DragonTales Summer 2007 - HKIS Alumni Home

The Alumni Magazine of HKIS
Vol. 9 • Summer 2007
Jim Handrich –
Friend, Champion
and Guide
I
t was in the mid-1960s during a period of industrialization and robust
economic growth in Hong Kong that a handful of visionary businessmen
worked with the Lutheran Church to start a new school. They had in mind an
institution that would provide a quality “American-style” education to the same
high standards as schools in the US.
This new school would help to make Hong Kong a home away from home for
the children of expatriates relocating to the city. It would be among the first
schools in Asia to educate the whole child: mind, body and spirit. They named
the school after the city itself: Hong Kong International School
(HKIS).
A Brief History
of HKIS
The first classes were operated out of makeshift premises,
including residential flats on Chung Hom Kok Road,
in September 1966. However, with the collaboration of
the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Hong Kong
Government and the American community in Hong Kong, in less than a
year, the cornerstone was laid on the school’s first permanent building on the
southside of Hong Kong Island, overlooking Repulse Bay.
Since then HKIS has continued to expand and evolve. Today, some 2,593
students and 480 faculty and staff occupy the two separate campuses of Hong
Kong International School. The school is currently undergoing its fourth major
infrastructure development in as many decades, with work underway to expand
and upgrade its campuses as outlined in the school’s 2005 Master Facilities Plan.
Although HKIS has grown well beyond what the school’s founders would have
imagined, their central vision to provide an outstanding education serving a
broad range of students in a Christian setting remains the same. In fact, from
its inception, the school, in the words of its Mission Statement has successfully
balanced being grounded in the Christian faith while respecting the spiritual
lives of all. Looking back, we have accomplished much, though it is on the future
we focus, looking to move on to new levels of excellence. See our special section
on page 40. n
DragonTales
DragonTales is published twice a year by
the Office of Institutional Advancement
of Hong Kong International School.
Sylvia Evans
Acting Director/Alumni Relations
Manager
Karen Li
Public Relations Manager
Volume 9 • Summer 20 07
4
7
DragonTales Editors
Sylvia Evans
James Manning
10
Alumni Board 2006-07
President
Kenneth Koo ’79
16
Members
Lincoln Chan ’88
Anjali Daryanani ’07
Sam Devnani ’90
Robert Dorfman ’72
Justin Hardman ’99
Ken Rohrs (faculty)
David Suen ’07
Chantal Teodorovich ’92
Joyce Yin ’89
E-Board Members
Angela Chih ’06
David Christian ’69
David Kohl (former faculty)
Alumni News
Alumni Homecoming 2006
Alumni Gathering in Florence, Italy
Alumni Bids Farewell to Long Serving Faculty
Loretta Fung
Secretary
Vice-President
Rohini Balani Chotirmal ’89
Messages
Head of School
Alumni Board President
40th Anniversary Celebration Committee Chair
James Manning
Communications & Publications Manager
Berinda Kuo ’96
Development Coordinator
CONTENTS
CAMPUS News
Annual Fund Reaches New Heights
40th Anniversary Celebration Continues
FACULTY PROFILE
Larger than Life – Jim Handrich
22
Alumni PROFILE
Michelle Hoeppner ’94
Taku Hirano ’91
Breathing Fire into Web 2.0
by Justin Hardman ’99 & UP teacher David Carpenter
28
CLASS NOTES
39
NOTICES
40
SPECIAL Report
History Book
Designed and printed by
Impressions Design & Print Ltd
DragonTales
Message from the Head of School
Dear Alumni,
O
ur 2006-07 school year has been
filled with celebrations to mark our
40 th anniversary. These started with the
Alumni –
Our Heritage
and Future
All School Gathering in August and concluded with the 40th Reunion this month
in Hong Kong [June 14-19].
At the Reunion, we welcomed three
­hundred alumni, faculty, staff, ex-Board
leaders and past Heads of School for an
­extended weekend of celebrations. Visit
the 40th Anniversary website (http://
dragonnet.hkis.edu.hk/reunion/) to see
who attended.
Our many celebrations this year have
served to strengthen bonds and build community spirit. They have seen the HKIS
school community – past and present
– celebrate our shared history.
This history has been woven together in our
History Book – Hong Kong International
School: 40 Years of Learning and Service. It
is being published this month to coincide
with the Reunion and the conclusion of our
40th year. The book has been made possible with the generous financial support of
the HKIS Alumni Association. Its near-200
pages provide a colorful account of our first
four decades. Please see our Special History Book feature on page 40.
Our book is as representative of our
history as possible. Inevitably, there will
be some omissions. If you notice people
or events we have missed, please let us
know. Your suggestions [as well as photos
and ­archives] will allow us to continue to
build on the book so it becomes part of a
DragonTales
broader living history. With your help, in
the ­future HKIS will be able to define itself with much more involvement of stakeholders than was possible while putting
this book together. We plan to roll out this
“living history” via a website version of the
printed book. Please email your updates
and pictures to [email protected]
This month Jim Handrich retires after 24
years at HKIS. Jim has left a unique and
indelible mark on generations of students,
teachers and staff, including my sons,
Jonathan and Eric, who attended school
here in the 1980s and 1990s. As Associate
Head of School for the past two years, Jim
has been a valuable sounding board and
source of pragmatic and wise advice. I will
miss working with him. In this ­edition of
DragonTales, we have a profile on Jim on
page 16.
As alumni, you are an integral part of both
the heritage and the future of our school.
We want to maintain and strengthen our
links with you wherever you are in the
world. If you have new ideas on how we can
improve contacts or ideas for new events
and programs, please contact us at email
[email protected]. We look forward to
hearing from you.
We hope you enjoy the new look of
DragonTales. Please stay in touch!
Sincerely,
Richard W. Mueller
Head of School
Message from the Alumni Board President
M
any of you will remember 2007 as
a year you came home. By the time
you’re flipping through the pages of this
­i ssue of DragonTales, memories of that
magical week in Hong Kong when 40 years
Fulfilling
Aspirations
and Dreams
of alumni, ex-faculty and ex-administrators celebrated our school’s 40th birthday
will have taken their place in the deepest
recesses of your hearts. To many of you who
were in Hong Kong, HKIS is again “real”.
You would have seen the strides our school
has taken over these past four decades as
it continues to fulfill the aspirations and
dreams of generations of students, teachers, principals and headmasters.
To many of us, the 40 th Reunion will
­continue as a lifelong celebration of the
school that educated and nurtured us
into the people we are today. This issue
of ­DragonTales will also be remembered
as an issue of “hello’s and goodbye’s”. We
greeted long-departed members of the
HKIS community back to Hong Kong for
the 40 th Reunion. However, at the same
time, we say “goodbye” and “thank you” to
many longstanding faculty, administrators, and staff of the HKIS community.
Starting with Jim Handrich, who rides
off into retirement at the conclusion of
the 2006-07 school year. Jim is ­ closing
a 24 year chapter of his brilliant and
­passionate leadership and work in so
many facets of HKIS, stretching from
Lower Primary to High School to Associate Head of School. The lives of many
alumni have been touched by Jim. He has
helped us to grow and mature into who
we are today. Jim’s gentle yet ­enthusiastic
approach to all ­aspects of HKIS and his
honor roll of ­accomplishments will forever
be an ­integral part of the foundation of our
school.
We also bid farewell to Joseph Kung, whose
tenure at HKIS is as old as our school.
Goodbyes to Donna and Dennis Oetting,
Mary Kay and Scott Hoffman, Jeanette
and Peter Hardman, Mary Jane and Dave
Elliott, Jeanne Quinn, Lauralynn Goetz,
Merry Balian, VJ and Asha Sathyaraj,
Karen Fish, Ann Mok, Susan Kuyper…so
many special people who have helped and
taught so many of us alumni. Although
they’re gone, we will always carry a part
of them forever.
This year, your Alumni Board launches
the David F. Rittmann Alumni Scholarship. This endeavor lays an important
foundation of the HKIS alumni legacy by
celebrating the life of Dr. Rittmann and
giving gifted Hong Kong students, who
would never even dream of attending an
elite educational institution such as HKIS,
the opportunity to do just that. We hope
that together, us HKIS alumni can help
make a difference by giving these local
students this opportunity. This is just one
of many alumni endeavors that are in the
pipeline. The Alumni Resource Network is
growing day-by-day and I believe this will
become a very important part of alumni
networking and a driver in HKIS’ longterm growth. So if you can, please consider
ways that you can give back to our wonderful school.
Enjoy your summer holidays and blessings
to you and your families,
Ken Koo ’79
Alumni Board President
DragonTales
Message from the 40th Anniversary
Celebration Committee Chair
D
ear Alumni (Former Students, Teachers, Admin, Parents and Board),
HKIS welcomes all of you, whatever role
you have played in our history, to the 40th
Welcome to the
40th Anniversary
Reunion
Anniversary Reunion. On behalf of the
40 th Anniversary Planning Committee,
which I had the honor to chair, and the
40th Reunion Planning Committee, we are
delighted that you have returned to join us
for what is our largest reunion ever.
I know I am looking forward both to seeing former students and colleagues with
whom I’ve worked at HKIS. For those of
us who have helped compile the History
Book, it’s amazing to read the stories and
see the faces that have made HKIS what
DragonTales
it is today. We’ve also produced a DVD of
the 40th Anniversary events that we think
you’ll enjoy as well. This commemorative issue of DragonTales is part of that
­celebration as well.
For those of you who couldn’t make it back
to HKIS to celebrate the 40th, start ­planning
now for an even greater 50th Anniversary!
Although I’m retiring from HKIS this year
and certainly won’t be planning the 50 th,
I have every intention, God-willing, to be
back in Hong Kong to celebrate HKIS at
half a century.
Thanks again to all of you who have joined
us and to the HKIS Alumni Board for their
vision and amazing spirit. Enjoy the History Book, DVD, building tours, dinners,
panels, and the opportunities to rediscover
Hong Kong and your alma mater.
Happy 40th Birthday HKIS!
Jim Handrich
Associate Head of School
1983 –2007, and now an alum
Alumni Homecoming 2006
A
lmost 60 alumni returned to HKIS for Homecoming, which was
held on December 20, 2006. Alumni spanning from the 1960s to
2006 were represented at this year’s event. As this is HKIS’ 40 th anniversary year, Homecoming was scheduled to coincide with the All-School
Christmas Assembly.
The day began with morning registration in the High School plaza, followed by the Christmas Assembly in the Middle and High School Gyms.
After the Assembly, 3,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents
made their way to the Tai Tam field to form the 40th anniversary logo. A
helicopter donated by current HKIS parents, Mr. and Mrs. Martin Baggaley, then flew over to take this historical photo.
Down at the field, Richard ­Mueller presented alumna Linne Tsu ’96 a
40th anniversary medallion for her work in designing the 40 th anniversary
logo. A medallion was also ­presented to current parent and alumnus Peter
Fishel ’68 and outgoing Director of Office of Institutional Advancement,
Christina Tung.
Following the photo, a lunch reception was held where alumni and faculty
reconnected. That evening, alumni continued their homecoming festivities
at Post 97 in Lan Kwai Fong. It was a memorable and fun day for all! n
DragonTales
Alumni News
Alumni Bid Farewell
to Long-Serving Faculty
An Alumni
Gathering in
Florence
By Karen Fish,
High School Faculty
Back row: Carla Isley ’08, Eleanor Gartner ’08, Lisa Hall ’06,
Sarah Peck ‘08
Front row: Christina Belchere ’08, Britta Winans ’08,
Michael Suen ’07
E
ach year I take a group of High School art historians to
study the “real thing” in Europe. For a week this past
February, we visited the wonderful sights of Italy. From the
Colosseum to the Vatican Museums, to climbing to the top
of the Duomo, it was an amazing learning experience for us
all. During our three days in Florence, we caught up with
alumni studying at the NYU Florence program. A great
night was spent at a typical Italian pizzeria sharing stories
of Florence, Hong Kong, HKIS and life at college.
Hea Lim Kim ’07, Rose Wong ’06, Selene Xie ’07
DragonTales
O
n May 17th, the Alumni Association hosted a farewell cocktail reception at Tandoor Restaurant for long serving faculty
members. It was a time for departing faculty and their former students to reminisce about their HKIS days and update each other
on their lives. We will all miss these dedicated educational leaders
and professionals who have touched the lives and hearts of many
HKIS alumni around the world. The following faculty members
have been with HKIS for 10 years or more and will leave HKIS at
the end of this school year.
Scot (Grade 2) and Mary Kay Hoffman (High School
Associate Principal)
Vijay (High School Dean and Humanities) and Asha
Sathyaraj (Grade 2)
Peter (High School Math) and Jeanette Hardman (Grade 1)
David (High School Technology) and Mary Jane Elliott
(Reception 1)
Dennis Oetting (High School P.E.)
Jeanne Quinn (Upper Primary P.E.)
Lauralynn Goetz (Upper Primary Music)
Karen Fish (High School Art)
Merry Balian (Middle School Learning Specialist)
Susan Kuyper (High School Music)
Jim Handrich (Associate Head of School)
HKIS Remembers…
R
onald So ’05 lost his battle with acute lymphatic
leukemia on February 23, 2007. During his illness,
Ronald displayed exceptional courage and tenacity. He welcomed and received strong
support from his family, high school
friends, and from HKIS teachers.
In November last year, Ronald spoke
at HKIS’ high school Thanksgiving
Community Gathering about his
experience. He held 850 high school
students and teachers in the palm of
his hand with his story and what he
had learned about relationships and
­living his life in a different way.
Ronald’s friends describe him as a happy, enthusiastic and
funny person who could always make you smile. “While
often he was the clown inside and outside of school, he
was most of all a loving, caring person,” say Jessica Leung
’05 and Jeffrey Cha ’05.
Even after he was diagnosed with leukemia, just two weeks
before he was about to go to college, Ronald maintained a
positive and optimistic spirit.
“During the 17 months he battled cancer, he kept himself
active. He even practiced Qi Gong at least 8 hours a day.
Most importantly, Ronald got to know God and introduced Him to his family members. He was baptized on
Christmas day 2006 with his parents and grandparents.
“Although today Ronald has returned to God, his spirit
remains with us. We should remember him as a model in
life and learn from him to be positive, happy and live our
lives to the full,” they say.
Ronald will be missed by all who knew him. May he rest in
peace and watch over us from heaven.
DragonTales
Campus News
S
o far this year the Annual Fund has raised over HK$9 million!
Our two major fundraising events were the charity Movie Gala
and the Celebration Ball. If you would like more information on how
you can pledge a gift to the Annual Fund, please contact Loretta
Fung at [email protected] or call (852) 3149-7822. Your gift, however large or small, is much appreciated. We thank you in advance for
your support. This year’s fund remains open until 31st July, 2007.
Annual Fund Reaches New Heights!
Movie Gala
HKIS held its first ever charity Movie Gala on March 16, 2007.
The film, “Traces of a Dragon – Jackie Chan and His Lost Family”
was made available to HKIS by Jackie & Willie Productions Ltd. to
raise funds for the school’s Annual Fund Campaign. This movie
premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and has never been released
commercially. HKIS was given exclusive rights to screen the
movie as a fundraising event.
Almost 300 people attended the Movie Gala to show support
for the Annual Fund and to watch a fascinating film about
China’s history. Traces of a Dragon charts the story of Jackie
Chan and his lost family, and pieces together the extraordinary childhood that he and his siblings experienced during
a turbulent period when China was experiencing two World
Wars, the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists, and the tragic Cultural Revolution. Although the movie
focused on Jackie Chan’s family, his story resonates among many
Chinese families who lived through those very difficult years.
Ruby Anniversary Ball
Richard Mueller
thanks Mabel
Cheung, the
director of
Traces of a
Dragon
10 DragonTales
Richard and Claire Mueller cut the Celebration Ball cake with
Gina Chong
Celebration Ball Committee 2007
Student musicians perform at the Ball
The HKIS Ruby Celebration Ball – “Our Brilliance Shines On”
took place on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event was an overwhelming
success and great fun too, with guests enjoying and participating
in a range of entertainment – music, song, dance and auctions.
The Celebration Ball is the highlight in our school’s fundraising
year and is made possible by the hard work of many volunteers
in our community. These include our Annual Fund Cabinet Cochaired this year by Maximo Blandon, Clifford Chiu and Steve
Marcopoto; and the Celebration Ball Committee Co-chaired this
year by Gina Chong and Yvonne Choi.
The Annual Fund has raised over HK$50 million since its inauguration in 1999 and has touched the lives of our children in many
ways. It also allows HKIS to reach out to the local community
through funding of our Summer Program for Gifted Local Students and Merit and Needs Based Scholarships. The programs
supported by the Fund complement and help us progress towards
our Mission and Student Learning Results (SLRs). Annual Fund
programs have a lasting and positive impact on students, helping
them to develop their spirituality, appreciation of other cultures,
and desire for life-long learning in a diverse world. n
Hong Kong Dancers entertain at the Ball
Emcees – parents
Christopher Graves and
Karen Koh
DragonTales
11
Campus News
D
uring this past school year, the HKIS community
celebrated our 40-year history of educating and
serving in Hong Kong. Students, parents, faculty, staff and
alumni all came together for numerous events throughout
the year. The grand finale was the 40th Reunion in midJune. A detailed report and photos will be published in the
Winter 2007 issue of DragonTales. Stay tuned!
40th Anniversary
Celebration
Continues
Celebrating Our History with Drama
High School Drama Production of Arcadia,
December 20, 2006
Celebrating Our Chinese Culture
All-School Chinese New Year Assembly,
February 9, 2007
12 DragonTales
Celebrating Our Character Development
Erroll Lee’s Visit, March 8, 2007
Celebrating
Parent
Involvement
PFO World’s Fair,
April 21, 2007
Celebrating Our History with Service
High School Interact Club Fashion Show,
April 14, 2007
DragonTales
13
Campus News
Celebrating Our
History with
Dance
High School Hong
Kong Dancer’s
Performance,
May 3, 2007
40th Anniversary Celebration Continues
Celebrating Our 40th Anniversary
Ruby Anniversary Celebration Ball at the Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Centre, May 12, 2007
14 DragonTales
40th Anniversary Medallion Recipients
To mark the school’s 40th anniversary, 40 bronze medallions
were presented to select alumni, faculty, staff, parent and community leaders for their contribution to HKIS. The following list
of medallion recipients is current as of May 22nd.
HKIS parents Bill and Jacque Connor for their generous
­support of student learning through the Annual Fund.
The Fullerton family, at
the Tai Tam Tens Rugby
Tournament, in recognition
of their continuous support
of the tournament through
the Fullerton cup.
Pastor Dale Koehneke (current pastor of
Church of All Nations), at Education Sunday,
for his years of service to the school and
Parish.
Christina Tung (outgoing OIA Director), at the All-School
Christmas Assembly, for building the HKIS Annual Fund
program.
Lydia Kho (former faculty), at the All-School Assembly, on
behalf of former faculty and for her volunteer work in producing
the HKIS 40th anniversary dragon.
Faye Butcher and Joseph Kung, at the All-School Chinese
New Year Assembly, in recognition of them being the two
­longest serving members on HKIS staff. Faye has served the
school for 40 years and Joseph for 38 years.
Bijoy Goswami ’91, to thank and honor all HKIS student leaders.
Andrew Chworoswsky ’81, for his contributions to drama at
HKIS and continued interest and support of theater in Hong
Kong.
Peter Fishel ’68, at the All-School Christmas
Assembly, as a member of HKIS’ first graduating class and in honor of all
alumni.
Linne Tsu ’96, at the AllSchool Christmas Assembly,
for designing the 40th anniversary logo.
Carl Schalk, at the International Choral and Strings Festival
Concert, for composing the HKIS 40th anniversary anthem.
Rev. Mitri Raheb, at the Visiting Scholar Presentation, for his
love and passion for peace and justice.
St. Mary’s International School (Japan), at the 37th Holiday
Basketball Tournament, for participating in the tournament in
each of the past 37 years.
The Begbie family, at the Interact Club Fashion Show, for their
dedication and commitment to service through Crossroads
International. David Begbie ’94 and Josh Begbie ’96 are HKIS
alums.
Melanie Blandon (current PFO President) and Leslie Pilcher
(current Booster Club President) for their service through the
PFO and Booster Club respectively, and to honor all parent
volunteers at HKIS.
Consuls General James Cunningham (U.S.A), Mario Leal
(Mexico), and Gerry Campbell (Canada) for their support to
HKIS and the wider international community. n
Richard Mueller presents 40th Anniversary Medallions to Mitchell Stocks (HKIS Board
of Managers Chair), Stella and Ron Lu (Chairman’s Council Co-Chairs), Gina Chong (Ball
Co-Chair), and HKIS parents Yvonne Choi (Ball Co-Chair) and Clifford Chiu (Annual Fund
Co-Chair) at the Celebration Ball for their leadership within the school on various volunteer
boards and committees
Associate Head of School Jim
Handrich is overjoyed at being
awarded a Medallion for his 24 years
of dedication and service to HKIS
DragonTales
15
Faculty Profile
Larger
than Life
By James Manning
For thousands of past and present
students, the name Jim Handrich
is synonymous with Hong Kong
International School. Nearly a
quarter of a century after first
walking through the school gates at
Repulse Bay, Jim has decided to retire.
DragonTales talks to Jim to find out
more about the man and his plans…
16 DragonTales
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Elementary
Administration 1980’s on Book Character Day
Jim at Church of
All Nations
F
or nearly 25 years, Jim Handrich has
been at the ‘heart of HKIS education’.
He, arguably more than anyone else, has
left an indelible mark on generations of
HKIS students, teachers and staff.
Now, nearly a quarter of a century after
first walking through the school gates at
Repulse Bay, Jim has decided the time is
right to hang up his boots and soak up
some Florida surf. He retires at the end of
this school year.
Jim started his career in 1966 as a Middle
School teacher at St. Mathew Lutheran
School in Manhattan, NYC. Little did
he know then, but on the other side of
the world a new school was opening in
makeshift premises in Chung Hom Kok,
Hong Kong. That new school was HKIS;
World’s Fair – “Soak the Sucker.”
Jim and it had a date with destiny.
Before their paths would cross, Jim spent six
years teaching at St. Mathew and a ­further
eleven years as K-12 Principal at Our
­Saviour Lutheran School, Bronx, NYC.
His leadership skills and commitment to
his students and staff caught the eye of
David Rittmann, Head of School at HKIS,
who asked Jim to consider the position of
HKIS High School Principal in the early
1980’s.
“At that time I had two brand new Associate Principals at Our Saviour, so did not
think it a good time to consider a move to
Hong Kong,” says Jim.
Shortly after Rittmann’s first approach,
HKIS teacher Lou Weber, who had taught
at Our Saviour in the Bronx while Jim was
Principal, wrote a letter to Jim [and later
to David Rittmann] to inquire if he would
consider an upcoming position for HKIS
Elementary Principal (K-6).
Jim mulled it over but decided he was not
the best candidate for the job. “The HKIS
elementary school had no walls and was
totally ‘open space education’ and team
teaching at the time. I had no experience
at working in this type of environment. I
suggested that HKIS look for another candidate.”
HKIS interviewed several other people,
but without success. In March 1983 Jim
was approached again and agreed to visit
Hong Kong. “I came. I observed. I liked
Jim with Josephus Kwan, Paul Kan and staff
DragonTales
17
Faculty Profile
what I saw and fell in love with Hong Kong
and HKIS. I thought I could do this for a
couple of years,” he quips.
Slick – Jim Handrich in
early 1985
Dear Jim,
As I was reflecting over a Scripture
for you, this came to mind: “…Now
remain in my love. If you obey my
commands, you will remain in
my love… Greater love has no one
than this, that he lay down his life
for his friend.” John 15:9-13. This
Scripture defines the spirit in which
I have seen you live, continually
remaining in the Father’s love, and
laying your life down for others.
Thank you for living this sacrificial
love, which has seen your own life
continually laid down, so that others may live. I am sad to see you go
but, at the same time, am encouraged that this spirit, and this call,
remains unchanged in you! Thank
you for the blessing you have been
to me, and to so many. May that
same love now spread even further
afield, bringing life to countless
more!
With all of our love, in His,
Biff Begbie ’94
A most memorable
senior prank
18 DragonTales
Although Our Saviour’s student body was
predominantly Black and Hispanic while
at HKIS it was Caucasian and Asian, the
schools were quite similar in many ways.
“Both were K-12 schools, grounded in the
Christian faith, and located in big ­cities.
The majority of the seniors at both schools
also went on to university, and their
­student bodies were talented in sports and
music and had a commitment to service
and making a difference in our world,” says
Jim.
For all the similarities, Jim could never
have guessed his anticipated two-year
stint in Hong Kong would be considerably
stretched. In fact, as history now records,
he was the HKIS Elementary Principal for
seven years (1983-90), High School Principal for 14 years (1990-04), Interim Head
of School for a year (2004-05), and Associate Head of School for 2 years (2005-07).
That’s 12 times longer than he expected
- 24 years in all.
Of his seven years in the elementary
school, working with talented teachers and
parents who had the time and wanted to
be involved in their children’s education
was a highlight. Starting the Elementary
Mandarin program for K-6 along with
Nancy Kroonenberg, Lisa Ahnert and
Tammy Hui was another.
“I enjoyed working with the elementary
community so much that when I was asked
to consider moving to the high school in
1990, I said no.”
Jim at HKIS School Camp 1983
However, prayer and reflection, mixed
with a dash of pressure from well-intentioned colleagues, saw Jim make the move
to the high school that year.
“Looking back, I certainly grew from making the move to Tai Tam. The high school
has such a strong academic program. I
also enjoy watching high school students
perform in concerts, art exhibitions, on
the sports field and in the gym, and supporting them in their culminating senior
projects.
“Every day I have been inspired by the
teachers and students with whom I share
this place.” he says.
Jim was born on All Saints day in Vinton,
Iowa, USA. His mom and dad were both
school teachers. His earliest memory is of
shoveling snow from a basketball court
so he could play a game in the midst of
winter. At school he enjoyed subjects that
required him to think deeply and problem
solve - skills that would serve him well in
the future.
Following his parents into teaching was
the last thing on the young Jim’s mind. He
wanted to be a lawyer, specializing in public service. Though this all changed after
he did a stint as an intern teacher in New
York. “I knew then exactly where my heart
lay. I wanted to work with kids,” he says.
Jim is happiest when talking about the students at the heart of his life and mission.
Such has been his influence on young lives
passing through HKIS, that many former
students have become close friends. Spencer Chiu ‘93 is one case in point. Jim was
Spencer’s Elementary and High School
Principal.
Dear Jim,
“Back in those days, despite all the work
piling up in his office [for those who’ve
been in his office, there are literally stacks
and stacks of files], he was always available
to hear you out and give advice. In high
school, I remember Mr. Handrich being
everywhere. He would be at the front gate
greeting students in the morning, everywhere during lunch, saying goodbye to
everyone as school ends, and cheering at
soccer and tennis matches every weekend,” says Spencer.
Mary Chen ’98 also remembers Jim standing at the school gate each morning greeting students. “He always took a personal
interest. I remember him shaking my hand
and saying, ‘I hear you swam well yesterday, Mary!’ With more than 600 students
enrolled and a school to run, he still made
us feel that we were more than names,” she
says.
“Every time Jim mentions ongoing developments of HKIS, his eyes light up. He
remembers hundreds of names of alumni
and is always interested in their updates
and whereabouts,” says Spencer. “To many,
and me, Mr. Handrich defined education,
spirit and character attributes that can be
said of HKIS. This is because Mr. Handrich
is part of HKIS as much as HKIS is part of
him.”
Jim Handrich and Ranjan Goswami ’98 at a
reunion in New York City, in February 2002
Through your years at HKIS, you
have supported us, encouraging
exploration and growth while
respectfully constraining us as
needed. You have taken time
to invest in the people of your
students, as well as running processes for them. You have heard
the voices of all HKIS stakeholders, making sure each felt valued.
You have brought light and life to
so many while ensuring a fantastic education. You have been our
friend, our champion, and our
guide in so many areas. From we
who are no longer your students,
but gratefully still your friends, a
deep, “Thank you.”
Josh Begbie ’96
At the time of writing, Jim was busy packing up 24 years of memories and making
some difficult decisions about what cherished artifacts to throw out and what to
take back home. From Hong Kong he will
move to Naples, Florida, where he bought a
home about ten years ago. “My 90-year-old
mom also lives there. Since I’ve lived out of
the US for a long time, I hope to do some
care-giving for her.”
He also expects to take better care of him-
self and swim every day. “I have a hard time
managing this here in Hong Kong. It’s only
some mornings that I’m at the HKIS pool
by 5:20 am and out before the swim team
comes at 6 am. I’m looking forward to getting up and swimming at 8 am, instead of
so early. Then I’ll read the New York Times
over a cup of coffee and the South China
Morning Post too, as I’m so used to it.”
Jim will miss Hong Kong, which he describes as ‘a beautiful city.’ “I love living
here. I’ll miss people, especially those from
the HKIS community. Learning to appreciate Asian and particularly the Chinese
culture and way of approaching life has
enlarged my perspective both on education and on life.
“I have yet to find a place with better food
from so many cultures than what we have
here in Hong Kong. Now if only my exercise plan would equal my appetite for good
food!”
He says, “Whether it’s staff, parents, students or teachers, there are people here
whose presence and company have made
me a different person throughout my 24
years with the school. I’ll miss those daily
relationships with so many people in Hong
Kong, but I know I’ll also carry those relationships and experiences with me.” n
Earl Westrick, former Associate Head of School and Terry Thomas, former Board Chair (in
retirement in Sun River, Oregon) with Richard and Claire Mueller and Jim Handrich
DragonTales
19
Faculty Profile
Q: Who is the biggest inspiration in
your life?
A: The biggest inspiration to me is the
lives of other people. Some examples are
Mother Theresa and her selfless compassion, Martin Luther King and his great
courage, and Henri Nouwen and his spiritual wisdom. But the teachers and students
with whom I share this place also inspire
me. Whenever I see students or teachers
rise to a challenge and live out their lives
with high integrity or with moral courage,
that inspires me. And I’m grateful to have
witnessed that both in colleagues and students.
Q: What are some of your fondest
memories of HKIS?
A: Student events – sports, concerts,
projects – seeing students excel.
• Team teaching Senior Humanities classes
with Dave Bickel – what a great teacher
he was during his years at HKIS! I learned
a lot from sharing a class with him.
• I really like seeing alumni and then
remembering their stories. We’ve had
some amazing students who changed
greatly during their years at HKIS.
• Teaching colleagues – I think we’ve had
some very talented educators at HKIS
during my years here. They did so many
things well and had such a heart for student learning.
• Watching this school grow and change
during these past years is a fond memory.
I helped with the history book that the
alumni funded, which has just been published. That book is so full of great memories. I’m glad I was a part of them.
Q: Have HKIS students changed over
the years? If so, how?
A: We’ve all changed over the years. The
world is smaller. We realize even more so
20 DragonTales
In Coversation
We pinned Jim Handrich down and subjected
him to a Q&A session, here’s the result:
how everything is connected and if we are
careless with something, the results may
have terrible consequences elsewhere – I
think students may understand those connections even better than adults do.
Current HKIS students are more committed to service and global understanding,
but I think that’s because our education
here has changed. I think students who
were here in the earlier years would respond with the same enthusiasm for making a difference in the lives of others. I
think current students are probably even
more serious about their academic results
than early HKIS alums were. But again,
the competition is greater, the world is
different, the needs for change are even
more apparent. It’s hard to really compare
because the times change and are so different. I suspect that in a lot of ways HKIS
students have always cared for the needs of
others, have been change agents for good,
and have been cross cultural in their interests and abilities.
Q: How has HKIS changed over the
years?
A: More buildings, resources and ­students,
maturing in its educational capabilities. I
think HKIS will continue to evolve into an
even better school. It’s always had high expectations for itself, so I think it will continue to change and improve. But I like to
remember we always stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. So I have
a lot of respect for those who ­began HKIS,
nurtured it, and cared for its vision.
Q: What has been your greatest accomplishment as an administrator?
A: No administrator has any accomplish-
ments apart from all of the work that we
do together with colleagues. So, individually I would claim nothing. Working together with others, I really like what we
have accomplished in establishing a very
clear school mission and Student Learning Results to chart our school’s direction.
I believe the best schools are “mission
driven.” If the student learning results really accomplish what we hope for in our
students, I believe our graduates will be
outstanding in their thinking, inquiring
and performing. I believe our graduates
will care about the needs of others and of
our earth. They’ll be articulate in voicing
their own spirituality as motivating principles for making a difference in the lives
of others. That kind of accomplishment is
never finished as we work together to develop those results. But I think the HKIS
journey to do that well for student learning
is really on the right track.
Q: How have you personally grown
throughout your years in Hong Kong?
A:
• Learning to take a bigger perspective
­beyond my own on the challenges of
leading HKIS.
Administrative
Council
members
Bruce Kelsh
(UP Principal),
Wil Chan (MS
Principal),
Madeleine Heidi
(LP Principal)
with past Head
of School Chuck
Dull and Jim
Handrich at the
annual Chinese
New Year party
• I’ve grown to appreciate the diversity in
viewpoints that parents, students and
teachers bring to the table on many issues and to believe we’ll arrive at a better
solution to any problem through engaging in dialogue that honors the views of
each group.
• I’ve certainly learned to be a better principal from my years here at HKIS. These
last three years in the Head of School office have taught me a great deal about the
leadership that has to happen outside of
the classroom to develop a great school.
• I learned to swim here at HKIS.
• I’ve grown from travel in Asia and experiencing other cultures, religions and
ways of life.
• I’ve learned to trust students at HKIS
more than I previously had. In fact,
I’ve come to believe the more you can
trust students in their decision making, the more likely it is that they will
be trustworthy. I think it’s really important to take the risk to trust others. Not
“blind trust,” but so much growth can
come from the dialogue that creates real
trust.
Q: You have lived in Hong Kong for
24 years. Any reservations or worries
about moving back to the States?
A: Yes, I’m used to visiting family and
friends, but then I always come back here
Q: Any travel plans? Is there one particular place you can’t wait to visit?
A: I always like to go back to New York
and have some good friends there. I hope
I’ll get there every year. Mitri Raheb from
our Chuck Dull Visiting Scholar Series invited me to visit Bethlehem in Palestine.
I’m looking forward to seeing his ministry
there. He does such amazing work in such
an important and challenging place in our
world.
Q: What do you envision for HKIS in
the next decade as it moves towards its
50th anniversary?
to Hong Kong. Living overseas for so long
gives one a different perspective of the US,
I think. I know that perspective will continue to inform my views on the US. On
the other hand, I’ve missed some of the
US perspective that comes from the daily
life of people living there. I’m looking forward to listening and understanding that
as well.
Q: What do you look forward to the
most about moving back to the States?
A: First would be family. I see them at
Christmas each year, but I’m looking forward to more time than that. I’m a big
sports fan. If I hadn’t gone into education
I might have done sports writing or something else connected to sports.
Hong Kong has gotten a bit better with
sports. I’m a Yankee fan from my New York
days and it’s amazing how many live games
we now have here in Hong Kong, but they
are in the middle of the night or in the
morning when I’m at work. I’m a ­packers
fan from my growing up in ­ Wisconsin.
I love college basketball and we seldom
get to see that here. I’m definitely looking
­forward to sports.
A: I really believe HKIS will grow to be
an even better school than we are now. So
many plans are in place for that to happen.
We have talented people, leaders with vision, resources, great students and families – it will be exciting to see the school
change and grow over this next decade.
Look at the school’s vision for the next ten
years, I think HKIS can achieve that and it
will be amazing!
Q: Will you return for the 50th Anni-
versary?
A: God willing, absolutely. I got to work
with a great committee in planning the
th
40 Anniversary. So I’m definitely looking
th
forward to participating in the 50 .
Q: Anything else?
A: Yes, I hope a lot of alumni – students,
faculty, Board and staff will come for the
th
50 . To reconnect every ten years in Hong
Kong is a great plan, I think. Let’s do it!
And, thanks, HKIS, for these twenty-four
years! Blessings to everyone and to this
school! n
Finally, I’m just looking forward to some
leisure time for reading, exercise, and
­people, without thinking of the various
plans and projects that need to get done
here at HKIS.
DragonTales
21
Alumni Profile
Michelle
Hoeppner
’94
Michelle Katherine Hoeppner was
born in Woodburn, Indiana and
attended HKIS all four years of high
school (1990 – 94). Her parents,
David and Beth Hoeppner, taught at
HKIS for 13 years (1990 – 2003).
Michelle in India
What did you do after you graduated
from HKIS? After graduating from HKIS
in 1994, I attended Wittenberg University
in Springfield, OH and graduated in 1998
with a B.A. in East Asia Studies and Spanish. In 2000, I started a program in the Elliott School of International Affairs at The
George Washington University in Washington, DC. I graduated from this program
in 2002 with an M.A. in International Development Studies with a concentration
in Public Health and Education Program
Management.
Where did life lead you after you graduated from university? I taught English in
Qingdao, China for one year to doctors.
Then I was a teaching assistant in R2 at
HKIS and also coached JV girls’ basketball.
During graduate school, I worked at the
Council for Exceptional Children and at
PAHO (Pan-American Health Organization). After graduate school, I was hired
to be the Yunnan Manager of Concordia
Welfare and Education Society and I lived
in Kunming, China from 2002 – 2005. In
2005, my organization changed from a society to a foundation and I moved to Hong
Kong to become the Executive Director.
At this time, I also became part of the
Asia Management Team of LCMS World
Mission with the position of Facilitator for
Human Care. Ted Engelbrecht, (former
HKIS teacher) and Allan Schmidt (father
of Marty Schmidt, current HKIS teacher)
also serve with me on the Asia Management Team.
Tell us about your current job. I have
two titles – Executive Director Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation
(www.cwef.org.hk) and Facilitator for Human Care for LCMS World Mission Asia. I
manage a Hong Kong based non-profit organization that works in mainland China
and I work with Lutheran church partners
on human care, development and disaster
relief programs in Asia. I was active in disaster relief work in Sri Lanka starting only
10 days after the tsunami and currently
help manage the Wheat Ridge Ministries
Care of Widows, Cow for Kids program in
southern India.
22 DragonTales
Michelle with orphans in China
What led you to this profession? My
Christian faith has always motivated me
to help and serve others and I feel blessed
to be involved in Matthew 25 ministries.
Also, my experiences in India during HKIS
interim week and in the Dominican Republic where I studied abroad in university, led me to have a heart for the marginalized and impoverished. I was able to
see the joy in the lives of the poor as well
as the capabilities that they already possess. It is now my pleasure to be involved
in empowerment work and to see people
take back control of their own lives and
their own futures.
What are some of the highlights of your
job? The highlights of my job can really be
summarized in two experiences. The first
is the joy in the eyes of a child when they
receive a scholarship that allows them to
go to school or a health kit that includes
basic items like soap and colored pencils
that is followed by their laugher as I get
to play with them after the ceremony. The
second highlight is the pride in a man or
woman’s voice as they tell me that because
of our microcredit programs or because of
our drinking water projects, they can now
better provide for the financial needs and
health care of their family.
How has HKIS helped you achieve your
current successes in life? HKIS prepared
me with a good base from which to grow
and to explore the world. It helped open
my eyes to the realities and differences that
exist in the world but also gave me tools
and encouraged me to dream about how
the world could be a different place. n
Taku
Hirano ’91
By Benjamin Lee ’91
I remember the first time I saw Taku playing drums in the music room across
from the gymnasium in the old high school (the Tai Tam campus had not been
built yet). We were in seventh grade at the time and he was just turning that
room inside-out! Everybody knew that Taku was an extremely talented musician.
That same year I borrowed my brother’s professional recording walkman to
record Taku’s drum solo at the jazz band concert in the cafeteria.
Although Taku had made a big impression on me, music wasn’t high on my list of
interests. I remember one day Taku had taught me what paradiddles were, but I
was into having BB-gun wars up in the hills behind school, going skateboarding
and other stuff. It wasn’t until high school that my increased exposure to music
led me to an even greater appreciation for where Taku was headed.
Benjamin Lee: How did you feel when
you first arrived in Hong Kong (or on
your first day of school)?
Taku Hirano: I definitely was nervous.
Not only was I making the big step from
elementary school to junior high, but I also
was moving from a small town in California (Fresno) to Hong Kong! Everything
was new, and I’m sure I had anxieties about
being accepted.
We all know that the HKIS experience allows us all to gain a perspective on life that
is hard to put into words. Some of us are
originally from the U.S.; some were born and
raised in Hong Kong. Taku’s experience is
unique because he was born in Japan but
moved to Fresno, CA when he was just three
months old. He and his family were the only
Asians in the community. Moving to Hong
Kong had brought him closer to Japan and it
allowed him to return there more often.
DragonTales
23
Alumni Profile
BL: Did any of your perspectives on life
change after living in HK for several
years?
of 2006, an artist in Japan who has sold
over 40 million albums in a nation of 120
­million! Taku has just finished up a US
tour with Lindsey Buckingham and is going
into rehearsals with Stevie Nicks and Mick
Fleetwood for some upcoming shows.
TH: It definitely did. My time in Hong
Kong, a total of four years, completely
changed my life. Being in an environment
where people were truly from EVERYWHERE, I was exposed to different cultures, traditions, and perspectives. Those
experiences, no matter how miniscule
they may have seemed at the time, have
helped me in every facet of my life.
In high school the significance of Taku’s
talents were beginning to set in. I learned
all about punks, hippies, and metal heads.
Each had their own take on life. Taku
traversed each seamlessly. He must have
seen each of them as just another genre to
master, because during this time he was
taking lessons from the principal timpanist of the Hong Kong Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra.
BL: Did you have a favorite teacher or
a most memorable learning experience
at HKIS?
TH: I remember distinctly my freshman
year studying English with Dr. Goodyear.
He was a tough teacher, but definitely got
results by inspiring all of us to excel. Looking back, it blows my mind what level of
literature we were reading in ninth grade.
In terms of learning experiences, I would
have to say my Interim trip to Hiroshima.
Not only did we go to the Peace Memorial
museum, we also spent a lot of time interviewing survivors of the A-bomb. That was
a life-changing experience for me. I recently
was back in Hiroshima over the summer,
and found myself playing tour guide/historian to my band-mates... all with information that I learned in 1988!
BL: In general, what were the most
memorable things about going to school
at HKIS (or living in HK)?
TH: I think that the most memorable
thing about HKIS was the level of camaraderie I had with my classmates. We had
an absolute ball, whether it was in class or
24 DragonTales
BL: How would you describe yourself in
terms of your own career goals?
hanging out in Wan Chai on a weekend
evening. Junior high and high school is
such a time of discovering new things, and
HK provided a landscape like no other to
grow up in. No one event sticks out in my
mind. Just lots of fond memories of hanging out with a ton of people... no cliques.
Taku and I even had similar hair styles!
Short or nearly shaven on the sides and
long hair down the middle combed off to
one side or the other, sometimes down to
the shoulder. But we rarely saw Taku out
partying. He was hard at work, taking himself to where he is now.
And “Where is that?” you might ask.
Well, since his 1995 graduation from the
Berkeley College of Music in Boston, Taku
has taken to the world by recording, performance, or tour; Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder,
LeAnn Rimes, Lionel Richie, Stevie Nicks,
Don Henley, Lisa Loeb, Vanessa Carlton,
The Backstreet Boys, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre,
Brandy, The Neville Brothers, Isaac Hayes,
Chaka Khan, The Temptations, The Emotions, Faith Evans, Monica, Teena Marie,
Yolanda Adams, Cece Winans, and many
others! If that does not seem impressive,
Taku has his own signature drum stick
manufactured by Regal Tip, The Taku
Percussion Stick. Most recently he has
toured with Hikaru Utada for the summer
TH: I feel very fortunate to be doing precisely what I wanted to do since I was
about four years old. That was to play music. I still don’t know where exactly it will
take me, but figure it’s about the journey.
At this point, I am enjoying traveling and
playing with some interesting people and
a lot of great music.
It wasn’t until recently that I felt confident
enough about my accomplishments in life
to begin contacting old schoolmates. I wrote
to Taku not knowing what to expect, and
with great joy he replied with a long e-mail.
He had all sorts of questions for me, catching up on old times and sharing new ones.
Taku is married to Arthel Neville, the
daughter of Art Neville, the keyboardist of
the Grammy-winning New Orleans band
The Neville Brothers. They were married in
summer of 2001 in Maui. You can get the
gushy details about how they met in “One
Love Two Cultures: At Home With Show
Host Arthel Neville and Her Husband,
Taku Hirano”, by Karen De Witt in the July
2003 issue of Essence.
BL: Is there anything else you would
like to add or comment on?
TH: It has been great that I have come
into contact with so many people from
HK just in the last couple of years. I have
so many fond memories of my time in
HK, but was reserved to thinking that I
had lost touch with most people. Also,
since I left HK after 10th grade, I didn’t
really think of myself as an alum. Unfortunately, since I got to my high school
in the States with only two years left, I
didn’t really get to know many people that
I graduated with, so I felt somewhat displaced. To be back in touch with so many
HKISers is definitely great! n
Justin Hardman ’99
MyDragonNet
This and the following two pages are reproduced from
Learning & Leading with Technology, February 2007 issue.
By Justin Hardman
and David Carpenter
The social networking features of today’s Internet can be strong
tools for making a school Web presence relevant and useful to
staff, students, and parents
T
ime warp? For many of today’s
tech-savvy students, stepping
into a typical school is like taking a time machine back to the days of
manual typewriters and wall-mounted
dial telephones. Many schools are out
of sync with the way their students
and adults communicate outside of
school today. It’s as if we’re preparing
kids for the past instead of the future.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Today’s methods of social networking and the technologies that support
them offer powerful examples of how
educators can connect to the “real”
world of our client population.
So how do we adapt schools to fully
engage with the Web 2.0 world? We
are seeing educators work to include
aspects of Web 2.0 into their teaching
through the use of wikis, forums, and
blogs. Administrators are integrating classroom management software
and curriculum mapping systems at
their schools. These parts are coming together to build virtual learning
communities. The next logical step
would seem to be the creation of an
all-in-one, online communication and
collaboration system for schools that
leverages the best of what Web 2.0
offers. The Hong Kong International
School (HKIS) has taken this leap to
create its own all-in-one Web-based
system called myDragonNet (http://
dragonet.hkis.edu.hk).
Building Support
The school previously piloted a tool
built in-house that stored documents
and provided for a limited calendar
creation ability. The need grew for a
classroom management program as
well as a curriculum mapping system.
Like most schools, HKIS already had
an Internet presence (called DragonNet) that many teachers used to post
resources, contacts, and information
about their classes such as a calendar
for scheduling assignments. Many
used e-mail regularly. But as other
needs and opportunities presented
themselves, a bigger vision developed.
Teachers needed a three-component
system to:
Y enhance communication and collaboration for themselves and their
students to support classroom and
co-curricular activities (classroom
and group management)
Y provide curriculum mapping, resource repository, and archive resources (curriculum development)
Y serve as an online portfolio management system to support student
and teacher reflection with a longitudinal review of their learning
(electronic portfolios)
Rather than purchase separate commercial software packages or adapt
open source options, HKIS administrators supported the vision of high
school technology coordinator David
Elliott and associate principal Karen
Moffat to develop a single, Web-based
tool to meet all three of these needs.
Justin Hardman, an alumnus of HKIS
(and co-author of this article), was
hired to enhance and fully develop
this tool. It was named myDragonNet
to reflect the intention to make it a
personalized educational online workspace within our larger community
and academic Web site.
Hardman began working with students, teachers, and administrators
researching their needs and ideas for
how myDragonNet should work for
them. The development was grounded
in the idea that all functions should be
integrated. Hardman used the metaphor of a three-legged stool as he educated the community about myDrag-
onNet and its purpose. He also shared
the value of myDragonNet’s structure
and interface as it reflects the school’s
strategic mission and provides a
mechanism to support the realization
of its long-term strategic goals. At the
same time, it is a practical tool designed to reflect the ways that teachers
and students actually work.
Exploiting Online Interaction
As Hardman developed myDragonNet, he saw how it was taking on the
characteristics of a Web 2.0 service.
The integrated and collaborative, yet
personalized, nature of myDragonNet, combined with its facility to easily
search, index, and share resources are
characteristic of Web 2.0 environments. Additionally, many elements
of its interface resembled other Web
2.0 resources. Because students and
faculty enter school already having the
mental framework for online collaboration and communication from their
participation in the expanding array of
social networking services, the move
to support Web 2.0 capabilities became
a new focus for myDragonNet.
The design reflects the belief that
schools should seek to work within
and exploit this power of interacting
online. Looking at it the other way, the
commitment to promoting myDragonNet implies the understanding that
social networking represents a significant part of how students, teachers,
and parents live and work outside of
school. By providing an educational
environment that mirrors that of the
real world, myDragonNet supports
the school’s goal of preparing students
for the varying literacies that they
need in our networked world.
Creating Connections
After two years of development and
continually rolling out updated versions, the classroom and group management portion of myDragonNet is
now in solid shape. Teachers manage
their individualized myDragonNet
DragonTales
25
Alumni Profile
Managing a variety of resources and media types is easy
with myDragonNet.
home pages that provide links to information about their classes, sports
teams, and clubs. The power of the
class management system is in the
connections that are created between
the curriculum, the faculty, and students. The entire system is live, with
all information entered by teachers
available to students either immediately or whenever the teacher decides.
This information includes calendar
entries, access to documents and
multimedia resources, forum posts,
and e-mail messages. The power of
visuals is supported by a photo gallery
component that allows for searchable
images and videos. Students or colleagues working collaboratively can
also add electronic “sticky notes” to
any resource entry. As the resource
system grows, the entire class management and curriculum system becomes
an institutional knowledge management tool. It is as if all the teachers’
file drawers are open for easy searchable browsing by other teachers.
A student’s overall educational experience at school comes from activities both inside and outside the classroom. Thus, space in myDragonNet
is provided to after-school activities,
sports teams, clubs, and even activities
outside school. These collaborative
spaces enable our clubs, sports teams,
faculty committees, and other community groups to work together more
efficiently and effectively.
20 Learning
26 DragonTales
The calendar in myDragonNet is completely personalized,
bringing together class, co-curricular, and personal entries.
The curriculum development portion is designed to facilitate the development, storage, standards mapping,
and archiving of curriculum. It is
centered in a unit planning template
based on Jay McTighe and Grant
Wiggins’s Understanding by Design
model. Standards and benchmarks are
stored in a central database along with
curriculum resources. Units are organized into curriculum libraries, which
are flexible groupings that could be
high or middle school courses or an
elementary grade level’s work.
There are several built-in features
that enable more integrated and
aligned curriculum to be written and
analyzed at each step in the process.
For instance, whenever standards
appear for selection, their contextual equivalent appears alongside
to prevent repetition of content and
to ensure coverage. Standards and
benchmarks can be searched to identify where else in the curriculum they
are taught.
Standards and benchmarks can be
referenced at many different levels of
hierarchy in the curriculum. They can
be assigned to particular units in a
curriculum library, as well as to individual learning objects and resources
to allow very specific breakdowns of
course coverage. Resources such as
podcasts, videos, presentations, PDFs,
and so on are stored in the unit re-
source area and can be linked to multiple learning activities or assessments
across the curriculum.
The classroom management system
and the curriculum are totally integrated as unit plans and resources can
be added, transferred, and shared.
This increases the efficiency of planning and organizing within and
between teams, especially with the
difficulty of finding common meeting
times. Core components, including
the messaging system, resource library, calendar, and user profile, enhance communication and accessibility to resources. The messaging system
automatically provides e-mail links to
key stakeholders in a student’s education. The teacher is only a click away
from communicating to the child’s
parents, administrator, and student
services point person.
Storing and Showcasing
The electronic portfolio portion of
myDragonNet provides our students
and teachers with a digital storage and
display tool to save, share, and showcase their work. The goal is to capture
a diverse set of work from students
and teachers to show development
over time while building in a mechanism for reflection. This process, and
the product it produces, are individual
and creative. The myDragonNet
e-portfolio reflects the working styles
Personal work spaces can be as simple or advanced as users would
like. Students and staff are encouraged to customize their pages.
and passions of the individual it represents. For teachers, it also facilitates
the gathering of exemplary work.
Teachers assigning a project can, the
following year, present examples of
past students’ work and engage the
students in a discussion of how well
that work met expectations.
Although the e-portfolio is a space
for teachers and students to record
their individual achievements, it does
so primarily through collection of
artifacts that are generated by their
social interactions with groups,
classes, and communities within the
school. The portfolio has the capacity
to be an assessment tool for classes,
as well as an instrument for documentation of achievement across all
six HKIS student learning results (the
school-wide learning standards/goals).
The portfolio system allows the user
to generate any number of portfolios
for different time periods, types of
material, or audiences. Artifacts can
be shared between these portfolios
or they might be unique to just one
of them. The users have the ability
to work privately on their portfolios
with full control over who is granted
viewing access. The password protected system enables our students as
young as elementary age to safely post
their work and ideas with options for
viewer comments. Their portfolios are
featured on an overview page, a sec-
The class home page provides an overview to units currently being
taught, e-mail links, student drop boxes, and current calendar entries.
tion of myDragonNet that is the user’s
“face” within the system. This section
can be modified by the user to reflect
his or her own design preferences to
best reflect his or her personality to
the rest of the school community.
All three of the major system
components are linked together
horizontally (between the legs of the
“stool”) so resources and content
can be transferred in ways that fit
naturally with educational processes.
Students can submit work to their
classes and include that work in their
portfolio at the same time. Teachers
can also transfer that work into the
curriculum as a student exemplar to
guide future students and new teachers as well as parents. Content from
multiple classes can be merged into
the common curriculum space to
promote common practice. The system is also linked together vertically
throough the “Personal Digital Workspace”—the individual home page on
myDragonNet that provides each user
with personalized access to notes,
classes, and curriculum.
Conclusion
What began as an online file storage
and calendar system for one international school has grown into a multifaceted virtual community experience
that works to leverage aspects of Web
2.0 to meet the users’ educational,
collaboration, and communication
needs. The technical and educational
architecture of myDragonNet is such
that it is designed for future adaptation and expansion. One belief behind
development of the system is that
we should never fool ourselves into
thinking we perfectly address all of
our requirements or that the system is
future proof. We also should not fool
ourselves into thinking that myDragonNet could supplant our students’
desire for the latest social networked
presence. We can only hope that they
will see that within the community
of myDragonNet that their identities
and accomplishments are much more
authentically represented than they
would be in Facebook or MySpace.
Justin Hardman works for
the Education Technology
Services Department at Hong
Kong International School
and has been working since
he was in high school to help
create Web-based programs
to enhance teaching and learning.
David Carpenter is the instructional technologist for the Upper Primary of the Hong Kong
International School. He enjoys
collaborating with teachers and
administrators to design instruction and curriculum.
visit us online at www.iste.org/LL
Copyright © 2007, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved.
February
DragonTales
27
Class Notes
’68
Edmond Chen
[email protected]
Where are
They Now?
Ginny HADINOTO: After graduation,
I attended Wisconsin State University in
Eau Claire, WI; where I met my husband
of 36½ years. Since then, we have lived in
Minnesota, Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois
and now here in Las Vegas, NV. We have
one son, who recently (this past Thanksgiving Day) with his wife, became parents
of our very first grandson. What a joy!! I
went on a China/Hong Kong trip on April
9, 2007 with my church group from Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas,
NV. Our last Sunday of the trip was a
Sunday morning worship at the Church
of All Nations (unbeknownest to me),
which of course is the school I attended
40 years ago. Wow, what a thrill and what
memories!! I feel sad that the trip couldn’t
have been timed to coincide with the 40th
celebration in June. But I was able to tour
the building, etc. THANK YOU all who
made that possible.
’69
Christy Wendell
[email protected]
’70
Seeking Class Agent(s)
Blair T. CARLSON: I remember having
our 9th Grade classes in the master bedroom of an apartment in Tai Tam, and being the first 10th Grade in the Repulse Bay
school. Since graduating in 1970, I went
on to Wheaton College near Chicago and
studied Art and Anthropology. My international job gave the opportunity to live
in many different countries. I met my wife
Elizabeth in Amsterdam, and we’re blessed
with two daughters. A major career change
in 2000 took the family and me to England
where I studied theology and was ordained
an Anglican minister. I am now serving
in a newly-formed Anglican church in
Minnesota and also working with two
faith-based foundations. As I look back I
see God’s hand in each step. I’m grateful
28 DragonTales
for my Hong Kong roots, and pray God’s
blessing on friends from so long ago.
Blair with his family
’71
Akinori Fukue
[email protected]
Wilfred Koo
[email protected]
David James: I am currently ­serving
as Associate Vice Provost for ­ Academic
­P rograms at UNLV, responsible for
­Program Review, New programs, Accreditation and General Education at UNLV, a
public university with 28,000 students that
awards baccalaureate, masters and doctorate degrees.
Annamarie CANNARATA McGowan: Gongxi HKIS! I am sorry to
miss this special anniversary celebration!
I had planned to attend with my daughter,
Sara, but we have postponed our trip to
Asia until Fall/Winter 2007 when Sara,
a student at Union College, Schenectady,
NY, will be spending her semester abroad
at Fudan University in Shanghai. I look
forward to joining her in Shanghai, touring China, and most especially visiting
Hong Kong sometime in November or
December. I have attached two favorite
photos taken in Italy where we spend most
of our travel vacation time visiting family in Rome. I have also attached a prom
photo from 1972 featuring Robert Gould,
myself, Graham McAusland, and Seanna
Laughlin Desmond. I look forward to news
and photos from the June event and look
forward to our visit later in the year.
’72
Debbie Smiley
[email protected]
’73
Seeking Class Agent(s)
’74
Scott Waterman
[email protected]
[email protected]
’75
Judith Porter Rower
[email protected]
’76
Brad Doyle
[email protected]
Rosemary Garvey
Jill Liddiard Hedenstad
[email protected]
Nicole Young: I’m so excited to finally
find some link to my past. I would dearly
love to hear from any one who knew me
from our time at the school and to hear
what their lives are up to.
’78
’79
’77
Richard Grayson
[email protected]
Kenneth Koo
[email protected]
Richard Eric Eichelberger
[email protected]
’80
Debbie BLAKNEY Ruxer: I am happily remarried, living in Dayton, Ohio,
and practicing as an Advanced Practice
Nurse in a local hospital. I am hoping to
open my own practice some day, as I am a
Certified Nurse Midwife. I have five children (ages 16-25), and my husband has
two (twins, age 26). Between the two of
us we have seven children, three daughters-in-law, three grandchildren and
one on the way! So life is busy at times.
I wish I could come to the celebration,
but finances won’t permit at this time.
I’d love to hear from friends. My email:
[email protected]
Bob Turnipseed: I am now living
in Lansdale, PA with my wonderful wife
Deb and two super children, Luke (15)
and Olivia (11). We have been active in
a great church, Calvary Church, since
we moved to PA in 1998. Recently, Peter
Clements ’79 and his son spent the night
with me and we had a delightful time
catching up since we had last seen each
other over 12 years ago. My sister, Jeanne
’74 lives nearby with her family. Although
I only spent two years at HKIS there are
many fond memories. Hopefully in the
not too distant future we will be able to
visit and I can show my kids the school.
Other tidbits, both my wife and son are
now karate black belts; I am working at
Bank of America in Risk Management;
both kids are thespians and very active
both at school and church in drama; my
son thought it would be a good idea for
me to lead a Bible Study with his friends,
how cool! God is so good and has really
blessed me with a delightful family. Best
wishes to everyone.
Jonathan Lutz
[email protected]
Patrick Pang
[email protected]
Michael
H E R B E R T:
[email protected] There is
this great website called “Classmates.com”
where for free you can hook up with old
friends from just about any school and any
year of your choice. I recently contacted
some of my friends from Cupertino H.S.
in the SFO bay area, the school I had attended for 1.5 years before HKIS. I was
thinking back to those first 4-6 months
in Hong Kong and what a cultural shock
it was for me coming from Cupertino, CA.
with 15,000 residents to Gotham city with
millions. But after the initial shock faded,
Hong Kong became my second home. I
have revisited Hong Kong in 1981, 1985,
and 1988. Its been 18+ years since I have
visited, And unfortunately I won’t be able to
attend the 40 year gala. Do to my new contract in Santa Cruz. I hope that everyone
though, has goodtime in June. I have been
an Independent Electronics Contractor for
20 years in Silicon Valley (Santa Clara),
Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo counties
in California. I have worked with SUN Microsystems, Watkin-Johnsons SEG, Ultra
Stereo Labs, Photon Dynamics, and about
32 smaller outfits. And I’m always looking
for new prospects. Happy 40th anniversary
Hong Kong International School
Patrick PANG and Tree Johnston met
up with Sheila Baker Gujul ’82 in New York
City in March when Sheila took her family out to investigate a possible venue for
her planning of the Class of ’82 25th Year
Reunion in August. I can attest that those
attending will enjoy a very tasty Chinese
banquet.
Jeff Sinfield: My younger sister Susan, brother Chris ’85 and myself took the
whole family to Kauai for a week last July.
We had a great time there, and it is always
good to get away for some fun in the sun.
Currently, I enjoy the good life in San Clemente, California and keep busy working
as a mortgage consultant. All the Best!
[email protected]
Sinfield’s Family Reunion at Kauai in July
2006 for Jeff ’80 and Chris ’85
’81
Karen Staniek-Gerhardt
[email protected]
Anna Margaretta Agell
[email protected]
Jeff Cheng writes from sunny southern
California: I reside in Newport Beach. I
Sheila and
her husband
Gautam and
daughter
Maya,
Patrick, Tree,
Sheila’s son
Vinesh
DragonTales
29
Class Notes
honestly think I live in the best place in the
world (perhaps a bit biased). The sun literally shines 330 out of 365 days a year and
the temperature spread goes from 50 to 90.
Not much to complain about there. I have
owned an investment company for about
10 years now. In addition to commercial
property my company has some exciting
investments such as the YardHouse Restaurants (www.yardhouse.com) which is
predominantly located here in California.
There are 16 locations and the chain continues to rapidly expand. I am also a one
third owner in an auto salvage and parts
business that recycles about 800+ cars
per month. I am still single (but involved
with someone). For fun I am an adrenaline
junkie. I am an avid Ferrari enthusiast and
currently own four of them. One of them
is a race car which I take to various club
and track events (nothing professional).
It’s mostly guys (and some girls) who love
to really drive their cars. I also boat a lot
in the summer. Between the two hobbies
there’s not much time for anything else.
Jeff sent us some pictures of his hobbies.
More news from southern California, this
time from Jim Herbein: About me, I
live in Camarillo, CA, north of Los Angeles. I’ve been here for 6 years and I work
in aerospace at Northrop Grumman. I left
Hong Kong with short notice in 1979. My
parents and I moved to Connecticut. I left
CT in 1990 for California. I’m still single.
I haven’t seen people from HK since I left
CT. Here in CA I hike and mountain bike.
I do more mountain biking than anything
else. The mountains are close and we have
many trails to ride everyday. This winter
I’ve been skiing at Mammoth Mtn, CA. I
just started skiing again last year. It’s great
fun!! I still jog a little, I kept that going from
HKIS track and field. I can’t make the mega
reunion. It would be nice to see everyone
again. I was back on HK about five years
ago with family. It’s not exactly the same
as before, but there are many things that
haven’t changed. Thinking about it makes
me miss it again. And here’s some recent
pictures of Jim.
From the east coast, Sandra Miao
writes: Greetings class of ’81. I attended
HKIS from 4th - 8th grade, and was reconnected just last year when I heard of
our 25th reunion. Although I was unable
to attend our reunion in Boston, I did
get a chance to catch up with Karen Staniek, Karen Karr and Shannon Sullivan
in Washington DC a few days before the
reunion. I currently live outside of Washington DC in Vienna, VA with my husband of 15 years, Claudio Borgiotti, my
two daughters, Isabella (11) and Giovanna
(8). We are an active family - we enjoy skiing out west, scuba diving in the Caribbean and playing volleyball on the beach.
After leaving Hong Kong in ’76, my family
moved to Rockville, MD, where I graduated from high school and then attended
the University of Maryland (BS in Economics - any other Terrapins out there?)
I met my husband soon after, and was
married in ’91. My husband works as an
IT professional, while I work for a direct
mail fundraising consulting firm. I’ve had
a lot of fun reading through old Dragon
Tales and checking out what people are
talking about on the Dragon Train. I’m
looking forward to seeing everyone in Atlanta for our 30th reunion.
We also received some pictures from
Mike Lombardo. One of his family
taken last summer, and one with his wife
Kathy celebrating their 20th anniversary
in Paris.
And finally, we’ve decided to spice up
the class notes with a trivia section ...
this picture was sent in for our 25-year
reunion scrap book by Jim Herbein…
Who can identify all the people in this
picture and the year it was taken?!
’82
Sheila Baker Gujral
[email protected]
Sheila BAKER Gujral: By the time
this is published, we will be close to our
25th reunion. Our reunion will take place
this summer, August 3-5, 2007, in New
York City. I have been busy finding lost
alumni from the many years I attended (I
found Nick Champeau!) and we hope to
have a great turnout. We will be having
a Friday night cocktail reception, Saturday night Chinese banquet, and a “tram
party” – a night time tour of Manhattan
in a double decker bus. (At least that is
the schedule as of April 2007.) You can
visit the reunion website at http://hkis82.
com. All information regarding activities,
accomodations, attendees, and alumni updates is constantly revised there.
John REIZMAN: After living in Oregon
for the last 15 years, John has moved back
to the San Francisco Bay Area. He is now
Sandra and
her daughters
Isabella and
Giovanna and
her husband
Claudio
30 DragonTales
living in San Rafael, California and working for the Novato Unified School District
in Marin County.
’83
Brett Rossuck
[email protected]
Ann A. HUSE: I just moved out of New
York City to a small town on the Jersey
Shore, where I live in a “shore shack” with
my husband, David, our dog, and a band
of feral cats that has adopted us. My commute into the city to teach English literature has given me the first chance to ride a
boat regularly since I left behind the pleasures of crossing Hong Kong Harbor on the
third-class level of the Star Ferry.
Louisa Kwan: I finally got married on
Chinese New Year’s Eve on January 28,
2006. In attendance were HKIS alums:
my brother, Bobby Kwan ’87, Joyce SHEK
Barrone, Amy WEINBERG Kretkowski,
Seiichi Saito, and David Agell. The ceremony and reception were held in Marina
Del Rey, CA. I am currently a visual effects
production manager at Sony Imageworks.
Worked on “Monster House” and currently on “Beowulf” which will be released in
November 2007.
Louisa and Tim
’84
Pattie Bossany Gordon
[email protected]
James Hamel
[email protected]
Christopher Reed
[email protected]
Chris REED: I am working as an analyst at
Capital Research, an investment company
that manages the American Funds family
of mutual funds in the States. After years
of looking, we finally found a house in the
French-speaking part of Switzerland about
half way between Geneva and Lausanne.
We have been in Switzerland for six years
and plan to stay for at least another ten
until our children finish school. It is fun
to compare the experiences our children
our having at the International School of
Geneva with those I had at HKIS.
’85
Michael James Taylor
[email protected]
Lori Delahunty
[email protected]
Terri PETERSON Irwin: My family
has moved from San Diego to Las Vegas.
We wanted a house where the kids could
swim and have their own space. Taylor (16)
has somewhat adjusted to Las Vegas. He
is in all honors classes and is doing quite
well, but would still like to be down at the
beach. Lindsay (10) is also doing awesome
in school and is on the academy team for
her soccer club, which means Stuart and I
are traveling and practicing alot. If anyone
is in the area and give us a jiggle and lets
hook up. Class of ’85 you’re still awesome.
Karen PATANO Lakeman: Imagine
my stunned surprise to run into my first
alumnus since graduation, right here in
Mobile, AL. I was pre-registering Tyler
for kindergarten in March ’06 when I saw
a VERY familiar face pass me in the school
lobby. I just had to ask....and it was....Naomi LUSK Lay, ’82! She’s an ESL teacher for
several schools here in Mobile. It was as
if no time had passed, and we have riminisced in the school office this year about
our HK memories, and especially being in
“Little Mary Sunshine” together in 1982.
I left my supervisor position with Kelly
Services in Sept. ’06, after 11.5 yrs, to fulfill my dream of a “stay at home” mom. I’m
busier than ever: on the PTO board, volunteering in the school office once a week (or
as needed!), being Room Mom, and doing
all the wonderful things I had no time to
do when I worked for pay. Not to mention my “fun job” of being a ‘jewelry lady’
with Premier Designs. Now I can be free
to take off with my husband as he is able,
and enjoy our new camper, or hitch a ride
with him to Ashville, NC where he attends
training classes twice a year (and tag on a
trip through Gatlinburg on the way home).
My mom (high school secretary ’80-’84)
“Miss Betty” lives within 10 minutes of
us, and she keeps in touch with Maureen
HKIS alums: David Agell ’83, Joyce Shek
’82, Louisa Kwan ’83, Seiichi Saito ’83,
Amy Weinberg ’83, Ab Basu
McCoy (former h.s.
French teacher) who
is now a high school
principal. So much
fun to hear about
everyone and see
photos. Can’t possibly be 22 years, can
it? But, life is good!!
[email protected]
Karen, Kenny and son Tyler in the Smoky
Mountains, Thanksgiving ’06
Linda Jo MALLOY: Greetings from
Toronto! I am working as a Greenhouse
Grower for the Parks Department. I still
travel a lot, especially to Guatemala. Five
years ago I learned to fire dance there. Now
I do the occasional show with my firesister,
Lindsay. I just put together a web site www.
myspace.com/firesisters which has some
videos of us.
Mark WILLIAMS: Greetings from the
beautiful wine county of California. I
am still living in Healdsburg, California,
about an hour north of San Francisco. I
have grown to love this area and still believe that is some of the most beautiful
Chris finishing the Lausanne Marathon,
October 2006
DragonTales
31
Class Notes
Derek KWIK: David Wu ’86 and Joce-
Chris and his children Kevin (8), Brian (13)
and Eileen (10) in Cyprus over Christmas
break, December 2006
countryside I have ever seen. I am getting
ready to celebrate my 18th Wedding Anniversary to my wife Lynn who I met in
Bible College. My kids, Grace (age 12) and
Harrison (age 7), are growing up quick. My
last year has been quite a blur, with trips to
the Mexican Riviera, Washington District
of Columbia, and to Zambia, Africa.
lyn Wong ’97 recently gave birth to baby
girl, Janice. Recently, I had a chance to visit
them and Janice is truly a bundle of joy! On
April 1st, Susan Carpenter ’86 stopped by
Hong Kong as part of her “trip around the
world”, we had a fantastic dim sum meal
with Amy Ng ’86. As for me, I am in the
final throes of publishing my first motivational book. It has been a year long workin-progress and recounts my life changing
experiences in the Gobi Desert, Atacama
Desert, Sahara Desert and the South Pole.
The title has yet to be decided and it will
hit bookstores this summer. All proceeds
will go to my charity, the Society For The
Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals. Work
has been going well and I was recently interviewed on the Bloomberg Television
channel. If anyone wants to get in touch
with me, email me at ktderek@hotmail.
healthy and happy. Special hello to Will
Chang and staff.
’87
Gareth Matthews
[email protected]
Jeffrey Tsai
[email protected]
Heidi Bayfield Chekouras
[email protected]
Bobby KWAN: I am currently still working in Shanghai, PRC, as retail network
development. Have already been working
in Shanghai for almost 7 years already. As
more and more expats are relocating to
Shanghai, shall there be alumni coming
to town for work or leisure please feel free
to drop me a note at bobbyk@netvigator.
com, shall information or assistance be
needed about Shanghai or PRC.
My trip to Zambia was quite eye opening. I went as part of a medical brigade
to deliver over US$70,000 of medicine
to orphanages and to a small village in
great need, located in the northern part
of Zambia known as Ndola, I also went
to encourage pastors from all denominations in the area. It was truly a life changing experience and one I hope to be doing
again this coming July.
If you would like to get in contact with me
you can email me at mark@hopehealdsburg.
com
Mark with the kids in Zambia
’86
Christine Wong
[email protected]
Stephen DOE: I have been working in
China for over 10 years managing a group
of major chain department stores under
the name of “Printemps”. Anyone is welcome to visit me while they are in China!!!
Email: [email protected] or
[email protected] at work, or
personal email: [email protected]
StephenDoe ’86
32 DragonTales
com.
Tracey LESHER Limone: Hello everybody. After High school I ended up in
London and then New York City and after
17 years in the retail Industry working for
Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger and
others, i have retired and dedicated myself
to raising my two children. Gabriela is 6
½ and Nicolas is 19 months. My husband
Joe and I live in Weston, CT .I was so sad
that I could not go to the 20th year class
of ’86 reunion Las Vegas as we were in the
middle of a house move. I heard it was
great. Still in touch with Brier Muse ’85
and Janice Karr and Devra Langford . Miss
everybody. Miss Hong Kong. My Brother
still visits Hong Kong alot and fills me in
as he lives in Tokyo. Hope everyone is safe,
Heather M. O’BRIEN: Since graduating from HKIS, I attended Occidental
College for a bachelor degree in Arts,
then Columbia University’s School of
International and Public Affairs (SIPA)
for a master degree. I fulfilled a dream by
joining the department of peacekeeping
operations with the United Nations (UN)
and worked for the UN as a peacekeeper
in Croatia, Bosnia and East Timor for
nearly five years. I left the UN to start up
my own investment
and business advisory services company in Singapore
which was a great
challenge and lots of
fun. It is still operat-
ing, with offices in emerging markets in
Indochina and India. I left to join Boeing
for a while until they recently shut down
my internet business unit. I am now in
Singapore job searching and taking care
of my Portuguese water dog, Java.
’88
Prescille P. Chu
[email protected]
Margaret Wadhwani
[email protected]
Debby Tuck
[email protected]
Karen KESTENBAUM Bennett :
I have such fond memories of HKIS and
our class seems to lack updates so here it
goes. In the almost 20 years (yikes) since
graduation, I have left a career in marketing which included living in Europe for a
few years be at home with my children. I
am married to a wonderful guy, Todd, who
is from the south. We live in Greenville,
South Carolina and own a Chick-fil-A restaurant (anyone that is from the southern
region will recognize the chain). We have
three children, two girls Chloe and Lexi
who are both five years old (we adopted
Chloe while I was six month pregnant with
Lexi) and a 2 year old son Jake. We love
Greenville and are active in our church.
We especially can’t wait to begin showing
our kids the places around the world we
love including Hong Kong. We of course
would love to welcome anyone traveling
through the area... Chick-fil-A on us!!
Chloe, Jake, Lexi
’89
Michael Thompson
Angela Stich Easterwood
[email protected]
Jennifer Fresco
[email protected]
Tanya MCGUINNESS Beck : We all
got together in mid-February for a minireunion in Fort Lauderdale. We had a blast
and cannot wait until the 20 Year (together
with 1988) next year in San Francisco.
Tanya McGuinness Beck, Jeff Magarity,
Tania Hickson Phillips and Julie Noethlich
Carlson
Erum SHAH: Dear Alumni, I am now
living in Karachi, Pakistan and wish all my
classmates well. I am living with my family in our hometown and I am practicing
to become a Human Resources Trainee. I
have been out of touch with all my classmates since I graduated from HKIS. I was
working with HSBC Pakistan once upon
a time but I changed jobs in the banking
sector with good perks. I am looking for
Pinki Benjani and Juliet Halloran, if you
read this in our alumni mail pls do get in
touch with me on my email address which
is provided below. [email protected]
At this time i would like to give my regards
to the HKIS Faculty members who I have
cherished as teachers through out my academic years with HKIS. I am enclosing
my recent photo for my alumni. Take care.
Regards.
Kimberly BERG Farnsworth: I am
currently living in Phoenix, Arizona where
I have lived for the last six years. In that
time I received a master degree from Arizona State University in Educational Technology and was a doctoral candidate in the
same program. I also met and married my
husband, Kent Farnsworth, in October
2003, and we have two little girls, Maija
Liisa (born January 2005) and Rebekah
Sue (born January 2007). I’m looking forward to the upcoming 20 year (gulp!) class
reunion for classes of ’88 and ’89. Please
stay in touch!
[email protected]
[email protected]
Terry MALLOY: Just got married in June
in Finland, to a Finnish woman! Terry now
is in a band in Colorado called Kan’Nal
(www.kannal.org).
Erika SCHLAITZER Meier: Hello! Life
continues to be exciting and busy. John and
I purchased his retro refund and risk management corporation several years ago. We
are busy working as it thrives and grows,
here in Washington State. Our brood has
expanded to include a third daughter in
2005. Abigail (18 months) joins her siblings Megan (age 9), Matthew (age 7), and
Amanda (age 5) in many activities and
adventures. We enjoy trips to Colorado
to visit family and Hawaii for family vacations. Along with working as Corporate
Treasurer, I am active at the kids’ school
running volunteer programs and serving
on an advisory committee. All my best to
my classmates. Have a great time at the
20 year reunion. It is hard to believe that
much time has passed already.
Matthew, Megan, Abby, Erika, Amanda
Meghan MURRAY Parisi will be vis-
iting Japan and Hong Kong with her hsuband in late May and early June. She is very
excited to have the opportunity to show
her husband around Hong Kong!
’90
DragonTales
33
Class Notes
Betty Chung
[email protected]
Suzanna LEE: Hello fellow HKIS’ers!
Boy, where has the time gone? I can’t believe I’m now a mother of two children!
Nikolas is four years old and Mia will turn
one in June. They are an absolute joy and
very well behaved. We’re looking forward
to our summer and a couple of weeks at sea
on the Disney Mediterranean cruise. My
husband, Michael, is
still plugging along
with CitiGroup though
one never knows when
that might change.
Thankfully, he survived the latest round
of layoffs. His job still keeps us here in IL,
not too far from my parents. I still work
part time as a Physical Therapist, I love my
profession. I’m actually currently leaving
my job of three years and setting out on a
new adventure closer to home. If you’re in
the neighborhood and looking for a great
Physical Therapy clinic look up the AthletiCo in Lake in the Hills on Randall Rd!
My sister, Marina ’93 is now a mother too!
Her little fellow, Sebastien, just had his
first birthday. They are all out in Rockville,
MD. Marina works at the NIH with zebra
fish. Jonathan ’94, my brother, is married
to his college girlfriend. They wed in December of this past year. They both live
Our oldest
daughter,
Maija Liisa,
now 2 years
old
34 DragonTales
in Indianapolis,
just minutes
from my parents. Jonathan
works for Liberty Mutual. I’m
back in contact
with my HKIS The newest addition,
cohort, Kristi. Rebekah Sue, born
She hopefully is January 15, 2007
writing in herself to share her news, but
just in case, don’t want to steal her limelight, she has just had a baby boy whose
name is Cooper. He’s a handsome, hungry
little fellow! Hope everybody is doing well.
If you’re out in the far northwest suburbs
of Chicago, give me a buzz!
Richard Liu: I am proud to announce
the birth of my second son, Carson Samuel
Liu. He was born on March 30, 2007. He
along with his mother and big brother are
all doing well. To contact me or for further
updates, please visit: http://www.myspace.
com/rliu.
Richard, Hunter, Carson
Erik MUTHER: After 12 years of consulting at Accenture, I decided to make
a change into the non-profit world. I am
working with an alliance of healthcare
organizations to develop a statewide approach to health care quality measurement for Pennsylvania. Transparency of
information in health care is a growing
area of interest and this position brings me
to the forefront of that effort in Pennsylvania. Also, moving out of consulting allows for more time with my two wonderful
boys, Simon (age 3) and Tobias (age 1). Still
waiting for HKIS visitors to Philadelphia!
’91
Christine Rio Gaxiola
[email protected]
Heath Michael Van Luchene
[email protected]
Desmond Chu
[email protected]
Angela Teng
[email protected]
Benjamin LEE: Hey people! I have been
living in Shanghai for a year and a half, and
I have been in China for nearly five years.
I am teaching in the international stream
of Xiehe Bilingual school. Last time I was
in the class notes while I was in Shenzhen
teaching kindergarten kids, and now I am
teaching Humanities to middle school
students. If anybody is in Shanghai, please
drop me a line: [email protected] It
would be great to hear from you, to catch
up on things, and – of course – talk about
going to school at HKIS! PS: I’ve got a
‘myspace’ too ^_^
’92
Timothy Chen
[email protected]
Iain David McGlashan
[email protected]
Timothy Chen: Dear friends, I am happy to announce that I got married to Carrie
Sim last November in Toronto. Weather
was a little chilly, but it was great to see my
old friends from HKIS with Teddy Fong ’92
and Chris Lok ’92 as two of my groomsmen. My younger brother Philip Chen ’97
was my bestman. After the festivities in
Toronto, Carrie and I went to Bora Bora
and Queenstown for our honeymoon. It
was absolutely beautiful - we would highly
recommend it for
those of you planning for a romantic getaway! Hope
to see some of you
in Hong Kong for
the upcoming 40th
Mia and her
husband Michael,
daughter Mia (in
stroller) and son
Nikolas
Anniversary gathering.
Left: Tim ’92 and Carrie Sim;
below: Teddy Fong ’92, Philip Chen
’97, Chris Lok ’92 and the rest of the
groomsmen carrying Tim and his “ball and
chain”
Wendy HEYSE Galluppi: I have been
teaching elementary schools for 11 years,
how quickly time seems to fly. I was married in June to the
love of my life and
we are living in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
My twin Mandy
’92, and Pam Signer ’92 were both in
my wedding and it
was wonderful to
have family and friends with me. Mandy
was also married in October and lives here
in Cincinnati. I would love to hear how
everyone is doing: wendyheyse@hotmail.
com
’93
Timothy Gregg
[email protected]
Amy Ruhter McMillan
[email protected]
Liz LONGLEY: Hello from Washington,
District of Colombia! The big news with
me is that my husband and I are expecting
a baby girl June 12, 2007. We’re thrilled and
can’t wait for her arrival! Life continues to
go well for us here. We can be reached at
[email protected].
rums/National Issues Forums and I’m the
Treasurer for the Central Texas Chapter of
the American Society for Public Administration. Sarah Todd and I see movies together with fair regularity. I had a papaya
salad with Kemal Arsan ’93 in New York
City a few months ago, and try to keep up
with Mona Baroudi ’93. Damon Williams
’93 and his wife Hannah moved here and
we’re always running into each other at a
local sushi place (one would not expect to
find amazing sushi in Central Texas, but
it’s a very delicious reality!). Bijoy Goswami ’91 lives here and he and I happyhour on occasion – it’s a small enough city
that I often spot him zipping around in his
little convertible (he once almost ran me
over as I was jaywalking across the street- he says purely by coincidence!). My little
sister, Deana Lanham Mitchell ’96, who’s
a doctor in Florida, does her best to keep
tabs on me (haha). Come and visit Austin;
it’s a lovely place to spend time.
Darlene and Deana at Graduation
Lisa TING: Henry, my husband, and I
live in Brookline, Massachusetts. We have
a 10 month old
baby girl named
Ellie Ting Chen.
I taught elementary school the
last couple of
years and decided to take this
year off to take
care of Ellie.
Darlene LANHAM: I stayed in Aus-
tin, Texas after studying Public Affairs
at the Lyndon B. Johnson School at UT.
Currently, I’m a policy analyst for Texas
Municipal Police Association; we work to
professionalize law enforcement through
education and representation. I stay active
in the community as a Commissioner for
the Austin Commission for Women and
a criminal justice advisor on our regional
council of governments. I volunteer for the
National Coalition Building Institute, an
international organization that works to
reduce inter-group conflict, the Texas Fo-
Wendy at her wedding, June 2006
[email protected]
Norman Ho
[email protected]
(Class Notes for ’94 submitted by John
Dennis BAUTISTA ’94)
Archie GO: Archie married Chizuko
Iwashiro on February 10, 2007 at Sanctuario de San Antonio Church in Makati
City, Philippines. It was a very beautiful
ceremony and the couple will be living in
upstate New York where Archie just recently relocated to for his work with Hitachi. Also present at the wedding were
John Dennis Bautista ’94, Howard Tang
’94, and Samson Chua. Though not all of
the MTBA (Meeting Time Basketball Association) including Anup Mirchandani,
Albert Leung, Arvin Bautista, Atty. Tom
Scollon, Kevin Lam, Jackie To, Lermin
Kwan, Dr. Aravind Menon, Danny Lung,
Ryu Voelkel could attend, they were all
there in spirit in celebrating Archie and
Chizuko’s new life together!
Archie with Chizuko at their wedding
John Dennis Bautista ’94 (Middle), and
Howard Tang ’94 with his girlfriend Candy,
join Archie and Chizuko at their big day
Tom SCOLLON: Ben, Tom and Christie’s son, is on his 6th month and is getting
bigger each day.
Jackie TO: Recently got engaged and
will get married later this year.
Howard TANG: Living in HK and work-
’94
Tiffany Bissey
[email protected]
Michal Fisher Pemper
ing in the public relations/marketing field
there.
Anup MIRCHANDANI: Recently immigrated to Singapore where he hopes to
start a family of his own with his lovely
DragonTales
35
Class Notes
wife, Neetu.
Albert LEUNG: Living and working
in New York City with his wife, Kristin.
Arvin BAUTISTA: Living and working in San Francisco and still working on
his own comic book, and has a car named
“Betsy”.
Kevin LAM: Liv-
ing and working in
Toronto; continues to be an automotive enthusiast
along with Archie
’94.
Jasper MACSLARROW: I am currently living in Bellingham, Washington
– about 30 miles
south of the Canadian border. My
wife Tiffany and I
moved here from
Washington, DC
about three years
ago and are having a great time. I
ran for the Washington State Legislature
Aravind MENON : Currently
in the process of
moving into his
new home in Connecticut with his beautiful wife, Leena.
Lermin KWAN: Living and working in
Boston and is still as intense in sports as
he was in high school.
Ryu VOELKEL: Living in London and
working all over Europe as a freelance
photojournalist; he gets to cover all the
big football matches and of course the best
seats in the arenas.
Rosalynn LEE: I’ve led a primarily
academic life since high school. I was an
Environmental Science major at the University of Virginia. I received my Ph.D. in
Marine Sciences from the University of
Georgia, and now I’m a post-doc at Rutgers University (in NJ). My research has
focused on nitrogen cycling in coastal
environments from salt marshes along
the east coast (Georgia, Massachusetts)
and the Netherlands to my dissertation
work in Belizean mangroves. I don’t think
I would have made it this far without Mrs.
McCarthy, who was a fantastic high school
chemistry teacher and solid supporter of
the environmental club – THANK YOU
wherever you are!
On the side, Rosalynn Lee (’94) fosters
rescue beagles like Nina
36 DragonTales
last year and lost in a close race and am
now working for U.S. Congressman Rick
Larsen in his district office. Tiff and I had
a chance to visit HKIS during the summer
of 2005 and it felt fantastic to walk in the
halls of the schools again. I ended up playing basketball for most of a day with Tyler
Kroos, Jeff Yang, Ted Hurley, and Bo Harvey and then hanging out at the American Club before hitting Lamma Island for
dinner – perhaps the greatest afternoon
in the last decade! Anyways, I’d love to
hear from any folks out there. My email is
[email protected] so feel
free to drop me a line!
’95
David Cheng
[email protected]
Lauren DRUMGOOLE Stach: Hi All,
Where to begin… I still keep in touch with
people from HKIS but I have not sent in
an update for the Dragon Tales. I am in
Logistics for Fischer Automotive Systems
in Auburn Hills, MI. I am married to a
wonderful man named Fred and we have a
beautiful 3 year old son named Brody and a
1½ year old dog named Gunner. In March
2006 I was diagnosed with Stage IIIc Breast
Cancer, after numerous surgeries, chemo-
therapy and radiation treatments I am officially a CANCER SURVIVOR! I would
like to thank all of you that knew and had
myself and my family in your prayers we
could not have done it without you. Anyone that would like to keep in touch, here’s
my email [email protected], and I
would love to hear from you.
Lauren, Fred, Brody
Charles TSUI: Since graduating from
Georgetown University in 1999, I’ve been
living and working in the Washington,
DC area. Right now, I’m busy preparing
for my wedding on June 9th of this year.
I’d love to get back in touch with any
HKIS alum - especially anyone on the East
Coast interested in a mini get-together!
[email protected] http://www.
charlestsui.com/
Anitra BUFFINGTON Winkler: I am
living in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. A lot
has been going on since I graduated from
Georgia Southern University. I was a manager of a restaurant for three years where I
met my current husband. We got engaged
and he went to Kosovo for the Army Reserves. When he came home, we were going to be married in May, but our plans
got derailed. He
was sent to Iraq, so
we got married two
days before he left.
That was 2003. He
came home Christmas Eve 2003. Since
then, we have had
our beautiful son
Mason Charles Winkler who is now 1½. I
am now work part time at a salon, own my
own business, and of course have mother
other full time job as MOM, but I love
every minute of it!
’96
Kelly Bissey
[email protected]
Sara Dallaire
[email protected]
Fahd Bilal Hakim
[email protected]
Jennifer Doman
[email protected]
Deana LANHAM Mitchell: Greetings
from the Mitchell household! I have been
married now for five years to a wonderful man named Dax (see picture), who is a
ceramics artist and an electrician, and we
are currently working on starting a family.
We lived in Fort Worth, Texas while I attended medical school at the University of
North Texas Health Science Center under
an Air Force scholarship. I graduated in
2006 and entered into active duty as a captian. We moved to Florida where we are
now stationed at Eglin Air Force Base. I
am currently finishing up my internship in
family practice, and we will be here until
I finish residency in 2009. My E-mail address is: [email protected]. Drop
a line sometime or come visit. It’s beautiful here with luscious white sandy beaches
and crystal clear blue water! My sister Darlene ’93 is doing awesome and progressing
up the political ladder in Austin,Texas and
my parents retired and now live in Azle,
Texas.
’97
Josephine Chiang
Josie_
chiang@yahoo.
com
Timothy Lo
lo_tim@hotmail.
com
Meghan Sullivan Smith
[email protected]
Lisa Tan
[email protected]
husband Chris and I welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Kathryn Grace Heidmann
on November 1, 2006. She is our pride and
joy! We are still living in Chandler, Arizona. We spent this last Christmas in Hilton
Head, South Carolina with several HKIS
alumni! My sisters Darcy ’99 and Ashley
’04 as well! We are hoping to make it to
the 10 year reunion in Las Vegas!! Hope to
see you there!
First family Christmas for Heidmann:
Meghan, Kathryn, Chris at Dennis Smith’s
home in Hilton Head, SC
Josephine CHIANG Wu: On Febru-
ary 8th, my husband and I were blessed
with a beautiful baby girl, Naomi. She is a
darling little angel and we couldn’t be happier with her arrival. Needless to say, we’re
really enjoying parenthood and are excited
to watch our little princess grow up!
men, Mainland China. I am the vice general manager of a manufacturing company
that supplies decorative glass products to
the US and Europe. I plan to be in China
until 2010. My sister, Christie Yih ’95 lives
in Los Angeles as a music writer for Hollywood. I still keep in touch with many
HKIS’ers. Some of my best friends today go
back to HKIS days. The Birds =). It’s always
good bumping into a familiar face now and
then. Drop me a line if you’re ever in the
area: [email protected].
’98
Cheryl Yip
Petra FORSBERG Ljungkvist: I got
Just Married
Meghan SMITH Heidmann: My
’99
Kiwan Chung
[email protected]
Karen NGAI: Hi, I just wanted to update
on my whereabouts. I was in HKIS from
grades 8-11, and recently got married on
February 24, 2007. My husband and I are
also expecting our first child at the end
of summer. I am working for the Ontario
Court of Justice as a court reporter.
’00
Theresa Cheng
Mike YIH: I am currently living in Xia-
Victor Hip Wo Yeung
[email protected]
married on July 29, 2006 in Höllviken, Sweden to Mats so I now have a new surname.
I am still working as a Paralegal within the
Intellectual Property area at the law firm
Lindahl here in Malmö.
vestment Banking Group. At KPMG CF, I
focus on Investment Banking transactions
with values ranging from US$50-500mm.
I still keep in touch with a lot of old friends
from HK. If anyone is in the Atlanta area,
please look me up.
An Officer and a
Gentleman
[email protected]
Sarah Yeung
[email protected]
Kevin TSE: I joined KPMG Corporate
Finance LLC as an Associate in the In-
[email protected]
Aaron Andersen: This is my first
update in Dragon Tales since graduating,
and what better news to report than that I
was married on March 23rd to the lovely
Shantel Williams! We were married almost 1 and ½ years to the day of our first
date. We met at Brigham Young University
in Utah, where I am currently finishing a
degree in history teaching. Next year, I will be
teaching History and
English at a nearby high
school while Shantel
finishes school. After
that, who knows where
we will end up! I’d love
to hear from any of
my high school classmates and friends [email protected]. We look
forward to being in Hong Kong during the
HKIS 40 year reunion.
DragonTales
37
Class Notes
[email protected]
Aaron ’00 with
his new bride,
Shantel, and
siblings Alice ’05
and Jared ’95
Nicholas Wong
[email protected]
[email protected]
’05
’01
Lauren Elizabeth Tanner
[email protected]
David Munho Choi
[email protected]
’02
Angela Ho
[email protected]
Bob Pan
[email protected]
’03
Timothy Chang
[email protected]
Kristen Chin
[email protected]
[email protected]
Candace Ho
[email protected]
Jane Sit
[email protected]
Claire Fong and Jennifer Sundqvist: During the Southern Hemisphere’s second semester of 2006, Jen and
Claire randomly bumped into each other
on the University of Otago (Dunedin, New
Zealand) campus. Claire was on a one semester exchange from the University of
Toronto (Canada) where she is currenty
wrapping up her degree, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Anthropolgy and
Linguistics. Jen is currently in her last year
studying for a degree in Physical Education, majoring in Sport
and Leisure studies with
a focus on Sport Management and Sociology of
Sport, at the University of
Otago.
’04
Amy Easton
38 DragonTales
Dickson Pak
[email protected]
’06
Angela Chih
[email protected]
Andrea Lee
[email protected]
Alumni Notices
M
Staying
in Touch
Do you keep in touch with
other HKIS alumni? Do you enjoy
staying connected with friends from
your childhood and teenage years?
If so, we need you as a Class Agent!
Please email [email protected] if
you are interested in volunteering to
be a Class Agent.
Keep in touch! Moving, changing jobs,
getting married, want to keep receiving
DragonTales and alumni news? Then please
update your information by completing the
update form on the alumni website.
Looking for a classmate? Email us
at [email protected] or check the on-line
alumni directory on the alumni website.
History Book
For more information on the History Book,
please visit http://dnet.hkis.edu.hk/alumni/.
ark your calendars for the Classes of ’88 and ’89 20th Reunion – June
2008 in San Francisco!! Dim-sum, family-friendly events, and a fun night of dinner and dance are planned. More details will be coming out by Summer 2007. If you have
not received information on this event yet, please send your email address to Angela Stich
Easterwood ’89 at [email protected]. Your Reunion planning committee includes Kerry
Ford ’89, Prescille Chu Cernosia ’88, Molly Giss Wadhwani ’88, Pauline Chan Lewis ’89,
Vu Williams ’89 and Angela Stich Easterwood ’89.
Letter from Charles M. Wanless ’79
rkers,
and Co-wo
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Dear Frien
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Charles M
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DragonTales
39
Special
T
he following pages provide you a peek at our History Book – Hong Kong
International School: Celebrating 40 Years of Education and Service.
This alumni-sponsored, near-200 page coffee table book charts our school’s
history from the very beginning through to today.
The HKIS
History Book
is Published
The HKIS Alumni Board is credited as the initial driving force
behind this book, while the Board’s Justin Hardman ’99 is singled
out for special mention. Justin created a website on the school’s
history for Homecoming in 2001, which sparked early interest in
producing a book to mark HKIS’ 40th year.
We thank past and present members of our community - faculty,
administrators, alumni, parents, students and friends for their
commitment to this project. Without their memories, insights
and photographs, this book could not have been written.
If you happen to notice people or events we have missed, please let us know.
Your submissions [as well as photos and archives] will allow us to continue
to build on the book so it becomes part of a broader living history. With
your help, in the future HKIS will be able to define itself with much more
involvement of stakeholders than was possible while putting this book
together. We plan to roll out this “living history” via a website version
of the printed book. Please email your updates and pictures to
[email protected]
If you would like a copy of
the History Book, please visit
http://dnet.hkis.edu.hk/alumni/
for more information.
40 DragonTales
In the early 1960s, a group of American
businessmen who worshipped together
foresaw the day when an American-style
school would be needed.
With 21st century hindsight, we now
see that Hong Kong in the latter half of
the 20th century was about to take off
in an unprecedented three-decade spurt
of economic and social growth that only
ended in the late 1990s. Not many living
in the then-British-colony would have
predicted the emergence of the Hong
Kong we take for granted today.
This group of American businessmen and
educators not only correctly anticipated the
economic growth, but also reasoned that in
free-market Hong Kong, an entrepreneurial
society if ever there was one, there would be
an influx of foreign business and investment to tap into the colony’s well-known
manufacturing ability.
More foreign businessmen meant more
Americans. More Americans meant
more American families accompanying the executives, which in turn would
increase the need for an American-style
educational system, from Kindergarten
through Grade 12.
Below: An early photograph of the then
new Church of All Nations at Repulse Bay
DragonTales
41
Special
Dr. T. F. Nickel, second vice-president of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod, U.S.A. and W. D. Gregg, Director
of Education, Hong Kong at the groundbreaking
ceremony on April 28, 1966
On September 19, 1966, Hong Kong
International School, (“The Provisional
School”) opened its doors. By the end of
that school year, the following June, the
elementary department, with Principal Bob Christian and seven qualified
teachers (one for each grade plus a P.E.
teacher), had served 195 students in
grades 1-6.
That school year also saw the planning
and dedication of the newly-constructed
eight-story, HK$5,350,000 building of 32
classrooms, chapel, cafeteria, gymnasium
and library.
HKIS officially opened in its permanent
new facilities in Repulse Bay in 1967, with
more than 600 students in kindergarten
through to grade 12.
42 DragonTales
The original
dedication plaque
can be found at
the entrance to
the Upper Primary
School.
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43
Special
Administration
Board, 1968:
Robert
Christian,
Dr. Eugene
Seltz, Joseph
Mache, C. S.
Hung and Rev.
A. K. Boehmke
Office staff of 1968: Theresa Yuen,
Faye Hung, Ainslie Jones and Patricia
Tarasewich
Faye Butcher
Faye (Hung) Butcher – one of the first
and the longest-serving employees
of HKIS – is still serving HKIS in its
40th year as lower primary senior
library assistant. HKIS has been a
significant part of Faye’s life. About
her colleagues she says, “They are my
lifetime friends.”
Left: HKIS teachers and their spouses
at the first social event organized by
the school in July 1967
Evolution of the HKIS logo
A cross reaching outwards equally in all directions
was the first HKIS logo used in 1966 with the letters
‘H’, ‘K’, ‘I’ and ‘S’ between the four arms of the cross.
The design of the cross symbolized HKIS’ goals
to welcome all individuals equally and to ‘respect
each person’s personal contributions’, in the words
of Mr. Christian. As the urban legend goes, in the
1970s Mr. Christian noticed that the gym floor was
showing the first signs of termite damage. Pointing
this out to the then art teacher David Kohl, he asked
him to design something to cover the damage. Set
with the challenge, Mr. Kohl took the existing HKIS
logo and gave it an oriental flavor – rounding the
logo and increasing the size of the
fonts. This covered
perfectly the
termite damage
to the floor and
gave HKIS the
logo that has
represented it
ever since.
44 DragonTales
Left: Kindergarten,
1968 with teachers
Miss Feil and Mrs.
Zimmerman
Right: HKIS’ first
graduating class
of 1968
Left: Members
of the Student
Council, 1968.
Time-line
July 1964:
March 1965:
September 1966:
September 1967:
A survey of 1,100
(mostly) Americans
on whether an American
school is wanted.
The Board of
Missions of the
Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod authorizes a grant and
a loan.
HKIS opens its doors
to 170 students in a
renovated apartment building
at 43 Chung Hom Kok Road.
HKIS opens a K-12
school in Repulse Bay
with 630 students.
May 1963:
February 1965:
April 1966:
May 1967:
June 1968:
Drought which led
to severe water
rationing.
The Hong Kong
Education Department
approves a land
grant and an
interest free loan.
Groundbreaking
ceremony in Repulse
Bay.
Pro-communist riots in
Hong Kong inspired by
Mao’s Cultural
Revolution in
China.
First HKIS graduating
class.
DragonTales
45
Special
When the doors of the original school
at 23 South Bay Close, Repulse Bay,
opened on September 14, 1967, the
term campus was not widely used.
Over the years, as school after school
was blasted out of mountainous
and rocky terrain, campus has been
widely used to describe the acreage
that is HKIS; even though the two
campuses are separated by many
kilometers of winding road.
In 1971, the “Moving a Mountain” theme was adopted for this second
construction project, to expand what was, after all, still a fairly new school.
The “Mountain” referred to was the massive rock face beside the existing
Repulse Bay School.
In the 1980s, the High School was being planned at Tai Tam. It opened in time
for the 1988-89 school year and was dedicated on January 9, 1989. This time the
Governor of Hong Kong, H.E. Sir David Wilson, KCMG, did the honors with the
U.S. Consul-General, Donald M. Anderson. The new Tai Tam Campus sought to
combine the best of East and West, a goal quite familiar in Hong Kong architectural
and design circles.
46 DragonTales
The new High School was the first
purpose-built facility for older children
Next came the conception of an
American-styled Middle School (Grades
6-8) for 600-700 students on the Tai
Tam campus, on land adjacent to the
existing High School. The budget for
the Expansion Plan was estimated to be
about HK$180 million.
On November 4, 1994, the new school
was dedicated. The dedication program
called the school “A 21st Century Home
for the Mind”.
Into the Future ...
For all the building in the previous
decade, expansion planning never stops
because Hong Kong never stops. On
September 16, 2005, HKIS published its
Master Facilities Plan (MFP) – a peek
into the near future of the 21st Century.
Under MFP, HKIS is seeking Hong Kong
Government approval and land to build,
in Tai Tam, a Performing Arts Venue
on a site adjacent to the current sports
field, and a Science, Technology and
Environmental Teaching Block adjoining
the Middle School.
Contact us:
Office of Institutional Advancement/
Alumni Office
Hong Kong International School
1 Red Hill Road
Tai Tam, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 3149-7824
Fax: (852) 2813-4293
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://dnet.hkis.edu.hk/alumni
There are a number of projects within
both campuses that do not need
additional land. n
An artist’s impression of the proposed Science and Technology Center
HKIS has been blessed, growing in just four decades from humble
beginnings with one building and 700 students at its Repulse Bay campus
to four buildings on two campuses, with nearly 2,600 students.
An artist’s impression of the proposed Performing Arts Center
DragonTales
47
Support the
Alumni Scholarship
in Memory of
David F. Rittmann
In honor of the unique legacy David Rittmann left to our school,
HKIS named a new Alumni Scholarship in his Memory:
The Alumni Scholarship in Memory of David F. Rittmann.
The scholarship will go to a local student from Hong Kong chosen from
our High Achievers Program or English Language Leadership Program.
Through this scholarship, the memory of David will literally live on in the
recipient. What better tribute to David, who spent a full life serving the
Lord and making a difference in the lives of so many students?
The Scholarship is open for donations. To direct a gift, you may do so at
https://www.paydollar.com/b2c2/project/hkis/payInfo.jsp. Please select
Alumni Scholarship in Memory of David F. Rittmann where it states
“please direct my gift to”.
Annual Fund Programs 2006-07
In the school year 2006-07, three new programs were added to the
Annual Fund: the Visiting Authors Program, the Sports Program, and
renovation and expansion of the school’s science laboratories. Other
Annual Fund programs include:
u
Instrumental Music Programs
u
Merit and Need-based Scholarships
u
Charles W. Dull Visiting Scholar Series
u
Service to the Hong Kong Community
u
Lower Primary Special Needs
u
Speech and Language Screening
u
Speech Therapy Services
u
Occupational Therapy Screening
u
Summer Programs for Gifted Local Students
u
Lower Primary Parent Involvement Program
u
HKIS Endowment Fund