Oldham Hall celebrates Founder's Day with 'One Heart, One Spirit'

Celebration time … and that sense of family and spirit is spread to people outside the ACS family. - Oldham Hall picture.

"ONE Heart, One Spirit" - the theme for this year's Founder's Day Challenge - was clearly reflected by the many participants and spectators at the event commemorating the founding of ACS Oldham Hall, Singapore's oldest boarding school.


Since its founding soon after 1886, Oldham Hall has seen the changing faces of Singapore - through hardship and strife, and through happiness and prosperity. Through the constantly changing times and attitudes, Oldham Hall has always offered its boarders a strong sense of family, and has always promoted the spirit of giving and sharing that has made ACS Oldham Hall the institution it is today.


The Founder's Day Challenge is a celebration of all these things and it seeks to share that sense of family and spirit with people from outside the ACS family. To promote the spirit of giving, ACS Oldham Hall would donate $1,000 for every participating hostel to the Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) Bursary Awards fund, which helps students from low-income families with their educational needs.


A bright sunny day greeted all who gathered on March 3, 2007 for the Founder's Day Challenge. Mr David Chua, Executive Director of Oldham Hall, blew the bugle to start the Challenge. The Oldham Hall cheerleaders started off the afternoon by giving an opening cheer with their brightly coloured pom-poms. Ten hostels took part in the day's events, which consisted of a futsal tournament for the boys and a captain's ball tournament for the girls.


True sportsmanship and fighting spirit were demonstrated in both tournaments which resulted in two exciting finals between Hwa Chong Institution Boarding and ACS (Independent) Boarding for futsal, and Dunman High School Hostel and Hwa Chong Institution Boarding for captain's ball. Hwa Chong Institution Boarding eventually emerged victorious in the futsal tournament and Dunman High School Hostel in the captain's ball tournament.


At the closing ceremony, Mr Koh Kok Hong, Chairman of the Oldham Hall Management Committee, shared about Oldham Hall's belief in giving and that the $9,000 donated by Oldham Hall to MWS Bursary Awards fund would be an example to the boarders in giving and sharing.


"ACS Oldham Hall has been fortunate to receive donations and funding, and when we have extra, we would like to share them with the less fortunate in society," he said.


The Guest-of-Honour, Dr Ang Peng Tiam, President of the ACS Old Boys' Association, said: "Founder's Day is a day when old boys and girls come together to celebrate. I am delighted to see Oldham Hall's effort in forging a bigger family by bringing together boarders from hostels all over Singapore."


Ms Linda Kan, Director of Operations of the Methodist Welfare Services, thanked Oldham Hall warmly for the kind donation.


"This is the second year that ACS Oldham Hall has donated money to the MWS Bursary Awards Fund. Bursaries are awarded to students from needy families in November every year to help them acquire textbooks and uniforms for the new school year. The money donated by Oldham Hall will go a long way towards helping these students."


After the prize presentation ceremony and the singing of the ACS anthem, grace was said before dinner. Then the different boarders and staff ate, drank, laughed and talked as "one heart and one spirit".