The Termly Magazine of Bangkok Patana School Bangkok Patana Magazine
Bangkok Patana
Magazine
Issue 48 Term 2, March 2016
Residential Visit Issue
Primary
Secondary
Cross Campus
Signing for Learning in the Foundation Stage
Past, Present and Future at the SEASAC Arts Festival
Environmental Action
TERM 2/2016
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SECONDARY
Contents
Issue 48, Term 2, March 2016
PRIMARY 6 Signing for Learning in the Foundation Stage 10 Year 3: First in Memories 12 Year 4: Adventure Playground 14 Year 5: Experiences in Khao Yai 16 Year 6: A LifeChanging Week
SECONDARY 20 Year 7: Rewards and Challenges 22 Year 8: A Trip to Kanchanaburi 24 Year 9: It’s Been Great for Risk-takers 26 Year 10: Rewards and Challenges 28 Year 12: Theory of Knowledge 30 Past, Present and Future at the SEASAC Arts Festival CROSS CAMPUS 18 Fun Day 32 Environmental Action 34 Season 2 Sports Round Up 36 Alumni Profile: Mark McDowell, Class of 2008 38 Bangkok and London Alumni Reunions
Cover image by James Penstone, Cross Campus Principal
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Bangkok Patana Magazine
Foreword
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UK schools’ inspector once remarked to me that the worst schools were those which were complacent; schools who congratulated themselves on their apparent academic success and carried on in the same old way, doing the same old things. There was no breadth of learning experience to allow the students to feel excitement and challenge. These were the schools which were truly failing their pupils. In my opinion, Bangkok Patana School could never be labelled complacent; it has consistently looked for improvement in environment, curriculum and its staff development programme and has employed well qualified staff, eager to meet new challenges. As I look through publications like this from Bangkok Patana School, I am always amazed at the breadth and depth of the learning opportunities offered to our students. It reflects the enthusiasm and drive which underpins learning at the school. Trips outside of school remind us that learning experiences take place everywhere and are often more memorable in an unfamiliar location. Hands-on learning provides motivation and inspiration as well as embedding the lesson in our memory. Residential Visits not only focus on our academic learning but they also help us to grow as independent and socially aware people. Learning to share a room with others outside your family and trying unfamiliar foods is challenging. The young child who can now remember their water bottle, sun cream, booklet, pencil and snack starts to learn how to be better organised and more responsible in all aspects of their life at home and school.
After 24 years of school trips at Bangkok Patana School, ranging from luxury resorts to wooden dormitories, it never ceases to amaze me how children grow in confidence and independence during the trip. Memories include the child who didn’t recognise his shoes because they were dirty, a student’s room key disappearing into the undergrowth during the night safari and finding children huddled together on a cold night with the air conditioning on full. I remember watching someone cling to the pole as the raft drifted off without them (only shallow water). In the hill tribes of Northern Thailand, we slept on the floor of a small school and met the man with the world’s longest hair. While the children slept peacefully, I learned how to exist without sleep on a noisy train or in a small tent listening to another teacher snoring,
five tents away. Those shared learning experiences provided laughter and memories, as well as introducing us to new skills and information. Most importantly, they helped me to understand and empathise with the students as learners. Twenty-four years is a long time but not when you’re constantly seeking to improve and move forwards in your understanding of learning. In education, we can congratulate ourselves on our achievements but we must be continually looking for new ways to inspire and motivate the students in an ever changing modern world. At Bangkok Patana School, as in any dynamic school, there is never room for complacency; the challenge can only be met by seeking to constantly improve the quality, depth and relevance of the learning experience. – Jane Monks, Support Teacher
643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna, Bangkok 10260, Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 Email: reception@patana.ac.th www.patana.ac.th
Editor: Rebecca Meadows Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Email: reme@patana.ac.th Advertisement: Finn Balslev Tel: +66 (0) 2943 7166-8 Email: finn@scandmedia.com
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Bangkok Patana Magazine is the termly publication of Bangkok Patana School published three times per year and distributed to 2,000 members of the School community. Reproduction of articles, artwork and illustrations by written permission only. TERM 2/2016
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PRIMARY
SIGNING FOR LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE Helen Ford
Speech and Language Therapist
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ost of us know a little bit about signing. We might have seen someone signing at the bottom of our TV screens or noticed people animatedly but silently “talking” with sign language when we were out and about. Recently for example, I noticed that many of the street vendors at the touristy end of Sukhumvit Road, use sign language. Mainly, we think of signing as being a useful way for deaf people to communicate, which indeed it is. However, recently it has been increasingly recognised as an extremely useful tool to help language development and learning in children who have perfectly normal hearing. In 1999, Dr Joseph Garcia opened the world’s eyes when he published his 6
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Julie Kelly
Senior Teacher, Leading Learning in Foundation Stage
ground-breaking book, ‘Signing With Your Baby’, which surprised many people by quickly becoming a best seller on Amazon. More recently, in the UK, ‘Sign 4 Learning’ has been developed by Susan Thomas, Senior Early Years Consultant and Katja O’Neil, a qualified British Sign Language signer. Sign 4 Learning uses signs taken from British Sign Language and was developed to help support the language and communication of children in the Early Years setting. Research in a number of different schools has shown it to be very successful in increasing targeted vocabulary in children with normal hearing. Signing helps children learn because it adds another dimension to the learning process; the children do not just hear
and say the new word, they are also ‘doing’ the word. The physical aspect of ‘doing’ enhances the learning process by using different parts of the child’s brain in the acquisition of vocabulary and the learning of concepts. It is important to remember that signing MUST be accompanied by the spoken word. In 2014, the Learning Support team piloted an eight week programme of signing with a small group of children in Nursery and spurred on by its success, we gradually introduced signing throughout the whole of the Foundation Stage. We began by inviting Sue and Katja to provide a two-day training course for all Foundation Stage staff in May 2015. The first language area we targeted was
PRIMARY
“Signing has enriched my teaching and has become a very natural part of my practice.” Teacher “It has been amazing to see the progress of one of my students with no English at the beginning of the academic year. He is now using mathematical language every day in his play alongside the sign language.” Teacher “We use signing in our family to help the children understand feelings and how actions can make people feel.” Parent “We use signing at home to teach our boys to solve problems when they are playing.” Parent
narrative, or story-telling. This is a critical area of Early Years language development because without these skills, children are unable to talk about what they have done at school, at the weekend or relate to stories about what their friends have done. Research has shown that “there is a strong, statistical link between a person’s vocabulary knowledge and students’ comprehension ability; and there’s a very strong link between these two and academic success,” (Nancy Padak, 2008). Key signed vocabulary that our children have learnt includes ‘once upon a time’, connectives such as ‘first’, ‘next’, ‘after that’, and words which make our stories more interesting such as ‘suddenly’, ‘unfortunately’, ‘so’ and ‘but’. Recently, we have started to introduce signing to support mathematical
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development. Researchers in the UK are aware that often children under-perform in Mathematics, not because they don’t have the mathematical ability, but because they don’t have the mathematical language. To address this we are using signs to teach positional language, (‘on’, ‘under’, ‘behind’, ‘next to’), the language of addition and subtraction (add, take away, more than, less than, all together), the language of shapes (pointy, flat sides, curved sides, long side, short side) and some comparative language (‘few, fewer, fewest’, ‘big, bigger, biggest’). Our third targeted language area is the expression of emotions. Young children can find managing their feelings and behaviour challenging and through signing we have been able to encourage them to express
“I have noticed my three year old sharing his feelings with us more regularly using words and signs rather than becoming frustrated and upset.” Parent “My daughter now uses some of the time connectives in her story telling that we encourage older children to use in their writing”. Parent
their emotions with a much wider range of words than the obvious ‘happy’ and ‘sad’. The programme uses dolls and signed stories to help the children learn about concepts such as sharing, being kind, taking turns and losing. The further we go on this journey into signing, the more we are realising how powerful it can be to support and develop the children’s learning in all areas of the curriculum. We’ve learned that signing has the power to hold the children’s focus and attention in a way we hadn’t expected and, as a result, we have seen significant improvements in the students’ engagement with their learning. It’s wonderful to hear our very young children talking about feeling ‘excited’ or ‘frustrated’ or describing something as ‘disastrous’ and to listen to them re-tell fairy tales using ‘after that’ rather than ‘and then’. It’s also wonderful to overhear young, Foundation Stage children talking to each other about making ‘good choices’, ‘bad choices’ and ‘sharing’. If you would like to have a go at signing for yourself – ask a child in the Foundation Stage!
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PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL VISIT
Year 3: First IN Memories Emma Woodhouse
Assistant Leader of Learning, Year 3
This year saw Year 3 return to the Royal Varuna Yacht Club at Jomtien Beach. Their first Residential Visit always generates a huge mixture of excitement, wonder and trepidation.
Dear Diary, We were extremely excited to go to the Royal Varuna Yacht Club on our first ever amazing Residential Visit! We were looking forward to finally getting to eat the scrumptious picnics that we had packed in our day packs. Other questions rolling around in our brains were: • What would the Royal Varuna Yacht Club look like? Would there be a nice view? • What would the rooms look like? • What fabulous food would we eat there? • What tremendous talents would we see at the Talent Show? • What activities were waiting for us? Would there be games? Would we have time to play or would it be work, work, work? The night before we left, most of us went to bed super excited but a little nervous about
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leaving our families for two whole nights. In fact, some of us did not manage to get to sleep early at all – we were so thrilled to be going. (3M) Dear Diary, On Monday, we went to the Royal Varuna Yacht Club on our Residential Visit. We had packed our suitcases and put them in the back of the bus ready for the exciting journey ahead! Some of us were feeling nervous but happy at the same time. We hugged and waved to our mums and dads and set off on our way! We arrived safely and were very happy and hungry, so we ate our delicious packed lunch on the grass and talked to our picnic friends, it was yummy! We were ready for a fun packed day ahead. (3E) Dear Diary, Finally it was time to see our rooms. We excitedly explored and had a little of bit of time
to settle in and get ready for some swimming or playing – it was all a bit too exciting for Lily and she fell into her suitcase (it’s ok, we didn’t leave her there!). After our playtime, we were sent on a fun treasure hunt. Some bits were quite hard and we had to use the different skills in our group. At the end of the day we all felt very tired and soon fell asleep despite the squeaky bunk beds. (3R) Dear Diary, Knock, knock. “Breakfast is ready!” cried Mr Bart as I sleepily rubbed my eyes. Jumping out of bed, I quickly got dressed, had a wash and brushed my teeth. We had breakfast and it was DELICIOUS. I had chocolate cereal, then eggs, beans and bacon. Room inspections were coming up next, and I, along with my roommates were in for a shock! We tidied our room, decorated it with sweet smelling flowers and even tried to bribe the judges with some candy but we weren’t prepared for an
Bangkok Patana Magazine
on the spot inspection, clean nails, shiny teeth – oh no, there was no way we were going to pass this one! Luckily, room inspection went much better than we expected and before we knew it we were heading to the beach for a survival quest, kite-making and shelter building. We went for a paddle in the sea afterwards, it was lots of fun. Gotta go, time for swimming! (3K) Dear Diary, After lunch we played at the beach whilst some of us did watercolour painting on the veranda. At the beach, we splashed in the waves and a few of us built epic sand castles. It was so cool! We even caught a crab and tried to eat it…only joking! Two of us chose to paint the landscape with Miss Ishanti. It was very relaxing and the view was lush! That’s what happened in the afternoon and we loved it. I’ll tell you later what we did after that. (3C)
Dear Diary, Wow, I was amazed at the talent on display at the Talent Show this evening. Both magic shows were brilliant and at the same time very funny. We all roared with laughter when the boys pulled lights out of their noses and ears. The singing and dancing acts were brilliant and encouraged many of us to have a go next year. The most unusual act was a drawing lesson, we didn’t know what to expect but it was excellent! Everyone was impressed at how talented and confident the artist was. As for the finale, well, who doesn’t love a hula hoop act? (3S) Dear Diary, On the morning of the third and last day we woke up feeling slightly sad… we had enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn’t want to leave! It was a beautiful sunny day, and as we guzzled our final delicious breakfast, we gazed out over the sea thinking of all the wonderful times we’d shared. Next, it was time for
the final room inspection. Some of the rooms were a little bit messy at the start of the day, but by room inspection time they were all looking beautifully clean and shiny. Before leaving, we had a prize giving ceremony on the steps, including a prize for best t-shirt and best talent show entry. (3N) Dear Diary, Before leaving, we had a quick snack of a mouth-watering brownie and yummy chocolate milk. It was a bit of a sugar over-load! When the driver told us it was time to set off, we got into our bus groups. Some of us went on the minibus and the rest of us went on the enormous double-decker. We spent the journey singing, reading and playing games. We felt bittersweet about coming home – we wanted to stay longer but were also extremely excited to see our family! Bye bye and so long Veruna Yacht Club, hopefully we will meet again soon! (3H)
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PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL VISIT
Year 4: adventure playground Jennifer Laird
Assistant Leader of Learning, Year 4
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n the Year 4 Residential the students practised working as a team, being caring towards others and communicating well. On the first day we stayed at school. The children had to build tents on the Adventure Playground using bamboo sticks, string and green material. This meant sharing ideas to build a strong tent so they wouldn’t get wet when the teachers sprayed the hose at the groups! Afterwards, they did a treasure hunt, hunting around the Primary School to try and find different letters following the clues given by the teachers. After finding all the letters, the students tried to rearrange them to spell out the mystery word. They also went swimming which was great fun, playing with the rubber toys and diving off the blocks. On Tuesday Year 4 were ready to go! Everyone put their bags at the front of school and got onto the bus excited to set off to Kanchanaburi. On the bus, the students began to eat their snacks but had to be careful not to drink too much because there was only one stop! Finally we arrived at the Felix Resort, which was absolutely beautiful. Even after eating so many snacks
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on the journey, that didn’t stop everyone tucking into the lunch that was waiting – there was vegetables, fruit and even pastries. After that we all checked out the rooms that would be our homes for the week. They were much bigger than expected and the beds were huge! The students spent the afternoon playing games and swimming, before heading to quiz night where they showed off their knowledge of TV, literature and sport and even won some cool prizes. Year 4 split up for some of Wednesday and Thursday as each group took turns going on two different days out. On one day, the group set out to the Wat Tam caves that were much bigger than they sound! The cave is really lots of different rooms, which contained religious statues and shrines. Some of the children were very surprised by how many bats there were. They flew around the caves very quickly and everyone was amazed that they didn’t fly into us or each other. Once out of the caves, the group went shopping at the local market where the students bought souvenirs for their families and ice-creams! On the second day out, we set off to
Prasat Muang Singh, which is a very beautiful temple. Once there, the students did some sketching and used the art skills they had been practising in class to draw some very impressive drawings. Then we visited the Sai Yok waterfall before boarding the train that took the group part of the way home. The views from the train were amazing but it was a bit bumpy. During the evenings, it was great to have the whole group together again. On Wednesday night there was a talent show with lots of different acts like dancing, singing, magic shows and clowns. Some of the students got to be the MC’s and ran the show (with some help from the teachers). There was also a disco which gave everyone the chance to dress up in their best clothes – Year 4 looked amazing. The students were very surprised to find out that some of the teachers were actually good dancers! On Friday morning, the group headed back to Bangkok after breakfast. Although everyone was really looking forward to seeing their families, many of us wanted to go back again the following week. We can’t wait until next year!
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SR P E ICMOANR D Y ARREYS I D E N T I A L V I S I T
Year 5: experiences in Khao Yai Steven Rhodes
Assistant Leader of Learning, Year 5
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ometimes there is no substitute for real life experiences in the wider world. The Year 5 Residential Visit to Khao Yai provides a great opportunity for children to gain such experiences and face a range of challenges that make a significant contribution to a child’s personal development. The Year 5 Residential Visit is a major contributor to the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills. By continuing our studies of rivers and rainforests, the children were able to explore the hidden treasures of a tropical rainforest. The rainforest is a huge contrast of sights and sounds compared to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and the children came to understand how animals use the trails to move through the forest. They investigated the signs that indicate an animal’s presence, from finding and identifying the footprints of animals, to discovering scratch marks on the trunks of trees that animals had made. The students also came to appreciate the natural cycle of the forest. They learnt that trees die and fall, 14
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that termites break down the wood which will eventually turn into soil. “I’ve learnt that when trees fall down, termites eat the trees. It was my first time in the rainforest and it was not as hot as I expected it to be. It was really fun.” – Puinune, 5R “I was surprised that we got to see gibbons! We were all shocked because gibbons are an endangered species. We were very lucky to see them.” – Fame, 5T
At the river, students demonstrated their collaborative skills when measuring its depth at different points. They learnt the need for repeated measurements when gathering data about the speed of the river water and they used classification keys to identify the river creatures found during a pond-dipping exercise. The children were then able to use their findings and learn how clean the river water was. They also created a collage using things
found naturally in the environment and visited Haew Suwat Waterfall to explore their writing skills and use of figurative language. “I enjoyed the day at the river. I learnt about the different animals that live in the river. I also enjoyed the trip to the waterfall because my friends and I took a lot of photographs together.” – Sophie, 5S “The river study was an enjoyable experience because we got to have fun, splash around and learn about the speed, depth and life in the river.” – Minju, Ella and Amelia, 5C
The third activity was a visit to the Plant-A-Tree-Today (PATT) Foundation where children were educated in the importance of preserving the rainforest and understanding the life cycle of plants. Later in the day the children helped reforest an area close to the edge of the National Park boundary. In total, Year 5 planted 548
Bangkok Patana Magazine
trees! Over time, and as the trees grow and mature, wildlife will slowly reappear as they forage in search of food in this newlyexpanded area of the rainforest. “I learnt how to pot plants and that near the edges of the rainforest people have planted trees that are not local to Thailand and there are not a lot of animals there anymore. We planted local trees to encourage animals.” Sadie, 5H “I really liked the ‘PATT’ day because we got to plant our own trees to save nature. I thought that it was very nice to plant our own tree and write a special message to someone we care about. After PATT we got an ice cream for our treat.” Haruna, 5O
In addition to new knowledge and skills learned, living in a Residential community allows the children to see their friends, peers and teachers in a whole new dimension. Teachers danced at the disco,
participated in a quiz night and dressed up to adopt roles as judges for the talent show. Likewise, the students could showcase their singing, dancing, comedy and magic skills during the talent show. It was a great opportunity for children to show their hidden skills and talents. The Residential also improved the children’s interpersonal skills, including leadership, teamwork, trust and respect. They were given responsibilities that developed their independence and thinking skills. They were expected to keep their rooms tidy and ordered, to organise their day-pack for the day’s activities and to ensure that one person from each room was responsible for keeping the room key safe. The students learnt to look after their own and each other’s belongings. The games and quiz nights promoted teamwork and collaboration. Children worked together to overcome obstacles and listened to each other’s ideas and opinions before coming to a joint decision.
“My favourite part of the Residential was Plant-a-Tree-Today and the night safari. I learned about different plants and I also got to see elephants.” Elyse, 5W
Finally, the Year 5 Residential gave the opportunity for the children to grow in self-confidence and to improve their selfesteem. They pushed beyond their comfort zones, took risks and tryed out new activities or tasted new foods. Their relationships with their peers will have become stronger and more understanding. Overall the positive experiences gained outside of the classroom will have been life-changing, and will provide many happy memories for years to come. “I really thought the Residential was fabulous, partly because it was my first ever time on a Residential of any sort. I thought it was a brilliant learning experience and lots of fun.” Jaxon, 5I
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PRIMARY RESIDENTIAL VISIT
Year 6: A Life-Changing Week Duncan Ferguson
Assistant Leader of Learning, Year 6
This article contains an important message... can you find it? THINK hard. Do you make sensible environmental choices? Students in Year 6 explored Human Impact during their Residential Visit to Chanthaburi. It was an incredible five days, combining field study, games and adventurous outdoor pursuits. CAREFULLY planned activities such as beach rubbish clearance, a visit to a fishing village, investigation of mangrove habitats and games based upon sustainability ensured that the students came away from the visit reflecting on how they can positively impact the future of our planet. ABOUT a quarter of the trip involved a visit to Khao Kitchikut National Park. Students learnt about the local wildlife, tourism, air quality indicators and also took part in jungle cooking before camping in tents in a beautiful clearing next to a lake. What an experience! HOW do mangroves help protect our coastlines? This was one of the issues explored on our visit to the mangrove boardwalks. These trees are crucial as breeding grounds for wildlife, in preventing erosion and also protecting us from storms, waves and flooding. THE students further explored this environment when they took part in kayaking through the mangrove swamps and out into the bay. This required teamwork, strong communication, strength and determination. It was a very popular activity. ENVIRONMENTAL issues remained at the forefront throughout the week. A visit to an aquarium enabled students to explore arguments for and against keeping marine life in tanks. When students visited the shark conservation area on the coast, they saw further local marine life and talked about sustainable fishing.
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CHOICES about packaging were often discussed throughout the week. During the beach rubbish clearance, students learnt about the time taken for different materials to decompose. Plastic and polystyrene were definitely the worst offenders; many have decided to rethink their buying choices as a result of what they learnt.
IMPACT will obviously be greater if more people pledge to help. The depth of thought from this Year group has been very impressive; they have suggested creative solutions to problems identified around the school since we returned. The constant focus of the Residential on the world around us tied it together as a very poignant week.
YOU too could change your habits. There are some shocking statistics about the future of our planet if current trends continue.
OUR final evening was spent sharing talents around a camp-fire. Students told jokes, sang, danced and performed plays before toasting marshmallows on sticks and heading off to bed, tired but happy. The week was over but students had learnt a great deal about their environment and themselves.
MAKE a pledge. It doesn’t have to be a huge change. Every little helps. Upon returning to school, students continued their learning about Human Impact and all have pledged to make a change which will reduce their carbon footprint. WILL this make a difference? If they stick to their pledges and spread the word, then yes.
FUTURE generations will hopefully continue to learn and improve. Thinking globally and questioning our approaches will benefit us all. Well done to all the students for taking risks, being inquirers, reflecting and, most of all, for caring.
Bangkok Patana Magazine
“The Year 6 Residential was unforgettable because I had not tried lots of things before and I really enjoyed them such as kayaking. I feel I also got better at working with other people in different activities and became less shy.” Emaan, 6O “I enjoyed the Year 6 Residential so much because it was a trip I will never forget due to the fact that I participated in things I have never done before and was not sure I would like them such as camping and cooking. Turns out I did!” Shawn, 6O
“Whenever I think of Resi, the first thing that pops into my head is YAY!” Nicole, 6G “Resi was fun because there were a lot of things to do; I loved kayaking!” Baxter, 6G “After that Residential, I shall definitely cut down on plastic!” Harry, 6F “During Residential, I learnt that polystyrene never breaks down. This makes me want to recycle more and use less polystyrene.” Meja, 6F
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S ER C C OO SN S DCAARMY P U S
FUN Day
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SECONDARY RESIDENTIAL VISIT
Year 7: rewards and challenges Owen McDevitt Head of Year 7
Most of us exist for most of the time in worlds which are humanly arranged, themed and controlled. One forgets that there are environments which do not respond to the flick of a switch or the twist of a dial, and which have their own rhythms and orders of existence. – Robert Macfarlane
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he opportunity to get away from the rigours of day-to-day school life is a valuable and integral part of our academic year at Bangkok Patana School and as such, the Residential Visits are usually greeted with both enthusiasm, eagerness and a small dose of anxiety, from both students and staff. For the Year 7 students, there is also the added expectation that somehow things will be different this year, as they are no longer part of the Primary School and whilst the Residential experience itself is not new, the thrill of newlygranted Secondary School independence offers both rewards and challenges during this week. Rayong has been the location for the Year 7 Residential Visit for several years now, although this was only our second visit to Rayong Chalet Resort, nestled snugly on the beach facing Samet Island. On arrival and after assigning keys, several fire drills and lunch, we kicked off the activities with a round robin of various tasks designed to engage and entertain the students, as well as hopefully breaking any ice that needed to be broken within the residential groups. As each group consists of several students from different tutor groups, the first day’s activities are always important for setting the expectations for the week ahead. Each morning, after a hearty breakfast of champions (and a for long wait for bacon for some), the six student groups would head off to their activities for the day, which comprised snorkelling, a nature trek with a focus on Year 7 Geography, kayaking, a visit to a turtle reservation and a Thai cooking lesson. The activities are designed to be both challenging, engaging and fun and we’re supported on the
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activities by Wild Planet, adventure activity operators. The snorkelling consisted of a full day out on a boat with snorkelling offered at different sites around the island of Koh Talu and lunch on the boat. Kayaking and Thai cooking were paired with each other, meaning that students would complete one activity in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The same arrangement applied to the visit to the turtle sanctuary and a nature trek with links to Year 7 Geography and led by Mr Keith Wright. The evening activities trod a wellknown Bangkok Patana School path and consisted of a quiz, a trash to fashion show, a talent show and the hottest-ticket of the week, the disco. There were also astronomical opportunities every evening for the students via a telescope that was manned and operated by Mr Romeu Barros. After
the evening activities, the students would regroup in the conference centre for some guided reflection and journal writing before heading off to bed. From my perspective, as the Head of Year 7, the Residential was a great success. Both students and staff appeared to enjoy themselves enormously, even if a few of us were rather homesick at times. There were challenges throughout the week; however, overall, those challenges were met with gusto, good-humour and determination. The week wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the wonderful Year 7 tutors, the fantastic teachers, the busy nurses, Miss Lena Perriam – Senior Teacher, Key Stage 3 (Student Welfare), Khun Tong and our energetic, boisterous, engaging, good humoured, talented, thoughtful, tireless, tiring Year 7 students.
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SECONDARY RESIDENTIAL VISIT
Year 8: A trip to Kanchanaburi Tim Jarrett
Head of Year 8
“On the Year 8 Residential this year we went to Kanchanaburi, a province in the west of Thailand. During this trip, we experienced new things and met new people, learning new skills along the way. Overall, the trip was a great way to learn and most of all, have fun! Arriving at school bright and early on Monday, I was wearing my Residential T-shirt, a beautiful design that really reflected our upcoming trip. Excited and prepared, I dropped off my bag at the drop. The
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bus journey was roughly four hours, which seemed quite long. But that didn’t mean it was not fun! It gave us time to chat with friends and, luckily, we prepared lots of snacks, meaning we had a lot to eat! My first impressions of the hotel were very good. There were spacious rooms and lots of places to hang out during free-time. The swimming was especially good because we were playing water sports, like monkey in the middle. The food was very good and there was a lot to choose from, meaning
you could try something new every day. The Residential activities this year were outstanding. Every day, there would be something different, and each of these activities would work on a different skill. For example, the Museum and Cemetery (two places to commemorate the dead prisoners of war during the Second World War) taught us the valuable history about Thailand and the rest of the world. It also fit very nicely into our History topic: Clash of Cultures.” – Charles Golsby, 8H
Bangkok Patana Magazine
“The third day was finally our turn to go to the Erawan Falls. For me, it was the best moment of Residential because the sight and the slides, really paid off for the one hour and fifteen minute drive there! We went on the second and fifth level and they were both amazing!!! We were having so much fun that the icy water didn’t even bother us. We then had our packed lunch, which was chicken and a sandwich with some bananas. Once we were back to the hotel, we had the obstacle course which
was great fun and also a new activity! That evening, we had the quiz night and were very entertained by either Mr Jarrett when he was young or Dr Tooley’s ear! On the fourth day, we went to Hellfire Pass, planted trees and made check dams. In the morning, we went to a forest and we each planted some trees to help the forest and the natives. We also built check dams so that the forest is alimented with water all year long. We ate lunch at the River Kwai Village Resort and then went to Hellfire Pass.
We first visited the museum to give us some background information about the POWs and how they lived and what they ate etc. We then went down path to arrive to Hellfire Pass. On our way back up we had to climb a lot of stairs! On the fifth and final day, we made our way back to school. Residential was brilliant fun and I made a lot of new friends and developed a lot of skills such as bravery and communication. I hope next year will be even better!” – Isuare Echivard, 8D
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Year 9: It’s been great for risk-takers Matt Jones
Head of Year 9
“Year 9 travelled by plane to Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand and on to Mae Taeng. Everyone participated in various activities including: white-water rafting, kayaking, cycling, archery, trekking, and camping. Most of Year 9 have never experienced these activities and all were great risk-takers. Two groups went camping each night at a campsite by the river. The next day they went down the river rapids in rafts before heading back to the resort. Archery took place at the resort and then a geo-caching trek was led up into the forest and up hills. Cycling and kayaking both took place in a beautiful national park nearby, either next to or on a huge lake. Students and staff tended to spend as much time in the water as they did on their kayaks! The Residential Visit wasn’t only about the activities, though. It was also about working with new people in various activities. Many Year 9s also survived the ‘trauma’ of living a few days without their phones and internet. It’s not like there’s much opportunity for that these days.” – Simran, Elena, Hamna and Phoebe, 9R
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Bangkok Patana Magazine
“The highlight of the week for us was the white-water rafting where we were split into groups of six and allocated an experienced white water raft guide. Our guide was called ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’! White-water rafting was a cool experience for first timers, although some people did fall out of the raft. Thankfully we stayed calm and in the ‘cocktail position’ as instructed.” – Mars, Alisa and Enaara, 9T “We all also enjoyed the range of evening activities. On behalf of Year 9, we would like thank Ms MacRitchie for a wonderful Scottish Dance Night, the Junior Delegates for the competitive Quiz Night and Mr Jones for the chance to unwind on the first night with a movie linked to the Key Stage 3 assembly the week before. This Residential would not have been as enjoyable if it were not for the wonderful teachers who took care of us and enjoyed the exciting activities with us. Thank you to everyone who came and especially to the trip organisers who put in such an incredible amount of effort.” – Simran, Elena, Hamna and Phoebe, 9R “I thought the Residential was amazing fun and helped me gain confidence…along with some bruises.” Rebecca, 9G “Residential was amazingly awesome!” Oak, 9R “Loved making new friendships and strengthening old ones.” Moniqa, 9R “Best Residential we’ve had so far. I felt sad when it was over.” Poom, 9G
What did Mr Jones learn about his Grad 2020 Year group? 1. That so many of them could get so into capsizing each other on the lake, and that they could’ve happily carried on doing that all week. 2. That they can get ‘into character’ so quickly: so many instant Katniss Everdines during archery. 3. That they get excited by Beng Bengs. 4. That they burst out laughing at the word “meat”. 5. That they need to substitute their technology for playing cards and in doing so prompt the airline stewardesses to question this apparent ‘obsession’. But most importantly, he learned that they don’t need much encouragement to get involved. This is a group of young people who are willing to give something a go and in doing so, they make sure that everyone’s having fun in the process.
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Year 10: rewards and challenges Monique Robinson, 10T
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he Residential Visit this year was amazing. We went to Pak Chong and the whole trip was based around a Tribal theme. We were each given bandanas to match the colour of our tribes. Each tribe had a name and a motto and during the opening ceremony we performed our chants, which we had previously rehearsed at school. Every tribe performed with a positive energy and it really set the tone for the rest of the Residential. We had a range of different activities planned for the week and each day was different. The survival games were so much fun; we were split into groups and were challenged to build a catapult and a shelter that could survive ‘serious weather conditions’ (i.e. teachers throwing buckets of water!). We were soaked and then proceeded to fill up water balloons to get our own back – it was a lot of fun for everyone. Another big part of the Residential was the trek. We covered roughly 27 km over a day and a half. A few groups covered even more distance due to going off the track and then having the challenge of finding their way back! This was our first experience of navigating, using compass bearings and walking such a long distance in the open countryside, not to mention the intense heat. Many people came back feeling the effects of carrying a heavy pack and a bit dehydrated but spirits were high as we set to cooking our own evening meal on the trangias. The evening activities were all fantastic
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and included a movie, Trash to Fash and Challenge Night. However, the most fun anyone had on the trip was Games Night. Mr Thombs designed more than 20 mini games for us to go head-to-head against one another with a competitor from each of the ten teams. They ranged from ‘Chubby Bunny’ (who could fit the most marshmallows in their mouth) to ‘Angry’ where competitors were transformed into elephants by using a pair of tights and a tennis ball to challenge one another. As you can guess from the creative game names we had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for!
At the end of the week we had the ‘Warrior of Week’ awards handed out by the tribe leaders. These were to recognise those students in each tribe who had shown great character and really contributed to the spirit of the Residential. It was a really nice way to celebrate what had been a fantastic week. The theme made everyone in their tribes feel like a small family; the flags, the chants and all the activities really brought us closer. The week in Pak Chong was amazing, and although we didn’t think it was possible, it definitely topped last year!
Bangkok Patana Magazine
“I have too many fond memories to count but one stands out the most and that was the trek. It gave me plenty of time to socialise with my group and build new relationships.” – Luke Mitchell, 10 “This was my first Residential Visit at Bangkok Patana School and I was not expecting it to be this fun. I honestly thought it would be sleep, eat, do activities and repeat. It was so much fun and so varied; working with groups to make catapults, karaoke, water parks and of course the famous trek. Year 10 Residential Visit is one not to miss and one I will never forget.” – Mark Kielnhofer, 10S “During all of our activities we had the chance to bond with new people, people we don’t usually have the chance to talk to and enjoy a week of freedom. We were given more independence throughout the week, which taught us to be on time and responsible but it also meant we had the joy of not being controlled. As we left the resort, all of us wished we could repeat that week all over again.” – Jasmina Barron, 10V “The activities and games on this year’s Residential Visit were selected very well and I had fun in all of them! Personally, I enjoyed the activities we had in the evening, especially Games Night.” – Natalie Sprenger, 10G “The trek was one of the most memorable parts of Residential. It was an amazing experience, ranging from learning to cook on a trangia, to working in a group with people I wasn’t previously close with. Year 10 had truly gone tribal this year!” – Krating Khemkhon, 10C
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Year 12: Theory of Knowledge Benjada (Nucky) Korprasertsri, 12M
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t was rumoured that the Theory of Knowledge Residential Visit was the most boring of all so it wasn’t a surprise that on the morning of November 16th, the atmosphere in Senior Studies was a mixture of excitement and anxiety. At 9:00am, the bus left for Nakhon Nayok, heralding the beginning of a barrage of ToK lectures (IB’s flagship and everyone’s favourite subject), the elusive Group 4 project no one had yet encountered and, alas, our last ever Residential Visit. Although it wasn’t new or modern, Cholapreuk Resort was huge. It was surrounded by nature of all sorts: gardens, lily ponds and giant insects. The complex we stayed in contained nearly 50 villas as well as several lecture rooms, sports fields and a swimming pool. With the north-east sun radiating through our black polo shirts, we settled into our new residences. Previous Secondary Residential Visits placed a strong emphasis on outdoor skills, sports and teamwork as their educational
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aims, but the aims of the ToK Residential are more academically focused. Each day was structured with ToK lectures in the morning starting after breakfast and extending into late afternoon, exploring each Area of Knowledge and the Ways of Knowing. This was designed to aid us in ToK lessons, presentations and essays and to prepare us for university where most lessons will be lecture based. Many of us were caught off guard by the sheer amount of lectures we went through in the week. Naturally, sessions with activities and interaction were favoured with ‘ethics’ coming out on top as the most interesting. Although not every lecture was enjoyable to everyone, we all learnt something: whether from a subject we currently study or from one we never knew much about. To accompany the ToK lectures, we watched ‘Memento’ on our movie night. In the movie, the main character loses the ability to form memories and has to rely on a system he himself built to remember. Using, the ToK concept of
different ‘Ways of Knowing’, we analysed how he was able to trust this system. Another focus of the Residential was the Group 4 project on the Nature of Science (NoS), which was completed in daily sessions. The aim of the Group 4 project is for students to learn about the scientific method and the external effects of scientific research by working collaboratively on a cross-disciplinary project. Details of the project were not revealed to us until the first session when we arrived and it was completely new to us. For most of our education, we were taught facts about science but never to question science or the method or implications of scientific research. Admittedly, NoS was unpopular amongst our Year group, the benefits of learning ‘about’ Science wasn’t apparent, especially for those who weren’t going to pursue Science at university and producing posters using rickety internet (at best) was not the most exciting. Despite that, NoS provided insight for future Science students and for all of us as consumers of science
Bangkok Patana Magazine
news and discoveries. To balance the hard work, there was a lot of free time at the end of each day and more freedom than previous years to pursue activities we planned ourselves like football, swimming (intentionally or unintentionally), board games, and even ‘Old Skool’ sports, making free time everyone’s favourite moments of the Residential.
There can never be total freedom though; every evening and night, Lord Meadows patrolled the resort, looking for those who weren’t abiding by the rules, reminding us that “it’s not worth it.” At night, there were even more activities like a tutor group vs tutor group quiz, the classic trash fashion and the ‘Hungry Games’, which was the most fun to spectate.
The trip was more enjoyable than we thought, like all Residential Visits were meant to be. This trip may not be all about fun games, but it made me see ToK lessons in a more positive light. As said in a lecture, we might forget Mathematics or Geography as soon as we leave school, but we’ll remember and use the critical evaluation skills we learnt in ToK throughout life. TERM 2/2016
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Past, Present and Future at the SEASAC Arts Festival Alec Bien
Head of Arts Faculty with Chaivisa (Dee Dee) Boonpiti, 11T
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erm 2 began with an injection of inspiration for the Secondary Arts faculty with Bangkok Patana School hosting this year’s SEASAC Arts Festival. We welcomed 120 students from schools around Asia who participated in workshops and taster sessions on the theme of “Past, Present and Future” over two days. The festival keynote speaker was Bangkok Patana alum Hanoi Hantrakul. Hanoi spoke about the intersection of science, art and culture and presented Fidular, a modular fiddle system that
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merges acoustics and cutting-edge technologies like 3D printing with traditional Asian instruments. During the festival, participants were encouraged to push their boundaries trying out 45-minute “taster sessions’ such as Stage Fighting, STEM (Science+Technology+ Engineering+Music), Lindy Hop dancing, or even juggling and circus tricks. The workshops also sought to broaden students’ experiences. In “Museum for the Future” students explored the role of museums; “Citiscapes” had students using Photoshop to combine layers of
photos to make traditional, present or future cityscapes; students were introduced to forms of Play Back Theatre where they performed real life stories through improvised theatre; in Theatrical Life Drawing, students learnt how to draw by analysing the moving form through a series of dance sequences. These are just a sample of the many workshop sessions available to participants. Towards the end of the festival, families were invited to attend a Thai-style Marketplace where each of the workshop groups had a display or presented small performances.
Bangkok Patana Magazine
SEASAC Arts 2016 “The theme of Past, Present, and Future fits perfectly with Thailand, where there are so many contrasts that we as residents may overlook in our daily lives. While we may not be as influential or as big as western countries like the U.S., where else would you find intricate hand-carved buildings or extravagant gold temples a few kilometres away from a luxury shopping mall? Iconic structures of the past mingle with sleek white and reflective surfaces – polar opposites – but we always fail to see the beauty of the city we live in, simply because it has become the norm. However, when with visitors, it is almost as if we are seeing Bangkok for the first time, re-experiencing sites and places through their questions and curiosity. Language and country-based cultures weren’t the only things we experienced during the festival. Through our workshops and taster sessions, we shared experiences and learned new disciplines. Art students learned about stage fighting, music students took dance, and some of the drama students I talked to seemed impressed and intimidated by Hanoi Hantrakul’s cucumber EDM (Electronic dance music) setup. Being part of something that opens you up to so many new experiences in such a short period of time is truly incredible. Seeing some of my friends play Thai instruments and being newly acquainted to something I have been doing for 10 years was amazing. In only a couple of days, something that was such a niche interest was not only shown to new people, but was taken away to different countries where it was shared with friends and family, as well as on social media (#SEASACArts2016). I have no doubt that through this festival, all of the participants have walked away with a new appreciation for a different discipline in the arts, as well as Bangkok and its culture.” – Chavisa (Dee Dee) Boonpiti, 11T
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Environmental Action James Penstone
Cross Campus Principal
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his year, our Student Environmental Council (SEC) has expanded considerably. We now have between 90 and 100 active members of SEC. Primary SEC (Years 4 to 6) meet every Thursday lunch time and are guided by a team of eight teachers. Secondary SEC meet every Tuesday lunchtime and have the support of four teachers, as well as the two elected presidents (Stephanie Richt and Alan Utharntharm). Each of these weekly meetings is a hive of activity - sub-groups are tasked with projects through which we seek to raise environmental awareness amongst
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the community and steadily reduce our school’s collective footprint on the environment. We are guided by two main principles - (1) taking small steps and (2) moving beyond words to action. Speaking of action over words, many of our students had the privilege of hearing the extraordinary adventures of a visiting speaker, Miss Emily Penn, in January. Emily describes herself as “a skipper, ocean advocate and artist dedicated to studying environmental challenges in the most remote parts of our planet”. She inspired us with her stories of how she gave up a career in architecture to
commit instead to learning about and raising awareness of the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans. For some five years she did not have a fixed home, primarily living on board EarthRace, a unique biofuel powered sea craft. Alongside a small crew of like-minded scientists and environmentalists, she set about tracking the extent of plastic floating in the ocean’s gyres (vast rotating ocean currents). The response to Emily’s visit has been very positive from staff and students alike. Here is a roundup of the Student Environmental Committee’s top 10 developments in Term 2 this year.
Bangkok Patana Magazine
1. Fun Day – Small but Significant Steps A group of Secondary students worked closely with the PTG and one of our sponsors who provided water refill stations. We saw many more water bottles carried by members of the Bangkok Patana community than at any previous event and the profile of sustainability was raised through the competition for the greenest vendors and greenest student Community Action Team group. A number of Secondary and Primary student’s volunteered time to share information about our Community Garden and to promote the use of reusable water bottles. 2. Evaluating the Primary Residential Visits We had a team of Primary students evaluating the Residential Visits from an environmental perspective, looking for opportunities to reduce our footprint and raise awareness amongst Key Stage 2 students. This followed the successful request by SEC for the Residential T-shirts not to be delivered in plastic. The team shared their key recommendations with Ms Battram. 3. Community Garden Growth Our garden, located alongside the Secondary Lounge, has come on in leaps and bounds this term. A walk way of flag stones connects shrubs, herbs, flowers, vegetables and fruit (including a banana circle). The harmonisation of different species has been planned by Secondary students but much of the progress takes place in the ECA which is enthusiastically attended by both Primary and Secondary students.
4. Snack Attack
8. Environmental Engineering
In both the Primary and Secondary SEC we have teams looking at how we can lower plastic consumption in our Canteen and Snack Bars. Having analysed data from student surveys and researched suppliers of biodegradable materials, they have shared their key recommendations with Genevieve Ahl, Services Manager, and we are looking forward to some noticeable changes this year.
A small team of Year 12 students have proposed a drip irrigation system to service the Community Garden above. They have sought feedback from key Buildings and Grounds staff here at school, and are now actively looking for some technical support from our parent body.
5. Recycling Facilities Redesigned
A few of our students attended the inter-school conference at Wells International School in January. The conference facilitates the sharing of best practice in terms of service-mindedness. The theme of environmental awareness this year meant that our students delivered successful presentations and a keynote speech (by Madison Frye, 12A) on the topic.
A Secondary group have met with approval to proceed with their design of a new recycling centre at the front of school as well as recycling bins to be positioned near to the main snack bars. This has been generously funded by our Annual Fund donors, and at the time of writing we are poised to make the necessary purchase requests. 6. Reducing our Dependency on Throwaway Bottles and Cups Teams in both Primary and Secondary SEC are working closely with Leaders of Learning / Heads of Year to motivate Year groups to drink water with reusable bottles or cups. 7. Bringing more Biodiversity A Primary team is looking at ways we can introduce greater biodiversity here at school, and one of their suggestions is to look at ways of catering to more bird species through plant selection and the possibility of bird feeders. Watch this space.
9. ServICE Conference
10. Raising Awareness through Media Meanwhile, in the background, a small number of students work from SEC and the Green Publicity ECA work share developments, such as those outlined above, on both our school website and on our School’s Green Patana noticeboards. There are many members of staff supporting SEC across the whole school but I do want to thank these people in particular: Mandy Heddle, Kirsten Bennett, Paula Robinson, Claire Myers, James Thombs, Polly Sinnett-Jones, Kate Penstone, Sarah Carritt, Miriam Foster, Tom Brooks, Annie Waterston, Cheryl Rego, Genevieve Ahl, Suphasinee (My) Sibsakul and Andrew Gordon. TERM 2/2016
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Season 2 Sports Round Up Andrew Tatam
Acting Assistant Principal Extra Curricular Activities and Sports
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eason 2 saw 26 teams competing in a variety of competitive sports as well as bringing us Super SEASAC; playing host to 69 teams from six countries with nearly 700 athletes competing in Basketball, Tennis, Touch and Rugby events. It really was the sporting highlight of the season at Bangkok Patana. The Varsity Boys’ Basketball team fought hard against NIST in a spectacular final to win the Championship medal in front of an excited home crowd with Girls’ Tennis also securing the title of Super SEASAC champions. The Tennis team have been performing incredibly this season and have had some record-breaking sporting achievements, which you can read about in the Tennis update below. The number of ‘B’ teams has increased to five across Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball and Football resulting in more athletes participating in tournaments – a real step in the right direction in terms of inclusivity in sport. We have also had teams competing in up and coming sports this season such as Sailing, Cross Country and Climbing, providing an even wider variety of choice for our students. For the first time ever we sent a team to the SEASAC Cross Country competition, which this year was held in Hong Kong. Five boys and five girls represented Bangkok Patana in two races – a team relay and a 5km individual race. The Boys’ team finished seventh in the relay whilst Sri Hollema finished seventh and Mary Lou Rainsford ninth in the individual race. The Sailing team finished third in the Inter-Schools Sailing Championships in January held at the Varuna Yacht Club. Tennis Both the Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Under 19 Tennis teams had a successful Season 2. The Girls did the BISAC/SEASAC double for the third year in a row and in the process won a record breaking sixth consecutive SEASAC title. Balloon Ruamrak was victorious in the BISAC singles Under 19 Girls’ event even though she is still only 12.
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The boys also won BISAC for the first time since 2009 but could not quite match the Girls at SEASAC and finished as runners up in a very high standard event hosted here at Bangkok Patana School. Leo Vithoontien got the better of team mate Donald Zhou in an all Bangkok Patana BISAC Boys’ Singles Under 19 final whilst both teams won the domestic BISAC league in its inaugural year. Swimming The TigerSharks swimming team have been busy winning the home Feeding Frenzy International Swim Meet at the end of Term 1 and retaining their overall team title at FOBISIA in January, reaffirming their dominance in the pool. The team also won the 10 years, 12 years and 13-14
SEASAC RESULTS Boys’ Basketball Champions - Division 1 Girls’ Tennis Champions - Division 1 Boys’ Tennis 2nd place - Division 1 Girls’ Touch 2nd place - Division 2 Girls’ Basketball 3rd place - Division 1 Boys’ Rugby 5th place - Division 1
years age group titles at the meet. In local Thai National qualifying swim meets, 15 Bangkok Patana swimmers (and one coach!) have qualified for the Thai Nationals to be held in April – a super achievement for the athletes and the school. There have also been a number of school records broken this season in both individual and relay events. A big thank you to the whole TigerSharks coaching team for all their hard work so far this academic year. Gymnastics Season 2 is an important time for the Gymnastics team as we burn off the excesses of the Christmas break and start preparing for the busiest time in the Gymnastics calendar, Term 3. Already this term our gymnasts have attended two holiday training camps and competed at the ISB Black and Gold Invitational competition, which took place on the weekend of 13-14 February. With the largest team of any school at the competition, Bangkok Patana represents a depth of squad that is unrivalled in Bangkok. What is more, our gymnasts returned triumphant with every
Bangkok Patana Magazine
team winning a trophy in their level and age group, and every Boys’ team winning gold. In addition, the Bangkok Patana team took home an extensive list of individual all-around and apparatus medals and ribbons, including gold in both the Level 3 Junior and Senior competitions for Jennifer Greenbank and Usha Hollema another fantastic achievement. As we look forward to the rest of the term our Senior Girls and Boys ready themselves for an exciting weekend in Singapore for Senior SEASAC Gymnastics and the whole squad are invited to attend the friendly, and always fun, Moose Games Competition which will take place at the beginning of April at the Thai-Canadian Community Sport Centre.
Golf The 2015/16 SEASAC Golf competition took place at the challenging Nilai Springs Golf and Country Club just outside Kuala Lumpur. With the tournament taking place in the Malaysian rainy season, the ground was very soggy which made ball striking and scoring very tough. Fortunately the rains stayed away on the competition days and after the first day of competition the Girls were in third place and the Boys fourth, with team captain Nadoln Narongdej second in the individual competition after a fine 76. With a stiff breeze on the second day making conditions even
tougher, much improved rounds from Conor Kelly and Gerry Hall saw the boys improve to third place overall, the first time a Bangkok Patana Boys’ team has received a medal at SEASAC Golf. Doln just missed out on an individual medal finishing sixth. An outstanding lifetime best round of 84 from Patricia Hall saw the girls consolidate their third place in the team competition and propelled Patricia to an excellent third place in the individual competition. There were also medals for Bangkok Patana students in the Handicap competition with Malachi Frye finishing second in the boys and Tina Kong in Year 7, taking part in her first competition for Bangkok Patana, securing third with a personal best score. With the majority of the Bangkok Patana team in Year 10 or below, the future looks bright for the Golf team who are preparing for the BISAC tournament at the end of March.
Climbing This season the Bangkok Patana Tigers Climbing team competed against Harrow International School in both the ‘bouldering’ and the ‘top roping’ format. Last year’s bouldering results were significantly improved upon, overcoming some early nerves from our newest team members to take 10 medals including four gold. On February 11th we hosted Harrow for the top roping competition. Confidence was high among the team which showed in the results, Tigers sweeping the medal table taking 12 medals including seven gold! A special mention to Earth Kornsri who claimed the highest ever points total at a Bangkok Patana School top roping competition across all age categories. At the time of going to print, the team is looking forward to a climbing event at ISB on 26th March.
BISAC RESULTS Champions Under 19 Boys’ Rugby Under 19 Girls’ Touch Under 19 Boys’ Tennis Under 19 Girls’ Tennis Under 11 Boys’ Football Under 11 Girls’ Football Junior Varsity Boys’ Rugby
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Alumni Profile:
Mark McDowell, Class of 2008 Nationality: Thai / Kiwi (New Zealand) Current Location: Bangkok, Thailand Years at Bangkok Patana School: 14 Years Favourite memories at Bangkok Patana School My favourite memories are always going to be the times I had with the friends I made at Bangkok Patana School. They say that your best friends are the ones you make at university, quite the contrary. For me it was always the mates made at Bangkok Patana. I’ve spoken with other alumni and they all say the same. It’s the friends that make a place and it is why I love Bangkok so much and my time at school. The Residential Visits were also always a killer time as they provided an opportunity to be with friends outside the school environment doing something different while still learning something new. Who would’ve thought going to the beach was part of school? Also how could I not forget the Christmas assemblies as a kid? Seeing how Santa would arrive was always a highlight. I loved when he came in a helicopter! Where did you go after leaving Bangkok Patana School? After completing my IB, I left to the second most amazing place in the world – New Zealand. Yes, there are a lot of sheep. I enrolled in Otago University in the South Island to do my Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. Afterwards I came back to Bangkok for a brief stint and then to Melbourne, Australia for close to three years of work in the digital marketing industry. I was always looking for opportunities to come back to Bangkok, to be closer to family, friends and to be back in Asia. I was fortunate enough to work at one of the largest digital marketing agencies in Australia. Getting close to three years I proposed to the company that we take the amazing work we do (and the work that I 36
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love) to Thailand for expansion. So here I am back again in Bangkok heading up Primal, a premier digital marketing agency. Simply put, we grow businesses through online marketing using
social media, display, email and helping businesses get found on Google via Search-Engine-Optimisation.
Are there any experiences/lessons
Bangkok Patana Magazine
at Bangkok Patana that have helped you through university and your career so far? Yes, definitely, the most important I would say would be the exposure to many cultures, different languages and variety of nationalities. I’ve always believed that if you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business and it’s helped me to understand cross-cultural differences when it comes to my work. Side note – as a result of having spent time with all kinds of people at Bangkok Patana I developed two different accents, American and more of an Aussie/Kiwi accent – strange stuff. I would also add that having done IB, large amounts of work became easy to handle when it came to university or in my career. Everything just seemed so much easier after high school, it’s not supposed to work that way.
fact, I wouldn’t call it a job, it’s a passion. My passion enables me to combine all of these elements in the form of digital. So I’d say I enjoy everything about it but if I was to pick, it would be our client successes, nothing puts a bigger grin on my face than seeing positive results.
too short and school flies by in no time, you will miss it. Make the most of it, because the school sets you up for the future, you will be awesome.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
Never be afraid of long hours of work. It’s never “work” if you’re doing something you love right? If you worked 80 hour weeks compared to someone who works 40 hour weeks, what they accomplish in one year, you will do in six months. Simple.
I do a lot of reading, something I didn’t do when I was younger, I guess I’m making up for lost time. So much to learn still. I have a number of friends in the food and beverage industry so seeing them out for food and drink is always a good time as they know how to choose the best places to eat. There are great restaurants and bars springing up in Bangkok all the time. I’m also a big fan of the gym, I go as often as I can.
What is the thing you enjoy most about your current job?
If you were to give a piece of advice to students still at Bangkok Patana School what would it be?
I love technology, people and the behavioural psychology behind marketing. In
Appreciate everything, the plants, the noodles, the buildings, the teachers. Life is
If you were to share a piece of career advice what would it be?
Favourite quote “If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.” – Mario Andretti. More of Mark Facebook: facebook.com/mark.mcdowell01 Instagram: mark.mcdo Twitter: @_markmcdo YouTube Channel: Primal Thailand SnapChat ID: mark.mcdo
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Bangkok and London Alumni Reunions
Alumni Visitors
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