For the first time in our 25-year history, we have brought together students, faculty, alumni, parents and friends from both the California International School and the American International School to celebrate this major milestone in the history of our school.
Our first major celebratory event “The AIS Silver Jubilee Gala Dinner” took place at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Shatin on December 30, 2010. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on all of our achievements in the last 25 years, also an evening of a true celebration. With its theme “Celebrating 25 Years as a Global Family“, the night brought together more than 200 faculty, alumni, parents and friends from around the world.
In his welcoming speech, our Head of School Mr. Cameron Fox talked about the enduring legacy of the school’s founder, Dr. Thomas T.S. Liang and paid tribute to his vision for the school. Other guest speakers included Board Member the Hon. Allen P.F. Lee, and Bishop of Hong Kong, the Most Reverend John Tong. Our faculty alumni Mrs. Lynne Keenan and our student alumni Mr. Ronald Lo (Class of ’97), Mr. Justin Xiao (Class of ’00) and Ms. Shi Yi Ng (Class of ’08) shared their best memories across the California International School and the American International School eras.
Special awards were given to Mr. Georges Raybaud, High School Mathematics teacher and Mr. So Kan Wing, school bus operator, who both joined the school when it first opened in 1986.
A charitable silent auction was organized at the evening to celebrate the establishment of our AIS Education Foundation. Our alumni and friends have generously donated precious items to the auction including an evening gown from fashion designer and alumnus, Dorian Ho (Class of ’89), fine collectible wine from Roland Lo (Class of ’97) and an Aviator movie replica leather jacket from the Giersztein family. Original auction items include three pieces of paintings contributed by our Elementary School students Stephy Tsou (EC2), Johan Chua (G2) and Megan Ngai (G4).
The evening was brought to a peak by a very special performance by the Society of Orpheus & Bacchus, a prestigious twenty-piece a cappella group from the Yale University. The group included their own interpretation of the AIS school song, adding a unique twist and fitting finale to the evening’s entertainment.
As we embrace Dr. Thomas Liang, our founder’s original vision and dream for the school during our 25th anniversary celebration, we are looking forward to our next 25 years to be as profound and significant as those we are celebrating today.
