SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 19
Introduction from our School Heads On behalf of Rugby School Thailand, we welcome you to the School Magazine for 2018/19. 2018/19 was, of course, our second year of existence and our first year as an ‘all-through’ school. As you will see from the Prep and Pre-Prep’s ‘Year in Photos’ and from the writings of the Senior School, we very much hit the ground running and enjoyed a wonderfully busy and successful year.”
Nigel Westlake Head of Prep School
2
Alan Ball Head of Senior School
Sarah Shuttleworth Head of Pre-Prep School
3
PRE-PREP & PREP
Extracts from The Prep Head’s Speech on Speech Day, July 5th 2019 Khun Taya, Mom Ratchawong Sukhumbhand Paribatra, RST Parents, Grandparents, friends and Children…
I was looking for a particular family photo the other day, and so was trawling through the endless saved photos on my ipad. I searched back as far as December 2016 and, whilst doing so, stumbled upon some old photographs of the RST school site. But there was no school at that time, of course – in fact in December 2016 there were no buildings on this land whatsoever. It was just a bare patch of soil in the middle of the countryside. The only sign of life in the photographs was a certain Khun Taya Teepsuwan in the distance, whizzing around on her motorbike. How extraordinary to think that in just 30 months we have gone from a bare patch of dirt to a thriving school of nearly 500 pupils. It has been a fascinating, challenging, wonderful experience in which we have all proudly played our parts. Pupils’ Self-Report Forms And as the second year of RST draws to a close, I believe that we can once again look back fondly and with great pride at all the experiences and achievements of the past year. Indeed, one of the things that I asked the children to write about in their annual self-report forms were their most memorable moments. Many highlighted the Residential trips: • A Yr 7 boy wrote – “the Residential trip to Khao Yai was the best and most fun time of the whole year...” • From a Yr 8 girl: “the residential field trip to Chang Mai was my most memorable moment because it was fun and I love spending time with my friends and my teachers”. • A Year 8 boy simply said that it was the “best school trip ever”. • And a Year 3 boy said “I liked the marshmallows”. Some memorable moments were very specific: • A Year 4 boy was proud to have scored a bullseye in Archery. • Another Year 4 boy remembered scoring in a football match in the last minute so that RST won 3-2. • And a Year 5 girl wrote: “my most memorable moment was the gymnastic competition. It was funny when I dropped Theera’s leg.” Others were a little more reflective: • “My most Memorable moment was the choir trip when we gave a concert to the elderly.” • “I didn’t expect to, but I liked the exam week. It was tough but I really enjoyed doing it.” • “I enjoyed trying different countries’ food on International Day.” • And a Yr 6 girl wrote “my most memorable moment was the Lion King because I have never before been in a production.” The Teachers So many ‘memorable moments’ – and most arising from the rich and diverse school experiences of RST pupils. At the heart of RST, of course, is the work that goes on in the classroom, inspired by the hugely dedicated team of RST teachers. Well before the school opened, I remember many parents saying to me that one of their major concerns about international schools was the turnover of teachers – not helped, of course, by the tradition of employing teachers on fixed-term two year contracts. Well, the first two year contract cycle is about to come to its end, and I can now inform you, ladies and gentlemen, that the number of RST Prep teachers leaving at the end of their two year contract is...zero. Needless to say, I hope that this pleases you as much as it pleases me. And if their self-report forms are anything to go by, it will certainly please the children: • “Maths is great fun to learn, especially with Mr Howell” • “I really enjoyed Mr Ortiz’s Science lessons.” • “I really enjoyed Maths with Mr Driver because it’s fun“
4
•
“I really like English because Mr Donaldson‘s way of teaching is so unique it makes me have fun and learn at the same time.” • “My maths has gone pretty well because Mr Dunn is funny and smart” Academic Achievements And there were many more too – though it won’t have escaped your notice that the Maths department came out of that little selection pretty well. Perhaps not surprising, therefore, that Maths has enjoyed more than its fair share of success this year, with four Year 6 children – well done Elliott, Daniel, Olivier and Teddy – all achieving Gold certificates in the UK Primary Maths challenge. And, in the end of term exams, half of Year 8 sat the most challenging Common Entrance paper at Level 3, which is set for only the stronger mathematicians. Even more impressively, Buggy achieved an admirable 79% - an A grade – in a yet more demanding Maths paper set for potential scholars to the top UK private schools. Well done, Buggy. In English, too, we have seen some wonderful work, not least on World Book Day, a day when the importance and joy of reading and writing was evident to all. Of course I do not have the time to go through all the school subjects, one by one, but suffice to say that the feedback from the children was unanimously positive across the board: • From a Year seven boy: “classroom subjects were cool - I would like to say thank you to all the teachers for all the hard work they put into lessons“ • A Year 8 girl: “The teachers were all really fun this year”. • And a Year Six boy: “I think that the way the school is set up is very enjoyable and I thank the teachers for making learning fun rather than the stereotypical boredom. I have enjoyed learning at RST this year and hope that it will be as much fun next year“ School Exams And, of course, all the hard work over the year culminated in the end-of-year school exams, complete with comprehensive revision programme. Some children excelled, and some children found the process and the exam week to be quite daunting. But that’s why we do it, of course. Next time, it will be less daunting, and the time after that, less daunting again, and by the time iGCSEs and A levels come along, those children once daunted will have a full understanding of how to prepare for their exams and how to perform at their best. And on the subject of revision, I was intrigued by the self-report comment of one Year 4 boy who wrote: ‘I very much liked the revision that I did not do”. DT and Art The so-called non-academic subjects, meanwhile, have more than flourished this year. Design Technology has captured the imagination of so many children, helping them to reach standards well beyond expectations. We even entered the ‘First Lego League’ Robotics competition in Bangkok, and proudly came away with a special prize. Art, of course, also continues to inspire many a prep pupil, and how wonderful it was to see so much high quality work on show – at least one piece from every prep pupil – at the recent Art Exhibition. Drama And the creative talents of the children were further evident in the range of dramatic performances that we have enjoyed this year.
5
• From the spendidly animated and crystal clear performances in the Verse Speaking competition – well done winners Andrey T, Kevin and Ronnie; • to the fun and laughter of the wonderful Year 3 and 4 musical ‘Whizz Wham Alakazam’; • to the hugely imaginative staging of Grimm’s tales by Year 7 and 8 – never has a wolf’s mouth and teeth and eyes and ears and nose been so brilliantly portrayed; • to the extraordinarily vibrant and powerful Year 5 and 6 production of the Lion King – with stand-out performances by Prinn and Xander and Herbert and Peter and Daniel and Vida and Tanya and BaiToey and Jada and Elliott and DD and, well, frankly - the whole cast. As those of you who were lucky enough to see it will confirm, it was rather special. How confident and assured the pupils of RST now are on the stage – a great skill for their futures. Music And, of course, the Lion King cast also sang so impressively as well, as the school choirs have done on many an occasion, and as they did at the End of Year Concert last week. An End of Year Concert that featured 10 different ensembles and culminated in a tour de force from the Concert Band – most of whom have only started to learn their instrument since arriving at RST - which played 7 pieces with such energy and enthusiasm and – yes, ladies and gentlemen, it sounded really good too. From 5 music lessons per week back in September 2017, there are now 145 lessons per week in the prep school alone, and this term 55 prep pupils sat 66 Associated Board and Trinity music exams, many for the very first time. Sport And so to sport – and I found myself wondering the other day how many sports we offer at RST: football, swimming, basketball, netball, water polo, athletics, cross-country, handball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, hockey, cricket, sailing, croquet, kayaking, golf, chanbara, gymnastics, archery, taekwondo, Muay Thai, table tennis, horse riding and, of course, rugby. 26 sports altogether, and growing almost by the day. And not only does this fantastic range provide children with every opportunity to discover a sport which may become a passion for them later in life, but it also aligns with modern sports science thinking regarding the importance of diversification of sports at a young age, and I quote: “early diversification and later specialization leads to a greater chance of lifelong sport participation, physical fitness and elite sporting status.” In other words, you are more likely to stick with a sport, and become a top performer in the sport you ultimately choose if, at the prep school age, you experience a range of different sports. And studies show that sports diversification improves your brain power too! But, of course, there is a balance to be found. We are now members of GBAC, the Greater Bangkok Athletics Conference, and from September this will give us access to many more schools and many more fixtures in the core sports. Next term a new Head of Football joins the staff, as does a basketball specialist – so the focus on these sports will inevitably grow, as we have seen the tennis and the swimming grow this year. And, in just 12 months, how amazingly the swimming has grown - 6 swimmers have attained National qualifying times; 5 swimmers are ranked in the Thailand top 20; RST is ranked in the top 5 swim schools in Thailand, with our girls team ranked 3rd; swimmers flew to the Alice Smith School in Malaysia for a tournament and secured 2nd place; and they achieved 3rd place in the Bangkok Patana gala, ahead of much larger international school. By any standards, the commitment and achievements of the swim coaches and the RST swimmers this year has been truly remarkable. Events But the clock is ticking, ladies and gentlemen, and I must begin to draw to a close. Of course, there’s so much that I could have mentioned with a little more time. I could have mentioned our wonderful Thai celebrations
6
– Wai Kru, Loi Krathong and Songkran, and the magical Lunar New Year celebrations. I could have mentioned the Hallowe’en disco, the boarders BBQ, and the outstanding Year 7 and 8 tour guides on Open Day. I could have, but not enough time. • No time to mention the wonderful Charity Fun Run, or your generous food donations for Haven Children’s Home; • no time to mention the Minister of Education’s visit when he said that RST must now be the best international school in Thailand; • no time to mention the Eco Beasts and their ongoing action plan to ensure sustainability is always to the fore at RST; • no time to mention the ever-growing number of boarders at Marshall House, or the Year 4 boy who wrote: “I love the boarding house because I have so much fun. In the evenings I can watch movies on TV and I can enjoy many activities like swimming, table tennis, pool and football.” Or the Year 8 boarding girl who wrote: “the best part of boarding is building friendships with other people regardless of their year group”; • no time to mention the 100 Activities on offer at RST; • no time to mention the epic chess final between Wynn Wynn and Alan, or the thrilling senior table tennis final between Owen and Nick. • no time to mention International Day – a riot of colour, dance, music, national pride, and global togetherness; • And, oh what a shame, no time even to mention the Staff Panto, Snow White & the Seven Dwarves, with Mrs Barnes as the wicked queen, Mr Collings as her evil henchman, Mr Stoker as Stoker the Joker, Mr Howell as Happy, Mrs Dawson as Dopey, Mr Gore as Sneezy, and, of course, Mr Dawson as the oh-so-very-beautiful Snow White. Just no time at all. The Future But just briefly, I must find a moment to look forward to next year. We are all mightily relieved not to be moving into another new building, as we have done in the past two years. We are all looking forward to welcoming another 200 children to RST, just over 100 to the prep school alone. We are all looking forward to welcoming another 15 teachers to the prep school – once again a quality field with the perfect blend of youth and experience. And we are all looking forward to embarking on the third year of RST’s unique and remarkable journey. Thank you My thanks to all the pupils for their wonderful contributions to RSTs success; and in particular to our Year 8 leavers as they move on to the Senior School. As the very first Year 8 pupils ever at RST, they have been a positive and enthusiastic group and they have set a fine example to the younger pupils. I’m sure that they will enjoy continued success and fulfilment in the next stage of their lives, and we wish them well. My thanks to the all the teachers and non-teaching staff at RST for their professionalism, their patience and their determination to do the very best for every child in this room; to my exceptional Deputies, Sara Howell and David Dawson; and to my fellow Heads, Sarah Shuttleworth and Alan Ball for their unstinting commitment to all the pupils at RST. My thanks to you, the parents, for your support, your goodwill, and the kind words that you spread about the school; and my thanks to the Governors of RST and the Teepsuwan family for their ambition and their unswerving commitment to the future of a school whose reputation for excellence grows day by day. Thank you all. Nigel Westlake
7
Academic
8
9
Co-curricular Activities
10 10
11 11
Sport
Pre-Prep Sports Day
12 12
Prep Sports Day
13 13
The Arts
Prep Christmas Concert
14 14
Divisional Music Competition
15 15
The Lion King
16 16
Verse Speaking
Grimm’s Tales
17 17
Whiz Wham Alakazam
18 18
Art Exhibition
19 19
Residential Trips
20 20
21 21
22 22
Divisional Competitions
23 23
Boarding
24 24
Marshall House Life
25 25
The Festive Season
26 26
27 27
School Events
Chinese New Year
28 28
Remembrance Day
29 29
Halloween Disco
30 30
Loy Krathong
31 31
Father’s Day Breakfast
32 32
Charity Fun Run
33 33
Pre-Prep Children’s Day
34 34
World Book Day
35 35
Pre-Prep Art competition
Rugby Rascals turned 1!
36 36
Teddy Bears’ Picnic
37 37
Songkran
38 38
International Day
39 39
Pre-Prep Summer Concerts
40 40
Speech Day & Prize Giving
41 41
SENIOR SCHOOL
SENIOR
2018-2019
RST
19
SENIOR
CONTENTS
46 47 48
Senior School Photograph
Headmaster’s Welcome
Speech Day and Prizes
52 56
House and Sixth Form Reports Borneo: Whole School Residential
62 64
Sports Report Activities and Saturday Enrichment Programme Report
66 68
Music Report Drama Report
70 72
Charity Report Cultural and International Events • Loy Krathong • Songkran • Chinese New Year • International Day • World Book Day
78 82
Creativity: Art and DT Projects
Yearbook Photographs • LXX • E Block • F Block
46
Head of Senior School’s Report The foundation year of the Senior School at Rugby School Thailand has been an outstanding success. The courage and foresight of the Teepsuwan family in launching the RST project is remarkable. From a greenfield site in 2017, something extraordinary has developed. With the mantra of ‘The Whole Person, the Whole Point’ as our motivation, the Senior School enthusiastically embraced its academic, co-curricular, and service programmes. By any measure, what has been achieved is exceptional. We started the year with 87 pupils – 36 in F Block; 33 in E Block; and 18 in Lower 20. With a critical mass of students, we were able to embark on a broad academic curriculum. 20 subjects were offered at A Level, with 17 being taught. Our IGCSE programme is equally broad in its offering. That breadth of the choices offered to our pupils makes us unique in our region. No matter how broad the curriculum, if schools do not attract excellent teachers, the quality of teaching and learning will be mediocre. Rugby School Thailand has been able to attract excellent teachers. While the majority are from the UK, the broader English speaking world is well represented in our faculty. Native speaking language teachers complete our diverse teaching roll. From the outset, both students and teachers in our Senior School settled into a productive rhythm where mediocrity was spurned, learning valued, and quality learning partnerships were fostered. In a short space of time, we saw outstanding results from our students that were demonstrated in public examinations, music and drama performances, and exhibitions of student work. There is an underlying confidence in what we do at RST. The Teepsuwan family were confident their project would be a success; parents and students embraced a completely new school confident that they had made the correct decision; we have great confidence in our teaching staff; and our rapid growth gives us all confidence in the future of RST.
Our first annual magazine offers record of the dynamic inaugural year of the Senior School at RST. The breadth of our co-curricular programme - team sports; Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award; clubs and activities, or creative and performing arts shows how quickly RST has embodied the ‘whole person, the whole point’. Rugby School Thailand is not like other international schools. We are not a franchise. Our partnership with Rugby School, UK, is strong. Members of the Rugby School Board of governors are on our Board. We recruit our teachers from a base at Rugby School. Deliberately, we set out to copy the Rugby School model as closely as we could, despite our initial small numbers. Our timetable, academic of fering, co-curricular programme, and long school day mimic Rugby School’s programme. We are very fortunate indeed to have such a close relationship with our namesake in the UK. We benefit from the experience of our 452 year old partner, and seek to establish Rugby School Thailand as one of the preeminent schools in South East Asia. We are off to a fantastic start! I do hope you enjoy this summary of our first year.
Alan Ball Head of Senior School 47
Speech Day Awards 2018/19
Non Academic Awards RST Citizenship Prize: F Block: Moo Dang Chawandit E Block: Sebastian Curtis-Bleach LXX: Chompoo Mahatchariyakul The Elizabeth Cup for Girls Sport Chompoo Mahatchariyakul The Poulton-Palmer Cup for Boys Sport Benji Kleiven Nicholson Prize for Music Sung Eun Choi Macready Prize for Drama Ana Devesa Bloomfield Prize for Art Peter Barker-Bennett House Spirit Awards School House: Albert Sims Sheriff House: Fabian Schumacher Tudor House: Pun Jaratjitwilai
48
Academic Awards: LXX Chompoo Mahatchariyakul Edmond Wang
Focus Prangsrithong
Diligence Award for Politics Diligence Awards for English as an Additional Language, Chemistry and Physics Diligence Award for Economics
Han Jiang
Attainment Award for English as an Additional Language Diligence Award for Further Mathematics
Minji Noh
Attainment Award for Business Studies Diligence Awards for History and Mathematics
Nop Sathitsatthatham
Attainment Award for Design and Technology
Pei Pei Worapitpong
Diligence Awards for Design and Technology and Chinese
Peter Barker-Bennett
Attainment Awards for Geography and Chinese Diligence Award for Art
Rachane Kalra
Diligence Awards for Business Studies and Physical Education
Sasha Narang
Diligence Awards for English and Geography
Timur Akhmedjanov Sung Eun Choi
Attainment Award for Art LXX Academic Award Attainment Awards for Economics, Mathematics and Further Mathematics 49
Academic Awards: E Block Angel Ocampo
Bush Saengchan
Diligence Awards for Computer Science and Physics
Ciara Wood
Attainment Award for Physical Education
Grace Payne
Attainment Awards for Computer Science, English, Geography and Mathematics
Jean Wongvanichchot
Kelly Cook Mayu Wada Milly Hitchmough
Noey Ruengsomboon Prim Kokanutaporn Sasha Chernova Satang Dida Sebastian Curtis-Bleach Yok Tantipatcharakul Bogdan Zyulkov
50
Attainment Award for Spanish Diligence Awards for History and Music
Attainment Award for Chinese Diligence Awards for Business and Thai Attainment Award for Business Attainment Award for English as an Additional Language Attainment Award for History Diligence Awards for Biology, Drama, English, Geography and Spanish Diligence Award for Chinese Diligence Awards for Chemistry and Design and Technology Diligence Awards for Art and French Diligence Award for English as an Additional Language Diligence Award for Physical Education Attainment Awards for Art and Thai E Block Academic Award Attainment Awards for Biology, Chemistry, Design and Technology and Physics Diligence Award for Mathematics
Academic Awards: F Block Albert Sims
Attainment Award for Chinese
Ana Devesa
Attainment Award for Physical Education Diligence Award for French
Beingka Sachdev Butu Phumisithikul Chanya Supornsahatrangsi Delight Boriboonluck
Fabian Schumacher Katie Stewart Moo-Dang Chawandit
Ohm Chanprapab
Diligence Award for English as an Additional Language Attainment Award for Chemistry Attainment Award for Computer Science Diligence Award for Drama Attainment Award for English as an Additional Language Diligence Award for Physical Education Attainment Awards for Drama and English Attainment Award for Thai Diligence Awards for Biology, History and Chinese Attainment Award for Mathematics
Pear Chaikong
Attainment Award for Design and Technology
Pluek Yangsuk
Diligence Award for Physics
Polina Protishevskaya Pun Jaratjitwilai
Pupa Mahatchariyakul Rew Jitkanaekarn
Roonmai Jaroeysuk Zia Jovellanos
Maria Denisova
Attainment Award for Spanish Diligence Awards for Design and Technology and Geography Diligence Award for Chemistry Attainment Award for Music Diligence Award for Thai Diligence Award for Art Attainment Award for Biology Diligence Awards for Music and Spanish F Block Academic Award Attainment Awards for Art, French, Geography, History and Physics Diligence Awards for English and Mathematics 51
House Reports th & 6 Form Report School House Report It is with a great deal of pride that the members of Rugby School Thailand’s first boarding house complete a historic year together. In fact, senior boarding at RST will never be the same again... As of September, the girls will begin an exciting new chapter in the established building under their new house name, Rupert Brooke, and the boys will move to a brand new building and remain together under the School House name. Assembling and uniting such a diverse group of young people with a range of impressive talents has been a pleasure and privilege. The rewards have been many, not least seeing the collective will of our boarders triumph in the inaugural house drama competition and
52
house talent show, not to mention the fun of the in-house ping pong competition and the numerous attempts to dress up, forever encouraged by the unstinting enthusiasm of Miss Passmore, Mr Lindop and our very own Khun Joop. As house staff, we are proud of all our boarders’ achievements, excited by the next step that RST boarding takes and entirely committed to making School House and Rupert Brooke models of the successful boarding traditions of Rugby UK, a significant but rewarding challenge.
Dave Ennis-Billing Dean of School House
Sheriff House Report: A Year in Retrospect As Rugby School Thailand was being established, Rugby School in the UK celebrated its 450th year. What would the House Dean and boys have written of the events in that first year: a year marked by the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the founding of the first European settlement by pioneers in a distant land now known as the United States? No doubt the death of the School’s founder, Lawrence Sheriff would still be fresh in their minds. As I close my classroom and clear my desk in preparation for the summer break, I reflect on all that has happened in Sheriff House, and the photographs which adorn my classroom serve as reminders of many key events of the past year. The faces of thirty-three strangers looking out of the first House photograph are now thirty-three young men who have contributed to founding a House ethos, and in the process created lasting friendships. It’s a Knockout was one of the earliest inter-house competitions, with mixed teams tackling a variety of zany but fun events. The house talent show followed soon after, compered by Sheriff’s very own David and Callum, and we began to see the musical and dramatic talents which would come to mark the year, including Sung Eun’s masterful piano performance, the rock band talent of Pei Pei, Earth, Bush, and Rachane, as well as the dancing talent of Arseny. The House song, We Will Rock You, by Queen, was the culmination of weeks of effort will be remembered by the boys for some time to come.
Loy Krathong gave the boys the chance to don their finest traditional Thai clothing and launching our krathongs on the lake provided a moment of silent reflection as wishes were made for the coming year. Preparations then began in earnest for what has been the highlight of Sheriff’s first year: House Drama. Sheriff decided to perform a twentyminute condensed version of Titanic, and I think it is safe to say that no one who saw this will ever see Leonardo DiCaprio (David) and Kate Winslet (Fabian) in quite the same light again. On the sporting front, Sheriff has fared rather well and the boys have shown of their best in a number of inter-House events, including table tennis, badminton, swimming, and sports day itself, providing many individual and House successes. The Rugbeian axiom of “Live for the School. Die for the House” has never been more palpable. The first pupil v. Old Guard (i.e. staff team) soccer match featured a strong Sheriff presence and was hard-fought under a blazing sun. Rachane’s high elbows in a tackle saw Mr. Douglas injured off for the remainder of the game with a visit to A&E for stitches, but the staff ultimately emerged victorious, leading 3-1 at the end of 90 minutes. As House Dean I can say without reservation that it has been a privilege for me to see the Sheriff boys come together so well as the year has gone on. No longer strangers but rather the collective founding year of Sheriff House and, more broadly, of Rugby School Thailand. Floreat Sheriff! Floreat Rugbeia!
Andrew Maguire Dean of Sheriff 53
Tudor House Report
54
The 5th of September 2018 was the landmark date for the opening of Rugby School Thailand and the establishment of the first girl’s day house - Tudor. Through our daily morning callovers, regular tutor sessions, PSHE lessons and school events, this year has seen friendships made and a safe and caring environment established.
for the numerous events such as re-enacting “Forrest Gump”, singing “I did it that way” and dancing to “All in this together” to name a few. Individual members stepped up to represent Tudor in a range of sports and performances and for 2018-2019 Tudor were proud champions of Cross Country, House Debate and Sports day.
Tudor values diligence towards academics, proudly boasting the highest number of points awarded through our credit system! Our tutors: Mr Maddran, Mr Sudding, Mr Rees, Miss Hanly, Mr Carmody, Dr Coote and Miss Lister have been instrumental in promoting excellent study habits, emotional support and encouraging continuous progress in academics.
With the support of the Assistant Dean, Miss Hanly, and the team of teachers, our girls have been able to settle into a new environment, navigate challenges and celebrate successes throughout a busy first year at RST. As Dean of Tudor, I feel grateful and privileged to have witnessed the growth and development of a group of talented, kind and thoughtful young women.
We bring team spirit to all our house competitions; teamwork, commitment and courage featured highly in our preparation
Erin Dalaman Dean of Tudor
6th Form Report Our first year at Rugby School Thailand as the LXX has been bursting with events and activities. As the academic year comes to an end, we will share our personal reflection and recount upon some of the moments which were significant to us. Whilst we were initially fragmented as a sixth form, due to the fact that many of us were strangers to each other prior to our first year at Rugby, we quickly bonded as a year group. This occurred through daily interactions as well as extra events such as our end of term dinners and the Christmas dinner at Cabbages and Condoms (run by Dr Mechai) in December at the end of Term 1. A particularly impressionable memory was our four-day escapade in the jungles of Borneo. Our journey included three nights in the jungle and four days of trekking. Carrying a rucksack, which contained all our basic needs required for four days of survival, was indeed the hardest part of our trip. Despite the difficulty of the task we had to undertake, we learnt teamwork and resilience, and more importantly, we earned a deeper sense of friendship with each other. Perhaps the most important part of our academic year was the AS level exam session in January and June, for which we all prepared tirelessly. Our refined revision skills acquired from our Enrichment programme were a big help. Looking back, it seems miraculous that we have managed to do so many things in addition to simply taking our exams, despite exam periods eating up the greater part of our year. These achievements included the development of our service programme which we designed ourselves with guidance from Mr May. This consists of a wide variety of service projects such as running a professional tuckshop business (with all proceeds going to Charity), reading to prep students as well as organising sports sessions for them. Establishing the inaugural RST Charity Committee
was one of our major services where we partnered up with the Bamboo School in Buriram to help Wat Koh School. We independently organised meetings with Dr Mechai in Bangkok and the student government from the Bamboo School to plan fundraising events and collaboration. Another aspect of non-academic school life, which has been insightful and educational, was our PSHE sessions, where we learnt how to achieve a healthy and balanced school life. Through instructive open discussions about personal wellbeing, mindfulness, personal finance and other important topics, our teachers ensured that we knew things that would be important and useful to our life after school. Additionally, the work experience sessions helped us understand how to plan and organise the best work experience. At the start of Term 3, we were prepared to take on leadership roles for the next academic year. The most important positions were the Heads of School, namely Head Girl and Head Boy. Other roles of responsibility were the Heads of Houses. Hence, six of us were selected as a Head of House, including Head of Sheriff, Tudor, School, and three new Houses - Town, Southfield and Rupert Brooke. The Student LevĂŠe is excited for next year and look forward to working together for an even better Senior School life at RST. In anticipation of our final year of secondary education, we have begun extensive preparation for university applications, whether that is choosing our preferred destinations, or for external exams including IELTS and SATs. The visit to the university fair in Bangkok has supplemented our knowledge in different universities and was useful for planning our university applications. The breadth of our intended careers in our Sixth Form ranges from economics and chemistry to fashion and film. Collectively we will apply to universities from over 10 different countries. The LXX is excited to make the most of our last year at school, through continued active participation in all possible facets of school life, whilst still working hard towards top grades. 55
Borneo
Borneo Report: E Block We departed from RST at 4am in the morning in buses and arrived at DMK airport, ready for our trip to Borneo. We were placed in small groups and after checking in and going through Passport Control, we dashed off to get snacks before boarding the plane. Our excitement was palpable and the flight seemed very short as a result. We were met by the Ability Expeditions team at the airport and they gave us an introductory talk before we jumped into minivans and headed off to the village where our service project was to take place. The villagers gave us a very warm welcome; then, we were told where we would be sleeping and what the plan for the next six days would be. After unpacking our bags, we went to eat dinner at the Chief’s house. As it had been a long day, we headed straight to bed after dinner, hoping for a good night’s sleep.
56
On Day 2 we were put in three different groups. Each group was given a different task: Group One did preschool prepping, Group Two laid cement and water pipes, Group Three laid cement and built a wall for the water tank to raise its water level. We worked on these projects until the end of Day 4 which was our last day in the village. Every day, we showered in the cold river but also had the option of having a proper shower if we wished. Some people slept in tents while others were in bedrooms on stretchers protected by mosquito nets. While our breakfasts and lunches were quite similar, the villagers cooked dinner for us in the evening and there was a large variety on offer. There was even a tuckshop from which we could buy snacks and drinks! On our last evening in the village, we were told some scary ghost stories that the locals believed. After that we headed back to our sleeping areas to prepare and packe our bags for the trek the next day. We had to distribute the cooking utensils, food, cutlery and cups evenly between us while still making sure that we are able to comfortably carry our bags. Anything we didn’t need was placed in the minivans the next morning. Once everything was packed and ready, we headed off for a good night’s rest before the long day of trekking that awaited us.
The next day, we woke up packed the last things into our bags and gave the driver our backpacks. After breakfast, we were given safety instructions, placed in groups, given our packed lunches and told what the trek would be like. We then hurried off to get our hiking bags and put on our hiking shoes. We said our final goodbyes and started the four-hour trek that awaited us. As we trekked, there were some difficulties such as dropping bowls or tripping over and getting our legs stuck in holes. Towards the middle of the trek, we stopped to eat our packed lunches and fill up water bottles from the river water, using chlorine tablets to purify the water. After a lot of sweat, a little blood, quite a few tears and masses of determination, we reached our destination at the top of the mountain. When we first arrived we saw an amazing view and campsite. We had a short rest and then put up our hammocks safely, unpacked cutlery and food that we brought with us and started cooking dinner. After dinner, we all helped to clean up and make sure everything was tidy. We took showers and told stories and headed off to sleep because we were exhausted from the day’s trek.
We woke up early, ate a very quick breakfast, packed and cleaned up before we were on our way to the Adventure Centre. Going down the mountain took us four dreadful hours of heat and sweat but once we made it to the Adventure Center, we were presented with food and drinks and a nice place to sleep. We had some team activities which included zip-lining and an activities afternoon with the students from other year groups. These activities were challenging but fun; in the end, we managed to all work as a group and succeed. We had a little bit of free time after lunch and were able to buy souvenirs and snacks before we showered. As it was our final night in Borneo, we had pizza and fries for dinner. We had more free time after supper but most of us just went to bed because of we were so tired. Many people were upset to leave Borneo; we had made some great memories and greater friendships. Our final moments at the Adventure Centre involved dancing and making music with traditional instruments. We took group photos and said our thank yous. We were given proboscis monkey soft toys as a thank you from the Sabbah Tourism Board. After a bus ride to the airport, we said our final goodbyes to the Ability Expeditions Team and hopped on our plane. We were excited to go home but also grateful for our trip to this amazing place.
Nadine Irnesberger (E Block)
57
F Block Our school trip to Borneo was a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget. During our short stay in Sabah, we had many growing moments, both physical and emotional ones. We were pushed out of our comfort zones and learnt we are much stronger than we thought we were. Initially, the week away looked tough and we had our doubts about the trip but looking back, we are proud of all that we achieved. We pushed ourselves to our limits and now that we’re home, we feel like we can accomplish anything.
58
The highlight of the trip was the night in the jungle. The trek was difficult; the paths were narrow and steep, and, with full backpacks, it felt like we might topple over at any moment. The heat was incredible and sweaty doesn’t begin to describe how we felt. However, the real reward was when we reached our campsite at the top of the mountain. We were able to relax with our friends for a good few hours as we had walked much more quickly than anticipated. This meant we were able to explore and bond with our friends once we had set up camp. We felt a real sense of responsibility in the jungle as we had to set up our own campsites, build a fire and cook as a group. We felt independent yet worked as a team. It also gave us time to absorb and appreciate the natural environment and beautiful views.
Another favourite moment was the activities at Ability Expeditions, especially zip-lining and wall climbing. The wall climb was tricky and although lots of us were afraid of the heights, we showed determination. Getting to ring the bell at the top was a great achievement as we needed to have both physical and mental strength. On the last day of the trip, the other year groups joined us at the Adventure Centre. We were placed in mixed groups and competed in team challenges. This really helped as we got to know students who aren’t in our year group. We had to trust each other to complete the challenges which was difficult considering we didn’t really know all the older students that well. The blindfold challenge really helped as we had to listen carefully to our teammates in order to complete it. The team that had the highest score at the end of the challenges won the delicious prize of chocolate ice cream – a real bonus considering it had been so hot! Overall, Borneo changed us. We had to learn to be patient, independent and determined. We came back inspired as well as appreciative, it was a good reminder not to take things for granted. Borneo was, without a doubt, the best residential trip we have ever been on.
Katie Stewart and Ana Devesa (F Block)
59
Borneo Report: LXX After a long day travelling, we arrived in Borneo exhausted but excited. At the Adventure Centre we prepared for the trek. Our expedition would include three nights in the jungle and four days of trekking in the mountains. This meant we had to carry rucksacks containing all our basic needs for the journey, food (including 6 oversized jars of peanut butter), utensils and essential supplies, such as toiletries, pots and pans. We had to plan our meals and work as a team to ensure we had everything we needed. A much more difficult task than it sounds!
The first day of our trek began with a climb of 70°. This was really hard, especially as we had the full amount of food to carry. After four hours of continued physical hardship, we arrived at our first base camp, ready to replenish our energy levels. Everyone was so eager to eat. After careful planning and rationing of the food for the meals ahead, it was decided that we would eat 6 crackers and half a tablespoon of canned tuna each for lunch (which, in hindsight, probably wasn’t enough). It was here, we learnt the basic lessons of setting up our hammocks, collecting firewood, starting a fire and cooking our meals, all of which we would repeat and improve every night at our basecamps. 60
The other days trekking in the mountains of Borneo followed a similar pattern; getting up at 5:30am then walking four arduous hours in the early morning, setting up our camp and then preparing our meals. We maintained high hygiene standards by showering under waterfalls and in rivers using biodegradable soap to prevent environmental damage. The evenings were diverse and filled with laughter as we sat around the campfire reflecting on our day. We listening to our eccentric native jungle guide Hanri (appropriately dubbed Mr Jungle Legend) who told us Sabah folklore and some scary stories about the campsites we were sleeping in. On the last night we managed to cook a 3 course meal! Basic, but in the jungle when you have done everything yourself, very tasty. We learnt to make fire using only bamboo and coconut and then toasted marshmallows on it. Very satisfying.
The hike on the last day felt like the easiest trek ever as we mainly walked on flat land along the road with no food to weigh us down. Dropping our bags, we then headed off down river on boats for the final leg of our adventure. We ended with a refreshing swim in the mountain water. The last night we all gathered to reflect on an amazing trip. Through the hardship and discomfort of camping and hiking up and down steep hills, we learnt teamwork, resilience, survival skills and most importantly earned a deeper sense of friendship with each other.
Minji Noh and Sung Eun Choi (LXX)
61
Sports Report “The Whole Person is the Whole Point’’ An Education of Mind, Body and Spirit
This year our PE and Games Department has used the Performance Pathways Programme to guide our pupils. The idea behind this programme is to allow a system in sports in which excellence is celebrated, yet every pupil contributes regardless of their ability. It encompasses the philosophy of ‘The Whole Person is the Whole Point’. It also embraces the 3R’s philosophy of Rugby School where a pupil can progress over time through a system that allows for growth and development of the individual. It allows teams to have an identity, whilst more importantly linking directly to the Rugby School Vision.
62
LTAD Link
The 3 R’s
Training to win Training to compete
1st Team/Rigour
Training to compete Training to train
Training to train Learning to train
‘The ability to do extra, above and beyond’
Reflection ‘The desire to look beyond, a need to reflect’
Restlessness ‘The desire to be the best’
Level of Competition Scholarship athletes GBAC FOBISIA – Invitationals Specific annual sport tours Interhouse School based initiatives Weekly Friendly competition GBAC In school competition (within club) Interform – class to class Interhouse
At RST this year, pupils have partaken in: rugby, football, tennis, table tennis, athletics, cross country, netball, basketball, swimming, badminton, volleyball, golf, equestrianism and sailing. That is a total of 14 sports in our first year! We have managed to compete in basketball, football, netball, tag rugby, and swimming with games against MIS, Amnuay Silpa, FC Planet Football and Norwich International School. Our success rate was a massive 89%. Next year we have membership to the Greater Bangkok Athletics Conference which will enable to be involved in 10-12 tournaments over the year. Watch this space.
Interhouse Events Event
Winners
X Country
Tudor House
Table Tennis
Sheriff House
Badminton
Sheriff House
Athletics
Tudor House
Swimming
Girls – Tudor House
Rugby World Cup
South Africa (all three houses)
Boys – Sheriff House
Kieron O’Brien Head of PE and Games 63
Activities and Saturday Enrichment Programme Report This year we have had a strong and diverse and activities programme that runs through our Enhanced School Day and a Saturday Enrichment programme that has seen a variety of academics, sports and G.O.A.L (Get Out And Learn) weekends. We have had a tiered system, enabling all pupils to access a club at various levels of expertise:
A Tiered System Pupils Allowing pupils to access specific areas of interrest at a level they feel comfortable yet challenging
Accredited
Representative
Teachers Allowing teachers to identify pupils who would benefit from extension in a specific area of the curriculum at a higher level.
Leadership
Clubs/Societies 64
The breadth of opportunity for pupils is immense and, over the course of this year, there were 47 clubs on offer at RST; a large number for a school in its first year! Our activities have been split into four main categories; academic, sports, performing arts and co-curricular:
Academic
Sports
Performing Arts
Co-Curricular
Polyglot Club Spanish Language & Culture MFL Society Business Leaders History Society Science Symposium Public Speaking/Debate School Magazine Economics Society Maths Olympiad Accelerated Maths HSK Tutoring History Graphic Novels Historical Conspiracies Oxbridge Crest/IGCSE Plus
Basketball Football Netball Rugby Sailing Swimming Horse riding Surf fitness LXX weight training X–Country Trampolining Multi-sports Volleyball Tennis Badminton
Senior Choir Music Ensembles Drama Society Drama Production Art for Campus IGCSE/A Level Art
RST Masterchef Yoga Design projects Dungeons & Dragons MUN RST Podcast Photography Chinese Club Thai Arts and Crafts Archery
Our Enhanced School Day equates to an extra 30 days of learning for our pupils when compared to an average school. This allows our pupils to explore new things and gives them the opportunity to develop their passion outside of the classroom. Our Saturday Enrichment Programme (SEP) comprised of weekends in school, studying academics or developing our sports teams, as well as weekends offsite, experiencing various trips in our ‘Get Out And Learn’ weekends. Our trips have included: visiting the elephant sanctuary and the upside house, kayaking at the National Kayak Centre, and horse riding at Horseshoe Point. Our weekend progamme saw on average between 25-30% of our pupils attend. Next year, the weekend programme will involve focused sports sessions to help develop our teams and fixtures for 2019-20.
Kieron O’Brien Head of PE and Games 65
Music Report The start of the year was exciting but hectic; organizing first music lessons, establishing groups, and creating weekly rehearsal routines. Since the Prep School had already been established a year, we were lucky to have a group of visiting music staff who were already doing excellent things. It was encouraging that many new students were eager to join in with the music activities from the start, and in the first weeks we were quickly able to establish a Senior Choir, some chamber ensembles and bands. Some of the first musical performances took place in assemblies, where Sung Eun and Angel played excellent piano solos. The focus for the first half of term was the Talent Show on 18th October, featuring bands, solos and small ensembles. Particularly impressive at this early stage of the year were the whole house songs, ‘This Is Me’ by School House, ‘We’re All in This Together’ by Tudor House, and ‘We Will Rock You’ by Sheriff House. Arseny
66
and Sabrina won the overall award for their dancing act, and School House won the best house performance. The Senior Concert on 21st November allowed more students to show off their talents to a combined audience of students, parents and staff. There was impressive talent on display, with bands performing Thai songs and Newman’s ‘Love Me Again’, a piano trio including Angel and Joanna, and the Senior Choir performing Rutter’s ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’. Other acts included Ana playing her ukulele, SungEun playing a jazz solo, Joanna playing a violin showpiece by Sarasate, and songs by Roonmai and Georgina. The term was rounded off with a Christmas Assembly, featuring performances by the Music Ensembles and Choir. As well as a couple of combined carols, there were choir items by Benjamin Britten and a large student rendition of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ – a suitably festive way to end the term.
In Term 2, we established a series of lunchtime concerts, giving students the opportunity to sign up and perform. The variety of music has been wide, ranging from Beethoven and Bach to folk music, jazz and pop. A musical highlight of the year was the House Music Competition. Each house was given 20 minutes to create a balanced concert consisting of solos, ensembles and a whole house song. Sheriff started proceedings with their house song, ‘Lazy Song’, followed by ‘Zombie’ by the F Block Band. After fine piano solos by Adam and Sung Eun, the concert was rounded off by an extremely stylish rendition of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. Tudor started with a fine piano solo, ‘Csikos Post’, by Maria, followed by songs by Kelly, Angel, Pun, and Moo-Dang. The Tudor band, with guest drummer Mr Rees, gave a spirited performance of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ before the rousing house song ‘I Want It That Way’. School House had to match all this, and their excellent house song medley certainly showed they meant business. This was followed by a percussion band, and a violin and piano duet from Rew and Joanna.
Ana’s solo, ‘You’ve Changed’, was particularly touching and expressive. Mrs Westlake and Mr Collings from the Prep School had the unenviable task of choosing winners: Best Solo Performance went to Ana, Best Ensemble to the Sheriff Jazz Band, Best House Song to School House, and Best Overall House to School House. A great way to finish the term. Term 3 started with a violin and piano lunchtime concert given by Mr Costin and visiting violinist Leo Phillips. Other highlights included a whole school rendition of the song ‘Together We Will Change the World’ for International Day, and more popular lunchtime concerts. At the time of writing this, we are preparing for the visit of Pembroke College Cambridge Chapel Choir to visit at the end of term, including a Choral Day, talks and concerts. A busy way to end a successful year.
Robert Costin Director of Music
67
Drama Report
performance of The Wizard of Oz, complete with impressive props and costumes.
It has been a busy first year in the drama department, with many opportunities for students to exhibit their talents on stage.
Inspired by RST’s work with BANPU on saving energy, Ana Devesa and Katie Stewart (F Block) decided to create a short performance in their own time. They took Prince Ea’s spoken word entitled ‘Dear Future Generations’ to create a powerful performance that made the audience consider their responsibility for the environment. The girls were awarded a distinction for their effort and creativity and had the opportunity to deliver it to the Minister for Environment when he visited RST.
The Drama Society earned excellent reviews when making their inaugural performance to mark the anniversary of Armistice. Working as an ensemble, students devised a physical sequence in mime which gave the audience an insight into the war and its impact upon people’s lives. It was an incredibly poignant performance, which students approached maturely and sensitively. Term 2 saw Tudor, Sheriff and School House battle for the much-coveted House Drama Trophy. The brief was simple; each house had to condense an Oscar-winning film into 15 minutes. With an illustrious list to choose from, the students embraced the challenge. Tudor created an impressively fast-paced version of Forrest Gump whilst Sheriff had the audience in stitches with their very funny Titanic. However, it was School House that stole the show with their energetic, ensemble
68
Term 2 culminated with the first Senior Production, ‘Find Me’ by Olwen Wymark. The play explored the personality of a young girl with mental health issues and sought to ‘find her’. Simultaneously, Wymark also examines the impact of the girl’s behaviour on those closest to her and the quality of healthcare she receives. ‘Find Me’ was a challenging play and was emotionally charged. The students demonstrated great maturity in their performance and in response to the sensitive themes to create an excellent show. At the request of the playwright, the production consisted of minimal costume, set and props to emphasise the narrative and the performance skills of the actors. The students rose to this challenge as they imaginatively invented Verity’s world in a variety of ways, which engaged the audience and delivered a
sobering message. The cast was enormous fun to rehearse with and they should be very proud of their considerable commitment and hard work. In February and May, Milly Hitchmough, Timofei Bykov and Georgina Milton, three IGCSE Drama students, treated the Senior School to a preview of both their devised and scripted performances. For their devised performance, students took inspiration from ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ by Foster the People to create an educational performance about the Columbine High School shooting. They used the style of Brecht to expose brutal facts whilst also giving the audience an insight into the emotional states of the shooters. Following this, the students performed ‘Teechers’ by John Godber. They utilised their multi-rolling skills to present a variety of characters, including bored students and strict teachers, much to the amusement of the audience. We have been lucky enough to have been visited by two theatre companies this year who have performed for the school and run a series of workshops. The undoubted highlight was the exciting opportunity to work with three practitioners from Splendid Productions, a very wellrenowned theatre and education company based in the UK. They performed their production of ‘The Orestia’ and then ran workshops with Year 8 and F Block, based on physical characterisation, devising and Greek Chorus.
The students had a fantastic time in these fast-paced, high-energy workshops which proved to be a great inspiration for their classwork. We also welcomed Daniel from Per formance Exchange, who per formed ‘Shakespeare’s Kings and Clowns’ and worked on acting skills with Y8, F and E Block. The F Block rounded off their term in drama with the brilliant, student-led F Block Arts Showcase. The showcase saw every student in the F Block take part in drama, music or art, demonstrating the significant progress that they have made this year. In drama, students performed verbatim pieces, scripted extracts and monologues for an audience of parents, students and teachers. They should be congratulated for their excellent performances and for providing the audience with such a fun evening. At Speech Day, our newly appointed Drama Scholars concluded the year with a short verbatim performance, highlighting the best moments of the first year in the Senior School. They covered all bases from Borneo to Songkran, Sports Day to House Music and several other events in between. Their performance provided the ideal stimulus to reflect on a very successful year.
Felicity Passmore Head of Drama
69
Charity Report We understand that the students at RST are, by definition, in a privileged situation. This means that the responsibility to society that we have is that little bit greater. Our students will be the leaders of tomorrow, so it is essential that they understand the responsibilities they have. Our students want to be a part of the community and we see this in local, regional and global terms. The charity committee was set up to lead charitable events in the school. Students were able to volunteer for the charity committee and the interest was strong from the start. The students decided that they would be a committee of action, one that achieved things rather than just talked about it. The first task was to establish which charities we would support. We met with a number but one stood out. It was a charity that would have a remarkable effect on the group. We arranged to go to Bangkok to meet with Dr Mechai at his restaurant Cabbages and Condoms. An economist by training, Dr Mechai had a different view of charity. Charitable donations come and go, he believed, what made the real difference was sustainable education. He told us that there are two things that people need to lift themselves out of poverty - skills and credit. With commercial skills and startup money, you can create a business that will sustain you and benefit the community. This will form a tangible legacy long after a charitable donation has been spent. Dr Mechai had set up the world-famous ‘bamboo’ school based on these principles. I wanted our students to meet the students from this school. We agreed to arrange a meeting between the student council of the bamboo school and our charity committee. I should explain that the school council at the Bamboo school runs the school, they set the budgets, hire and fire the teachers and run the businesses that enable the school to survive. By doing this, the students learn independence, business acumen and leadership skills. The school also provide outreach programmes and give microloans to local business and alumni. We met at the 6th form centre for a formal meeting and translations were made in Thai and English. I was particularly struck by one student of who I asked ‘Are you considering university?’, She smiled and in perfect English said ‘No, I will return to my village and set up a business that will provide income for my family and jobs for the community.’ It wasn’t what she said but the certainty with which she said it. This was someone who was going to make a difference. You could just tell. 70
The prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha is an enthusiastic supporter of the school and its methodology and has asked Dr Mechai to expand the programme to other areas in Thailand. As part of the launch, he visited the Wat Koh School with the owner of our school, Khun Taya Teepsuwan. The students decided that they wanted to be involved. Rugby School Thailand would partner with Wat Koh, the local bamboo school and help them to build the kind of ethos that was going to change the village the girl had spoken of. We were not going to be a charity that would just raise money, we wanted to add value and enable people to better their communities. We also wanted to learn from them. This would be an exchange that valued each community and their perspective. We would help them speak better English and teach them about sport and they, in turn, would help us to build a sustainable farm that would raise money. We were no longer talking about charity, we were enabling sustainable development. Our first project pre-dated the bamboo meeting and raised 40,000 baht for Pattaya orphanage. We held a Halloween disco for the prep school. This was great fun for everyone and provided a real eye-opener in how much work goes into these events. Teamwork was essential and social skills were to the fore. One committee member commented, ‘I have spoken to more people in the last two weeks than I did in the previous two years.’
Not ones to settle or lack ambition the next project was even bigger. With the wonderful support of Khun Taya Teepsuwan and family, the committee organised a charity fun run. This would be the first major whole school event and the first event held at the Wisdom lake. Just to make life a little more difficult we only had a 3 weeks lead time. Despite the significant odds we still managed to get 150 runners signed, food and drink stalls, a raffle and a DJ. After costs, the event made a whopping 90,000 baht. This would be money that could be used to fund the partnership with the Wat Koh ‘Bamboo’ School. It was great to see them there taking part, selling smoothies made from the produce that they had grown. This event has funded a large donation of sports equipment but more importantly Wat Koh school will visit us to learn how to use the equipment and have a great sports day at RST. We have arranged for the choir from Cambridge University to not only sing but to give some singing lessons. The partnership is in its infancy and there is much, much more to come. We aspire to be a model of how international schools can partner with local schools most effectively.
After hosting a film night the committee’s final event of the year will be a BBQ, games and football tournament. The team have given a great deal and they have learnt a great deal too. To have achieved what they have done in an established school would have been impressive. To be the first to organise each event and still to have achieved all that they have is remarkable. It is a year that will live long in my memory. Well done to all the team with special thanks to Sung Eun and Sasha for leading the team and for Angel and Sasha for taking over the leadership and continuing the excellent work. This is a team that is going to grow and flourish in the next academic year.
From F block: Katie and Rew. From E block: Grace, Sasha, Angel and Kelly. From LXX: Peter, Minji, Focus, Chompoo, Sung Eun and Sasha.
71
Cultural and International Events Loy Krathong Festival The Loy Krathong Festival takes place on the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, thus the exact date of the festival changes every year. As the main rice harvest season has ended, it is a time when people thank the Water Goddess for her abundant supply, as well as apologise for polluting the waters. Some believe that this is the time to symbolically ‘float away’ all the anger and grudges onto which you have been holding. It is also about getting rid of misfortune and the bad things that have happened in the past as well as a time to ask for good luck in the future. This is done by floating a “krathong” in the river. At RST, students and staff wore traditional Thai attire and spent the morning making their “krathong”. The activities of the day helped to remind everyone involved to think of the environment and the importance of water. In the afternoon, students from across RST were invited to float their “krathong” on our school lake. The releasing of the “krathong” onto the water at the lake brought the festival to its close.
Pakanatt (Natt) Thadruk Thai Principal
72
Cultural and International Events
73
Cultural and International Events
Songkran Festival The Water Festival, Songkran, is an annual festival which takes place over three days during the traditional Thai New Year, April 13th-15th in keeping with the Buddhist/ Hindu solar calendar. The word “Songkran” comes from the Sanskrit word literally “astrological passage”, meaning transformation or change. At RST, the festival was held on the last day of Term 2. It was a whole school event. The morning was spent with learning about the history of the festival. In the afternoon, students and staff took to the fields to enjoy the Water Festival aspect of the day. There were games set up as well as a ‘slip’n’slide’ and numerous water stations to refill water toys. Songkran brought Term 2 to a festive, fun ending!
Pakanatt (Natt) Thadruk Thai Principal
Wai Kru Ceremony The Wai Kru Ceremony – Teacher Appreciation Day is an important Thai ritual in which students pay respect to their teachers in order to express their gratitude and formalize the student–teacher relationship. They thank their teachers for the knowledge they have given them and for the gift of learning. The ceremony usually takes place in the new academic year and expresses the deep respect and gratitude students have for their teachers. Wai Kru also allows teachers to assure students that they will always be there to guide and support them throughout their learning. During the ceremony, students perform “Wai and Graab” which is a respectful gesture. They also present the teachers with flowers with which they have made a ‘paan’ (traditional flower arrangement). The Senior School inaugural ceremony took place on the 27th of September 2018. The students provided the beautiful flower arrangements for their teachers and this was a very special way to start our school year.
Pakanatt (Natt) Thadruk Thai Principal 74
Cultural and International Events
Chinese New Year One of the most popular festivals worldwide, Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival ( ), plays a very important role in Thailand, especially for the Thai Chinese community. Rugby School Thailand Senior School celebrated Chinese New Year, the Year of the Pig, for the first time on the 7th of February 2019, which was actually the 3rd day of the first month in Chinese Lunar Calendar. During a 45-minute assembly, Senior School pupils immersed themselves quickly in the festive atmosphere by offering a variety of performances. Starting with a trendy C-POP dance Day Day Up ( ) and Learn How The Cat Meow ( ), the crowd was ignited by the Senior School dancers. In order to show the beauty and features of Chinese traditional culture, F Block pupils performed Beijing Opera with slightly modified singing and dancing. As an international student at Rugby School Thailand, Adam Liu, who comes from China, played Pristine Views of My Hometown with his ocarina, which is a typical piece of music full of Oriental charm. With the support of Music department, the Senior choir girls all dressed up in the traditional Chinese costume Qipao and brought us a very traditional Chinese folk song, Jasmine Flower ( ). Apart from the cultural performances prepared by pupils, Mr Zhou, teacher of Mandarin in the Senior School, also taught the audience an exciting lesson about Chinese characters ( ) revealing aspects of its history, evolution and function. The 2019 Chinese New Year assembly ended with learning how to make paper-cuttings of the first character of Spring Festival , which represents springtime, the fresh beginning of the whole year. Last but not least, following the assembly, an external art troupe was invited to perform to all pupils and parents. The Dragon and Lion Dance took place in the sports hall; it was an eye-catching performance which everyone enjoyed and was the climax of our Chinese New Year celebration.
Zhen Zhou Mandarin Teacher 75
Cultural and International Events International Day RST celebrated International Day on the 24th of May 2019. This event celebrated the diversity of our school whilst providing an opportunity to come together to appreciate and learn about the different cultures and national traditions that make up our community. RST is a rich global tapestry which weaves together a wide range of nationalities: our student and staff body is made up of no less than 35 nationalities. From countries as far and wide as Uruguay and as large as Russia and China, and as small as the Cook Islands. The day began with the whole school gathering in the Sports Hall. Students and staff performed a variety of acts: from Spanish dancing to the Haka, vocal solos to
76
group hip hop dances, and everything in between; it was a true celebration of our international community. The finale of the show brought students from PreNursery to the 6th Form together to perform ‘Together We Can Change the World’, a touching moment which was a true reflection of the sense of unity felt by all. Following the performances, students were welcomed to an ‘International Food Fair’ organised by a committee of parents. They were treated to traditional food from across the world and this was a highlight of the day. The hard work that parents did to create wonderful stalls and delicious food was so appreciated by all. Our first full school International Day provided the perfect opportunity for collaborating, communicating and honouring the cultures and nationalities that make up our school community.
Cultural and International Events
World Book Day On Friday the 1st of March 2019, literary characters came to life at RST. Pupils and staff dressed up as their characters from their favourite stories to celebrate our first full school World Book Day. In the lead up to the day, a ‘Guess Who?’ notice board was set up. A dozen teachers entered their favourite books; other staff and students were given the opportunity to guess which teacher had selected the books on display. This sparked some lively debates about how teachers had chosen their books: were the books linked to their subject? Were these just books that the teachers had enjoyed reading? Did any of the books reflect the nationality or personality of the teacher? When the answers were revealed, there were a few surprised looks!
A reading zone was set up on the ground floor of the classroom block; pupils from the Senior School and staff from the whole school were invited to read to Prep School classes. Each person read for five minutes from a book that they enjoyed. Everyone who took part seemed to enjoy this activity; reading outside in a comfortable place was a hit! Over the course of the day, extracts from Roald Dahl’s ‘The Landlady’ were read out in each lesson. The story was interesting and the cliff-hanger that ended each reading ensured that pupils were excited to hear what would happen next. This provided great discussions for English classes studying narrative writing. All in all, our first full school World Book day was a happy celebration of our love of reading.
Claire Hanly (Head of English) 77
Creativity: Art and DT projects
Prim Kokanutaporn (E Block)
78
Creativity: Art and DT projects
Roonmai Jaroeysuk (F Block)
Moo-Dang Chawandit (F Block)
Roonmai Jaroeysuk (F Block)
Rew Jitkanaekarn (F Block)
Katie Stewart (F Block)
D&T Trophies
Pear Chaikong (F Block)
Zia Jovellanos (F Block)
D&T Trophies
Ana Devesa (F Block)
Pun Jaratjitwilai (F Block)
Pun Charusirisawad (F Block)
79
Creativity: Art and DT projects
D&T Examples
D&T Examples
Stuart Douglas (Staff)
F Block
Dave Kennedy (Staff)
Jean Wongvanichchot (E Block)
Nop Sathitsatthatham (LXX)
D&T Staff Examples
Bogdan Zyulkov (E Block)
D&T Staff Examples
80
D&T Staff Examples
Creativity: Art and DT projects
Prim Kokanutaporn (E Block)
Bogdan Zyulkov (E Block)
Bogdan Zyulkov (E Block)
Bogdan Zyulkov (E Block)
Bogdan Zyulkov (E Block)
Georgina Milton (E Block)
Sebi Curtis-Bleach (E Block)
Maksim Smirnov (E Block) Prim Kokanutaporn (E Block)
81
YEARBOOK PHOTOGRAPHS
• LXX
• E Block • F Block 82
LXX
Timur Akhmedjanov
Peter Barker-Bennett
Sung Eun Choi
David Hyslop
Han Jiang
Rachane Kalra
Benji Kleiven
Chompoo Mahatchariyakul
Callum McAvinue
Sasha Narang
Minji Noh
Focus Prangsrithong
Junior Ruengsomboon
Nop Sathitsatthatham
Earth Srisuriyachai
RST
LXX Pei Pei Worapitpong
Edmond Wang
83
E Block
Tim Bykov
Sasha Chernova
Kelly Cook
Sebi Curtis-Bleach
Satang Dida
Chris Guna-Kasemtanawat
Milly Hitchmough
Nadine Irnesberger
Dew Kanawattanakul
Prim Kokanutaporn
Georgina Milton
Boom Nikhomchaiprasert
Kohei Nishikita
Nua Nunya
Mook O-Apirat
Angel Ocampo
RST
E Block 84
E Block
Grace Payne
Guy Prangsrithong
Noey Ruengsomboon
Bush Saengchan
Maksim Smirnov
Louis Sukmak
Pico Suthumpun
Yok Tantipatcharakul
Cane Teeranantawanich
Marq Thongkerd
Mayu Wada
Jean Wongvanichchot
Ciara Wood
Bogdan Zyulkov
Marin Scott
85
F Block
Fern Amornveepithak
Katsuya Fushida
86
Delight Boriboonluck
Pear Chaikong
Ohm Chanprapab
Pun Charusirisawad
Moo-Dang Chawandit
Rung Chayakula
Meow Daenseekaew
Maria Denisova
Ana Devesa
Maria Ertukhanova
Leo Intalap
Pun Jaratjitwilai
Roonmai Jaroeysuk
Rew Jitkanaekarn
Tyler Johnson
Zia Jovellanos
Adam Lau
Beige Limprayoon
Pupa Mahatchariyakul
F Block
Karylle Matibag
Perth Phettrakul
Butu Phumisithikul
Polina Protishevskaya
Beingka Sachdev
Arseny Shulyar
Mingming Shou
Albert Sims
In Srisuriyachai
Katie Stewart
Sima Stolnikova
Chanya Supornsahatrangsi
Kohei Takayama
Mateo Tary
Fabian Schumacher
Leon Teetz
RST
F Block Poon Watanachai
Grahame White
Charlie Wu
Pluek Yangsuk
87
School Address: 7/2 Moo 2, Khao Mai Kaew, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi 20150 Tel: +66 (0) 33 141 800 Email: enquiries@rugbyschool.ac.th | Web: www.rugbyschool.ac.th