Division Heads

Lorraine Chao | 赵尚晖, Head of Elementary School (K-4)

Growing up in the Boston area, Lorraine was a reluctant speaker of Chinese. She learned Russian, Hebrew and French, and studied Linguistics in college. After college she decided to pursue work and life changes in Shanghai. She stayed for 12 years during which time she re-awakened her interest and connection to Chinese language and culture, part of her family heritage and personal identity.

Lorraine graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Linguistics. She has a M.Ed in Early Childhood Education from Lesley College (now University) and has taught preschool through 8th grade in the United States and China. In her seven years teaching middle school and kindergarten at the Shanghai American School, Lorraine established an ongoing relationship between SAS and its neighboring migrant school, helped develop the Middle School community service program, and was the K-2 literacy coach.

While in Shanghai, she also worked as the Bilingual Curriculum Coordinator and Academic Director for a group of local bilingual preschools, developing curriculum and teacher training programs to support joyful, creative learning.

Lorraine and her husband moved to San Francisco in 2014 when she joined the PKS community as a kindergarten teacher. She loves being a language learner and problem-solver along with her students and colleagues.

Simona Chongo | 钟文慧, Head of Preschool

Simona has led the innovative Presidio Knolls early childhood education program since 2009, shortly after the school’s founding. As a parent, former Board member, and school leader, she has played a central role in creating the warm, loving environment that makes the PKS preschool such a special place. She is passionate about children and works tirelessly with our parent association and staff to create a respectful, diverse, and vibrant community. She is especially committed to fostering our twin goals of progressive Reggio-Emilia inspired education and Mandarin immersion.

Simona and her husband have two daughters who are being raised in English, Mandarin, and Romanian. Her family enjoys traveling around the world in the summer and skiing during PKS breaks.

Simona has a BA in Languages and Literature with an emphasis in American Cultural Studies, as well as teaching credentials from Bucharest University in Bucharest, Romania. She is fluent in English, Romanian, and French and loves practicing her Italian and Spanish every chance she gets.

Mike Levy | 李维义, Head of Middle School (5-8)

Mike has spent his career educating students around the world -- he has taught history, literature, economics, and Chinese in the United States, Israel, and China.

Mike began his career teaching in Quaker schools in the Philadelphia area. He then moved to China as a Peace Corps Volunteer and taught at Guizhou University.  After returning to the U.S., Mike taught at Saint Paul’s School in New Hampshire, and Saint Ann’s school in Brooklyn. Before joining PKS, he helped open Avenues: The World School in New York City, and was the founding member of their start-up team in Beijing.

Along with his teaching, Mike is also an author. His memoir, Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching, and Eating with China’s Other Billion, won multiple literary awards and was a New York Times bestseller. His shorter work has appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines, and newspapers.

Mike graduated from Cornell University in 1998 with a BA in philosophy and religious studies. He met his wife, Ines, in his freshman dorm. They have two children in the PKS Elementary School. Mike received his MAT from Columbia University’s Teachers College. He has also studied at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel.