Dear Alumni,

We would like to start our message this month with a warm welcome to our Seniors - the Class of 2024!

A vibrant and resilient class – Welcome 🤍 … we know that you will be a great addition to our tight-knit alumni community. Please reach out to our Alumni Ambassadors wherever you are in the world and they will provide you with all the support you need as you take your first steps into the future. To know about our international ambassadors please click HERE.

In this issue you will read about the events that took place on campus in May; the musical concert 'Songs of Hope', Field Day, prom , graduation, the annual Fundraising Dinner and Splash fest, where we raised $40,000 for the Financial Aid fund! As well as highlights from our yearly Alumni induction where the Senior class was invited to have lunch with the D&A team, they were introduced to their role as alumni and gifted their Alumni ID card, and they got to deposit their items in the "time capsule"…a tradition ACS has kept going for years. In 10 years' time, they are invited back to campus to retrieve their items and reminisce their days as ACS students.

An alumnus wrote to us this month and asked that we include a short recap in our Bulletin, about the situation in Lebanon with regards to the unrest on the South border. And while this was planned to be a lighthearted publication, we surely would like to acknowledge the fact that we continue to maintain normalcy at school for the sake of our students but are sensitive towards the dire situation in the South of Lebanon that is affecting the whole country. Schools near the border have failed to function, and students have lost their connection to normal academic life. Many have lost their lives. At least 90,000 Lebanese people from villages near the border were displaced, and this has no doubt added pressure on towns and villages that are already suffering from the economic burden of the previous years. Still, we maintain hope and continue in our mission here at ACS certain that each one in their own way in our community, will make a difference.

We hope you enjoy our May bulletin,

The D&A team ✒️

Congratulations - Class of 2024! 🎊🎓

The ACS 113th commencement took place on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at AUB Assembly Hall, with the presence of 61 graduates, their families, ACS faculty & staff and members of the Board of Trustees.

Songs of Hope Concert

In these uncertain times, our Music and Band teachers, alongside our MS and HS students, have collaborated to bring - "Songs of Hope," a music concert featuring a diverse program of melodies and harmonies that reflect the challenges of today's world.

The audience took a journey through a spectrum of human emotions as our talented students performed beautiful melodies filled with solace and inspiration. The concert took place on campus, in the Rabbit Field.

"Songs of Hope" was more than just a concert; it was a testament to the healing power of music."

Field Day

On Friday, May 17th our Early Childhood and Elementary School had their much anticipated "Field Day", an event dedicated to promoting physical activity, teamwork, and fun for our little students.

Splash Fest 2024 💦

There's no event more popular than Splash Fest among our early childhood students, who gathered on a Saturday afternoon to enjoy a day filled with Under the Sea-themed water activities. A big thank you to our ACS moms who helped organize this event, and to our faculty and staff who volunteered. Splash Fest came at the perfect time as we now enter the hot days of summer and brought our community together at a time when unity is more important than ever.

The Annual Fundraising Dinner

Thanks to our wonderful community which attended the Annual Fundraising dinner on the 15th of May, that took place at Pastel - Beirut. With your help, we proudly raised over $20,000 for our Financial Aid Fund, which aims at supporting ACS students whose financial circumstances would generally preclude their child(ren) from continuing their education at ACS.

For those who were not in attendance, if you would like to contribute before the fiscal year ends, please donate through our Giving page, and select Financial Aid.

View Pictures of the Event HERE

Alumni Induction

Prior to graduation, the Development & Alumni Office (D&A) hosted the Class of 2024 for a lunch to officially welcome them into our alumni community! Each senior came on stage to drop in their time capsule item, receive their dog tag, and was gifted their Alumni ID. At the event, seniors were introduced to upcoming events in our alumni community and encouraged to contact alumni living in their new city depending on their university.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SITC with the Sign-up Form:

We are hosting our annual alumni reunion, "Summer in the City," on July 10th from 6:30 - 9 PM on the ACS Rabbit Field. Join us to celebrate the Class of 2014 as they open their time capsule after 10 years! We are eager to welcome you back. Please RSVP HERE to confirm your attendance. Don't miss out—sign up today!

Alumni Ambassadors

Our Alumni Ambassador Program is a new initiative to engage alumni living in "alumni hubs" (cities with 100 or more alumni). The primary role of our alumni ambassadors is to serve as a liaison between their local alumni community and our D&A office. Stay tuned for further information as we continue to develop this program alongside our ambassadors.

Alumni Association ID

Exciting News! Our office has launched a new initiative to encourage alumni to return to campus. With your new Alumni Association ID, which can be purchased for $15, you will have access to study and work in our upper school library, receive discounts at local businesses, and have exclusive access to book our sports facilities or rent books from our libraries for a (fees applicable). To order your Alumni ID or learn more, please fill out this FORM.

Who misses Mrs. Viviane?

Check out this short interview with her to see what she's been up to recently...

Mrs. Viviane Khoury Saab interview

The May 2024 issue of the POT was dedicated to the late Mrs. Linda Handschin-Sheppard '68, who played an instrumental part in our Alumni community, being active on the Board of Governors (Alumni Association) for over 35 years. Read about her life as a child from Dhahran to Beirut, and the many tributes that went out to her from her friends in this POT issue.

Also, in the May issue: ACS Films!

"1970 - A new kind of theatre was introduced to ACS under the skilled direction of Mr. Ray Ruehl and Miss Anne Ratcliffe. This consisted of a series of experimental films, four in color and three in black and white. The audience, and those involved in the filmmaking, felt the rewards of the weeks of hard work in this entertaining collection of films. As tickets sold out almost immediately, an extra showing was held. Even this special showing could not appease the public demands, however; and the activity will be refined and continued in future years.
Ray Ruehl has preserved these films throughout all these years, and had a dream of having them digitized and shared with ACS alumni."