“What makes Assunta, Assunta?” a student once pondered. It is not the school’s size its look or its buildings that define it. Instead, it is the students and teachers who fill its halls. They march on its fields. They study in its classrooms. They sing the school song. That spirit has marked Assunta Convent Secondary School through trials disappointments and triumphs.
Assunta is derived from Italian. Its English equivalent is Assumption. This word is associated with the Virgin Mary’s Assumption into Heaven. The school was named in memory of Sister Assunta. She was a nun who cared for smallpox victims in Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion. She died in 1904.
Assunta Convent Secondary School was founded in 1957. Malaya was in turmoil then. Communists struggled for power. Racial tensions were high. Curfews were in place. Most girls did not attend school. British and local leaders aimed to change this. They created an all-girls school to promote education and improve race relations. This school became Assunta.
The school began with two Form 1 classes and one Remove class. The Remove class prepared Chinese-educated primary school girls for Catholic High School. Like a tiny acorn Assunta had the potential for greatness.
Under Sister Enda Ryan’s leadership student numbers grew. Between 1959 and 1960 the number of classes soared to eleven. To accommodate the new secondary classes six primary school classes moved to Jalan Templer. Domestic Science classes took place at Assunta Hospital.
In 1960, the first phase of the Jalan Changgai School was built. This is Assunta’s present location. That year Assunta presented its first students for the Lower Certificate of Education exam. It was later known as Sijil Rendah Pelajaran and now Penilaian Menengah Rendah.
A year later three Form 1 classes and two Remove classes were admitted. These classes were held at Assunta Primary School. Senior students moved to the new Jalan Changgai site.
Phase two of the school building was completed in 1962. The school now had twenty classes. The first Assuntarians sat for the Senior Cambridge Examination. It is now known as Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia.
By 1963, Assunta had 900 students. There were 34 full-time teachers one part-time Bahasa Malaysia teacher and one religious teacher. In February Assunta became a Grade A school. Jalan Talent was also built that year. With student numbers rising a school hall was needed.
After five years of fundraising the new school hall was completed in 1969. It cost about RM100,000. Over the years improvements were made. These included a covered walkway connecting the school building to the hall and canteen. A wooden bridge a school office a headmistress’ office a conference room two laboratories and a library were added.
By 1982 the school had 20 classes two cooking rooms a dentist’s office and 87 teachers. In the 1980s student numbers reached 2000. The lack of classrooms led to floating classrooms. Intensive fundraising followed. By 1988 a four-story building was erected where the basketball court had been. It was named the Mutiara Block for Assunta’s Pearl Anniversary. Form 4 and Lower 6 classes finally had permanent classrooms. Floating classes became a thing of the past.
1989 was bittersweet for Assunta. On May 30 1989 the school hall was named Sister Enda Hall. The next day Sister Enda retired as Headmistress. She had served for over 30 years.
In 1994 the Mutiara Block’s basement was converted into four classrooms and a surau. Over the years teachers and students have excelled. Assunta has become a top school in Petaling Jaya.
The growing population led to a need for computer labs a modern library and a bigger canteen. In 2000 the school and Assunta Alumni launched a School Building Fund. It aimed to raise money for a new wing with these facilities.
Assunta Convent Secondary School stands as a testament to the power of education. It embodies the spirit of its students and staff. It continues to strive for excellence.