(Newswire.net — March 24, 2015) Singapore, Singapore — It is with great sadness that Singapore American School (SAS) learned early this morning that Singapore lost its founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. Former Prime Minister Lee was hospitalized in early February with severe pneumonia and had been in intensive care for the last two months.
A period of National Mourning will start from March 23 to 29 (Monday to Sunday) and a State Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday at the University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore. As a mark of respect to the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the State flags on all Government buildings will be flown at half-mast from Monday to Sunday, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
When Singapore American School opened its doors in 1956, the country at that time was an under-developed colonial outpost with no natural resources and some fear by American companies of political instability. However, as Singapore’s first prime minister, the co-founder and first secretary-general of the People’s Action Party, and the world’s longest-serving prime minister, Lee oversaw Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965 and its subsequent transformation into a first-world Asian Tiger.
As Singapore grew, so did our school, and both have come a long way in the last 50 to 60 years. Our shared journey has been one of progress, modernization, achievement, and change. Over the decades, our school leadership has noted that Singapore’s status as one of the most progressive countries in the world, its multi-cultural, highly diverse population, and its innovative and competitive spirit has made for a dynamic place for American expatriates to live, work, and learn. We have former Prime Minister Lee’s inspiring and visionary leadership to thank in large part for the country in which we are honored to reside.
SAS was honored and privileged to welcome then-Minister Mentor Lee to our campus to mark the occasion of our 50th anniversary in 2006. It was a momentous event that our faculty, staff, and alumni hold dear. He noted then the extraordinary care for which we are known, as one of his grandsons attended SAS and thrived here under highly trained teachers not available at that time in local schools.
“He joined the American school and your school had the teachers to cope with his dyslexia and the process restored his self-esteem and his self-confidence, and he’s done well,” Lee said in his speech.
To remember and pay tribute to this great Asian leader, we share with you his speech at SAS’s 50th anniversary celebration above and memorabilia from the special
About Singapore American School
Singapore American School (SAS) is an independent, non-profit, coeducational, college preparatory day school offering an American curriculum with an international perspective for students in preschool through grade 12. SAS has the largest Advanced Placement program outside of the United States, is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the U.S., and offers the American High School Diploma at the senior level. Established in 1956, the school primarily serves the American and international expatriate communities of Singapore.