Resilience and Teamwork

Shane Owen, Head of Year 7 groups through a carousel of activities which included snorkel training, beach sports, games and probably the most

And we’re off! The tyres of the popular of all, the safety tour. The aim buses started rolling away throughout the week was to encourage from the Bangkok Patana students to meet new people and gates leaving crowds of parents develop friendships, work in teams and waving off their loved ones. On the develop resilience and leadership skills. inside of the bus windows, smudges The evening activity was a quiz with could be seen as students pressed the most difficult question being, “Will their faces against the glass, trying to students sleep well this evening?” get a final glimpse of their parents/ As the sun slowly rose above the caregivers. This was evidence that clouds, students also slowly rose from the eagerly anticipated Residential their rooms to start the first morning had begun. The sugary snacks soon with a buffet breakfast. Credit must be followed. given to students as they all arrived on

We arrived at Rayong Chalet time, some even early, with very little Resort around 11.00 am and prompting or knocking. This either says students checked in, had lunch something about the quality of rooms, and were briefed. Following this, quality of breakfast, or quality of students students worked in their activity nurtured here at Bangkok Patana. Wild Planet gave their instructions and students gathered their belongings for their respective activities. Daily activities included kayaking, Thai cooking, ecoorienteering, visiting the Turtle Sanctuary or snorkeling and reef exploration.

The post-residential survey showed that all activities were enjoyed with kayaking and snorkelling being slight favourites. The survey also highlighted Tuesday evening’s activity, ‘Trash to Fash’ as the most favourable evening activity by some distance. It was safe to say that any Monday evening jitters were soon forgotten when handed with a bag of trash to re-create Paris Fashion Week in the Residential Conference Centre. This event we called ‘Trash to Fash’. With the famous Tik Tok hit ‘Say So’ by Doja Cat queued on the sound system, our finalists paraded in their fashionable attire made

from reusable trash with ambitions of appeasing the expert judging panel. After a close fought final, we found an eventual winner who was crowned the Trash to Fash winner 2020. The prize - a bag of sweets.

Day 3 and 4 followed the same format as Day 2 with students rotating activities but remaining in the group with the same students. Typically, students left the resort around 9.00 am and returned at 4.00 – 4.30 pm for free time until dinner. Activities offered during free time were the Sea, Swimming Pool, Games Room, the Beach and the Restaurant. It was great to see students playing and interacting during free time and allowing time for staff to bond with students in a different setting. We were fortunate enough to have excellent weather during the evenings which meant all activities could go ahead. Wednesday evening was Film Night with the Disney film, ’Mulan’.

On Thursday, the group of students visiting the Turtle Sanctuary delivered the money that had been raised during the Bake Sale for The Rayong Turtle Conservation Centre. I am pleased to say that we raised over THB 35,000 and I thank every person for their contribution to this fantastic achievement.

Thursday was also the day that carried probably the most hype and anticipation. With Mr Stewart due to open the Disco at 7.00 pm, with a playlist of student selected songs, it was clear that excitement was running high. Because of this, it started slightly early. The Disco was the main talking point amongst the kayaking group this day up until Mrs Richards capsized and was unable to get back into her kayak. Thank you to Mrs Richards for diverting some of the attention away from the fast approaching disco that evening.

As the remains from the disco the night before were cleared up, students woke for their final breakfast at Rayong Chalet Resort. To show appreciation, each group leader made a final morning speech and awarded their Star of the Week Certificate. I have to say that these were extremely difficult to choose based on the quality of effort shown by all throughout the week. A big thank you goes to Dan Baker who gave a thank you speech to all staff at Rayong Chalet speaking in both Thai and English. The journey back was a little quieter and sleepier than going, which shows the Residential, at least, met some needs of the students.