Volume 11 Summer Edition 2009 - HKIS Alumni Home

The HKIS Alumni Magazine
Alumni News
Begbie brothers –
the recipients of the
Bob Christian
Alumnus/Alumna of
the Year Award 2009
Alumni PROFILE
Jonathan &
Eric Mueller
Faculty News
Veteran teacher
George Coombs
HKIS News
St. Baldricks at HKIS
Volume 11
Summer Edition 2009
Support the Alumni Scholarship
in Memory of David F. Rittmann
In honor of the unique legacy David Rittmann left to our school, HKIS named
a new Alumni Scholarship in his Memory: The Alumni Scholarship in
Memory of David F. Rittmann.
The scholarship will go to a local student from Hong Kong chosen from our
High Achievers Program or English Language Leadership Program. Through
this scholarship, the memory of David will literally live on in the recipient.
What better tribute to David, who spent a full life serving the Lord and
making a difference in the lives of so many students?
The Scholarship is open for donations. To direct a gift, you may do so at https://www.paydollar.com/
b2c2/project/hkis/payInfo.jsp. Please select Alumni Scholarship in Memory of David F. Rittmann
where it states “please direct my gift to”.
To learn more about the Annual Fund, review our Annual Report and Report of Giving online at
www.hkis.edu.hk
Register Now!
http://www.hkis.edu.hk/newmember.php
We need you to keep us up-to-date on your
current whereabouts.
Please login to review your current personal
details and provide updates where necessary
by using the Alumni Registration &
Update Form to fill in as many fields as
possible.
Please also help circulate to Alums you may
know that have been out of touch. The HKIS
Alumni Office needs you to help find these
Lost Alums! You can also write directly to
alumni@hkis.edu.hk and tell us about your
recent developments in life. We will include your
submission in our next edition of the Alumni Magazine, DragonTales. Once registered, the Alumni office will keep in regular contact and update you on Alumni news, events and school
developments. If you have new contact details, keep us informed and up to date.
Please help your Alumni Office!
Volume 11 • Summer Edition 20 09
DragonTales is published twice a year by
the Office of Institutional Advancement
of Hong Kong International School.
Contents
5
Leadership Updates
n Message from Head of School Richard W. Mueller
Mark L. Sheldon
Director
6
Sylvia Evans
Deputy Director
Connie Chan
Public Relations Manager
James Manning
Communications & Publications Manager
Loretta Fung
Development Coordinator
Kathy Wong
Administrative Assistant
DragonTales Editors
Irene Loh
James Manning
23
Vice-President
Rohini Balani Chotirmal ’89
Treasurer
Simon Lau ’80
E-Board Members
David Christian ’69
Robert Dorfman ’72
David Kohl (former faculty)
n Jonathan
and Eric
Mueller
nNancy
Kroonenberg’s
Annual
Thanksgiving visit
to Hong Kong
n Alumni
Homecoming
2009
HKIS News & Updates
nGeorge Coombs
– DragonTales
Reviews the “Good
Old Days” with the
Veteran Teacher
n St Baldrick’s
Hero
Escapes
to the “Big
Shave” 2008
nDame Jane Goodall
Visits HKIS
n HKIS Math
Students
Achieve a
World First
n Dragon Ladies and Spirit Boosters
36
Former Faculty Updates
n Farewell Reception for Leaving Faculty and Administrators
38
Designed and printed by
Impressions Design & Print Ltd
nThe Begbie
Brothers – the
Recipients of the
Bob Christian
Alumnus/Alumna
of the Year Award
2009
n Michael Swaine – A Man with China Running Through His Veins
Alumni Board
President
Kenneth Koo ’79
Members
Lincoln Chan ’88
Justin Hardman ’99
Ken Rohrs (faculty)
Joyce Yin ’89
Alumni News & Profiles
Class Notes
10 Year Reunion for
Class of 1999
July 24-26, 2009 New York
July 4, 2009 Hong Kong
It’s time to celebrate the 10 years since we left HKIS and the memories of those wonderful high school days!
The US reunion will take place in New York, NY over
the weekend of July 24, 2009. Tentative plans include:
Friday, July 24
HOTEL ROOMS! Please email: jessihk@hotmail.com if you
plan on staying in a hotel. We will put together a block of rooms
once we have a sense of need.
Dinner and Drinks in Chinatown!
8pm until late
The HK reunion will take place on July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 25
BBQ and Drinks!
6pm until late
Brunch in the East Village
11am-1pm
Depending on RSVPs either:
• A boat cruise around Manhattan (with drinks and food)!
• Bowling night (with drinks and food)!
Saturday, July 4
We realize some of our classmates may have limited financial
resources and we’re aiming to be as cost conscious as possible.
MORE INFORMATION! Updates and more specific
Dancing and Drinks
10pm until late
information will be provided by email and Evite when we
receive RSVPs and get a better sense of attendance numbers so
please RSVP as soon as possible!
Sunday, July 26
RSVP! If you have not already RSVP’d through the Evite or
Dim sum brunch!
11:30am-2pm
Smaller Group Activities!
After dim sum some small group trips will be organized
to museums, zoos, parks and shopping areas around the
Manhattan and Brooklyn area for those who have time.
Facebook pages, please send your email address and RSVP to
jessihk@hotmail.com (NY leg) and eleanor.shing@gmail.com
(HK leg).
IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT REUNION WEEKEND!
leadership
updates
Dear HKIS Alumni,
I
t has been a busy and successful year at HKIS as we educated 2,650 students from around the world.
It was a year which saw our strategic directions lead to significant improvements in our educational
programs, based on our Mission Statement and Student Learning Results, in building our faculty
through professional development and training, and bringing on line new facilities such as the new
Middle School building. Stay tuned for the School’s Annual Report in September for more on these
changes.
It has also been a year during which our school reconnected with many alumni.
At this year’s Alumni Homecoming in January, for example, 80 alums made the
journey back to Tai Tam for the day where they participated in campus tours and
reviewed new additions to HKIS built under the school’s Master Facilities Plan.
They also enjoyed a barbeque lunch at the edge of the newly installed artificial
turf of the Tai Tam sports field, an afternoon of activities, and a rekindling of
friendships at a reception in Lan Kwai Fong.
So many former students continue their close relationship with our school long
after graduating. I am constantly impressed when I hear of the different paths and
adventures alums have taken and how HKIS has made a positive difference to their
lives. I know the school had a lasting impact on our sons, Jonathan (’94) and Eric
(’96). Their broad and deep educational program and experiences at HKIS helped
to shape them into the people they are today.
Several activities and events with seniors during the year were designed to build interest in a
continuing connection with their alma mater. One such initiative is a video project that involved local
alumni sharing their HKIS and career experiences. These videos were shown and discussed in Senior
Transition Classes this year. We also held a College and Careers Night where many alumni returned to
talk with seniors about their choices.
Graduation 2009 was on June 12 this year. Some 183 members of the Class of 2009 became newlyminted alumni of HKIS. At Graduation, alumni took center stage as I awarded David “Biff” Begbie
‘94 and Joshua Begbie ’96 the Bob Christian Alumnus/ Alumna of the Year Award. The Award was
established in 2006 to recall the service of Bob Christian as Head of School from 1966 to 1977 and to
give recognition to the Alumnus/Alumna who has made a strong, positive contribution to HKIS, our
community, and the larger Hong Kong community.
The Begbie brothers are the Award’s first recipients and worthy winners, having dedicated their lives to
serving the local and international communities and the world. With their parents, they established the
Hong Kong-based charity Crossroads Foundation in 1996. See page 6 for a fuller report.
Alumni are an integral part of both the heritage and the future of our school. We will continue to find
ways to connect with you and support creation of an active alumni network. It is a challenging task at
times since our alumni reside all around the world.
Please stay in touch and let us know by emailing alumni@hkis.edu.hk if you have new ideas on how we
can improve contacts or ideas for new events and programs.
Have a wonderful summer!
Sincerely,
Richard W. Mueller
Head of School
DragonTales
alumni news
& profile
David ‘Biff’ Begbie ’94
AND Joshua Begbie ’96
are the recipients
Bob Christian
Alumnus/Alumna
of the Year Award 2009
DragonTales
I
n recognition of their exemplary contribution to society and living out the ideals of the HKIS Mission Statement, The Bob
Christian Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award 2009 was presented to brothers David “Biff” Begbie ’94 and Joshua Begbie ’96 by
Head of School Richard Mueller at the HKIS Graduation in June.
David and Joshua have dedicated their lives to serving the local and international communities. With their parents, they established the Hong Kong-based charity Crossroads Foundation
in 1996. Today, Crossroads is improving lives for impoverished
people around the world, providing relief, creating jobs and rebuilding communities. The charity continues to grow and is now
working in more than a hundred countries.
Crossroads has four main areas of work:
Global Distribution for dispensing aid
Global Hand to connect people who want to help those in need
Global Village to promote awareness through simulated
experiences
Global Handicrafts to offer a market where handicrafts
produced by people in poverty to be sold at fair trade prices.
The Begbie brothers have embraced Chinese culture, even learning to speak Mandarin. They have also generously given of their
time to HKIS. Each year, they run activities for hundreds of HKIS
students at the Crossroads Village. They also speak at HKIS high
school assemblies and other school functions. HKIS is proud of
David and Josh; they provide an excellent example of service and
dedication for us all.
HKIS thanks the Award’s selection committee members Linda
Anderson, George Coombs, Justin Hardman, Joyce Yin and Sylvia
Evans.
David and Josh pictured with a group of HKIS Freshman students, Jason
Hinojosa who were at Crossroads for the Refugee Run on May 16, 2009
About The Bob Christian Alumnus/ Alumna of the Year
Award:
The Bob Christian Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award was established in 2006 during the school’s 40th Anniversary to give
recognition to the Alumnus/Alumna that have made a significant
contribution to HKIS, our community, and/or the larger Hong
Kong community.
To be nominated, candidates should:
u Exemplify our Mission and Student Learning Results
u Contribute to the HKIS community, the local community, or
the broader community
This school year the Award’s Selection Committee met several
times and reviewed in detail the merits of a number of outstanding
nominees. We thank those alums and community members who
nominated candidates. The high caliber
of candidates was truly outstanding, and
this made the selection process very
difficult.
The Alumnus/Alumna of the Year
Award presentation was held during
graduation on June 12, 2009.
In the winter 2009 edition of
DragonTales, there will be a special
feature on the Begbies and the work
of Crossroads Foundation. n
DragonTales
alumni news
& profile
DragonTales
For Mueller brothers Jonathan ’94 and Eric ’96, HKIS
journeys inspire outdoor education and space adventure...
J
onathan has never forgotten the
three years he spent at HKIS Elementary
School from 1983-86. “The diversity of the
student body and the exposure to different
cultures at HKIS was unbelievable. I would
never have gotten this experience had I not
attended HKIS,” he says.
His daily interactions with fellow students
from all parts of the world motivated the
young Jonathan to look through maps in
his classroom to figure out where all his
classmates were from.
“Students would give reports to the class
on their country,” he says. “I will always remember a report on Chad in Grade 2 from
one of my classmates. Prior to his presentation, I had no idea that Africa even existed,
let alone that there was a country in it with
the same name as one of my friends.”
NASA at the Ames Research Center. “Getting into NASA involved a lot of luck. Having worked for NASA since 2000, I still
don’t fully understand how they hire new
people,” he laughs.
According to him, he got lucky, because
his boss came to Princeton and wanted to
meet with students. “He interviewed me
and other students for the one opening his
NASA team had, and I was successful.”
Jonathan followed a less conventional, but
equally impressive track from study to
career. He attended the University of Virginia, graduating in 1998 with a degree in
Asian Studies and Economics. On gradu-
ating he worked as a management consultant in Chicago and then in sales and corporate strategy for a technology company
in the San Francisco Bay Area.
However, after five years, he realized that
his heart was not in the corporate world;
rather it was in education and the outdoors, a realization that was cemented
during a six-month sabbatical he took
in-between jobs to hike the Appalachian
Trail, a 2,160-mile trail that runs from
Georgia to Maine.
Soon after this sabbatical in 2003, Jonathan took the plunge, followed his heart,
and said goodbye to the relative financial
security of the corporate world. He then
moved to Tanzania, where he spent nine
months volunteering in business development and microfinance. Eric, right, and Jonathan – during a trip to Macau in the 1980s
It is also the people that Eric remembers
most. One clear memory is of the Interim
trips he went on during his HKIS high
school years (1994-96). “These were real
bonding experiences with teachers and
friends,” he recalls.
Eric fondly remembers joining an aviation
themed Interim in his Junior year at HKIS. “That was my first time in a helicopter; it
was so much fun. That Interim I learned
what it means to actually work in the aviation field, rather than what it’s like to study
the field. It gave me the motivation to do
the latter.”
And powerful motivation it proved, because Eric went on to study a Bachelor of
Science in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Princeton University. He credits
that Interim with sustaining his interest in
aerospace engineering during the less than
glamorous problem sets he encountered in
high school and University.
After graduation, he moved to the San
Francisco Bay area and took a job with
alumni news
& profile
Mueller family Christmas holiday in Hong Kong 2007
He describes his time in Tanzania as “a
profound experience... It opened my eyes
to the non-profit world and to a continent
that I knew only a little more about than
when I was discovering it in Grade 2 class
presentations at HKIS.”
Upon his return to the US in 2004, Jonathan fully transitioned his career to outdoor and environmental education, working in New Hampshire before moving back
to California – first in the San Bernardino
Mountains, and then in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area in 2006, where he has been ever
since.
Though happy to be at last working in education and outdoor pursuits, it was not
long before Jonathan was exploring new
possibilities beyond just getting students
outdoors.
“I realized teenagers are naturally inclined
to take risks, and face many potential negative risks, like drug taking and gang involvement. My ambition was to help young
10 DragonTales
people re-channel their energy to positive
risk taking.”
In pursuit of this, he established the nonprofit Sierra Nevada Journeys (SNJ), in
Reno, NV in 2006. SNJ set about building
programs to give students powerful experiences and outcomes through experiential and place-based education.
Since 2006, SNJ has grown to a staff of 20
and last year served more than 3,000 young
people in a variety of programs: residential
outdoor schools, in-school programming,
and teacher professional development. SNJ is now an Approved Educational Vendor in the Washoe County School District
and serves dozens of schools.
With SNJ’s growth, Jonathan’s role has
evolved from that of day-to-day education
of students to fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational management. This
has meant more deskwork, but he says this
is a natural transition. “I am able to combine the best of what I like about the cor-
porate world, like strategic planning and
problem solving, and marry these with a
mission driven organization.”
His one caveat, he says, is that he gets out
at the weekends to do some rock climbing
or something active. “Being an Instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership
School (NOLS) helps, as it means I am able
to ‘escape’ for a few weeks each summer to
lead student courses in Wyoming.” Back at NASA, Eric Mueller is engaged in
pursuits right out of a science fiction novel:
building, testing and flying a three-meter
hybrid rocket, and constructing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for an Air Traffic
Control system, for example.
“Most recently I have been running simulations with astronauts and test pilots to
determine the best ways to fly the new
generation of spacecraft that NASA is
building.”
Eric’s working day varies significantly de-
pending on the project and its phase. “If
I am conducting a simulation on Spacecraft Handling Qualities, then I start the
day briefing astronauts or test pilots on
the experiment we’re running and how to
interact with the vehicle model we have
developed.”
“We fly what’s called the Vertical Motion
Simulator to train astronauts in the task
at hand, and then walk them through our
experiment matrix to collect data.”
Eric and his team then debrief the astronauts to get feedback on the vehicle (usually the Orion spacecraft, which is replacing the Space Shuttle) to improve the next
round of simulations.
Even as a child, Eric loved building things,
whether by hand, with tools or on the computer. He says he derives a similar mental
stimulation and pleasure determining the
best ways to fly the new generation of spacecraft as he did all those years ago building
model aeroplanes and rockets as a child.
When not conducting simulations, he
could be designing the ‘models’ NASA
uses to simulate a vehicle, coordinating
engineers who implement those specifications, testing the model by flying it himself,
analyzing the data from previous experiments, or writing papers and presentations
for technical conferences.
He says one of the best things about working for NASA is the professional development and training. “I have always felt that
the people you interact with make the most
contribution to your growth and development, so staying connected with amazing
people at institutions like NASA, Stanford
and Princeton is a great way to stay challenged and interested.”
A Clear View
Jonathan and Eric are fine examples of successful HKIS alums, albeit in very different
fields. Jonathan holds some significant long-
Brothers Jonathan and Eric Mueller first attended HKIS Elementary School in 1983. Later, when
the family returned to Hong Kong, Eric attended the high school, graduating in 1996
term ambitions that involve SNJ transforming the entire educational system.
A longer-term strategy is to transform the
relationship SNJ has with schools to impact how schools teach. “I hope to influence
schools so they teach in a manner to appeal
to a range of students’ intelligences, inquiry
based learning, hands on based learning,”
says Jonathan. “This is why I started SNJ.”
For Eric it is hard to think beyond finishing his NASA sponsored PhD at Stanford,
or even beyond the May/June simulation. “I guess I’d like to do something that helps
further an important endeavor, like returning astronauts to the Moon, or that
helps a great number of people live a bit
better, even if that is spending just a little
less time waiting on delayed flights.” He says while those would be nice achievements in the next decade or so, he thinks
longer term life/career goals will go beyond
that, even though he has not fully decided
what they should be. “I like to continually push out my goals as I
approach them, otherwise I get complacent
and don’t accomplish as much as I could!”
To learn more about Sierra Nevada
Journeys, visit their website at: http://www.sierranevadajourneys.org/
DragonTales
11
alumni news
& profile
After their parents – Richard and Claire
Mueller – moved back to the US from
Hong Kong in 1998, brothers Jonathan
and Eric did not return to Hong Kong for
a number of years.
Back home in the US, Richard Mueller
made a career change himself: from that
of a career diplomat to Head of School of
Northfield Mount Hermon, a well-known
college preparatory boarding school in
Northfield, Massachusetts.
This career move would lead to an interesting turn of events seven years later in
2005 when Richard was chosen to lead
HKIS as its new Head of School.
Eric says he was “surprised and excited”
when he heard his Dad was going to be
Head of School at HKIS. “I knew it was a
great opportunity for Mom and Dad, both
of whom had really enjoyed their lives in
Hong Kong,” he says.
“We had not been back to Hong Kong for
a number of years and had a fantastic time
there. So from a selfish point of view, Dad’s
appointment meant that we could return
to Hong Kong regularly for family Christmases,” says Eric.
Between 1998 and 2004, the traditional
Mueller family Christmas gatherings were
spent in the midst of the Massachusetts
winter. “These were special family occasions, but always cold and often snowedin. The thought of Christmas in warm,
familiar Hong Kong was enticing,” says
Jonathan.
Richard commenced his duties as Head of
School in August 2005. Jonathan and Eric
made their first trip back to Hong Kong in
December that year. In their seven years’ absence from the city, many of their friends had
moved on and Hong Kong had changed.
12 DragonTales
Hong Kong
Revisited
Jonathan (right) and Eric Mueller at Shek O
in 2005. Inset: Jonathan and Eric same place
ten years earlier in 1995
“We were especially devastated to learn
that Kublai’s in Wan Chai was no longer
around. When we were at school, we used
to love to eat there,” says Jonathan.
Notwithstanding this, he and Eric have
still managed to eat out at many different Chinese restaurants over the last four
Christmases. “Shanghai 369 is still a favorite. I get to practice my Mandarin when I
order,” says Eric.
Besides trying to cram in as many authentic Chinese dining experiences as possible,
when in town Eric enjoys revisiting old
haunts he remembers as a teenager.
During the last four Christmas breaks in
Hong Kong, you might have seen Jonathan
Mueller trail running through Tai Tam
Country Park, swimming at Repulse Bay,
or rock or bolder climbing at Shek O. “Last
year I went swimming at Repulse Bay on
Christmas Day,” he says.
Two years ago, Jonathan invited Mom
and Dad to Shek O to watch him and his
brother climb. “Mom had to turn away to
face the ocean, she couldn’t watch,” laughs
Jonathan. “She would rather I sat at home
and read books, but understands what it
means to me.”
Another time, Eric and Jonathan managed
to get Dad Richard into a harness at Shek
O. “We got him up a few notches, which
was a lot of fun to watch,” he says.
Jonathan and Eric expect to be back in
Hong Kong again this Christmas, which
will be their last here before their parents
retire in the summer 2010.
“We always enjoy returning, so I am sure
there will be many more return trips in the
future. Hong Kong and HKIS have a very
special place in our family’s heart.”
In their own words...
Jonathan on the work of SNJ:
“Our activities and programs are
designed to empower youth through
positive risk-taking. We get a person
to climb to the top of a totem pole,
balance atop of it, and jump off,
attached to a safety rope of course…
“…When this is something new to
them, they need to think it through.
The sum of this process is often an
intense, emotional learning journey.
But it is safe, positive risk taking,
and helps them realize that they can
confront a fear and overcome it…
“…This experience can have the
power to positively impact an
individual’s life, so when they sit
down to do a math problem, it is
something they know they can work
through and overcome.”
Eric on what motivates him:
“I love examining a problem,
determining the fundamental
source of that problem and
formulating a solution. Many
problems in engineering require
an understanding of the politics,
finances and interpersonal
relationships that accompany a
problem.”
DragonTales
13
alumni news
& profile
Eric (right), Jonathan (left) with Dad Richard Mueller in Thailand in 1984. Note the boys are wearing PFO World’s Fair t-shirts!
Eric and Jonathan on
the teachers we remember...
Eric remembers that Mr. Klammer
and Mrs. Harvey were instrumental
in training and encouraging him in
physics and math.
“I was so fascinated by the three
classes I took from Mr. Klammer
that I’m pursuing a PhD in the
same material and find my most
enjoyable days (at work) to be those
when I’m actually working with
the same types of equations and
problems that he first introduced
me to, albeit in a slightly more
advanced fashion.
Mrs. Harvey gave me the
mathematical background upon
which I built my understanding of the
concepts I’m still using today.”
14 DragonTales
Today, Eric finds he is called upon to
write and present, even more than solve
equations or write computer programs
at NASA. He says without the training
that Mr. Ewing (AP English, senior
year) and Mr. McCarthy (AP American
History, junior year) gave in organizing
my thoughts and writing them down in a
coherent manner, he would never be able
to communicate his technical findings.
“More than my technical expertise, my
ability to write and communicate in
front of a group has had an absolutely
fundamental impact on my success as an
engineer,” he says.
He also recalls the strong support of Eric
McDonald, his cross country coach and
home-room teacher, as well as that of Jim
Handrich, his Elementary principal in
the 1980s and later as his High School
principal in the 1990s.
Jonathan on his memories
of teachers...
Jonathan fondly remembers teachers Mrs. Marie Byrnes in Grade 2, Mrs. Tina
Adams in Grade 3, and Mrs. Mary Hoff
in Grade 4. “Each of them challenged
me and helped shape me in some of
my most formative years.”
He also remembers his math and
Wrestling Coach, Mr. Jim Reuter in
Grade 4, who turned him onto a sport
that he enjoyed immensely.
“I still have the certificate from my
first tournament wins!” n
Athletics Sponsorship
On behalf of the Board of the HKIS
Alumni Association, Simon Lau ’80
(Treasurer) presented Scott Johnson
(Athletics Director) a check for HK$10,000
from the HKIS Alumni Association
towards purchasing commemorative
polo shirts and t-shirts for our school
coaches and our departing Senior Class athletes.
The Alumni Association sincerely hopes that the
spirit of this donation will contribute towards
the demonstration of the partnership between
HKIS alumni and our school towards promotion
of several qualities as enshrined in the Student
Learning Results especially in the areas of
Spirituality and Character Development.
Class of 1984
25th Reunion Party
The Class of ’84 is planning their
25th reunion in Los Angeles on
the weekend of October 10-12,
2009 (Columbus Day weekend)
at a venue to be announced. The
reunion is not limited to class
members. Please contact Anita LAU
McElvane via email at
anita.mcelvane@gmail.com for
updates and more information.
DragonTales
15
alumni news
& profile
Robin Gvodzen ’87, John Hyun ’89, Rohini
Chotirmal ’89, Nancy Kroonenberg, David Wu
’88, Bob Kroonenberg, Derek Kwik ’86, Ken
Koo ’79, Rebecca Chien ’92, Simon Lau ’80
An Alumni reception was held on
November 28, 2008 to welcome
Nancy Kroonenberg during her
annual Thanksgiving visit to Hong
Kong. Nancy taught high school
French from 1970s through to
1990s. Many Alums joined our
gathering in Central. Other than
Alums who came to see Nancy,
current Faculty members and long
time friends Ken and Karen Rohrs
and Eric MacDonald also joined
the evening.
Bob and Nancy Kroonenberg, David Wu ’86, Ken Koo ’79, Peter Fishel ’68
Nancy Kroonenberg with Vanessa Chien ’88
and Rebecca Chien ‘92
16 DragonTales
Mark Sheldon (Director of Office of Institutional
Advancement) chats with high school teacher
Eric MacDonald and Mrs. MacDonald
Derek Kwik ’86, Nancy Kroonenberg,
David Wu ’88
James A. Handrich
Service Leadership
Endowment
Nancy Kroonenberg with Ken and
Karen Rohrs
On behalf of the K.H. Koo
Charitable Foundation
and in the spirit of
demonstrating continued
alumni support for our
school, Kenneth Koo ’79
presented a HK$100,000
check to Head of School
Richard Mueller for the
benefit of the James
A. Handrich Service
Kenneth Koo ’79, his daughter Ellen Koo (Freshman),
Leadership Endowment
Claire and Richard Mueller and Bill Leese
at the High School
Community Assembly held on April 29, 2009. This donation was approved
by the Committee of K.H. Koo Charitable Foundation based upon the merits
of this Endowment in working with HKIS students to nurture the qualities of
service leadership and promote the Student Learning Results of Self Motivated
Learning, Character Development and Contributing to Society.
The James A. Handrich Service Leadership Endowment Fund was established
in June 2007 by HKIS and alumni Desmond Chu ’91 and Kenneth Koo ’79 in honor
of Associate Head of School James (Jim) A. Handrich, who retired in July 2007. Over
his 24 years with HKIS, Jim served as the Elementary School Principal, High School
Principal, Interim-Head of School and Associate Head of School.
Simon Lau ’80, Rohini Balani Chotirmal
’89, John Hyun ’89, Nancy Kroonenberg
and Ken Koo ’79
Head of School Richard Mueller and Kenneth Koo ’79
Vanessa Chien ’88 and Derek Kwik ’86
DragonTales
17
alumni news
& profile
T
his year’s Alumni Homecoming was held on Tuesday,
January 6 and attracted around 80 alums back to Tai
Tam for the day. Their first encounter once through the
front gate was with a 60-foot helium balloon dragon which
had implanted itself on the high school island.
Tent reunion with George Coombs
Following registration, alums participated in campus tours
provided by high school student ambassadors, where they
reviewed new additions to HKIS built under the school’s
Master Facilities Plan.
Tim Chen ’92 and Grace Chen ’00
The tours were followed by a barbeque lunch at the edge of
the renovated Tai Tam sports field. Richard Mueller, Head
of School and faculty and staff members joined the lunch
and swapped HKIS stories old and new. An unplanned
high school fire alarm meant alums had a rare opportunity
to see all high school teachers and students assemble on
the field to be counted.
In the afternoon, alums reconnected with their former
teachers at a tent reunion in the High School Plaza. They
especially enjoyed the opportunity to update their teachers on their lives and careers. The afternoon was energized
with sporting activities and competitions, including competitive matches between alums and the current HKIS
Rugby Girls’ and Boys’ teams.
After a nostalgic day of rekindling friendships and reliving
their school days, approximately 30 alums joined a Happy
Hour reception held at Finds Bar in Lan Kwai Fong. Faculty and staff also made the trip downtown to join in the
fun.
A highlight of the evening was the Lucky Draw. An iPhone
sponsored by Ken Koo ’79, President of the Alumni Association was the top prize and was won by Lisa Tan ’97. Dana
Park ’00 took home a bottle of Champagne sponsored by
Rohini Chotirmal ’89, Vice President of the Alumni Association; and David Li ’96 and Edward Koo ’08 each got
a bottle of red wine sponsored by Mark Sheldon, Director
of the Office of Institutional Advancement. n
Happy Hour at Finds LKF
Central, Gary Cheung ’97,
Lily Cheung ’97, Connie
Chan – OIA PR Manager,
Irene Loh – Alumni
Relations Coordinator, Ken
Koo ’79, Thomas Wong ’78,
Simon Lau ’80
18 DragonTales
Justin Hardman’99, Director of ETS welcomes
returning Alums at the BBQ lunch next to the Field
Richard Mueller, Head of School chats with Alums
about the latest school developments
Ken Koo ’79 (right) and Rohini Chotirmal ’89
(third from right) presenting the prizes to the
lucky draw winners Eddie Koo ’08, Dana Park ’00
and Lisa Tan ’97
Returning Alums chat with Marty Schmidt
Tent reunion with Janet Tan
Rugby Challenge, Alums vs. Girls Rugby team
Mark Sheldon, Director of OIA welcomes
visiting Alums
Student Ambassadors helping out at the
registration desk
Rugby Challenge, Alums vs. Boys Rugby team
alumni news
& profile
Michael Swaine ’69 was president of his junior class in 1967-68 and head of
the HKIS student council in 1968-69. DragonTales caught up with Michael
to find out what he has been up to in the 40 years since graduation...
A
fter graduating from HKIS in 1969,
Michael Swaine entered George
Washington University (GWU), where he
majored in Chinese Studies. He attended
GWU with Dennis Minich, another HKIS
alumnus from his Class of 1969, but they
lost touch with one another after graduation. “I went on to pursue graduate degrees in
political science, focusing on international
relations in Asia, and especially Chinese
foreign policy,” says Michael, who later obtained a Masters and Doctorate in these
subjects at Harvard University.
During the early 1980s, Michael studied
in Japan as a Fulbright Scholar in Tokyo. It
was during this period that he made his
first trip to Mainland China, in 1984.
“Everyone was still dressed in Mao suits, there were few electric lights, no ads, and the
only vehicles on the roads of Beijing and Shanghai were buses, government cars, and
bicycles.”
He remembers that most Chinese stopped to stare at the tall foreigner with the beard;
and crowds gathered when he spoke Mandarin. Shanghai was wonderful, he says, with
parts of it exuding the colonial European charm of the twenties and thirties.
“In Beijing, I stayed in a hotel built in the fifties for Soviet advisers, complete with creaky
20 DragonTales
Peter Swaine, Tay Bosley and Michael Swaine on the Peak during their visit back
for the 40th anniversary HKIS reunion
beds and loud shaking pipes. The first person to flush a toilet in the morning would wake
the entire building. Yet Tiananmen Square and the imperial palace were as impressive
then as they are today.”
Michael graduated from Harvard in 1986, after many long years studying, writing his
dissertation and learning both Mandarin and Japanese. After receiving his doctorate,
he spent a year at UC Berkeley as a post-graduate student at the Center for Chinese
Studies and taught in the Berkeley Political Science Department. “It was at this point I made a career choice to stay in the San Francisco area and work
for a small trading firm active in China, rather than take a tenure track teaching job at
Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. I worked in the Bay area for three years, and had
the opportunity to travel to China several
times.”
Can you identify the old codgers in this photo?
Michael eventually tired of working in the
private sector: “The job became very tedious
and did not pay much,” he says. He joined
the RAND Corporation in 1989, a private,
non-profit think tank specializing in U.S.
national security policy analysis based in
Santa Monica, California. He says from that point on his career path
was set. “I worked at RAND for over 12
years, travelling frequently to Asia and
writing many monographs and articles,
and delivering lectures and presentations
to primarily US government audiences,
in the Department of Defense, the State
Department, the White House, and elsewhere.”
He became a Senior Political Scientist
and was quite happy at RAND. However, the organization changed considerably over
the years, and he says the working environment continuously deteriorated. In addition,
Michael’s girlfriend at the time had to move to the East Coast (Baltimore) for job reasons.
“I decided to leave RAND and took a job at the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace in Washington, DC. I had been a Senior Associate at RAND for seven years,
since 2001, and enjoyed it very much.”
Michael now lives in rural Maryland on four acres of land, and works several days a week
from home. Nevertheless, he still gets to travel to Asia, especially China, a fair amount.
DragonTales
DragonTales 2121
alumni news
& profile
“I do very much the same type of work
I did at RAND, i.e., research, write, give
talks to advise the US government on
Chinese defense and foreign policy issues,
except I have more freedom to do what I
want and less pressure to obtain funding
for my work.”
He says he has the opportunity to influence US policy toward China and learn
from a small but very thoughtful group of
Asia specialists. “As I often say, it is just
about the best job around for someone
with a doctorate in political science and a
focus on China.”
“Mom passed away in 1981 and dad in
2003. My girlfriend Monique (who is
Dutch) and I, never married, but we had
a beautiful daughter, albeit late in life. Her
name is Evelynne Fabienne and she is five
years old and a bright, booming, happy
little girl. Now in kindergarten, Evelynne is the center of Michael and Monique’s life. “She
lives with Monique in Baltimore, but I
spend time with them once or twice during the week and on weekends. We also
travel together to Europe to see Monique’s
parents and sister in Holland, and my relatives in the UK.”
Evelynne
“It also gave me a sense of living life that was
more intense than at any other time in my life,
and some very vivid and exciting memories.”
“I am very close to my brother Peter, his
wife Jo-Ellen and son Trevor. Peter and Jo
have lived in Richmond, Vermont in the
country for many years and love it.”
Peter is a senior manager at Seventh
Generation, the leading manufacturer of
environmentally friendly home products. “Although I love my job and enjoy travelling to Asia, I have also developed hobbies
that I enjoy just as much. I collect early
editions of children’s classic books, such
as Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh and
various types of Old West items. I also
exercise regularly, ride my bicycle, attend
the Baltimore Symphony and socialize
with friends.”
Michael is first to admit that life has not
quite turned out to be what he had expected: “But then again, when does it?”
22 DragonTales
Both Michael and his brother Peter attended HKIS 40th anniversary in 2007
where they reestablished contact with a
dear friend from their HKIS days, Tay Bosley, who lives and works in New Jersey. He says he does not have a family in
the traditional sense, and has a rather unusual job that is endlessly interesting. “We had not seen one another for nearly
40 years. I have also reestablished contact
via email with Christy McCaskill and a few
other HKIS alums from my class, which is
wonderful.”
“My personal life has been a struggle at times,
but it has also brought significant amounts of
joy. And I treasure my friends, relatives and,
to a very great extent, my memories of two
fabulous, life-shaping years in Hong Kong
and HKIS. Those two years literally changed
my life, sparking an interest in China that
has survived to the present day and provided
me with a very decent living.” “That’s about it,” says Michael, who informs
us that from his office window he can see
the sun is coming up over the Maryland
hills, setting alight the trees and reflecting
off the beaver pond at the bottom of the hill.
“I must get to work. Be happy.”
You can contact Michael at Mdswaine5@
gmail.com n
Evelynne, Michael and Monique
HKIS news
& updates
DragonTales reviews
the “good old days”
with veteran teacher
The Coombs family –
Jonathan, Ame and George
V
eteran HKIS teacher George Coombs
says teaching for him is a vocation, a
calling. “I always wanted to be a teacher.
My own high school teachers as well as my
uncle who taught high school inspired me.”
George grew up outside Philadelphia and
attended a Catholic boys’ school. He remembers his 10th grade English teacher’s
name was Ed Smith. He was a religious
brother with a social conscience who became a role model for George.
“He used to take us down town where we
repaired and painted houses in the poor
sections of the city. We met civil rights’
leaders, and we participated in marches in
support of the poor. Literature and scripture came alive in his classes. We had to
practice our faith!”
Those formative years had a lasting impact
on the young George, to such an extent
that he started the first Interact Club in
his high school as a teenager.
“When I was growing up service was a
regular part of my high school experience,
but when I came to HKIS there was just a
‘Day of Giving’. There was no Humanities
I in Action.”
DragonTales
23
HKIS news
& updates
Micah Schmidt, Zella and Marty with Ame and George
High School Principal Jim Handrich wanted a more formative service program, and
in response, high school teacher Marty
Schmidt and George began to explore ways
to deepen the service ethos at the school.
“The two of us took a trip to Anteneo High
School – a Jesuit school in Metro Manila.
They had a well-developed service curriculum with a weekly service experience. We
were inspired,” he says.
Today, half of HKIS high school students
participate in service on Saturday and almost half of our 9th graders take Humanities I In Action, which includes service.
Mr. Schmidt has also been a more recent
inspiration and hero for George. “For the
past four years he has been working on his
PhD in Service learning. His research has
added much to our understanding of the
transformative power of service in the formation of social conscience. His work is a
real labor of love and a gift to the school.”
George joined HKIS in 1988, the same
year as the new high school opened at Tai
Tam. He remembers it was a spectacular
October day. The building, however, was
not completed, and high school students
had to share the Repulse Bay campus with
the Middle School.
“We attended class on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
It was a rough transition. Two
weeks after we moved in, we
had one of those rare October
typhoons. Windows leaked.
Drains were too small. Water
damage was extensive. There
are about four of us still on
the faculty who remember
how challenging that year was.
However, we made it through
the year. For me, it was ‘baptism’ by lots of water!”
George with Bijoy Goswami ’91
24 DragonTales
What George liked most about
those early years was the size
of the high school. Even if he
did not teach a student, he
knew who they were. “Be-
tween concerts, plays, sports and extracurricular activities, you could meet just
about everyone.”
George lived in Kowloon and had to
commute to school. He remembers getting on the MTR at 6:23 am each morning. “I rode the same car each day. The
journey lasted about 40 minutes and after 6 months I began to speak to some
of the people who rode in the same car
every day. After a year, we were celebrating birthdays and knew all about each
other’s families. We even went to Yum
Cha occasionally. My Chinese was basic,
but it was heart-warming to connect to
so many local people in a simple community. It made the journey special and
memorable.”
George’s first teaching position in Hong
Kong was at Maryknoll Convent School in
Kowloon Tong where he taught for 10 years
1974-1984. In his first two years there, he
was fortunate to work with Ame Lee, who
eventually became Mrs. Coombs.
“We taught an interdisciplinary humanities course. It was a great way to teach
language and culture. It was innovative in
those days. We designed several units on
science, technology and society. It was an
amazing opportunity and a challenge to
teach in a local school,” says George.
He remembers there being 40 students in
each class, and he had to have a seating
George and his extended HK family, fifth from the left is Grandma, Ame’s mother who is 95
“It’s part of the Maclehose Trail that goes to
the beaches. It’s the most beautiful beach
in Hong Kong! When you come over the
hill and see three beautiful beaches with
spectacular waves, you can hardly believe
you’re in Hong Kong. This has been my
still point. While the rest of Hong Kong
continuously changes, Dai Long Wan has
remained untouched,” he says.
George also enjoys classical music and
opera. He says while his passion for opera came late, he has become a big fan.
“Thanks to the efforts of people like Warren Mok, I can even experience live opera
in Hong Kong.”
George and Ame with Emi Takahashi ’96
chart in each of his six classes. Nevertheless, the students were enthusiastic, disciplined and well-behaved. Their standard
of English was also very high which made
teaching them enjoyable.
Outside of School
In his free time, George loves to hike and
swim. For each of the past thirty years, he
has traveled to Tai Long Sai Wan in the
fall.
George is currently promoting the art form
in his Humanities II classes. Each year, in
the spring, he shows The Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner. “Of course, I only
show excerpts. However, for the dedicated
few, we have “ring parties”.
This past year, he has shown all four parts
of the Ring Cycle. “We set up the big speakers in room 417. We bring food. I have even
made Philadelphia Cheese Steaks! But the
sound! The music! You can’t help but be af-
fected by the power of the drama. It speaks
to the yearning for transcendence and the
music takes you there! Next school year,
I will organize a similar experience for
adults,” he promises.
George lives with his wife Ame and their
son Jonathan who works in the financial
service industry. Ame’s mother, who is 95,
lives one block away. Her older brother lives
nearby as well. “So it is very easy for us to get
together for ‘Yum Cha’ on Sundays,” says
George.
“We have three nephews and one niece
living in Hong Kong. There have been a
couple of family weddings to celebrate
recently. I have been very lucky in many
ways. I am very close to my own family
and when I decided to live in Hong Kong,
it meant a lot to me to be part of a large
family,” he says.
Ame’s family has provided George with an
understanding and insight into Chinese
culture. “My life in Hong Kong has been
richer because of the bonds of family. And
I am truly grateful.” n
DragonTales
25
HKIS news
& updates
W
hen he moved to Hong Kong three
and a half years ago, HKIS parent
Richard Kligler expected his lifestyle to
be akin to that of a sabbatical; an expectation based on his wife Marcia being on
assignment, and he being a stay-at-home
Dad to daughter Jill (Grade 4) and son Sean
(Grade 7).
However, Richard soon found himself
busy juggling various roles and responsibilities: Scoutmaster of Troop 1 – Hong
Kong, Chairman of the Troop 1 Committee, and the organizer of the Hong Kong
St. Baldrick’s Day event to raise money for
Childhood cancer research. He also continued to run his New York-based business
remotely from Hong Kong from 9 PM to
the wee hours each day. Not surprisingly,
the sabbatical never materialized.
Brave lady...
Leading up to St. Baldrick’s Day in March
2008, Richard was putting in serious hours
juggling his duties and responsibilities. “I
was having a grand time doing it, though I
needed to recharge,” he says.
Fortunately, the Boy Scout Troop had an
overnight campout planned the weekend
before St Baldrick’s Day on April 10. “This
26 DragonTales
was it, my chance for rest and relaxation
along with a quality weekend with my son
Sean,” he thought.
“The Friday night before camp I worked
until 4:30 AM, grabbed two hours’ sleep
and woke up at 6:30 AM. I drank a couple
cups of coffee, which I generally do not
drink, packed lunch and loaded up my
backpack.”
Richard woke his son Sean and they picked
up the bus headed for Hoi Ha Wan Bay
north of Sai Kung. Richard remembers an
interesting conversation with one of the
scout-Dads. Though this is all he remembers. For the rest of the events of that day,
Richard depends on the accounts of others
present on the hike.
So as it goes: Richard and Sean started out on
the hike in the middle of the pack of twenty
scouts, while the other Scoutmasters held
up the rear. It was hot and humid. Half way
through the hike, the scoutmasters noticed
that Richard had started to fall back and
eventually was at the end with them.
“They recalled I didn’t look well, a little offcolor,” says Richard. “They also said I wasn’t
Marcia told Richard his condition was
serious. He had a hematoma of the brain,
which means a vein had burst in the brain
and was hemorrhaging.
“Here I am in a hospital ward with my
brain bleeding and neurosurgeons contemplating opening my skull up to relieve
the pressure and stop the flow of blood,”
says Richard. “Quite unbelievable...”
“Marcia and doctors impressed upon me
the need to take care. She would manage
the St Baldrick’s event. I took their advice.”
Richard ended up hospitalized for four
days before being released. “Thankfully
the bleeding stopped, I avoided surgery
and was able go home.”
Sean and Richard Kligler my usual jovial self.” Richard told them to
continue, he would hold up the rear.
The two Scoutmasters agreed they should
keep an eye on Richard. “They hiked a little
further and apparently I fell out of sight,”
says Richard. “The scoutmasters decided
to wait. Next thing, I came around the
bend in the trail, my head bleeding and
with some leaves stuck to it.”
The Scoutmasters asked Richard if he had
fallen. “Apparently I said no, what do you
mean?” That was surely a high-sign trouble
was coming.
campsite and they called for a helicopter.
The main obstacle to a helicopter rescue
was that Richard was in a wooded area and
the only clearing was down a steep hill.
The Scouts made a makeshift stretcher to
transport him down to the open field.
“Once I was settled in, the volunteer firemen and paramedics took care of me until
the helicopter arrived to take me to hospital,” says Richard. “I may add that I was
told Sean was so brave during this episode
and rode with me on the helicopter.”
The next thing Richard remembers is waking up in bed. “I had no idea where I was
and my wife Marcia was looking over me
with owl-opened eyes and the look of fear
and says, ‘Do you know who I am?’”
Richard took a couple of steps, fell
down and went into severe convulsions. “Thank goodness I was with the
Boy Scouts, because they immediately
went into action. The fastest runners
ran in both directions. One scout went
back along the trail where there was an
emergency telephone and another ran to
the campsite up ahead.”
“I responded ‘Of course I do, you are Marcia. Where am I?’” Marcia proceeded to
tell Richard he was in the Eastern Hospital
on Hong Kong Island.
The Scoutmasters thought that Richard
might have had a stroke and took care
of him with that assumption. The Scouts
were able to alert volunteer firemen at the
“There I was,” says Richard, “hooked up to
several IVs and knowing I must be in big
trouble. Thankfully I didn’t feel much pain,
other than a major headache.”
Richard was told by his doctors he needed
to be confined to his flat for six months; he
needed to convalesce because the chance
that his brain would start to hemorrhage
was great. Richard says being Chinese, the
Doctor would translate in English some
proverbs for him to ponder. “He told me
‘Life is a gift, it is precious’ and ‘This is
hope of renewal for you.’”
Nearly there...
He also said, ‘Make believe you are in a
communist country and you are under
house arrest.’ Richard replied, “Aren’t we
in a communist country? He didn’t find
that funny. And surely I wasn’t going to
make any more wisecracks again with my
life in his hands!”
Being confined at home to bed 24/7 was
a difficult experience for Richard, even
DragonTales
27
HKIS news
& updates
though he enjoyed the pampering by his
family.
Richard was also worried about the St. Baldrick’s Day event just days away. “Knowing
that I was going to miss St. Baldrick’s was
weighing heavily on my mind. I thought
to myself, What if I snuck out and made a
cameo appearance?”
Well, on Thursday April 10, the evening
of the big shave, Richard went AWOL and
took a taxi to the St. Baldrick’s Day 2008
at the HKIS Black Box Theater. “I was so
moved by the greeting I got from the many
people in attendance,” he says.
Ken Rohrs and Peter Dratz enjoy a close shave with Versace the snake
“Thankfully Sean had not gone under the
clippers. Even though Sean and I had been
shorn three years in a row for St. Baldrick’s,
we had never sat down side-by-side and got
shaved together. So Sean and I got up on
stage and got shaved together for the first
time. It was a heartwarming experience.
Afterwards I said my goodbyes and
returned to house arrest.”
Richard has no residual medical problems
28
from this incident. He has also learned
to eat a hearty breakfast and avoid coffee
before hiking.
“I have been involved in Boy Scouting all
my life and am thankful and proud of
the Scout leaders and Scouts of Troop 1
– Hong Kong that helped save my life.”
He now lives by the proverbs shared with
him by his neurosurgeon. Richard will
always remain thankful to Marcia for her
compassion and poise during this journey
and her great management skills, which
made last year’s St. Baldrick’s Day 2008
such a success.
Richard was back at the helm of St Baldrick’s Hong Kong 2009 to raise money
for Childhood Cancer Research in Hong
Kong in the Black Box Theater on Thursday, April 23, 2009. Some 85 students
were shaved and HK$1,000,000 was
raised for Childhood Cancer Research
Hong Kong.
Some familiar faces got shorn that night
– check them out… n
UP Principal Bruce Kelsh in the chair for St Baldrick’s
Peter and Cristy Dratz became the first HKIS couple to be shorn for St Baldrick’s
Like father, like son
DragonTales
29
HKIS news
& updates
H
KIS welcomed the renowned primatologist, ethologist, and
anthropologist Dame Jane Goodall in December 2008. Best
known for her 45-year study of chimpanzee social and family interactions in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, Dame Goodall
spent the entire day at HKIS interacting with students on both
campuses. In specially arranged assemblies and classroom gatherings she shared some of the experiences that had shaped her life
and made her determined to follow her dreams to Africa to study
wildlife.
She told students that since she was a young girl she had always
wanted to travel to Africa. “But back in those days the idea was
preposterous and people laughed at me. No one had ever heard of a
girl wanting to go to Africa alone. It was too dangerous,” she said.
However, her mom held faith in her African dream. “She told me
‘never to give up. To follow my heart; and I did.’” Dame Goodall
encouraged students to believe in themselves and to think big. “Set the bar high for yourselves. Create a better
tomorrow for human beings, for animals, and for our environment,” she said.
Dame Goodall finally got to live her African dream when she was 23. She was enthralled with the continent
and its wildlife. In Africa she met the notable anthropologist Louis Leaky, who she impressed with her interest
in wildlife. He subsequently hired her as his assistant and secretary.
“Some time later Louis asked me to study the chimpanzees of Gome Stream National Park. I arrived there with my
mother because the authorities insisted that a young girl should not be in such an inhospitable place alone.”
It was during this period that she initiated her pioneering research that exposed the relationships and politics
that are within any chimp family. This world acclaimed research has continued for the past four and a half
decades.
30 DragonTales
humans are the most intelligent creature
and we only have one world, yet we are doing a pretty good job of destroying it?” She
said this is because we may be clever, but
we have lost our wisdom.
“I started Roots & Shoots because I believe
that young people like you, when informed,
empowered, and you realize what you
do truly makes a difference, can indeed
change the world. I Travel 300 days a year
delivering this message.”
Dame Goodall asked students to consider
their responsibilities to the planet and fu- Jane Goodall’s message served to both
ture generations. “It is vital that you do, or complement and further HKIS mission of
we may not have much of a planet left to “dedicating our minds to inquiry and our
pass on.
hearts to compassion.” n
HKIS thanks Alumnus Calvin Lo and his wife Emily who arranged for Dame
Goodall to visit HKIS. Calvin studied in HKIS from kindergarten through
elementary, before going to study in Vancouver. “I later completed my undergrad
at Queen’s University in Canada, MBA at UC Berkeley, and Law at Harvard.”
Calvin says his fondest memory of HKIS was ordering McDonald’s for lunch
every morning. “We were asked to fill in a form indicating what we want. By
lunchtime, our cheeseburgers and fries would have arrived. Amazing times when
the concept of cholesterol, blood pressure, etc., did not even exist.”
He is now in estate planning/wealth management. His job requires him to be on
the road almost as much as Dr. Goodall. “The interesting thing is as I travel all
continents, I meet people who have attended HKIS. These people are from all cultures, in different lines of work, just a mosaic of people from around the world.”
A committed environmentalist, her involvement in tropical forest conservation
led to her establishing the Jane Goodall
Institute in 1985, and then the Roots &
Shoots youth group in 1991. While visiting the high school she met with members
of the HKIS Roots & Shoots chapter.
Dame Goodall challenged HKIS students
to think about their own place in the world
and their responsibilities. She asked them
to ponder the question: “How can it be that
DragonTales
31
HKIS news
& updates
The Dragon Shop has come of age
turning 18 this year.
DragonTales pays a visit.
E
stablished by the Booster Club in 1991, the Dragon Shop has grown into
an HKIS institution in its own right. Located near the high school cafeteria, it is
more than a shop; it is a meeting place for
school and community. At any given time
you will find parents, students and teachers gathered within its walls.
“The shop is a microcosm of school life,”
says Lisa Nisky, President of the Booster
Club Board. “The candy jar stashed with
free treats ensures a steady stream of children of all ages to the shop.”
She adds there are few volunteer clubs in
HKIS where you get to directly interact
with students and parents from across
Mary Lou Thompson, Nancy Kroos and
Mrs. Ford
32 DragonTales
Lisa Paterson (left) with Lisa Nisky
all four divisions of the school. There is
actually a waiting list of parents wanting
to volunteer to help in the shop, which is
staffed by about 40 parent volunteers at
the moment.
All Dragon Shop volunteers are members of the Booster Club, as are all members of the HKIS community. “They are
called Dragon Shop volunteers or as
our aprons say, ‘Dragon Ladies’. On rare
occasions, usually during the Back to
School Sale in August, a few Dads sign
up to be Dragon Men... and, without
complaint, wear the Dragon Lady aprons,”
smiles Lisa.
The genesis of the Dragon Shop can be
traced back to Mary Lou Thompson, who,
along with several other parents, foresaw a
need to have a shop on campus. Mary Lou
says the shop grew from the idea to provide school outfits for HKIS sports teams.
“Prior to this, teams had either shown up
without uniforms for inter-school competitions or each team designed their own kit,
which did nothing to brand our teams or
build school spirit,” she says.
“Individuals like Nancy Kroos, Sarah
Rego and Elinetsa Pena designed the famous dragon logo. I got involved shortly
after, and we decided to expand efforts to
source uniforms for school teams while
promoting team and school spirit,” says
Mary Lou.
Mom volunteers always enjoyed seeing their
children and getting to know others…
Students would pop into the Dragon Shop to say hello and chat on their way
to class. Over time, I got to know many of the students and their moms who
volunteered in the shop. Our volunteer moms are too many to mention by name, but many of them spent
many hours with me organizing activities such as the Start of School Sales, the
Christmas Basketball Tournaments, and helping with bookkeeping and inventory.
More recently we started a candy jar in the shop which attracted more children
in. For the mom’s who volunteered in the shop, they enjoyed seeing their children,
and getting to know other children. Over time the Dragon Shop became a focal
point for ‘what’s going on at school’ and our volunteer moms always enjoyed being
in the middle of student activities. We also got to know the sports teams quite well,
as we were very involved in supporting the teams and their events.
Mary Lou Thompson
Nancy Kroos
Soon a location was needed for this work.
Hence the Dragon Shop was established
and started selling “spirit” items in a closet-sized room adjacent to the high school
cafeteria. Trade however, was brisk, and
soon the shop expanded to its present size.
Mary Lou says she remains grateful to the
then High School Principal Jim Handrich
for his early support for the shop.
Mary Lou designed the present shop (an
expansion of the original closet), along
with much of the merchandise. As the
shop grew, she officially became the Dragon Shop’s Purchasing Manager, which was
Mary Lou and family
and continues to be the only paid position
in the shop. In this capacity she played a
vital role in extending the range of merchandise the shop sold.
“Over the years I added ‘special items’ to
appeal to students, including shirts, sweatpants, windbreakers, etc. We also designed
a tee-shirt for each year’s basketball tournament,” she says. Today the shop sells clothing for primary
grades, middle school uniforms, and PE
clothing for high and middle school students, as well as lunch boxes, caps, pens,
The Dragon Shop’s four Purchasing Managers:
When the Dragon Shop’s first Purchasing Manager MaryLou Thompson left, Lisa
Nisky unofficially and un-salaried took on the role while retaining her Board position on the Booster Club.”I did the job while it was decided what the new Purchasing Manager’s role would be and while we looked for a replacement,” she says.
Parent Lisa Wallis was selected to take on the role next. Lisa Nisky says she did a
fabulous job: “She practically lived in the shop and didn’t want to leave this position, but had to because her family moved to Shanghai.”
The Thompsons: Hilary (’00), Mary Lou,
Douglas and Rachael (’95)
Chris Van Katwyk has been the Purchasing Manager since December 2008 and in
a short amount of time has made amazing changes to the shop: “Organizing the
inventory, creating new shop displays, giving the shop a ‘fresher’ look, sourcing and
designing new products and creatively marketing the merchandise,” says Lisa.
33
HKIS news
& updates
and a variety of other merchandise. “All
our profits are allocated through the
Booster Club to athletic, club, and service
activities in all four divisions. Last year
these donations topped the HK$450,000
mark,” says Lisa Paterson, Booster Club’s
VP, Communications.
The shop gets busiest in August as parents
and students visit to collect their uniforms
for the coming year. “This August we took
about HK$800,000,” she says.
Mrs. Ford
“Parent volunteers have to work additionally hard in the weeks before school commences, but it is fun. The shop is full of
energy in those first weeks of a new school
year. Families returning to school from
long summer vacations often reconnect
with friends in the Dragon Shop,” she says.
“What’s more, often our volunteers are the
first to greet new families arriving at HKIS.
The welcome is always warm.”
As for Mary Lou, she retired after 14 years
of service with the Dragon Shop in 2005.
Now that her husband has retired, they
split their time between Hong Kong, Malaysia and New York. “But Hong Kong is
still home” she says.
“Both our daughters – Rachael ’95 and
Mary Lou and baby Oliver
Sally Kahler, Mrs. Cuddyre and Mary Lou Thompson
Hilary 2000 – attended HKIS and enjoy
visiting Hong Kong whenever possible.
They now live in New York. Rachael and
her husband had a 7lb, 4oz baby boy named
Oliver on October 17, 2008.” Mary Lou says she is thrilled to be a
Grandmother and little Oliver is a happy,
healthy little boy who looks very much
like Rachael did when she was a newborn.
“Both Doug and I were lucky to be in New
York last October at the time of Oliver’s
birth and it was a real joy to be able to hold
our grandchild.”
She says she now plans to spend more
time in NYC with Oliver. “Simon, Rachael,
Oliver and Hilary were in Hong Kong last
Christmas and New Year. We spent time
together in Hong Kong and visited good
friends in Penang, where we lived prior to
coming to Hong Kong in 1986.” n
34 DragonTales
A
World
First
Good Teamwork sees four
HKIS Math students achieve
a World first
E
ach year, high school students from
across the world participate in the
High School Mathematics Contest in
Modeling (HIMCM) organized by the
Consortium of Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP).
The competition involves teams of up
to four students working on real-world
mathematical problems for a grueling 36unbroken hour period.
In February, HKIS learned that high
school students who participated in the
2008 HiMCM had done exceptionally
well, especially the HKIS team formed
by Gillian Tay, Larry Au, Justin Hui Bon
Hoa, and Stephen Suen. Their team was
one of only four globally that earned an
‘OUTSTANDING’ level placing, putting
them in the top-tier of this international
competition.
Discussing their team’s strategy, Justin Hui
Bon Hoa says they spent the first couple of
hours on preliminary research to decide
which question to do. “This was important
in making sure the question selected was
the best, given the collective interests and
knowledge of our team.”
The real-world problem the team decided
to focus on was national debt in the US.
Gillian Tay says she did not know about
national debt and the different fiscal policies that affect it before the competition.
“In terms of the mathematical modeling
of this issue, one of the hardest tasks was
determining how to generalize factors that
impact national debt so that they could be
easily modeled.”
Through good teamwork and communication, the students started to make
progress on the problem. They discussed
each step and allotted tasks according to
individual team member’s strengths. The
team’s working relationship was egalitarian in nature.
Larry Lau, another team member explains:
“We gave the harder math related tasks to
Justin, who’s in a higher math class, and
we gave a lot of writing related tasks to
Stephen, who’s a good writer.”
Gillian remembers that as time passed the
team’s dynamics increased. “Team members would give each other verbal updates;
they also reviewed each other’s work, so
that our final submission could be seamlessly tied together. We learned to trust
each other’s instincts and ideas,” she says.
When the team submitted their paper,
they did not know how well they had
performed. “As with most things, there
is always that nagging feeling that maybe
something crucial was accidentally left out
or forgotten. Especially in this case, due to
our lack of sleep and continuous working
for 36 hours,” smiles Gillian.
Stephen Suen was more confident: “With
over 50 pages of work, we better have done
well! However, I was not expecting to earn
an ‘OUTSTANDING,’ let alone be on one
of only four teams in the world to do so.”
He says it is an exhilarating achievement,
and one that has given him newfound bragging rights among his math classmates.
The students’ teacher and mentor, Bill
Stork, explains that this is the seventh
year that HKIS has been designated an
‘OUTSTANDING’ School for the entries
submitted by student teams. “HKIS is the
only school in the world to receive “OUTSTANDING” level placing seven years in a
row. Quite an achievement,” he says.
The Consortium for Mathematics and
Its Applications (COMAP) organizes this
competition annually to promote teamwork among students. It also hopes to
stimulate and improve participants’ problem-solving and writing skills in mathematical modeling. HiMCM offers students
the opportunity to work as team members
in a competition using mathematics to
present solutions to real-world modeling
problems for a consecutive thirty-six hour
period. n
DragonTales
35
former faculty
updates
HKIS Alumni Association –
Farewell Reception for
Departing Faculty
& Administrators
A farewell cocktail party
was held on May 21,
2009 at Tandoor Indian
Restaurant in Central.
The party was hosted
by Ken Koo, President of
the Alumni Association
Board. Richard and Claire
Mueller, DJ Condon, and
Bruce Kelsh came to bid
farewell to departing
faculty and thank them
for their tremendous
contribution to HKIS.
Darlene Navis, Bruce Kelsh, Udai Singh and Ben Robertaccio
Greg Ladner, Melita Shillington, Rhoda Johnson, Rhonda Masters and Scott Johnson
36 DragonTales
Mark Sheldon, Director of Office of
Institutional Advancement and Udai Singh
Sungeeta Singh and Richard Mueller, Head of School
DJ Condon, Associate Head of School and
Ken Koo
Maureen Freeman, Beth Glynn, Alysia Lutz and Tony Freeman
Ken Koo’s son Eddie Koo ’08 and
Emily Koo ’06
Jim Carlson, Claire Mueller, Darlene Navis and Sarala Carlson
Gary Cheung ’97 and Ken Koo ’79
DragonTales
37
class notes
rgahum@gmail.com
Scott Clayton ’74
sclayton@thesuccessfulinvestor.
com
Scott Clayton lives in Toronto with his wife
and four children. They have a 17-year-old
son, a 15-year-old daughter, an 11-year-old
daughter and a nine-year old son.
Scott works for a company that publishes
stock market newsletters and manages
money for high-net-worth individuals. He
has been in this position for about 10 years,
and before that he was with the Financial
Post newspaper for 10 years.
Scott Clayton and son
Email Scott if any classmates want to reconnect, and he is also on LinkedIn.
Dean McCaskill ’76
DeanMcCaskill@aol.com
Additionally, Scott has traveled a lot over
the last few years. He’s been lucky enough
to be in Hong Kong four times over the last
four years, usually on holiday with his wife
or one of the kids.
I was in the original “apartment building”
at HKIS where odd grades
were housed. I was lucky
enough to be in the third
grade. I spent one year at
The Maryknoll Catholic
Missionary school in 196566, then 66-67 in the temporary HKIS school and my third and final
year at the Repulse Bay HKIS. It was a great
time for me and my two older sisters. We
were in Hong Kong with our parents where
my father worked at IBM.
Scott was in India last August with his son
(shown in the photo at the Taj Mahal). They
were in Mumbai just before the terrorist
I have since lived all over the world and
owe a lot to my foundation at HKIS. Being
a part of the very first years of HKIS was
In his spare time Scott enjoys skiing, tennis
and watching his children in their sports
activities.
38 DragonTales
attacks, where the terrorists attacked the
restaurant where they ate every day (Leopolds).
’76
’69
Richard (Rick) Hum ’69
Rick Hum retired this past year from
the US Air Force Chaplain Service after 30
years. Chaplain, Major General Cecil Richardson, Air Force Chief of Chaplains presided over the ceremony held at Community Center Chapel US Air Force Academy,
Colorado Springs Colorado in June 2008.
Rick and his wife Gretchen will continue
to reside in Colorado Springs.
’74
Where
are They
Now?
The entire family came to
celebrate Rick’s retirement
and enjoy a mini-reunion.
From left to right: Front,
Ashleigh Hum (daughter),
Jane and Dick Hum
(parents), Ginny Hum
Barnett, Shannon Barnett
Middle: Gretchen and Rick
Hum, Tiz Lum, Sandie Hum
Back: Jim Barnett, Brian
and Amber Hum, Adam
Lum, Branimir and Laura
Rakuljic
randrobinson@hotmail.com
Rand Robinson sends greetings
and warm wishes
from Haiti where he
is currently working
as a program officer
for the U.S.Agency
for International
Development. For only approximately
$300 million/year, or what it recently costs
to run USG operations in Iraq for just a day,
USAID/Haiti is financing the provision of
basic health services to almost four million
Haitians, generating more than 200,000
short-term jobs per year rebuilding roads,
markets, irrigation systems, cutting the
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate from 5.5% in
2004 to an estimated 2.2% today, and introducing sustainable watershed management
plans. Haiti’s governance practices and private sector activity remain very weak, poverty remains widespread, and it was also hit
by a terrible series of storms last summer.
Still, Haitians are some of the most hardworking, delightful people I’ve ever had the
chance to meet and know. And I really encourange any and all associated HKISers to
come on out and spend some time here!!
’78
J.R. McMullen ’78
mcmullen@us.ibm.com
I have not written in with an update
for a while, but I do enjoy seeing and reading about HKIS events and what people
have been up to. My family always seems
McMullen Family. Back: Tim, J.R., John, Janet;
front: Eileen, Carline, Mary
to be busy enough just keeping up with kids’
schedules.
I still work at IBM and the last few years
I have also been working for H&R Block
part time preparing taxes. I am pretty active with both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
My wife, Janet, has been working as a long
term substitute teacher at local schools the
last couple of years.
The kids are getting big. John, our oldest,
is attending Fishburne Military School and
is doing quite well. He is part of the Band
Company and this Spring he played on the
baseball team as well.
Tim, our second, is active with Boy Scouts
and baseball. He was elected to the Order
of the Arrow and just got his own patrol
within the Troop. In baseball he plays center field and pitches. He is throwing hard
enough now it makes me a bit uncomfortable to catch for him.
Mary, our oldest daughter, plays the flute
and is active with Girl Scouts and soccer.
We attended a solo performance of Mary’s
a couple of weeks ago and I am amazed at
how good she is. Music ability comes from
her mother not from me.
Last year I started a Brownie troop for
my two younger daughters. Mary and her
friends have helped me run several meetings. The girls in my troop are a lot better
behaved for the older girls than they are
for me. I am sure anyone who has worked
with kids will have had this experience.
Eileen is our Lacrosse player and Caroline is our golfer. Both girls play soccer
in the Fall.
Our family is also active in our Church.
Four of the five kids are alter servers, makes
for a quiet pew when they are all scheduled. Janet is a Eucharistic minister, a CCD
teacher, and helps organize and run our Vacation Bible camp. I enjoy driving the parish
truck down to Appalachia from Connecticut once in a while and helping out.
This winter we got together with my sisters’
families in Orlando. Some of you will know
my sisters Julie and Susan. We visited Disney World, Busch Gardens, and Discovery
Cove. I have included a group picture minus
my mom and Janet; they weren’t too excited
about swimming with an animal the size of
a dolphin.
I hope this note finds everyone enjoying a
pleasant summer.
’79
Rand Robinson ’77
McMullen, Valenti and
Turner family in Florida
Jeff West ’79
Hello all, I was in Hong Kong from
February 1976 until Graduation in
1979 (my family had a penchant for moving
in the middle of school years.). Some of you
may know my older brother Larry (Class
of 1978) who was on the Varsity Basketball
team the year HKIS won the Christmas
Tournament.
Memories; the Shack, water skiing in Repulse Bay after school (man, I didn’t know
how good I had it until it was too late), the
Go Down, the Peak, night markets, camping on Lamma Island, playing squash at the
HK Country Club, Ocean Park, the Bull
and Bear, and of course, Dim Sum (hide the
bamboo baskets under the table, quick!).
People who ask me where I am from get
confused when I ask back “from when to
when?”, but most here could easily understand the reply. I am grateful for my overseas experience, and cannot understand
why some people I meet have no desire
to even leave the state from where they
originate.
’80
’77
absolutely great. I have been back to Hong
Kong many, many times on business since
then, but have never made it out to the
school. Next time, I will make a point of
visiting the school.
Deborah R. Smith ’80
hkdrs@yahoo.com
Hello from DC! After living in the
Washington, DC suburbs for 19 years, I finally moved into the actual District of Columbia two years ago – and I love it! I live
about a mile from the National Zoo, and
can see the 4th of July fireworks from the
roof of my building. It’s quiet and beautiful
DragonTales
39
class notes
My boys and
Naomi’s
family in her
backyard
where I live, but it’s so close to everything.
I’m about 15 minutes from downtown DC
on the Metro (subway), but I can still rent a
car and drive down to see my sister Cathy
and her family in Virginia about 45 minutes
away.
I’m still a huge sports fan and one of the
things I love about DC is that it’s got its
regular American sports (and yes, I’m a
long-suffering Redskins and Nationals fan,
as well as a very happy Caps fan right now),
but it’s such an international city that I can
walk into just about any bar and see world
class soccer or rugby -- and people who
know what the games are!
I am so glad I followed Cathy’s suggestion
back in 1986 and moved to the DC area. It
reminds me of Hong Kong in many ways
– cosmopolitan, all sorts of ethnic food,
international sports, and generally no need
for a car – but it also has very close-knit
neighborhoods that make you feel at home. And of course, it’s hot, hazy, and humid
with a chance of thundershowers all summer long, too! ’81
I love living in DC, and if you’re ever in the
area, I’d love to show it to you!
Jenny (Fung) Brandemuehl
’81
jennybrandemuehl@earthlink.net
I thought I’d send some news. I’m still living in the San Francisco Bay Area with my
husband Mark and my two boys, Wesley (15
years old) and Adrian (13 years old). They
40 DragonTales
Sheila Baker Gujral ’82
’82
I’ve been working since 2001 as a project
manager for a non-profit organization in
downtown DC. I take the Metro or bus to
work every day, so 2001 was also when I sold
my car. I guess growing up in HK made me
more comfortable on public transportation
than on the Beltway! My company, NCQA,
does quality assurance on health care insurance plans, and my major project for the
last few years has been a partnership with
U.S. News & World Report magazine to
produce the “America’s Best Health Plans”
issue. I enjoy working for a company whose
mission is to improve the quality of health
care, but it sure takes a lot of my time!
My family in
Tuscany
are fun kids though it does make me shudder to think I will soon be the mother of
a driving age teen. Mark and I celebrated
our 20th wedding anniversary in Italy last
summer with friends and family. We had a
fabulous time in Venice, Cinque Terre and
Tuscany.
I left the Gap a couple years ago and am
now VP of Global Talent Management
for JDS Uniphase, a telecommunications
equipment company. Mark is Chief Marketing Officer for an internet real estate
start-up. Even though I’m working in a different industry now, I have kept a love of
fashion from my time at Gap. Most of my
focus these days is on Executive Leadership
Development and Succession Planning. It’s
an interesting time to be working with executives in the current economic climate.
Leaders are trying to lead their teams
through so much uncertainty. You really
can see who the true leaders are.
I had fun recently visiting with Naomi
(Greenberg) Evon ’81. We hadn’t seen each
other since college years and it was a wonderful surprise to find out Naomi and her family
live in Novato, CA. Naomi and her husband
Eugene have three adorable kids – Sophie
and twins, Ryder and Riley. We reminisced
about how fun it was to be a teenager living
in Hong Kong. We all had so much more independence than kids growing up in the U.S.
with the one exception being if you grew up
in NYC. It was unique.
sheilamcneila@hotmail.com
Class of ’82
update
There is not too
much news this time
around. I’ve reconnected with a lot of
folks via facebook
and it’s been a blast.
I just found Pam
Flinn ’82! She writes in, “After Hong Kong
we moved to Berlin for a couple of years,
then back to Washington state. Graduated
from Lakes HS, went to community college while working, married an Air Force
guy, moved around the globe some more,
somehow “acquired”... two girls, oldest is 18
next week, youngest is eight. Built a home
in Steilacoom, live by my parents and sister,
I’m widowed, work for the town of Steilacoom and still, after all these years, have
never been to Scotland!”
I saw Shannon Sullivan ’82 in New York
earlier this year. We had a blast hanging out
on the lower east side.
I also saw Lisa (Pearce) Gary ’82 last winter. She and her daughters Savannah and
Annalee, her sister Donna Pearce ’88 and
Donna’s husband Erik came over to our
house to spend the evening. (Donna didn’t
bring her son, Niko. Baby hog!)
From Lisa Pearce Gary – “Still living in
Oklahoma City. The biggest small town
in the world. Savannah, 15, is studying
for her driver’s test so I can unleash her
on unsuspecting drivers all over the city.
I’m not sure if my heart can take it. Why
can’t she just hop in a pak pai like a normal teenager. The younger one, Annalee,
is building a robot. She has let me know
that as I grow older, she has my back. She
is making arrangements for me to sleep in
her poolhouse, complete with locks on the
outside so I don’t get out and hurt myself.
She thinks I’m 100 years old. She is eleven.
My marriage ended after a fairly long run about three years ago so it’s just the three of
us. Life is good! I work in the mortgage industry as a Compliance/Investor Relations
Director. That means I close my eyes real
tight and hold on and wait for the madness
to subside. I’m a lucky woman with great
friends. Hope all is well with my HKIS
friends.”
Anna M. Martinson ’82 just received her
PhD in Information Science from Indiana
University. Congratulations, Anna!
adore their grandparents and have quickly
developed English accents. Meanwhile, my
parents are now living in Beijing, and my
sister Mingson Chou ’86 will soon move
to Vancouver to help NBC produce their
coverage of the Winter Olympics (after
covering the Summer Olympics in Beijing
for them).
Keith Lutz ’83
keith_lutz@yahoo.com
Just moved to Philadephia in March, visitors welcome! Johnny Reizman ’82
john.reizman@yahoo.com
Connson (Chou) Locke ’83
cclocke@gmail.com
After working for non-profits in Boston
and management consultancies in Hong
Kong, I am now an academic in London.
I recently graduated from UC Berkeley
with a PhD in organizational behavior and
joined the faculty of the London School of
Economics. My research focuses on leadership and communication, and I teach on
the LSE Masters in Management degree
as well as executive education courses.
My husband, Jason Locke, is English and
was reluctant to return to the gray skies
of London. He thought he had escaped
by moving to Hong Kong (where we met
and married) and then to Berkeley with
me. But his parents’ offer of free babysitting was too good to give up. Our two girls
’85
Chad Forrest ’85
Keith Lutz ’83 (right) pictured with some
friends at a wedding
Francois Duchastel ’84
’84
’83
Johnny Reizman, is currently working for
the Novato Unified School District (13
schools) in Marin County and oversees the
Landscape/Maintenance functions there.
married to Jennifer since 1996. We have
a two year old daughter Chloe who is,
of course, our pride and joy. Jenn was a
4th grade school teacher and now stays at
home full time. I am a freelance musician,
working mostly from my home recording
studio but also doing some live music. I
stay in touch with Kian Holstead ’83, and
of course, my siblings, John Langford ’77,
Donna (Langford) Maibuecher ’82 and
Devra Langford ’86. Donna lives near me
here in the Chicago area, with her three
sons and husband, and Devra and John live
in Texas so I don’t see them as often as
I’d like. Websites are www.paullangfordmusic.com and www.langfordfamilyblog.
blogspot.com, or email me if anyone from
my year wants to get in touch, that would
be great!
fduchastel@hotmail.com
In 2007, my three partners and I
sold our architectural firm to one of the
world top 20 engineering firms, called the
Poyry Group (www.poyry.com). I am now
in charge of the Group corporate strategy,
developing our future businesses in five areas: forest and industry; energy; water and
environment; transport and construction
and real estate.
cforrest@santafe.com.cn
All is well with me. I have been living in China for the past 13 years and it’s
been a treat to continue to be an expat and
to have had the chance to see and participate in China’s transformation. I have been
with Santa Fe Relocations for 10 years and
was recently promoted to China Manager.
Paul Langford ’84
paul@paullangfordmusic.com
I have lived in Mundelein, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) since 1997, and have been
Chad and race partner Stuart after day 6 of
the 9 day stage race
Haekyoeng (wife) and Jerry Forrest (father
and former Dupont expat) at South Africa
race providing race support and drinking all
our cold wine
DragonTales
41
class notes
’86
Lara Jacqueline
Hartzenbusch ’86
Lhartzenbusch@aol.com
I’m now back in the
Washington DC area after nearly 13 continuous
years abroad (this time).
I moved in October from
London where I’d lived
for five years and worked
at BBC World Television
as a news producer. Before that I’d been back in
Hong Kong for two separate stints – with
NBC Asia (1995-1998) and STAR TV
(1999-2003). I’ve been freelancing at BBC News here in
Washington. I covered the historic election in November and the inauguration
in January. I have been producing various
news and feature segments and interviews
for the BBC’s World News America program. My mother and my sister, Rima (Catherine), who’s a federal attorney, live in the
area too.
I went to school at HKIS from 1977-1979
– 4th and 5th grades. I’d be delighted to
hear from anyone from those or other
42 DragonTales
Derek Kwik ’86
ktderek@hotmail.com
In June 2008, I fully ruptured my achilles tendon while playing in my company
dodge ball league, underwent reattachment surgery and months of rehabilitation. Contrary to pundits and skeptics that
said I would never run again, by October
2008, I completed the Macau Marathon
and Hong Kong Marathon with no ill affects. On May 17, I will attempt to run
260 kilometers across the Namib Desert
in Namibia for the benefit of my charity,
The Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (SPCA). The Namib Desert is home to the highest sand dunes in
the world which are more than 300 meters
high. The Skeleton Coast is considered to
be one of the most desolate and remote
regions in the world.
I am the first Chinese individual to have
run across the world’s four most extreme
deserts (highest, driest, hottest and coldest). To date, I have run across five deserts, two jungles and one alpine event. I
am also a motivational speaker to local
governments, corporate and professional
organizations and an inspirational speaker
to children’s schools. In June, my motivational book titled “Kwik Fix” will finally hit
bookstores with the proceeds going to the
SPCA. I have made Hong Kong my home
since 1994 and continue to establish my
career in venture capital. I would love to
hear how everyone is doing. Please feel free
to contact me.
Darien Hsu Gee ’87
www.miaking.com
My husband Darrin and I are still
living on the Big Island in Hawaii where we
just celebrated our tenth anniversary. We
have three children now – Maya (8), Eric
(3), and baby Luke, who was born at home
last year. Darrin and I are owners of Darrin
Gee’s Spirit of Golf Academy, which was
in the most recent Golf Magazine ranking
of top golf courses and golf courses they
love, which was a huge thrill for us. We’re
still writing books, too—Darrin writes
non-fiction golf and I write women’s fiction under the pen name Mia King. My
third novel, Table Manners, is out in August and sold rights to Doubleday, Literary
Guild, Rhapsody and Book of the Month
book clubs. It’s the sequel to my first novel,
Good Things. I’m on Facebook and can also
be reached through my website, miaking.
com. I look forward to re-connecting with
more classmates—it’s been great getting in
touch with everyone again.
Andy Arenson ’88
’88
I am an avid mountain biker and participate in long distance multistage endurance races. I participated in a nine-day,
950 k, 18,500 meters of climbing mountain
bike race last year in South Africa where
my teammate and I came in 78th out of
600 teams. When I am not on the mountain bike or working we are out enjoying
the Beijing countryside on my Harley.
The weekends are all about being on two
wheels. Beijing really is a special place and
if anyone visits please contact me. years and any others in the television/journalism world.
’87
My wife Haekyeong (from Korea) and I
have been married for 10 years and live in
Beijing. Yes, the Olympics were cool but
best of all the beers were only 5 RMB at
all the venues! We have no children. However we have developed a soft spot for stray
animals and to date have rescued five dogs
and a cat from the streets of Beijing. arenson@spatzel.net
Since graduating from HKIS in
1988, I’ve gotten an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Rice University, worked on the Human Genome
My wife, Karen Alfrey, and me at a gaming
convention in 2008
Project, performed with a semi-professional a cappella group (http://www.lagerrhythms.com/), gotten married (no kids),
and worked as an Internet consultant. I
now live in Indianapolis, where I manage
a group of programmers at Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis
that help life sciences researchers access
and manage data, and advise a teen youth
group at my temple.
Rob Coleman ’88
robert_h_coleman@yahoo.com
http://rtmg.blogspot.com
Greetings HKIS Alums,
Life is busy. I switched jobs twice last
year. I left CNA Insurance after six years
to work for Infosys as an Engagement
Manager. I was surprised by the amount
of travel required and left to go to work
for a small software firm – 100,000 person
company to a 20 person company – amazing differences. What a ball I’m having
now. Our company sells school management software as a service to elementary
and secondary schools. All our engineers
are right out of school – suddenly I’m
the gray hair in the office (literally – see
photo). I worked for the same boss I did
a decade ago and I’m really enjoying the
experience. At a such a small company, the
title’s irrelevant. I do some of everything. Tracey and I have been married 14 years
now. Tracey’s a stay at home Mom and President of the PTA. Our girls – Melinda 11 and
Gretchen 9 are great kids. They’re into reading, piano and being kids. OK, they’re not so
into piano, but I like to hear them practice
– so they play. I’m regularly amazed at how
quickly they’re growing up.
’89
A photo of my very close HKIS family – parents, siblings, spouses and kids from our summer
vacation last year:
Back: Tom Coleman ’86 and his wife Kim, my parents Tom and Winnie, Rob Coleman ’88, Susan’s
husband Rick, my wife Tracey, Julianne Coleman ’85, her husband Todd, Susan Coleman ’89
Middle: Melinda, Elise (Julianne’s kid), Brooks (S), Gretchen, Quinn (S)
Front: Gavin (S), Meghan (T), Lauren (T), Collin (J), Kaitlyn (T)
Maria Celine (MADAMBA)
Abueg ’89
cmabueg@yahoo.com
I attended HKIS from 1st until 6th grade.
Although my memories of my time there
are rather vague, I still recall singing in
a choir, rehearsing for a play, swimming,
playing on the monkey bars and playing
family and I had to leave Hong Kong in
1979. We moved to Bangkok and there,
I attended the International School of
Bangkok. We moved to Malaysia two years
later and there I graduated from the International School of Kuala Lumpur in 1989. After graduation, I studied at Wellesley
College, MA, spent a year at the London
School of Economics, and returned to the
Philippines where I spent over 12 years
working in marketing and public relations.
I then moved to Singapore with my husband in 2005 and after a year, moved here
to Hong Kong.
We now have two children – Antonio Ramon (who’s turning three in May) and Celina Isabela ( who’s 20 months old). After
30 years, it’s great being back!
Eric Muther ’89
erik_muther@yahoo.com
Erik continues to survive the economic
downturn by leading his health care nonprofit organzation in Pennsylvania. The
Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance (www.phcqa.org) aims to align and
standardize an approach to measuring
hospital quality through a multi-stakeholder and consensus-driven approach.
Erik’s two boys, Simon (4) and Toby (3)
are doing well and especially enjoy swimming, boating and watching/riding trains.
Erik visited Jennie (Boblet) Rushing ’89 in
December and will see Michelle Neff ’89
in April.
Rita Ting-Hopper ’88
rtinghopper@yahoo.com
I am in the Washington DC area practicing
law. Married to Mike Hopper and have two
great boys Matthew eight and Jason six.
kickball, singing songs like “He drew a
circle” and “Rattling Bog”, attending services, and listening to wonderful stories
read by my teachers like “James and the
Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. I fondly remember two
of my teachers – Mrs. Dickoff and Ms.
Bethell – who inspired me to be the best
I could be. Studying at HKIS was a wonderful experience, so much so that I was sad when my
Eric Muther family
Erik welcomes any HKIS alumnae visitors to
Philadelphia to look him up when they are
in town.
DragonTales
43
class notes
Susan Coleman Olesek ’89
Jason Thatcher ’89
swanolesek@yahoo.com
tel: 408.829.1807
jthatch@clemson.edu
I was promoted to Associate Professor
with tenure in the Department of Management at Clemson University. If anyone is
ever in the Greater Greenville, SC area or
has questions about Clemson University,
do not hesitate to contact me!
kornbergp@gmail.com
Eric Sun ’89
eric_o_sun@yahoo.com
I’ve been married to Irene since May 2003,
and we have three kids: Matthias (May
2004), Nathaniel (December 2005) and,
just recently, Anna (February 2009).
I am currently living
in Prague, Czech Republic, with my wife
and young daughter,
having been here
since 1996 except for
a three-year ‘break’ in
I hope all is well with everyone out there
and look forward to our 20 year reunion.
Here is a picture of the Plunkett girls.
’91
Peter Kornberg ’90
’90
I am living in Los Altos, CA and teaching The Enneagram to small business,
churches, privately and to the local community. This has long been my passion and
I am thrilled to have found an endeavor
which ultimately fosters compassion for
others and deeper self-realization. With
my wonderful husband, Rick, I am also
raising my three sons: Brooks (11), Quinn
(8) and Gavin (4) who are some of the best
company I know. Be in touch!
Hilary (Goff) Shirven ’91
BabyBodyBirthPeoria@gmail.com
I gave birth to my daughter, Esther
Alma, at home at 4:20am on January 28th,
2009. Esther weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces
I am on the cusp of finishing up my Master
of Divinity studies at Tyndale Seminary in
Toronto.
Never thought that, after an MBA, I would
follow it up with an MDiv, but the Lord
moves in mysterious ways! Looking forward to seeing where God has us next,
whether in formal pastoral ministry or
some different wine skins; enjoying resting in Him right now.
Blessings to all teachers and classmates
from the HKIS years!
Thanks especially to the team that made
an excellent ’88/’89 reunion last summer
in San Francisco.
Matthias, Irene, Anna (sitting on Irene),
Nathaniel
44 DragonTales
My wife and young daughter
New York. I am a co-owner and managing
partner of an advertising agency working
throughout the Central and Eastern European Region and have a few gray hairs to
prove it! If anyone is ever in the area, feel
free to look me up.
Mike Plunkett ’90
ukka@mac.com
All is well and living in New York. I am
currently a Police Officer in Mount Vernon New York. I have been on the job for
almost 3 years now. My wife and I added a
new addition to our family in September
2008. Our third girl Alexis was born. My
oldest Monica is 8 years old and is getting ready to go into 3rd grade. My other
daughter Taylor is going to be 7 years old
and is getting ready for 2nd grade. My wife
(Lisa) and I will be celebrating 13 years of
marriage in October.
Hilary with her husband, Bret, and children,
Caleb and newborn Esther
and was 19 inches
long. My husband
and I feel incredibly blessed by her.
I enjoy staying
home with Esther Caleb and Esther
and my 7-year-old
son, Calebboth of whom I homeschool. I’m
living in the countryside of Central Illinois
with my family. For work, I teach BabyBodyBirth childbirth classes and support
laboring women as a Doula. I have found
the work to be very rewarding and enjoy
every minute of it.
Recently, I’ve connected with a lot of fellow HKIS alumni through Facebook. It has
been wonderful to reminisce and renew
friendships! I’m still looking for some of
my old HKIS friends, though. I look forward to hearing from you!
’93
Amy Ruhter McMillan ’93
aruhter@IESabroad.org
Tara Gillet Liloia ’93 has published her first book this spring, titled Lake
Champlain Islands. It’s a pictorial history
of the five island towns nestled in the Vermont side of Lake Champlain. She’s blogging about the book at champlainislandsbook.com<http://champlainislandsbook.
com> – stop by and say hello!
Danielle Cummings (Driscoll) ’93
danielle_cummings@msn.com
The picture above was taken right after the
Warriors-Rockets game in Oakland.
Desiree Monteiro Rogers ’94
dmmonteiro@yahoo.com
Currently living in Los Altos, California. We welcomed our second son, Connor Monteiro Rogers on Nov 3, 2008. Big
brother Andrew was thrilled to get his
wish for a little brother granted and has
A picture of me with celebrity cake designer,
Ron Ben-Israel and Richard from Atelier
Weddings at the NY Magazine Weddings
Showcase this Spring
Hope all is well in Hong Kong and thanks
for reaching out! I definitely have to get
better about staying in touch with my fellow Dragons.
’97
My boys are now 6 and 2. I am still taking time off from teaching high school. In
the meantime I
started teaching group fitness and have
been working on
some personal
goals like completing the 10K
here in Prescott,
Arizona. I am
on facebook so
look me up!
Arvin Bautista, John Bautista, Lermin Kwan,
Kevin Lam, Albert Leung, Jackie To
ning Parties at Home” as helping her create
all the beautiful tables capes photographed
in the book and I was recently asked to
possibly be a guest judge on a network
cooking show with other experts from
the wedding and event industry. Filming
would happen this summer and the show
would premiere in the Fall. Here’s hoping
the trend continues.
Catriona McGregor ’97
’94
cat_mcgregor@yahoo.com.au
After high school I spent 4 months
in Chile before I began my undergraduate
degree at The University of Melbourne.
Having majored in marketing and economics, I began work at Toyota Motor
John Dennis V. Bautista ’94
johndennis_bautista@yahoo.com
I recently went on a trip to San
Francisco for my long-delayed visit to the
US. Stayed at the place of Arvin Bautista
(94) for two weeks of eating, shopping,
and a LOT of video games. The other SF
residents and ex-HKIS people were Albert
Leung (94), Jackie To (94), and Connie Joe
(94). Lermin Kwan (94) and his fiancee
Kitty Lo flew-in from Boston, and Kevin
Lam (94) arrived from Toronto to complete a mini-reunion.
been a great help. 2009 has us looking forward to our 15-year reunion this summer
and a visit to Hong Kong during Christmas time.
Hannah Soule ’94
Hannah.Soule@bloomingdales.com
Greetings from NYC! Just thought I
would share that I am still working hard at
Bloomingdale’s 59th Street to be the best
of the best when it comes to the wedding
industry. I was recently acknowledged in
Karen Bussen’s latest book, “Simple Stun-
Catriona and Chris
DragonTales
45
class notes
Ran into a
fellow Eight
Days of
Hope (Cedar
Rapids)
volunteer in
Biloxi, MS
Corporation Australia and travelled widely
as part of the Australian marketing team.
After a few years, I returned to university
to complete a degree in graphic design and
began working in an art gallery.
We are looking forward to spending
this Christmas in Europe with a stopover
in Hong Kong on the way. I can’t wait to
show Chris the city where I grew up!
Jason Weber ’97
jason@theweberhome.net
Well, I’ve moved on to something new!
Life has sped along and lots of interesting
46 DragonTales
things have transpired. For a short version,
visit http://www.fellowshipoffaith.org
<http://www.fellowshipoffaith.org/> or
http://groups.google.com/group/FOFMALP.
’98
two years in Queensland. I am completing my masters degree in writing and editing and hoping to continue working in a
publishing house as well as continue with
graphic design.
souichen@gmail.com
Hello! I graduated from HKIS in
1999. After working a couple of years for
the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica,
CA, I moved to Michigan in 2007 to get
my masters in Agricultural Economics at
Michigan State University (MSU).
I am graduating from MSU this summer
and will be moving back to California to
attend University of California, Davis to
work on my PhD with a focus on environmental and resource economics. I’m
currently engaged to David Brandenburg
who I met in Los Angeles, and we’re getting married this fall!
End of the final work day in Thailand building
a church on the Thai/Lao border. Pastor and
his wife in front
Catriona and Chris on Frenchmans cap
Tasmania
I got engaged to Michael Lemma in November 2008 and we are getting married
in Grand Bahama Island November 14,
2009. Many HKIS graduates will be in attendance. We moved from NYC in January
2009 and are living on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I’m currently studying for my
Master’s in Education – Early Childhood
Education and will graduate in 2011.
Susan Chen ’99
Ft Myers,
FL. Dad
(Michael
Weber,
faculty
alum) to the
left of me in
the middle.
I met my husband Chris during my part
time work at an outdoor adventure company and our mutual love of the outdoors
has seen us complete many adventures.
Our recent trip was down the wild Franklin River in Tasmania. Chris and I were
married in 2007 and have spent the last
talsness23@yahoo.com
’99
Catriona and Chris Fox wedding
Stopped in Dade
City on my way
to Biloxi, MS
on Boxing Day
and visited the
Elliotts. Michael
Elliott ’93, Diane
Elliott ’00, and
myself
Lisa Talsness ’98
My sister, Lilly Chen, attended middle
school and high school at HKIS as well
(Class of 2002). She’s currently working for
an engineering firm in Irvine and is heavily involved in dragonboating--traveling to
compete in races around the world and in
the US.
Jonathan Lee ’98
jon@thismusicstudio.com
Hard to believe it has been 17 years
since I left HKIS, however I remain a true
Dragon at heart. Since coming back to Hong
Kong, I got my Bachelors in Psychology and
my Masters in Journalism. However, aside
from writing freelance, I am now a full-time
music producer with my own recording
studio in Central. Would love to see any of
you if you’re ever in the area.
From left to right: My mom and dad, myself,
Dave Brandenburg – my fiance, Brandon
Masuda – a friend of the family, and Lilly
joannechow@alum.syracuse.edu
I recently married my long time, long distance boyfriend Christopher Lee. Attendees at our wedding in Vancouver include
my maid of honor, Patricia Ho (’99), Bridesmaid Emma Lam (’99), and Bridesmaid
Loretta Lee (’98). Other HKIS friends that
were present at the wedding include Carlos
Wong, Wendy Sheu, and Annie Wu.
Chan has been interning at Mercy Corps,
an international humanitarian organization based in Portland, Oregon, and Jeffrey
Keller has been teaching for AmeriCorps
for Community Engagement and Education (ACEE) in Austin, Texas.
My husband and I now reside in San Francisco.
’03
Jennifer Sundqvist ’03
jennifercsundqvist@hotmail.com
Jen is still living it large in New
Zealand, spending her hard-earned dollars on adrenaline junkie type activities
and expensive shoes (about 50-50 between
those categories)!
’07
Joanne Chow ’99
in front of of the largest cathedral in Hungary, located in the city Esztergom right
next to Slovakia. I will return to the States
for summer school in June after my math
program here, but will come back in August to visit Hong Kong.
Colin Hanna ’07
hannaday@hotmail.com
Colin Hanna is doing a lot of swimming at Princeton where he was named an
Academic All-American, broke three University Records and was the Ivy Champ in
the 400IM. But his highest honor was being voted “Cowbell Man” in charge of the
team cheers for the next three years. Free
time is consumed with surfing so spring
break found him catching the waves in
Ubatuba, Brazil.
Daniel Quinn ’07
dan_p_quinn@hotmail.com
Ching Li Chan and Jeffrey Keller at
graduation
Becky Hanna ’04
hannaday@hotmail.com
’05
I graduated from Wellesley in June with
highest honors in Economics. I am now
working in New York City doing economic
consulting. Free time is spent training for a
marathon and hanging out with old HKIS
friends including Andy Condon ’04 and
Alex Cleary ’04. Danny Quinn (Queen’s University), Indy
Shome (Brown University) and Ben Gagnon
(Indiana University) all of HKIS ’07 having a
mini reunion at Tufts University, Boston
Bianca Lee ’05
blee921@gmail.com
’04
Ching Li Chan ’04
chinglichan@gmail.com
Ching Li Chan ’04 and Jeffrey
Keller ’04 graduated from Lewis & Clark
College last summer. Since then, Ching Li
’06
Bianca has just gotten
into the Masters program of
Arts in Art Therapy at The
School of the Art Institute of
Chicago!
Andrew Yip ’06
yipcma@gmail.com
My parents and I had
a wonderful trip in Hungary.
We went to some smaller
towns and walked around in
castles, museums, and opera
house. We are pictured here
Cathedral at Esztergom
DragonTales
47
Wedding
announcement
Susanna Wong ’00 and Henry Wong ’00 will tie
the knot this October at HKIS!
*Blink* It is unbelievable how quickly time passes, in a blink
of an eye and 12 years later, we are now ready to move onto
the next stage of our lives together! *^_^*
We will be having our wedding ceremony here at school on
October 3, 2009.
We and our families really appreciate HKIS for
letting us host our wedding ceremony back at
the place where our relationship began!!!
We would like to invite everyone: alumni,
teachers and staff, all those who knew us
during our time at HKIS to be a part of our
special day.
Please email us at weddingbu@gmail.com
to RSVP.
We look forward to seeing you !
Love,
Susanna + Henry