Homecoming 2024: Fun, Reunions, and the VJC Alumni Associations

It was a busy morning at Victoria Junior College (VJC) as students and tutors alike prepared the school for this year’s Homecoming, a yearly event where alumni of VJC and their families reunite with their old schoolmates and tutors for a day of games and activities.

From 7.45 a.m., the campus was alive with people setting up various booths around the school. 

Alongside the assisting tutors, a group of student volunteers, the FACEs (Friendly, Approachable, Caring, Engaging), were deployed to welcome the returning alumni. They took up various roles as tour guides, merchandise salespersons, and general welcomers this Saturday, in preparation for their official outing at the upcoming Open House.

At 8 a.m., the college opened. Alumni started trickling in, slightly sluggish from the early hour. However, up bright and early were a group of them in running attire. Gathered at a booth in front of the bookshop, they were stretching and warming up while Ms Ng Yen Yen Jaclyn gave an opening address. 

These were the alumni who signed up for the morning’s Cross Country Runs. Intended as a way to ‘relive those unforgettable runs during PE together’ according to the VJC Alumni website, the 3.2 kilometre route runs from the college, along the coastline of East Coast Park (ECP), and back—a replica of the route taken by students training for the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) test.

For this run down memory lane, both competitive and recreational categories were available for registration. Competitive runners were each given a runner’s bib with their assigned number. Amongst them, notable runners included Faith Zhen Ford (22S32), better known as Faith Ford, the A division athlete who broke the girls’ 3,000 m and 1,500 m records last year. 

Along the course, FACEs were sent out to encourage the runners. They lined the entrance of the college before the finish line, cheering and whooping as runner after runner came back in. In the competitive category, number 054 finished first at around 8.20 a.m., closely followed by runner 060 and someone in a FiRED Up tee.

Alumni could register their teams beforehand through the VJC Alumni website. To ensure fair play, a whiteboard was set up at each venue recording the time slots and accumulated points of each team, maintained by the current members of the respective sports teams.

The alumni played enthusiastically. Registrations closed early for football and volleyball, proving them to be the most popular sports. Football especially marked some of the most intense matches, with players running and dodging as if they were younger again. 

At the sidelines of the field, the boys’ and girls’ football teams reunited over a water break. So did the volleyball teams along the stage of the hall. Idle chatter drifted around those resting, reminiscing about their school days and happily greeting new arrivals.

Additionally, as part of the collaboration, the Vivo Kids mascot, Bruno the Dino, went around the college at around 9 a.m.. Many alumni and children gathered around the inflatable mascot, happy to pose for pictures.

All the stations in the Concourse were run by student volunteers. Though not necessarily FACEs, they were all in charge of ensuring the safety and well-being of the children participating. Some had initial doubts on whether they could handle the children in a friendly and approachable manner. Despite this, they pushed through and did their best to help them have fun.

At 10 a.m., some FACEs gathered outside the canteen and began chanting some iconic VJC cheers. Featuring VJ Boleh, they brought out the drums used for match support and went around in a cheer train. 

As the cheering died down, the various reunions were in full swing.

Outside LT4, the Victoria Chorale had set up a booth near the spiral staircase featuring their association, including trophies, shirts, and a flag with their logo.

The Victoria Chorale is a semi-professional choir consisting of alumni from both Victoria School and Victoria Junior College. Established in 1988, they have become one of Singapore’s top choirs, competing across the world under their conductor Mr. Nelson Kwei. 

One of the featured trophies was from the Mando Cantat International Choral Competition. Held in 2017, they were the Grand Champions of the Singapore-based competition, winning top prizes in multiple categories, including the Equal Voices, Chamber, and Open categories.

“Recently, we went to Sarawak… to perform,” one of the members at the booth said, referring to their 2022 performance at the Sarawak International Festival of Music and Arts. “We also went to Europe, China, and Sri Lanka.”

Returning alumni were greeted with hugs and smiles from both alumni and current students alike, before being handed a Victoria Chorale shirt.

In LT5, streamers and balloons were put up on a backdrop onstage to welcome alumni to the Student Council (SC) reunion. Though quieter than the Choir reunion, members engaged in meaningful catch-ups with their batchmates about work and family. 

A box was also left at the front of the LT. Though originally unassuming, a few of the members gasped and crooned over its contents.

“These are the old SC logbooks,” one man, who identified himself as Terence, explained. 

He was from 06S55, the year during which the current J2s were born. Before WhatsApp and Google Docs, Terence described how the SC batches from his time would instead keep logbooks of meeting details and discussion notes. Stored in simple binder notebooks, they were often passed down to successive student councils with advice and important notes… Or, lighthearted warnings were scrawled in front to tell the next batch to ‘Keep out!’ 

Opening one of the books, doodles and comments in a rainbow of inks were scrawled all over the skimmed-through pages. Not a completely serious record of the meeting logs, they humanised the older batches now returning to the VJC halls. A reminder that they, too, once were teenagers working long meetings and joking around.

At 10.30 a.m., many emerged from LT5 once the sound of voices echoed through the school. The Victoria Chorale and members of VJC Choir had formed a circle inside the spiral staircase after a group picture. Together, they were singing their choir anthem, ‘No Man Is An Island’ by Joan Baez. 

Their voices were angelic, resonating throughout the spiral staircase. Many phones popped up to record the choir, and by the concluding note, they were greeted with resounding applause.

By 11 a.m., a mass announcement was made throughout the school, calling all students, alumni, and tutors to head to the hall for a special assembly. 

The hall was divided into 4 sections. Each quarter was assigned a decade, where those who were students during that decade would be seated.

To maximise space, those from the 2004–2013 batches were instructed to move forward. Afterwards, the hall settled down for Mr. Jeffrey Low to make his Principal’s Address.

During his 5 minute speech, Mr. Low touched upon the Victorian Spirit. He highlighted how VJC was unique in that the building has barely changed in 40 years, from 1984 till today. However, in the coming years, the building will be refurbished, and the look of VJC will completely change. So, what of VJC and its identity? Its legacy? 

It was then he emphasised looking towards the future with this year’s 40th anniversary of the college.

The following speech also touched upon the Victorian spirit. Done by a representative of Victorian Alumni, she thanked the alumni for coming down that day and the college for hosting the homecoming. She emphasised the importance of connection between alumni and students, highlighting the transfer of knowledge and tradition from one generation of Victorians to the next.

It was there she launched the idea of a Mentor-Mentee programme. Details were sparse as it was ‘in the works’. However, the programme would match students with alumni to offer them guidance, strengthening the student-alumni link in the process.

She bowed out to applause for Mr. Low to retake the stage. It was there he called everyone to stand up and face the huge flag at the back of the hall for the Victorian Anthem.

Up on the second level, the percussion from the Symphonic Band rolled into powerful brass as the first notes of the song played. Victorians, young and old, linked arms and swayed as they sang the school song again.

In special event fashion, FACEs on the second level shouted at the crowd after the concluding notes. To yells across the hall, they began the ‘Yo VJC!’ cheer. Stomps on wood echoed in the hall as they followed the motions of the FACEs up top.

Amidst the ‘whoops’ at the end of the cheer, those on stage called the hall to face them once again. Another set of slides was shown on-screen, flashing the words ‘Mass Dance’.

Once the background track for the Neutron dance began to play, the FACEs in front dutifully showcased the dance for the rest to replicate, to varying levels of success.

They transitioned to The Nights with cheers. To one of Avicii’s iconic songs, the alumni participated in arguably VJC’s most popular mass dance number with heightened levels of enthusiasm. 

Tired out by the morning and the mass dances, the alumni and their families settled into the canteen for lunch. As a treat, the college had set up a roti prata station, which prepared it and plates of curry hot and fresh. Lines snaked throughout the canteen for a taste of the prata, and for a taste of the canteen food they remembered.

Other booths were also scattered around the front half of the canteen. 

Close to the hall was the merchandise booth run by FACEs. There, people could purchase the black VJC Alumni T-shirt, the VJC V Tee, and the VJC PE shirt, with the PE shirts returning due to popular demand. Kids sizes were available for the V Tee, allowing parents to buy it for their little ones. 

An Alumni version of the VJC Mascot Bear was also available, alongside a limited edition Alumni Tote Bag. The sales proceeds from all the items were to go to the VJC Alumni Fund. This would be used to support VJC programmes for students and alumni alike, and future events and activities for the alumni. 

“The Oral History project is a year long project meant for Arts students involved in AESOP, which is like our humanities enrichment program!” Elaine Wong from 23A13 explained. 

“It’s based on a purely voluntary basis. We form groups and… choose a certain Victorian identity (i.e. Victorian friend, lover, science student, etc.) From then on, we’ve mostly been collecting testimonies from alumni and current students to track the evolution of this identity!”

Wong herself is involved with the Oral History project. Specifically, as part of the Victorian Friend group, which collects stories around friendship in VJC. From her description, the Oral History project was more of a research project than a heritage conservation project. As a result, the findings were more likely to be kept amongst the AESOP students.

Though, the project is still in its infancy. Wong noted how there were tentative plans to hold an exhibition for the groups to present their findings. 

Another, more concrete exhibition is also planned for Valentine’s Day, where Wong and the Victorian Friend group would collaborate with the Love Story group for a booth.

As for the testimonies themselves, Wong commented that though the Victorians come from different batches and each have their own unique perspective on VJC, it was “interesting” how sometimes they were “eerily similar”.

In that vein, she noted how the batches before would also get up to similar hijinks as the students today, such as going out to eat, making banners for competitions, and relaxing at ECP—once to the point they got locked out of the college. 

“I managed to interview my aunt, who was from the ‘84 founder’s batch, and she was telling me all about how they used to have fashion shows in the morning to choose the VJ uni[form],” Wong said. “Even telling these stories now, you can really see her eyes light up… It feels quite heartening to see the memories that her time in VJ has left her with.”

As for the most memorable testimony she heard herself, it was one she had during Homecoming with a person named Mr. Mohammad Salman. 

“He mentioned that to him, his teachers were some of the best friends he had during VJC and they encouraged him to do what he’s pursuing now, which is becoming a scientist.”

Indeed. Like with how Mr. Mohammad Salman reflected on his VJC journey, the point of the Homecoming was not only to commemorate the years that have passed, but also to look to the future: to the 40 years—and hopefully many many more—to come. The last booth in the canteen, tucked between the Gala Dinner sign-ups and the Oral History project booths, was an interactive board asking people what they wanted to see in VJC in the future.

An overwhelming majority called for a VJC prom, but some notable ones included suggestions for overseas trips, stronger links between the alumni and students, and, funnily enough, a VJC Newsletter.