Upland Christian Academy Superintendent Tim Hoy eats lunch with kindergarten students Aug. 31 at the school in Rancho Cucamonga. This year will be Hoy's first at the school, which was founded last year. (Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Staff Photographer)Lost father, brother to the Khmer Rouge
09/07/2010
Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily News (California)
Upland Christian Academy
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - It's not an impossible task. But if Tim Hoy, the new superintendent of Upland Christian Academy, wants to learn all 381 names of the kindergarten through 12th-grade students by the end of the school year, he'll need to start now.
Last week, the newcomer did just that.
"I'm looking forward to learning all of your names," Hoy told a group of pint-sized students last week.
The kindergartners wasted no time in helping Hoy.
"I'm Nicole," shouted one.
"I'm Sierra," said another.
That's two down and 379 to go.
So started the school year for Upland Christian Academy, which is in its second year at the Rancho Cucamonga campus.
"I love the personal touch offered here," Hoy said. "You are never just a number."
Hoy, 39, who moved from Tacoma, Wash., to Rancho Cucamonga this summer, has never experienced the excitement and anticipation of entering kindergarten. In fact, the Cambodia-born administrator's first encounter with school was at age 10.
Born in 1971 just four years before Pol Pot would come into power, Hoy lived through one of the most horrific chapters of Cambodian history. But his father and his brother did not.
Speaking from his office at Abundant Living Family Church, Hoy described how Pol Pot's Communist movement, the Khmer Rouge, wiped out towns and cities to create an agrarian society. Many of those not executed died of sickness and malnutrition.
In work camps devoid of medical services, Hoy's father died after a bout of dysentery. His brother choked on a fish bone and never recovered.
Experts estimate that nearly 2 million Cambodians, roughly one-fifth of the population, perished under Pol Pot's deadly regime.
"As a kid, I had no idea what was happening," said Hoy, who was among seven children in the family. "That was all I had ever known."
In 1979, the family escaped to Thailand and eventually immigrated to the United States and settled in Washington state, where most of Hoy's relatives still reside.
Hoy enrolled in school for the first time as a fifth-grader. The only English words he knew were "yes," "no" and "I don't speak English." Hoy, along with his siblings and cousins, kick-started the school's English as a Second Language program.
The culture shock was immediate. Accustomed to the tropical heat of Southeast Asia, Hoy wore his winter coat during the mild summers of the Pacific Northwest. He was mesmerized by electricity and fascinated by people of different races all calling themselves Americans.
On his path to assimilation, he met a Christian woman who worked with Hoy's aunt. When asked if he wanted to tag along to church, Hoy didn't have a doubt in his mind.
"I just wanted to do everything American," Hoy said. "I wanted to speak English and go to America's churches."
Hoy became a Christian and devoted his higher education to theology. After receiving his master's in school administration from Dallas Theological Seminary, Hoy became a teacher, principal and superintendent. Most recently he was a principal and campus administrator at Lighthouse Christian School near Tacoma.
A father of two, Hoy and his family fell in love with Southern California after a recent vacation here.
He said he was always fond of the Washington state but his heart started to change in recent years.
"I thought maybe there was more out there," he said.
The sunshine lured Hoy, his wife, Lorraine, and their two children, now students at Upland Christian Academy, to Rancho Cucamonga.
Lorraine, who had severe allergies in the Pacific Northwest, recovered here. The family has already bought season tickets to Disneyland.
"It already feels like home," he said.
Hoy replaces Sue Chiappone as Upland Christian Academy's highest administrator, overseeing a school as it carves out its early history at Abundant Living Family Church. The Upland school was formed last September and moved to Rancho Cucamonga after Upland Christian Schools was sold.
This week, the school year opened with 16 more students than last year. The school has brought in a new kindergarten teacher's aide, middle school teacher, high school guidance counselor and added a new second-grade class. It is also in the process of building a new science lab.
"We believe God is doing incredible things here," Hoy said.
Last week, the newcomer did just that.
"I'm looking forward to learning all of your names," Hoy told a group of pint-sized students last week.
The kindergartners wasted no time in helping Hoy.
"I'm Nicole," shouted one.
"I'm Sierra," said another.
That's two down and 379 to go.
So started the school year for Upland Christian Academy, which is in its second year at the Rancho Cucamonga campus.
"I love the personal touch offered here," Hoy said. "You are never just a number."
Hoy, 39, who moved from Tacoma, Wash., to Rancho Cucamonga this summer, has never experienced the excitement and anticipation of entering kindergarten. In fact, the Cambodia-born administrator's first encounter with school was at age 10.
Born in 1971 just four years before Pol Pot would come into power, Hoy lived through one of the most horrific chapters of Cambodian history. But his father and his brother did not.
Speaking from his office at Abundant Living Family Church, Hoy described how Pol Pot's Communist movement, the Khmer Rouge, wiped out towns and cities to create an agrarian society. Many of those not executed died of sickness and malnutrition.
In work camps devoid of medical services, Hoy's father died after a bout of dysentery. His brother choked on a fish bone and never recovered.
Experts estimate that nearly 2 million Cambodians, roughly one-fifth of the population, perished under Pol Pot's deadly regime.
"As a kid, I had no idea what was happening," said Hoy, who was among seven children in the family. "That was all I had ever known."
In 1979, the family escaped to Thailand and eventually immigrated to the United States and settled in Washington state, where most of Hoy's relatives still reside.
Hoy enrolled in school for the first time as a fifth-grader. The only English words he knew were "yes," "no" and "I don't speak English." Hoy, along with his siblings and cousins, kick-started the school's English as a Second Language program.
The culture shock was immediate. Accustomed to the tropical heat of Southeast Asia, Hoy wore his winter coat during the mild summers of the Pacific Northwest. He was mesmerized by electricity and fascinated by people of different races all calling themselves Americans.
On his path to assimilation, he met a Christian woman who worked with Hoy's aunt. When asked if he wanted to tag along to church, Hoy didn't have a doubt in his mind.
"I just wanted to do everything American," Hoy said. "I wanted to speak English and go to America's churches."
Hoy became a Christian and devoted his higher education to theology. After receiving his master's in school administration from Dallas Theological Seminary, Hoy became a teacher, principal and superintendent. Most recently he was a principal and campus administrator at Lighthouse Christian School near Tacoma.
A father of two, Hoy and his family fell in love with Southern California after a recent vacation here.
He said he was always fond of the Washington state but his heart started to change in recent years.
"I thought maybe there was more out there," he said.
The sunshine lured Hoy, his wife, Lorraine, and their two children, now students at Upland Christian Academy, to Rancho Cucamonga.
Lorraine, who had severe allergies in the Pacific Northwest, recovered here. The family has already bought season tickets to Disneyland.
"It already feels like home," he said.
Hoy replaces Sue Chiappone as Upland Christian Academy's highest administrator, overseeing a school as it carves out its early history at Abundant Living Family Church. The Upland school was formed last September and moved to Rancho Cucamonga after Upland Christian Schools was sold.
This week, the school year opened with 16 more students than last year. The school has brought in a new kindergarten teacher's aide, middle school teacher, high school guidance counselor and added a new second-grade class. It is also in the process of building a new science lab.
"We believe God is doing incredible things here," Hoy said.
5 comments:
I think readers are more interested in reading news from Cambodia or related to people in Cambodia who have been affected by the government or the political party . Not many people like to read about religion especialy Christian because Christian is just like CPP. Christian come to you and give you somethings and ask you to thank God and believe in Christian . CPP come to you and give you a t-shirt in some cases even money and ask you to be a CPP member ask vote for them .
Christians and/or Christian influence have been the catalysts of social justice and social change throughout history (recall Gandhi's influence by Christian teachings). Anything coerced is not real and should be denounced. But there's a difference between coercion and being moved by Christian love and Christian charity. People should be attracted to Christianity by love; those who are only attracted by the material gifts and under coercion will be disaffected as they should be because its not real. The loud "Christians" are the worst "Christians". If you want to meet more genuine Christians, go to the slums and where the brokenhearted are.
I want to hear stories about Cambodia, generally. Period. About Cambodian Buddhists. About Cambodian Christians. About Cambodian Muslims. About Cambodia. About Cambodia. No discriminition. Period.
3:43 pm, christian involvement resulted with a genocide. Don't you forget that, knuckle head.
I like to read something about religions and wanted to see the reactions as I know that many Khmer people like barb than bonn and believing in something nonsense (superstition).
It's good for him to be a school superintendent. I think he got the job because he is working with the church. He is working with chistian school, not a public school. In public school superintendent is not easy to apply for.
I'm Khmer and I know Christian people love to chase other religious persons to join their religion. It happens in school or public place. If you were approached by the stranger that you don't know, he or she acts nice to you. I bet he or she is a christian recruiter. I never bothered to join or change my religion.
I don't like people coming to my house and eat my food then pray in front of me. This is my house so the guests should respect the owner.
I'm born as a buddhist; will die as a buddhist.
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