Our first Principals' Coffee of the year

Our first Principals’ Coffee of our 40th academic year took place on Wednesday, September 10. To commemorate our decades of history, built up and accomplished by the work of hundreds in our community, our Head of School, Mr. Ryan Witt, revisited memories of previous staff members who made a significant impact on our school.

Mr. Witt shared a quote from our first Head Principal, Dr. Claude Meyers, “To see curriculum content, strategy, and organization evolve affirms mutual commitment to grow toward excellence. The future holds great potential for all.” We’ve seen the evidence of this great potential excel over time in both our teachers and our administrative team.

Taken from our 1995-1996 yearbook is a quote about a treasured teacher, Mrs. Peebles. “Mrs. Peebles challenges her students in critical thinking, to dig and analyze tough questions. She also has a strong desire for her students to learn, and she feels personally responsible that they succeed in learning. That is why she is often seen helping students one-on-one outside of the classroom.”

From our 2005-2006 administrative team, we related to the quote, “Our most basic commonality is this: we are all here in China. People come to TIS bringing their own country’s culture. While here, these cultures mix and become an entirely new culture: a TIS culture. We each become a unique blend of our heritage, our experiences, and our friendships. Being in an international school is tough, and at the same time, a blessing. We have managed to bring harmony out of the combination and become one. But we are not satisfied yet; we work toward an even more beautiful harmony, because TIS is where East meets West.”

Remembering these quotes and the many people who have invested in our community reminds us how, even after forty years, we still uphold the same vision “of world-class servant leaders raised up in every vocation,” and the same mission “to enable transformation in every learner’s life.”

Thank you to all staff members, students, and parents who have strived to support our community. Thank you, even, to our parent community for attending this week’s Principals’ Coffee to laugh, participate in trivia about teachers, and enjoy coffee and treats. Thank you to our third-grade choir who performed for us, and thank you to all staff members who ensured this event was another connection-building event. Community like this has sustained our school for forty years, and we hope for forty more years.