855 Lincoln Way #4

San Francisco, CA 94122

Dear colleague,
I'm writing to support John Bertken's application for the principal position at Busan International Foreign
School. I've known John for fourteen years, during which time we've been colleagues and close friends.
We first met while teaching together at Stuart Hall, a Catholic high school for boys located in San
Francisco, California. He and I taught similar courses as members of the social studies department, of
which I am now the chair. More recently, John was the Hall's athletic director, where I worked under him
as a cross country and track coach. In my experience, John is an earnest, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable
administrator who works well under pressure.
John's greatest strength as an athletic director was his genuine enthusiasm for working with young
coaches and athletes. He simply has a passion for athletics; nothing animates him like coaching, playing,
or discussing sports. John invested this energy into every team on campus. For instance, he was equally
supportive of cross country and track the sports that I coach as he was of basketball, though the latter
has a higher public profile. In combination with his natural affability, John's upbeat demeanor won over
all of the coaches who worked with him. Of our faculty members, John was easily the best liked.
In addition to his enthusiasm, John has a deep knowledge of his area of responsibility and a natural gift
for interpersonal relationships and communication, both of which proved invaluable in his role as athletic
director. Perhaps the most obvious and meaningful manifestation of these qualities is the legacy John has
left us here at Stuart Hall: we won multiple league championships under John's aegis, and, more
importantly, expanded and deepened the athletic opportunities available to our young men. As athletic
director, John was responsible for creating several new athletic programs from scratch, including
American football. In building a football program, John drew on his knowledge of the game which he
played at the high school and college levels and his gift for collaboration to overcome significant
philosophical and logistical obstacles. On a practical level, our school has no athletic fields of its own, so
John initiated a now long-standing relationship with a local recreational league to use its facilities for our
football and soccer teams. Moreover, he persuaded the other administrators at our school to support
football in its infancy. Finally, he mentored a young coaching staff that had plenty of energy and
knowledge, but lacked the communication and organization skills to make the most of their program.
Today, Stuart Hall is the only high school of its size in San Francisco to field a football team; in that
sense, John's accomplishment is literally unique. The program that he founded has also quickly risen to
the top of its league, in which it should finish second this season. I credit John's vision, tenacity, and
interpersonal skills with creating a winning football team at a tiny school with no facilities of its own.
On a personal level, John understands well the challenges that face the young people and the adults whom
he supervises. For better or for worse, coaching has always been the most stressful part of my job here at
the Hall. While we've had success in cross country and track, it's never come easily and has often kept we
awake into the wee hours of the night, pondering how to make the most of the young athletes in my care.
As a manager, John was always there for me with both practical and moral support. The most significant
challenges for any athletic director indeed any administrator are often organization and day-to-day
management. Cross country and track at Stuart Hall have always had a large degree of autonomy, but we
still required constant, and often sudden, attention from John. With many athletic programs to juggle,
John worked well under pressure and often sorted out potentially serious problems in the moment. More
importantly, when I have needed advice or compassion, John has always been a ready listener and often
has found the right anecdote or aphorism to fit the situation. This remains true today our friendship has
been every bit as strong despite his family's relocation to Korea, and he is an attentive and generous
godfather to my young daughter.

I believe that John would be an excellent candidate for any administrative position. He has a positive
effect on everyone with whom he comes in contact. I hold him in the highest esteem as a colleague and
as a friend. If I can be of any further assistance, please call me at (415) 235-0120.
Sincerely,

Michael Buckley