Secondary School Update (1/2019-2020)

Secondary School Update

to our staff this year. In the meantime, if you see any of our new teachers who are introduced in this issue of Impact Magazine, please give them a warm Concordian community welcome.

The Secondary School administrative structure remains the same as last year. Dr. James remains as the Principal of the Secondary School and the DP Coordinator, Ms. Sally and Ms. Min are the Vice Principals of Teaching and Learning for the MYP, and I remain as the Vice Principal for the Secondary School. Our Counselors also remain the same with Ms. Yatima and Mr. Jaren for MYP and Ms. Tresa and Mr. Leo for DP. We are here to serve the Concordian community so please do not hesitate to contact any of us with any questions or concerns you may have throughout the school t seems like just yesterday I was writing the year.

Secondary School update for Impact Magazine to close out the 2018-2019 school year and here It’s not just staff who have been very we are almost at the end of the first quarter of active this year. Both the Middle School the 2019-2020 school year. Any way, Welcome Student Council and High School Student back to what has already been a very busy year.

Governments have been busy coordinatWe’ve already completed bonding trips for our ing the house competitions and planning for G8-10 students, an IB retreat for G11 upcoming events like spirit weeks, sports days, students, and a college readiness trip for our G12 and the talent show, as well as serving as a voice students. The Operation Smile club has also to the school’s Management Team. Student clubs completed their first mission of the year to Surin, are up and planning activities, sports are well Thailand, Mr. Clynt and Ms. Hyesun have students under way, and @SAs have already started as well. rehearsing for the upcoming production of Please read the articles written by our Secondary The Wizard of Oz on Oct 11th, Parent Teacher students to get an idea of what’s already been Conferences (PTC) will be held on Oct 17th and happening in the Secondary School from a student’s 18th, and then we’ll already be at October break. perspective.

Message from

Secondary School Vice Principal of Student and Faculty Affairs

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Speaking of PTC, you’ll notice we’ve added an afternoon session like they do for the PYP to the Secondary school this year to make more time slots available for parents to meet with teachers. We are also asking that parents bring their student(s) with them to the PTC this year as well. This would also be a very good time to get acquainted with the new and highly talented teachers we’ve added

Again, I’d like to welcome all of you back and I look forward to working with the entire Concordian community to make this a successful and interesting school year for our students. If you have any questions or concerns about anything going on with the Secondary School, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

CONCORDIAN

Bill Berry Secondary School Vice Principal of Student and Faculty Affairs

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Secondary School Update

Introduction to Middle School Student Council (MSSC) Eclair, 8C, MSSC Media Officer

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i! We are the student council: the voice of the middle school students. Our main job is to help communicate student concerns to the school administration (like the changing of policies, facility improvements, and more). Not only that, we help host a lot of events here in MYP, like house competitions, parties, back to school night, assemblies, and occasionally lending a hand to the High School Student Government or some teachers.

But, our main goal is to just make middle school life here in Concordian happy. In the 2017-2018 school year, when students wanted to wear PE pants as part of the school uniform, we asked Mr.Bill for that, and nowadays, across the hallways we see tons of students wearing them. The Little Corner Cafe and allowing backpacks were also the result of us voicing the students' concerns last school year. So if you guys feel like something in MYP can be improved, feel free to contact the officers (Prinn, Angie, Kyla, Man, Grace, Eclair) and we will try our best to make that request come to life!

Katie 6S:

H Poj, 7S, MSSCRepresentative

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he MYP has recently welcomed a new class of 6th graders. Adapting the MYP life can be hard. However, it also comes with many privileges and more freedom. Therefore, we interviewed a few 6th graders to find out about adapting to the MYP and the benefits and downsides of the MYP. Burger G6C:

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y first few weeks in the MYP were a considerable adjustment from what I experienced in the PYP. I felt more freedom in the MYP. At times, we have to make our own decisions (e.g. buy our own lunch). Moreover, the number of tests we have to complete caught me by surprise! This required some huge adjustments. Even in my 7th week I still feel slightly overwhelmed! Even though the tests caught me off guard, I was even more surprised by how summer-like weekends felt; there was practically no work for me to do.

Overall, my transition into the MYP was a positive one. Although it’s still the start of my Middle School journey, I believe that my middle school journey will be one to remember!

i! I’m Katie, a grade 6 student who just moved up from PYP. The first week I was very nervous.

School life has definitely changed a lot. The PYP is a whole different story. In the MYP you have to learn to manage your time wisely because you will have to run around the school finding classes and trying to get there on time. This is especially important during lunch and breaks while you’re very hungry, and it can also be hard at times like when you need to go to the nurse but at the same time have class. Sometimes, you have to go to change between PHE and school uniforms before eating.

Although some things seem to be hard, the MYP is way easier than PYP! The homework policy helps a lot because the teachers are only be allowed to give homework to students on the 1,3,5,7 block except math and they can only give 20 minutes of HW! So far, I’m enjoying the journey very much!

Secondary School Update

Pun 6I:

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i, I’m Pun! I’ve recently moved from the PYP to the MYP. There MYP is way different from the PYP. Therefore, there are many changes to be made. I’ve adapted by just managing my time more wisely which means I put more effort into schoolwork and less time on hobbies and games. Even though I’ve not fully adapted to the MYP I think I’m on track to fully transition. I’m also adapting to the tests and assessments because in the PYP I was used to not studying, but now I have to study for Miki 6D: every test; every test is very important in the MYP. oming up to middle school from primary is like There are still many challenges for me to overcome. going to a new country. By saying this I mean in However, the MYP is also really fun and interestterms of the school curriculum, the new rules, the new ing. I’m really looking forward to MYP life! subjects, and new teachers. One of the many struggles I faced coming up to the MYP was the late policy: having to be prepared for every class and making sure you aren’t late. In the PYP, if you are late there are no consequence. If you didn’t bring your materials you can go out to get them; it's no big deal. But in the MYP, you get morning detentions if you do any of those things. One thing I do like about coming up to the MYP is the subjects and the teachers.

Having a different teacher for each subject really helps me improve because they all teach in a different way. Back in the PYP, we learned many subjects with our homeroom teacher, so I think having many teachers is better. Although adjusting to middle school is hard, by 3-4 weeks I was already used to the new environment and it's actually not too challenging to be an MYP student!

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Advice to New G6 Students from the G8

I hope everybody takes their stuff for the 3 classes in the morning, it is better that way so that your teacher won’t have to be frustrated with you when you ask them for permission to go out of class. But if your class is near your locker like Science, Math and Design classes feel free to use your lockers. Don’t forget to lock them! Regarding lockers, the best advice I can Author: Angie G8, MSSC Secretary give to you is to keep it organized, in case you are ow is MYP for you? I hope you are all fine. rushing you wouldn’t need to be flipping your stuff all I will give some advice to you all to help you get over. You would know where your stuff is. through middle school.

Here is some advice from the Grade 8s. ● “Listen to teachers.”

What do you do when you don’t understand your ● “Do not block the hallways. homework? ● “Respect everybody. ● “If you don't take notes in math you will fail.”

The best thing you can do is to ask your teacher. They ● “Follow good examples from people who you can give you a better explanation than your friends so believe are good.” that your understanding of that subject is clearer. For

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example, Math.

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Secondary School Update

High School Student Life: Welcome Back to School

From the High School Student Government

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fter recharging for a whole summer, we are thrilled and honored to welcome you all back to what promises to be a fruitful school year. We would like to give a warm welcome to the newest members of our high school both students and teachers - as they will certainly help further enhance the quality of our school’s community.

Although academics are certainly at the center of Concordian’s rigorous IB program, the school still strives to promote a whole child philosophy.

Concordian is packed with a variety of sports programs, service clubs, extracurricular activities and many more. These experiences advocate leadership skills and help prepare students to become adults of the future who will make a difference in the world.

High school life would not be complete without “Class Competitions”. In this system, each grade level competes against each other in a series

of challenges that span throughout the semester. These challenges include (but are not limited to): 4-Legged Race, Egg Throwing Contest, What’s in the Box, and the Annual Spirit Week (where students dress up under the theme of each day). In addition to Class Competitions, the High School Student Government also produces events such as the annual talent show. These events give students the opportunity to express their unique talents (that may or may not be outside the field of academics).

On behalf of the High School Student Government, we must say that we are extremely excited to see the high school spirit in action. We assure you that we will work as hard as we can to be the voice of the students and strengthen the core of the high school community.

Ken, G12, President of the High School Student Government:

Secondary School Update

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eople come, people go. Last year, it was sad to see some teachers leave our community, who had been teaching here for a very long time. I was surprised by how many teachers joined our community from all over the world. I would really like to give every new teacher a warm welcome to Concordian International School. I decided to interview them about their time here so far with 3 questions: Why did you come to Concordian? What is something you like about Concordian so far? What is something that has been challenging so far? These are their responses: Mr. George: came here because I wanted to teach in Thailand.

First, I didn’t really know what school in Thailand I should teach in. So I went to ask friends, other teachers, and many people said good things about Concordian. Many people said it was a great school, so I decided to come here. As a math teacher, one thing I really enjoy so far is my math team and my Support Teachers. Math Support Teachers are really helpful because they help me with things I am not good at. Sometimes, I will be teaching a student, but another student needs help. In this case, the support teachers will be there to help them.

Something that is really hard when teaching in Concordian is the fact that it is an IB school. The IB has a program that is really different, and it is hard to teach. Even though it is really challenging, I still really love teaching in this school.

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Mr. Mike:

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These were 3 teachers that I interviewed. I hope all of them will continue to enjoy teaching in Concordian, and I hope you will overcome your challenges. Finally, I believe the longer you stay here, the more you see how magnificent our community is.

Tita, 7S, MSSC Representative

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came here because I loved Concordian’s mission statement and that it was focused on compassion. This is not really something you see in most mission statements. Secondly, I have been wanting to teach in an IB school for a long time.

Thirdly, I have come to Thailand before and it is a great country. These are the three main reasons I chose to come to Concordian. After teaching so far, I really really enjoy my students in this school.

I really have fun teaching them. One challenge I have been facing is the weather, it is really hot here. Another challenge is that I have been teaching at another school in Korea for many years.

I was so used to the teaching environment, so it was hard to adapt to Concordian’s learning environment.

I also somewhat get homesick of my old school.

Overall, I think Concordian is a really awesome school.

I really love teaching here.

Mr. Jamie: s. Veronika (my wife) and I moved here together, and we had several offers to choose from, based on our job search with international schools around the world. We wanted to experience a very different part of the world than where we had lived in the past (USA or Latvia or the Czech Republic). Concordian seemed like a very loving school that sincerely cared about its students and staff. Also, the leaders we met seemed to be smart and effective in their jobs.

Those were the main factors relating to why we chose here. What we like most about Concordian so far is the warm welcome we have received. Students and staff have been incredibly friendly and easy to work with. Everyone is helpful and eager to make the new people feel safe and comfortable here, and part of the community. The hardest challenge so far has been learning some phrases in the Thai language! We both enjoy languages a lot and want to learn at least enough Thai to understand signs and menus and get by in the community when needed. The different tones of pronunciation have been hard to recognize, though, and our ears are still just barely getting used to hearing them. We have only learned how to say about 20 things in Thai during our first month and a half here, but we plan to learn more soon.

Counseling Corner

Greetings Concordian!

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nother exciting year has begun. As school counselors, we are continuously working with students to develop the life skills necessary to meet the expectations of not just their academic standards, but also their individual passions and pursuits. Collaborating with different departments, we aim to promote student achievement while developing them into contributing members of our society. We do this through teaching Counseling and Careers lessons, conducting individual and group counseling sessions, and creating plans and activities tailored towards helping them achieve these goals. We hope this is going to be another great year for all of us!

Thank you, Ms. Yatima Teppoonpol

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MYP Counseling

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Athletics News

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inja’s chess achievement was during the summer break. He went to Mandalay, Myanmar to represent Thailand at the Asean Chess Tournament in which there were kids from Southeast Asia and nearby countries competing.

He managed to win the bronze medal for U14 team standard tournament!

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he boys varsity volleyball season started with much excitement by winning their first game. The team mostly consisted of new players learning the basics with a couple veteran players leading the way. A good example of a leader was the team captain, Robin. He stepped up by helping teammates stay focused during practice and taught them offensive and defensive techniques. Overall this team has shown a great amount of growth in such a short time.

- Coach Leo

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Showcase

Hui Hui's Music Contest

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t’s a great year for all Thai people to have the chance to see the coronation ceremony of King Rama X from the Chakri Royal family on May 2-6, 2019. It was a historic day for Thailand.

The Luang Pradit Pairoh foundation (Sorn Silapabaanleng) has organized the classical music competition to promote development by elementary and primary level students.

This year the contest for Ranad-Ek instrument solo (Thai xylophone) was held at Kasetsart University. There were 300 or more primary school competitors from all over the country. Hui Hui (G8) passed to the semi final round out of 74 competitors and to the final round out of 30 competitors. She earned second prize in the Sornthong contest 2018-2019 in honor of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklao Chaoyuhua. It was a proud moment for her, her family and Concordian International school. The success came from her long, hard, intentional training.

Hui Hui would like to share her great experience from the contest with us:

“Ranad became a part of my life 5 years ago. Twenty-two pieces of polished timber, a cotton-tipped wooden baton, and the melody. I fell in love with the tenacious and firm melody.

I never thought this instrument would bring me so far in life.

The beginning of my competitive Ranad journey was quite the disappointment. I thought I would never be able to take it seriously again. There were two choices: work harder or quit.

Quitting, to me, was never a 'right' option, so I never quite gave up. It was the best decision of my life. I slowly made my way back into the scene, starting from the semifinals, the finals, and earning second place in 2017, and then coming back again for another second-place finish in 2019. Last year I failed hard, but this only encouraged me to work harder.

This year's victory was my most important achievement so far. From it I learned of the importance of Mr. Churchill's quote: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts". I would like to extend my gratitude to all the wonderful people who helped me through my journey, my parents (love u mom & dad), Kru A (the one who taught me everything), and the Concordian community for their love and support.”

Winner of Song & Dance 13 & Under in 2019 CSTD Grand Prix Thailand Competion ind (G6I) won the 1 st Place for Song & Dance M 13 & under in the 2019 CSTD Grand Prix Competition, Thailand’s Regional Competition.

I really appreciate all the support from my family, my teachers, my school, and my friends. Without you I could not reach this happiness achievement. So, please enjoy every moment of the journey together!

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Dancing gives me many benefits in terms of health, discipline, social interaction, expression, encouragement, and most importantly, joy.

Showcase

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oncordian Dragons were well represented in the AISAA Battle of the Bands competition for the second year in a row. The competition is divided into three sections: Primary, Secondary, and Varsity. If even one band member is older, the whole band must perform in the higher division. That’s why we had two young groups in the higher levels.

Here is how the day went: Tofu is a band consisting of 6 members: Kyla as the singer, Aa as lead guitarist, Tin as rhythm guitarist, Jj as keyboard player, Kimi as the bassist, and Beam as the drummer. We formed this band in December 2018, so we are still very new and all our members are currently in grade 7.

We arrived early and listened to the other bands perform, getting to sound check in the last slot.

Right after our sound check, Tofu was the first to perform, and the performance went pretty well.

Some of us were nervous as it was our first time performing out of school, but we were having fun and playing naturally, after hours of practice.

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The Gold Dragon Team won third place for Lower Secondary Level in the competition. They played, “Near Dawn” from the musical composition of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The song was played in a contemporary musical style, which had a mixture of Thai genre and International genre music. Spaced team performed the song, “Kid Mak’. The songs were beautifully sung in 8 different languages. Prim (G9) and Kaojao (G8), members of the Spaced band would like to share their experience with us as followed: “The Battle of the Bands was a stimulating event and an honor to be a part of. Everyone may have had different songs, instruments, and musical backgrounds, but the one thing every single participant had in common was their love and enjoyment of music. Bringing those people resulted into a fusion of phenomenal artistry, and an incredibly fun experience.

This wasn’t the first time that Spaced - the band that I am part of - had attended this festival. Nonetheless both the experiences were wonderful and inspired the entire team. The weeks leading up to the event were stressful, but all the elevated cortisol levels and impromptu scheduling was worth it to be part of the Battle of the Bands.

I am very grateful to be part of it, and like the rest of the band members, wish to join again. It wasn’t about winning the competition; that was just an added bonus to the experience. It was about the teamwork and dedication that we put in, and the friends and memories we gained from it.” Prim

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The songs we performed were "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence, and "Sweet Child O’ Mine" by Guns N’ Roses. These two songs were both very hard. We included a short intro at the beginning to introduce our band and the instruments. After our performance and watching the judges smile, we sat back down on the balcony to enjoy the experience and learn from other bands.

“In the beginning, when the band was just newly formed and the instruments were just assigned, In the end, we got 2nd place for the Kru A told me that she wanted there to be a Secondary level, which was good. Our chief mash-up between modern western instruments and competitor was Coldflame, a really good band from KIS. Thai instruments. I thought that this was a great idea.

Although we didn’t win, we were all lucky to have the During our performance, there were some accidents experience to try performing outside school and on stage, but from what I saw from the video later face rivals our age. We are preparing to make a on, we were very successful. But as Kru A said, we comeback and perform even better to get the trophy were in the high school band category, so there was next year. almost no chance for us to win. Still, I am very proud of us and what we accomplished. Go Dragons.

-Tofu Khaojao

Showcase

we were able to practice our 2 songs for only about 10 minutes. The songs we were performing were “Can’t take my eyes off you” by Frankie Valli, a classic, and “DDu Du DDu Du”

We started Aftermath in early 2017 when we were still in grade 8. At first, everything was rough, nobody was playing on the beat, our practices didn't sound good and everyone was quickly becoming demoralized by the lack of progress. However, instead of just giving up and quitting the band, we worked hard until our practice sessions improved. Not only did our songs sound better, but our bonds as friends also strengthened.

That is why we decided to apply for the AISAA battle of the bands.

When we arrived at “BOB”, we headed straight to the auditorium, where we signed in and registered for sound check. Since the time was limited,

The jittery feeling intensified as we walked up the steps to the stage. We looked at each other, knowing that whatever happened up on the stage we would still go on. Hands wet with fear, shaking with nervousness, we gripped our instruments and kicked off with the intro of our first song, “Can't Take My Eyes Off You”, with Freya introducing the band and the songs. Looking down at the audience of young elementary KIS students sitting at the front of the stage laughing and moving along with our song, the nervousness slowly faded, and we grinned at the small and silly mistakes our bandmates made. The layout of the auditorium really helped. Once we were on stage the audience disappeared into a sea of darkness leaving us with small children dancing along to our version of DDu Du DDu Du. Before we knew it, we were playing the last part of the song and it was over. The crowd cheered and we rushed off stage.

Adrenaline still pumping in our veins we laughed and high-fived each other for doing better We practiced nearly every day, just to perfect the song. But we weren't looking to win, just to represent ourselves and the school.

We tried our best, and despite losing a lot of confidence after hearing all the instrument solos, we still managed to pull through and ended up 4th place.

There's always next year, and next year, we'll make sure we get that trophy. Aftermath

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Activities and Events

High School Student Government Fall 2019 Update

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House Competitions

s the school year marches forward, we at the HSSG are already hard at work making sure that students are well-adjusted and comfortable in High School. We know that our students are doing their best in their academics, but to add some healthy competitive spirit to the mix, we have House Competitions taking place every other week! Here’s a short recap of some you may have missed: What’s in the Box As if school isn’t stressful enough, sticking your hands into boxes in which you don’t know what it contains seems scary. During this activity of “What’s in the box”, two students represented each grade compete against other grades to guess what items were located in the three boxes full of mystery items. The boxes contained very random items such as a scrunched up water bottle. It was a tight competition full of uneasiness which led to the team of grades 10 and 12 in the leading position of the winners for this challenge.

Four Legged Race Four people per team with their legs tied to each other and running around the canteen -- what could possibly go wrong? The four legged race once again was a close battle from beginning to end. As the representatives from each grade inelegantly galloped across the soccer field like a sick horse, the spectators were jumping and cheering for their grade representatives. In the end, the seniors came out on top and beat freshmen by a split second difference.

Tug of War

Famed basketball coach Phil Jackson once said “The strength of the team is each individual member.

The strength of each member is the team.” This is especially true in tug of war. Despite each class sending out only six representatives for four rounds, they exceeded our expectations with how fiercely and passionately they fought. The outstanding effort of the younger students sure filled everyone with great joy and excitement, but their efforts were no match for Egg Toss the seniors. The seniors clenched the victory through We started the year off with a classic House sheer physical strength and domination. With faces scrunched and muscles tensed, every person that Competition: the Egg Toss. Deemed as one of the most gripped that rope pulled with their all! exciting and messy events of the year, this year’s egg toss did not disappoint. The rules are simple: each grade has two players, one player tosses an egg to the other.

If the player catches the egg, the team moves on. If not, the team is eliminated. The last team standing wins. In a fierce battle for first, the tenth grade representatives clinched the victory from the 11th graders. This exciting activity is a sign of all the fun that will happen this year.

Mr. Eulalio Arcia Secondary School Student Life Coordinator

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These house competitions not only serve to break the school days, but also engagestudents to cultivate class, spirit and unity. As part of the Student Government we say with great delight that there is much, much more in store for you all. With that, we hope that you’re excited as we are! Until next time!

The High School Student Government 2019 - 2020

Activities and Events

Mother's Day O

n the 9th of August, the school held the Thai mother’s day ceremony, which also coincides with Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s birthday. This ceremony was held to show respect towards Her Majesty the Queen Mother, wishing Her Majesty happiness and long life.

The ceremony also reminds all Thais what Her Majesty had done for the Nation over the past decades.

Later in the day, I also had the opportunity to visit Chitralada Palace to offer flowers to Her Majesty. While visiting, I received a chance to observe one of Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s initiatives, which aims to conserve Thai craftsmanship as these Thai crafts are extremely important towards Thai culture, but there are lesser and lesser people inheriting these craftsmanship techniques.

Luckily, with this initiative. Not only was Her Majesty able to conserve Thai craftsmanship, but also improve the life quality of her citizens, as this initiative provides jobs and also creating a market for Thai craftsmanship to sell their products.

Therefore, there is no surprise why the whole of Thai nation regards Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s as the mother of all Thais.

By Rda (G12)

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Activities and Events

“Respect for Teachers Day”

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he Wai Kru Ceremony is a traditional Thai tradition for students to show their respect and thank teachers at the beginning of the academic year.

The Concordian Wai Kru ceremony starts with our student representatives speaking about the meaning of Wai Kru, Wai Kru flower’s and leading us in the Pa Je Ra poem (Thai poem about the importance of teachers). Next, MC’s invite administrators and the teachers to the stage.

The Students have an opportunity to show respect and thank the teachers by giving Wai and flowers to the teacheron stage. Teachers have an opportunity to welcome their students and wish them a successful academic year.

The Wai Kru’s flowers given to the teachers on Wai Kru ceremony have meaning and symbolize in them the students promise to the teacher to be good, keep their mind sharp, and try their best in school.

By Kru Dear, Thai Teacher

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Activities and Events

Wai Kru: Student respactive

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t is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. Today we honor these individuals through a ceremony known as ‘Teacher’s Day’ (Wai Kru).

The Wai Kru ceremony is held during the beginning of the academic year. ‘Wai’ means ‘to show respect’ and ‘Kru’ means ‘teachers’. ‘Wai Kru’ can thus be defined as ‘to show respect to teachers’.

The secondary school ceremony took place on the 22nd of August in the Grand Theatre. On this day, students make tributes to their teachers, thanking them for their teachings and guidance.

Common flowers that are given to teachers on this day includes ixora symbolizing wit, eggplant flowers symbolizing respect and wiregrass symbolizing perseverance. In addition, students also made creative flower trays as to demonstrate respect to their teachers. Although this celebration only occurs once a year, it brings me overwhelming joy to see teachers appreciated for what they have done to the school. I believe that such a celebration is a great start to an academic year as it represents a warm welcome back to school, marking the beginning of a powerful bond between teachers and students.

I came away from this ceremony, realizing yet again, that the collective and individual leadership of teachers is vital to the success of education systems and of students’ life.

By Ken (G12)

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Activities and Events

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Concordian Celebrates a Decade of Graduates

oncordian International School hosted its first formal Alumni event on the 27th of July, 2019 at the Waldorf Astoria with over 100 attendees, celebrating a decade of success – not of its founding (that was the turn of the millennium in 2001) – of its first ten graduating classes. The freshly graduated class of 2019 joined the ranks of their alumni classes of 2010 onward in a delightful soiree of all things white and blue.

Not much was needed to get the party started. The elevator opened to a sonorous blend of zingy chatter and rapturous laughter, interrupted - but not broken, with big hugs and warm embraces. Flashes of group photos splintered in a frenzy and the emotions and sentiments of homecoming and nostalgia filled the air.

The all too familiar scene of teachers ushering us into the room was there – not because we were late for class, but because we were trying to learn as much as we could and catch up with our mates. The Waldorf Astoria Bangkok did not disappoint in culinary delights, but on this day

it played second fiddle to the hilarious trivia game hosted by our very own K.Varnnee Ross – the visionary founder and the true compass, moral and otherwise, of our school.

With each alumnus seated at a table with members of each of the other ten graduated classes, there was plenty of opportunity for mixed catch-up. It was beautiful to see how familiar faces have grown and flourished, how some seem to have defied the physics of time – it is of no surprise that many of the staff and teachers have been at Concordian since the very beginning. They still look the same as they greeted me with warm and sincere smiles, exactly the way they did daily to my primary school self. What has definitely morphed and grown, however, is Concordian’s intention in promoting academic excellence, with a growing roster of graduates successfully placed among the very best International universities. The latter of which is particularly significant, and is a truly courageous and rewarding result for Concordian, a pioneer in advocating trilingual IB programme in Thailand.

I can confidently say that Concordian’s complete IB continuum curriculum - from the PYP through the Diploma Programme - helped prepare me well for a wide spectrum of challenges in life. The impact of IB was immediately apparent in the first year of my undergraduate degree. We were not only relatively better prepared in terms of

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Activities and Events

a c a d e m i c k n o w l e d g e a n d c o n t e n t , b u t also in problem solving and critical thinking. IB continues to shine in the employment arena; the early exposure towards independent thinking, and culture to drive our own learning and development, has built a strong and confident foundation to succeed in the workplace.

On a more personal note, the night felt like the first proper homecoming. As a member of the class of 2012, it was the first time I realised we have been quite far away from this place we call ‘home’ for the better half of our lives. Although years have passed and our social circles have changed, although we have taken on new jobs and responsibilities, we – to perhaps the surprise of everyone else but us dragons – always go home to Concordian. Be it to play football with our former coach and now not-so-small younger teammates or to catch up with our teachers, we always find a reason to go back. Whether discussing topics such as our next degree, or career move, or pitching ideas for a new start-up, we return. In fact, we never entirely left the school at all.

Concordian isn’t simply a place, but more a value and, dare I say it, a way of life – we simply carry on our mission statement to promote integrity, vision, intellect, and compassion, not from the confines of our beautiful Alma Mater, but out in the real world,.. willing and ready to make a difference.

By Pete (Class of 2012)

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Activities and Events

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oncordian’s tenth graduating class held their Farewell Celebration on May 24th, 2019 in the Grand theater.

This event was followed by the official Valedictory Ceremony on June 1st where our graduates received their Concordian diplomas!

The Concordian community was overjoyed by their achievements and particularly happy to see the pride in the students’ and parents’ faces that each of the students accomplished such a monumental feat!

We are eager to see and follow the Concordian Alumni in the years to come and applaud their future achievements and endeavors!

Congratulations Dragons!

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Activities and Events

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Activities and Events

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Knowledge (TOK) and CAS by Mr. Michael, College Applications by Mr. Leo, and an overview of our high school grade scale by Dr. James. In addition to the important sessions and workshops, we took part in a creative drama session held by Mr. Clynt. In this session we were split into groups, with each group given a particular prompt pertaining to the potential struggles and pressures that one may face during the next two years.

n the second week of August the Grade 11 students spent the weekend in Pattaya to learn all about the upcoming IB Diploma Programme.

The primary purpose of this trip was to help us understand what is expected of us and introduce us to what the challenging, yet fulfilling programme has in store for us the next two years.

Apart from all academic-related activities, this weekend getaway was a great opportunity for us On Friday morning, prior to the workshops and to bond and spend quality time together. Despite sessions, we visited an orphanage and a school waking up early every day for school, many of for the blind. Even though our time at both places us decided to wake up even earlier to catch the was short, all of us felt a deep connection with the sunrise and enjoy a morning stroll. To be able children there. During our reflection session on to soak in the morning sun, feel the sand on Friday night led by our counselor Mr. Leo, many our toes, and enjoy the company of friends of us shared feelings of sympathy, distress, and definitely beats sleeping in! We also had the chance to gratitude, and hence, are important takeaways enjoy the water slides and swimming pool instilled in us to become more compassionate and facilities. open-minded.

The road ahead will be challenging, but with the On Saturday and Sunday we had workshops guidance of our supportive teachers and the that covered a range of topics such as Extended encouragement of our friends, we will push Essay (EE) by Ms. Kathleen, Theory of through and strive to do our best this upcoming year!

- Andra, Grade 11

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Activities and Events

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Activities and Events

Hello Dragon Community!

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s always, the school year has gotten off to a busy start here at Concordian! For grades 8, 9, and 10, this meant taking off as a class for a weekend away bonding trip! Starting in August each year, classes embark on a two night retreat with their counselors. This trip is meant to serve as a break from the hectic life that is the IB. Rather than having to worry about upcoming assessments, the weekend focuses on students emotional wellbeing, and on bringing them all closer together as a class.

At the end of the day, we hope this year’s bonding trips gave all students a chance to create positive, lasting memories. “I love that we got to have fun while also doing activities with classmates we don’t usually talk to.” And as one student noted, maybe even helped heal some lingering problems. “Most of the conflict among us was solved after Saturday discussion.

Everyone was open minded and willing to listen to each other without judgement.”

Students had the opportunity to experience Let’s have a great year! firsthand what a day in the life of a blind person is like, meet and interact with blind students their The MYP Counseling Team own age, visit an orphanage, or try their hand at traditional Thai cooking, crafts, and dance. Along the way, students were able to learn some very important life lessons. “I learned that there are many people in the world that don’t have such an opportunity like us to learn in an international school and have fun all day. As soon as I took the blindfold off, I felt so much better. But then I realized that those children don’t have the chance to take theirs off,” explained one grade 9 student. Another mentioned, “it made me realize how hard it is for the blind kids to live their everyday lives. I also recognize how lucky I am to be in the position I am in.”

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Through meaningful interactions such as visiting the blind school, or counselor lead activities geared towards bonding and team building, ultimately the trips aim at promoting empathy and understanding amongst students. They are pushed to open up and share about themselves, while also listening to and getting to know one another on a more meaningful level. These trips provide an opportunity for these experiences, which may not come up during a typical school day. One grade 10 student noted, “I think we were more open because of the people we are with and the environment we were in. If we were to be in school, I don’t think it would have been this open and fun.”

Activities and Events

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Activities and Events

Shanghai Internship

Reflections Nippon, Grade 12 With this opportunity, I was lucky enough to be able to experience the organization culture and its operation first hand. During my visit to the CP office, I was contented by their hospitality. The people there were very welcoming and they would constantly encourage us to ask questions. As for the working environment, the people there are very quiet, but at the same time relaxing as there are cafes for the employees. Besides, the organization culture of CP shanghai is very positive, they show high interest in their work, respect for the chairman and his vision, and are very loyal and engaged in the business. This is very different from many of Thai business organization because some employees would only work until their working hours end and go home. But the people in the CP shanghai care very deeply about the performance of the business and are driven to improve the company.

As for the experience of living in a serviced apartment, it was truly eye-opening for me, because it has exposed me to adulthood. This was the first time that I would have to manage almost all my living expenses.

Things like buying groceries, food, and household items are way more expensive than I have expected. The cost to maintain things around us can become a hassle. It made me very appreciative of the things around me.

Moreover, the trip has made me learn the necessities to manage my life wisely, which allowed me to grow as an individual. From the smallest thing, such as doing laundry, to more important things requires discipline and good time management. We need to manage our personal time, work time and house chores. One of the most memorable things about the trip was when me and my roommate, Kris, found something rotten inside the fridge, and we decided to disassemble the whole fridge’ interior to clean it individually. Although that was a lot of work, it was unheard of in my daily life in Bangkok. This trip has made me learn more about life and what I have to prepare once I get my dorm in university.

In summary, all the things that I have learned from this internship, whether small or big, can be significant for me in the future. As mentioned by the supervisor, 70% of the knowledge in this field can be obtained by fieldwork/ practice. I do believe that it would be more interesting if we were able to be more engaged and able to contribute more to the business. I hope that this experience can be I was able to learn a lot about the safety shared with other kids in our school and more students precautions and drills that they heavily emphasize, in the upcoming year will apply for this program. during my visit to the super brand mall. I was able to explore different types of malls in Shanghai, conduct market research and also compare different mall competitors to SBM. This experience sparked of my interest in the real estate business, and I hope to be working in this field in the future as it can be very fun.

I was also introduced to the future leader program, which is very interesting as the program encourages people to start their own business and students are trained to become business owners.

I learned the importance of location when I was doing my fieldwork on Superbike. I learned that location is an important part of the marketing aspect of business, and without a good location, unique selling points and quality of the product will be overlooked.

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Activities and Events

Ibream, Grade 12 During the internship, I experienced many aspect of business operations, from security to finance. All the teachers were so professional and made the class very enjoying. The lessons were clear and concise despite the language barrier as most of the teachers spoke in Chinese and there were some vocabulary that I did not understand.

There were some activities such as cleaning bathrooms, selling drinks and snacks, helping out with startup businesses and etc. Cleaning the bathroom, I got to experience being a maid. At first I thought it would be an easy task to complete, but not at all. Cleaning takes time and lots of effort to accomplish. It taught me to be ambitious and to respect every job. In order to become a good owner of a company, I need to know how to do everything. It taught me that not all simple tasks are simple.

Lyn, Grade 12 This internship is a wonderful experience. I learned a lot outside of classroom. It is very exciting to see how business concepts apply to real life. For example SWOT analysis in the CP five year strategy presentation. I realized business concepts that we learn in class might be too general. The real-life situation is more complicated and requires a specified solution to direct cases. I appreciated this internship because it allowed me to take an overview of of Super Brand Mall as an established business model.

Conversations with different department heads are really interesting. I learned how to target customers by studying their lifestyle by using IT technology. During the process there are also some embarrassing moments like no one wants to try our food tasting and they point out our unprofessional presentation. We always stand up from where we fall. In the end our group is awarded the best group. We got really close after all those midnight lobby meeting. I gained a lot in this Shanghai trip friendship, experience, knowledge and my Thai improved a lot.

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Activities and Events

Tonnam, Grade 11 Throughout this internship I learned a lot about the retail industry, in particular as it applies to shopping malls the production of food on farms, especially fruit and vegetables. When working in the mall I was able to learn a lot about each department and how they are all connected. I learned that each department is important in its own right but all departments must work in cooperation in order for the smooth operation of the mall.

The trip, and the internship were both enjoyable and fruitful as I met many different people, all with various skills and abilities. I was able to observe how they all contributed to the success of the company which in turn gives a competitive advantage.

I also learned about interaction with customers visiting the mall which is also important in the retail environment.

Rada, Grade 12 From the internship I can see the importance of many departments that I might not know from just being a customer, I learned that there are so many important departments that the mall cannot operate perfectly without, for example, the security department, where they don’t only take responsibility for the customer’s security in the mall, but also all the small details for the mall’s safety as a whole, for example checking up with all restaurant for cleanliness and also safety standards to prevent fire.

I also notice that malls nowadays do need to work hard to keep up with consumer behavior. For example, during these few years, people tend to do more online shopping, therefore the mall will need to develop or adapt to meet customer needs, and also attract more customers into the mall.

Au, Grade 11 From this trip, I was able to learn in depth about managing a business and the necessities that it requires.At the end of the trip, I was tasked to hold a presentation about everything I learned during the process of the internship. In the process of this presentation, I picked up many skills regarding how to act as a presenter and how to form my presentation from the comments given by the head of each department.

The working environment in China and Thailand is different. In Thailand, the working environment seems more lively, but in China, the working environment is really serious. People are focused and the whole office is so quiet. Which this might be the cause from the intense competition in China, causing a higher determination to further their career, or it might be caused from the difference in culture.

This internship also let me know more about my friends.

Spending time together made our bonds closer. I also get to go to a few tourist attractions in Shanghai and some places around. Overall, I think that this is a great experience.

Kris, Grade 12 In the Shanghai internship, we went to analyse many malls, such as the IFC, L plus, IAPM. In addition, the internship allowed us to improve our presentation skills and gave us a more business mindset. This is because in the internship we had to present our analysed data of the mall to the SBM team for every two weeks and the SBM staff also gave us many tasks that need to be done as a group.

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In conclusion, This internship is not only about work experiences but also about bonding with friends, because we help each other, have fun and go through many difficult things. During the four weeks, we also gained new knowledge about how business works in China.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to the school and P Aoh for taking good care of us during the internship and hosting this amazing internship.

Activities and Events

Beepo, Grade 12 The Shanghai trip has been one of the most memorable experiences this summer because not only did I have an opportunity to spend more time with my close friends, I also learned more about how to operate a large scale business which in this case is Super Brand Mall. I had a chance to visit major top universities in Shanghai such as NYU, Duke Kunchan, and Jiaotong Liverpool. After the universities tour I’m more interested in exploring my options for the future.

During the first day at the CP, I felt in awe listening to the presentation about major malls around China that are owned by CP. In China, CP owned approximately 15 malls with completely different scale and target audiences.

We had an opportunity to visit major CP malls, had Super Brand Mall and Touch Mall. We also had a chance to talk to the staff that works in different departments such as safety, marketing, finance, and legalities. This was a complete eye-opener for me because I always thought that operating a shopping center is not that complicated since it is a business that you don’t need to manufacture your product you’re selling other people’s product. But in reality, it is the exact opposite.

Lastly, one of the most important lessons I learned is that “nothing is as easy as it seems”. Before the trip, I used to think that passing flyers or cleaning the toilet is not a difficult job at all but it is more difficult than I thought.

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Residency Program Catch-up

Residency Program C

lassmates always ask us what it's like living in "the dorm". So, here goes. We have to study a lot and follow a schedule but our grades show it works. Dean Award and Principal Award are not that easy to get. Coach K encourages us to join a sports team so we can get extra practice by using the gym and squash courts when no one is here. On weekends, we get to swim and play in any of the school facilities which is the most fun.

Sometimes we go on weekends to activities like fishing, wall climbing, watching movies, ice skating and things like that. Ms. Anabelle will surprise us when we have done well with delicious homemade pizza and healthy baked goods. Foosball, darts, and other board games help us between study sessions to relax our minds for awhile. And, we have the cat therapy room too whenever we need some chill time. We don't think about it as being in a residency boarding program, its our home.

Mr. Robert Kovach says that he is most proud of the residents who have gone on to some of the best universities in the world and several with scholarships.

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Community Service

Sanjana Grade 11 This trip was a great experience for me. We interacted with elders, sang songs, played games, and had a painting activity. During our conversations, even though I had difficulties speaking Thai, I could see the sadness in their eyes which made me feel emotional.

Some of them had been separated from their families and had been staying in the home for more than 10 years. But I could see smiles and laughter on all of their faces when they won a few games or while they were painting, which made me feel delighted. I think that spending time with seniors and visiting them in elderly homes is so important as it can bring huge benefits to their health and most importantly, make them happy.

The time we spent there passed by so fast and we wanted to stay longer, but we knew that we would come back soon.

Prim Grade 10

Amm Grade 10

On September 10th, grades 9 -11 and some teachers visited the Elderly Home in Nakhon Pathom. The visit started with a brief introduction of us all and delightful singing - courtesy of Jade, Shana, and Amy. We then separated into pairs and trios for a game of Bingo. Many of the residents had never played or heard of Bingo, but it didn’t take very long for them to understand the rules. Everyone was enthusiastic and we were all having a great time.

I had a wonderful experience during the trip although we were just spending 2 hours with the elders. I was a bit nervous at first since I did not really know how to get along with them, but once I started a conversation with them, they smiled and we had a great conversation together. I felt more comfortable interacting with the elders, and I tried to make them as happy as possible, like sharing stories with one another. Time flew by, but it was a meaningful moment. I enjoyed it very much and I hope that I can revisit.

After two loud and competitive rounds, we started the painting activity. The school provided us with some plant pots and paints, and the students and the elderly made art and potted houseplants.

This visit ended with 30 minutes of thoughtful conversations with them, topics ranging from our hobbies to music taste. The time spent there seemed too short and none of us wanted to leave.

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Beam Grade 9

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This trip was a very meaningful experience both for me and my classmates. Honestly, it was an honor to be a part of it. I was very nervous when I had to stand in front of everyone because I was the MC. I should’ve spoken a lot louder since their hearing is no longer good. For me, the most memorable moment was the time where we got Our new friends sat down to lunch and sang us to do the paintings with the elders. It was a very a song of gratitude, and after hugs, pictures and special time for me since I was able to connect with good-byes we all boarded the bus to go back to one of the grandfathers. Overall, this is something Concordian.

I will never forget and I am so eager to go back.

Community service

Rose Grade 9 My favorite part about this trip was interacting with the elders and not just going there to drop off some money or supplies, take a picture then never return again.

We were able to enjoy a decent amount of time with them which brought smiles to both our and their faces. It was not easy to break the ice at the beginning, but as I got to know them, it was really enjoyable to learn about different people’s lives and their experiences. I hope that next time we go Ms. Rachel Science Teacher on the trip, we can plan more activities that we will I signed up with great enthusiasm to attend this all enjoy. trip as I have not done service in a while, and I looked forward to meeting new people with different lives and experiences than myself. It was REALLY difficult to wake up early and come to school on Saturday but the trip was so worth it. My favourite part was seeing the seniors painting and interacting with the students, there were some real artists in both groups! While mixing colours, we shared our love of cats, flowers and all sorts of random topics. I really depended on our students to help me interact with the residents, since I could barely introduce myself in Thai (I promise to improve for next time). Our Dragons were a great bridge between the residents and teachers, helping the whole group to share a memorable experience together. After receiving a wonderful parting gift in the form of a song and a blessing, I was immediately thinking of what we can share the next time we visit!

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Community Service

Emmy, Grade 11

Bei Bei, Grade 11 Being a part of the Operation Smile Club for 3 years, I cooperated in fundraising activities at school participated in helping the Smile Run in 2018. Never did I have a chance to meet the people that I am helping, until the Operation Smile Mission trip to Surin in September. This trip provided us an opportunity to interact with the kids we have been fundraising for, as well as to observe surgeries in operation rooms. These rare opportunities shed light on our perceptions of the hardships of so many people in the world allowing us to recognizing the fact of how grateful we should be for what we have. They allow us to realize that every one of our actions can be helpful to someone in the world whether we know it or not, and these small actions bring people happiness, something that can’t be bought by money. Life is unfair in the way that not everyone is born the same, all of these kids that the Operation Smile organization aims to help are born with a cleft lip/cleft palate or some sort of disability they did not choose to have.

Shana, Grade 10 Before going to Surin, I always thought that Operation Smile was just a club raising money for supporting kids with cleft palates, however this trip really changed my spective of what it really is. I saw many kids in this condition and their faces were all filled with fear. My biggest highlight was to be able to interact with the kids and their parents; learning more about their lives and how hard it was for them to be under this condition. This experience that really touched me and I will never forget it.

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I enjoyed the trip to Surin hospital as I had a chance to meet many people who were all really nice even though they were experiencing a situation that was quite terrible and difficult for them to get through. From my point of view, they were more than a family because I could feel their love towards each other.

I was so excited when I learnt about the trip because it seemed to be interesting and it was something new for me as a high school student.

I am happy that I chose to attend this trip and I do not regret coming here as I had a lot of new experiences by being there. I consider this to be one of the best experiences I could ever have in my entire life.

Alfie, Grade 11 This is my first time on an Operation Smile experience and I feel very grateful that I came this year. I got to see many types of operations: hand, operation on the nose, and mouth (cleft palate and cleft lips).

From this trip, I feel like being a doctor could save and change many people’s lives. I was so excited to see the surgery and to see the people who got the surgery recover. I feel very good that I came to this trip and if I have an opportunity next time, I will come because this type of learning really worhts the time and effort.

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Community service

Kor, Grade 11 I found it really fascinating to observe how surgery is performed very closely. The questions that I brought up directly to the surgeon also helped me to understand exactly what was going on and how they analyzed problems to come up with the solution. One of the cases I saw was a patient with nose infection. Since there was a mistake from his previous surgery, it caused an infection in his nose and another surgery was done to fix it. This tells me that in a professional career there can still be mistakes and that there is no guaranteed that every patient can completely be recovered from their sickness.

Fay, Grade 11 Being a part of the Surin Operation Smile mission gave me the rare opportunity to observe surgery being performed up close and talk to the surgeons themselves, asking them about their careers and the medical treatment they would perform for someone born with cleft lips. This experience was extremely valuable for me, as well as, anyone considering persuing a career in the medical field as it gave us the chance to observe the occurrences inside an actual operating room and asses the jobs that being a doctor would entail, the environment they work at, the people they have to interact with, etc.

Pao Pao, Grade 11 It is my first time participating in this Operation Smile Mission in Surin, for five days. This mission was overall a great experience and opportunity for me to interact with other volunteers, students, and learn many things. The most touching part was how people were trying their best in their position to communicate and to reduce anxiety for the patients and kids. I remember that when I was playing with the kids in the hospital, there were some students from other schools who joined me and helped me playing with the kids. This mission was a great experience, and a great chance to meet new people naturally.

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