SMSAA

A measure of the community established around a school is the fellowship and networks among the people who have been involved with the school: students and teachers both old and present, parent and other volunteers, neighbourhood partners and school staff. It is in these fellowships, formal and informal, that the strength of the school’s spirit, imbued within and carried by successive generations of students is maintained.

To this end, the St Michael’s School Alumni Association was formally established on 15th April 2013, with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean as Patron, and the support of many of his class of 1966 (including Michael Ang, the first President of the Alumni Association), and the school’s Parent Teacher Association. SJI Junior principal Timothy Goh was appointed as the Association’s Honorary Advisor. As of May 2015, the Alumni Association had 1,120 members, with representatives all the way from the school’s founding in 1954 to the graduating class of 2014.

The Alumni Association hosted a number of events for members, all held at the SJI Junior school complex at 3 Essex Road. The first gathering of members was an especially poignant one, with the 1st Assembly of SMSAA members coinciding with the physical return of SJI Junior from a holding location in Geylang Bahru to Essex Road following the renovation of the school at the end of June 2013, including the development of the St Michael’s School Indoor Sports Hall.

The first of a number of food-themed events the SMSAA hosted was a Laksa Nite in November 2013, attended by 120 members. Following that was the Satay Sedap evening on 24th May 2014 which was attended by 160 members and their families. This was a get-together for members and their families to share an evening of good company with satay and mee siam prepared by a core group of members. Entertainment included impromptu performances by some old boys during this enjoyable evening.

The Association co-hosted the SJI Junior/St Michael's School 60th Anniversary Dinner on 5th July 2014 to commemorate 60 years of the school’s history. The event was graced by Brother Edmundo Fernandez, FSC, Brother Visitor of the Lasallian East Asia District who was guest-of-honour, as well as several distinguished alumni including SMSAA Patron, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

Over 600 former and current students, teachers and friends of the St Michael’s/St Joseph’s Institution Junior family attended this evening of reminiscing where they were reacquainted with old school mates. To round off 2014, the SMSAA Year-End Get-Together and Thanksgiving was held on the 13th December 2014, with about 100 members and their families enjoying turkey, pasta, and log cakes either provided or baked by members themselves. This was rounded off with a gift-exchange.

The SMSAA also formed a futsal group which plays regularly every Saturday at the SJI Junior Sports Hall. In addition to weekly training, the group has played against De La Salle School Alumni and towards the end of 2014 sent two teams (The Angels and the Eagles) to take part in the Singapore National Games. Both teams performed creditably.

In May 2015, an inter-Lasallian Alumni Association futsal competition was held between SMSAA and the alumni associations of St. Anthony’s Primary School, St Stephens and De La Salle Primary. This was won by the home team.