Answering the Call: Amy Lai and Sam Lam

Amy Lai and Sam Lam began their journeys with HKIS through something simple and familiar—a newspaper advertisement that opened the door to a life of steady service. Over the years, both have become reliable anchors for the school, embodying the same quiet dedication and care through change and uncertainty. Whether Amy kept facilities running through typhoons and major renovations, or Sam navigated storms to ensure faculty and teachers could get where they needed to go, both stories reflect a deep commitment to HKIS and a consistent belief that the school—and the people in it—come first.

This year marks Amy Lai’s 45th year at HKIS—a remarkable journey that began in 1981 with a simple newspaper advertisement. At the time, she was working as an accountant, spending her days in a windowless office with numbers and calculators. One day at the family home in South Bay village, just a short walk from the original HKIS campus, Amy Lai noticed an ad in the paper that caught her eye. Something about the posting for a PE secretary position at HKIS—a job that would be active, relational, and dynamic—called to her.

“My first job was really boring,” she recalls of her earlier career. “When I came in to interview for the HKIS PE secretary, it felt quite appealing. It was something different.”

That small decision—to try something new close to home—became the beginning of a lifelong commitment.

Moments of Challenge—and Community
Of course, 45 years have also brought moments of great difficulty. Amy vividly remembers the typhoons that tested the school’s resilience, including one in the 1980s that caused severe damage to newly constructed buildings.

Yet what stands out most is not the destruction—but the response.

During that typhoon, roads were washed out and public transportation halted. Amy remembers that the Facilities Management staff arranged to share taxis to work, determined to restore the campus for students. For some of the team, this meant making the choice to walk for miles from Aberdeen to the school to help. In those moments, Amy saw something deeper than duty:

“Even when it seemed like there was no way to get in, 100% of the team made it to school that day. The team showed me that they had a deep sense of belonging at the school,” she shares.

That sense of belonging—of shared purpose—is a defining feature of the Facilities Management team which produces some of the longest-serving HKIS employees.

A Life Intertwined with School
For Amy, HKIS has never been just a workplace. It is also where some of her nieces and nephews grew up, and where she found daily joy in the presence of young learners. Even more so when it was her own family members.

“I really love to see the students’ faces,” she says. “Every day I see them playing so happily, it makes it easy to do my job.”

As an avid hiker, the natural environment around the school has always mattered to her as well—the Repulse Bay Facilities Management team have a lush garden of plants outside their office that they grow themselves.

A Legacy of Care
Ask Amy why she stayed for 45 years, and her answer is simple: it never felt repetitive, never felt stagnant, and never felt like just a job.
Instead, it felt meaningful.

“I do not feel like I worked for 45 years,” she says with a smile. “It feels like… maybe 10 years.”

Through decades of change, Amy Lai has been a constant presence at HKIS: steady in storms, adaptable in growth, and deeply committed to the people and place she serves. Her work may often happen behind the scenes, but its impact is visible everywhere—from the safety of the buildings to the spirit of the community.

As she looks ahead to her next chapter, one thing remains certain: Amy’s legacy is not just in the spaces she maintained, but in the sense of belonging she helped grow.

With deep respect and admiration, we recognize Amy Lai for her remarkable 45 years of dedicated service to HKIS. As Facilities Service Manager in the Schoolwide Facilities Management team, Amy has helped ensure the campus runs smoothly, safely, and effectively.

Across her career, Amy has consistently shown professionalism, commitment, and loyalty—acting not only as a dependable manager, but also as a trusted problem-solver and steady support for colleagues across departments. Her deep institutional knowledge, collaborative approach, and diligence in coordinating maintenance, reviewing quotations, and responding to operational challenges have made a lasting impact.

As she enters well-earned retirement, we celebrate both the length of her service and the difference she has made. Amy’s legacy—through the standards she set, the relationships she built, and the knowledge she shared—will continue long after she leaves.

Thank you, Amy, for decades of dedication. We wish you happiness, good health, and fulfilment in your next chapter.

For more than four decades at HKIS, Sam Lam has been a reliable presence whose contributions have helped shape the daily rhythm of campus life.

Sam’s journey with HKIS began in a way that feels almost nostalgic today. Like longtime Facilities Services Manager Amy Lai, he first encountered the school through a simple newspaper advertisement. What began as a job opportunity soon became a vocation—one that would span 44 years and leave a lasting impression on generations of students, families, and colleagues.

As the school's Senior Driver, Sam’s role extended far beyond delivering important documents. Each week, he was tasked with shuttling faculty, staff and special school guests, welcoming them with a calm demeanor and ensuring their safe journey to and from school. In many ways, he became a trusted figure in the lives of countless HKIS families, embodying the school’s ethos of care and community in the most practical and heartfelt ways.

It is a simple statement, yet it captures the spirit that has defined his decades of service.

Colleagues describe Sam as someone who approached his work with consistency and quiet pride. Rain or shine, through typhoons, busy schedules, and changing campuses, he remained dependable—a steady hand at the wheel and a reassuring presence in an ever-evolving school environment.

Over the years, Sam has witnessed HKIS grow and transform, yet his commitment to the school never wavered. His work may have taken place largely behind the scenes, but its impact has been deeply felt. For many alumni, memories of their school days include not only classrooms and teachers, but also the familiar comfort of Sam’s bus rides—moments of laughter, reflection, and connection that framed their daily lives.