This year’s Kahn-Page Master Teacher Award winner is a humble person who would never boast or comment on the extensive amounts of work he does for the TASIS community. He is motivated not by recognition. He is motivated by his genuine passion for teaching and love of children.

This year’s recipient embodies the Mission and Vision of TASIS. Committed to academic excellence, he spends an enormous amount of time and energy in tailoring his preparation to each class to ensure his students have the best chance of retaining the information. His students look forward to their time with him, both inside and outside the classroom. The students appreciate him, and the feedback from parents has always been very positive.

He is a dedicated and caring teacher and dorm parent. TASIS expects its teachers and administrators to assume in loco parentis responsibility for students, and our recipient is sensitive to the needs of his students along with being empathetic and compassionate. He truly wants his students to succeed academically and socially, and this is reflected in his teaching and interactions with both his present and former students.

He is an educator in all aspects of the word. He takes his responsibilities seriously and ensures he gives his all to every role he plays at TASIS. As a dorm parent, he is an excellent role model for our students. Even when taking students on weekend climbing or skiing trips, he also uses this time for teachable moments to help our students learn to be better people and learn new skills. His impressive style of preparing his advisees for Academic Travel ensures they face their destinations with knowledge of the places we visit and confidence in their ability to travel abroad without their parents.

TASIS recognizes the importance of teaching fitness and healthy habits of living. Our recipient encourages students to participate in a wide range of outdoor and physical activities, leading clubs and activities that challenge and stretch students physically and emotionally.

On top of everything else, our recipient is a wonderful colleague. He is flexible, collaborative, and positive—three traits that reflect his commitment to education and to boarding school life.

It is my honor to announce the 2018 Khan-Page Master Teacher Award winner, Patrick Alava.