Andy A-Z

Announcer (Mandarin) . Bilingual (see letter "A") . Counselor . Developer . Expediter . Friend . Good Sport . Humanitarian . Intellectual . Juxtaposer . Kind to Keikis . Listener . Musubi Man . Noble . Observer . Presenter . Questioner . Role Model . Supportive . Teacher . Understanding . Validator . Worldly-Wise . Xie-xie-ful . Yard Duty Doer . Ze Man!

Dear Andy,

A to Z, you're jus' da bes'! Mahalo nui loa for all of your dedicated and expert guidance and kokua as Head of School at Chinese American International School and as Head of the Institute for Teaching Chinese Language and as Principal. In just eight years, wearing three hats, you've contributed 24 years of service to CAIS!

I will always appreciate how you came into the school and stayed (thank you for banishing the revolving door!), how you stabilized the school and helped it grow, how you worked on weekends, and how you bravely addressed the crowd with your steadily improving Chinese. (Of course, I couldn't understand a word of what you were saying, but rest assured, it was all due to my shameful lack of Chinese, not yours! You sound pretty good to me!) I continue to be amazed at how you can take complicated questions tossed your way and deliver analytical yet comprehensible answers on the spot. An example of this was the complaint about CAIS having fewer days of instruction than public schools. You did some smart research then presented a very clear comparative study of hours of instruction, CAIS vs. SFUSD, and you convinced parents that they had nothing to worry about!

We'll miss your open door policy (some mothers--not me--even opened the door to the men's lavatory while you were in it!), your willingness to listen to and hear parents and students, your passion to serve the needs of all students, and your impressive Power Point State of the School Addresses which recently went high-tech. We'll remember fondly your willingness to get dunk tanked at the Autumn Moon Festival, play S.C. at the Holiday Faire, and get dolled up (and made up) as various Chinese Dignitaries in flashy outfits and being tethered at epistaxis level to Chinese New Year Parade floats on a yearly basis. We'll smile at the memories of your fun sense of humor, your thoughtfully home-baked cupcakes--with and without frosting, and your very human inability to control your cell phone during meetings!

However, we all benefit as your legacy lives on in the many students, families, teachers, and program(s)--the many facets of the CAIS Community--that you have touched. Thank you so very much for all that you have done and given to CAIS and the kids. We're sad to see you leave the school, but we wish you all da bes' with whatever endeavors and adventures life brings you!

Aloha and Mahalo,
Laurie Ann & Co.