Anglo Chinese School (commonly known as ACS) is a semi-government aided

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in Jalan Melawis and Jalan Raya Barat respectively within the district of Klang. It is the oldest school in the state of

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

and one of the oldest in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. ACS was founded and established on 10 March 1893, and officially opened by Sir

William Hood Treacher Sir William Hood Treacher (1 December 1849 – 3 May 1919) was a British colonial administrator in Borneo and the Straits Settlements. He founded the Anglo Chinese School in Klang on 10 March 1893. Family Treacher was the fourth son of Rev. ...

. The primary and secondary schools initially functioned together but were separated when enrollment in both schools increased. The primary and secondary schools are now housed in different buildings, separated by a

canteen {{Primary sources, date=February 2007 Canteen is an Australian national support organisation for young people (aged 12–25) living with cancer; including cancer patients, their brothers and sisters, and young people with parents or primary carers ...

that is located within the primary school and is adjacent to the secondary school. In 2009, a new canteen was constructed for the secondary school. The school is commonly known in Malay as SRK Methodist ACS (primary) and SMK Methodist ACS (secondary) respectively. Students who have studied or are studying in ACS are known as ACS'ians.

History

1800s

In 1892, the Klang District Officer, Walter W Skeat and

Loke Yew Loke Yew (), born Wong Loke Yew, CMG, LL.D. (1845–1917) was a Chinese-born, of Cantonese descent, business magnate. During his lifetime, he played a significant role in the development of Kuala Lumpur and was also one of the founding fath ...

encountered obstacles when raising

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

for a school building. They were finally successful in

renting Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for al ...

the premises of Penghulu Mohid's house in Jalan Rembau to start the new school. ACS initial enrolment was 14 students, with one teacher. The school was officially opened by Sir William Hood Treacher in 1893. In 1896, the school became a British

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

. The school was later sent by the Episcopal Methodist Mission and it was named Anglo Chinese School in 1915. In 1920, the original building, which was made of wood, was almost completely destroyed by fire. The following year, a new building was erected at Jalan Raya Barat, its present-day location. It was opened by Oliver Marks, a resident of

. Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman was also present at the opening of the school. That year, when Reverend Abel Eklund and his wife Ruth Eklund arrived in Klang, there were 15 female pupils in ACS.

1900s

On 24 May 1924, Ruth Eklund founded the

Methodist Girls' School Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

(MGS), an all-girls school located in the proximity of ACS. In 1922, the first batch of students took the Senior Cambridge Exams. Two years later, the new school

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

, called ''The School Review'', was published. In 1925, The First Klang Scouts Troop was founded. In 1941, a new building was built to accommodate the increasing enrollment. From 1942 to 1945, during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

period, the school became the head office of the

Japanese army The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

. In 1951, a new science

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

was opened by Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Alhaj. The whole school was renovated six years later. During the same year, the first Klang

Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

was founded with the assistance of Captain Peter Dawson and Reverend Ronald Buttler-White. In 1958,

Additional Mathematics Additional Mathematics is a qualification in mathematics, commonly taken by students in high-school (or GCSE exam takers in the United Kingdom). It is applied to a range of problems set out in a different format and wider content to the standard Ma ...

, and Pure Sciences, which encompasses

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, and

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, were introduced to Form 4 (16-year-old) students. In 1961, the ACS Old Boys' Association was registered, with Koh Liang Sih as president. In 1963, a new three-storey building was completed. It had 11 classrooms, one office, one teachers' lounge, and one

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

room. It was declared open by Captain Abdul Hamid, the Malaysian Minister of Education. In 1973, the Parent-Teacher Association (Malay: ''Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru''; PIBG) was founded in the school hall. The first chairman was Adam bin Haji Yunus. A three-storey block with 11 classrooms, and another block of four storeys which houses a teachers' room, an office, and an air-conditioned

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

were completed in 1978. It was officially opened by Y.B. Dato'

Musa Hitam Tun Musa bin Hitam ( Jawi: موسى بن هيتم; born 18 April 1934) is a Malaysian politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 1986, serving under Mahathir Mohamad. He was the chairman of Sime Darby Berhad. Early life ...

, the Minister of Education of Malaysia at that time. By 1979, new Form Six classes were created. In 1980, the Report Card Day was introduced, and in 1981, the Mini Canteen day was held for the first time. In 1983, the PIBG raised funds to build a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

court, a

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

, a

sepak takraw Sepak takraw, or Sepaktakraw, also called kick volleyball, is a team sport played with a ball made of rattan or synthetic plastic between two teams of two to four players on a court resembling a badminton court. It is similar to volleyball and ...

court, a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

court and a

foyer A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, reception area or an entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cinema, etc. ...

. Ten years later, a celebration was held to commemorate ACS's 100th anniversary in both primary and secondary schools. In 1997, the name of the primary school was changed to SRK Methodist ACS Klang, while the name of the secondary school remained the same.

2000s

In 2006, the nature society club and the school itself have faced a major problem, which was the trailer which is used by the club to store the collected recycle things caught fire. The school call the fire department to put off the fire but unfortunately the gates to enter the school compound were locked with heavy-duty chains and lock pad. In 2007, ACS Secondary underwent a major refurbishment, including the exterior of the school, along with the classrooms and the corridors being repainted, and the toilet renovated. The fund which has been raised for the renovation is mostly deposited to the person's personal bank account. In 2018, the secondary school celebrated the 125th anniversary of the school by organising a charity night to raise funds to build a multipurpose sports hall for students to utilise during co-curriculum sessions for ''sepak takraw'', futsal, basketball, volleyball, and badminton among others. In 2020, both schools shut down due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia The COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). , with over 4,945,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, over 27,000 active ca ...

at various time in the year. As such, both students and teachers had to resort to online learning to keep up with their educational semesters, resulting in the semester dates differing from previous years, affecting the national exam that was supposed to be held during the November-December term.

School anthem and crest

Anthem

In days of yore in Selangor,
Our beloved school renowned,
Became a beacon of truth and light
In the hearts of all around,
Here may it stand from year to year,
An emblem of grand endeavour,
God save our land and heaven bless
Our ACS forever. ''Chorus'' Sing ACS forever more;
Our ACS forever.
God save our land and heaven bless
Our ACS forever. In your classrooms and playing fields,
Our beloved teachers all,
Great truths of life and love they taught
Thro' the years we may recall,
Our hearts are filled with gratitude,
For care and loving nurture,
God grant us strength to serve mankind,
And our nation forever. ''Repeat chorus''

Crest

The crest of both the primary and secondary school bares a resemblance, with the motto being the only difference. Each symbol found on the crest has its own meaning which reflects on the school and its core principles.

Vision, mission, and charter

Vision

"Sekolah Unggul Penjana Generasi Terbilang," which is written in the country's

national language A national language is a language (or language variant, e.g. dialect) that has some connection—de facto or de jure—with a nation. There is little consistency in the use of this term. One or more languages spoken as first languages in the te ...

Mission

"Membangun Potensi Individu Melalui Pendidikan Berkualiti," which is written in the country's national language, as with the vision.

Charter

The school's charter consists of five commandments, which are noted in the country's national language, as with the vision and mission. The commandments are as follow:
1. Melaksanakan segala arahan daripada KPM, JPNS, dan PPD.
2. Menyediakan persekitaran yang kondusif untuk warga sekolah.
3. Pengajaran dan pembelajaran berjalan lancar dan terurus untuk melahirkan pelajar cemerlang.
4. Memberi layanan sama rata kepada semua pelajar, ibu bapa, dan staf sekolah.
5. Menjalin hubungan baik dengan komuniti dan agensi luar.

School buildings

In 2009, after the completion of a new canteen for the secondary students, the school was divided into a primary and secondary buildings with a steel gate between both. As such, the classes for each are kept separate from one another.

Primary school

There are 4 classes in each cohort at the primary school for students between standard 1 and standard 6. Since the school has two sessions: morning and afternoon, each classroom at the school is used by both sessions. There are 12 classrooms in total at primary school. Students are grouped according to academic achievement and placed in the following classes: *Bestari *Harmoni *Kreatif *Maju

Secondary school

Sports

The students in both schools are advised to be actively engaged in sporting activities. As such, they are divided into 5 different colour-based team, commonly called as "colour house" to compete with each other during the yearly sports day and cross country run. The colours are: : Blue : Green : Yellow : Red : Purple In addition to sports day and the cross country run, students are also given the option to choose various sport activities as part of the school's co-curriculum system and regularly attend training or events pertaining to their chosen sport. Among the options available are

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

dodgeball Dodgeball is a team sport in which players on two teams try to throw balls and hit opponents, while avoiding being hit themselves. The objective of each team is to eliminate all members of the opposing team by hitting them with thrown balls, cat ...

ping-pong Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...