That New Guy on the 3rd Floor: Welcome, Mr. Timmerman!

There is a new leader in town for Ram Nation: the AISG community proudly presents Kerry Timmerman as the new principal of our high school. Given the fact that the student body hasn’t had the opportunity to get to know our principal so much yet, The Beacon has taken this opportunity to ask the questions that you all have on your mind.

I asked Mr. Timmerman why he chose to apply to AISG, and he had some interesting things to say. He’d heard from friends on the international school scene that our school might be worth a look, and then, he said, “a point person called me about my resume telling me about Guangzhou. Considering that I have two kids aged 2 and 6, the fantastic education opportunities  really piqued my interest.” After Mr. Timmerman visited AISG in December, he told me that he “loved it.”

When I asked him about his adjustment to China and Guangzhou, Mr. Timmerman said it was going “pretty well.” He and his family have been here for about a month, and he describes the community as “great.” As he puts it, “People are welcoming, and Mr. Tragert and the school have done a fantastic job providing a fantastic orientation for all the new teachers.” As for his new office, he says, “The view is great,” and admits that he’s already texted a former colleague to brag about his improved perspective (his last office had no windows at all!). He adds that AISG is “pretty different in a lot of ways” from where he’s coming from in Minnesota. He went from a city of 80,000 people to our Guangzhou metropolis of 25,000,000+.  However, the ample space his suburban Minnesota home had is simply not available in Guangzhou-style housing, so he and his family have begun to adapt.

When I asked him what he liked about AISG so far, Mr. Timmerman said, “I think the people. It might be a cliche answer, but it’s the truth. Parents, students, the whole staff—everyone’s just been real quality people who you can tell are here for the right reasons. AISG is a fantastic school, and that is due to the people.”

If you’re wondering what Mr. Timmerman does in his spare time, he says, “I enjoy playing tennis and golf . I am a news junkie and in general I love traveling. In fact we’re going to go to the Philippines for fall break!”

Mr. Timmerman has been in education since he was 19, and although he says, “Being a school administrator wasn’t something I was looking to do… when opportunities presented themselves, I enjoyed it, as I like looking at the bigger view of things. It was tough in the  beginning and it gets better with time.” He attributes the difficult transition to the different nature of relationships and conversations between students and teachers, and students and administrators.

When I asked him what he really thinks of AISG, he said, “I think it is a fantastic school and part of what I want to do is become a part of the team of people at AISG. Every single one of us has a role to play, and I hope I can play my role well enough so it can be seen as a prominent school not only in South China, but all around the world.”

Mr. Timmerman says that he and the senior class “have a whole 9 months to get to know one another, and [his] hope is that [he’s] going to get to know all of [us] quite well.” Finally, I asked him what he wanted the students to know about him, and he responded, “I hope that they know that (especially seniors) this is your school and this is your senior year and you only get to have this opportunity once. So I want to make sure everyone has a good year, especially the seniors.”