2004 Speeches
Grand Opening of SAS High School and Early Childhood Center by Ambassador Frank Lavin
August 28, 2004
Thank you for that introduction, Susan. It is a pleasure to see so many members of the SAS community this morning -- parents, teachers, and administrators alike. I am particularly pleased to welcome representatives from the Ministry of Education and the Land Authority to help us celebrate this important step. And if I may add a personal note, Ann and I are proud SAS parents, with one child just leaving SAS and another child just starting a new school year. Ann has had the chance to serve as homeroom mom, organizer of the social dance program, and now chair of the Arts Council, so it is in our capacity as parents and community members as much as my official capacity that makes us very glad to be here today.
We are here to mark the opening of the SAS High School and Early Childhood Center, so we pay tribute to the school board and leadership who had the vision and confidence to take this important step. We give thanks to our partners from the Singapore government who provided the support along the way. We applaud the builders, architects, designers, and workers, who showed creativity and diligence to complete these projects under the tightest of constraints. But most of all, we give thanks to the parents and students who will be making use of these marvelous additions. It is to this group that I want to offer a few comments.
There are a number of factors that draw us overseas. Although our children are rarely the initial reason why we travel so far from home, but once we are here we find that our children can be our greatest concern.
We worry about the quality of education our children will get, and whether they will fit in to their new environment. We can worry that our children might not have the opportunity to take advantage of all that the new country and its culture has to offer.
But thanks to SAS, we can put our minds at ease.
By offering an American education with international perspective, SAS gives us peace of mind that an American curriculum can go hand-in-hand with an international education of the highest caliber. The teachers are enthusiastic, the methods are innovative, and the administrators creative in their approach to building a community of life-long learners.
SAS’s commitment to academic excellence is evidenced today with the unveiling of these exemplary facilities.
With these improvements, SAS honors its commitment to staying in the forefront of academic growth. It is the living proof of our dedication to giving our children the tools they need to form the patterns of success that will carry them into their adult lives.
What you will see here today will remind you just how wise you were to have selected SAS. You will see classrooms, computer labs, information sources and educational technology we couldn’t dream about even a few years ago.
The new high school will help our children keep pace with their hungry minds and imaginations, and the construction of the Early Childhood Center is a testament to SAS’ commitment to nurturing each stage of the learning process.
School enrollment is the highest in its history, an impressive
statistic. But more impressive than that number is that high school AP course registration is the highest in SAS history. And we can project that with this new facility, library usage will be the highest in history as well. Not every kid can take an AP course, but every kid can take out a book.
It has been said that education is not about filling buckets; it is about lighting fires. Today we celebrate not just the bricks and mortar, but the construction of a facility where thousands of sparks are going to light fires as we go through this year.
To the Singapore American School and to all of those who contributed to this wonderful accomplishment, congratulations, and thank you for letting me help you celebrate.