Farewell Chapel, and A Recollection

Thus far (as of typing time), it appears almost no one has blogged about farewell chapel, save a Y5 scholar who didn't care too much about it.

The chapel has indeed been a time for some food for thought - no doubt hindered by stupid formalities such as PC awards (of which I am clearly undeserving of anyway) during the chapel and being buggered about said stupid formalities after chapel, AND the random SAF talk that came after all of that (another story in itself; perhaps worth telling, but not on this blog. I'm lazy to type out two stories in one day). Regardless, I digress.

Sitting as a recipient at the side means you cannot enjoy having your final chapel with the company of your classmates. It is truly a buggersome thing to people who feel the farewell chapel carries at least some symbolic meaning (regardless of the quality of said chapel) and I must say that it feels all too annoying.

We are indeed an interesting and unique batch considering our circumstances: that we have seen the SQA from start to finish (a point no one actually cares that much about or was actually aware of in the first place, I'm sure); that we are the first batch of IB candidates that are not guinea pigs in any way whatsoever, since we had graduates upon our arrival in IB. Also, that we are of the small group of students seeing the beginning of the IB programme to what it is now - the only group to know how a purely O-level school was like, and witness its transitions to the IB school that it is now.

I'd also take a small breather and say that this was the last batch of GEP and non-SBGE students that ACSI will ever have, and though the names are similar the students are rather different, which some teachers apparently will testify to. Really, but a small little stone turned in the sandstorm of change.

We are, basically, part of the small group of students that have seen the school change into what it is now. The building of the IB campus, the extension of the SAC, the Astroturf, new auditorium and Center of Performing Arts, and the like. Alongside this change we have seen many teachers come and go - many wonderful teachers going, and many other wonderful teachers coming (and to come, though I won't know about this). I find arguing about whether the teachers of old or the current ones are better a rather meaningless one so I'll pass on that for now.

Of course, at this point I must admit that I see myself more as a student in ACSI for 6 years rather than an IB student for two years. I must admit this IB-mugger identity never really got to me and the EE, Mathport, TOK and shiz don't really feel like these overarching towers of doom, nor the entire journey as some journey through the valley of death. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I did stupidly difficult topics for ISO in Sec 3 and did 20-page ISOs in Sec 1 and 2 already (one on science, and one on humans too. Though admittedly the latter was a bit not-really-my-doing, and I apologize for my immaturity then BUT OH WELL let bygones be bygones I'm sure he doesn't mind). Just checking, was it really 20 pages for Sec 1? Check for me kthx unless you don't have the documents anymore. I know I don't.

So what defining moments of the years were there? Perhaps the brightest of them would be 2004, the beginning of many of our journies in the College of Wyverns, as some alumni would call it. Sec 1 shines to me because of a number of things. 118. Rugby. SJAB. An awesome class, and many others. However, one of the most memorable things from Sec 1 was probably eagles. See, as Dr. Ong said, that was the year where their theme for the year was taken from Isaiah 40:28-31.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

And that year was probably one where people remembered about what kind of became a quintessential quote for ACSians - Soar on wings like Eagles. To me, it was there next to "To God Be The Glory, The Best Is Yet To Be" and "Scholar, Officer and Gentlemen". No other year had a quote as memorable as this - Light of the World? Salt of the Earth? United in Spirit and Purpose? I couldn't even remember that the last one was this year's theme for the year! Perhaps I could say that ACS was more about eagles than wyverns, even! But that would be restricted to the time I have been in ACS - I presume older alumni would look more favourably upon the wyvern of ages past. Nonetheless, I think the fact that there are two statues of eagles in our school and not wyverns speaks for the current symbolic importance of eagles in our culture (perhaps a brainchild of the CEO? But I know not), and also perhaps the lack of significance of future themes (though I'd laugh pretty hard at the idea of a statue of salt) to come.

Another part of 2004 so very ACSian was 118, the dreaded number. Really, it was probably the most beautiful donation card ever designed, and amongst the most painful one a student in ACS will ever find himself required to donate to. 119 was nowhere near as impressively designed, and by 120 the idea had faded out. Was there a 117, though? I don't know. Perhaps some interviewing is in order here? Any teachers reading this, do give feedback. In any case, this ended up a number that any ACSI student at that time would fear for a long time to come. Money never flushed that quickly down the drain.

What was next in 2004, then? Perhaps something shared between all ACSians - Rugby B. Div Finals. The whole school went down to cheer. We never scored the final try needed to equalize. I have never seen a teacher cheer so hard for his school, nor have I ever seen a teacher cry for it. Why do they shout so loud, cry so soft, and walk away so silently at the end of the match? It was the first time I saw the school fight for something so desperately, cheered as desperately, and nearly cried in their defeat. 5 years from then, I still believe in cheering and screaming your heart out. Enough for someone to nickname me Thunderation.

Another event people would remember would be ACSIdol, perhaps. Chinese Karaoke never had this appeal. I remember going to watch, and seeing the eventual winner belt out We Will Rock You to the best of his ability, failing but still winning the applause of the crowd in the process. It was a kind of indomitable will and perseverance that he showed that made him so awesome, I suppose.

Then came 2005, where the GEP classrooms were closest to the SAC. Said classrooms now find themselves buried in books, concrete and will never see students having lessons in them again. They are gone forever, but 4 years after I stepped foot inside for the first time and exited it for the final time. The first OEP happened this year - mine at Desaru. If you asked me which OEP I considered the most fun, I probably couldn't be able to answer. All the OEPs were fun. Nonetheless, 2005 was a year that passed by quickly. To me, it also passed more insignificantly as far as the school was concerned. Classmates were awesome as always, but 119 wasn't as dreadful, and the like. Of course, the GEP Cruise this year was the most amazing thing to happen to any GEP student, but I'll spare readers from that much nostalgia. Besides, that wasn't something the whole batch went through.

Yes, I remember one important event. Mr. Tan See Keng's leaving. A truly wonderful person, that we even held a mini-concert of sorts for his farewell. He was one of many icons to leave the school, but at this point I felt the school was somewhat of a warm family watching a dear uncle leave for the world outside. A wonderful person had left the school, and perhaps it was the first of signals of the changing mechanisms within the school. No doubt unrelated events, though, I would think.

Year 3 and OEP were wonderful, and Vietnam was a trip hard to forget when you have Dr.Ong on the trip as well. I'm sure people who went to Kunming and Lijiang (do I remember the other places correctly?) had similarly beautiful experiences to remember. Round this year the first group of Y5s come into school, the pioneer batch (still guinea pigs at that point of time) that would soon bring glory to the school in their results. The SAC was extended to fit the new IB batch, and Indian suddenly became the 'in' food. The ramp where people would march up every UYO day would disappear to make room for this extension, and soon UYO days would become a mere shell of their former self. It was our final year of having assembly at Drong's Hill, and perhaps now few of the younger students would know that this seemingly unimportant hill was once so affectionately named, and right there once stood proud officers of every UYO, commanding the school for assembly. The new parade ground never had the same effect.

(I don't recall, but I believe the first Battle of the Bands was this year as well? Unfortunately I didn't go for this, and I cannot recall much of it.)

Haven was another important event of the year. I'm sure anyone who went for it still remember the tune to "Celebrate Each Day". For all the sacrifices that the teachers and students have made in the production of the musical, it turned out as a wonderful performance and showed that ACSians are very much natural performers.

"Life is too short, to waste it all away,
Just stop and celebrate, celebrate each day!"
(Please correct because I don't think these lyrics are correct)

Come 2007, the Year 6 pioneers were rushing mad with their work while us, the 3rd batch, were busy with our own IOC of sorts to Hamlet, POD essays, even mini Math Portfolios, and as I recall the latter half of ISO for the Pre-IB batch (the GEP had something else, see. I can't quite recall how the rest of them had it but CMPS was certainly a bugger). It's rather hilarious to think that parallels could be drawn between Y4 and Y6 so easily, except nothing we did in Y4 could have prepared us for the doom of Y6. Life was slowly transiting into the IB life, and Pre-IB finally began to feel a bit more Pre-IBish. Anglolympics now come and go, showing that the Y6s really wanted to make their last year a lot of play alongside a lot of hard work (teachers may debate upon the latter). On our end, we were pretty much playing anyway. In comparison to IB, anything before that really is kind of playing. Not having O-Levels kind of does that to you.

For a good number of us, UYO was now about pumping cadets and leading by example rather than painful pushups along the track, amphitheater, roadside, or what-have-you-not. Really; you name it, someone's did pushups there before. Except maybe the clock tower. Save for the Ventures, Primers and a few oddballs, it would also be our last year as official members of our respective UYOs. For most of us, Fridays probably never felt the same again.

To some extent, it's quite amazing to think that in addition to our IB life, a good number of us have went through so much as far as our secondary school education has been concerned. And the scary part is that this is a small bit of it all - what of SYF? UYO Competitions? Sports seasons? I merely laid out what I felt were points which almost all ACSians could have seen in common (admittedly AC Idol might not be up there), but even then I realize I fall very short even in attempting this. What about Bizworld and OM? The pain of ISO (that seems like a mere mosquito sting now, too)? All the various camps for UYOs, CCAs and the Prefectorial Board? It is fascinating to realize how incapable one is when it comes to the rather arduous task of stating the many events that would have shaped ACSians in this new millennium to be what they are now.

Yet regardless, change comes across as the only constant in life. The buildings we adore have changed greatly - the ramp is no more, the field near the porta-cabins are now a street soccer court (arguably a good change), fences alongside the path up the ramp are now gone with the new Astroturf. Teachers that we see today are gone tomorrow - how many are there now? In fact, even now, we as a 3rd batch will never understand the possible buggerisms of ePOD and other things the 7th and 8th batches would go through. We will never see an ACSI that they would - the change that we have witnessed is non-existent to them, and the change they will witness will come when we are gone.

I recall the pioneers' farewell speech by Han Sheng, and in it he talked so much about the new things in IB - Nirvana, Rivers, Arial Font Size Twelve Doublespacing and Justified, and a number of other jokes I couldn't catch when I was in Sec 4. I recall Joshua's farewell speech earlier this morning. There is none of that newfound fascination and horror towards IB - only 'seasons'. Orientation season, Math Port season, Sports season, Midyears season, the list goes on. The change from fascination to routine in a mere two batches is somewhat startling. Who knows? Two more years down the road and they'll all start calling Math Port a piece of cake! (Emphasis on all because I know some people in my batch already do)

Yet there is something remarkably ACSian about both speeches, no matter how different in content and in context. There was something about the Sec 4 farewell speech - though he seemed rather hilarious and foolish at times, he was undeniably ACSian. Perhaps the ending line confirms it. Similarly, there are traits in Joshua and Han Sheng's speeches that, no matter how different, call out to everyone in the auditorium as ACSian in nature.

We are part of a unique batch that has been able to witness such huge change in ACSI - in teachers, in students, in curriculum, in mission, and even in infrastructure. Yet at the same time, we are part of the batch that can testify to the idea that ACSians stay quintessentially ACSian, regardless of time. Perhaps the entire tradition of ACS feels timeless to a mere 18-year old such as I.

But I am proud to have been part of this school, and to have witnessed the changes in the school, good or bad. I guess in closing, the SA7's final line in their song (perhaps even a swan song, I dare say) fits aptly -

"The Best Is Yet To Be"