Alumni like to reminisce about the ‘good old days’, though it is unclear if those moments were truly good when we were students, or merely nostalgic recollections in our advancing years.

For many of us, we tend to recall fondly things mostly unrelated to studying such as friendships forged, the sometimes dangerous and playful episodes....the unforgettable journey of growing up in an uniquely ACS environment.

Everyone has a distinct ACS journey. As President of the ACS Old Boys’ Association (OBA), I feel privileged to be part of the great ACS tradition that inspires us to wear our ACS badge with pride and honour. Our undying loyalty to our school is an ACSian trademark that binds us together and embodies the ACS Spirit.

The ACS family is blessed to have a dedicated team of alumni forming our ACS OBA Management Committee. The OBA serves as the custodian and guardian of the ACS Spirit and its legacy of excellence for the generations of today and those to come. The ACS history is steeped in tradition, but in order for the tradition to endure, we must communicate it through the generations. No one can identify traditions better than those who have lived them.

As ACS forges ahead in an ever-changing educational landscape, we as alumni need to stand together to ensure that the preservation of our ACSian legacy stands firm. We celebrated our 130th anniversary last year, and as we step into the next phase in our ACS history, the ACS OBA looks forward to working with alumni and stakeholders on new initiatives that keep the ACS Spirit alive AND relevant.

My committee and I will be taking big steps over the next year and we are proud to share our latest organizational plans with you.

Newly Introduced Standing Sub-Committees

Business Development: In our effort to be more relevant to members, this sub-committee has been tasked to explore ways in which we can engage in the ACS community in a more meaningful manner and enhance the OBA membership.

Alumni Engagement: With the constant offers from Old Boys and Girls to serve our alma mater, we hope to formalise our volunteer programme to ensure that our alumni have ample opportunities to be involved in ACSian life.

Legal: One of our priorities for 2017 is to strengthen the ACS brand. In doing so, the Legal Sub-committee is working on creating a new set of Brand Guidelines for the use of the ACS Crest to protect the integrity of what identifies us as ACSians.

Schools Engagement: The OBA recognizes that our current students are our alumni tomorrow. We have assigned the members of our management committee to each of our ACS schools in Singapore as liaisons between the schools and the OBA to increase the awareness of the OBA’s role in the ACS Story.

Oldham Club: As the sports and community outreach arm of the OBA, Oldham Club mentors and guides younger members of the community in the values and tradition of an ACS upbringing through sports. It provides a framework for the participation in friendly games or, like many of our Chapters, play competitively in National Leagues.

Traditional Sub-Committees

Events Committee: This is a long standing sub-committee that organizes all our traditional events such as Past vs Present Games, Founder’s Day Dinner, the Retired Teachers’ Tribute Dinner and added the ONE ACS Career Forum to our annual calendar. In addition, we have plans for more social events such as the ACS OBA and MGS Alumnae Association Mixer on March 25th and Members’ Nights.

Scholarships and Bursaries: For more information on the list of scholarships and bursaries that the OBA has to offer, please visit https://www.acsoba.net/acs-scholarships-bursaries.

My committee and I are committed to working with you to ensure that our ACS flag continues to fly high and that the words we sing each March the 1st is permanently etched in our hearts - Our hearts, our hopes, our aims are one, no discord e’er will sever. We’ll stand together for the cause of A.C.S. forever.

My best wishes to you all.

Lim Tat
President
ACS Old Boys’ Association