values (忠，孝，仁，爱，礼，义，廉，耻) will remain as our moral compass, guiding us in learning and in life. Through their journey with us, we will support every Nanhuarians to develop the confidence to sense-make with purpose, make connections for growth and innovation, and strive for excellence with a healthy sense of balance and buoyancy in life.

Our School Theme for 2025
Last year, our school theme of Riding the Waves, Pursuing Our Dreams – 扬帆起航，乘风逐梦 – reminds us that each of us are on our personal voyage of learning and adventure. On this journey, we can ride the waves to reach higher and travel further, by being positively purposeful, resourcefully buoyant, and adaptively agile, so that together we harness the winds to chase our dreams.

This year in 2025, our school theme will be Strength in Identity, Passion in Community – 南华同心，众彩生辉 . It builds on our growth from 2024, to encourage all Nanhuarians to draw strength from our bicultural Nan Hua identity, especially our timeless Nan Hua values and the philanthropic spirit upon which Nan Hua was founded, to grow in confidence, compassion, and cultural versatility. This will enable us to harness our collective passion as a Nan Hua community to give back to our society. As the Nan Hua experience attests, “一日南华人，一世南华情” – the camaraderie and affection that our Nanhuarians demonstrate for the school, even after they step out of our 礼义之门 in graduation, is a powerful testament to the impact of Nan Hua in their lives. As Nanhuarians, our passion must enrich lives beyond our own, and our impact must likewise reach beyond our school. With our passion as a community, let us illuminate the path for those in our society who need it the most.

Our hope for all Nanhuarians is to build deep friendships, discover their passions and strengths, and harness these strengths for good – to uplift our society as a Nan Hua Family. 根植传统，放眼世界，回馈社会 – 这是我们南华人的理念。At the end of their four years in Nan Hua High School, we look forward to seeing each and every Nanhuarian emerge with confidence as Curious Learners, Cultured Scholars, and Courageous Leaders who not only embrace tradition and pursuing learning for inner cultivation, but also lead with courage, compassion, and humility in outward contribution towards a better society. 愿每一名南华学生都能成为 乐学善思、文质彬彬、当仁不让 的南华人。

May we look forward to a fruitful and fulfilling 2025!

Mr Chiew Jing Wen 周景文
Principal 校长