Story by Zoe Chen
Staff Writer
Photo by Oscar Walsh
Anthony Chan, the SPHS Athletic Director for the past four years, announced his departure from SPUSD on Aug. 1. Chan began working at SPHS in 2013. He has now transferred to Temple City High School, his alma mater, to take on the role of Assistant Principal.
After almost a decade of teaching and leading at SPHS, Chan reflected on the impact he left in the SPHS community. He also explained his reasoning behind the transfer and what he misses the most from SPHS.
“Influencing the lives of so many others through the decisions and implementations that we make, that’s really enriching to me,” Chan said. “My ultimate goal is to make high school education the best it can be for people…To me, [Temple City] is home.”
When asked about his impact on SPHS athletics, Chan emphasized his pride for heightened participation in sports, even with the disruption of COVID-19. He also touched on what the SPHS athletic community means to him.
“I think one of the big things that I wanted to do when I took over South Pas athletics was just to kind of build a culture, to make South Pas athletics exciting,” said Chan. “When I look at the participation numbers over the past four years, even after going through Covid and everything, numbers were up…so to me that was a big thing.”
Chan expressed his appreciation towards SPHS and emphasized the relationships he developed at SPHS as his fondest memories. While Chan’s former position has yet to be permanently filled, CB Richards was announced as interim Athletic Director on Aug. 14.
“I will always have a lot of love for the Tigers, a lot of respect,” Chan said. “But when we play, South Pas versus Temple City, I’ll be rooting for Temple City now.”
