History of interim began in Asia

By Anbita Siregar

Interim beginnings: Veteran math teacher Don Adams in front of Annapurna mountains with locals and students on a trip to Nepal back in 1986.

Ah, February. The month of Valentines, groundhogs and Interim Semester. While the rest of the world is buying candy hearts, SAS students are packing for their interim trips.

Back in 1973, the first year of interim, students didn’t worry about which pair of Uggs to bring to Spain, or if they could borrow their best friend’s sleeping bag for Australia. Back then, the six interim trips were all in Southeast Asia.

Then, students took their midterm exams after winter break. There was time between the exams and second semester. Three teachers decided to stage trips during the interim between the two semesters. Hence the name “Interim Semester.”

The purpose of Interim was to get students out of the Singapore bubble to explore Asian cultures. The idea was proposed by three teachers, ex-teachers Barry Donaldson and Dave Paratore, and social studies teacher Jim Baker, during a faculty meeting before the 1972-1973 school year started. They wanted students to have a unique experience while learning things that could not be taught in a classroom.

“There are places in Asia you wouldn’t think of going later in life,” Baker said.

These were the places Baker, Paratore and Donaldson wanted students to travel to. Cities in Europe and America were thought of as conventional places to go with your family; Baker, Paratore and Donalson wanted students to venture to places where they otherwise might not go.

Interim in the 1980s came with a few surprises. In-Singapore trips like “Modeling and Grooming” and “SAT/ACT Math” were introduced, and before students would ski in Switzerland, they skiied in Japan.

Former social studies teacher Michael Imperi played a role in modifying Interim in the mid 80s.

“Being a part of the Interim program was the most satisfying and enjoyable aspect of working at SAS,” Imperi said.

Imperi taught social studies at SAS from 1981 until 1997. Today, he is the headmaster of Alexander Dawson School in Las Vegas. He became Interim program director in 1982 when the program was about 10 years old.

Imperi believed bus trips in Europe defeated the purpose of Interim Semester. He offered new trips that were not only academically and physically challenging, but had a service element as well.

While he thought Interim should be focused in Asia, Imperi also believed there should be flexibility with where students go. He was the first to head to Western Australia in the ‘80s and Africa in the ‘90s.

A number of trips were out of bounds because of the Gulf Crisis. Although there were no direct threats to SAS, Interim Semester was cancelled in 1991.

Some teachers and parents objected to the escalating prices, the addition of European and African trips and the loss of teaching time. The addition of community service trips changed critics’ views on the significance of Interim.

Interim Semester was not a big part of SAS 20 years ago. There were no shortened class periods for Interim meetings or parent nights. After Interim, some trips didn’t do anything.

Now, Interim Semester is one of the highlights of the school year and has become part of what makes SAS tick.

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