Sitiawan ACS Primary Revisited

More than a century of history here! This is the ACS Primary Hall now... used to be shared with ACS Secondary in the old days.. but these days, the demarcation lines are clearly set by the fences which surround the perimeter of 'both' schools. Used to be 2 schools but felt like one. Now it's still 2 schools and looks clearly 2. Took a walk 'outside' the primary school compound in my last trip home.

The old school hall.. where I played my first indoor badminton. There used to be a roundabout there. It's gone... with all the greeneries and trees that dotted the place. No wonder temperatures are rising everywhere. We're chopping too many trees and replacing soil for tarred surfaces.

I must have been in Std 5 then. 8) I joined ping pong for co-curricular. Saw my friends playing badminton and fooled around with them... teacher saw me play and told me to switch to badminton. Then my dad saw my interest and he started playing with me almost every evening. By the time I got to Std 6, I was actually quite good... good enough to beat many of the boys! LOL! All because of my dad! So, parents, the interest that you show in your kids can help them go far.

The 'newest' block then.. still is now, I think. During my days, it housed the office, library, kedai buku and dental clinic... we had our own dental clinic!!! Had 2 HMs in my 6 years there - Mr. Khew Khoon Thong (I think) and Mr. Lim Kah Cheok. I used to fear the blue cards that came calling for us to see the dental nurse.

The library was a place I loved to be. Because dad was a teacher there, I got to all the new story books before they hit the shelves. That's how my appetite for Enid Blyton's books was satisfied. *grin* Dad would take back the whole set for me to read during the hols and I'd finish them in a jiffy! Hours and hours of hols would be spent on those books... and also the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Bobsey Twins and so many more. Through those books, my hols were spent wandering the plains of Africa, tasting the life in England, be wowed by the freedom in America... gave me quite an active imagination up there!

Std 6M, my class, was up the stairs. It was also known as the haunted block.. agama classes used to be at the back of my class. So we'd see other students streaming in from the back, through the narrow 'alley' into the classroom at the back. We used to frighten each other with tales of ghosts wandering around the school. The classrooms in this block used to be the interrogation rooms during the Japanese occupation. Many met their deaths here, it seemed. The school field was supposed to be the unmarked graves for some of these poor souls. Some people swear they could hear and see unnatural things at certain times of the day.

Std 6 was a fun time. I remember this young temporary teacher.. we called him Cikgu Asri. He taught us how to berbalas pantun and we would look forward to his classes just to balas pantun with each other... we had good teachers throughout our schooling years there, save for one or two like Mrs. Gong. But these days, it seems the opposite... more like Mrs. Gong and less like the former.

This little corner was where I used to have Bible Study with my friends from MYF. BS would be followed by a game of captain ball on Saturday evenings. Funny how we didn't seem to mind the heat or the discomfort of having to sit on the floor near the drain back then. BS was a time when we learned more about the Word of God. We were allowed, even encouraged to question and speak our minds. I am appreciative of that for it helped to ground me in my faith. I got all excited when I walked past this little 'corner' the other day.

A wall with many fond memories.. there used to be a line drawn on the wall, for us to throw balls at. I was in Form 2, I think. Was picked to play in the baseball team cos of my arm strength. My position - pitcher. This wall was where I threw the baseball at, hundreds if not thousands of times.. till my arms ached so much.

And right across.. from the wall above is this view. The epicenter of the town's activities... the Moksu-lau or parsonage. Next to it is the Methodist Pioneer Church. ACS, a school set up by the missionaries to cater to the insatiable desires of the Fuchows for education and also a reflection of their love for the people of Sitiawan. And both these have blended well cos the sons and daughters of these 2 schools (primary and secondary) are today found even in the far flung corners of the world, successful in the fields of their choices. I salute the spirit of the founding fathers (and mothers) of this school, for their dedication, commitment and love. For many of them came from far away (like the MacGraws from America) and dedicated a good part of their lives teaching those kids in those early years. And their legacy lived on in the generations after them!