Expat Living Singapore – July 2019

66 JULY 2019

International Community School

is at 27A Jubilee Road.

6776 7435 | ics.edu.sg

5 fast facts about JP Rader

Collects:Military and historical items

Favourite book:The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Favourite sports team:LA Lakers,

Oakland Raiders, Manchester United

Last Halloween costume:Batman

Bucket list travel destination:New Zealand

Where are you from?

I was born in New York but I grew up in

Korea. I currently call Kentucky home,

and will shortly do the same for Singapore.

Which place holds the fondest

memories?

My favourite places to live have been

Lexington, Kentucky and Seoul, Korea.

The beauty of the bluegrass countryside is

hard to beat. The stables and farms that line

the route to our home are breathtakingly

beautiful. Seoul, on the other hand, is a

huge, sprawling city but it’s where I grew

up. Seoul’s historical significance strikes me

each time I pass Namdaemun Gate or the

downtown area. You can feel the energy.

Singapore by way of South Korea

and Kentucky isn’t a well-worn path.

But it’s the one of DR JP RADER,

the new Director at International

Community School.

Seoul Man

What brought you to South Korea?

My parents were missionaries with The

Salvation Army, and they took me to

Korea when I was six months old. We

travelled for two weeks across the Pacific

on a boat. I lived in downtown Seoul until

I was 18, and attended the Seoul Foreign

School (SFS). Later, I worked at SFS for

20 years as well as my alma mater, Asbury

University, in Kentucky. Three years ago, I

moved back to Korea to be the Secondary

School Principal at Gyeonggi Suwon

International School.

Do you speak Korean?

I do. I used to eat dinner at my house

and then run to our neighbours’ house

and eat with them as well. Since they

didn’t speak any English, I picked up

Korean very quickly. The Korean staff

and parents at the schools where I’ve

taught have appreciated and respected

my understanding of the language and

country. When I was growing up, Korea

was a third world country coming out of

the war. When I returned as an adult, it

had transformed into a first world country

with one of the most dynamic economies

in the world. To live there is a wonderful

blend of the old and the new.

What subjects have you taught?

I began by teaching Physical Education

but spent the majority of my career

teaching Secondary School History

courses in IB and AP. My wife Helen has

also been teaching overseas for over 30

years. She will be the ES Learning Support

teacher at ICS this year.

How did you learn about ICS?

My daughter, Brittney, is ICS’s ES Physical

Education teacher and girls’ varsity

volleyball and basketball coach. I was her

high school and college volleyball coach,

so it will be fun to watch her. Her husband,

Jesse, is the ES Art teacher. They have loved

their time at ICS, and we are excited to join

the ICS community with them.

Has sport been a big part of your

career?

I played collegiate soccer and tennis at

Asbury University and later coached

women’s volleyball there. I was the

Athletic Director at SFS and coached

there, too. Building successful teams is

similar to building a strong school – each

involves bringing in strong people and

putting them in a position to succeed.

What plans do you have for ICS?

My plan is to observe, listen and engage

with the school community to see how we

can grow as a strong Christian school that

continues to deliver academic excellence.