Patana News Volume 25 Issue 27

PATANA NEWS

Friday 21st April 2023

All You Need is love...

By Matt Mills

Also in this issue...

Year 5 Call to Action: Spreading Awareness About Rainforests, Four-Page Feature!

Land Stewardship for Nature

Secondary Poetry Prize: Journeys

Patana Pathways

Year 3 Inventor’s Day

Library Notice

Gymnastics SEASAC 2023

PTG Available Committee Positions

www.patana.ac.th

Page 4

Page 8

Page 10

Page 12

Page 14

Page 16

Page 18

Page 20

Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS

All You Need is Love...

A very warm welcome back to Term 3 which is a very short term but just as important as the other two as learning reaches its crescendo and there is quality time for completion of tasks and celebrating an academic year well done.

ute phone call that would cost her one term of her teacher’s salary! In spite of this current day connectivity, actual connection seems to be falling, not growing. We face chronic statistics about mental health among young people despite, or because of, the fact that we can contact thousands of people with the prod of a finger on a keyboard.

“All the lonely people. Where do they all come from?” These sorrowful words come from the 1966 track Eleanor Rigby from the Beatles album, Revolver. It suggests the plight of a fictitious character who has to pick up the rice at the church where her wedding has been. Post war Britain was lonely and unforgiving.

Schools should be a place of connection! They should be a community of the young where there is safety, a deep sense of belonging, and an instinct to value and praise. I say to visiting parents all the time, “Welcome to the Bangkok Patana Family”. They have come to a school where young people find the confidence to try the things that they are good at, but also enter discomfort zones where challenge is safe, but unsettling. This discomfort is made all the more manageable because there is connection, support, no fear of failure and the willingness to put yourself out there.

We all seek connection. It is one of our dearest desires and one of our deepest needs. In the 21st century, connection with the outside world has never been easier or cheaper. I still have vivid memories growing up in New Zealand of my mother in 1972 ringing her mother in the UK for a 30-min-

WHO WERE ?

Listen to “All You Need is Love” and “Eleanor Rigby” (the two songs featured in this article) along with other Beatles classics in this playlist!

Our aspiration at Bangkok Patana is to support a more integrated world of compassion; we should be driven by sympathy with those that are like us and those who are not. We should spread the Bangkok Patana LOVE!

Bangkok Patana’s wholesome emphasis on well-being, and the whole of life preparation for the future was a big part of what attracted me to the school. It is carried out in a true community, where relationships go deep, expectations of mutual support are genuine and the stakeholders as a whole sign up.

These aspirations and values manifest themselves in every conversation in class, on residential visits, at rehearsals, in our email communications, in every encounter at the Sports Complex, the Canteen or the Noodle Bar.

We strive for Bangkok Patana School to be renowned for its professional, genuine, and purposeful intimacy, and for strongly held ambitions to make the community of the world better for all of those who live in it, including Eleanor Rigby whoever, or wherever, she may be...

Enjoy your weekend.

Matt Mills Head of School

YeAr 5 CAll to ACtioN: Spreading awareneSS about rainforeStS

To complete their Rainforest-themed unit of learning, Year 5 were tasked with creating various calls to action, focused their driving question: How can we raise awareness of the importance of rainforests?

Some groups of students presented their research to Year 7 Geography classes, others raised awaress with younger students in the Primary School and one group chose to present to Mr Matt Mills! Some students wanted to raise awareness within our Bangkok Patana community through the Patana News, featured as follows.

KIKO,

HEI HEI AND LILY, 5L

A rainforest is a forest that receives a high amount of rainfall and has no dry season. Rainforests are known for their biodiversity. They feature tall, evergreen trees that form one continuous canopy.

Where are rainforests located?

Tropical rainforests are located in:

• Australia (Daintree Rainforest, Queensland. The Daintree Rainforest is the reigning king of Australian rainforests.)

• The island of New Guinea (Borders, Central Range montane rainforests, Southern New Guinea lowland rain forests.)

• Southeast Asia (Cardamom mountains rainforest is one of the last intact rain forests left in Southeast Asia.)

• Western India (Tropical evergreen forests. It is believed that there are over 2,200 variety of plants grow in the Andaman Islands, making it the richest biosphere in India.)

• Western and Central Africa (The Congo Rainforests in Central Africa are the second largest rainforest in the world and almost 90 million people live there.)

How many rainforests are there in the world?

There are eight major rainforests in the world: Amazon Rainforest, Congo Rainforest, Daintree Rainforest, Tongass National Forest, Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sundaland, Pacific Temperate Forest and Indo-Burma.

What are the main features of tropical rainforests?

• Very wet climate with over 2,000 mm of rainfall per year

• Very warm with an average daily temperature of 28 Celsius. The temperature never drops below 20 Celsius and rarely exceeds 35 Celsius.

• The atmosphere is hot and humid.

• The climate is consistent all year round. There are no seasons.

• The rainforest has four layers: the forest floor, the understory, the canopy and the emergent layer.

• There are lots of interesting animals all different from one another such as sloths, jaguars and many more.

• Rainforests have their own vegetation. Ferns, moss, mushrooms and orchids all grow and live in tropical rainforests.

Why are rainforests important?

Rainforests are often called the lungs of the planet for their role in purifying the air by absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and releasing oxygen, which humans breathe in for respiration. Rainforests also increase local humidity and stabilise the climate. They are home to many incredible amounts of plants and wildlife, and produce nourishing rainfall all around the planet. The rainforest provides jobs for many people in the logging, mining and farming businesses. The rainforest is also the largest pharmacy in the world, as it is home to many plants that have special medicinal properties.

Who lives in the rainforest?

The Yanomami tribes are the most common tribes in the world. Half of the Yanomami tribe live in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and the rest of them live in Venezuela. This is why the rainforest is so important for some tribes to survive. The Yanomami tribe lives and sleeps in a place called a “Yano”. The woman’s job is to cook and look after the children. The man’s job is to hunt for food. Hunt-

ers never eat the food they hunt and they don’t tell anyone what they are going to hunt because they believe that it will run away. They use signals to tell people what animal they caught. They hunt monkeys, deer, tapirs, fowl, and armadillos. The children learn in an outdoor classroom. The Yanomami tribe has a leader called the shaman; he performs all the tribe rituals and is the only one in the tribe to talk to the spirits! Different spirits have different powers.

Deforestation…

The rainforest is under threat…

The rainforest is under threat because of people and cutting of trees for cattle ranching, palm oil farms and crops. Palm oil is sometimes in snacks you eat, remember to check the ingredients! Here are some examples of snacks that have and don’t have palm oil in them!

• Leading banks financed 119 billion dollars to companies linked to deforestation

Deforestation definition: The action of clearing a wide area of trees.

How can we strive to conserve the rainforest and prevent deforestation?

Lots of companies are trying hard and pledging to follow schemes to try and prevent or reduce deforestation. Want to know what you can do as an individual? Click here for some suggestions on how to help save the rainforests!

Glossary:

Deforestation: The action of clearing a wide area of trees.

Carbon Dioxide: a colourless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and released during respiration. It is naturally present in air (about w0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis.

10 Deforestation facts:

• More than 100 countries have pledged to end deforestation by 2030

• We lose around 10 million hectares of forest every single year

• Deforestation contributes about 4.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year

• Beef is responsible for 41% of global deforestation

• Chocolate and biscuits are major contributors to deforestation

• Brazil and Indonesia account for almost half of tropical deforestation

• Soy plays a big role in deforestation

• Deforestation has turned the Amazon rainforest into a carbon source

• No company in the world achieved its zero deforestation commitment

A greenhouse gas: Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat. They let sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the heat that the sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere.

The major features of the rainforest: Rain forests are divided into four layers. Each layer receives a different amount of sunlight and rainfall, so different types of animals and plants are found in each layer.

Celcius: Celcius is denoting a scale of temperature. Water freezes at 0° and boils at 100° under standard conditions.

Respiration: This is essentially ‘breathing’.

Humidity : marked by a relatively high level of water vapor in the atmosphere.

Hectares: a metric unit of square measure, equal to 100 ares 2.471 acres or 10,000 square meters.

Atmosphere: is a part that envelopes gases surrounding the earth or another planet. Some part of the sun's energy is absorbed by the earth's atmosphere.

YeAr 5 CAll to ACtioN: Spreading awareneSS about rainforeStS

PROUD, KAYLA, ROSIE AND ELSA, 5M Do you want to know what is happening to our world?

In our slides and podcast, you will learn about: why deforestation is happening, why it is important to help, and more importantly - how you can help. To view the complete slide presentation, click here. To watch the podcast video, click on the image overleaf (on page 7).

This links to our driving question in Year 5: How can we raise awareness for the importance of rainforests? There will also be extra facts that are related to rainforests and deforestation. You will never regret reading it and watching the video, we promise!

ARTWORK BY YASH, 5M

Wildlife Spotting with Coke Land StewardShip for nature

Alexander Coke Smith IV, Secondary Environmental Sciences Leader

First off, a big thank you for the positive response to this wildlife column featuring wildlife hotspots in and around Bangkok and greater Thailand. And I have been blown away by how many times I have actually ran in to community members who read these articles and are out enjoying nature for themselves! So refreshing to know there are many people in our community who love wildlife and love nature.

Today’s column is still about nature, but not a local hotspot, per se. This week I want to talk about how many of us might be able to be very active and very impactful in preserving nature and creating your very own bio-hotspot.

Let me start with my own example. About 20 years ago, my wife and I bought about 28 rai of land in Nakhon Si Thammarat, in Southern Thailand. The property is situated a few hundred meters from the border of Khao Luang National Park, an amazing place that I have featured before in my column. The plot was about 75% thrashed and very remote but included land on both sides of a stream and half of a small mountain with fairly mature trees. The previous owner had just planted rubber trees on the flat portion and there were various fruit trees.

I immediately saw awesome potential in this patch. We bought it the same day we found it! I was initially criticized for purchasing such a property. “Why are you wasting your money on this land?” “This land can really serve no purpose, why buy!?” My answer was honest although it probably did little to convince my critics that I was sane… “I’m buying the land for the birds and squirrels.” I enjoyed the looks on their faces when they knew I was dead serious.

As soon as possible, I purchased 600 tiny native tree saplings to populate the land. I hired every single willing person in our village to come and help plant

trees – I think at the time it was 20 baht per tree. My new neighbors all pitched in! All 600 were planted in a single day. I also made it a point to keep all the rubber trees with the plan being to have a neighbour eventually tap the trees, sell the kee-yang, and reap profit that they could keep, in return for watching our property.

Fast forward 20 years to this Songkran holiday. As we do every time we are near the property, we stopped in for a look at it and spent a few hours enjoying its nature. Now we have a fully closed canopy rainforest (about 20% of our initial tree planting survived) complete with not only loads of squirrels and hundreds of birds, but so many other species and rainforest interactions that we could literally teach a course on rainforest restoration. This project has been an absolute success.

Our neighbour has been taking excellent care of the property and has been making a tidy sum selling our rubber. His family is benefiting by simply protecting our patch for biodiversity. It does my soul good to see this place and to know the relationship we have with local inhabitants is a positive one that helps them as well as helping maintain the ecology of this little hotspot.

My children will inherit this land and my son has already committed to keeping it the way it is… “For the birds and the squirrels.”

Coke Smith is our Environmental Science Leader and is an avid wildlife photographer and conservationist. He taught a class titled, “Private Land Stewardship” at Peninsula College, near Seattle, Washington which showed private landowners how to create and maintain their properties for the preservation of biodiversity and nature. He would love to work with anyone in our community here at Bangkok Patana who might be interested in doing the same in Thailand.

Secondary PoetrY Prize: JourneyS

Katie Sloane, Head of Faculty, English

Thisyear’s theme was ‘Journeys’ and I am thrilled to say we had an overwhelming amount of entries! Some poems explored literal journeys in a fun and busy manner, some were more metaphorical exploring the journey of mankind or the seasons, while others explored very moving, personal journeys. It was wonderful to be sent so many and such an eclectic range; I would really like to thank each and every person who submitted a poem this year: well done! And please keep on writing!

The winning poets were awarded at the End of Term 2 / Songkran Assembly. Please enjoy their poems as follows:

3RD PLACE: JADE NINSUVANNAKUL (11L)

Corridor

the force of gravity dragging me down, I try to resist but it doesn’t matter the water laps at the edges of towering rocks, its arms reaching out to grab me i fall, i fear, she’s caught up to me

an underwater world in the school i once knew blinding noises, watered down faces - their eyes pinned on me

i lower my head, water drips like an hourglass with a microscopic opening

thalassophobia in my own mind alone in my own ocean

foot in-front of the other, the weight of the water on my back slows me down

My eyes fixated on the floor - their eyes searing through my back

the hourglass opening shrinks

claustrophobia in my own mind alone in my own head

i hold my breath, time like water slipping away ever so slowly the corridor melts into classroom finally.

the force of gravity finally bend rules, I don’t need to resist - she lets me go, solitude at last, and the tide recedes, my ocean finally loosens her grasps, i stop, its quiet, but i know she never leaves

2ND PLACE: VARISSA ASAVATHIRATHAM (7N)

I am born

Sewn into the soil that will forever be my home

Opportunities await

Sheltering and protecting

Weathering and surviving

Growing and thriving

My canopy of emerald green ribbons

Light dances on my arms of wood

With dew soaked leaves like a roof of liquid diamonds

I live surrounded by my friends of nature

As I grow older and older

The storybook life of a tree

But things never stay a fairytale forever

Monsters come

With big machines of massacre and destruction

Ripping apart my home

Killing and cutting

Sawing and chopping

Slaughtering and destroying

My green ribbons cut to the ground

The ear splitting cries of wood

Erupting noises of trunks falling down like dominoes

They drag me from my demolished home

I am no longer a glorious statue of wood and leaves

No more storybook life

No more fairytale

I begin to change

As I am forced and morphed into a new form

Becoming one of many

I get cut and sliced

I get printed and pressed

I get stamped and copied

Over and over and over

I take a new, corrupted form

My soul sucked from the stacks of my dead body

What meaning and purpose do I have now?

A mere pawn played in the game of life

With so much value, yet so little value

A tool in the game of storybooks

A long lost fairytale

They use me

With their sticky fingers and their humble hands

I can’t keep track anymore

I get traded and bargained I get swiped and stolen I get spent and earned

My soul now a corrupt black hole Used for good and for bad

Until I fall upon the hands of a soul with purpose

My long winded journey takes a turn towards the sun

With a click of a button

I have the ability to start a new life

My soul transfers into the one Who starts the journey again And plants a seed

1ST PLACE: AMANDA JUNGBERG (12W) Wake

Summer, sixteen years ago, Fresh from the church garden, He fits all of his grandchildren into the car And drives them towards the local dock.

It is six in the evening, And he is a pillar of secret, Flicking his yellow lighter And casting his shadow across the water. We scramble out from the seats, and Into the iciness of the sea.

From beneath the waves, we see him, Pulling the boat from its anchorage, Blowing smoke against the sunset, Tracing the sermon with his lips.

The adults take turns hovering about the jetty, As we feel the salt water stinging our eyesRunning up our noses, seeping deep into our cuts, Our ears no longer ringing from the tolling of the bells; We would not know for another two months What conclusions had been made in his mind that dayStaring up then, through the glimmering water, I admit I saw only his shoes, Repeating the same rhythms that I had earlier studied From under the pews of the morning service. When we tire, they have finished unwinding the rope, And come to embrace us as we stumble ashore. His wrinkled shirt betrays a lifetime of dependence; His cologne, a month of solitude. The giant bends to hold us, each one by one, As the years fold unto, atop of one another; His eyes already mourned the stories he could tell us Of homes and of wood, and the aches to which No age could ever accustom you to, And no God could ever unburden you from. We say our goodbyes as our bags are lifted And he waves, knowing it is his last. We take the boat

Sailing away, sailing awayIn the distance,

We see the streetlight flicker on in the dark; Beneath, his cigarette butt lighting again. Seen bobbing from the water, they appear simply to be Nothing more but twin fireflies, lost in the night.

Manisha accepted an offer to attend Thammasat University to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). With her passion for the environment and natural inclination for economics, she aims to work with the UN.

Click to read more about Manisha’s Patana Pathway!

Emiri accepted an offer to attend the University of Toronto to study Life Sciences. At Bangkok Patana, she appreciated the creative and interdisciplinary nature of science research in her IB Biology course.

Click to read more about Emiri’s Patana Pathway!

Meja accepted an offer to attend the University of Amsterdam to study Media & Information. She credits Bangkok Patana’s Information & Tech. in Global Societies course for encouraging her to “apply theoretical knowledge to real life situations”.

Click to read more about Meja’s Patana Pathway!

Peter has accepted an offer to attend the University of Oxford, reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). “I hope to learn about environmental solutions that can bolster quality of life and not disproportionately affect the most vulnerable.”

Click to read more about Peter’s Patana Pathway!

Year 3 Inventors

Vicky Paxman, Year 3 Teacher

Atthe end of Term 2, Year 3 celebrated the completion of their unit of learning with Inventor’s Day. Tasked with dressing up as either an inventor or invention, students learned from each other about individuals such as Marie Curie and inventions such as the camera, car and even the vending machine! This created and facilitated a fantastic discussion around our driving question, ‘how have inventions changed the world?’, as we thought about the impact of each invention on our lives.

The day was filled with many different creative activities. We researched the various inventors and inventions in the room and used this information to create a chronological timeline. We also designed our own life-changing inventions, which varied from flying cars to homework helpers! It really was a fantastic way to wrap up such an explorative and creative unit.

Silver duke of ediNburgh internationaL award

Kaavya (Kavu) Italiya, 11R

In early March, my Silver DofE group travelled to Kanchanaburi to complete their Silver adventurous cycling qualifying expedition. We cycled nearly 150 kilometres over three days as we visited a variety of temples in the Kanchanaburi countryside. Below is documentation of some of the temples we visited and the thoughts and feelings we gained from visiting them.

When venturing through the intensive terrain of our cycling DOfE Silver award, we learned multiple skills from our devious mapping navigation to our tireless pursuit in finishing the journey. But most importantly we encountered multiple interesting and appealing temples which we decided to be the purpose of our journey: to visit and see the complexity and diversity of different temples we encounter on our route.

One of the temples we saw on the first day towards the 50km mark was gleamingly enlightening from the skyscraper-like spires of the temples and the stunning views from the peak of the temple. It had so many rooms that our group almost felt that we were lost in a maze but the relaxing experience was very engaging and the fine work was very exacting and pristine which was very elegant and glamorous to see. Although inhabited by many people, the spacious atmosphere felt very rewarding and we were very fulfilled from seeing multiple sights.

The White Temple was a very beautiful and enjoyable place we ventured through and most of our group members were still energised by experiencing this temple only on the 15km marker for the first day. The temple’s design is a fusion of traditional Thai and contemporary art styles. Its most striking feature is the dazzling white exterior adorned with intricate carvings and sparkling mirrors. The temple’s interior is equally impressive, with murals depicting Buddhist teachings in a modern and thought-provoking way. The main building is surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, which include a pond and various sculptures.

A Vietnamese-inspired temple was very memorable because at the moment when we encountered the temple, although we were strikingly exhausted from the intensive uphill, we were rewarded by this amazing view. The temple nurtures the structures of sharp roofs and large wooden doors. When we reached the top, our group was exhausted and could barely walk, but our eyes almost glowed from seeing the scene - it was magical.

library notice

Libraries Department

Due to our entire library catalogue of over 80,000 items being migrated from our locally hosted server to a cloud-based server operated by Follett Destiny, we will not have access to any of our library data for two days next week – Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th April.

Therefore, borrowing books will not be possible for the duration of the migration.

However, books can still be returned on these two days and we will scan them all once the migration process has finished and our system has been fully updated.

We apologise for the possible inconvenience that this may cause and we look forward to being able to start lending books again for the weekend, on Friday 28th April.

Check out the newest episode of the Patana POD!

Parking reminderS

Security Department

We kindly request that you park your vehicle only in the designated slots that we have marked on the ground, such as the FS parking lot, the Sports Complex Parking lot, and the Soi 35/37 Parking lot. This will ensure smooth traffic flow within the parking area. Please avoid parking under trees or in areas where no designated slots are provided, as this blocks other vehicles from parking.

Thank you for helping to keep our Bangkok Patana Community safe!

PrePAriNg for extreme WeAther eveNts

Ana Bolakoso, SEC Key Stage

3 Representative

Extremeweather events are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of global warming. Bangkok, Thailand, is no exception to this trend, and the people living in this city need to be prepared to face the challenges that come with it. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to be ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store.

According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world is currently experiencing unprecedented changes in the climate due to human activities. This includes the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other human activities. As a result, we are seeing more and more extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, snow storms and hurricanes. Yes you read that right - even snow storms are more epic due to climate change, the warmer planet drives more evaporation so more rain and larger snowfalls. The warmer oceans have disrupted the jet stream which moves air from the poles (Arctic and Antarctic) toward the equator.

In Bangkok, we have already witnessed the impact of global warming in the form of flooding. In 2011, the city was hit by its worst flood in over 50 years, causing widespread damage and disruption. More recently, in 2020, we experienced the hottest temperature ever recorded in the city, reaching 40.8°C in April. These extreme weather events are a warning sign that we need to take action to reduce our impact on the environment and prepare ourselves for future events. This year during the Sonkgran break, in Bangna, the heat index (feels like temperature) hit 50 for several days in a row!

But the good news is that there are many steps we can take to be more prepared for extreme weather events. Here are some tips:

1. Stay informed: Keep an eye on the weather forecast and stay updated on any warnings or alerts issued by the authorities. You can also sign up for emergency notifications from the government.

2. Have an emergency kit: Prepare an emergency kit with essential items such as water, non-perishable food, first aid supplies, photo copies of your key documents, a power bank and a flashlight. Keep the kit in an easily accessible location.

3. Plan for evacuation: If you live in an area that is prone to flooding or other extreme weather events, have a plan for evacuation. Identify safe routes and make sure everyone in your household knows what to do in case of an emergency.

4. Protect your home: Take steps to protect your home from floods and other extreme weather events. For example, you can trim large trees or make sure your roof is well-maintained to prevent leaks.

5. Reduce your carbon footprint: One of the most effective ways to reduce the impact of global warming is to reduce your

carbon footprint. You can do this by using public transportation, walking or cycling instead of driving, and reducing your energy consumption at home.

In conclusion, while the impact of global warming on extreme weather events in Bangkok and around the world is a serious issue, there are steps we can all take to be more prepared and make a positive impact. By staying informed, having an emergency kit, planning for evacuation, protecting our homes, and reducing our carbon footprint, we can all do our part to build a more resilient and sustainable future.

Earth Day is an annual event that is celebrated on 22nd April to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote actions to protect the planet. The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, and was organised by US Senator Gaylord Nelson, who was concerned about the effects of pollution on the environment.

The idea for Earth Day came to Senator Nelson after witnessing the devastating effects of the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. He wanted to create a national day that would educate the public about environmental issues and inspire them to take action to protect the planet.

The first Earth Day was a huge success, with an estimated 20 million people participating in events across the United States. This event helped to raise awareness about environmental issues and led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of several environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Since then, Earth Day has been celebrated annually in 193 countries around the world, with millions of people participating in various events and activities aimed at protecting the planet. The theme for Earth Day changes every year, this year’s theme is ‘Invest in Our Planet.’ The main goals of Earth Day are to inspire people to take action to protect the environment and make the world a better place for future generations.

If you are looking for ideas as to what you can do on Earth Day check out the Earthday.org website!

Earth Day by Helen Thew, Cross Campus Principal

OnThursday 23rd March 2023, 24 Bangkok Patana Gymnasts travelled to UWCSEA East, Singapore, for the SEASAC Gymnastics Invitational 2023. Day 1 was a travel day and podium training day combined. Podium training is an essential part of gymnastics meets as it allows the gymnasts to get used to the different equipment; the uneven bars may be rougher on the gymnasts’ hands, the spring floor may be less forgiving on landings, and the rebound of the springboards may provide less flight for the vault. Therefore, podium training allows the gymnasts to experience the equipment and physically and mentally prepare for the competition.

Day 2 of the trip was the first day of the competition: the individual all-around finals and team finals. First up were the WAG Level 5 gymnasts, followed by the WAG Level 6, and finally, in the afternoon, the WAG Level 7 and 8 gymnasts and the MAG Level 3 and 4 gymnasts. It was a long 12-hour day in the gym, but the gymnasts smashed it with several visits to the podium. Jasmine Beroud placed 3rd in the WAG L6 individual all-round, Oliver Somanatha Arachchige placed 2nd, but most notably was Emily Cannon, who was crowned the SEASAC 2023 Level 7 champion! Emily is Bangkok Patana’s only Level 7 gymnast this year due to the high-level skill requirements - such a fantastic achievement! For the team placements, WAG Level 5 placed 3rd overall, WAG Level 8 placed 2nd overall, and MAG Level 4 placed 2nd overall!

Day 3 of the trip was the second day of the competition, which was dedicated to the individual apparatus finals. This is where gymnasts perform their routines once again, but with each rotation comes a fresh slate. We had several placements on the podium from day two, but there were also a few standout performances, such as WAG Level 5’s Chanya Thienthong’s 1st place vault, WAG Level 6’s 1st place beam routine, and Aleem Bidgoli’s 1st place floor performance! I would like to give a special shout-out to Aleem, as SEASAC was his first-ever gymnastics competition. Aleem joined the gymnastics team just before the winter break and has managed to catch up so quickly to compete in MAG Level 3!

The final event was the SEASAC Gala dinner. The gymnasts dressed up were treated to a buffet dinner and danced the night away! A special award was presented to our WAG Level 5 gymnast, Pimnara (Prim) Asawapiwat, who was voted to receive the Elegance Award by the Singapore judges. Finally, we had a special moment for our WAG Y13 Senior Captain and WAG Level 8 gymnast, Eveyln Cannon, as this was her last ever SEASAC. Evelyn has been part of the Bangkok Patana gymnastics team since day one. She has maintained her gymnastics commitments, team captain duties and academic work. It was an emotional moment, saying goodbye to an event that has been a special annual highlight for Evelyn and saying goodbye to competitive gymnastics! Thank you for all you’ve done for the team - remember, once a Tiger, always a Tiger!

A special thank you to the parent volunteers and visitors who travelled along to support the team - the Bangkok Patana Tiger cheers were by far the loudest radiating energy into the competition arena for our gymnasts. Additionally, a big thank you to all the coaches for their hard work on both the trip

Rebecca Dzatkowski, Head Gymnastics Coach

and throughout this entire academic year, gradually building up the student-athletes to reach the SEASAC level. And finally, a huge congratulations to all gymnasts. Win or lose, you showed up, supported one another, and left it all out there on the floor. We ride the waves of the wins and learn lessons from our losses, but all gymnasts should be extremely proud of their efforts throughout the weekend. Furthermore, the Tiger gymnasts were complimented by several other Head Coaches for their professionalism, sportsmanship and energy, as Bangkok Patana gymnasts cheered on everyone, not just those in black and orange - hearing this wonderful feedback was a proud moment!

SEASAC Gymnastics 2023 Results

UWCSEA East, Singapore

WAG Level 5 Team final - 3rd place Aya Haviv-Buck, Sofiya Malik, Chanya Thienthong, Karen Kawasaki, Mizuki Tanaka, Pimnara [Prim] Asawapiwat, Penny Jones, Nikita Brunner

Vault finals - 1st place

Beam finals - 3rd place

Chanya Thienthong

Karen Kawasaki

WAG Level 6

Individual all-around - 3rd place Jasmine Beroud

Floor finals - 3rd place

Beam finals - 1st place

Jasmine Beroud

Jasmine Beroud

WAG Level 7

Individual all-around - 1st place SEASAC Champion!

Emily Cannon

Bars finals - 2nd place Emily Cannon

WAG Level 8 Team final - 2nd place Phisira [Paengrum] Chatchupong, Keira McKnight-Burrell, Evelyn Cannon

Vault finals - 3rd place

MAG Level 3 Floor finals - 1st place

MAG Level 4 Team final - 2nd place

Individual all-around - 2nd place

Floor finals - 2nd place

Pommel Horse finals - 3rd place

Phisira [Paengrum] Chatchupong

Aleem Bidgoli

Samuel [Sam] Jones, Oliver Somanatha Arachchige, Oliver Mason, Frank Myers, Philip Duckworth, Miles Tang.

Oliver Somanatha Arachchige

Miles Tang

Oliver Somanatha Arachchige

Parallel bars finals - 3rd place Samuel [Sam] Jones

VICE CHAIRPERSON

Vice Chairperson position description

The Vice Chairperson deputises for the PTG Chairperson, while operating within the bounds of the PTG Constitution The time commitment for this position may vary throughout the year depending on the tasks/events at hand

Attributes & Skills-

Be friendly, outgoing and approachable Show leadership, which translates to trusting the team’s ability to deliver and delegating tasks, maintaining a focus on the big picture, listening to the team and allowing open discussion, accepting criticism and being open to change, accepting praise gratefully and sharing it with the team and other volunteers, and being objective and not bringing personal issues to the table; Be diplomatic and discrete, which translates to ensuring personal and confidential information is not disclosed inappropriately (being the main point of contact in the PTG for parents, teachers, and staff, as well as PTG Committee members)

Be transparent, which translates to being open, frank and honest (and expecting the same from team members), and operating ethically at all times; and

Be organized and structured, which translates to staying informed about the PTG’s actions and functions, ensuring PTG activities are planned and executed efficiently and effectively.

AVAILABLE PTG COMMITTEE POSITIONS

YEAR REPRESENTATIVESNURSERY, FS2, YEAR 6, YEAR 7, YEAR 8 & YEAR 11

Year Rep position description

Be the sole point of contact for your respective year group Update and report to Primary Representative with comments and concerns raised by parents

Volunteer and support as many Primary parent meetings and events as possible (e g Newcomers’ events; Primary Year Group and Class Parent coffee mornings, the Christmas Concert) and raise awareness about the PTG, the role of the PTG Primary Parent Representative and the PTG Primary Year Group Representatives and solicit volunteers to assist with PTG activities and events

Relay PTG and school updates to the respective Year Groups

CURRENT PTG COMMITTEE POSITIONS RE-RUNNING

I grew up in the Los Angeles metropolitan area but spent the years prior to Bangkok in the suburbs of Washington D C Our family has been in Thailand for seven years My kids are Milo in Year 3 and Ronan in Year 1 who started at Patana this year I am also the PTG USA representative I have served as the Secretary this past year, coordinating PTG Executive and Heads of School meetings and managing administrative tasks

I grew up in India and lived in Hong Kong for eight years before moving to Bangkok.

This is our 6th year in Patana; my kids are in Year 6 and Year 3. I have served as the Communications Rep these past two years, handling Social Media posts, Graphics, and PTG updates on Firefly, Patana News, and Primary Newsletters, in collaboration with other PTG members and school leaders

Our family has been at Patana for three years now. My daughters Mona is in Year 4 and Lisa in FS2 and we love Patana.

Ratchadaporn

Parinyanusorn (Soreda)

Thai Liaison ptgthai@patana.ac.th

I have two boys in Patana, Adryan in Year 6 and Aaron in Year 3 I was born and raised in Bangkok, but my family is originally from Japan I love playing sports, especially badminton, and football!

I served as the Events Coordinator for these past two years, from planning to executing all PTG Events along with other PTG members and school leaders

During the past two years, I have served as the Thai Rep coordinating and executing school activities and events in collaboration with other PTG members

I have two kids in Patana My son, Lucas is in Year 7 and my daughter, Sophia is in Year 4 This is our 7th year at Patana I have been involved with PTG in various capacities such as Fun Day Coordinator and Year Rep for FS1, Year 1 and Year 2 I have served as the Primary Rep these past two years acting as the liaison between the PTG Primary Year Group Representatives and the Primary Leadership Team

Apollo Chansrichawla Primary Representative ptgprimary@patana.ac.th

Chris Huang Secretary ptgsec@patana.ac.th

Sneha Rebecca Mathew Communications Coordinator ptgcomms@patana.ac.th

Anchal Pathela Events Coordinator ptgevents@patana.ac.th

Scientia:

NaNoparticles iN drug delivery

Hansae Ryu, 13R

Nanotechnology is an emerging field that makes use of matter on the atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. It involves the ability to see and manipulate individual atoms and molecules in order to utilise its benefits such as increased safety and efficacy.

Today’s scientists and engineers are researching how they could deliberately make materials at the nanoscale and take advantage of their enhanced properties such as higher strength, or lighter weight. With the potential to be applied to various fields, researchers have found a new way to revolutionise drug delivery using nanoparticles.

StudentS SPeak:

what iS wrong and what iS right

A villanelle by Garam (Momo) Lee, 7H

What is wrong and what is right?

It is not for us to guess,

The answer is neither black nor white.

We must find a way to stay polite, Without suspending our right to express, What is wrong and what is right?

Must a leader shine a light?

Is it our responsibility to assess?

The answer is neither black nor white.

If the outcome causes fright, Do intentions matter less?

What is wrong and what is right?

Do we stand and join the fight?

Or will it cause greater distress?

The answer is neither black nor white.

Is your life yours to write?

Or are you trapped in a game of chess?

What is wrong and what is right?

The answer is neither black nor white.

Read Hansae’s complete article on Scientia’s website, linked here.

#245: parentS’ and CarerS’ guide to fortnight Chapter 4

Like Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokémon before it, Fortnite is one of those video games that’s carved out a place in more mainstream pop culture, beyond consoles and computers. You’ll almost inevitably have seen Fortnite-branded merchandise, from clothing to backpacks to action figures – while the developers, Epic, are reportedly exploring film and TV options.

This welter of spin-off products and media projects suggests (not inaccurately) that Fortnite’s fan-base tends toward the younger end of the age spectrum. This, as the guide points out, entails parents and carers keeping a watchful eye open for hazards including phishing scams, expensive in-game purchases and inappropriate language over Fortnite’s audio chat.

As of January this year, Fortnite was registering as the second most-played video game by pre-teens, ahead of Minecraft and closely behind Roblox. Consider also that close to one in five (22%) Fortnite fans devotes a minimum of 10 hours per week to the game, and that 77% of Fortnite players have made at least one in-game purchase.

Have a great weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration