Editor’s Note :
As the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association and Irvine Chinese School near their 50th anniversary, a special editorial team is collecting reflections from former presidents and principals to preserve this half-century journey.
Cultural Express launches the “Brilliant Fifty” series, featuring selected essays that illuminate the people and stories that shaped our community.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Irvine Chinese School.
I feel fortunate to have been able to participate, alongside like-minded friends, in the work of passing on our cultural heritage to the descendants of Chinese living overseas.
From Parent・To Service
When my son was attending Irvine Chinese School during his elementary years, I would drive him there every Sunday morning.
After dropping him off, I would go play basketball at the indoor courts at University High School. Playing on those hardwood floors was incredibly satisfying.
One time, after class, I saw a parent checking the classrooms for cleanliness. At that moment, I felt ashamed that I was not doing my part.
So, during the next election for the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association board, I joined as a board member.
The Chinese school is a non-profit organization, but American law is quite particular – it requires a board of directors to oversee the school.
The board members are unpaid volunteers who support the school. For instance, during registration, all board members would pitch in to help.
After serving as a board member for a year, I transitioned to the Parent-Teacher Association to serve Irvine Chinese School and was elected as PTA president.
The PTA's role was to assist Irvine Chinese School by :
- Arranging parent duty schedules to maintain order during classes and assist teachers with instruction.
- Establishing a point system where parents paid a deposit, which was refunded after fulfilling their service points.
- Providing supplemental manpower support to the school.
- Selling gift certificates for the 99 Ranch Market, with the 5% rebate going back to the Chinese school.
Flags Flying ・ Spirits Rising
Our classes were held on Sunday mornings at University High School, which had an excellent sports field. I proposed to the principal the idea of holding an annual sports day.
The result was a sports meet with class flags waving, each class marching in formation past the review stand, reminiscent of the sports days we had back in middle school in Taiwan.
Parents organized the events and served as referees, while students from each class demonstrated strong team spirit.
After my term as PTA president, Principal Shih-How Chang recruited me to serve as the Registration Director for a year. Preparing to take on the role of Principal, I served the next year as Assistant Principal and Dean of Students.
Thus, Principal Shih-How Chang completed a two-year term as Principal (at that time, due to the heavy workload, principals typically only served for one year).
Hearts United・Futures Nurtured
After two years of on-the-job training, I took on the role of Principal. At that time, the school had over 1,000 students divided into 36 classes, from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Fortunately, I had a group of like-minded friends who joined me in undertaking this sacred work of promoting Chinese culture.
This team included Assistant Principal and Dean of Students Maw-Rong Chin, Vice Principal responsible for student activities Jane Chang, Computer Director Bessie Chu, Academic Director Jeane Soung, Financial Director Helen You, General Affairs Director Charles Huang, and Secretary Director Peter Liu.
Along with the 36 teachers and 8 administrative staff, we worked hard for two years. Seeing the students' growth made all our efforts and hard work feel worthwhile.
After stepping down as Principal, I returned to the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association and was elected as Chairman of the Board, continuing to serve the school for another year.
During that time, most parents, after dropping their children off at University High School on Sunday mornings, would also stay at the school to participate in adult activities such as Tai Chi, social dance, calligraphy, Chinese painting, or special lectures.
I even taught a class on assembling IBM XT personal computers. Back then, we used two 5.25-inch 360 KB floppy disks – one for the DOS program and the other as the data disk.
In Taiwan, I was a bona fide Boy Scout and participated in the 10th World Scout Jamboree in the Philippines (1959).
I also involved my son in American Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and he achieved the highest honor of Eagle Scout (a credit to his dad).
I also founded the Irvine Chinese School Hiking Club. We would hike the trail around Turtle Rock every Sunday morning. Even thirty years later, a group of old and new members still hikes in Irvine.
Serving Free・Passing On
Looking back, I served Irvine Chinese School for seven years in total. The PTA and the Board of Directors were unpaid positions.
Within the school, the principal, administrative staff, and teachers received a monthly stipend, nominally for three hours of work (about two hundred dollars, taxable, to boot.)
Now, seeing my son's achievements in his career brings me great comfort. He attended Irvine Chinese School for thirteen years (from kindergarten to 12th grade).
Today, many Chinese heart patients seek him out because he can speak Mandarin.
He also serves as a liaison for the collaborative program between the Cardiology Department of Hangzhou University in China and the UCLA Cardiology Department, again because he speaks Mandarin.
Therefore, I want to pay tribute to all the parents and teachers who served Irvine Chinese School in those early years. Your hard work and dedication have not been in vain!(Brilliant Fifty XVII)
Read More
Looking Back on My Year as ICS Principal. Ping Deng Yow ( ICS Former Principal 1988-89 )
An Affinity for the Irvine Chinese School. Ann Hwu ( ICS Former Principal 1987-88)
Building Bridges Across Generations and Cultures. Susie Chu ( SCCCA Board Chair 1988-89)
From Parent to Principal : My ICS Story. Hedy Ho（ Former ICS Principal 1986-87 )
United We Strive · United We Rise. Don Niu ( Former SCCCA board chair 1986-87 )
ICS Memories That Still Shine. Phen Cheng (1984-85 ICS Principal)
Reflections of a School Janitor. JJ Lee (SCCCA Board Chair 1979-1980 )
A Journey from One Dream to a Community Legacy Mitzi Fu (1976-82, 1983-84 ICS Founding Principal)