Sandy Schoeninger and the Spirit of Kodai

How do you capture the essence of a person in a few short minutes and still do them justice? To adequately describe all that Sandra “Sandy” Schoeninger meant to me and to the generations of students who grew up under her influence would take hours and still leave more to be said.

Nevertheless, I would like to attempt to bring her to life in some small way for those gathered here today, as a tribute to the impact she had on countless students.

Sandy Schoeninger joined Kodai School, as it was known then, in 1965 and remained until 2001.

For many years, she was the lone member of the Physical Education department, responsible for the entire student body. Twelve years later, another PE teacher joined, working exclusively with middle and high school boys and allowing Sandy to focus on the girls and elementary students.

Beyond PE, Sandy spearheaded the activities, camping, and hiking programs, doing far more than simply running them. She developed each program so that it became firmly rooted in the school’s culture and legacy. Today, these remain a defining part of Kodai’s unique approach to student growth and engagement.

So who was Sandy Schoeninger?

First and foremost, she was a person of deep principle, guided by a strong moral and ethical compass that she was never afraid to voice. Grounded in her faith, these values shaped her approach to everything she did and everyone she encountered.

She was a passionate advocate for sport and sports education, particularly for girls. Almost single-handedly, she developed and sustained the school’s sports program and ensured that sport had its rightful and unshakable place within the holistic academic requirements of the KIS diploma.

Sandy dedicated herself to advancing knowledge, skill, and love for sport, particularly encouraging students who felt unsure of their ability or lacked confidence. Everyone who passed through her hands, however briefly, left with a sense of personal investment in their physical and mental effort, and pride in their accomplishments. She delighted in every milestone and sign of growth.

As a result, the courts and fields were always full. Pick-up games began at six in the morning when the dorms opened, and students signed up in advance for weekend access to the racquetball and tennis courts.

Sandy humbly claimed she had never excelled in any one sport, yet she was an accomplished tennis player and golfer and could skillfully demonstrate techniques in every sport in the curriculum. She was a coach par excellence, able to spot potential, refine technique, and build team awareness. The teams she coached enjoyed considerable success, and the skill, range of disciplines, and complex choreography of the annual all-school gymnastics show became the stuff of legend.

Field Days were her great organisational triumph, demanding, varied events that involved every student and staff member in the school.

Sandy approached everything she did with discipline and meticulous organisation. She taught all grades three days a week, exposing middle and high school students to eight sports each year in a balanced curriculum of team and individual disciplines: hockey, football, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, track and field, racquet sports, and softball.

Additional units included golf, archery, netball, kho kho, dance and movement (including square dancing), aerobics, and more. Classes were fun and unforgettable without ever compromising learning or progression.

She constantly updated her knowledge of teaching methods and techniques, sourcing equipment and teaching materials from the United States and elsewhere and donating them to the school. Large packages would arrive by sea addressed simply from “S. Schoeninger” to “Sandy S,” filled with sporting equipment of a quality rarely available in India. She ensured students could use it freely while teaching them to care for it properly.

After school, Sandy organised intramural tournaments for every sport taught in PE, either individual or team-based, with separate divisions for middle and high school students.

High school girls belonged to three permanent intramural teams, the Bananas, Tigers, and Dragons. (Go Bananas!) She ran tournaments at three skill levels so that every student could participate and feel a sense of contribution, fostering enthusiasm even among the most unlikely athletes.

At the same time, she was a strict disciplinarian. She insisted on respect for teammates, for opponents, for equipment, and for the program itself. Students who misused equipment, arrived late, or attempted to bend the truth were reprimanded in no uncertain terms.

Sandy took her role as a mentor beyond the classroom very seriously. Everything she did was student-led whenever possible, with lessons extending well beyond sport.

Students learned to create fair teams even if it weakened their own chances of winning. We learned to develop criteria and rubrics to reduce bias and evaluate one another objectively. We learned how to encourage and coach each other, and how to give and receive feedback constructively.

She taught by example that our greatest asset was the ability to choose our attitude and direct our own learning. She modelled humility in victory and grace in defeat and expected the same from her students.

She encouraged us to believe in ourselves, listened when it mattered, and advocated for students who earned her hard-won respect.

One of Sandy’s initiatives was the legendary Kodai Athletics Club (KAC), where students took ownership of non-academic events and tournaments. We learned to plan and conduct events, hold formal meetings well lubricated with her celebrated brownies, and develop objective criteria for awards and Ks in each sport, including the coveted Big K.

Sandy also served as staff facilitator for the Grades 5 and 6 Christian youth group and enriched chapel services and school musical events with her strong alto voice.

Her home was always open to students. A coveted loft held books and board games, and students often gathered there to read, relax, or simply spend time together. She was a wonderful cook, and student groups were frequently invited for meals. The most eagerly anticipated prize in many activities was a meal at “Aunty Sandy’s.”

The hiking and camping programs flourished under Sandy’s leadership. Alongside other stalwarts of the program, she helped develop the point system and the celebrated Tahr Pin. She herself earned an extraordinary 31 Tahr pins and knew every peak and ridge of the Palani Hills as if they were old friends. Some beloved trails could well be named for her and her hiking companion, Rocky Nichol — Rocky and Sandy.

There was another side of Sandy that few knew about. She quietly sponsored sports trips and field trips for students whose families could not afford them, and even supported holiday travel. The full extent of her generosity continues to emerge as alumni share their stories.

In an era that valued straightforwardness, merit, and common sense over politics, Sandy stood apart for her honesty, with the administration, with colleagues, with students, and in her work. She spoke openly about fairness, discipline, empathy, and responsibility, and lived those values every day.

She was an important member of the steering committee during the school’s transition from an American missionary school to an international school, contributing to the Project Design in 1974 and the revised Design Document in 1994. She also coordinated the entire Centennial Celebration in 2001.

Kodai has been shaped by a small number of thoughtful and visionary individuals whose dedication and foresight built the school we know today.

Among those pillars, Sandra “Sandy” Schoeninger stands tall.