Good afternoon to our principal Miss Tan, vice-principals Mdm Cheong and Mr Tan, teachers and my fellow schoolmates. I am Ho Chi Hoe from class 4/1. It is truly an honour to be given this opportunity to deliver this year's vote of thanks on behalf of the graduating students.
What an unbelievable time I had in AMKSS! Even without our realising, four, five years have passed us by, and we are now one step closer to our dreams. Well, maybe not just one step, but our journey in AMKSS really seems like an infinite number of steps. Though tough, it was definitely fruitful, enjoyable and worthwhile.
Remember that day when we first walked into AMKSS? We were like Martians arriving on planet Earth. Wide-eyed and eager to get a taste of secondary school life, we sat in rows in the school hall that amplified the chatters of our parents and teachers. Inside us, we were awaiting the start of what was to come. Though we donned different coloured uniforms then, we now have a shared identity.
Then, upon spending time in secondary school, we find ourselves surrounded with friends, whom we studied and played with, shared our thoughts and happy moments with. We chatted and gossiped about 'scandals' in our class or level, laughed at one another, got scoldings and of course compliments from teachers. There is just such a long list of happy, sad, angry moments that we shared with our friends. Also, our wonderful and persevering teachers were there for us in good times and bad. They are like our 'second parent' who will always be there on the look out for us, ensuring that we studied and gave us lots and lost of homework. There were also many, many tests and exams that came flooding in with our homework. Not to mention workshops, courses, and our CCAs where we were given a chance to excel in a different avenue that we were interested in. Have I yet to mention the amount of homework we were given? I am sure all of us can relate to these experiences that have come our way in our four, five years in AMKSS. It is with sheer determination and motivation that has brought us this far.
Of course that isn't all. We enjoyed and even organised various events. The Millennium Carnival, though some of us couldn't enjoy and could only hear of the exciting happenings from our seniors; The Musical 'The Place For Us', which was held at SCGS Khoo Auditorium; the high-spirited day when we first stepped foot into this building; NOMAD, and the most recent Silver Jubilee Carnival, just to name a few. It was during these events that we were able to come together as a team. Though it wasn't always easy, but with all the problems we faced, it only made us stronger and better as a team. It is all these experiences that will carry us through in our future. It is all these memories that will definitely be impossible for me to forget.
So, today as we gather in this hall for the very last time for our Farewell Assembly, we are hit by the fact that we have come to the end of our secondary school journey. Once again, after nearly four, five years, we are at the crossroads of our lives. In one special way or another, we have excelled. The years in Ang Mo Kio Secondary School are ours to hold on to and make full use of what we have learnt as we embark on the next phase of our journey.
On behalf of the graduands, I would like to express our heart-felt gratitude to our alma mater. Thank you...
-- AMKSS
- for moulding us to what we are today and instilling moral values in us
- for motivating us to 'Always Strive For The Best'
-- Our principal Miss Tan, vice-principals Mdm Cheong and Mr Tan
- for always encouraging us to take up new challenges, and reach for the horizon and beyond -- The whole long list of teachers like my form-teacher Mrs Chung who never once stopped supporting, encouraging and believing in us, Mrs Anand, Ms Ng Kae Pheng, Mdm Tong, Mrs Rama, Mr Guang, Mrs Ismail, Mr Goh, Mrs Lee, gosh and so many others
- for understanding and guiding us in our pursuit of our dreams
- for being there to motivate us and seeing us through good and bad times
- for always showering care and concern that makes such a big difference to us
- for constantly ensuring that we are on track academically
-- Mr Ong, our fearsome Discipline Master
- for always maintaining discipline and drilling in us the familiar where-is-your-collar-badge, tuck-in-your-shirt lines
-- The school administrative staff, lab attendants, cleaning attendants, canteen vendors, all whom we cannot do without
-- The organizers for today's Farewell Assembly
- for this memory that we can hold on to
There are just so many people who have made a difference to my journey in AMKSS, so much so that it is so hard to thank each and every one of them right now. I cannot imagine how secondary school life will be like if not for my good friends, teachers, and all the events and experiences that we went through that make Ang Mo Kio Secondary School even more vibrant and colourful. It will be the times that we spent together, like with 4/1 doing our Haunted House, putting up our class play, and being all stressed with one another, with the Student Council Board organising events, camps and having fun, with the Drama Club playing games and practising hard for major performances, that will truly remain in my heart no matter how long it will be from now.
Graduands of 2004, we have reached yet another 'pit-stop' of our journey. For now,
blessings for the coming challenges. Bear in mind that overcoming any obstacles is in the power of the mind and soul. Keep the indefatigable spirit in you going, believe in yourself, and wonders will you achieve.
Thank you.