Annandale Rotary hosts Inter-Service Luncheon at Annandale HS

Annandale Rotary Club President Bob Kahane speaks at the group’s Inter-Service Lunch.

Once a year, the Rotary Club of Annandale hosts an Inter-Service Luncheon, bringing together people from other community and volunteer organizations.

This year’s event, Nov. 11, was held at the Annandale High School Bistro, and featured guest speaker Tim Thomas, Annandale’s new principal and a three-course lunch prepared by students in the school’s culinary arts program. Among the guests were representatives from the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Annandale Women’s Club, and the Henry Clay Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

AHS “epitomizes what it means to be community-based school,” Thomas told the group. “It’s a place where diversity is embraced and the kids appreciate one another.”

Since coming to Annandale, Thomas has been working on inventorying the school’s programs and evaluating which programs work well and which ones are outdated and need to be changed or eliminated. He’s also crafted a “single, unified vision” for the school: “Respect, learning, relationships, diversity: Value all, compromise none.”

During his first couple of months at the school, Thomas says, he’s been trying to be accessible, approachable, and visible – and he’s had plenty of opportunities to use his Spanish language skills.