50 Stories for 50 Years: Kris Boucher, Former ASSIST Representative, current Orientation Volunteer

To celebrate our 50th anniversary year during 2018/19, we collected stories and profiles of people and institutions that have helped us build our organization, which first began as one person's dream in 1968. We will feature one story per week on our blog. Please enjoy these “50 for 50” profiles featuring ASSIST's dedicated board members, dynamic staff, welcoming host families and enthusiastic ASSIST Scholars.

Kris Boucher
Former ASSIST Representative, current Orientation Volunteer

During my many years at Wayland Academy, I saw dozens of ASSIST Scholars pass through, leaving their mark during their ASSIST experience. Each of those students have fit wonderfully into life at our midwestern boarding school. For most, the takeaways and benefits are familiar and expected—wonderful memories, but pretty "standard stuff" when considering the high level of young people who have come to Wayland through ASSIST over the years.

Yet as I think back over my years of working with these students, a few in particular stand out—both for their personalities and the impact they had on Wayland Academy and the local community.

Johanna: Johanna's athletic background was in baseball, but she ended up on the softball team that Spring semester—and she turned out to be a highly valuable member of that team.

Dominick: Dominick loved his year at Wayland Academy. He did especially wonderful things for our music department (trumpet & choir), and golf team (still regarded as one of the best to ever play at Wayland).

Agnes: Agnes came to us from Hungary just after the Iron Curtain came down. Like many Eastern European Scholars, Agnes brought a particular determination to make the most of her ASSIST year—a bit more dedication and drive, perhaps, than exchange students from Western European countries. She returned to the U.S. to attend Lawrence University after she graduated.

Suzanna: Suzanna was quite strong in the classroom and in Model UN. I remember that Suzanna drove our deans crazy with the dress code (she was quite fashion-conscious). After graduating, she returned to the U.S. to attend Harvard.

Moritz: Moritz did particularly well in basketball. It is notable that just prior to coming to the U.S., he found out that he was diabetic. He was amazing in tracking his blood sugar levels and overall health, and he never missed anything despite learning to navigate his diagnosis. I'll always remember Moritz as one of our best athletes. He lettered in American football, soccer, basketball, and baseball. Of course, he was very strong in the classroom and in dorm life, too.

Chris: Chris had a couple of day student classmates who helped him meet many people in the Beaver Dam community, and by the time he left it's safe to say he knew half of Beaver Dam High School! It was fun to see him interact with the community at high school games and other events.

Yet another of the Wayland Academy Scholars was a German boy of Korean Heritage. He came at a time when Wayland Academy (and many U.S. boarding schools) had large numbers of Korean students, and I knew that this would be a difficult file to present to the admission committee, so I called Marty. Marty knew exactly what I was concerned about, but explained that the lad had spent most of his formative years in Germany, did not have much of a grasp of his Korean Heritage, and he was really looking forward to being at a school that had some Korean students so he could learn more about that part of his background. Of course, Marty had hit the nail on the head, and the lad was a terrific part of the Wayland community.

As you can tell from these biographies, the ASSIST year really is a big deal for the school as well as the Scholar!!

About Kris:
Kris spent most of his working life at independent schools: Abington Friends School (PA) for three years, Winchendon School (MA) for one, and Wayland Academy (WI) for 33. At Wayland, where he first worked with ASSIST Scholars, Kris initially served as Director of Athletics. After seven years in that role, Kris moved to the W.A. admission office, in which he held several positions and performed a variety of duties, including the "lead" for international enrollment and the ASSIST Representative. Kris is now enjoying retirement in Florida, but stays actively involved with ASSIST by volunteering at the annual Scholar Orientation and visiting member schools and host families.