Touchstone Magazine by ISB PTA

THE NEW NORMAL TOGETHER AGAIN

THE

RETURN OF

ECO-TRIPS

Exploring Thailand, Giving Back to Community and Finding Fun p7

VAHEN KING

THE STRENGTH OFMY

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Meg Bartmess

STUDENT EDITOR

Chloe Bartmess

CONTRIBUTORS

Clare Chen

Kochaporn Werojn

Andy Davies

Justyna McMilan

Marc de Vries

Michael Allen

Farah Thaxton

Honey Tondre

Mark Marshall

Dennis Harter

Melinda Kehe

Kerry Dyke

Vahen King

Justin Alexander

Debbie McDowell

Corry Day

Heather McCain

PTA Hospitality Team

PTA Korean Community Reps

PTA Japanese Community Reps

Poon V., 8th Grade Student

Shayne P., 8th Grade Student

Yumna Jawad

New York Korea Center

Rachael, All Recipes

PHOTO

Shuterstock

@LaneJensen

@Selahreflections

Chloe Bartmess

Nutdanai Pongnikorn

Harmony Casey

Sarah Steward

Mark Marshall

Stephen Romary

Kerry Dyke

Meg Bartmess

Okart Studio

ISB Facility Team

Fco-President

By: Clare Chen

As ISB parents, we are blessed to have a warming community the moment we enroll our children into this school. Everything surrounding the school is vibrant and diverse. The dedicated teachers, the ever helpful staff from the gate to the Grind and all the way down at the sports fields and back. Every step we take, there’s always a warm hello and a welcoming smile which ensures us that ISB is the best choice we made, not only for our children but also for us parents. This wouldn’t be made possible without the enthusiastic PTA volunteers!

I still remember as a new parent, fresh off the boat, in this new environment/adventure, trying to find my place, trying to see where to belong and which groups to join and mingle; even more so, meeting lifelong friends that we become family away from home. This wouldn’t happen without PTA being the platform and center of fabulous events created yearly by the most amazing parent volunteers. They build bridges for all parents far and wide, new, old and returning. It is the PTA that provides the community a chance to bond, a chance to grow and also a chance to be together again.

So, as I am today, with my years of receiving so much love from the community and experiencing the kindness of all cultures from

all corners of the world, I would love to give back to the community that has made our children thrive and carry on with their adulthood with a special piece of ISB in their youth. Through PTA, the irreplaceable parent volunteers played as role models for our children as we embraced differences and similarities from the world into this vast campus. We are proud to be immersed as a part of this inclusive community where parents joined hand in hand over and over again, to bring the sparkles to everyone’s smile.

With Yok, my dearest co-president, we became friends because of ISB and we are together because of PTA. We shared high and low moments within school and outside school. We were separated when the pandemic hit and yet we are together again!

This is the magic of ISB PTA, to bring friends together again and again; creating bonds that last a lifetime. Through our collaboration, we want to put this wonderful experience forward and exert it to the community. We want to create an atmosphere for the ISB community, a sense of belonging, an opportunity to be together again after the pandemic. This is the essence of the Parent Teacher Auxiliary (PTA): to be the bridge and provide crossings from parents to staff and enrich our children’s experience in ISB through memorable moments.

2023 flips and marks our calendars, as our community travels home to be with family together again. We wish parents, staff and our precious children to have the best new year ahead, with the most uplifting new year resolutions and goals moving forward.

Don’t forget the PTA lounge, right next to Booster Hut is always open daily from 10am - 3pm. There isn’t much in the room, but filled with LOVE by our fabulous volunteers.

Come and join us!

F co-President

By: Kochaporn Werojn

p7 The New Normal, Together Again

“...the ISB community is finally “together again” is truly a happy turn of events and one that is very welcome.”

p9 New Challenges with Academic IntegrityThe Dawn of AI

p10 Facility Upgrades at ISB

p12 Intercultural WEEK

p14 Welcoming our New Elementary School Vice Principals

p17 Our Growing Pre-K Program at ISB

p19 Empowering Girls Through STEAM

p21 Working Together Again, the Japanese Community

p24 Middle School Pleased and Excited to be Together Again

ON THE COVER

Elementary school students participate in the parade of flags during the annual Intercultural Week. Read more on page 12.

p27 Messy Bookshelves: a Sign of Life

p29 The Return of Eco-Trips

p30 Contagious Courage

Ip48 Did Someone Say Cookies?

p51 Together Again & Learning LotsNothing Replaces the Human Touch

p53 Booster Club

p32 VAHEN KINGThe Strength of My Weakness

“...embrace all of who you are...to maximize your potential”

p37 Introducing Korea

p43 Middle School Wai Kru Assembly

p47 In Person EventsA time to Connect

p59 Dive Back In To Panther Swim

The New Normal, Together Again

By: Dr. Andy Davies, Head of School

The theme of this edition of Touchstone is “Together Again”. Usually this phrase relates to the happy feelings we experience when we are reunited after being separated from others by location or distance. In these times of Covid, however, most of us have been in our homes in the same city, but compelled to be distanced by the pandemic.

In any event, the fact that the ISB community is finally “together again” is truly a happy turn of events and one that is very welcome. We have oscillated between virtual school, hybrid school and on campus school “with restrictions” over the past few years so finally being 99% normal is a great source of joy.

Student trips are back on, performances have full audiences, parents are back enjoying the campus, sports are in full swing, mask use is diminishing, and most importantly kids are learning in classrooms with their teachers - the natural state.

The recent IASAS events of Soccer, Cross Country and Model United Nations exemplify what “together again” means for our school and our community as we were also reunited with the outside world and our IASAS friends at ISKL, ISM, JIS, SAS and TAS. Our ISB teams were back together,

competing with schools from our 40 plus year old cultural and athletics conference. Talking to students, parents and coaches, these experiences were deeply missed.

From a parent community perspective, our PTA has the throttle full on as we return to Adult Education, the International Family Fair, Intercultural Week, Touchstone, Popcorn Sales, Welcome Wai and so much more. Additionally, the Booster Club is very busy supporting our athletics and cultural teams, as well as providing a great service to our whole community. We are very grateful to our volunteers for working so hard for our community.

As a faculty at school we are also very happy to be truly together again. Virtual learning was just about tolerable for us but we are in our element when kids are with us at school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our faculty and staff for all of their hard work both during the worst of the pandemic and as ISB returns to its plentiful activities calendar.

Let’s hope that COVID-19 really was a once in a hundred years event, that we always remain together with those we care about, and importantly that kids are in school where they belong.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Respect for learning begins with Academic Integrity. This is not a new concept in education however, the conversation around academic integrity is shifting due to new and novel ways that students can potentially circumvent systems in place, if they wish to act dishonestly.

The most recent challenge that has sprung up for schools is the impact of AI on education. You may have seen recent news articles about Open AI’s ChatGPT chatbot, which is a text based artificial intelligence tool that has the ability to answer questions and write essays creating completely unique products. It also has the ability to mimic various writing styles. Clearly this is an amazing feat of technology, but one that is causing some headaches for schools and universities. Assessment in high school is still largely based on final ‘products’ produced by the student such as an essay, project, research paper or other written task. This new technology can easily create a product that is of decent quality and with minimal guidance from the student. Scrutinizing the final product, it could prove difficult to attribute the writing to any particular source and detect as plagiarism. This of course poses a major challenge for educators where there is no concrete evidence of plagiarism. The fact that AI technology can quickly learn and adapt writing styles, also avoids the question of ‘whether it is the student’s voice or not’ which means this type of cheating could arguably fall unnoticed and give the student a pass through the assessment task.

Of course the vast majority of students understand the importance of academic integrity and have good academic practices in place. Most students don’t cheat; however this new advent of technology and its sophistication is something teachers, students and parents need to be aware of. So, what can we do to help prevent instances of academic dishonesty in any shape or form, taking place? One possible solution is to

adjust how we assess students. We could focus our assessment more on the process of learning and problem solving, rather than just assessing the final product created. However, it is also clear that schools need to be very clear when it comes to educating students about academic integrity and reinforcing the idea that having strong ethical values is important and everyone’s responsibility.

How do we support students at ISB when it comes to learning about Academic Integrity?

Skills associated with good academic practices are interwoven into our taught curriculum. We place emphasis on honing skills required for research and learning, ensuring that every student has the necessary tools to be a successful student. Our core values of integrity, responsibility and being value-driven are evident in our anchoring documents and help guide our conversations with students and parents. We have clear policies and procedures in place to educate about academic integrity allowing students to approach their studies in an ethical and honest way. This helps students to make good decisions that upholds both personal values and those of our wider school community. Students must understand that academic integrity is an extension of one’s own personal integrity and teaches students about honesty and trust. It is important to show that you have done the work yourself, while also valuing and acknowledging the work of others and how this has come to play a role in one’s own research.

At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of each student to uphold these principles and continue to develop academic skills that ensure they can be successful lifelong learners.

FACILITY ISB

adverse conditions force our students inside. For this reason, we will also be enclosing the MS/HS Auxi gym.

Upgrades

By: Marc de Vries, Deputy Head of School/CFO

As a not-for profit organization, ISB is in the fortunate position to be able to re-invest all its funds back into the school. This allows us to continue keeping our facilities up-to-date and current with best learning practices. We are now in year five of a seven-year facility masterplan which has seen substantial renovations of our classrooms, cafeteria’s, playgrounds and sports facilities, as well as improvements in safety and security.

You may have seen that this summer we enclosed and renovated the ES Auxi Gym and added a Mezzanine floor in the Breezeway to accommodate the new Athletics office. ISB was designed by renowned architect, Sumet Jumsai, as an outdoor campus with lots of green space. Our safety precautions in relation to the heat index, air quality and lightning warnings, have required us to build more indoor spaces so our PE classes and afternoon activities can continue when

Preliminary piling work for newly constructed storage spaces will start in December and after Songkran, construction will start on the MS/HS Auxi gym itself. At this time the gym will no longer be available. The reason we plan to start construction earlier than usual is for the gym to be completed by the start of next school year, when during the rainy season, we will need the space most.

Included in the project is a complete renovation of the Fitness Center. The Fitness Center has become an important resource in supporting our PE classes and athletics programs, and together with Cory Campopiano, our athletic development trainer, make ISB’s expertise in this area unrivalled in Asia. Upgrading the center into a modern gym accessible for both our students and parent community, will be another step towards maintaining the excellence of our PE and athletics programs.

Additional projects to look out for in the next two years include the enclosing of the grade 5 quad and other grade level quads to create adaptable learning spaces, closing of the NSC tennis courts, renovation of the Chevron theater, and expansion of our robotics classrooms, to name a few.

Floor plan by ISB Facilities Team

INTERCULTURAL

WEEK

By: Michael Allen, ES Principal

Building strong home-school partnerships has always been at the heart of Intercultural Week at ISB. This year, the ISB planning team, including faculty representatives from across the elementary school teams of teachers along with PTA ES Coordinators and Thai community representatives, came together to develop a common purpose for Intercultural Week as we emerged from the pandemic. In addition to building strong home-school partnerships, the planning team articulated these key purposes at the start of the planning for Intercultural Week 2022: Focus on student learning connections between cultures - “intercultural”

• Celebrate humanity

• Focus on themes that unite cultures

• Provide an opportunity to connect cultures

• Reconnect our community post-COVID

• Develop caring, globally minded individuals

• Ensure that all students see themselves represented in Intercultural Week

• Create unity through our diversity

• Fun!

• Celebration!

With these clear purposes in mind, the planning team discussed a wide variety of ideas as to how we might do a better job of uniting the cultures. From there the idea to focus on how different cultures use music, dance, games, language, artwork and crafts to connect and communicate emerged. In addition, the planning team had a strong vision to unite cultures and develop a structure that would invite the ISB parent community to work together across cultures to help make important learning connections for the students as well as model intercultural collaboration for them.

While everyone knew this was a significant change from the past, the planning team was hopeful parent volunteers would be willing to “give it a go” and collaborate in this cross cultural manner…and they did! The cultural connections the volunteers made this week were extraordinary. For example, all Grade 1 students learned about how the matching game of dominoes is played in different ways across the variety of cultures in Thailand, China, Israel, and Puerto Rico. The parent volunteers then developed a unique set of dominoes uniting these cultural aspects which the students played. This is just ONE example of dozens of activities that occurred throughout the week.

The planning team is now in the process of reflecting on Intercultural Week 2022 as we begin to think about what enhancements we might want to make for next year. Parent volunteers and ES faculty completed different surveys that the planning team will carefully review to make informed decisions for next year.

In the meantime, a tremendous THANK YOU goes out to everyone who worked cross culturally to help make Intercultural Week 2022 a positive learning experience for our ES Panthers!

The Elementary School launched the 20222023 school year welcoming new vice principals Farah Thaxton and Honey Tondre.

Ms. Thaxton was an elementary principal in Seattle Washington, USA, and joined us focusing on the Upper Elementary. Honey Tondre joined us as our VP and early childhood specialist, most recently from Abu Dhabi. In addition to Michael Allen, each have had over 20 years of experience working with students, teachers and families.

As a new member of the team, one of the things Ms.Thaxton enjoys the most is “...collaborating and learning with Mr. Allen and Ms. Honey during our weekly meetings.”

Ms.Thaxton further mentioned that “One of the many things that drew {her} to ISB were the values;

and noted that when she thinks of them individually, each of them speaks to her. However, when she thinks of them collectively, it

encompasses a place where everyone belongs.

“I have been impressed by the strong focus on students’ social emotional well-being and building classroom communities. It’s clear that everyone values “belonging” at ISB!” Ms.Thaxton says.

During the ES opening assembly, teachers worked collectively in the storytelling of the “Enormous Turnip”. As a team, they had to work together to pull a turnip out of the ground! It was a great example of how all belong and all are part of what makes ISB so amazing. The entire elementary school was involved in the story, working together to accomplish a goal.

“Joining such a dynamic team has helped make the transition easy to Thailand. I look forward to continuing the important work supporting all of our learners towards achieving their goals.” -Farah Thaxton, New Elementary School VP

OUR NEW ES VICE PRINCIPALS

By: Farah Thaxton, Elementary VP

OUR PRE-K PROGRAM AT ISB

By: Honey Tondre, Elementary Vice-Principal: Early Childhood Specialist

There is so much to celebrate with the expansive growth of our Pre-K program over the last two years at the International School of Bangkok! The Pre-K program now comprises seven classes of Pre-K1 and Pre-K2, and serves 115 three and four year olds. The seven classrooms surround our newly transformed Centre for the Expressive Languages.

To support the growth of the Pre-K program, Honey Tondre was appointed as ES Vice Principal: Early Childhood Specialist, a new role for ISB. Also new to the Pre-K team this year are: Brian Dominick in Pre-K2, Alina Suwannakoot in Pre-K1, and Sarah Bailey, EC Atelierista, also in a new role for ISB.

Since August, the Pre-K team has been hard at work to better understand the changing context of our growing program and to articulate the shared beliefs, curriculum, and practices that meet the needs of the community. Our Pre-K program is inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational approach, which believes that children are endowed with “a hundred languages” through which they can express their ideas. The expressive languages are another term within the 100 languages that refer more specifically to the artistic and poetic languages that children use to express themselves. The expressive languages include mediums and materials such as paint, clay, singing, dance, mark making, dramatic play, wire and mixed media. The Centre for Expressive Languages provides children with rich experiences in the expressive languages.

Our EC Atelierista, Ms. Sarah, supports the integration of the expressive languages in homeroom classrooms and in the Centre for the Expressive Languages. An Atelierista is an individual with a background in both education and the creative arts. The role of an Atelierista is original and unique to Reggio Emilia and Reggio-inspired programs. An Atelierista understands the potential of a

variety of media and materials and also brings their own unique artistic background with them. Ms. Sarah has a background in dance and is a self-taught visual artist. She works with all students and teachers to develop an understanding of how to use the expressive languages and communicate through them.

The Pre-K piazza is now transformed into the Centre for the Expressive Languages. The Centre for the Expressive Languages has become the gathering place for our Pre-K community where we learn about and engage with the expressive languages ,and celebrate students through the expressive languages.

During our end of semester Celebration of Learning, the Centre for Expressive Languages was buzzing with our youngest panthers, their parents, and teachers engaged in whole group music and movement activities led by Sarah Bailey before heading into classrooms to take a shared look at portfolios. As a result of the expressive languages, all students had so much to share with their families. We are so excited to be together again!

EMPOWERING GIRLSTHROUGH

By: Mark Marshall

We are always looking at ways to empower girls and create opportunities through robotics, engineering and science disciplines.

On Saturday November 19, 2022, we hosted our first ISB Girl-Powered STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics) Event for girls in Grades 2-5. This was a hands-on event which had four stations of activities including lava lamp creation, robot catapult coding, balloon boat construction and water bottle rockets.

In addition, all stations were planned and led by HS students from the SWENext Club. It was a wonderful way to build connections and to collaborate across the school. Students spent the morning rotating through each activity station and got a chance to code, create, problem-solve and design alongside their parents.

Each group of girls were assigned a team name inspired by a prominent female scientist or leader including Jane Goodall, Mae Jemison, Tu YouYou and Rosalind Franklin.

The event culminated in a celebration with a girl powered cake. We hope to continue to offer these kinds of events in the future to build understanding of the importance of diversity and equity in science and engineering.

Special thanks to the planning committee led by Sarah Steward, Libby Pool, Anthony Giles and Mark Marshall.

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING Arts MATH

WORKING TOGETHER AGAIN:

JAPANESE COMMUNITY

By: Japanese Parents Community Leadership Team

Words cannot express how wonderful it is to see students and parents so active again in school. COVID-19 has taken a great deal from all of us, however it has also taught us many things. How much we missed each other, how much we wanted to connect and converse with each other and be active with each other for the students and the ISB community.

For the 1st semester we have been busy welcoming new families to our community, connecting with families that have joined us during the pandemic and bridging the gap. Such as, organizing a coffee gathering downtown, hosting our General Meeting at school, supporting the HS & MS student and Japanese community event: En Nichi, participating in ES Intercultural Week and presenting a Japanese food booth for students at the cafeteria.

CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY

These past couple of years we have organized coffee gathering to start the year and this year also it was held downtown Tuesday, September 6th. This coffee gathering is always a great opportunity to welcome our new parents and welcome back returning parents. It gives the parents a chance to connect with the same grade level parents and learn more about ISB and adapt to their new environment.

Our General Meeting was held Monday, September 26th at school. This meeting is always a good opportunity for new parents to familiarize themselves with the campus, meet with the ISB Leadership Team in person and learn more about how JPC is partnering with PTA, Booster Club and school events.

EN NICHI: HS , MS AND JAPANESE COMMUNITY EVENT

En Nichi is our community event that started December 2020, unfortunately last year it was online, but this year we were able to support this event in person with the students. The HS and MS students were all excited to

participate and have put a great deal of effort and time in organizing their booths and activities. The translation for En Nichi is “auspicious day”. A day that people gather at shrines to socialize, enjoy the food booths, watch live performances, and participate in festive dances. Family and friends gather and have a joyous day at En Nichi.

SHARING OUR CULTURE AND HERITAGE

This year’s Intercultural Week, JPC ES parents took part in showcasing Japanese culture to Grade 4 and Grade 5 for 4 days, each session lasting for 30 minutes. We presented Bonodori (Bon Festival Dance), Fukuwarai (translation: fortune and smile game, a game that is played during New Year), Teruteru Bohzu (translation: Sunny, sunny monk boy, a paper doll to which Japanese children pray for fine weather) and Origami, sharing our New Year traditions and handicrafts that children make and play in Japan.

It was not an easy task to prepare for Intercultural Week with such a short time frame, but one thing for sure, we all had one common goal, we wanted to see the students’ smiling faces. This motivation helped us to try and overcome the language barrier, communicate and collaborate with other participating countries and create a culturally meaningful 30 minutes for the students. Having more than one country in a room has not only taught the students to compare and contrast a new culture, but taught us parents, too. We cannot deny it was a great deal of work, however we learned as much as the students did by participating in Intercultural Week this year.

Intercultural Week has been known as an ES event, but this year for the first time our HS and MS parents were given the opportunity to participate in Intercultural Week. Even though we only had a little more than a week to prepare the food booth after En Nichi, our community parents were more than happy to work tirelessly to make the Japanese food

EN NICHI PROGRAM , FOOD BOOTHS

Stage Performance

PEP Band Live Performance

HS Students Dance Performance

“Soh Ran Bushi”

PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE’s Live Performance

FOOD STALLS

Yakitori (Skewered chicken)

Onigiri (Japanese rice ball)

Yakisoba (Stir fried noodles with meat and vegetable)

Dorayaki (Japanese confection)

Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry

Green tea/Green tea latte

Japanese soft drinks

Warabi Mochi (Japanese confection)

Free Ice candy

ACTIVITY BOOTH

Trying on a Yukata

Hashi Race

Fukuwarai (Fortune & Smile game)

Ring Toss

JAPANESE MARKETPLACE

Japanese ceramics and tableware

Second hand Obi, Kimono, Haori and Yukata

booth a great success. You cannot go wrong with Japanese style fried chicken (kara age), Yuzu soda, green tea latte and frozen konjaku jelly.

With just a little bit to go until the end of this academic year, the JPC was able to actively host and participate in numerous events. Our main goal was to see the students enjoy Japanese culture whilst teaching more about it. As much as we hope the students were able to gain more knowledge, the parents also had the opportunity to do so as well.

The JPC Leadership Team looks forward to the forthcoming year in representing our Japanese culture.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TOGETHER AGAIN

By: Dennis Harter, MS Principal

The Middle School has had a terrific start to the year - one filled with positivity, energy, and excitement to be back together again. This school year returning together again has felt different than the past few years. While the pandemic still lingers, Thailand and ISB’s gradual easing of restrictions has provided a very different start to the year than last. Right away we opened the year on campus, with masks optional outdoors. Seeing smiling faces in the halls, on the fields, and in the cafeteria impacted the feel in the classrooms helping everyone build relationships early.

We were excited to welcome into our Middle School many new faculty members. These new teachers hit the ground running, bringing positive energy, new ideas, and a wide range of experience to create a fresh sense of optimism and community. These teachers immediately got involved in coaching sports, sponsoring clubs, and leading teacher teams. Students connected with them quickly and our community found grounding within weeks of starting the new year.

Being together again has meant having full assemblies, celebrating Intercultural week, hearing from guest speakers, and having fun together as a full middle school community. We hosted our first Club Fair in years and students signed up for clubs engaged in service, advocacy, or just plain fun. Service projects got off the ground quickly and already our students have engaged with our local community on sustainable projects to enrich where they can. Our students just recently participated in the ServICE conference, inspired by students at other schools and inspiring others themselves with their service-minded leadership.

Off campus, already this year, Mr. Dyke has led out on two Eco-Trips, exploring Thailand, camping out in nature, and learning about some environmental concerns faced by Thai people. All of our grade 8 and half of our grade 7 students have visited the Environmental Wilderness Campus for their Wild Panthers Outdoor Education experience. We are excited to get the rest of grade 7 and all of grade 6 out there in the second semester. Of course, the grade 6 did get off campus already this year with their full grade trip to Kanchanaburi, where they visited an elephant sanctuary, stayed at a camp together, and played on the river. Grade 7 and 8 have their class trips in the second semester. Our Symphonic Band was able to travel out to Non Ya Plong for their annual service trip of music and connections with the local schools there.

Finally, being together again has meant returning to normal with activities and athletics. Our dance and drama programs have hosted shows. The music program has put on small performances and hosted their end of term concerts to wrap up the semester. Season 1 sports were a great success with many home and away games and lots of participation across the middle school. The tennis, basketball and cross country teams had terrific seasons and a wonderful awards ceremony together to close out the season. Season 2 is already in full swing now.

As we near the end of the semester together again, we are excited for our concerts and the big MS Olympics event hosted by our PE department. These kinds of events become the memories for our students for years to come. We can see the excitement students have for these - how they also balance against the hard work and in-class demandsto add to a positive middle school experience. It truly is great to be together again.

MIDDLE YEARS

YOUNG ADULT

ADULT

MESSY BOOK SHELVES… a SIGN OF LIFE!

By: Melinda Kehe, MS Librarian

The first day of the 2022/23 school year started as it should, students browsing for books, reading, and chatting with friends. We no longer had to limit the number of patrons entering the library, we no longer had to ask students to check into and out of the library, we no longer had to wipe down books, sanitize surfaces, and other Covid protocols that were implemented during the main covid period. There was a buzz of activity and energy and it felt and looked like a school library should - bursts of laughter here and there, the sound of the printer going, and, of course, the messy bookshelves, indicating that books had been browsed, some kept and some and stuffed back onto shelves in higgledy-piggledy order.

During the height of the Covid years the library leveraged its robust online resources. Through technology, patrons had access to both physical and digital resources during this time.. A Google form was set up for patrons to request books which were gathered, packed, and delivered downstairs. We were able to Zoom into classes and provide instruction thanks to our subscriptions to numerous databases, which provided online access to newspaper, magazine and scholarly journal articles. Our subscription to OverDrive, which provides eBooks and audiobooks, also saw a spike in usage during this period.

Despite the continued reading and research as the school opened and closed due to Covid, there are of course some services that are hard to replicate online. For example, the one-on-one instruction during a research unit, the exploration of the world and beyond using VR machines, and handing a book directly to a student during an impromptu discussion in the aisles. There are always students, whether they are individuals or groups, who make the library their special place in school, you can find them day after day in the same spot, it warms our hearts to see them, knowing the library is their special place.

In addition to displaying art and student research, the library is often sought after for special events. It is also used as a location for many other programs such as Health Fairs, Professional Develop Training, and much more.

At the end of the school day, we now see trolleys full of books, chairs left out, words and diagrams scrawled on whiteboards in the break-out rooms upstairs, pencils and water bottles left behind, and those ‘messy bookshelves’ - evidence of life in the library - It’s so good to be together again!

COURAGE

CONTAGIOUS GUEST

SPEAKER: VAHEN KING

By: Dennis Harter, MS Principal & Kerry Dyke, MS Service Learning Coordinator, MS PE

ISB was treated to a visit from author, model, and motivational speaker, Vahen King.

Ms. King is “Founder of the Non-Profit Organization Going Farther. At age 23, one week after her engagement, Vahen developed Transverse Myelitis, a virus that left her physically disabled and dependent on the use of a wheelchair. Trying to adapt as a person with a disability, her “new normal” was feelings of self-doubt and exclusion. Reaching a point of desperation, Vahen realized that she had a choice to make, to be paralyzed by fears and insecurities, or push forward.”

In 2017, Ms. King was named the first ever Miss Wheelchair Canada and Miss Kindness World. She has been recognized with the 2021 women of inspiration “influencer” award.

Ms. King connected with ISB through MS PE teacher Kerry Dyke who had gone to high school with Ms. King in Canada. In recent years they had reconnected through social media. When Mr. Dyke learned that Ms. King

was coming to Thailand, Mr. Dyke invited her to visit ISB and come speak with our MS and HS students.

Her focus with students was on resiliency and believing in themselves to overcome challenge, adversity, and set backs. Students connected with her message and felt inspired to meet and learn from someone who has overcome so much with positivity and resilience.

Vahen presented in the assembly to MS and HS students. She met with every grade 8 Social Studies classes, as well as with our parent community in the evening. Canadian Ambassador, Sarah Taylor, visited ISB to meet with Vahen and later they presented at the school for the deaf together. The Canadian Chamber of Commerence have already invited Vahen back as an inspirational speaker.

THE STRENGTH OF MY

By: Vahen King

The truth is we just want to show strengths. Our value is often attached to how many views or likes we receive. We want to ensure that our Facebook post and insta-story capture our best smile or thrilling adventure. It’s a picture-perfect world, and we only want to portray this résumé full of all our strengths and “filtered truths.” What if I told you that your weakness could actually be your most powerful strength?

Ever since I was a little girl, I had big dreams to inspire the world. After graduating college, I received an engagement ring from the love of my life, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, with a great future ahead of me. However, one week to the day after my prince charming proposed, my life took a drastic turn.

I was rushed to the hospital, and I started losing feeling and movement in my body rapidly. The doctors were afraid my lungs would collapse, and they would lose me. By evening, I was paralyzed from the chest down, with no use of my right arm. I was later diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis, caused by a virus that attacked the myelin sheath in my spinal cord.

This virus took my independence and nearly destroyed my life. I hit rock bottom, and I hated my life, and my new identity. I was no longer able to walk or take care of myself, and dependent on the use of a wheelchair. I was now a person with a disability, wondering if my life would ever be of value and I struggled to find hope.

I tried to portray confidence, as I adapted to my new normal, by never allowing people to see how I was really feeling. Not knowing how to ask for help, I was trapped in this prison of all my fears and insecurities, and pretending I was “fine.” This mindset left me frustrated and feeling worth-less, and it was keeping me stuck. I reached a point of desperation, and I had a choice to make, to stop living or push forward and start living. And push forward I did. Was it easy? No, I assure you it was not. I hated being a person with a disability and everything that came with this life. So having people see me in a wheelchair was often more than I could handle.

Through my long journey of finding hope and courage in my life, I started to realize that I couldn’t control what happens to me, but I could control how I responded. You see, when you focus on all the things that you’re not or try to portray someone you’re not, it will always limit you, and hold you back. However, once you learn to embrace ALL of who you are, and the things you don’t like about yourself, it will enable you to maximize your potential and go farther than you ever dreamed.

I know it’s possible for you to overcome insurmountable obstacles in life, because I found the strength to overcome them in mine. I know life isn’t easy. It’s hard to push forward. But I also want you to understand that my successes were not found through highlighting my strengths or “filtering” truths, but instead by embracing my weaknesses and not being afraid to let people see the real me.

If I was still at home sitting on my couch consumed with fear or self-pity, I wouldn’t have been able to become an author or international speaker. If I continued to hate myself and not wanting people to see me in my wheelchair, I assure you, I wouldn’t have been crowned the first ever Miss Wheelchair Canada or win the prestigious title of Miss Kindness World.

Because I choose to embrace the things I didn’t like about myself, I was able to become a Model of Diversity, and win the Women of Inspiration “Influencer” award. Yes, Transverse Myelitis, was my biggest weakness, but has become my most greatest strength. What I thought was the end of my dreams, actually set me on the path to fulfilling my wildest dreams. And this is just the beginning.

It’s because of my journey of overcoming my fears and insecurities, that I realized I had this passion to help others to the same. And as a result, I founded a non-profit organization, Going Farther. I am now helping both men and women of all ages and abilities see past their self-perceived limits, embrace their weaknesses and go farther than they thought possible.

What fears or insecurities are holding you back? Do you feel trapped in trying to maintain this mask of “filtered truths”? I want to challenge you to look at the résumé of your life, with all your failures and weaknesses, and see that it holds the potential to access more strength than you even knew existed. So instead of trying to hide your weaknesses, I want to challenge you to embrace them, and you too will discover the STRENGTH of your weakness.

KOREA INTRODUCING

By: ISB Korean Parent Community

Korea uses its own language, and the alphabet uses Hangul, a unique character created by King Sejong (1397-1450) of the Joseon Dynasty. It is scientifically evaluated as an excellent character in that it can record a very large number of speech sounds by combining 24 consonants and vowels.

Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul was built in the Joseon Dynasty, but inherited the tradition of the Goryeo Dynasty palace and was built at the foot of a mountain in accordance with the natural topography. As a great historical heritage with Biwon, a traditional Korean garden, Nakseonjae, located in the palace, retains the beauty of traditional hanok and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Located in Mt. Toham, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Seokguram Grotto was completed in 774 as a representative stone cave temple of the Unified Silla Period. It is

a work of excellent sculpting technique and is designed so that the light of the sun rising over the East Sea penetrates deep into Seokguram Grotto and illuminates the Buddha’s forehead.

Built at the same time as Seokguram Grotto, Bulguksa Temple has an excellent overall layout, and Dabotap and Seokgatap towers standing side by side in the front yard of Daeungjeon stand out in particular. Both pagodas express the Silla style, but Seokgatap is simple, while Dabotap is sophisticated and splendid.

The Haeinsa Tripitaka Koreana and Jekyungpan are also known as the Tripitaka Koreana because the number of Buddhist scriptures engraved on wood for 15 years from 1236 during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) is 81,258 in total. It is a valuable world cultural heritage.

WAI KRU

WELCOME

By: Justin Alexander HS Principal

‘Welcome back’ is the message that we share with our students and teachers at the start of each school year, but this year that message contained a lot more promise, hope, and excitement than usual as we began the school year with restrictions easing and school becoming more ‘normal’. As the 202223 school year has unfolded we have been able to welcome back some of the traditions and events that have sadly been missing over the past few years.

Rather than dwell on the challenges of COVID and the restrictions that it brought onto schools and our children, I wanted to share with you the exciting and welcome return of these traditions and community-building events that make ISB a special place. At the High School level, some of these traditions and events include IASAS events, where we join with our partner schools in this region (Taipei American School, Singapore American School, International School of Kuala Lumpur, International School Manila, and Jakarta Intercultural School) to compete and come together at IASAS athletic tournaments (Volleyball, Football and Cross Country) and Cultural Conventions such as MUN, Arts and Film.

You can see from the photos taken at the IASAS Season 1 opening ceremony how excited ISB students and their newfound friends from the other schools really were about being back together again.

Friendship, camaraderie, and pride to be an ISB Panther took priority as our gyms were filled with spectators and students

enjoying fun and fierce yet friendly competition on the volleyball court and on the cross-country track during season one.

We hosted band, choir and strings festivals and our first live performance of a HS play ‘Museum’ for some time (although we did sneak in an upbeat version of ‘High School Musical’ last school year). The Junior Special Olympics took place (in person) on campus in November and the ‘Operation Smile’ trip to Mae Sot took place in semester one

Of course, in-person learning returned, and teachers and students were thrilled to be able to do their work and engage with one another in a classroom, around a desk or on a board, or sharing a laptop instead of being on zoom again. The optionality of masks also helped a great deal as our students could now see our teachers’ mouths and expressions as they explained the vagaries of 2nd order differential equations in calculus classes.

Our faculty were thrilled to be able to share food, coffee, and a laugh or two on campus for the first time in nearly three years as we finally came together again for faculty meetings, social gatherings, and faculty breakfasts to start the day.

We look forward to semester two with similar hope and optimism as the situation improves and travel restrictions ease even further. We are excited about being able to engage more fully in our service projects and service learning and provide direct service to those in need that are in our community and region.

Thank you parents, students and faculty for your efforts over the past few years in managing the various lockdowns, online learning, masks and social distancing restrictions with a smile on your face.

IN PERSON EVENTS: A TIME TO CONNECT

By: Debbie McDowell, Head of University Counseling

Being able to offer events in person this year has been fabulous. Gathering together has enabled valuable conversations between parents and counselors regarding university research and selection leading up to students submitting their applications.

The first event that has returned to campus is the University Counselor Parent Coffees. Three Parent Coffees were presented during first semester. The first event in September, “Introduction to the ISB University Counselors and Program”, drew well over 120 individuals who were eager to find out about the university guidance offered by the counseling department over the course of the student’s four years in high school. In October, the counselors presented on “What you need to know about Standardized Testing.” There was a solid conversation about when or if students should sit exams. The final presentation in first semester was a hot topic, “What’s the deal with rankings.” A breakdown of how rankings are inherently biased was discussed and proved to be eye opening to many in the audience that day.

University visits have returned to ISB as well. Two big events in first semester were the 2022 Greater Bangkok Fair @ ISB and the 2022 Thai University Fair. The Greater Bangkok Fair was held on 22 September and over 200 university representatives were on campus to meet with ISB students and families. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as everyone was eager to gather information from the university admissions officers.

On 14 November, ISB hosted the first Thai University Fair in over three years. Twenty-five faculties from 12 universities were welcomed to ISB. There was a warm reception by students, parents and faculty who were all eager to find out more about the programs offered at the universities in our host country. The university counselors welcome the opportunity to personally connect with families and university representatives alike.

After years of zoom meetings, long distance conferences and remote connection, the university counselors eagerly meet with parents at scheduled events as well as offering individual meetings with families as needed. We look forward to the continued participation in events hosted for our community.

In our second semester, there are twelve more opportunities to connect at scheduled Parent Coffees. The first one in January will focus on “Higher Education in the United States.” This will be a primer and overview of university studies in the United States. All grade level parents are welcome to attend to find out more about trends in university admissions as well as the general outline of how the university application process in the US works. Following closely behind that, the presentations in February and March are focused on geographic locations.

In February, there will be “Study in…..the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia” sessions. In March, the university counselors will have “Community meetings with…. the Japanese community, Thai community, Korean community and Chinese community.” This is a great opportunity to support specific groups of individuals within our student body. The April Parent Coffee will focus on “Financing University Studies.” And the final event for the year will be the “Year in Review and Open Forum” in May.

Information about the Parent Coffees can always be found in the weekly eNews each Friday. These informal get togethers are so important because it provides parents valuable information and creates a venue for questions to be asked. These in person events foster positive working relationships between the ISB faculty and parent communities which the university counselors find to be essential in working with students.

By: PTA Hospitality Team

Cookies DID SOMEONE SAY

Our Staff Appreciation Day has become a familiar tradition amongst our ISB parents, kids, families, and alumni. Every year our Teachers, Instructional Assistants, Sports Coaches, Staff, Security Guards, Bus Drivers, Nurses, Classified Staff and many more look forward to these sweet treats we provide! It is such a lovely compliment from our ISB parents.

This yearly event is a day we gather together to package baked goods bought and/or baked by our wonderful families for our exceptional staff. It’s a morning long event from collecting the cookies to packaging and delivering by hand across our campus.

This year, we received more than 10,000 cookies, which broke ISB all-time record!! More than 800 cookie bags were delivered to all staff members and we were able to donate extra cookies to local communities in need as well.

This year’s team went above and beyond. We had wonderful spirits and companionship - working together hand in hand, making the beautifully packaged goods, and taking them out to the grounds. Definitely a tradition expected by many and cherished as well!

The hospitality team enjoys preparing this event yearly. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the parents who either bought, baked and helped package all our delicious treats. As mentioned above this year we have exceeded years prior by an astonishing number. Everyone’s efforts and generosity are greatly appreciated! We thank you again from our heart and look forward to working with all of you again in service of the ISB community.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yields 24 Cookies

Prep Time 5 minutes | Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

⅔ cup maple syrup

¼ cup vegetable oil

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup peanut butter

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine maple syrup, oil, cocoa, and cinnamon. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, rolled oats, and vanilla until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto waxed paper and chill to set, about 30 minutes.

TOGETHER AGAIN &

NOTHING REPLACES THE HUMAN TOUCH

By Afshan Asad Junaid, PTA-HS Co-Rep/BEC Instructor for PTA-Adult Ed 2022

Life, post COVID 19, comes with its “New Normal”. All the stranded/paused/frozen activities during the pandemic are suddenly finding their groove. That too, at a rocket pace. There is a desperation for togetherness. People suffering from “cabin fever” starved for human contact outside their homes are ready to mingle and live to their full potential. Here, at the International School of Bangkok, the administration has gone above and beyond their call of duty to create such opportunities for all members of its community. There are multiple programs and opportunities carefully planned and executed for both the students and their parents.

The PTA-Adulted program organizes many activities to enrich the ISB parents with numerous skills through various classes. I had the opportunity to get involved in devising one of their activities - The Introductory English Workshop for Basic Conversation (BEC for short) as the instructor this semester. Having a certification from Cambridge University certainly came in handy. The workshop was geared towards equipping the second language learner parents with basic English conversation skills to help them to adjust to the new environment better. The workshop had ten sessions covering a wide variety of topics from small talk to making phone calls, writing emails, traveling to fashion, successfully doing groceries, as well as communicating confidently with new people. The sessions were very well received by the participants and each one walked off empowered with something new to use later in life.

The members of the workshop themself were a true reflection of the international spirit and culture of ISB. The participants were a global mix of people from China, Iran, Chile, Japan, Korea and Türkiye. Learning together in a

classroom setting, working through the sessions with role-plays, conversations, group work and presentations; it was an incredible experience. Being face to face with each other was a huge asset. It was such a breath of fresh air in comparison to breakout rooms on Zoom/Teams/Meet.

Tremendous cultural and language similarities were experienced leading to a sense of mutual respect that grew during the exercises and sessions.

ISB once again succeeded in its vision and mission of creating global citizens in a nurturing environment in the oasis for Thailand expatriate families in Nichada.

By: Heather McCain, Booster Club President

The beginning of the 2022-2023 school year has truly been unlike any other; however, it has not slowed down our PANTHER PRIDE! A phrase we have used a lot this year is how good it has been to be back on campus. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been so rewarding. After a nearly 3 year hiatus from many on-campus activities, we have worked hard to bring PANTHER SPIRIT back! We faced so many challenges: uncertainty about when or even if events could happen; recreating events in weeks that usually take months to plan; or just recruiting volunteers. The joy of seeing the kids performing and competing is what makes it all worthwhile.

The ISB Booster Club is made up of a dedicated group of volunteer parents, faculty, and alumni who enthusiastically promote school spirit while supporting students involved in athletics, the arts, and academic programs like MUN and Forensics & Debate. From the Elementary School play to High School graduation, we foster the PANTHER SPIRIT through a welcoming environment and fun comradery.

We are the friendly faces in the Booster Hut. We are creating and selling ISB swag. We are the cheering fans in the Spirit Tent. We are directing traffic to visiting musicians and artists at festivals and cultural conventions.

We host the first All School function of the year – the Annual Pancake Breakfast. We are baking delicious PANTHER POPS!

By raising funds and encouraging community involvement, these are just a few of the ways we support ISB students at all grade levels.

With only a couple of weeks to prepare, we were able to host the annual Booster Club Pancake Breakfast in collaboration with the Panther Activities Fair and the first (hopefully) annual Pet Parade and Adoption Fair. We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming new and old families back to campus after a long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Jamie Hawk, Pancake Coordinator, we served up the yummy traditional fair of pancakes, eggs, and sausages, as well as a Thai Breakfast option. This event could not have been successful without our student volunteers. Special thanks to Varsity Council and Arts Council members for taking orders and helping with set up. Also, a big ‘thank you’ to the phenomenal team Boy Scouts that served as hosts and servers while and were on hand to help clear and set tables to keep everything moving smoothly.

Our first Spirit Week of the year, culminated with a lively and energetic Spirit Night and the Varsity Soccer and Volleyball Invitationals. The excitement and energy on campus was palpable! For the first time in several years, athletes, parents and visitors were permitted on campus. It was bustling and under the leadership of stellar Booster Club VP, Tim Peco, our volunteers manned our first Spirit Tent selling spirit gear, drinks, snacks, and loads of donated American candy. Who knew Ring Pops would be such a hit! We were glad to cheer on our own varsity soccer and volleyball teams from the breezeway.

IASAS (Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools) competitions also resumed with ISB hosting the Volleyball and Cross-Country competitions and sending athletes to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the Soccer Competition. Massive thanks to our Athletics Coordinators, Yuendry Villamizar, JurGita Rhodes, and Amy Caldwell-Diaz for their help in supporting this event.

Additionally, ISB hosted the Model United Nations (MUN) and Cultural Convention (CC). Our outstanding Arts & Activities Coordinators, Katie Edsall and Anusha Goyal, were on hand to support the delegates and to present the advisors and dignitaries, including a former Thailand Prime Minister with tokens of appreciation from the Booster Club.

The Booster Club presents all IASAS participants (athletes and delegates) with an IASAS travel bag to honor their achievements and allow them to carry their ISB pride around school, Bangkok, and even internationally.

There is more on the horizon for Booster Club… so stay tuned! Please continue to watch the ISB eNews and our Facebook page for the volunteer sign-up notices for the Booster Hut, Spirit Tent, Panther Pops and other areas.

Everyone is welcome. GO PANTHERS! pta@isb.ac.th

BOOSTER CLUB – SPOTLIGHT

The BOOSTER HUT is the heart of the Booster Club operation and is located next to the MS/HS cafeteria. All proceeds from our sales, go directly to support student activities throughout the school.

Led by our energetic Booster Coordinators, Angie Darricau and Annelie Östmark-Rauker and the Purchasing Team of B Nyborg and Takky McGary, the HUT is always introducing new designs and apparel, ranging from T-shirts, hoodies, socks, water bottles, etc. This is the place to pick up your spirit wear and gear to show your PANTHER PRIDE!

The Booster Hut is also a great and easy way to get involved and make new friends. If you like to get involved, feel free to stop by the shop to learn more or email: booster-hut@isb.ac.th.

DIVE BACK IN TO PANTHER SWIM

By: Corry Day

If you have any questions about the swim team please contact Coach Day at pantherswim@isb.ac.th

We are very much aware that not much time has passed since our pools sat empty and we were all home doing online fitness classes or skills lessons. But it does seem like we are putting some distance between those days and today.

Our swim team is back up to over 300 swimmers from all grades in the school. We have had more competitions and events than most seasons in the past. With more teams joining in than ever before!

In fact, we just put a bow on the annual Bangkok swimming tradition that is the “ISB Swimfest 2022”. Over 1000 swimmers from 25 schools from across Thailand visited ISB in November and it was like the event never skipped a beat. Athletes from ages 5 to 18 swam their best and competed with all their might against some of the best age group swimmers in the country. At times the swimmers themselves showed a bit of rust around the edges when it came to the process and where they should be and when. Which makes sense, considering many of the 10 and under swimmers had not been to a swim competition in their lives because of the last 3 years.

This event not only brought back joy to the athletes themselves, but also to a host of others who were in attendance. Vendors were overjoyed to have their wares on sale, parents cheered like they had never cheered before and coaches were not worried about anything but giving their kids a chance to compete. It was a holiday like atmosphere, were everyone is just happy to be there.

This has been the same theme with our swim team this year as a whole. We could not be more grateful to be back and doing what we love. Covid brought about a couple of retirements in our coaching staff, but we were incredibly fortunate to find 3 new coaches that have been great additions. Welcome Coach Toom, Coach Posh and Coach Best to the Panther Swim Team family.

With a new registrations happening in February, we are looking towards having even more new swimmers join the program.