The Dearly Loved Couple

Mr. Mark and Pat Are About to Say “Sayonara Schutz! Konichiwa Japan!”

Heba El Sahn

They each lived on farms five miles apart in Iowa. His sister was her sister’s best friend. They got to be close friends starting from eighth grade, dated in tenth grade, and got married in their second year of college. Some time after that God blessed them with two children Angela and Aaron. These two very special people are Mr. Mark and Pat.

Mark McCright is the Tech Coordinator/High School Information Technology teacher and his wife, Pat, is the Elementary Associate for grades 3-6 at this school. They came to Schutz in 2006 and have been a part of our family for three years. The two are famously known of being able to wear many hats at the same time. The couple loved it here since they enjoyed living in Alexandria and gained many friends as well.

Mr. Mark and Pat exclaim how they truly admire the tradition of the school and its overall comfortable ambience. Moreover, many people would be shocked to learn that they really like the school’s location! They expressed how they found it amazing that even though the street is narrow and overcrowded, one can really experience and observe many things about Egypt’s culture just by taking a mere walk. They believe that the weather over here is ideal (Mr. Mark was still wearing short sleeves in February!) Another thing they both find intriguing is driving. Even though he was a driver’s instructor for some time in the States and he has obtained his very own Egyptian driving license, Mr. Mark is still unsure of whether or not he should take on the traffic in this country. In the end, Mr. Mark remarked that, "The greatest resource that Egypt has is its people." Nodding in confirmation, Pat also added that being in Schutz had been a fantastic first experience for teaching abroad.

When asked whether they are going to go back to Iowa or continue living abroad, it was clear that the couple intend to travel to many different parts of the world. Their next stop is: Tokyo, Japan. They chose the school over there because it had a good reputation and its student population is reasonable (around 600-700 students). They were also recommended to go there by Mrs. B, Schutz’s former Math teacher. They are excited to embark on their new adventure and they want to discover how they are going to get settled over there without knowing Japanese and living outside the school campus. Nevertheless, they guess this is just a risk they have to take and in the end, this will add up to the whole experience.

Mr. Mark and Pat are truly vital to the functioning of Schutz American School. Whether they are tirelessly working on the tasks they were given, welcoming the new teachers at the school, or are simply conversing with a student, it is clear that this couple will truly be missed. The Schutz family wishes them all the best and is certain that they will leave a mark anywhere they go. For they are, after all, the dearly loved couple.