DragonTales Winter/Spring 2012

DRAGON Celebrating the past, present and future of HKIS

Big dreams and bigger realities

Our founder, Dr Mel Keischnick, returns to HKIS MEET THE MAN

Kevin Dunning

on becoming HKIS’ Head of School

Reunions With the class of 1981, 1986 and 2001 The Bob Christian Award Who is living the HKIS Mission?

Winter/Spring 2012

letters

Dear HKIS Alumni

Welcome!

Kevin M. Dunning

Rohini Chotirmal

T

O

his is the first edition of DragonTales since I arrived at HKIS, and it is clear to me just how important our alumni community is to HKIS.

ne of the joys of receiving DragonTales is the reminder of just how much happens within our alumni community each year, and how much changes.

I have already had the pleasure of meeting several of our Alumni Association members at recent receptions, and I look forward to meeting many more of you in 2012, both here in Hong Kong and further afield.

The arrival of our new Head of School is an important change for the entire HKIS community – and a significant one for Kevin himself, as our interview with him shows. Our Alumni Association held a reception to welcome him, and we look forward to working together to grow our alumni network’s involvement in HKIS.

It has been inspiring to read about the breadth of alumni activities in this issue, and to see the pride felt by many of you in your former school. That pride is perhaps best reflected in the Bob Christian Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award, which shows that our dedication to Service Learning continues to have a real impact on many of our students’ lives, long after graduation.

Since joining HKIS, I have been impressed by the strong foundations of the school, guided by our Mission and Student Learning Results.

To ensure that we can continue to grow as an institution I am keen to harness the views of our alumni community in the months ahead, and hear from those who have already experienced life as students at HKIS.

We also feature an interview with one of the founders of HKIS, Dr. Melvin M. Kieschnick, who discusses the changes he has seen since he was first involved with HKIS more than four decades ago.

As alumni, reunions are a great way for us to reflect on how our lives have changed since leaving HKIS. Several recent reunions are covered in this issue – can you join one in 2012?

Two lucky HKIS students recently travelled to the Arctic. The trip showed them how climate change continues to affect our natural environment, and their report this issue makes for a thought-provoking read.

So, as the 2012 academic year draws to a close, I wish you all a happy and adventurous summer and encourage you to keep in touch with HKIS. Let us know what you have been doing and where you are now. Please know that if you ever plan to come to Hong Kong, the HKIS doors are always open.

We will soon be announcing the winner of our 2012 Bob Christian Award – this celebrates all that is good about HKIS as we recognize someone who has been living out the HKIS Mission and SLRs. Before then, we are lucky to have an interview with the winner of the last award. Read more about Leontine Chuang ’93 on page 18.

Contact us through the many channels available on Facebook, Twitter, our website or via our alumni team. It is always great to hear what you are up to in all corners of the world.

What has changed in your own life since leaving HKIS? I encourage you to stay connected!

Kevin M. Dunning Head of School

Cheers,

Rohini Chotirmal ’89 President, Alumni Association

Contents Letters from our leaders

2

n News from Head of School and Alumni Association

26

n Beatrice Yeung ’13 and Jack Pong ’12 took two

President

4

HKIS News

Students on ice

n All the latest happenings from in and around the HKIS community

Antarctic adventures to learn about the environment and how we can play our part

HKIS Summer Luncheons

34

n Each year we have a summer gathering in Hong Kong

Alumni Challenge – Special

9

n We hear from Susan (Coleman) Olesek ’89 about her work since leaving HKIS

and here’s a taste of the lunchtime meeting

Talking with: Kent Ewing

36

n A HKIS faculty for over 22 years, we talk with

10

Welcome n We talk with new Head of School, Kevin M. Dunning,

Alumni Reception

about joining HKIS, what it means to him and learn about the depth of experience he brings to our school

Reunion: Class of 1981

14

n We get personal with Dr. Mel Kieschnick, founder

18

Reunion: Class of 2001

44

75 alumni and their 10-year reunion

Leontine Chuang ’93 on living the HKIS Mission

22

45

ClassNotes n In Memoriam n Faculty Update n ClassNotes

n A grand meet-up in Hong Kong was perfect for the class of 1986 to catch up and swap stories

24

n Keeping in touch has never been easier, but what

of HKIS, when he returned to see what HKIS is today, over 45 years since he left the ‘fledgling’ school

n New York, New York was the place for more than

n We talk with Bob Christian Award winner,

Alumni Challenge

40

16

n What it means to the HKIS community

Reunion: Class of 1986

reception to welcome our new Head of School, Kevin M. Dunning

Big Dreams

Georgia, for the class of 1981

A worthy winner

38

n The HKIS Alumni Association hosted a very special

n A 30 year reunion goes off with a bang in Atlanta,

Bob Christian Award

Kent Ewing about his time here and what HKIS means to him

56

Annual Fund n Do you want to give back to HKIS?

can you do beyond that? Alumni Challenge meets four former students going further

W i nte r/S p r i n g 2012

C e l e b r ati n g th e p a s t, p re s e nt a n d f u tu re of H K I S Editor Jon Walsh

DragonTales is a product of the HKIS Advancement team:

Associate Editor Dominic Masterton-Smith

Chief Advancement Officer Erik Dierks

Contributors Irene Loh Susan Colemen Olesek ’89 Thank you Leontine Chuang ’93

Alumni Relations Irene Loh Administrative Assistant Stefanie Wong Communications Manager Jon Walsh Development Coordinator Prudence Ng Manager, Annual Giving Karen Chapman Design and print Impressions Design & Print Ltd.

HKIS Alumni Board: President Rohini Chotirmal ’89 Vice-President Lincoln Chan ’88 Members Spencer Chiu ’93 Justin Hardman ’99 Natasha Khan ’03 Derek Kwik ’86 Kenneth Rohrs (faculty) Cynthia Shek ’89 E-Board member David Kohl (former faculty) Advisors Robert Dorfman ’72 Kenneth Koo ’79

Get in touch!

Alumni matters Contact Irene Loh via alumni@hkis.edu.hk Stories or news for DragonTales Contact Jon Walsh via jwalsh@hkis.edu.hk Giving Karen Chapman via kchapman@hkis.edu.hk

Keep in touch!

Follow us on Twitter via @HKIS

hkis news

DragonNews

HKIS team runs for Stop the Traffik

I

f you think you feel sore after exercise, spare a thought for the team of HKIS students who took part in a 24hour race, to raise awareness of human trafficking.

The team competed with students from 15 other schools in Hong Kong, starting at 9am on Saturday, November 26, and finishing the next morning.

Our APAC Orchestra representatives

HKIS hosts APAC Orchestra

H

KIS hosted the Pacific Division of APAC Orchestra for several days on the Middle School campus.

The gathering, between November 16-20, saw guest Conductor John Forster lead 78 students through three days of workshops, culminating in a performance held at the Leo Lee Arts Center at Canadian International School on Saturday, November 19.

HKIS was well represented with 22 students from grades 9-12 taking part. The orchestra performed challenging pieces such as the Viola Concerto in B Minor, which featured a solo by our own director, Meidad Yehudian.

The following students attended from HKIS: Karina Lam, Yoon Bin Park, Jamie Lee, Alissa Luk, Erica Chang, Kenny Liu, Brian Wu, Isabelle Rowland, Sharon Sung, Evelyn Liu, Kyra Johnson, Daniel Tan, Emily Williams, Justin Fung, Charlton Leung, Qing Wong, Tiffany Chung, Hajin Park, Samantha Ip, Ashley Kung, Anna Mowat and Romil Motwani.

Well done to all our musicians who took part!

T. J. Gavlik named Player of the Week You may have read in a recent issue of DragonTales that T. J. Gavlik ’08 was beginning to make his mark playing with the University of North Florida baseball team. Well, it seems T. J., son of HKIS faculty Tim and Ha Gavlik, has been doing more than that in a recent run of games. UNF played, and beat, the Florida Gators, ranked as the number one team in the US right now – UNF being the first unranked team to do so this season. T.J. played a significant part in the 10-5 win with multiple hits, including his first triple of the season.

Gavlik was deservedly named Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week. No doubt we’ll be hearing more from T. J. in the future.

4

DragonTales

12 hours into the race, the team lay in second place for the total number of kilometers they had run, and just before the end had caught up to United World College to finish just one lap (3km) behind – an excellent team effort.

The boys team was Alex Ott (Captain), Brendan Mallery, David Cunningham, Tik Tian Chan, Alex Toth, Reeve Maddux, George Molina, and Jason Yao (sub). Particular mention must also go to James Rau, who was the leader of the event this year.

The girls team was Megan Helmig, Mari MacDonald, Eliza Liable, Emma Gammons, Charlotte Hartley, Grace Caywood, Katie Glover, Vanessa Lucas, Alex Mann, and Kathy Ng (sub).

Congratulations from DragonTales to all the students who took part to raise money for Stop the Traffik.

HKIS students with the Lawrence University delegation

HKIS is now plastic bottle free

H

KIS went ‘plastic bottle free’ this year, with the installation of new water fountains that show users how many plastic bottles they have saved.

It was therefore timely that in December several HKIS students met a student delegation from Lawrence University, Wisconsin, to hear more about sustainable practices in water diversion projects.

Held at HK Polytechnic University, the event saw the students share a meal be-

fore listening to case studies contrasting an existing, non-Chinese dam with a developing dam project in China.

The event was organized by Mr Rick Kroos, a Hong Kong-based alum of Lawrence University and former HKIS Board Chair, and Professor Merton Finkler, PhD from Lawrence University.

Deidra Wirakasumah, Jaclyn Phi and Jon Vuylsteke attended from HKIS, along with Dee Mulligan, High School Science teacher.

Shenzhen students buddy up at HKIS

T

o find out more about life in Hong Kong, 30 students and three teachers from Sinolink Primary School in Shenzhen arrived at HKIS at the end of November for a ‘buddy’ program.

Each student was matched up with an HKIS Upper Primary ‘buddy’ for the duration of their trip, and stayed with student families here in Hong Kong. As well as enabling the students from Shenzhen to

learn more about HKIS and its students, the trip also gave our students the chance to practice Mandarin with their buddies.

Below: The students from Sinolink Primary School at HKIS

DragonTales 5

hkis news

Festival Win for Wind Ensemble

D

ragonTales would like to congratulate the High School Wind Ensemble, which recently won the grand prize at the Hong Kong Youth Interflows Festival.

The group won gold place honors after taking part in the Senior division of the festival, enabling them to go on to the Winner’s Concert, where they beat notable schools such as DBS and LaSalle College to take the grand prize.

Well done to all those involved in such a prestigious win.

Alumni author’s illustrated book launch

D

erek Kwik ’86 launched his new children’s book in December, a collaborative project that includes illustrations by HKIS former student Isabel Chun ’14.

Isabel was chosen by Derek from a number of talented HKIS students to provide the illustrations for the book, and the pair met every weekend from February to October to go over the 104 drawings she produced.

The book, “The Kwik Adventures of Baxter Brave & Tommy the Salami,” is designed to inspire young people to go out and explore the world by telling the story of the adventures of Baxter and Tommy as they travel through desert, ocean, jungle and mountains.

A press conference announcing the book’s launch was held at Puplicity on Hollywood Road, Central. Proceeds from the book, which is now on sale in Hong Kong, Macau, China and the US, will go towards the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HK).

The winning ensemble

Alumni rugby player makes HK debut

F

or Josh Peters ’11, the decision by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) to play in two simultaneous rugby sevens tournaments in November proved to be a fortunate one.

To provide enough players for a squad for each tournament, the HKRFU had to call up a pool of 25 players. When one of the squad was forced to pull out with a last minute injury, it fell to Josh to make up the numbers in his HK debut, during the third leg of the Asian Sevens Series in Goa, India.

The team won and Josh’s contribution did not go unnoticed. In an article in the South China Morning Post, Alex Gibbs, the team’s coach, was quoted as saying that Josh was “confident and aggressive and has a natural style well-suited to the game. He showed a lot of promise.”

Congratulations to Josh on his debut – we look forward to watching his career go from strength to strength.

6

DragonTales

Derek Kwik ’86 with Isabel Chun ‘14

Night at the Science Museum

H

ave you ever fancied looking round a museum after closing hours? That’s exactly what a group of HKIS students did one Friday night in November, when they took part in the first ever “A Night at the Science Museum” event.

The event was jointly organized by Hong Kong University, IBM and the Hong Kong Science Museum and aimed to encourage students to explore science and engineering.

The night began with the “marshmallow challenge,” where schools competed to build the highest freestanding structure using raw spaghetti, string, and tape, and then place a marshmallow on top – without breaking the structure.

Another highlight of the night was the Amazing Race, which saw 300 students and teachers racing around the museum at 2:00am to hunt down specific exhibits – not something usually encouraged by the museum.

Students also attended a choice of science and technology workshops, with Jennifer Ho creating her own “Passion Meter”; Janet Chui attending a workshop on glow-in-thedark technology; and Clement Lee coming second in an airplane-building workshop.

Meanwhile, Takero Sone received a remotecontrolled helicopter for winning the outstanding airplane design contest; AJ Yu came first in a contest to control a drone with an iPhone; Jessica Chan came first in the egg-dropping competition; and Jack Pong won the Real Life Angry Birds contest.

At the end of the night, the team had had an amazing experience, despite emerging as zombies after very little sleep.

“The Outsider”

Award win for HKIS student photographer

C

ongratulations to Nicholas Woo ’12, who was runner-up in a recent photography competition run by the International Herald Tribune (IHT). The competition was held to encourage students’ involvement in current affairs, and their understanding of the types of issues relevant to today’s society.

While several HKIS photography students entered the competition, Nicholas’s entry, “The Outsider,” was awarded the runner-up spot by judges impressed with its depiction of ‘The Bag Lady’ as an outsider in Hong Kong’s financial district.

DragonTales 7

hkis news

Holiday Basketball Tournament

T

hanksgiving weekend, HKIS hosted the 42nd Annual Holiday Basketball Tournament, which saw teams from Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines compete alongside local entrants Heep Yunn and Kwei Wah Shan.

The HKIS boys and girls teams finished 4th and 5th respectively, gaining valuable experience for their forthcoming ISSFHK and travel league tournaments. Lawrence Lee and Natalie Guzikowski represented HKIS on the All-Tournament team, and HKIS players Jeff Chow and Jackie Ewing showed great skill by finishing as runners-up in the three point shooting contest. Well done to the teams and Coaches, and thanks also to SYSOPS for their outstanding live streaming, which allowed overseas fans and HKIS alumni to watch the games from afar.

The HKIS players in action

HKIS student reaches scholarship finals

W

ell done to High School student Jaclyn Phi ’12 who has been selected as a Morehead-Cain scholarship finalist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the first year that HKIS has participated in this prestigious program.

The Morehead-Cain was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University.

Established in 1945, it is the oldest and most prestigious merit scholarship program in the United States.

Jaclyn’s selection places her among a select and very distinguished group, as only 7% of the nominees for the Morehead-Cain Class of 2016 advanced to this stage. As a finalist, Jaclyn visited the campus in February, at the program’s expense, for a last round of interviews by the Morehead-Cain Central Selection Committee.

8

DragonTales

Reunions coming up Class of ’92 October 2012 The Class of 1992 is starting to plan its 20th reunion and has tentatively scheduled a gathering in Hong Kong for the last week of October 2012.

As some of you may not be able to make it all the way back to Hong Kong, there is also a second reunion being considered for New York. To get the discussions and brainstorming started early, all Class of 1992 members are invited to join the Facebook group called “HKIS Class of 1992” to share your ideas and views. If you are not on Facebook, please feel free to contact Tim Chen via e-mail for updates and more information.

If you are an HKIS alumnus in the airline or hospitality industries and are able to offer special group rates for this reunion, your support would be greatly appreciated.

Contact: timchen55@gmail.com You can also read about the recent reunions held for the Classes of ’81, ’86 and ’01 elsewhere in this issue of DragonTales.

alumni update

Alumni Challenge Special

S

usan spent her formative years in Hong Kong and Japan, which ignited a passion for human understanding and led to a BA in Sociology from Occidental College.

She now runs a private practice where she uses the Enneagram as a tool for self-realization, teaching everyone from corporate executives to the incarcerated to take an honest look at themselves. Susan takes up the story…

own making in the ways we suffer our personality. The 14-year-old I am raising, a self-identified Type Nine, “the Peacemaker,” who leaves the room whenever conflict is brewing, is just as asleep to the powerful leader he could choose to be as the convicted felon whose crime was choosing to stand by as the shooting went down. Waking up is our life’s work.

As I was being driven through the sticky streets of Bombay — an HKIS 7th grader on a detour from expat life in Hong Kong — I watched foreigners recoiling from the begging children, leaving the idealist in me with a sense of personal obligation to sort out humankind when I grew up.

Nearly 30 years later, our world strikes me as at least if not more perplexing. However, an illuminating tool called The Enneagram — a system of human understanding I came upon over a decade ago — has begun to shed some light on all of this for me.

Susan (Coleman) Olesek ’89 has spent nearly 30 years trying to understand what makes people tick.

An introduction to a tool called the Enneagram has helped with the task, allowing her to divide people into personality types such as ‘Perfectionists’, ‘Peacemakers’ and ‘Romantics’. We find out more about her work, and why the Enneagram may just be the answer to world peace…

The Enneagram highlights how we actually participate in — even create — so much of our own suffering. It suggests there are nine different ways of looking at the world, called personality “Types.” Once I recognized the investment I’d made in my own “Perfectionist” personality, I experienced something of an epiphany about the people I loved: they weren’t intending to drive me crazy; they were just as over-identified with their own point of view as I was.

What a relief to realize that personality is actually not personal.

A handful of fortunate HKIS seniors were introduced to the Enneagram by Social Sciences Teacher, Marty Schmidt.

I Skyped with one this summer, a selfidentified Type Four called “the Romantic,” whose hallmark personality trait is to feel abandoned. She noticed how lonely it seems when the “essence” of who she is feels misunderstood. I reminded her that she’s already discerned the way out of her own trap: to not abandon herself as a result of believing that her ever-changing feelings are her facts.

In fact, some of the most courageous folks I’ve encountered are those I teach the Enneagram to in prison. They embrace the freeing concept that we are more than our personalities. I’ve heard so many guys insist that the person who committed their crime isn’t who they really are. Of course not! If you’ve ever watched yourself do something you wish you could stop doing, you know how easily we default to our habits. It’s in the waking up to who we really are, where the real work — and deepest fulfillment — begins for all of us.

In my practice, I watch people personally transform from angry wife, withdrawn dad, hardened criminal or overbearing boss by learning to tolerate enough presence to see their whole selves. The 12-yearold idealist who observed the streets of Bombay is more hopeful now. Frankly, I think the Enneagram is an answer to world peace. Okay, okay, and maybe I’m still striving for balance with the whole “perfection” thing. Welcome to my work!

Get in touch You can contact Susan via susan@susanolesek.com.

To find out more about her work, visit www.susanolesek.com

Truth be told, we’re all in a prison of our

DragonTales 9

interview

Welcome, Kevin M. Dunning Kevin Dunning had never worked internationally before joining HKIS. But when the position as Head of School became free, he says he felt a calling to join “one of the premier schools in the world.”

He tells DragonTales more about his first impressions of HKIS.

A

s he compares life at HKIS to his previous role heading up Faith Lutheran Jr/Sr High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, new Head of School Kevin Dunning remarks with a laugh that in Las Vegas, “we didn’t have 12-year-olds who were on their third passport.”

As a result, he notes, “we are exposed here to cultural diversity at a much younger age than places I have worked previously. The opportunities for service here mean that kids are going to be traveling and interacting with pupils and cultures that are much different to their backgrounds,” he says, “which I think contributes significantly to

10 DragonTales

their understanding of the world.”

And while it is still early days in his new role heading HKIS, Mr. Dunning says that one of his priorities will be ensuring the school is “doing the best job we can in preparing kids for the world they’re going to encounter when they leave this place.”

It is just over a year since HKIS announced that the search for a new Head of School was complete, and appointed Mr. Dunning to take the reins from David J. Condon.

After 13 years at Faith Lutheran, Mr. Dunning’s achievements speak for themselves:

a three-fold increase in student numbers; the construction of four major buildings; and the school’s establishment “as one of the premier schools in Las Vegas.” He says that he is “very proud” of these achievements and is “grateful that I was able to be part of that experience.”

So, what does he have in store for HKIS? He is in no doubt about the complexity of the task before him. “It’s a very busy place, it’s a very complicated, complex institution,” he says. “Before I can have a really clear vision of what the future holds, I’ve got to understand the present, and it’s going to take a while to do that.”

And he doesn’t plan to make changes for the sake of it. “I don’t anticipate that there will be sweeping changes to the institution at any rate,” he says. “This is a high quality, high caliber place.”

One immediate priority is the move of the Lower Primary campus to its temporary home. “Certainly the whole idea of decanting a campus to another location, getting that building built, it is going to be something that occupies a lot of my time over the next two or three years,” says Mr. Dunning. “Fortunately we’ve got good support systems in place to assist in that process.”

He acknowledges the opposition to the plans among some parents and neighbors, and has recently held a meeting with residents to discuss their concerns. “The intensity that people bring to those discussions has been interesting to watch,” he says, but “we’re working through all of that to try to be responsive to all parts of the community.”

Another priority for Mr. Dunning is the role technology will play in education.

“Many students at the university level will take some of their courses online,” he says.

“Should we be preparing students for an environment in which some of their instruction will be delivered via technology rather than in lecture halls? And are we giving the kids the skills, the discipline, to work independently in that kind of environment?”

DragonTales 11

interview

“I would hope that we would produce graduates who have that sense of global citizenry, who think to care for the environment and try to lift the poor out of poverty. Regardless of the occupations that our students choose, they’ll find ways to continue to contribute to those issues.”

He also raises the question of what teaching program fits HKIS best. “I think that we’re going to take a serious look at the International Baccalaureate program, particularly at the High School, and see whether that’s a good fit for us as we already have a well-developed Advanced Placement program. Can those two things be run at the same time?”

Mr. Dunning has been an educator for 33 years. Having grown up in Rockford, Illinois, where he “lived in the same house basically until I went off to college,” he started out as an elementary school teacher in Lutheran schools in Portland, Oregon and New York City. He then moved to high schools, primarily as a coach and social studies teacher. He was an elementary school principal for a year before becoming principal of a suburban Chicago Lutheran high school. Finally, he moved to Las Vegas, where he headed up Faith Lutheran for the last 13 years.

Despite never having worked abroad before, he was attracted to HKIS both by 12 DragonTales

the opportunity to lead “the crown jewel of schools that are affiliated with the Lutheran church,” and by the dynamism of Hong Kong, a city he had visited for a choral festival seven years ago. And he felt ready for a change. “I was in a position professionally where we had accomplished quite a bit of the things that we wanted to do in Las Vegas,” he says, so when the opportunity came up, “the moment seemed right to make the move.”

Yet, he hadn’t originally planned to leave Las Vegas. “When we hired the last high school principal at my school in Las Vegas, one of the things I told him was “You have to be happy being the high school principal because I’m going to be here until I retire!”” he remembers. “I was fully expecting that that’s where I would stay but I felt the calling to come here – and I certainly look at it as a calling to lead this institution.”

The move was a significant one for him.

“We’re actually moving away from our family and so that’s a challenge in itself,”

he says. He has elderly parents in America, and, he notes, “Trying to assist them in any way I can is complicated by the fact that we’re now a day away instead of four hours away.” But the impact has been made slightly easier as his children - in Las Vegas and Los Angeles - are increasingly independent, and technology is helping them all to stay in touch, he says, “once you get past the time differences!”

While Mr. Dunning is adapting to life in Hong Kong, he has not yet had much free time to explore the city. But he is looking forward to doing so, and to the opportunities for travel that being in Asia provides. “When I lived in Las Vegas our options then were the Grand Canyon and Los Angeles and places in Utah,” he observes. “Here when you think about a long weekend, you’re thinking about other countries.”

As he settles into his role, the students at HKIS have impressed Mr. Dunning. “I think the students here are very driven to be successful and they rise to the challenge

dents choose, they’ll find ways to continue to contribute to those issues.”

opportunity and a great challenge for educators.”

And as students graduate, Mr. Dunning wants to stay in touch with those who have already experienced life at HKIS. “We’re proud of our alumni – many of them are very, very accomplished and I look forward to the opportunity to meet them.” He is planning to do so not only in Hong Kong, but also further afield. “In my travels back to the States, one of the things that we’re looking to do is connect to alumni on the East Coast and West Coast and give them opportunities to meet me and talk about their experiences at school and what we can learn from kids who have already gone through the system.”

He says that while parents’ expectations can vary, “everybody, whether you’re from Las Vegas or Chicago or Rockford or Hong Kong – they want the very best for their kids.” With an educator of Kevin Dunning’s experience at the helm, HKIS looks set to continue to deliver the very best for its students, however many passports they may have filled.

Asked what motivates him, Mr. Dunning says that he is driven by the fact he’s a Christian educator, and that he believes “education is the key to how people turn out in life.” He believes that the partnership between parents and school plays a formative role in a student’s life, and that “to be a part of that from early on is a great of a very academically rigorous curriculum,” he says. And he is clear about what he would like those students to take away from their time at HKIS: “I think we want to produce kids of great character,” he says, “people who understand that there’s a difference between right and wrong.”

He thinks that recent world events have underlined the importance of the school’s Mission, and the need to teach students a service mentality. “We’ve just experienced in the last couple of years a real shake-up of the global economy driven, at least partially, by greed,” he says.

“Not everything in life is defined by how much money you make; what kind of cars you drive, but teaching people to have some character and care and concern for the people around them is really, really critical,” says Mr. Dunning. “I would hope that we would produce graduates that have that sense of global citizenry, that think to care for the environment and trying to lift the poor out of poverty are all things that... regardless of the occupations that our stu-

DragonTales 13

alumni update

30-year reunion

Class of 1981

T

hirty alums gathered in August at the Wingate Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia for a Class of 1981 30-year reunion, hosted by Freny Bunshah Jokhi and her husband Burges.

Friday night began with Happy Hour to get everyone into the mood, before a southern barbeque buffet. Barry Michael’s fabulous rendition of ‘Billie Jean’ then signaled the beginning of the group’s ‘Dance Your Class Off’ 1970s disco evening…

On Saturday the group explored Atlanta or caught up with classmates, some of whom they hadn’t seen for more than 30 years, before the obligatory Chinese dinner on Saturday night.

So who was there? Anna Agell, Julie Anderson-Gras with her entire family, Leslie Arnold Atkinson, Freny Bunshah Jokhi, Mike “Wombat” Delapena, Mike Harshfield, Lemay Henderson, Jayce Henderson ‘85, Jim Herbein, Marcel Hoenig, Jenny Isaacs, Elaine Jordan Hoenig, Karen Karr Nimarota with her husband, Robert Ketterer, Mike Lombardo, Scott Lutz ‘83, Darryl Malonzo, Sandra Miao, Barry Michael,

14 DragonTales

Paul Miller and his wife, Karl Ostheller and his family, Barbara Semken Butler and Kim Semken Brown ‘80 with their husbands, Karen Staniek-Gerhardt, Shannon Sullivan ‘82, Morgen Tilling Gillis and her husband, Sandra Torgersen Richez, Dianne Tornay and her son, Gemma Walker Fillmore, and Brad Westrick and his wife.

The group enjoyed it so much that they’re already planning a repeat performance for their 35-year reunion in 2016 – and have set their sights on Chicago. Put it in your diaries now!

Jenny Isaacs Perkins, Barry Michael, Marcel Hoenig and Mike Delapena

Barbara Semken Butler, Brad Westrick, Mike Delapena and Elaine Jordan Hoenig

Elaine Jordan Hoenig and Barry Michael

Mike Harshfield showing off his musical talents Lunch

Mike Delapena and Sandra Torgersen Richez

Elaine Jordan Hoenig and Mike Lombardo

Kim Semken Brown, Morgen Tilling Gillis, Barbara Semken Butler, Karen Staniek-Gerhardt and Julie Anderson Gass try the choreography to “YMCA”

Lemay Henderson , Freny Bunshah Jokhi, Jim Herbein, Barry Michael, Leslie Arnold Atkinson, Anna Brad Westrick, Barbara Semken Morgen Tilling Gillis, Karen Karr Nimarota, Agell, Karen Staniek-Gerhardt and Karen Karr Nimarota go Butler and Scott Lutz reliving old Robert Ketterer, Barbara Semken Butler, shopping in style times Gemma Walker Fillmore and Diane Tornay’s son who wangled his way into the picture DragonTales 15

Bob Christian Award info

The Bob Christian Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award 2012 Every year we search for the alum who has best lived the HKIS Mission and Student Learning Results. Thanks to your support we are on the way to announcing the recipient for 2012

B

ob Christian set the ground rules for HKIS. As the first Head of School, Bob established the foundations of academic excellence and service learning opportunities that many of you have enjoyed in the years gone by. It is only fitting that the most significant award HKIS can make is in his name. We have received many entries for the 2012 edition of the Award and we are always encouraged that so many people are continuing to live the Mission of HKIS, despite being long distances from Hong Kong or many years past from their graduation.

To find out more about the Award, take a look at our previous winners and their inspirational work.

What’s it all about?

The Award was established in 2006 to recognize the tremendous service of Bob Christian, the very first Head of School for HKIS 1966 to 1977. The aim is to give recognition to the Alumnus/Alumna who has made a strong, positive contribution to HKIS, our community, and the wider community. The selection criteria used is that candidates: • Exemplify our Mission and Student Learning Results • Contribute to the HKIS community, the local community, or the broader community The Award’s Selection Committee meet to review and consider nominations on their merits. Nominations are welcome from everyone and we will announce our winner in the next issue of DragonTales.

16 DragonTales

Previous winners 2010/11 Leontine Chuang ’93

L

eontine Chuang ’93 was the most recent Award winner for her dedicated and inspiring work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). At UNHCR, Leontine helps to arrange resettlement for refugees in Hong Kong, working in what she describes as her ‘dream role’.

She has been involved with service work ever since joining HKIS, and continued to work on pro bono cases when she first joined a law firm in New York, before moving to UNHCR in 2005.

To find out more about Leontine’s work at UNHCR and what it meant to her to win the award, read our interview with her on page 18.

2009/10 Ken Koo ’79 and Charles Watson ’09

2008/09 David ’94 and Josh Begbie ’96

K

T

en Koo ’79 and Charles Watson ’09 might have graduated 20 years apart, but as joint winners of the Bob Christian award last year, they have fully embodied the true spirit of the HKIS Mission and SLRs. It was a golden year to have two alums that perfectly exemplify the Mission and SLRs. Ken was selected for his dedication to supporting HKIS over a number of years. He served as Alumni Association President for six years and, along with Desmond Chu ’91, set-up the James Handrich Service Endowment, itself a project that continues to fertilize and grow the true meaning of the HKIS Mission and SRLs. Charles Watson won because he was a “role model in service leadership”. He spent his gap year in Nepal and Ghana working to bring wider information technology and website access to education. His work involves bringing computers to schools and running them on solar power. He creates a local network within the classroom, hooks it up to batteries and solar power and in under 40 minutes of arriving at a school can have children looking at information on the internet. The computers are made from locally sourced parts, so is something goes wrong, the children doesn’t have to wait weeks or months for something to be shipped.

he Crossroads Foundation has not passed many people by. It is an educational and service organization that has sprouted from its humble beginnings in 1995 to reach over 100 countries around the world. Its founders, brothers David and Josh Begbie, were judged to have truly lived the HKIS Mission and SLRs and so were jointly awarded the Bob Christian award in 2008.

What started as donations to a disaster in China has grown into a UN partnership operation that has seen them link with NGOs the world over, linking supply with demand, hence the name Crossroads. It has even generated an educational division that includes a ‘refugee simulation’, so people from all walks of life can experience the processes that millions have to endure around the world. In 2009, the brothers were invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to give world leaders a taste of refugee life through their educational program – UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon went through the program.

David and Josh were presented with the Bob Christian Award at the graduation ceremony in June 2009.

The two winners don’t just have the Bob Christian award in common – Ken was so impressed with Charles’ projects that he has helped to fund one in Nepal.

DragonTales 17

interview

A Worthy Winner As a student at HKIS Leontine Chuang ’93 always hoped to work for the UN. So, after winning the Bob Christian Alumna of the Year Award for her work at UNHCR, Leontine tells DragonTales more about her dream role.

“I

t’s really beyond even helping people – you’re saving someone’s life,” says Leontine Chuang ‘93 about the satisfaction of her work at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

She describes one particularly “touching moment”, when a mother was so overjoyed to hear she had been granted refugee status that “she told me she was going to name her next child after me!” So, she says, “if you ever run into an African child somewhere in North America named Leontine...”

Leontine has been involved with UNHCR since 2005, and her work supporting refugees in Hong Kong led her to win the 2011 Bob Christian Alumna of the Year Award, after she impressed the judges with her demonstration of what it means to live the HKIS Mission and Student Learning Results (SLRs).

18 DragonTales

ple and how simple little acts can make somebody so happy,” she says. “I think that helped shape me into who I am and why I’m so interested in service.” Now that she has won the award, she says, “it’s almost like coming back full circle to where I started.”

Interestingly, the UN has always featured in her plans. “I was really involved in Model UN,” she says, “and actually when I left HKIS my dream was to work for the UN.” But even so, she says, it was something she “never thought I’d be able to achieve.” Now that she works for UNHCR, she says one thing she wanted to tell the HKIS students she met after winning the award was that “if you work hard, you never know what’s really going to come up.”

She was first nominated for the award by Howard Tang ‘94, one of a close group of friends in Hong Kong she is still in touch with from HKIS days. She says that Howard and her husband, Simon, had discussed the award after seeing a copy of DragonTales calling for nominations. After they read what it was about, she says, they decided she would make “a good candidate.” She was already aware of the award’s existence through the Begbie brothers, winners of the 2008/09 award, as UNHCR often works with their foundation Crossroads.

She hopes the award will help raise awareness about the plight of refugees among the broader HKIS community. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding about refugees – about who they are and where they come from and why they’re here and what they want,” says Leontine. Once an asylum seeker has qualified as a refugee in Hong Kong, Leontine’s team help them to find what is known at the UN as a ‘durable solution’: local integration; voluntary repatriation; or, most often, resettlement to a third country. She says that refugees tend to be one of the less popular charitable groups in Hong Kong, partly because of a lack of awareness in the city that they still exist here.

Leontine attributes her interest in service work to the 13 years she spent at HKIS, from kindergarten until graduation. “The activities I was involved in really helped show me the importance of helping peo-

Leontine hopes the award will also demonstrate to students that even if they don’t follow a strict service path – which she understands is “not really everyone’s cup of tea” – it is still possible to be involved in

Top: Leontine receiving the award from then Head of School, D.J. Condon Above: Back at HKIS, sharing experiences Left: Leontinne giving her acceptance speech at HKIS

DragonTales 19

interview

service in the corporate world. “You don’t have to devote your life to service,” says Leontine, but even by setting aside a bit of time to help people, it can “really mean a lot to the people in need.”

Simon, Aidan, Simone and I with the birthday cake – Simone’s First Birthday party in October 2011

Leontine, Aidan and Simone at the Sydney Fish Market in November 2011

Leontine herself started by doing just that. After law school in Chicago she began working as a corporate lawyer in New York, but even then, found herself drawn to helping others. “I actually first represented victims of domestic violence, in family court,” says Leontine – work that involved seeking protective orders and working on child custody agreements.

Later on, about a year before leaving New York, she started to work on a case for an asylum seeker from Africa, who has since gained asylum in the U.S. and is now “living happily married with kids.”

There is something hugely rewarding about being able to help people who have “gone through things that I will never go through in my life,” says Leontine. “I’ve worked on deals that are worth billions of dollars; I’ve worked on deals that are on the cover of the Wall Street Journal,” she says. “You get a big sense of accomplishment when you finish those deals, but it’s completely different when you know that something that you’ve done has impacted someone’s life in such a great way.”

Leontine first worked at UNHCR in the

protection team, and has recently moved to a new position as a Durable Solutions Officer. And while the rewards of helping refugees settle into a new life are clear, the role is not without its challenges. Leontine says that because of its limited mandate, there are times when the UNHCR simply cannot help.

“That’s one of the most heartbreaking things: when somebody comes in with real problems and real issues and they really do fear going back to their home country,” she says, “but we’re not able to help them because it’s just out of our mandate.” Sometimes, she says, “you just have to sit and listen and try to be supportive, but a lot of times it’s also a very difficult job because sometimes it’s really overwhelming for the applicant.”

But, she says, it’s hard to match the feeling you get when you have been able to make a difference. “When somebody comes up to you and in their eyes they express their gratitude and their thanks,” she says, there’s a real contrast between the “tears of sadness when you first meet them”, and the subsequent “tears of joy.”

That feeling is “really hard to put into words,” says Leontine. But in trying to find those words, she shares one of the reasons why service work still has such a hold on her, years after her first taste of helping others at HKIS. “The thing is,” she says, “it’s about real life.”

Us with the koala bears – Leontine, Simon, Aidan and Simone at Taronga Zoo in Sydney in November 2011

Group picture at Aidan’s first birthday party in March 2011: Carrie Chen, Joshua Chen, Tim Chen ‘92, Nathan Chen, Philip Chen ‘97, Aidan Yick, Simon Yick, Leontine Chuang ‘93, Simone Yick, Howard Tang ‘94, Howard Tang’s partner Candy Pok, Melanie Lee ‘92, Melanie Lee’s husband Anthony Yuen, Travis Tong and Kenna Chiu

20 DragonTales

Sydney Harbour Bridge: Leontine, Simon, Aidan and Simone in Sydney in November 2011

Simone’s First Birthday party in October 2011.

From left to right: Nathan Chen (2 years old, Tim Chen’s son), Tim Chen ’92, Philip Chen ’97, Simone Yick (1 years old), Simon Yick, Leontine Chuang ’93, Aidan Yick (2½ years old), Tim Chen’s wife Carrie, Tim Chen’s son Joshua (4 years old)

DragonTales 21

alumni update

25-year reunion

School tour – Overlooking the pool

Class of 1986 T

o celebrate their 25th anniversary, a gang of HKIS alums from the class of 1986 gathered in Hong Kong in June for a hot and busy three-day reunion weekend.

As they had fun remembering their HKIS days, they fitted in a packed agenda of Hong Kong experiences, including a visit to the Peak, dim sum at City Hall, a tour of the present-day HKIS campuses, shopping in Stanley Market, a junk trip and seafood lunch, and even a trip to Lan Kwai Fong.

The tour of the HKIS campuses allowed the group to reminisce about their schooldays with Mrs. Chan, and to spot the same cafeteria tables they’d sat at 25 years before! They also realised they were the last

Above: Po Toi-O Lunch Above right: School Tour with the gang Right: Reunion Dinner at Shanghai Jade with (Standing, L to R): David, Sondra, Derek, Jimmy, Tracey, Robbie, Shashi, Rodney, Dennis, Roman, (Seated, L to R): Amy, Diana, Christine, Koh Ann and Victor

22 DragonTales

class of athletics teams to be known as the Crusaders, before the name changed to Dragons.

A large number of alumni managed to attend at least some of the reunion weekend, many with their children, including: Christine Wong, Tracey Lesher-Limone and her husband Joe, Sondra Cowan Stever, Jimmy (James) Williamson, Amy Ng, David Wu, Elaine Tse and her husband Jim, Robbie Dinglasan and his wife Angela, Roman Azanza and his wife Sally, Keiki To and his wife Ann Marie da Silva, Dennis Eala, Derek Kwik, Koh-Ann Chu, Rodney Bringas and his wife Marivic, Shashi Narain, Diana Li, Victor Cheung, and counselor Lesley Lewis.

On the Peak with Sondra, Christine, Jimmy and Tracey

Out on the town

Dinner in Causeway Bay with Roman, Robbie, Sondra, Shashi, Derek and Rodney

Po Toi-O seafood lunch with Dennis, Rodney and Marivic, Derek and Sondra

Reunion Dinner with Diana, Derek and Koh-Ann Chu

After dinner drinks with David, Elaine, Shashi, Angela and Robbie, Sondra, Tracey and Derek

Dim Sum at Maxim’s City Hall: (Back, L to R): Amy, Tracey, Elaine, Jimmy, Keiki, David, Roman, Christine, Sondra and Robbie, (Front): Assorted children

Tracey, Derek, Diana and Dennis, checking out the Men of HKIS calendar at the reunion dinner

Girls out on the town

Happy and well-fed! (Back row, L to R): Tracey, Sally & Roman, Christine, Lesley Lewis, Sondra, Robbie, (Middle row): Derek & his dog Tommy the Salami, Marivic & Rodney, Amy, (Front row): Some of the Class of ’86’s children

School Tour - Construction site inside and out

Thanks…

A big thank you goes to Christine Wong ’86 for writing to us with all the details and photos from the weekend.

Contact: yellow.nyc@gmail.com Kidding around; Amy, Elaine and Christine’s children

School Tour - We had our graduation in here

DragonTales 23

alumni update

Alumni Challenge Rohini Balani Chotirmal ’89, President of the Alumni Association, is keen to deepen links between HKIS alums and the school. With alumni now using social media and technology to stay connected in ways not possible just a few years ago, she hopes 2012 will be the year you too can stay in touch.

W

hether you want to share your news with DragonTales for ClassNotes, attend one of the many HKIS reunions being organized each year, or nominate someone for the Bob Christian Award, there are a host of ways to stay connected to HKIS. The four featured alums have been doing just that, as they take on the ‘Alumni Challenge’ to forge closer relationships or give something back to HKIS. They tell us more about why, for them, staying connected matters.

Above: Jason with his daughter Jasmine (8 months) and wife Daisy

James Martin ’94 on deepening connections Whenever I am about to meet up with a group of HKIS alumni, I know I am just minutes away from a great round of laughs. Whether we’re exchanging stories about what we’ve been up to lately or reminiscing about our Tai Tam days, an HKIS gathering is always time well spent.

And while everyone loves a good time, some of the greatest advice and mentoring I’ve ever received has come from my fellow HKIS alumni and contacts.

James graduates from Boston College Law School in May 2010

24 DragonTales

Now that I’ve returned to Hong Kong, I hope to develop my connection with HKIS even further - attending more alumni functions, reconnecting with faculty and, of course, supporting HKIS rugby.

Jason Shum ’98 on staying connected I can’t believe it’s almost 14 years since I graduated from HKIS. Many of my closest friends today are HKIS classmates, and I stay connected with HKIS because I plan to send my own kids there. In my experience, graduating from one of the top schools in Hong Kong is a path where you build connections that become one of your most valuable assets in life.

I’m pleased to see the HKIS community continue to grow and I really enjoy connecting with alumni at various gatherings.

We always find common topics to talk about, whether they are from the class of the 80s, 90s or 2000s.

I look forward to becoming an even more active member of this community.

Derek Kwik ’86 on giving back I stay connected to HKIS because as an alumnus I feel a strong link with the school community. I am constantly thinking of opportunities to encourage the relationship not only with the school but also with other alumni.

Eight months ago, I approached the school with an idea as I drew up plans to publish my second book, this time for children.

From a pool of many talented students, I selected Isabel Chun ‘14, a sophomore, as the book’s illustrator.

Derek Kwik ’86 and Isabel Chun ’14

Every weekend, we would meet at Starbucks and review Isabel’s creative work as she painstakingly drew all 104 pages, depicting the adventure of a boy (Baxter Brave), his dog (Tommy the Salami) and their journey across the harsh terrains of the desert, ocean, jungle and mountains.

Externally, some of my best friends come from decades of friendships forged at HKIS, like Bert de Guzman ’86 and David Wu ’86. There are also alumni I never met while in school but who have became very close friends since, like Voon San Lai ’90. Interestingly, I was a Best Man at all of their weddings.

As I get older, I find my increasing emphasis in life is to create as many touch points with people as possible. It makes for a much more enriching experience.

Cynthia Shek ’89 on giving back My time at HKIS opened my eyes to an entirely different learning environment and it benefited me tremendously. I stay connected with HKIS by attending Alumni events as well as meeting with my fellow Alumni in Hong Kong, or elsewhere in the world. I am honored to be part of the Alumni Board and I look forward to working with HKIS to make the Alumni Association’s presence even better known in the HKIS community.

DragonTales 25

Students on Ice In summer 2011, Jack Pong ’12 and Beatrice Yeung ’13 swapped the warmth of Hong Kong for a voyage of discovery in the Arctic. As they saw the effects of climate change at first hand, the experience left them breathless, and speechless…

PHOTO: Alicia Klassen (Student)

Arctic trip

On deck witnessing the decline in Arctic sea ice

Beatrice Yeung ’13

T

he science has always explained why we must protect our planet; the beauty has convinced us. The Arctic took my breath away, and the wilderness that connected me to nature in such profound ways will stay with me forever.

I was one of 72 students from around the world selected as Arctic Ambassadors to take part in an Arctic expedition with a team of renowned scientists, historians, artists, explorers, educators, leaders, innovators, and polar experts this summer.

I was fortunate enough to be one of them after receiving a scholarship from the East Asia Regional Council of Schools, as well as a scholarship from the prominent Arctic explorer and environmental educator, Geoff Green.

When you make the world your classroom, the scope of the things you can learn becomes as broad as the horizon. I could not have asked for a better classroom for me to learn, to explore, and to be inspired. It was a journey of discovery and transformation that opened my eyes to a whole new beautiful side of the world that is now a part of me, a part of who I am, and a part of what I consider ‘home’.

26 DragonTales

For two whole weeks, I submerged myself into an unknown environment that has now become a part of who I am. Aboard our floating home the Clipper Adventurer, we traced the path of the Vikings across the Atlantic Ocean, beginning in Iceland and sailing from there to Greenland, then Labrador – traveling well over 2,000 kilometers. Throughout the expedition, there was no Internet or cell phone technology, and as we disconnected from our real world, we entered a dream world. It seemed like we were stepping away from reality, but as I grew more and more attached to the Arctic, I realized that what I was seeing, touching, hearing, and feeling was reality. It was all so surreal for me, and it was almost impossible to take in everything, because the Arctic literally left me lost in words.

The Arctic embodies more than snow and ice. It is a habitat where species grow, bloom, and eventually die. However, it is changing; it is becoming an environment at risk. I was fortunate enough not only to witness but also to physically experience the effects of climate change. We sailed up to the top of a Greenland fjord where the ship anchored. However, according to a chart made in 1966, the ship should have been sitting on top of a glacier. That glacier has receded by about four and a half miles, and we realized that we were in water that did not exist decades ago.

I have always understood the severity of climate change, but it was not until that moment, when I was standing in climate change’s trails, that it really hit me how dire the situation is.

This issue is no longer a distant possibility; it is an imminent probability. Just standing on the deck of the ship, staring into water that I now knew was once a glacier, and gazing upon the quickly receding glaciers from afar, left me speechless. I have always known that glaciers are melting faster than expected and have read about how Arctic sea ice is shrinking. On this expedition, I actually saw the retreat of glaciers in mountain regions and saw how little sea ice there is. I have now witnessed the effects of climate change with my own eyes, and it has made me want to preserve the Arctic, preserve the Polar Regions, and preserve our planet more than ever. I will be, and need to be, the change I want to see.

Environmental issues are affecting the Arctic, including climate change, changes in biodiversity, and the use of toxic substances. The Arctic has always been considered the last pristine frontier, but it is now a reservoir for chemicals, posing risks for local wildlife and for the indigenous Inuit, who consume traditional country foods. The growth of economic activity in the Arctic is also affecting its natural environment. Arctic ecosystems are extremely sensitive to climate change, and average winter temperatures are predicted to increase between three to six times the global average. The environment is being, and will continue to be impacted, including wildlife and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. Before the expedition, I knew about these issues. But after saturating myself in the Arctic – my now second home – forming bonds and friendships with indigenous peoples and experiencing their livelihoods, I can now see, hear, touch and feel the impact of these environmental issues that were once abstract but are now close to my heart.

PHOTO: BEATRICE YEUNG

My story is not just about crossing continents and the Arctic Circle, crossing passages and fjords, crossing sea ice and icebergs, and crossing paths with blue whales and polar bears. It is a story about connecting and being a part of nature, experiencing climate change first-hand, realizing the power of youth, being a part of something bigger than myself, and seeing the world with a different pair of eyes. The external journey was truly amazing, but the internal journey was life changing.

DragonTales 27

PHOTO: Alicia Klassen

Arctic trip

Appreciating a glacier’s beauty

PHOTO: Lee Narraway

Beautifully shaped icebergs

PHOTO: Mike Jensen (Science Educator & Journalist)

Meeting the President of Iceland at his private residence Below: Isafjordur Landing and hike

28

The world was my classroom on this expedition. We had workshops and presentations both on the ship in the middle of the beautiful ocean and on land in breathtaking fjords. These interactive lessons were given by scientists, historians, artists, explorers, educators, polar experts and Inuit elders, and included learning Inuktitut (Inuit language), studying botany, exploring wildlife research techniques, and discussing biodiversity, polar education experiments and climate change solutions. From the start of the expedition, I knew that what I put into the journey would be what I would take away from it. I am happy to say that I was able to fully immerse myself in the moment, making the experience a complete one. I took part in the Mock Arctic Council, representing Denmark. With a deep passion for journalism, I also joined the ship’s, and the Arctic’s, only and most widely read daily newspaper – the Daily Icecap – and also took part in the Broadcast Team onboard. I was able to focus on the moment I was in and the people I was with, because being isolated from my normal world gave me the capacity to think without any distraction or interruption, other than nature and

PHOTO: BEATRICE YEUNG PHOTO: BEATRICE YEUNG

Magnificent scenery off the coast of Greenland

PHOTO: BEATRICE YEUNG

the environment. I noticed things that I normally would have overlooked, and I realized that there are amazing things to see all around me, but that I will only see them if I look.

I left my heart in the Arctic. They say that no matter how many times you go, you leave a piece of your heart in the ice every time. These words have never been truer as a piece of mine continues to beat deep beneath the surface of the glaciers.

Retreating glacier that used to be 4 miles longer 50 years ago in Prins Christian Sund

PHOTO: BEATRICE YEUNG

I miss the serenity and the stillness; the ripples, the waves, and the sounds of the Earth. The journey is now over, but a new one has begun – one in which I will build on my ongoing climate career, and apply the knowledge and experience that I gained from this expedition to inspire and educate people in my community and around the world to protect the Poles and protect the planet.

I am now miles and miles away from the Arctic, but it is, and will always be, in my heart.

“The Clipper Adventurer”

PHOTO: BEATRICE YEUNG

Nachvac Fjord, Labrador

PHOTO: BEATRICE YEUNG

Below: Inuit Elder David Serkoak drum-dancing in Nanortalik

29

Arctic trip

Jack Pong ’12

“I

learnt the true meaning of speechless,” was the first thing I told my parents when I saw them two weeks after my Arctic expedition. The trip inspired me in every way possible.

It wasn’t only the majestic glaciers that we saw; it wasn’t only the two out of 2,000 blue whales left on the planet that we were lucky enough to see; it wasn’t only the incredible educators who blew our minds with what they’ve done, or the extremely passionate teenagers on the trip that made it so meaningful – instead, it was the combination of all these factors.

This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m glad I had the privilege to participate in the program ‘Students On Ice’. I was submersed in the magic of the Arctic with people from all over the world of different ages and expertise. The environment was our classroom and we were each others’ teachers. One of the most memorable experiences I had was a shore landing in Greenland when we took the Zodiac boats near to

30 DragonTales

a glacier. We all took a seat on the glacier, and we were then in our ‘classroom.’ As we sat and listened, the experts taught us all about glacial melting, and its consequences. The captain took out a 40-year-old map of our location and showed us how we were experiencing history: our ship, just a minute’s boat ride away, was supposed to be in the middle of a 6 kilometer glacier, but instead we were in the middle of a fjord in the Atlantic Ocean. We were probably the first people to have traveled these waters, because just 40 years ago we would have been on a glacier. We experienced climate change at the frontier of the planet – not something you can get out of a textbook.

However, the experience did not stop there. Every student on the trip was motivated to change the world. Everyone wanted to contribute. A group of around 15 of us sat together towards the end of the trip and talked about how we could unite, despite geographical barriers, to encourage more people to protect our planet. I have never been in such a passionate discussion with people my age, and it was so heartening to know that there are other youths who care as much as I do about the environment. Back here in Hong Kong, most of my friends do not care as much about the environment, but more about materialistic things. However, this expedition surrounded me with people who respected what I believed and were supportive of my ambition.

Although I saw many unforgettable things in nature, and bonded with enthusiastic teens, I felt that the educational team on the trip was the most motivational part of the expedition. Their achievements and ambitions were truly eye opening. A couple of team members followed a group of caribou in the wilderness for five months and filmed a documentary; the head of WWF Canada talked to us about different environmental projects; professors from top tier universities such as McGill taught us about the interconnectedness of our planet; and documentarymakers and news reporters all advised us on how to make our voices heard. The most inspiring person of all was Jean Francois, the youngest Canadian ever to climb Everest at the age of only 24. He told us about his experience – how he dreamt big and achieved his dream. He motivated us to believe that we could achieve anything that we dreamt of; that there is no limit to the changes we can make in this world.

DragonTales 31

Arctic trip

As the President of Iceland said to us: “Believe in yourself and you can achieve anything.� This was the most valuable lesson that I learnt from the trip. Although I gained a lot of knowledge about the Arctic and climate change, I learned that we can achieve anything, despite the barriers we may come across. We are currently in a critical point in Earth’s history. With the fate of the planet in our hands, we can either choose to continue on with our current lifestyles or we can choose to improve our ways and work together to solve the greatest problem human civilization has ever faced. I believe that I am part of the generation intended to take action and leave a mark on history. The trip has opened my eyes and made me realize that it is a privilege to live on this planet, not a right. It has pushed me to take the initiative needed to create change and faithfully lead the green movement that our planet desperately needs. Hopefully, the HKIS community will also take on this moral responsibility to protect our planet for the benefit of future generations.

32 DragonTales

DragonTales 33

alumni update

HKIS Summer Luncheon

Alex Shum ’03, John Wang ’03, John Liang ’03, Laibond Cheng ’03

Around 20 alumni gathered in Central, Hong Kong for lunch at John Liang ’03’s Japanese restaurant, Gyotaku. On a hot summer’s day, John’s fantastic menu of sushi, sashimi and hot main dishes was very welcome, and those present enjoyed the great atmosphere as they caught up with other alumni.

(L to R): Arthur Berman ’92, Ina Janssen ’97, Bonny Pratt ’92, Lincoln Chan ’88, Joyce Yin ’89, Carolyn Wong ’09, Traci Tong ’92 (not pictured, Tiffany Chang ’07 and Elizabeth Liang ’04)

Lincoln Chan ’88, Pattie Bossany Gordon ’84

34 DragonTales

Bonny Pratt ’92, Chantal Teodorovich ’92

Jessica Berman ’00, Nicole Pang ’00

John Wang ’03, Laibond Cheng ’03

Jessica Berman ’00, Natasha Khan ’03, Joyce Yin ’89

Jason Shum ’98, Raymond Cheng ’03, Jason Lui ’03, Alex Shum ’03

The special menu that John designed for the luncheon

Thanks…

A huge thanks go to John Liang ’03 for his generosity in making special arrangements for the group and designing such a delicious menu.

Contact: jliang76@hotmail.com Alex Shum ’03, John Wang ’03, John Liang ’03, Laibond Cheng ’03

DragonTales 35

interview

An extended adventure Despite coming to Hong Kong for a “short adventure,” it is now 22 years since Kent Ewing first joined faculty.

And two decades on, it is still the teaching that he loves best.

Wedding anniversary

K

ent Ewing has a rule. He’ll stay in touch with any alumni who add him as a friend on Facebook, but he won’t befriend anyone he currently teaches.

Yet that still leaves a huge number of students who have passed through his classroom during the 22 years he has taught at HKIS. Ewing encourages such connections. “Once you graduate, you’re welcome – please stay in touch.”

And as one of the longest-serving teachers at HKIS, Ewing says that to this day it is still the students that give him most pleasure in his role. “The students are fantastic students to teach – they’re motivated, they’re driven. They like school, for the most part. They’re interested in learning so they make a teacher’s job here... they make us look pretty good. They’re just fantastic.”

Jackie and Scott Ewing

It is a wet afternoon and classes have finished for the day when DragonTales sits down to speak to Ewing, but after 22 years in Hong Kong, he says it’s not the kind of weather likely to put him off his daily run.

“Just about every day I get out, rain or shine. We have a country park right here, so it’s easy to do.”

This enthusiasm for all that Hong Kong can offer gives an insight into how he ended up staying so long. He first arrived from Kenya, where he had been teaching at the International School in Nairobi, for

36 DragonTales

“a short adventure.” But after the “jarring shock” of arriving in Hong Kong from Africa, Ewing and his wife, Mary, who had married the year before, stayed. “We didn’t plan it this way. It just happened and we fell in love with Hong Kong.”

His love for the city has lasted. He has since translated it into a sideline in journalism, commenting on politics and business in Hong Kong and China. “I’ve been writing for about nine years. I’ve written for the SCMP [South China Morning Post] and the Hong Kong Standard and much more frequently for Asia Times Online - I’m one of their Hong Kong correspondents.”

He says he started small by submitting a few articles, which were accepted, “and I built on that and increasingly more articles were accepted until it became a regular thing.” As a result, he estimates he has written 300 articles in the last nine years.

But it is, of course, in the classroom that Ewing has contributed the most since arriving from Nairobi more than two decades ago. When he joined HKIS he taught English, History and Religion as separate subjects, until their interdisciplinary nature became clear and he was asked to bring them all together into one department - Humanities.

Despite objections at the time, he believes it was the right decision. “We brought ev-

erybody together. No one liked it much at that time but now it’s working pretty well. I was strictly a discipline teacher when I got here; now I’m an interdisciplinary teacher and I’m very happy about that. I learned to value an interdisciplinary approach to education.”

He has also witnessed the increasing importance of China in the classroom. “Any student who lives and works in Hong Kong needs to have an intimate knowledge of China and to be willing to engage with the mainland,” he says. “We didn’t spend nearly as much time studying China as we do now and the teachers didn’t have as much knowledge of China. But now I think we do a pretty good job of it.”

Alongside this shift, Ewing has noticed another, more subtle change. “The face of the school has changed from European to Asian. When I first got here, it was basically an American school with an American face; now it’s an Asian school with an Asian face. The students were always good but now there’s an even stronger ethos for academic achievement and success.”

JV girls’ basketball team

It is guidance he would even give his own daughter, who is graduating from HKIS this year. “That’s what I would tell my daughter and that’s what I think I would tell anyone. Although,” he adds ruefully, “a lot of people wouldn’t heed that advice.”

But those alumni who befriend Kent Ewing on Facebook, or read his articles online, will continue to benefit from the views of an HKIS veteran who, more than two decades later, still just loves to teach.

Ewing’s longevity at HKIS means he has also experienced at first hand the huge growth in student numbers.

He hopes that students graduating from HKIS “leave with a social conscience as well. We have a big service program here and that’s what it’s there for, and that’s what Humanities courses are all about about countering that Hong Kong obsession with money and status.”

Senior Breakfast 2011

And what of his own legacy for HKIS? He says he’d like to be remembered as “a good teacher who loved his work.” His genuine passion for teaching is clear as he continues: “I love what I do, so I hope that’s how I’m remembered, and hopefully I was pretty good at it.”

A teacher with Ewing’s experience must also have some words of wisdom for his students when they join the ranks of HKIS alumni he has taught through the years.

So, what advice would he give them? “I would probably say stay true to yourself and don’t live for others’ expectations. Follow your own dreams.”

DragonTales 37

alumni update

Alumni Welcome Reception for Mr. Kevin Dunning, Head of School

Tazmania Ballroom, Hong Kong November 7, 2011 Rohini Chotirmal ’89 welcoming Kevin Dunning as HKIS Alumni Association’s newest partner

Erik Dierks, Chief Advancement Officer, welcomes the alumni

Kevin Dunning, Head of School, Peter Fishel ’68

T

he HKIS Alumni Association hosted a welcome reception for our new Head of School Mr. Kevin Dunning in early November. Rohini Chotirmal ’89, President of the Alumni Association, took the opportunity to welcome Kevin as “our newest partner.” She also said: “The HKIS Alumni Association is very proud of its partnership with our school. We are delighted to have such a distinguished person in the role and we very much look forward to working together.” As ever, the Association sponsored the first round of drinks and before long conversation was flowing.

Many faculty members attended, including Linda Anderson, Associate Head of School; Patricia Klekamp, High School Principal; Bruce Kelsh, Upper Primary Principal; Paul Passamonte, Middle School Principal; Maya Nelson, Lower Primary Principal; George Coombs, High School Humanities Teacher; and Ken and Karen Rohrs.

There will be more alumni gatherings coming up soon, so keep an eye out for news via our Facebook page, through our website and also on Twitter.

Rudy Sun ’05, Alisa Matthews ’05, Henry Kerins ’05, Dino Man ’06, Nathan Khan ’06, Jason Li ’05, Sae Takagi ‘05 and Mike Chung ’04, Kevin Dunning, Head of School

38 DragonTales

Jason Tan ’96, Rina (Kurosaki) Tan ’96, Matthew Cheng ’99, Rohini Chotirmal ’89, Erik Dierks, Chief Advancement Officer, Maria Cheng ‘96

James Martin ’94, Spencer Chiu ’93, Gary Tso ’79 and wife Victoria Tso

Jason Li ’05, Nathan Khan ’06, George Coombs, High School Humanities Teacher

Derek Kwik ’86, Kathy Wong, Spencer Chiu ’93, Karen Kalsi Development Coordinator Chapman, Manager, Annual Giving

Laibond Cheng ’06, Alexander Lo ’03, Jane Sit ’03, Nick Chak ‘03

Paul Passamonte, Middle School Principal, Dwayne Chow ’99, Dr. Jeremy Yip ‘99

Natasha Khan ’03, Sangok Kim ’99

Patricia Klekamp, High School Principal, Spencer Chiu ’93

Linda Anderson, Associate Head of School, Nathan Khan ’06, Dino Man ’06

HKIS Alumni Association Board members Cynthia Shek ’89, Derek Kwik ’86, Rohini Chotirmal ’89

Linda Anderson, Associate Head of School, Henry Kerins ’05

Cynthia Shek ’89, James Martin ’94

James Martin ’94, Bruce Kelsh, Upper Primary Principal, Kevin Dunning, Head of School

Jason Tan ’96, Rina (Kurosaki) Tan ’96, Dr. Timothy Tan ’93, Ken Rohrs, Middle School Science Teacher

Natasha Khan ’03, Nathan Khan ’06

Sangok Kim ’99, Dwayne Chow ’99

Tim Chen ’92, Dr. Timothy Tan ‘93

Rohini Chotirmal ’89, Bruce Kelsh, Upper Primary Principal

George Coombs, High School Humanities Teacher, John Shostrom ’72, Derek Kwik ’86

Simon Lau ’80, Justin Hardman ’99, Dwayne Chow ’99, Dr. Jeremy Yip ’99

Albert Yung ’95, Angela Fan ’95 Mike Chung ’04, Jason Li ’05

DragonTales 39

interview

Big Dreams

Almost five decades after he first dreamed up HKIS, we catch up with founder Dr Melvin M. Kieschnick.

He tells us how the dream started and what it feels like to return to the school today.

“M

y dream was way too small.”

That’s how Dr Kieschnick, one of the founding fathers of HKIS, describes his original ambition to create an all-American school in Hong Kong.

As he sits in a meeting room in the Advancement Office, reflecting on his early involvement in HKIS, Dr Kieschnick says that he underestimated how the school would grow.

In fact, he originally convinced the Hong Kong Government that “if they built an American School we would never have more than 500 students.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Dr Kieschnick has traveled to Hong Kong from his home in San Diego, California, to deliver a lecture to HKIS faculty and teaching assistants. Its theme – Big Dreams, Deep Commitment, Abiding Faith – will inform much of our conversation.

The lecture is one of a series presented by HKIS’ Charles W. Dull Visiting Scholar Series supported by the Annual Fund and

40 DragonTales

the Centre for Urban Education Ministries of Wheat Ridge, an organization that supports schools “which really need lots of help” in America’s largest cities. Dr Kieschnick has worked as a volunteer with them since retiring in 1992.

First steps He first came to Hong Kong in 1956, to help set up a system of Lutheran schools for the Hong Kong Chinese. At the same time, he served as Headmaster of Concordia Lutheran School in Kowloon.

But as he recognized the growing desire among American expats in Hong Kong for their children to have an American education, he spotted an opportunity.

“It was just a dream of a very, very few people – four or five of us – and then we did a survey of the American community. When we got those responses they were so affirming that I said: ‘Oh, I think there’s a possibility we could make this go,’” he remembers.

But the dream was not without its chal-

lenges. The group still had to get permission and some funding from the Church headquarters in America, before finally persuading the Hong Kong Government of the merits of their idea.

“Well, it was a negotiation, let’s be honest,” he says. “When we got the land and a construction loan that was more than we ever thought we would get. But obviously we needed to have government approval to do it and when we got that then we knew that we were ready to go.”

‘A very sad day’ However, Dr Kieschnick was not able to stay in Hong Kong to see his dream to fruition. “My wife developed a cerebral aneurism – a blood clot in her brain that was about to explode. We flew her back to the United States in a virtual coma.

“At that time there were only two neurosurgeons in Hong Kong and it was not recommended that they attempt that surgery; it needed a specialist. So we flew back to the United States.”

It was, he says, “a very sad day in my life.

Not only because of my concern for my spouse but HKIS was just getting started; I was just beginning to feel comfortable in Cantonese – all of that.”

As a result, he had to watch from the sidelines as his dream came true. But he has stayed in touch with the school and its progress through several of those “who made the dream bigger,” including Jim Handrich, Werner von Behren and Chuck Dull.

Back in America, Dr Kieschnick worked as Superintendent of Lutheran Schools for the State of Michigan for four years, before a move to the national office where he was Director of the National Education Division of the Lutheran Church.

tury ago, he says that he is pleased with the way HKIS has managed to keep its focus on its students.

He also singles out what he describes as a “climate of acceptance” at HKIS where everyone strives for the highest standards of morality, education, and responsibility. “It’s just wonderful, because I’ve started some other schools and I don’t always see that.”

And as HKIS continues to invest in its future, with the impending move of the Lower Primary School, Dr Kieschnick admires the way the school is going about it.

“That’s a tough decision. You’re eventually thinking that you may have 3,000 students and that’s a challenge – to create within that large a community, smaller communities where children find their identity.

And I think HKIS is coping with that well, and not many schools do.”

The Chinese century Dr Kieschnick is broadly happy with the way HKIS has developed, although he would like to have seen a greater benevolence through the years, describing it as an “unfulfilled dream.”

Citing Harvard as an example, he says that the university with “I think the largest endowment of any university in the world” still gives scholarships to poor children.

But at the same time he is supportive of the steps HKIS has taken to support children with special educational needs. “When I asked this question fifteen years ago I was unhappy with the response I got. Now I’m happy with the response.”

He then headed up a program that trains parents to be more effective – PET – before running the Lutheran Schools of New York until his retirement in 1992.

Looking to the future, Dr Kieschnick believes China’s time has come. “It is my belief that the 21st Century will be the Century of China,” he says, and that while the leadership for that will come from the Chinese, there will be opportunities for others with a special interest in China.

“Within that core, Hong Kong and HKIS has an absolutely critical role.”

Asked what it means to be back visiting the school he founded nearly half a cen-

He hopes that HKIS graduates, in their dealings with China, will bring something

interview

Kevin Dunning, Head of School

of their education to the table and continue to “act with Christian integrity, honesty and value of the individual.”

‘The best international school in the world’ Despite his founding role, Dr Kieschnick is modest about his achievements at HKIS. “I certainly cannot take any credit for the success of the school,” he says. “I wouldn’t hear it. I only take credit for the dream and the initial steps to turn the dream into reality.”

Rick Herman, President, Wheatridge Ministries

Dr. Marty Schmidt, HKIS faculty

42 DragonTales

But, happily for HKIS and its students, “the people who followed after me had bigger dreams – and they made them come true.”

In particular, he singles out Bob Christian, the first headmaster. “Under other leadership the school may not have made it. But under his leadership, dealing with all those initial issues – he was just an outstanding person and an outstanding educator.”

And his own legacy for HKIS? He hopes it will be “academic excellence with Christian distinctiveness, preparing leaders for responsible global citizenship.”

He notes that while this balance between academic excellence and Christian distinctiveness may have fluctuated through the years, “that tension I hope will always be there. If that tension is not there, then it will have gone too far one way or the other.”

As the interview draws to a close, DragonTales asks Dr Kieschnick what at HKIS has made him most proud. There is a long pause as he looks out of the window towards Tai Tam bay and considers the question.

“I am of the opinion,” he finally replies, “that it is probably the best international

school in the world. And way down somewhere, you can find a little smudge of my fingerprint.”

Modest to a fault, there is no doubting the pride Dr Kieschnick feels as he returns to the school he helped create, and sees for himself how that smudge continues to leave its mark.

DragonTales 43

alumni update

10-year reunion

Ryan Aldridge, Sarah Fullerton, Johanna Karstila, Vandana Duggal, and Kelly Duggal at the Chinese banquet

Class of 2001 A

n international reunion saw 75 HKIS alumni gather in New York City to celebrate 10 years since their graduation

The Class of 2001 celebrated their 10-year reunion in style, meeting over a July weekend in New York City. The reunion started on the Friday night with the attendees meeting for cocktails at The Delancey bar, to give everyone the chance to catch up on a decade’s worth of news. The next night, the attendees met up again for a traditional Chinese banquet at Congee Village, allowing them to reminisce about their HKIS days once more.

There was a great turnout, with more than 75 alumni attending the weekend to rekindle old friendships and make new ones, and all agreed the event was a great success. Many of those attending are already looking forward to their 15-year reunion!

Friday night cocktails

Chinese banquet dinner: Julia Davidson, Maile Blackburn, and Jason Blackburn enjoy the festivities

Thanks…

Thank you to Lauren Tanner ’01 for organizing not just one but two reunion events for the Class of 2001 and for sharing details and photos of a memorable reunion weekend.

Lucille Tung, Celine Chang, Clara Ho, Alice Bae and Yanny Yeung help show off Clara’s name tag

44 DragonTales

Jeff Wright competes in the chopsticks relay

Contact: laurentanner@ gmail.com

ClassNotes Welcome to the latest updates of who’s been where, for how long, when they were here and how long they’ve been there! It’s a bumper issue of ClassNotes this issue.

We’ve been contacted by lots of people and we’d like to say a big thank you to all. If there is someone in particular you’re trying to get in touch with, let us know and we’ll try our best to help establish and reignite those connections.

Don’t forget to check out the all-new HKIS alumni website.

If you want to be included in ClassNotes and let everyone know where you are and what you’re doing, get in touch with Irene Loh via alumni@hkis.edu.hk Get involved!

You can find HKIS all over the internet: FacebookSearch for the group ‘HKIS Alumni Association’ Twitter www.twitter.com/HKIS YouTube www.youtube.com/HKISLive LinkedIn www.linkedin.com Web www.hkis.edu.hk Alumni http://alumni.hkis.edu.hk website

DragonTales 45

classnotes

Dr. William W. Day January 10, 1929 – November 4, 2011

In Memoriam We are saddened to hear of these losses since the last issues of DragonTales. Our thoughts go out to the family, friends and classmates of our former colleagues and students

Dr. William W. Day, 82, passed away on November 4, 2011, in Riverton, Wyoming. Dr. Day taught physics and nuclear science at HKIS from 1981 until his retirement in 1989.

Born in Fargo, North Dakota, Bill was raised and graduated from high school in Worland, Wyoming, where he played football and skied. He married his high school sweetheart, Carol Bower, in Billings on June 14, 1949.

Bill earned a BA and MS in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Wyoming and his Doctorate degree from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

He went on to teach mathematics and science at Green River, Wyoming and was on the faculty of the University of Wyoming. He was also a senior lecturer for NASA and a math-science consultant for the state of Colorado. He then taught at Ferris State University in Michigan as an Associate Professor and department chairman, followed by his appointment as Full Professor and Dean at California State University in Turlock.

He served as president of Central Wyoming College from 1973-1980, before moving to Hong Kong to finish his teaching career at HKIS, until he retired in 1989 because of deafness.

During the Korean War, Bill served with the 300th Armored Field Artillery Bn. Wyoming National Guard. He survived 244 days of combat and was awarded many decorations including the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Army Commendation Medal, 2 U.S. Presidential Unit Citations-Army, 1 Presidential Unit Citation-Navy for support of the 1st Marine Division, and 2 U.S. Meritorious Unit Commendations for combat in Korea. He left for Korea

46 DragonTales

as a Master Sergeant and was given a direct commission as 2nd Lieutenant upon return. He ended his service with the rank of Captain.

In addition to the many studies and monographs he had published through the years, Bill was also the author of “The Running Wounded” – a personal memory of the Korean War. Bill’s greatest joy was his family, and he took great pride in his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed the open spaces of Wyoming and loved to hunt, fish, and ski. He and Carol traveled through all seven continents and to more than 100 countries.

Bill is survived by his wife of 62 years Carol; daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Garry Burnette of Riverton, Wyoming; daughter and son-in-law Margaret and Bill Jamieson of Gulf Port, Mississippi; son and daughter-in-law William and Bonnie Day of Madera, California; son and daughter-in-law Timothy and Jolene Day of Las Vegas, Nevada; eleven grandchildren; and two great-grandsons.

Bill is also survived by a sister, Marilyn Smith, of Snowflake, Arizona; brother and sister-in-law Dr. Michael and Verge Day of Provo, Utah; sister-in-law Mary Jane Day; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a son, Kenneth; his parents; brother, Dr. Gary Day; and brother-in-law, Leland Smith.

The funeral service was held on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Riverton, Wyoming, followed by Military Honors at Mountain View Cemetery. Donations in memory of Bill may be made to the CWC Foundation for the Kenneth Day Memorial through the Davis Funeral Home, 2203 W. Main Street, Riverton, Wyoming 82501, USA.

Martha Jane McCaskill September 16, 1930 – October 16, 2010 An engraved plaque with Martha’s name is displayed on the glass display case at the entrance of the High School library. The two display cases were donated by Joyce (Todd) ’71 and Reid Samuelson.

Joyce (Todd) Samuelson ’71 was a classmate of the McCaskill children at HKIS and their families remain close friends.

The plaque (right) reads “In memory of Martha Jane McCaskill, September 16, 1930 – October 16, 2010, First Librarian of HKIS”

The glass display cases are used to display current art pieces made by HKIS students

Rev. Paul Tuchardt

Rev. Paul Tuchardt, 75, of Battle Ground, Washington, passed away on July 31, 2011.

Pastor Tuchardt served the Church of All Nations in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong between 1973 and 1986. He was ordained in September 1962 and was first called to Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio where he served in Campus Ministry before moving to Hong Kong.

Following his time in Hong Kong, Pastor Tuchardt moved to serve Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Battle Ground, Washington from 1986-2003. He was awarded emeritus status in June 2003.

Pastor Tuchardt is survived by his wife Caroline; sons Walter (wife Amy) of Bloomington, Illinois, and Bradley (wife Allison) of Battle Ground, Washington; daughter Kristine (husband Bill Kuhn) of Battle Ground, Washington; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, August 13, 2011, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Battle Ground, Washington.

Donations in memory of Pastor Tuchardt may be made to NWD LCMS Professional Church Worker Emergency Fund, 1700 Northeast Knott Street, Portland, Oregon 97212, USA.

Jodi Allison ’89 October 1971 – 1988 In late September, Jim Allison, father of Jodi Allison visited Hong Kong and he expressed interest in visiting HKIS again, to see the plaque commemorating his daughter Jodi. Jim travelled all the way to the Tai Tam campus with his friend John Newnam, a former HKIS parent. They were shown where the plaque its on the sixth floor near the High School Office. The plaque’s inscription reads: “In Memory of Jodi Allison, Class of 1989, Hong Kong International School, Dedicated on September 19, 1990.”

Top: Jim Allison, father of Jodi Allison, Zella Talbot and George Coombs next to the plaque Above: The plaque in memory of Jodi Allison ’89

DragonTales 47

classnotes

Where are they now?

Former Faculty Update

Mr. Arnie Holtberg Birthday:

December 18

What did you teach?

High School Principal

Years at HKIS:

Current location:

1982 – 1988

Headmaster of St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas

What did you do after HKIS? Upon returning to America, I became Head of School at the Louisville Collegiate School in Kentucky.

What are your fondest memories of HKIS? The interesting and wonderful students, extraordinary and committed colleagues, the supportive community, and the many opportunities to grow as a professional and as a person. HKIS was a rich experience for me and for the entire Holtberg family.

What are your fondest memories of Hong Kong?

I have always referred to Hong Kong as a kaleidoscopic place. The hustle and bustle of the Territory, the best food anywhere, friends from around the world, road races, Little League baseball, softball at Tin Kwong Road, Church of All Nations, exploring every nook and cranny of the Territory, learning to speak Cantonese, and simply feeling connected to the world in a deep and satisfying way.

What is the one thing you learned during your time at HKIS that you still make use of today?

More than at any other time in my life, I found that the more I learned, the less I knew. My commitment to lifelong learning is strong!

48 DragonTales

Arnie and wife Jan in front of Centennial Hall at St. Mark’s School of Texas

Have you been back to Hong Kong since leaving?

The Holtbergs traveled back to Hong Kong in 1998 and spent two action-packed weeks exploring our old haunts. Jim Handrich was kind enough to allow us to stay in his flat during our holiday.

Who do you keep in touch with from your time at the school?

Don Goodyear, Nancy Kroonenberg, Sarah Todd, John and Christiana Stich and their children, Frank and Noriko Martin, Jim and Rita Williams, Jim Handrich, Shirley Miske, Caroline Tuchardt, Dean Fritts, Richard and Claire Mueller, Ray and Donna Rothermel, Fred and Charlene Schneiter, and Debbie Gibbs-Brooks.

In three words, describe HKIS. Brilliant, Frenetic, Challenging.

How can people re-connect with you?

Email: holtberg@smtexas.org or holtberg@sbcglobal.net

What’s next for you?

I am in my nineteenth year at St. Mark’s and will be here a bit longer. We are in the throes of completing a major fundraising campaign. Once the campaign is complete, Jan and I expect to retire to Arkansas where we own property. And the Holtberg family will travel to Hong Kong in the summer of 2012.

Carol & Larry Eichert Birthday:

Carol – December 29, Larry – September 28

What did you teach?

Carol – College Counselor Larry – Environmental Science, Biology, Interdisiplinary Courses with Science/Social Studies (Team teaching with George Coombs)

Years at HKIS:

Carol and Larry on the Malt Shop Cruise to the Bahamas in October 2011, and (below) pictured with Chubby Checker, a famous entertainer from the ’50s and ’60s

Current location:

1988 to 2005

Retired and living in Bradenton, Florida

and Chinese New Year, all the cultural celebrations.

The Ladies Market (Carol) and Fish Street (Larry). The American Restaurant and, because our children were grown, the opportunity to travel and see the world.

What is the one thing you learnt during your time at HKIS that you still make use of today?

What did you do after HKIS? Retired and moved to Florida instead of returning to Illinois where there is cold and snow!

What are your fondest memories of HKIS? The students and people (parents, faculty and staff). Going on interims with 20 kids each year.

For Carol: Cookies with Carol each Christmas, entertaining College Counselors from around the world, enjoying the musical and dance performances of the students, World’s Fair and way back in January of 1989, the dedication of the new high school.

For Larry: Environmental interims, coaching basketball and baseball, working with local restaurants with the students to rehabilitate fish and put them back into the South China Sea, and most importantly - teaching the kind of students enrolled at HKIS and then seeing what they did with their lives after graduation.

What are your fondest memories of Hong Kong?

The Star Ferry, decorations at Christmas

Teaching and counseling stays with you even in retirement. Larry still teaches environmental science and science, gives presentations, writes articles and teaches water aerobics three mornings a week.

Carol chairs Helping Hands, a service organization for neighbors helping each other, and helps organize events: Annual Fashion Show, The Afternoon Tea, Breakfast with Santa, monthly potlucks.

We loved to entertain at HKIS and we still love to do that in Florida. Come visit anytime, Larry still makes a great margarita!

Have you been back to Hong Kong since leaving?

We thought we might get back for the anniversary celebration but it was too soon after we retired. We may get back someday. We’d love to see our friends who are still there.

family; we had a reunion in Minneapolis with HKIS faculty and stayed with Gina Maltese Preciado; we play pinochle with Jim Handrich and his mom, and Louise and Mike Weber. We have celebrated Chinese New Year at our house with 16 former faculty and spouses who live in our area. Zita Thompson hosted a baby shower for Katie where we saw the Driskills and Allison Overholt. We regularly hear from Happy Hsu who lives in Denver. We stay in touch with Pam and Rick Kroos and the girls, and other Church of All Nation members.

In three words, describe HKIS: Blessing to all, Opportunity to learn, Wonderful memories!

How can people re-connect with you?

Email: carolandlarryeichert@yahoo.com or ceichert@gmail.com

What’s next for you?

We awake each morning and look forward to the day to keep “living, loving and learning.” Every day is special!

Who do you keep in touch with from your time at the school?

We get together with faculty and staff who also retired to Florida and there are many of us. We keep in touch with former students. We went to Boston to see Duncan and Sayaka’s wedding – what a beautiful event that was! We had lunch and dim sum there with Miltinnie Yih and her

At the 7th Annual Charity Fashion Show at Stoneybrook Clubhouse Heritage Harbour to support ‘Cancer Support Community Florida Suncoast’, November 2011

DragonTales 49

classnotes

Former Faculty Update

Mrs. Sandra Walters Birthday:

September 1

What did you teach:

French, I was Head of the Foreign Language Department when teaching full time

Years at HKIS:

Sandra in front of the main reception desk at the Four Seasons Hotel, Hong Kong, one of her major projects, completed in 2005. The painting is by Jean Miotte, the first French artist to go to China following the Cultural Revolution.

What did you do after HKIS? Stayed in Hong Kong and started an art business, Arts Promotion, in 1973. Later owned two art galleries, Alisan Fine Arts and Mandarin Oriental Fine Arts and am now still working as an art consultant.

Also enjoying my six grandchildren!

What are your fondest memories of Hong Kong?

I’m still here, and continue to enjoy life in a dynamic city with an international flavor.

What are your fondest memories of HKIS? The interaction with the multi-cultural student body, the support we received from Mr. Bob Christian and Mr. Earl Westrick.

The welcoming spirit of the school and viewing each student as a unique individual. The comprehensive approach to school.

What is the one thing you learned during your time at HKIS that you still make use of today?

I take an ‘educational’ approach to art, informing audiences and clients about artists and their artwork, thus using the teaching skills I developed at HKIS.

Have you been back to Hong Kong since leaving?

I have stayed here since 1969, except for one year – 1977 – that we spent in the US and I worked at the National Gallery, East Wing, for six months before returning to Hong Kong.

50 DragonTales

Current location:

January 1970 – 1974

Hong Kong

Who do you keep in touch with from your time at the school?

I see a number of my former students, such as Robert Dorfman, Peter Keller, John Shostrom, Kenneth Koo; friends of my siblings and children such as Doreen Soong, John Langford, Hans Lambardo, Andrea Wong, Melody and Jennifer Fong, John Mallaris, Jarrett Bostwich and Bimal Kapoor.

I had a wonderful time helping with the Alumni Group for the reunion and attended the 40th Reunion at HKIS in June 2007 when I reconnected with some of the previous faculty members, Nancy KroonenGrandparents Sandra and Richard Walters with their grandchildren Quinn (standing) and (seated, L to R) Skylar, Kate, Bailey and Ellie

berg and David Kohl. I have stayed in contact with Carol Fox, who remains one of my closest friends. We met in 1969 when Carol was a 4th grade teacher at HKIS.

In three words, describe HKIS: Embracing, Sharing, Multi-cultural.

How can people re-connect with you?

Email: swalters@art-swc.com

What’s next for you?

More work, but balanced with more time in our apartment in Paris and with my family and fabulous HKIS grandchildren.

Bob and Arleen Christian First Head of School

Years at HKIS: 1966 – 1977 Food? ... The tables were sagging.

Arleen and Bob Christian

Getting into our mid-’80s, we’re doing OK, busy at our church and with lots of other things that keep popping up in “retirement”, whatever that is.

We’re especially blessed in that our five families live in the Northwest U.S., within 250 miles of us, so we see each other frequently, along with keeping the phone lines open. Of the 22 of us, including nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild, all but three who are away at college, were together at Thanksgiving at Lois and Jim Erickson’s in Eatonville, Washington, in the shadow of beautiful Mount Rainier.

Of the five families, eight of the parents are in health related professions, two nurses, two medical doctors, a hospital consultant, the CEO of a statewide Community Mental Health Council which services mental health agencies, and two professional artists who use their backgrounds at a publishing company which publishes medical newsletters across the country.

Additionally, there’s a ceramic artist and a salesman who also is a BBQ champion ... so there’s no excuse for Arleen and me not being healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

We wish the very best to HKIS alumni, students and their families, staff, new head of the school Kevin Dunning and his wife, and the Alumni of the Year Award

winners who are using their backgrounds and abilities in such special ways to serve others.

God be with you all ... Peace and blessings.

Contact: abchris2@comcast.net

David Christian ’69, Junior High Teacher from 1973 - 1975

Earl Westrick’s 80th Birthday A group of HKIS alums from the Elementary Administrative Team of 1987 recently gathered in Sunriver, Oregon, to celebrate Earl Westrick’s 80th birthday.

In 1987, when Earl was Expansion Director at HKIS, Jim Handrich was the Elementary Principal, Charlene Schneiter and Mary (Hoff) Rush were the Assistant Elementary Principals, and Louise Weber was the Executive Assistant to the Principal.

In later years, Earl became Deputy Head and, for a year, Head of School; Jim became High School Principal; Mary became Elementary Principal, then Upper Primary Principal and, for her last three years, Head of Human Resources; Lou became Elementary Principal at Concordia International School in Shanghai and Michael Weber became Head of Technology there. Charlene and Fred retired to Oregon.

Among those attending reunion were: Terry Thomas, Chair of the Board of Managers for many years; Carol Thomas, who worked in the elementary learning center; Joyce Raneiri, who taught Mandarin in the High School; and Michael Weber, who taught grades 4 and 4/5 combination and served as Technology Leader in the Upper Primary.

The event was a great success, allowing those attending the chance to celebrate Earl and his contribution to their lives, and to share photos and reminisce about their HKIS days.

Contact: mlhoff2002@gmail.com

DragonTales 51

classnotes

1978

Dr. Thomas A. Wong, DC, CMD

dr.spine.thomas@gmail.com

ClassNotes T

his is a special year for me. I officially opened my chiropractic clinic in Hong Kong 20 years ago, first in Melbourne Plaza in Central and then we moved to my current Causeway Bay Clinic, just above Sogo Department Store, in 1997.

I was quite involved in a lot of school alumni activities in early part of my return to Hong Kong and was one of the members to mold the earlier part of the Alumni Association. I was a member for the Strategic Planning Committee of the school. Eventually I served as the President of the Alumni Association in the mid-90s. Where possible, I also participated the College night to help out some college bound students to search their way beyond HKIS.

With my mother, Frances and my wife, Flavia, after the induction ceremony in the Catholic Cathedral of Hong Kong in October 2011

then return to Hong Kong.

These trips broaden my eyes to see the world and I receive warm hospitality around the Globe. One of the highlights of my presidency was when I participated the Congress for the 70th anniversary of the Sacred Congregation of the Catholic Education of the Holy See in the Vatican.

I had the honor to present a speech in the Congress as the capacity as the President of our organization. During the Congress, I had the honor to meet His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Meeting with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov 4, 2011

52 DragonTales

I was elected as the International President of Serra International, which is a 76 year old, lay faithful apostolate organization for vocations in the Catholic church. It has 20,000 members in 46 countries. After being installed as its 68th President in Ottawa in July, I have been visiting the Holy Land – Jerusalem, Canada, the United States, Thailand, Italy and Macau. Now I am on the road again flying to Brazil, Chile, Argentina and end up visiting Australia

In October, I was inducted as a Knight of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. This is a 900 year old organization.

At first, the organization was assisting the sick and the poor in the Holy Land. In later years, the headquarters of the Order moved from Jerusalem to Rhoda and to Malta. Finally, it is now located in Rome.

The aim of the Order is to protect the faith, assist the sick and help the poor.

With all this excitement, I recognize HKIS gave me the grounding and chance to prepare for my life beyond high school. I appreciate all the love, care and direction I enjoyed from all teachers, advisors and administrators.

1985

Michael Taylor

martinplayer@rogers.com

H

ello from Toronto, Canada. A small group of alumni from Class of ‘85 and ‘86 recently got together. Helen Best ‘86 was in town on business with her partner, Cindy Beil. Lynne (Carpenter) Halpern ‘84, her husband Mark, Kailee (Knowles) Kubursi ‘85, her husband Marwan, and my wife, Suzanne, and I joined Helen and Cindy for dinner in downtown Toronto. We had a blast. One of the many highlights for me was trying to explain ‘The Shack’ to those who hadn’t experienced it firsthand. Not an easy task! I think we settled on describing it as a really cool tree-fort built over a rain culvert, run by an ironfisted matriarch ‘Ah Sim’ who served really cold beer and noodles to anyone adventurous enough to enter her home/shack, regardless of age, if or when she felt like allowing them entry. Which was pretty much always. Am I close?

Anyway, we laughed ourselves silly, while pondering the mysteries of life and Ah Sim’s noodle recipe. There’s nothing like a big night with old friends.

Good fortune to all.

1986

Francine Jacome

francine@jacomenet.com

I

n 2003, my life changed in the most amazing ways. I was blessed with a ball of fire, my son Nicholas. I took time away from work to raise him – with all of its ups and downs and poopy diapers – and only just a couple of years ago, went back to work. I’m now with the City of Newport

With my mom and Nicholas in Marseille

career in conservation biology will take when I go back to work, I’m in the process of ‘re-skilling’ myself by taking old-time classes in such things as canning and food gardening. I’m looking forward to the day, when the kids are a little bigger, that I can attend another HKIS reunion!

1987

Sheryl Rowold

Sheryl@hf.com

I Nicholas and Olivier in Paris

Beach, working at Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy, a program of the Newport Beach Public Library. I have never felt a job to be so fulfilling as it’s the first time I’m making a difference in people’s lives.

Then, waiting until Nicholas was old enough to appreciate it, this past summer we took a trip to Europe with my mom, visiting London, Paris and Provence.

While in Paris, we were lucky enough to get together with fellow ’86er, Michelle Pozon and her husband Didier and adorable son, Olivier. It was a great introduction to the big wide world. We’re making plans for another trip soon. Hong Kong?

Portugal? Greece? Who knows? Life is an adventure!

Suzette Stephens sstephens68@netscape.net

A

fter graduate school I moved with my husband, Leo, to Panama, Borneo and finally Papua New Guinea. I worked in the latter two countries for The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.

My daughter, Camille, was born in 2005 while we were living in Papua New Guinea.

In 2006 we moved back to the US to be closer to family and I have been a stayat-home mom ever since. In 2008 I gave birth to my son, Tycho, at home in Eureka, California. Now we live in Petaluma, California. While I’m not sure what turn my

have lived in the Bay Area for 10 years now, and am currently the Deputy General Counsel of Hellman & Friedman LLC, a private equity fund. My boys are eight and 10, and this Christmas are going to make their first trip to Hong Kong. I would love to catch up with any HKIS alumni in the Bay Area.

Sumi Fink ‘87 came out to the Bay Area this Spring. I haven’t seen her since high school. Here is a picture of the two of us.

Sumi Fink ’87 and Sheryl Rowold ‘87

Hilary (Lynch) Falcon hfalcon@knights.ucf.edu

I

married Ray Falcon in 2009. Between us we have four children: Xandra, 16, Dana, 13, Rory, 11, and Sophia, nine.

We live in Orlando, Florida where I work for the University of Central Florida in the College of Graduate Studies. I work with international applicants to determine the U.S. equivalent of their academic credentials. I’ve worked for UCF for seven years.

I have just confirmed a get together in May 2012 with Paige DaSaro Banks ‘87,

DragonTales 53

classnotes

Michelle Craig Camellio, Alana Insko Kelly ’87, Suzan Steinberg ’87, and Ngina Tobias ’87. We’ll be sure to send pictures afterwards!

1988

Molly Giss Wadhwani

molly_wadhwani@scualum.com

Kurt Fritts kfritts@gmail.com

A

lot has happened over the past couple of years. In the summer of 2010 I left Washington state politics in order to work in south Sudan on civic and voter education in that region’s referendum for independence, which passed overwhelmingly earlier this year. Upon returning to the United States, I moved with my family to Washington DC to continue work in Democratic politics. My kids, aged 11 and six, are transitioning well to the new schools, and we’re having a great time exploring the area. I’d love to connect with any former HKIS friends who are in town.

Drop me a note if you live here or may be passing through.

1995

Jens Janssen jens.janssen@gmail.com

I

Molly, Molly’s daughters Anna and Maya and husband David

I

still live in San Francisco and I am in the middle of a major remodel of my home.

We’ll have plenty of space so if you find yourself in San Francisco, give me a call.

I stay busy with the girls and with some work that I do for the SF Education Fund and the girls’ schools. David can be found at Adobe, working and sometimes even having fun. Maya has a pony that she rides three times a week and shows during the spring and summer. Anna is our resident soccer player and may go to kindergarten next year or the year after.

We see Jeff Tsai (our kids are in preschool together) and Leon Kuan pretty regularly.

And I keep in touch with Christine Overholt Dunn, Cathey Hale Martin, Debby Tuck, and Prescille Chu (who I saw in Thailand last year). Of course, Facebook makes it easy to keep up with everyone!

We’re happy, healthy and busy and we hope the same for you and your family.

54 DragonTales

am still living in Hong Kong. It’s been a little more than six years since I returned from Tokyo. I got married two summers ago here in Hong Kong and Jimmy Yang ‘95 was my best man. I have some funny pictures of him dressed up in a grass skirt wearing a coconut bikini dancing to the ‘Wonder Girls’. I’m currently working for a company that has designed a touch-screen learning system for preschoolers, looking after music, games, apps, etc. For all your parents with young kids: www.VINCIGenius.com My sister, Ina ’97, lived in Hong Kong for the past six months but will be living in Amsterdam from January 2012 onwards.

My other sister Kayla ‘05 lives in Antwerp.

I am in occasional contact with some old ‘95 classmates: Jimmy Yang is living in Shanghai and working as a producer for online TV shows; Hjalmar Mok is an architect living in Florida and has two handsome sons; James Adamovich is in Sydney and just had his second baby, and also has two or three Masters degrees; Dave Berman is in Los Angeles, editing movies, and has a little daughter; Chris Farrell moved back to Denver from Los Angeles and is

still screaming into the microphone in his punk band; Ruel Deaver is in Portland; Caroline Picquot lives in Copenhagen; Loli Filmeridis just moved from Mongolia to Zimbabwe doing NGO work; Danielle Hutthart has her own design company here in Hong Kong.

Susan Strebel sstrebel@hotmail.com

I

married Peter Oleyer on July 2, 2011 after being together for 13 years. I work at New York City Center, one of the largest performing arts centers in New York City, as the Director of Special Events. My husband Peter is the chef/owner of Calexico Carne Asada, a brand of Mexican restaurants and street carts. We live in Brooklyn, New York with our dog Gretel.

1996

Therese (Cheng) Tee theresetee@gmail.com

I

have been back in HK since 2001, and I’m a stay-at-home mom and love it! I have two beautiful daughters, Brianna (four) and Alanna (10 months).

Therese with husband David, daughters Brianna and Alanna

My husband, David, and I recently celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, and as they say, time flies when you’re having fun! I’m also a Leader of a non-profit organization, La Leche League. La Leche League – Hong Kong (www.LLLHK.org) is the local branch of La Leche League

International, a non-profit organisation that provides information, support and encouragement to mothers who wish to breastfeed.

Left: With Amanda in front of a typical Swedish restaurant where they serve a real moose burger

It has been nice to meet fellow alumni at our meetings and I look forward to seeing many more of you! Please keep in touch.

Below: With Amanda in a Middle Eastern restaurant in Stockholm

1998

Anna Svedberg

J

ust a quick update, I am currently living in Stockholm (Sweden) and work as a Management Consultant.

In a shoe store in HK, where I can finally find my size!

Sweden together with her family and we had the chance to catch up. Imagine seeing each other after almost 20 years, such a blast from the past!

I would love to hear what you are all up to, just send me an e-mail.

2003 Inside Jumbo restaurant in HK, anticipating a hearty meal

I had the opportunity to travel to HK in the spring of 2008 and had a wonderful time. Although, I didn’t get the chance to visit HKIS, I do hope to do so in future travels.

In the summer of 2007, fellow classmate Amanda Henck Schmidt visited me in

Joseph Yasso

H

ello! I was married to Tara Molthen on May 28, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I currently reside. Two HKIS alums Kevin Quinn ‘07 and Gary Fisher ‘07 were groomsmen in my wedding. I work for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Learning & Development group. If you’re passing through Philadelphia let me know! Hope all is well with everyone.

Wedding photo of Joseph Yasso ’03 and Tara Molthen

DragonTales 55

annual fund

HKIS Annual Fund The Annual Fund is the cornerstone of the school’s fundraising efforts. Like many independent schools, HKIS sets its tuition at less than the full cost of educating its students. The Annual Fund helps bridge this gap by supplementing the school’s operating budget. Eighty percent of each unrestricted gift goes directly into this year’s operating budget, while the balance goes into an endowment to support the school in years to come. The Annual Fund helps pay for everything from faculty salaries and professional development to a variety of programs including academics, arts, athletics, drama, and extracurricular activities.

Everyone in the HKIS community is encouraged to contribute, no matter the size of the gift. Participation in the Annual Fund demonstrates the community’s commitment, and supports the school’s Mission and Student Learning Results (SLR) for years to come. For more information about the HKIS Annual Fund, please visit our website www.hkis.edu.hk\giving. Contributions can be made online.

Gifts may be given to the General Fund or designated to support a specific SLR. Another option is to donate to The James A. Handrich Endowment Fund, which is supported by Annual Fund contributions.

HKIS and alumni Desmond Chu ’91 and Kenneth Koo ’79 established the James A. Handrich Service Leadership Endowment Fund in June 2007 in honor of Associate Head of School James A. Handrich. Jim served HKIS for 24 years as the Elementary School Principal, High School Principal, Head of School and Associate Head of School, retiring in July 2007.

The purpose of this Endowment is to help further the school’s Mission Statement and Student Learning Results, specifically the SLRs of “Self Motivated Learning” and “Contributing to Society”.

56 DragonTales

Current HKIS high school students or official school clubs may apply for project funding. Funding may be used for the following purposes: • Seed money for HKIS high school students’ Senior Projects that are focused on “Contributing to Society” and service

learning in Hong Kong, China and Asia.

• Seed money for projects initiated by the HKIS Service Leadership Club.

• Other grants for projects with the express purpose of promoting the two SLRs of “Self Motivated Learning” and “Contributing to Society”

Water Sanitation and Service in Bos Plu Village, Cambodia Although originally centered on water sanitation, the project adapted over the year according to the needs of the village, growing to include issues such as water supply, health, and English education. In conjunction with the Cambodia Service Interim group, the students supplied every family in the village with a water filter.

The majority of grant funds were used to purchase 70 Red Cross water filters with the remaining funds dedicated to materials required for English education.

CLC Girls’ Scholarship Program The CLC Girls’ Scholarship Program provides financial aid to female students in Western Guangdong Province whose families are unable to support them through high school. The program was founded by three HKIS alumni five years ago and is managed by Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation (CWEF) – a Hong Kong based non-profit organization founded by Christians and dedicated to improving lives in impoverished rural areas in Asia through education and service.

Last year, in addition to raising funds to further sustain the scholarship program, a documentary photo essay was made to capture the impact of the CLC program.

Two fundraising events (a yogathon and dinner) were held to generate scholarship money. Grant funds were used to bring two CWEF students and a teacher to Hong Kong, and for supplies for the photo essay.

New Life Center The New Life Center is a rehabilitation center located in Chiang Mai, Thailand and directed by HKIS alumnae Karen Smith and Kit Ripley. The New Life Center focuses on providing shelter, education, and vocational training for young women who have been victims of human trafficking, and who have been exploited in domestic labor. Grant funds were utilized for travel expenses for Kit Ripley.

Kit accompanied the students on presentations for corporate grant funding and presented to over 150 students and faculty from both HKIS and United World College.

1 Redhill Road, Tai Tam, Hong Kong T: +852 3149 7820 F: +852 3011 6276 E: annualfund@hkis.edu.hk www.hkis.edu.hk

Please provide correct name and address.

Our Mission Dedicating our minds to inquiry, our hearts to compassion, and our lives to service and global understanding Parent

Alumni (Class of

)

Here is our donation to the Annual Fund:

Chairman’s Circle

HK$1,000

HK$5,000

HK$10,000

HK$25,000

HK$50,000

HK$100,000

Others HK$

Our gift is to support:

(HK$)

(US)

$1,000,000 or more

$128,206 or more

GOLD

$500,000 - $999,999

$64,103 - $128,205

SILVER

$250,000 - $499,999

$32,052 - $64,102

BRONZE

$100,000 - $249,999

$12,820 - $32,051

Gift Level

(HK$)

(US)

BENEFACTOR

$55,000 - $99,999

$7,050 - $12,819

PARTNER

$35,000 - $54,999

$4,487 - $7,049

Chinese Culture

ASSOCIATE

$20,000 - $34,999

$2,564 - $4,486

Spirituality

HIGH HONOR ROLL

$10,000 - $19,999

$1,282 - $2,563

HONOR ROLL

$5,000 - $9,999

$640 or $1,281

FRIEND OF HKIS

Up to $4,999

Up to $639

Student Learning Results (SLRs) (check as many as you wish)

Contributing to Society

Gift Level

DIAMOND

Head of School’s Circle

General Fund (allows flexibility in directing gifts to the school’s areas of greatest need)

Academic Excellence

An American-style education grounded in the Christian faith and respecting the spiritual lives of all

Faculty / Staff

Character Development Self-Motivated Learning

Alumni Scholarship in Memory of David F. Rittmann James A. Handrich Service Leadership Endowment Charles W. Dull Visiting Scholar Series

PAYMENT BY CHECK We have enclosed a HK$ check payable to “Hong Kong International School” or “HKIS” for HK Tax Deduction We have enclosed a US$ or HK$ check payable to “Friends of Hong Kong Charities Inc.” for US or HK Tax Deduction* Bank

Check No.

* Ensure nothing is written in the lower left hand corner of the check. You must be a US citizen or permanent resident. Your check should be for HK$800 (approximately US$100) or more. Each quarter, the Friends of Hong Kong Charities Inc. issues receipts that support tax deductions in both Hong Kong and the US.

PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD AMEX

MasterCard

VISA

Card No.

Expiry Date

Name on card

Signature

Mobile Phone

Email

MONTHLY GIVING PROGRAM As a monthly donor, you help provide HKIS with a steady source of income year round. Complete credit card information above.

HK$100

HK$500

HK$1,000

HK$2,000

Signature

Other HK$ Date

I understand I may cancel or change my contribution at any time, subject to providing notice of 30 days. To obtain a form, or information on your rights to change an authorization, please contact HKIS Advancement at 852.3149.7820. You have certain recourse rights if any debit does not comply with this agreement. To obtain more information on your recourse rights, contact HKIS Advancement or visit www.hkis.ed.hk

A tax creditable receipt will be mailed to you.

Please indicate the name to be listed on the receipt: Donations of HK$100 or more will be acknowledged in the Report of Giving at the end of the HKIS fiscal year.

Please indicate how you would like to be recognized:

ANONYMOUS

My employer has a matching gift program: I have enclosed the necessary form

I have applied for a match

To give online, please visit www.hkis.edu.hk/giving

58 DragonTales

Mission Dedicating our minds to inquiry, our hearts to compassion, and our lives to service and global understanding An American-style education grounded in the Christian faith and respecting the spiritual lives of all

Student Learning Results Academic Excellence Students will achieve their intellectual potential by striving for and attaining the highest standards of academic excellence

Spirituality Students will understand and respect Christianity and other religions and will identify and develop their own spiritual identity

Character Development Students will demonstrate respectful and caring attitudes at school and in the community, as well as the courage to stand up for what is right The Mission and SLRs are the North Star for HKIS, its staff, faculty and students. We use these as our guide in everything we do, every day.

Hong Kong International School 1 Red Hill Road, Tai Tam Hong Kong www.hkis.edu.hk

Self-Motivated Learning Students willingly apply a variety of learning and motivation strategies throughout their learning process

Contributing to Society Students will develop the skills they need to form genuine relationships in our diverse society and to make contributions to our community

Chinese Culture Students will gain an understanding of China and an appreciation of the Chinese Culture

When were the best days of your life?

At Hong Kong International School, we’ve been providing the best days, every year, since 1966. Your gift to the HKIS Annual Fund can ensure this continues for many more years to come.

www.hkis.edu.hk/giving