Mr. Chris Andre arrived in Baku from Istanbul 6 years ago, and has been the Director of TISA ever since. When he arrived it was a new job and a new challenge, but he quickly established himself as a positive member of our community and a great director. The Titan Times’ Martina Danieli caught up with Mr. Andre during his last few weeks in Azerbaijan.
Martina Danieli: Why did you come to TISA and Baku?
Chris Andre: I came from Istanbul where I was a secondary school principal. The opportunity of being a director of a school was a new job and a new challenge. TISA is an IB school and the international community was a very good fit for me and for Marius. Also, there were a lot of things about Azerbaijani culture that had a connection to Turkey so it was a full combination of reasons of why it was a good fit.
MD: What have you enjoyed most about TISA?
CA: The people. Our students were awesome and have such great energy, ideas, and want to get involved in new things. That was the kind of school I wanted to be part of. Our teachers were student centered and worked hard to make sure it was the best possible experience for students and that was a very fun part of the job.
MD: Is that what you are going to miss the most?
CA: The people, yes, that’s what I’m going to miss the most.
MD: What is your favourite TISA event?
CA: International Day, it was really fun, and it’s a school day. Winter Fair, it’s also really fun and it’s on a weekend, which brings out the entire community. I also loved hosting CEESA or SRAA events, to see the energy and support that the folks playing would have for those competitions.
MD: Were there any exceptional memories here?
CA: There were many, probably too many to name in an interview. The most recent moment was when Marius, my son, graduated from school. That is a unique event in our family life that I’ll never forget. I remember being in TISA 5 having a school meeting right before March break as COVID was happening, how unusual and strange that was, but knowing the support that the teachers had for the students we knew it was gonna be okay.
MD: What was the biggest challenge you faced while working here?
CA: I think the work that we did as an entire school to come up with a new mission and vision for the school was a very big challenge because it was a very big piece of the school. To do something that big is a little bit scary, but exciting. It was a challenge in the sense that you really wanted to work well and you wanted people to be part of that.
Mr. Andre will be going to the Rabat American School in Morocco, and will be its new Director. He is excited for the new challenge, but we at TISA know that he is going to be great at this new school. He is interested in every student, and has supported us with every event, and we will miss him very much. All the best in Morocco – they are lucky to have you!
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