History

Jie Moore (郭捷) and Tony Moore, Founders

Jie received her B.S. in Biology from Beijing University, and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Washington. After graduate school, Jie worked as a Research Scientist at the University of Washington for six years during which she studied a variety of issues related to academic and social/emotional development among children and adolescents. Through her research, she began to think it might be beneficial to children in the United States if we could combine the best educational approaches and cultural perspectives of China and the United States. This early thought, coupled with a series of events in the last few years (such as having a child of her own and failing to find a satisfactory Mandarin immersion program in the East Bay area), triggered her decision to start Shu Ren International School. Dr. Moore is involved in informing the school’s strategic direction, the advancement of our China International Exchange Program, and continues to offer her expertise in various areas of school development. As a member of the New Zealand Society of Accountants, Tony has played an instrumental role in setting up Shu Ren's financial administration departments. He is currently President of Kiwi Consulting, Inc. providing financial and accounting consultation services to federal contractors and the construction industry.

As a young mother in 2008, Dr. Jie Moore, shared the same concerns as many, if not all, young bay area families: Where will my child go to school? What kind of education do I want my child to receive? What values do I want my child to hold over their lifetime?  As the daughter of a Kiwi Father and a Chinese mother in the East Bay, Dr. Moore’s daughter was in a unique position to grow and thrive in an international community filled with vibrant culture, traditions, and experiences.  However, finding a school that would encompass all of these hopes and values was more of a challenge than Dr. Moore had anticipated.  That is when Dr. Moore started seeing the need for an expansive and inclusive educational program that would embrace and support families with unique cultural backgrounds as well as provide an immersive environment to learn critical communication and academic skills.

As her vision began to take form, Dr. Moore gathered the courage and resources to establish Shu Ren International School.  The name itself, Shu Ren (树人), encompasses the very ideals that Dr. Moore started with and that our community today encompasses.  The character 树 can refer to “tree” as well as education.  Both items are associated with growth, and when 树 (shu) is combined with 人 (person), the meaning changes to that of the importance of educating a person.  Today, Shu Ren International School continues to be the premiere Mandarin immersion International Baccalaureate (IB) program in California, and one of a few such programs in the United States.   Each day at Shu Ren International School is a celebration of the unique perspectives and experiences of our families and students that will create positive change in the world.

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