Online Encyclopedia
Anglo-Chinese School
The Anglo-Chinese School is a family of five schools in Singapore, namely Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College. With the exception of Anglo-Chinese Junior College, all of the ACS family of schools are single-gender schools that have only male students. The school is also affiliated with other Methodist schools in Singapore, including Methodist Girls' School (an all-girls institution) and Fairfield Methodist School (co-educational). The name is usually abbreviated as ACS, with the Junior college as ACJC, and its students and alumni referred to as ACSians (pronounced ack-sians), or ACS boys (and girls, for ACJC). In recent years, there have also been plans to expand to set up campuses overseas, namely China.
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School history (1886-1993)
ACS was founded on March 1, 1886 by Bishop William F. Oldham, as an extention of the Methodist Church. Its first location was in a dilapidated shophouse at 70 Amoy Street with a total of 13 pupils. The name of the school came from the fact that it conducted lessons in English in the mornings and Chinese in the afternoons. By the following year, enrollment had increased to 104, and the school moved to Coleman Street. Within the next three years, its student population increased to 300.
Between 1914 and 1920, under the leadership of the Reverend J S Nagel, the school introduced regular religious, or "chapel" services and physical education classes. Afternoon classes were also established for less bright students. In a bid to ensure continuity in school life and keep the school adequately staffed, Nagel encouraged ex-students, known as old boys, to return to the school as teachers. To this day, many old boys continue to keep close ties to the school, both as returning teachers, and through the Anglo-Chinese School Old Boys' Association.
The Anglo-Chinese Continuation School was started by the new principal, the Reverend P L Peach, in 1925, for students who had to leave the school due to the newly imposed age limits on school-going boys by the government. Eventually, ACCS was renamed the Oldham Methodist School. A Secondary School was opened at Cairnhill.
Between 1942 and 1945, the Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II. During the Occupation, lessons were suspended, and the school only re-opened its doors in 1946, a year after the Japanese surrender and once the buildings at Cairnhill and Coleman Street were made safe from damage sustained during the war. The pre-war principal, T W Hinch, who had been interned by the Japanese during the Occupation and had been sent back to England to recover, returned to the school in June. Among his first priorities was to set up "X" and "Y" classes, each with different levels of difficulty, for students who had missed years of their education due to the Occupation. In September, 1950, the Secondary School relocated from Cairnhill to Barker Road.
Also in 1950, Post School Certificate Classes, later known as Pre-University Classes because they were supposed to prepare students for tertiary education, were set up, and the first batch of girl students were enrolled in ACS. However, lower grades continued to be all male, a practice which persists to this day. Dr Thio Chan Bee, the first Asian principal of ACS, took the reins in 1952. During his tenure, both the Cairnhill and Barker Road premises saw expansion, the latter with the building of the Lee Hall, a three-storey building housing 12 classrooms and 4 laboratories.
In January, 1961, the Oldham Methodist Secondary School merged with the Secondary School at Barker Road. In 1977, the Pre-University classes moved to the newly constructed Anglo-Chinese Junior College at Rochester Park, off Dover Road, leaving the Barker Road site to the Secondary and Junior schools. The Junior School eventually relocated to new premises in its old neighborhood at Cairnhill, in 1985.
In 1986, ACS celebrated its centenary with the publication of a hardback history of the school detailing its rich student and teacher life over the years, titled, Hearts, Hopes and Aims.
1993 saw another reorganization of the school. The Ministry of Education started its Independent School program that year. Independent schools are allowed to be privately funded and subject to less government regulation in setting out their curriculum. ACS (Independent) was set up as a separate institution while ACS (Barker Road) remained fully government-aided. At the same time, Anglo-Chinese Primary School abandoned Coleman Street (the old building now housing the government National Archives) to move next to the Secondary School at Barker Road, which became simply ACS (Barker Road).
Today there are 5 schools under the Anglo-Chinese School umbrella. ACS (Junior) and ACS (Primary) are the primary schools while ACS (Barker Road), ACS (Independent) and ACJC provide secondary and post-secondary education. In addition, there is a hostel, known as Oldham Hall, and boarding facilities are provided as part of the ACS (Independent) Boarding School.
Recent history (1993-present)
In March, 2002, ACS became the first school in Singapore to have a flower named after it, the Ascocenda Anglo-Chinese School [1] http://www.acjc.edu.sg/AscocendaACS/AscocendaACS.html orchid.
Recent international achievements by its flagship school ACS (Independent) include being the champions at the World Finals of the 2002 Odyssey of the Mind Competition. They were also champions in the International Festival of Youth Rugby 2000 in Wales and the World Minis Under-13 and Under-14 Championships 2001 in South Africa.
ACS, in its various incarnations over the years, has also won the "B" Division (Under-17) Schools' Swimming Championships for the 43 consecutive years since the start of the competition in 1960. Their long reign was ended in 2003 by Raffles Institution, their traditional academic and sports rivals. In 2004, the school took back the title from Raffles Institution.
ACS (Independent) has also dominated school Rugby in Singapore. From 1997 to 2003, they have won both the "B" and "C" Divisions of the National School Championships. This ended in 2004 when Saint Andrew's Secondary School (SASS) defeated them with a score of 10-7 in the "B" Division. The "A" Division (Under-19) championship was held by ACJC from 2000 till 2003, when they lost to archrivals Raffles Junior College by a narrow margin.
Aims, characteristics and reputation
The school's stated mission is to be a world-class institution in nurturing the holistic development of their students, and to have every student be "A Scholar, an Officer and a Gentleman." This is reflected in the school motto, "The Best Is Yet To Be." The phrase is taken from the first line of the Robert Browning poem, Rabbi Bin Ezra (1864), "Grow old along with me! / The best is yet to be...", and is supposed to encourage students to greater heights by reminding them that their best achievements are yet to come.
The so-called "ACS spirit" is particularly strong because of close ties with alumni, who frequently donate funds to the school and send their children to be educated there, similar to the public school tradition in England. Students who attend the primary or secondary schools (including affiliated schools) are usually given priority when awarded places in the next higher institution.
Although morally conservative due to its religious roots, the school has a reputation for tending to produce students who are, if not necessarily brighter, possessed of sharp and inquisitive minds. The literary, debating and drama societies are particularly well-supported. ACS boys also have a reputation for possessing quirky senses of humor, with pranks being a long-established part of the school history.
ACS is counted among the more prestigious schools in Singapore. This is because of its long history and also because many of its graduates have gone on to be successes in professional fields such as law and medicine. Despite occasional lapses in academic standards over the years, the perception that ACS boys are more confident and outspoken than students from other schools continues to persist.
The school's students have also been accused of being arrogant and snobbish, and ACS itself has often been charged as being a school only for children of the rich and elite. In the 1970s, there was a minor flap in the local press about ACS students flaunting their wealth to other, less privileged students and the world at large, and the term "snob" began being applied to them. As a result, the school initiated strict policies on how much money a student was allowed to bring to school, and even what kinds of watches or shoes would be permitted to be worn.
The dress code has relaxed slightly over the years, but the myth of the rich and elitist ACS boy still survives to a degree, despite the fact that students from all income levels were and continue to be admitted to the school. Admittedly, the presence of the Independent School, with its high school fees and free-ranging curriculum, has not helped to dispel this idea. Curiously, other schools in Singapore, even Independent ones, do not suffer from the same reputation.
School anthem and crest
The school's anthem, memorized and sung by generations of ACS students, was written by teacher Henry Martyn Hoisington in 1926. It is a close re-write of the Canadian unofficial National Anthem, The Maple Leaf Forever and has served over the years as a means of bonding between students and alumni, evoking as it does memories of attending the institution.
Drawing inspiration from the anthem, Dr Yap Pheng Geck designed the coat-of-arms like school crest in 1930. Placed above the three letters of the school name is a creature with a lion's head, eagle's wings and a dragon's body with claws, representing that fact that the School was founded when Singapore was a British colony, by an American Methodist mission and during the Manchu Dynasty in China.
The lower part of the crest consists of two panels, blue and gold, which represent heaven and earth. The letters "ACS," symbolize life forming a bridge between both and in addition to the school name are also meant to spell out Academic achievements, Christian Character, and Sportsmanship and Service beyond self. Finally, the overall shield shape represents the knightly values of chivalry, honour, valour, loyalty and manliness.
Core Cirrucular Activities in ACS(I)
CCAs (Core Cirrucular Activities) are one of the hallmarks of the ACS-brand of education. Being the school which offeres the most (as of edit) number of CCAs, this truly brings a holistic education to its students.
SPORTS
- Air-rifle
- Badminton
- Bowling
- Basketball
- Canoeing
- Cricket
- Cross-country
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Softball
- Squash
- Swimming
- Table-tennis
- Tennis
- Track & Field
- Water-Polo
SERVICES
- Archives
- ACSPress
- COMPSERV http://cst.acnova.com
- Media Resource Team
- Prefectorial Board
- Library Services Team
HOUSES
- Cheong Koon Seng
- Goh Hood Keng
- Oldham
- Tan Kah Kee
- Thoburn
UYOs
- National Cadet Corps (Air)
- National Cadet Corps (Land)
- National Cadet Corps (Sea)
- National Police Cadet Corps (Land)
- National Police Cadet Corps (Sea)
- Boys' Brigade
- Scouts
- St John's Ambulance Brigade
- Symphonic Band
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
- Art Club
- Astronomy
- Chess Club
- Chinese Chess Club
- Christian Fellowship
- Debating Club
- Environmental Club
- Interact Club
- Photographic Society
- Multi Purpose Co-op Society
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
- Chamber Orchestra
- Choir
- Drama Club
- Guitar Ensemble
- Chinese Performing Arts
See also
- not to be confused with Anglo-Chinese College.
External links
- Anglo-Chinese School Webpage http://www.acs.sch.edu.sg
- Anglo-Chinese School anthem - full lyrics, with MIDI http://www.acs.sch.edu.sg/general/anthem/