Twelve years ago, a simple question was put to two Alice Smith students: What should our school sports identity be? Among the ideas being considered were bears, rhinos, Trojans, Spartans and a lion.
For then - Sports Prefect and Sportsman of the Year Bintang Lee, the answer was surprisingly straightforward.
The completely honest answer is that, as an 18-year-old along with my sports prefect counterpart Cally Brosnan, we simply thought the lion was the coolest.
It was a simple decision. But it became something much bigger.
As Alice Smith School prepares to relaunch KLASS Lions, our sports identity and logo, we are looking back at the story of how the Lion came to represent our sporting community and looking forward to what it means for the next generation.
Why the Lion?
At the time, Bintang and Cally were considering what kind of symbol could represent Alice Smith in sport.
The Lion stood out because it looked strong, made a striking sporting emblem and was something students could rally around.
But there was another reason it felt right.
Alice Smith was a relatively small school then. In sport, that could sometimes mean competing against schools with much larger student populations, bigger squads and more extensive sporting programmes.
Bintang remembers what that felt like.
There were occasions when Alice Smith teams struggled to fill a squad, while opponents could arrive with considerably more players. At one SEASAC basketball competition in 2014, for example, the Alice Smith team travelled with just seven players.
But being smaller never meant stepping onto the court or field feeling like we did not belong.
The Lion represented courage
It was a symbol of competing without being intimidated by the size of the opposition. Of walking onto the field believing in your team, backing yourself and giving everything you had, whatever the odds.
And, as Bintang remembers, Alice Smith teams often competed with great success.
From student idea to school identity
At the time, Bintang could not have imagined that the decision made by two students would eventually become such an important part of Alice Smith’s sporting identity.
Twelve years later, the KLASS Lions name and logo have become so widely adopted across the school. Seeing it become part of Alice Smith’s identity is quite surreal, and something I’m very proud to have played a small part in. ~ shared Bintang
That journey is what makes the relaunch of KLASS Lions particularly meaningful.
What started with two students deciding that “the lion is the coolest one” became a symbol that generations of Alice Smith students could identify with.
It became a name to wear, a team to support and a symbol of belonging.
And now, as Alice Smith celebrates 80 Years of Igniting Futures, the Lion is being reimagined for the future.
Introducing the KLASS Lions P.R.I.M.E Values
The refreshed KLASS Lions identity is grounded in five values that capture what we want sport to develop in every Alice Smith student, our #PRIMEvalues:
P - Perseverance
Keep going when things get difficult. Learn from setbacks, stay committed and keep working towards your goals.
R - Respect
Value teammates, opponents, coaches, officials and yourself. Compete with integrity and recognise the contribution of others.
I - Integrity
Do the right thing, whether you are winning or losing. Be honest, responsible and true to your values.
M - Motivation
Bring energy, commitment and purpose to every training session, competition and challenge.
E - Empathy
Understand and support the people around you. Celebrate others, show compassion and recognise that every teammate has their own journey.
Together, these values spell PRIME - a reminder that being part of KLASS Lions is about more than sporting performance.
The next generation of Lions
The relaunch of KLASS Lions is not about replacing the story that came before it. It is about carrying that story forward.
The original Lion reflected the courage of an Alice Smith community that was sometimes smaller in numbers but never afraid to compete.
Today, that same spirit continues.
Our students may step onto the pitch, court or track against bigger schools. They may face a difficult opponent, a challenging moment or a result that does not go their way.
Being a KLASS Lion means showing up, supporting your team and having the courage to keep growing.
As Bintang puts it, the Lion came to represent “the spirit of a small school that was never afraid to take on much bigger opposition.”
Twelve years on, that spirit still feels very much at home at Alice Smith.
Welcome back, KLASS Lions.