Dear ACSians,

Happy Founder’s Day!

I bring the greetings of nearly 12,000 members of the ACSOBA, the oldest and the largest school alumni association in Singapore.

Founder’s Day is a special occasion, unique to ACSians. In addition to the celebrations at all our schools, there are gatherings taking place across Singapore and in several countries.

Today we celebrate 139 years.

Singapore, and the world, has changed greatly since those 13 boys started their first day of school in a small shophouse at 70 Amoy Street.

And ACS has also kept up with those changes. Instead of one school, we are now six schools in Singapore, with another in Jakarta. In the coming years, we hope to add three new schools to this family – ACS Academy in Singapore, ACS Bali and a second school in Jakarta. This growth is only possible with God’s help.

We are also more diverse – those original 13 boys were sons of Chinese towkays, learning Mandarin in the morning and English in the afternoon. Very quickly, we embraced the diversity of Singapore with many Malay, Indian, and Eurasian students joining our ranks, and this made our school lives fuller. Our international schools also embrace this diversity, bringing the globe to Singapore, and Bishop Oldham’s mission to the world.

Come 2026, we will take that diversity to a new level, with the opening of ACS Academy to welcome those who have special needs and require a different style of education. This is a welcome addition and will be built next to the new ACS (Primary). For the first time in the history of Singapore, a special needs school will be co-located with another school, and this opens up a myriad of possibilities in how we approach education, socialisation and co-mingling. This opportunity is in line with the pioneering ACS spirit!

But even as ACS has grown and changed with the times, I am heartened that at least three things have remained a constant.

First, we remain a school that puts Christ at its centre. We were founded as part of the Methodist Mission, and I am glad to see that 139 years later, we are still dedicated to that same mission. We are still playing an important role in the Great Commission.

Second, we are OneACS even though we have evolved into many different ACS units.

• In the sporting arena, our students from ACJC and ACSI came together in 2024 to form combined A division softball teams to compete in the National School Games.
• Our boys from ACSI and ACS Barker Road train together at a combined Track & Field coaching programme.
• The ACSOBA Wind Orchestra has ACS alumni from ACJC and ACSI playing alongside ACJC students and teachers.
• At our recent Past versus Present Games, nearly 1000 athletes from ACS alumni, ACJC, ACS International, ACSI and ACS Barker Road participated in 10 different sporting events.
• Within the ACSOBA, our older members willingly guide our younger members as part of our ACSOBA Mentorship programme.

In all phases of life, ACS students and alumni look out for each other. It is an unspoken rule.

Third, the unwavering loyalty that ACSians have for the school. ACSians are always ready to give back – whether it is their time, effort or even money – to ensure the next generation has even more opportunities. It is hard to write the story of ACS without remembering the contributions of the alumni.

For those of you graduating this year – I hope that you will find the opportunity to continue your journey with the ACS Family. But more importantly, I do hope that you will one day come and give back to the school, and join the ACSOBA.

We will need you, to help write the next chapter.

To God Be the Glory! The Best Is Yet To Be!

Dr Wong Heng Yu,
President ACSOBA