The 2024 Spring of SAF

We like bright ideas as much as the next guy, but we like ideas that come true even better. That’s why we like the Student Activities Fund best.

In its tenth year now, SAF has been granting funds to make the bright ideas of ACS students come true. Twenty-one wonderful student ideas oriented towards all types of academic achievements as well as artistic and creative excellence and in service of the ACS and outside communities were presented at the SAF live-pich session held February 26 after school in the Concert Hall. 

The mission of the Student Activities Fund (SAF) since its founding in 2014 by alumni and parents has been to support student-led projects and initiatives by providing financial help- of up to 650 leva per project, project development guidance, and mentoring throughout the full project cycle. The aim is to encourage students to explore their interests outside of the classroom and build a community of committed alumni, parents, and ACS faculty/staff members. By supporting SAF, individual donors and organizations empower student projects and exchanges outside the classroom within and beyond the ACS community. 

Some projects are well-known and established: FISSION International Science Fair, International Debate Competitions Scholarships, ACS Model United Nations Conference, Career Fair, Music Jam, TEDxYouth@ACS, FIRST Robotics Competition. Some projects are brand new: ACS Maths Festival, Bismuth Crystal Battery, ACS Human Rights Moot Court, SofiaTalks Business, Enchanted Gala, Green Committee, The Farewell Mural, Flamenco Fashion Contest, Short Film. All sounded exciting! Kudos to the presenting teams for their great presentation skills, clear and strong messages with such limited time (5 minutes to present and 3 minutes for questions only per project), and actually knowing what they’re talking about. Those will all come in handy in most situations in life. Kudos, teams!

Next the student teams will be hearing from the SAF committee whether their projects got approved for funding and whether they need to meet any additional conditions to be funded.

Thanks to all presenting teams and their faculty sponsors and to the devoted jury of parents and educators.