“Suck it up.” Coach Ko would say as students plunged feet first into the ice-cold morning water, shivering as their teeth made little drilling noises. Coach Ko spent 12 years in Chadwick International, longer than most students have attended CI, but plans to move on to the American School of Dubai for a leadership swimming position next year.
Coach Ko, a.k.a. Koko, taught swimming from Pre-K through 12th grade for 12 years and coached middle and high school volleyball.
What’s your favorite part of CI? What will you miss most?
The hardest thing will be leaving the school I have grown so fond of, where I taught every morning and afternoon swimming class for 12 years.
Do you have any proud moments in CI?
My proudest moment was when this year’s Varsity girls’ team became KAIAC champions while remaining undefeated in the KAIAC Tournament.
Can you share a particularly memorable experience here at CI?
Chadwick proudly took first place in 184 elementary school swimming competitions. When Chadwick started the swimming program, it was ranked at the bottom of all international schools, but now it is ranked among the highest. Another memorable experience was when Boys Volleyball took 2nd place in KAIAC this year.
How do you feel about leaving Chadwick?
It has already been 12 years since I did my best for my students at every moment. I still can’t believe it, and I’m not ready to leave this school. Leaving a school you have grown accustomed to is more challenging than you think. However, I look forward to the day we will meet again.
As he leaves CI, Coach Ko hopes to be remembered as “a funny teacher” and “someone who loved teaching his students.”
Just like how this article started with a quote from Coach Ko, it only seems fitting to end with another of his favorite quotes. I especially remember how when students complained that they couldn’t look straight without swimming goggles, he would respond jokingly, “You can’t see anything? That’s your future.”
So maybe our future isn’t always bright and clear. Most of the time, we don’t know where we’re headed, but maybe that’s for the better because what would there be to enjoy and look forward to if we knew everything already? So, even as we bid farewell, it’s with a lighter heart for the hopes of the day we see each other again. Just as Coach Ko would say, “Suck it up and keep moving.”
