ACS Trivia

In 1956, a certain "Johnnie Lee" caused a stir in the school when "he" was revealed to be a "she". For seven years, "Johnnie" whose real name was Lee So Har, attended the Anglo-Chinese Continuation School ' later renamed Oldham Methodist School ' disguised as a boy, with neatly cropped and gelled hair. Johnnie was a prefect and came in second for the Form Three (Standard VII) final examinations. His classmates described him a quiet and studious, and used to join in "rock and rolling and just do everything boys usually do". Perhaps the only thing that gave anything away was that Johnnie never took part in sports. Johnnie's real identity was discovered in 1955 when private schools such as OMS had to conduct medical examination of its students. Apparently, the Ipoh-born Lee So Har also fooled the tenants living in the same house as she and her mother. Her widowed mother and auntie were the only two who knew So Har was really a girl. When So Har first came to Singapore as a child, her mother tried to enrol her in Fairfield Girls' School but was unsuccessful. In a bid to get So Har into a school, her mother and auntie disguised her as a girl and applied to ACCS. And got in. After So Har was revealed as a girl, she was transferred to Fairfield Girls' School, the very school her mother had initially applied for.

In 1967, the School embarked on an ambitious project to build a Sports Complex for the physical education needs of its students. Completed in 1970, the Sports Complex comprised of an Olympic Sized pool and gymnasium. The Pool was named Shaw Pool, and the gymnasium the Tan Chin Tuan Hall, after their respective donors. The ACS Sports complex was a pioneering endeavour far ahead of the 21st century government initiative for schools to have their own indoor sports hall. The Shaw Pool was the first Olympic-sized pool in any school in Singapore and had nurtured many generations of ACS swimmers.

The Ascocenda Anglo-Chinese School is a hybrid between Ascocenda Kwa Geok Choo and Vanda Poepoe 'Diana' created to mark the school's 116th Founder's Day on 1 March, 2002. The orchid is a monopodial, semi-terete Ascocenda that flowers throughout the year. Each upright spray produces six to eight flowers. The natural spread of the flower is 10 to 11cm across. Its sepals and petals are an attractive light-purple to pure white shade, with a broad and colourful mid-lobe of the lip ranging from red to orange-yellow hues. The Ascocenda Anglo-Chinese School has been used to augment fund-raising for meaningful causes and is heavily featured in print collaterals such as invitation cards and school publications.

In 1955, 200 ACS boys at Barker Road, committed their lives to Jesus Christ in a chapel service. The Rev Stanley Jones, an American Methodist evangelist based in India was preaching that day. Many were staying at Oldham Hall, the ACS boarding school at Barker Road. After a while, the boys asked to have their own worship services on Sundays at Barker. The Methodist leadership was not able to provide a Pastor, then. ACS principal Thio Chan Bee was, however, supportive. Peter Lim, an ACS teacher since 1950 was asked to serve as 'Pastor' to this new congregation of ACS boys. He had earlier founded the Boys Brigade (12th Coy) in ACS in 1954. The first worship service took place in the music room of Oldham Hall on 20th May 1956, Pentecost Sunday. Within a year, attendance grew from 10 to 24 persons. However, thanks to the BB, with 95 ACS boys in uniform, the Sunday School had 90 students and the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) had 50. The BB Sunday praise sessions were full of life, with boys standing on the ACS tuckshop tables leading in action songs. By 1957 the formal worship services held every Sunday at Oldham Hall was shifted to the School Auditorium, full of faith and hope, with 20 worshippers in a hall for 1000. Soon, the faith of those ACS boys was rewarded. Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) was formally recognised 17 May 1957 by the District Superintendent (DS) Rev Dr Ho Seng Ong. In 26 May 1957 the earliest founding members were received into membership: 9 ACS boys ' Teoh Jin Inn, Teoh Jin Hong, Teoh Jin Seng, Tay Eng Soon, Tay Kheng Soon, Benjamin Masillamoney, Khoo Hin Hiong, Henry Chew, Chen Yeu Wah and Ms Janet Tan. That year, also, at the 63rd session of the Malayan Annual Conference of the Methodist Church (Dec 1957) the Methodist leadership was finally ready to send a Pastor to BRMC. In fact, they sent 2: the Rev Peter Lim and the Rev Robert Forster. Like a small mustard seed (Matthew 13: 31-32) the church grew from strength to strength over the years. Indeed, the Best is Yet to Be! To God be the Glory!

In 1931, Ng Sen Choy presented a shield which incorporated the ACS crest as a gift to the school. It was to be the challenge trophy for the champion House every year. The shield was known as the Wing Loong Shield, named after Mr Ng's business, the Wing Loong Tailors. It was first presented to Oldham House as champions for the year 1930.

The Wing Loong Shield was last seen around the 1990s. Its whereabouts today is unknown.