Dragon Tales Issue 19

Dragon Tales Theatre as a Vehicle for Change Creative Classrooms SALSA Adventures

Issue 19!

November 2014-January 2015

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this edition of Dragon Tales. In particular special thanks to Ari Vitikainen for generously allowing us to use his wonderful photos on the front cover and to accompany the article, Theatre as a Vehicle for Change.

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If you would like to submit an article for the next issue please make sure you do so by

13 March 2015.

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If you are a student or a member of the teaching sta please submit your article to Mr Jon (Primary) or Ms Jo (Secondary).

Other members of the community should submit their articles to Ms Annie, Communications Manager) at annieb@ourvis.com).!

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Creativity in the PYP p9!

Field Trips ! p13

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Theatre as a Vehicle for Change p18

SALSA Adventures! p 22

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From the Director Dear VIS Community

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Dragon Tales is a compilation of contributions from staff and students.

This is also a perfect description of what a good education is all about.

One of the aspects of the VIS experience that each of us will remember is the strong sense of community and the way that the individuals within our school work together to learn and develop. This issue of Dragon Tales contains a terrific range of articles that describe the way that all members of our school cooperate and contribute to make VIS what it is.

!As you read through the articles you

will see the importance of learning in a real and authentic way. Our students do not sit quietly in classrooms waiting to have information drilled into them.

Learning is an active process that requires action and activity. You will see how VIS uses field trips into the community, local and international experts, theatre, art, construction and service to undertake real learning about real issues. Being able to apply the lessons learned in the classroom when confronted by real world issues is the purpose of education and the following pages showcase how VIS students are taking advantage of their school days.

!Take the time, if you can, to explore the links and additional information that our interactive magazine allows. These links are another good example of how VIS students and staff can connect to the world while being a part of Laos.

!Enjoy reading the latest Dragon Tales. !

Best regards

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Primary Reflections Jon Davidson Primary Principal

Students learn beyond the classroom When we think of learning at school we o=en s>ll think of si?ng at a desk and looking at a board. At VIS our opportuni>es for learning go far beyond the confines of a conven>onal classroom.

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As the first semester drew to a close there were two outstanding spor>ng events that typified how our students learn a?tudes such as apprecia>on, co m m i t m e nt , co n fi d e n c e , e nt h u s i a s m a n d independence.

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Firstly, in November, our swim team traveled to the Interna>onal School of Phnom Penh to take part in an invita>onal swim meet. There they were in compe>>on with students from all over the region.

Schools from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand all sent representa>ves.

medals; notching up two champions and one runner up in various classes. We also won the accolade of being the Best Team in the compe>>on.

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Congratula>ons to everyone involved, not just the compe>tors, but the coaches and the army of supporters that traveled with the students.

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The next spor>ng event that I would like to highlight was the Sports Day held on December 17th. On this day we enjoyed perfect weather and the spectacle of the whole Primary School par>cipa>ng in some compe>>ve, but fun ac>vi>es. Even the parents and staff joined in the last race of the day. Many thanks to Mr. Joel, Mr. Pany and Mr. Ben for their impressive organiza>onal skills.

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Although our team is fairly new to events on such a large scale, we achieved an impressive haul of

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My last example of learning outside the classroom came from Prep. A few weeks ago they saw in one of our assemblies that students were throwing rubbish on the ground around school. Many students might have quickly forgoVen about the message given out, but our Prep took tremendous ac>on and donned their rubber gloves, grabbed their rubbish sack and collected the trash people threw on the ground. Their efforts are making a difference. We have a community that is becoming increasingly aware that they should take care when they discard their sweet wrappers and other pieces of garbage.

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All these examples go to prove that we learn more than just basic facts at school, we learn how to be admirable compe>tors and conscien>ous members of our school community. Genuine lessons for life.

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Teachers are Learners Too!

Mr.Loren, Performing Arts Teacher Ms.Leah, Grade 4 Teacher

Katherine Williams PYP Coordinator

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How can we grow as a community of learners?

We can be ac>ve inquirers who develop interna>onal mindedness, demonstrate the learner profile, become more knowledgeable about our world, take ac>on from our learning and build our skills.

During November, some of our VIS Primary teachers and assistants par>cipated in IB online courses to do just that! Par>cipants worked collabora>vely through an online forum for four busy weeks to construct meaning together and further their understanding of the PYP at VIS. This involved professional reading, analyzing the programme of inquiry from VIS and other schools, wri>ng comments on the blog forum and responding to others’ comments, self and peer cri>que of planners, assessments and learning engagements, discussions with VIS colleagues and other par>cipants on the course, personal reflec>on and crea>on of ac>on plans for implementa>on of their new learning.

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“I think I learned a lot and I liked how they organized the course including studying, working on tasks and discussing with others. I did an online workshop before, and that was just learning alone. So this course was much beVer. There was also an advantage in comparison to weekend courses because we had more >me here in school, there was more possibility to think about (or "digest") everything and to discuss it with other colleagues.“ Katja Doeling, German Mother Tongue Teacher.

“The IB philosophy and mission has become much more clear. I feel more like I understand the role of a PYP teacher when we discussed learning theories like construc>vism.”

Somphone, Lao Mother Tongue Teacher.

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“I have learnt how all the PYP essen>als elements connect to each other and how important they are.

Also I have learnt about the beliefs and values that drive the PYP. This has helped me understand more when looking at the unit planners and now they make more sense to me. “ Ms.Mai, Grade 4 Instruc>onal Assistant.

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“This is a wonderful learning journey for me because it provided me an opportunity to explore new knowledge of the PYP. It was challenging for me to learn, think, reflect and develop my knowledge in teaching. Also I have learnt different ideas and perspec>ves from people in this course.”

Ms.Lae, Grade 3 Instruc>onal Assistant.

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Congratula>ons to the following teachers for their ongoing commitment (at a jam-­‐packed >me of the year) to their own professional learning for the benefit of our VIS students.

Katja Doeling, German Mother Tongue Teacher Somphone Lao Mother Tongue Teacher Ms.Lae, Grade 3 Instruc>onal Assistant Ms.Mai, Grade 4 Instruc>onal Assistant Ms. Nola Prep Teacher Ms.Janna, EYC Teacher Ms.Marketa, EYC Teacher Ms.Phibzia, EYC Teacher Mr.Eric, French Teacher

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Creativity in the PYP

By Elaine Reimann Early Years Coordinator When asked to write this ar>cle, the first thought that came to mind was Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk -­‐ do schools kill crea>vity? Uploaded almost a decade ago (8 years to be precise), his talk, which ended with a standing ova>on, has been viewed 7,451,751 >mes to date.

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Robinson’s defini>on of crea>vity is: “..the process of having original ideas that have value, more o7en than not (they) come about through the interac<on of different disciplinary ways of seeing things”

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As emphasized in our last Dragon Tales issue, crea>vity is encouraged at VIS in a variety of ways. Like all IBPYP learner profile and a?tudes, it is taught and assessed using iden>fied criteria. As IBPYP educators of young children, we take great care of these processes as they provide our students with valuable skills, e.g., cri>cal thinking and problem solving ability – essen>al as they progress to adulthood.

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When being crea>ve the students demonstrate: “Being crea<ve and imagina<ve in their thinking and in their approach to problems and dilemmas.”

Making the PYP happen, 2009

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Unlike Sir Ken Robinson’s experiences, we can safely say that crea>vity is highly valued at VIS and definitely not dying. With so many views since 2006 it is our hope that many other students across the globe are benefi?ng from the changing paradigm through which we now value crea>vity.

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Creativity in our classrooms has many forms

Grade 3 students experiment with Bee Bots

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Bee Bots are liVle programmable criVers that turn in four direc>ons and move forwards and backwards. They are great for all kinds of inquiries. Grade 3 used them in this case to outline regions and pathways for a mathema>cal explora>on.

Would you like to see them in ac>on? Visit any>me!

Aus>n demonstrated his crea>ve problem solving skills when he faced a new challenge.

His task was to design a pathway for a Bee Bot to follow within a given space. To do this he had to apply his understanding of space and crea>vely work out how to avoid breaking the boundaries.

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What does the inside form of my body look like?

EY Students used their observa>on skills and crea>ve thinking to create an image of what they think their body form looks like.

Anfield and Sunwu work crea>vely together to solve the problem of separa>ng construc>on pieces.

Anton crea>vely represents a portrait of his friend and himself.

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When asked to think about the form and func>on of space in school, Carol and Sofia worked collabora>vely to make their thinking visible.

Tell me about your drawing Heidi -­‐ “It’s the song my mummy sings to me at night-­‐>me before I go to bed”.

Source: hVps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlBpDggX3iE

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Field Trips Learning beyond walls Field trips both inside (incursions) and outside (excursions) the school campus offer powerful learning experiences for our learners. Changing the physical environment of our learning promotes engagement and wonder.

Field trips can be used as powerful learning engagements at any stage of the inquiry process as they… … set the scene for future learning … invite and cul>vate wonder … encourage deep contextual ques>ons … consolidate a concept or idea that previously seemed abstract … have the capacity to provide direct, inspiring, and some>mes unexpected experiences … foster friendships and a sense of wellbeing within learning communi>es

actually telling me this… “Observe me closer!” -­‐ Gabrielle “Field trips are useful because they help build up our knowledge with real things. Also, we can clarify what we’ve been learning about in class, like checking if we really do know what we have been discussing.”

Sidney “In our beliefs and values unit [Who we are], we went to a temple. There, I found out more about Buddhism and it helped me understand how important beliefs and values really are to people.”

Lara “I think we should go on field trips because they help us understand things more deeply. It is easier when we can see things and get more ideas and we can have FUN! Like when we went to the Mekong River – before I did not really see erosion but then I really saw it and now I understand.” -­‐ Aman

Some reflec>ons from Grade 4 on field trips…

“During field trips you can explore and learn more or expand your ideas.” -­‐ Top “I think we should have even more field trips because: 1. they improve our understanding and help our learning; 2. they are fun!!! In Grade 4 we went to the Mekong River… At first I didn’t really know what a levee bank was but once we got there BOOM I knew exactly what it was and what is it for! I also learned about erosion and I actually saw it!” Rami “Field trips are useful because then we can see whatever we are learning about in class IN REAL LIFE.” -­‐ Vic “Field trips can be fun and helpful to your learning – they help you learn more about your world. When you are on a field trip you have to try hard to understand what you are observing. When I go on a field trip, I pretend that whatever I’m looking at is

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Reflection PYP key concept:

Reflec>on

Key ques>on:

How do we know?

Defini>on:

“The understanding that through language we can reflect on our experiences and knowledge. We consciously reflect on, evaluate and describe how we have expressed ourselves through the acquisi>on of the elements of dance, drama, music and visual art.

We also reflect on the performance of others in the pursuit of self-­‐improvement.“

Source: “Making the PYP Happen”.

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Reflec>on was one of the key concepts driving the inquiry in the How We Express Ourselves unit of inquiry in grade 5. The central idea of the inquiry was “Crea>ng and responding to art develops understanding of ourselves and the world around us.”

Students created individual pieces in both visual arts and language arts. They worked collabora>vely to agree on what construc>ve cri>cal feedback should look like….

! …. and used construc>ve feedback to respond to other students’ poetry on our class Weebly:

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“WOW! That is so good! I'd never thought of "Windy winter like an air condi<oner in the hot summer." This is amazing but why compare the reindeer with a lion?”

“Oliver

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“I really like the way you got things that are different but maybe look or feel similar, for example, trees as green as grass, or ice as sharp as swords.” -­‐ Iestyn

“AWESOME poem Saskia. I like how you wrote "makes me smile!" And blue is the color of Summer Sky also.” Mariko “I like how you created an image with your words. I did see some allitera>on, but do you have any metaphors or similes? Nice Job!“– Raphael

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During a field trip to an art gallery the students met Ole Scoville who spoke about her life as an ar>st and in par>cular how she responds to feedback. They reflected on what they had learnt:

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“I didn't know that there were some ar<sts like Ms Ole Scoville that don't sketch before doing their final piece! It's quite impressive that her fastest piece was made in two weeks! I really liked her style because I like art pieces with a lot of colors!” – Saskia

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“Good feedback made her feel more confident, bad feedback made her improve herself and she never stopped finding new things.” – Jack

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“Wow she really persevered when the comments she got weren’t good.” – MaVhew !

Some big understandings from this inquiry:

“When I reflect on others’ work it helps me with my responding skills. Also I can analyse my own thinking.” – Woody “Feedback is important to me because people can suggest things that you don’t realise and that can help you to make beher art pieces.” -­‐ Morgan

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Secondary Reflections Jo Loiterton Secondary Principal “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll remember.

Involve me and I’ll learn” Benjamin Franklin This wise quote from Benjamin Franklin summarises in one simple sentence why, in the modern world, so much educa>on happens outside of the classroom.

As you browse the pages of this edi>on of Dragon Tales, you will see one such example of “involving” through our SALSA program. But what are we involving our students in? Our catchy name does not describe a dance, but stands for “Service, Ac>on, Learning, Secondary Adventure”. Each aspect of this >tle captures a component of each trip.

Service: the ability to serve or provide for others takes its form in many ways. Most of our grade levels visit local schools throughout Lao as they travel.

Students teach, play, provide much needed resources, build, renovate. With some of these schools we have developed a rela>onship over the years which enables us to build sustainability and purpose into our work. As we return year a=er year our students can observe the difference our contribu>ons and work have made. This in turn supports us to reinforce the concept of making a difference in this world and links with our taught curriculum in our classrooms.

Ac>on: we kayak, ra=, hike, zipline, swim, elephant ride and bike our way across Laos. Students get to experience the country in ac>on, and have >me to experiment with physical ac>vi>es that aren’t usually available to them in Vien>ane.

Learning: not only are we able to provide strong links to our taught classroom curriculum, the des>na>ons we choose give us opportuni>es to deliver lessons in the environment that they are about. Lessons and learning about river systems are delivered by or in the river, history and poli>cs are discussed at the sites where they occurred, geography of human

impact is beVer understood because students can physically see the evidence in front of them. This learning always generates new and different ways of viewing the world that we live in. A world that is o=en taken for granted by young people unless they are purposely given the opportunity to pause, observe and reflect.

Adventure: rarely designed but o=en happening!

Our students are each challenged in their own way to push themselves beyond the boundaries of their comfort zone whether it be to ride a bike for the first >me, cook a meal for themselves, stay with a host family in a local village, try new language or even through the act of ge?ng on a plane and being away from home. For each student, the challenge and adventure is a personal journey of self-­‐discovery and reflec>on.

My favourite part of SALSA is welcoming the students back to school at the conclusion of the trip. Excited and flushed faces greet me as they fall over each other to tell me about what they saw or did or learned or experienced. I see a grade level return to us stronger and more united for having spent this intense >me together. Their understanding of others, this amazing country we live in, and of themselves grows more in this week than any other during the school year. Exhausted teachers proudly relate stories of students who have flourished, grown and matured. While SALSA is not a dance in this case, these moments o=en make feel like doing one!

We have involved them and they have learned so much more than we could hope for.

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Theatre as a Vehicle for Change Raising awareness about human trafficking To complete their unit inquiring into how Art can be used as a vehicle for change, the grade 9 dance/ drama students performed in a produc>on of "One Million to Stop The Traffik", a play about human trafficking which presents the true stories of seven children from countries around the world who were vic>ms of different types of human trafficking. The play wriVen by Mark Wheeller is a piece of verba>m theatre, meaning that the words of the characters are the actual words spoken by the people involved and the story follows the founder of the organisa>on "Stop The Traffik", Steve Chalke and his colleague Phil Lane on their mission to raise a pe>>on of a million signatures to present to the UN to gain their support in raising awareness amongst governments about human trafficking.

audience from their complacency, they wanted the audience to feel awkward and uneasy by forcing them to be witness to some of the horrors that are right on their doorstep.

“How hard is it, when everything encourages us to sleep, though we may look about us with conscious, clinging eyes, to wake and yet look about us as in a dream, with eyes that no longer know their func<on and whose gaze is turned inward.” !

Antonin Artaud, The Theater and Its Double

The play was created to raise awareness about human trafficking amongst audiences and to a certain extent to shock them into realising how rife the situa>on s>ll is today. Having explored the ways in which theatre has been used as a vehicle for change in the past, the grade 9 students incorporated some of the conven>ons used by Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud to create a performance that put across a message in a powerful and emo>ve way. Performed on a ‘ Thrust’ stage, to create a more in>mate atmosphere with the audience, the play opened in darkness with the masked characters of the predators/traffickers entering through the audience in silence with disturbing hyena-­‐like movement as they size up and aVempt to entrance members of the audience. The i n te n > o n wa s to m a ke t h e a u d i e n c e fe e l uncomfortable and to create an emo>onal connec>on with the vic>ms’ stories that would unfold throughout the play.

The Unit of Inquiry Antonin Artaud (1896 -­‐1948), was a French theatre director, poet, playwright and actor who wanted the audience to be overwhelmed and tangibly affected by theatre and to feel confined and helpless in their seats.

Whilst the group did not go to the same extremes that Artaud did in his aVempts to shake up and wake the

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With a similar philosophy on the power of theatre as a vehicle for change, German theatre director B e r to l t B re c h t (1898 – 1956), wanted to break away from the tradi>onal form of theatre as an illusion, as he felt that this le= the audience feeling c o m p l a c e n t .

I n s t e a d h e w a n t e d t h e audience to leave t h e t h e a t r e entertained and educated and used conven>ons such as masks, narra>on, discordant music and placards to alienate the audience and encourage them to form a cri>cal perspec>ve on what they had experienced in the theatre. The grade 9 produc>on made use of all of these conven>ons through the portrayal of masked predators represen>ng the traffickers, the media display at the back of the stage using images and logos to give deeper meaning to each scene. Most characters in the play, at some point spoke in the 3rd person narra>ve to tell their story and while there were moments when the audience may have been moved to tears they were quickly moved on to the facts.

“Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” Bertolt Brecht

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MYP Update Jonathon Smedes MYP Coordinator MYP in ac<on – A focus on service A strong emphasis within the MYP is placed on learning that extends beyond the intellectual to include not only socially responsible a?tudes but also thoughxul and appropriate ac>on, o=en ini>ated by the student as a result of the learning process.

At VIS, this takes place in a number of ways, both inside and outside the school, and is reflected in the Service and Ac<on component of the program. This asks students to engage in service ac>vi>es that connect with predefined learning objec>ves and reflect on them in a meaningful way.

A goal of the secondary school this year is to strengthen student understandings of what it means to take meaningful and appropriate ac>on in rela>on to these service ini>a>ves.

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So where to from here? Our inquiry into strengthening service in the secondary at VIS con>nues into second semester. Teachers and students will be engaging in a number of different forms of inquiries to draw out understandings in order to map the future of service and ac>on in secondary at VIS. Ul>mately, we want to create a clear direc>on going forward, that connects authen>cally with the students learning experiences whilst mee>ng the requirements of both the MYP and DP. Of course, we would love to hear from all members of our community, and students and parents are also encouraged to bring forward thoughts and ideas.

Jonathan Smedes jonathans@ourvis.com

During the staff work days on November 5th and 6th, teachers also had the opportunity to engage in discussions and ac>vi>es related to strengthening service and ac>on. Facilitated by an external IB workshop leader, teachers explored the meaning and depth of ac>on in the IB and looked at different models of service. They were able to make connec>ons between aspects of the service requirements in MYP and how this could possibly connect to subject specific units of work. Ul>mately, as a result of this workshop, teachers are now more aware of how to plan for and encourage meaningful student ac>on as a result of learning experiences inside the classroom.

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IB DP Update Teresa Foard IB Diploma Coordinator IB DP in Ac<on “The extended essay is intended to promote high level research and wri<ng skills, intellectual discovery and crea<vity. It is also aimed at encouraging students to develop the skills of independent research that will be expected of them at university” IBO In November and December our Grade 12 students completed their Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge presenta>ons. Both are essen>al elements of the IB DP Core curriculum and contribute up to 3 bonus points to the final DP score out of 45. Students presented a three minute thesis of their research to family and supervisors in our inaugural Extended Essay Celebra>on on December 10th. Grade 11 students were present at the ceremony and are now underway with the Extended Essay for the next twelve months.

Upcoming events Event

Date

Grade 11 Arts Study Tour to Bangkok

Jan 22-­‐25 2015

Grade 10 DP Informa>on Sessions

Feb 11 & March 2015

IBDP Exhibi>on

March 25, 6pm Room 8301

Grade 12 Visual Arts Exhibi>on (ICat Gallery)

March 27

Grade 12 DP Exams

May 4 – 22

Semester 2 is an academically challenging period for our Grade 12 students. Internal assessments across the six subject groups are due between now and April before external IB exams begin May 4.

Other highlights in the DP for Semester Two include the Grade 11 Arts Study Tour to Bangkok to view galleries and exhibi>ons on January 22, the Grade 12 Visual Arts Culmina>ng Exhibi>on on March 27 and our IBDP Exhibi>on for all Secondary Students and families on March 25.

We also look forward to mee>ng all Grade 10 families to support students with subject selec>on and transi>on into the DP. Ms Teresa Foard teresaf@ourvis.com

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SALSA Adventures Grade 6 SALSA trip

them beside the camp fire.

Grade 6 SALSA was a collabora>ve experience through >me with our friends and teachers. Let’s tell you the first thing that happened.

The next day, we packed our stuff and got ready to move to the Vansana Hotel. We travelled to the other side of the river. We walked to a mee>ng place where we took bikes to go to the river to take another boat to our hotel.

We started by going to the Na>onal Museum of Laos where we saw many things from Laos’ history. We learned Laos developed from living in caves in the mountains to farming crops on the riverside.

Then, on our way to a restaurant for lunch, we accidentally crashed into a pick-­‐up truck.

We took a boat to our resort, Ban Pako eco-­‐lodge.

We had a wonderful >me talking with friends and the camp fire was exci>ng with four horror stories.

T h e n ex t d ay, w e d i d community service with the local Lao villagers to make concrete for their new community hall. We grouped ourselves so that everyone g o t a c h a n c e t o d o everything. It was very hard and everyone was very >red.

When we came back to our resort, we had 4 hours of f r e e > m e . We p l a y e d football, volleyball and we went hiking around our resort because the resort is in the edge of a big jungle.

When we came back, we bought drinks and relaxed un>l we had dinner.

When we arrived at our hotel, we checked in and prepared our stuff for dinner.

We had a fun >me playing games a=er dinner like playing a tag like game. We had a fun night and a=er the games we went to bed.

The next morning we went to a temple where they taught us basket weaving and we had lunch there. A=er lunch, some young girls danced.

At the Laos Zoo we saw monkeys, chickens, bears, deer, crocodiles and much m o r e . W e d i d s o m e e d u c a > o n a l a c > v i > e s including making formula to feed monkeys. One cheeky monkey who was running free stole a student’s ice-­‐ cream!

Before dinner some of the group went cycling and others did ac>vi>es at the hotel including swimming and volleyball.

On the final day, there was >me for an early morning swim or cycle before we departed for Vien>ane.

At our second camp fire, we told stories again and we made sweet potato and ate

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Selected quotes about our SALSA trip: “SALSA is going somewhere new” -­‐ Harris “SALSA is a trip to socialize with friends and Laos ci>zens” -­‐ Maxime “SALSA is a learning experience as well as a >me to get to know friends beVer” -­‐ Benjamin T “SALSA is a >me to appreciate Laos ”-­‐ Ava “The best part during SALSA was playing volleyball and swimming” -­‐ Benjamin G “SALSA is going to learn new things and experiences” -­‐ Sheila “The best part about SALSA was playing football with the kids at the local primary school – Anonymous “SALSA IS AWESOME” -­‐ Noah.

“We Wanna Have Fun!!!” -­‐ David.

“Having fun with others” -­‐ Nan

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Grade 7 SALSA WriVen by Victoria Salter, Simon Bech, Anneline Narp and Kelly Allen.

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Grade 7 SALSA was a great service trip. We went to Luang Prabang. We had to ride a bus from VIS to the airport, then we flew to Luang Prabang. When we arrived we had to go on a three hour Tuk-­‐Tuk ride to the village. We did some fun ac>vi>es with the villagers and built a classroom for Laos students. We stayed in villager’s homes and got to interact with the people.

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On SALSA we did a lot of fun ac>vi>es with the villagers. On the first night when we were in Luang Prabang, the villagers prepared a small show for us and there also was a bonfire. The Lao students danced for us and they invited us to play games and dance with them. It was really nice to learn and play new things. We also learned how to basket weave from a local villager; it was challenging for some people and easy for others. We also did boat ra=ing with a bamboo ra= and the day a=er we had a race against each other and the Lao students. We went on a two hour hike up a mountain and down again. It was very steep and the guide told us that the villagers have to go up and down this mountain every day and he showed us where they plant their crops. Usually a=er working and helping building the school we would go swimming in the river. We cooked for each other. The girls cooked lunch and the boys cooked dinner and we made Lao food with one of the villagers.

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On the last day we had a baci with the Lao students and we danced together and sang for them. The villagers gave us food and drinks.

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Village life !

While we were on SALSA we all slept in villager’s homes and learned about how people live in Lao villages. The homes were very different compared to

our homes in Vien>ane. They were built with different materials and had a Lao style kitchen and bathroom. Many of the people who live in the village have to walk a 2 hour hike up a mountain to get to the crops they own. Then they have to bring them down to be able to sell or keep the crops. It was a good experience because we were able to help the Lao community but at the same >me play games and have fun with the villagers. We also made friends with some of them.

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This grade 7 SALSA was very fun and exci>ng and the main reason why we went was to help other communi>es. This SALSA was mainly about service.

We helped build classrooms and taught the children English and games. We worked for three days and it was mixed up between all the other ac>vi>es. The SALSA was an experience for many students and we learned different ways of living in their culture by construc>ng classes for them.

Grade 8 SALSA SALSA Day 1 – Sunday WriVen byMaria Fennema and Xaynalong Mongkhoune S u n d a y 1 9 t h o f October 2014, was the first day of our Grade 8 SALSA trip.

We met at the school at 11:30, with all our bags and belongings and were soon on our way to the airport. We were excited as the bus drove off, and there was a lot of laughter and fun. At around 2 o’clock our flight le=, and we arrived at about 3:00 at the Pakse Airport. We took a bus to the Khampong Hotel, where we checked in and dropped off our bags. A=er a liVle rest and recovery at the hotel, we got back on the bus and drove to Wat Sa Lao Temple, where we climbed up a mountain to see the beau>ful view of Pakse, and a large Buddha at the top of the mountain. The journey to the top was not too long, but it was >ring, because the steps were not easy to climb. The view at the top, was magnificent and the >ring journey was worth it.

A=er taking many pictures and spending >me with friends, we drove back to the hotel, where we rested and got ready for our presenta>ons, which would take place later that evening. For dinner we drove to the Khampong Riverside Restaurant, where we were treated to a nice Lao dinner and a Lao tradi>onal dance performance. A=er dinner, we went back to the hotel to start our presenta>ons. The subjects of the presenta>ons were varied. Mr. Pierre’s advisory did a presenta>on on the economy in Pakse, Mr. Ryan’s advisory did a presenta>on of the popula>on of Pakse and the surrounding region, Mr. Mark’s advisory on the wildlife in Pakse, and Ms. Berry’s advisory did a presenta>on on the ancient civiliza>ons of the area. A=er these presenta>ons, we were allowed some free-­‐>me before going to sleep. Overall, the first day of our SALSA trip was fun and relaxing, and was a good transi>on from school life into the fun >mes of the SALSA trip.

bus on a dirt road. A=er that we had a 45 minute ride in the back of several trucks. The dirt road was in terrible condi>on and it took us much longer to get to our des>na>on than expected. A=er we got to our des>na>on, everyone split up into two groups. The first group rode the elephants up the Phou Asa, and the second group rode them down (whilst the other groups were riding in trucks). It was a very enjoyable experience that not many of us had experienced before.

A=er both groups had gone on the elephant ride (which took about an hour), we went into a primary school located in the Ban Kiet Ngong. We presented them with our dona>ons, for which they were grateful, and then introduced ourselves to the students of the school. A=erwards, we visited a beau>ful resort called the Kingfisher Resort. Before we had a scrump>ous lunch the owner of the resort introduced the history behind the place. The resort was located in a restricted area of the Lao forest. It has been protected for a long >me, and tourists were not allowed to visit the inside area of the forest. The lunch was very delicious and the experience was very relaxing. We all agreed that if we had the chance, we would definitely visit the resort again.

Following that, we took a long bus ride to the Wat Phou temple, which was a Hindu temple located on the outer area of Pakse. While we were exploring the different areas of the temple, a guide was showing us the most important buildings and ar>facts. As the sun was se?ng, we sat on the edge of the cliff at the top of the temple and watched the sunset in complete silence. It was a beau>ful sight, and it was a very nice end to our day. By the end of the day, everyone was very >red and we were ready to head back to our hotel. Once we got seVled in our hotel, we headed out to watch a movie made in 1928 called Chang that showed us what the life of a farmer living in Laos at the >me was like. Overall, the 2nd day was a very unique and enjoyable experience.

SALSA Day 2 -­‐ Monday WriVen by Sasa Savanhkham and Domo Toth -­‐ A=er breakfast on the 2nd day of our SALSA trip to Pakse, we traveled to the Ban Kiet Ngong district by

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SALSA Day 3 -­‐ Tuesday WriVen by ~Vivie Chamberlain, Lisa Hustädt, and Kazuya Shimomura

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On the third day of SALSA, we started the day with a three-­‐hour bus ride. Once we arrived, we got on boats to Som Island, which took us about an hour to get there. On the island, we had a picnic, but before we ate lunch we went for a swim in the Mekong R i v e r. T h e s w i m quickly became a mud fight and at the end, everyone was covered in mud!

two hours. The road was so muddy; almost everyone got stuck in the mud. It was very humid and we all had so much fun enjoying the view of the rice fields, and seeing the villager’s daily life. A=er the bike ride, we were all sweaty and >red so we took a shower and then went to the restaurant to eat dinner.

At the end of the day we all got to enjoy the beau>ful sunset across the Mekong River.

A=er swimming, we found a rice field on the island and decided to have a class photo together. Later, we took the “speed boat” to our new guest h o u s e !

T h e guesthouse was on t h e i s l a n d c a l l e d Donkhone. We’d had a l o n g , > r i n g d a y a l r e a d y , s o t h e teachers decided to give us >me to hang out with our friends for an hour.

Next we went cycling around the whole island, which took us

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SALSA Day 4 -­‐ Wednesday WriVen by Mina Soukthavone, Tamara Krösschell, and Jessica Malone Wednesday, the 22nd of October, was the 4th day of our Grade 8 SALSA trip. First, we walked from the hotel to The Four Thousand islands for kayaking which was about 2 kilometers away. The Green Discovery team taught us how to kayak and told us what to do if

we fell in. We got into groups of 2 and then kayaked about 40 minutes down the Mekong River. We got off the kayaks in Cambodia, and swam in the water. While we were swimming, we caught a few glimpses of the almost ex>nct Irrawaddy dolphins while swimming; there are about 6 dolphins le= in the river. A=er we swam and watched the dolphins, we got into the long wooden boats and went to Veun Kham Island.

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We went on the bus to have lunch near Khon Phapheng waterfall, where we had a chance to look around the area and shop for souvenirs. Before we got

onto the bus, Mr. Pierre bought us all ice cream and we thanked him as he got on the bus. We took the bus to our next hotel, Thavada in Paksong, where we were given >me to prac>ce for the talent show. Before the talent show, we had dinner at the hotel restaurant.

The food was good and we got to sit with different people.

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When it got dark, we went to have a bonfire and our

talent show. It was really cold that night, but every student par>cipated in the talent show and there were some really funny acts.

At the end of the talent show, we all reflected on the trip and told everyone what we liked. Before we went to sleep, we had a liVle bit of free >me. Overall, the best part of the day was dolphin watching and kayaking.

SALSA Day 5 -­‐ Thursday WriVen byJade Morvinson and Minju Jeong

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The sunrise shone through the pine trees of our hotel, as we packed our bags and suitcases. Then we handed our keys to recep>on and started the drive for our last day of SALSA. We all jumped into the bus, and took our seats, but not long into our drive, we no>ced that something was wrong with the bus, but we con>nued driving un>l we reached the waterfalls.

The view was stunning as the water from the top of the fountain hit the rocks and rapids so quickly it created a rainbow; the water was splashed on to us, making us wet from where we were standing. We went to the top of the waterfall, where we were allowed to swim. Many of us jumped in the water, only to find that it was freezing; it felt like a billion knives stabbing into us. We only swam in the river for about 25 minutes and then we went back to the bus to change.

Not long a=er, the bus driver announced that there would be a slight delay, caused by a problem with the bus. Luckily there were a few small stores and a place

to eat and we started buying small and random things like scarfs, noodles, and jewellery. We found out another bus would come to take us to the airport and would be there in 30 minutes, but the bus arrived about two hours later. We all started to get a liVle stressed, knowing that we might miss our flight!

Then, to make everything beVer, it started to rain and got kind of stormy! Once the new bus finally arrived, we all jumped on in a hurry in to find out it was a >ny van where we all had to sit on each other, and on the floor which wasn’t comfy, but we were happy to be on our way to the airport finally. Once there, we boarded immediately. We took the flight back home and arrived in Vien>ane safely and soundly, ready to get on the bus and head back to school to meet our families. *All photos courtesy of Mr. Ryan Evans

Grade 9 SALSA For the Grade 9 SALSA, we went to Xieng Khouang province mainly to learn about the local tragedy involving the bombs dropped during the Secret War in Laos. We visited some sites of the Plain of Jars that had been affected by the bombs and saw the remains and consequences of the war as well as learn the effect that they had on the local community.

! “ The SALSA trip to Xieng Khoung was unforgehable and informa<ve. In Xieng Khoung we visited different organisa<ons that are figh<ng the UXO issue. I found out lots of informa<on I

"It was an awesome experience with awesome friends. We learnt lots about UXOs and their effects on Lao people's everyday life. We had great <me." – Brian It was a fantas>c experience that allowed us to get to know one another while simultaneously learning about the local culture and enjoying the beau>ful scenery from our mountaintop hotel.

We had loads of adventures cycling around the countryside, playing games with a resident school and pain>ng one of the buildings nearby. The trip to the mulberry farm was a great change of pace, as it allowed us to relax and learn about the extremely interes>ng way that the locals used their natural environment to make a living.

“My favourite part about the Salsa trip was going to the plain of jars and looking at the mountains and nature below. I also liked spending <me with the whole class and gelng to know my classmates beher.” – Daria We le= Xieng Khouang determined to make a change or at least raise awareness about the issues that the residents face, and showing hope towards the near future.

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Grade 10 SALSA WriVen by Katelynn and edited by everyone else SALSA – Secondary Ac>on Learning Service Adventure – is an opportunity to leave school and learn in other parts of Laos, with each grade going to a different loca>on. In this case, we, Grade 10, went up to Northern Vien>ane province (including Vang Vieng), learned a lot of new things and had a grand adventure!

Day one, a=er an unbelievably long drive, we arrived at the Buffalo Drum Village, where we learned the art of cra=ing a large temple drum. We explored the village, learning how they hollowed out trunks of already-­‐dead trees, so=ened buffalo skin, aVached the buffalo skin covers to each end (using large metal hoops and thick wires, with the fur sewn facing into the drum), and the art of pain>ng the drums. There was a lot going on there, especially as the Buffalo Drum Village was primarily a live-­‐in workplace.

A=er a resxul lunch overlooking the Mekong river, we made our way to a salt mine. We explored the mine for an hour and a half, and each group interviewed workers, took samples from various loca>ons for a part of a joint S c i e n c e a n d H u m a n i > e s assessment on the “Impacts of Human Development”. This included data for the refinement fires and tes>ng the salt being refined there. Did you know salt can taste different? It does, and it also melts at varying rates depending on how it was refined. A=er the hour and a half was up, and all the supplies were packed, we piled into the bus for another trip, this >me out to a rubber tree planta>on. We explored the area, again collec>ng samples, conduc>ng interviews with the owners, searching for biodiversity, walking into spider webs. Some of us even took the chance to remove bark of a rubber tree, a process that if done wrong results in a tree that produces no rubber.

Having spent the whole day learning a lot of things about a lot of things, we made our way to the Long Ngum View Resort and seVled in for the night.

Day 2, we woke up to a beau>ful sunrise and set about learning even more things, This >me at villages awai>ng displacement due to the construc>on of hydro-­‐electric dams. Talking with the nai-­‐bans (village chiefs) of the villages we learned that a dam, 40 km away from the village, is to be completed by 2017. The comple>on of which would flood the villages. We went about collec>ng data from various loca>ons in the village, interviewing villagers, catching buVerflies and measuring water pH and temperature. A=er lunch we walked around the Vang Vieng town, interviewing hotel and restaurant owners as well as the nai-­‐ban. Did you know that a=er the government put a ban on riverside bars tourism was down by 30% within 4 months?

And did you also know that helium really does affect the voice of teenage boys? It was like Alvin and the Chipmunks 4: SALSA Edi>on, on the bus ride to the Eco-­‐Lodge. We all managed to relax a=er a swim in the river and a filling dinner, falling asleep to the crickets and flowing water.

The next three days were full of adventure. Dancing and preparing lunch (don’t forget washing the dishes!) at the local L a o h i g h s c h o o l encouraged us to e x p e r i e n c e a n d a p p r e c i a t e o u r country ’s culture.

Playing volleyball and pain>ng the walls of a school building t a u g h t u s t o appreciate the liVle things in life (smiles and rain) and not t a k e t h i n g s f o r granted (educa>on, a s a f e a n d s e c u r e s c h o o l b u i l d i n g ) .

Biking in the rain and zip-­‐lining showed through our spirit of adventure, even amidst all the squealing and scraped elbows. Cringe-­‐worth belly-­‐flops into the Blue Lagoon, dancing in the rain, ge?ng stuck in the mud… all part of the experience. We even finished with a trivia game which highlighted all our experiences on our last evening together.

Though we were all sad the week went by so fast, it was a relief to be back home and with our families.

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Grade 11 SALSA WriVen by Laura Berdaga This year’s grade eleven SALSA trip was full of service and adventure. We travelled to Don Daeng, in the Champasak region. Our goal, as a class, was to help one local primary school with infrastructure as well as visit two other schools and provide them with various materials that could contribute to their educa>on such as wri>ng and drawing tools, school uniforms as well as sports equipment.

We raised the necessary money for the purchase of equipment and materials throughout the first semester. We raised awareness through a website as well as with the help of our classmates spreading the word for our need of dona>ons. One classmate in par>cular was very helpful as he has helped us raise more than half of the money that went

towards providing three local schools with an amazing and exci>ng experience.

At the primary school, a group of ten students accompanied by two teachers, helped build a wall, the length of the school. Building the wooden wall, the students got to improve their hammering and hand-­‐sawing skills. Everything was done in a safe environment and everyone enjoyed the process as much as the outcome. At the same >me, the rest of the class went to a local school where they ini>ated ac>vi>es and spent >me with t h e l o c a l s t u d e n t s .

A=erwards, they interviewed schools that could possibly be visited by next year’s grade elevens.

Despite the fact that we tried to focus this trip on providing service for Don Daeng ’s community, we also spent >me exploring the island, enjoying the beau>ful beach and sunsets as well as exploring the town of Pakse.

We visited one of the most famous temples in Laos, called Wat Phou. We got to share that experience with a group of children from one of the schools we spend >me with and organized ac>vi>es for. Each student, hand in hand with one or two young pupils from the Lao school, walked up the temple. For most of us it was our first >me visi>ng Wat Phou and sharing that experience with the younger students made it more memorable.

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Vientiane International School Sports

David Williams Activities Director

Season 1 Review VIS sports teams were very busy compe>ng In Primary and Junior basketball and Senior Volleyball. Senior Volleyball travelled to Hanoi on October 30th for their MRISA tournament and Junior Basketball travelled to Ho Chi Minh on November 13th for their MRISA tournament. The Mekong Dolphins travelled to Phnom Penh on November 5th. Season one also saw the first sports awards being held at VIS. Teams and coaches had the opportunity to talk about the season and present awards to the deserving student athletes.

Well done to: Coaches’ Player -­‐ MaVhew Fennema, Si> Shamsudin, Pathamaphone (Sasa) Savanhkham, Kazuya Shimomura, Aimee Campbell, Fifa Vongsaly, Iestyn Rusinow, Victoria Salter Players’ Player -­‐ Able Delonije, Annabella Reece, Deva Taylor, Alex MorfeV, Catherina Scanlon, Anthony Goffin, -­‐ Kelly Allen (team player), Dayfdd Rusinow (team player) Most Improved -­‐ Vic Vermeylen, Caroline Toyryla, Anna Park, Xaynalong Moungkhoune, Renee Gilbert, Sean Goddard, Naomi Williams, Ome Buddharaksa

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Team Results and Standing

MRISA

Vien<ane School Sports Associa<on

Junior Girls – 2

Primary Girls 5

Junior Boys – 8

Primary Boys 2

Senior Girls – 7

Junior Girls 4

Senior Boys – 7

Junior Boys 8

Swim Team -­‐ 1

Senior Girls 5 Senior boys 6

The 2nd Season holds another busy >me with Junior Football travelling to PaVaya on February 28th, Primary Football compe>ng in the VSSA and Senior Basketball travelling to Phnom Penh on February 5th For more informa>on, photos, news and more on sports and Co Curricular Ac>vi>es please visit the VIS Ac>vi>es Google site at: hVps://sites.google.com/a/ourvis.com/visa/

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Junior Basketball WriVen by Dario Seastedt and Anders Bech

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This season was an amazing, educa>onal and crazy season of basketball. Our team in the beginning was a mess. We did not work well together but towards the end we became an amazing team who always tried our hardest. We had many VSSA games (local league) and the teams challenged us because they were older and more experienced than we were. Our coach Mr. Lucas helped us progress and become beVer basketball players. He was always suppor>ve of the team no maVer if we lost or won our games.

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We did not win many games but our team learned from our losses, which eventually brought us to a win during MRISA. MRISA was an amazing experience; we got to travel to Vietnam Ho Chi Minh and play against 7 other schools at ISHCMC. We also brought some mesmerizing shots out of the games we played for example: Harren’s beau>ful 3 point that made us win the game and Kazuya’s Abdul Karim Jabar shot.

The season was a fun and educa>onal experience for the whole team and everyone enjoyed playing basketball with an amazing team and an amazing coach.

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Senior Volleyball WriVen by Jasmine Goddard A=er weeks of both a=ernoon and early morning trainings as well as academic support, the Senior Volleyball Teams traveled to UNIS (United Na>ons Interna>onal School in Hanoi) to compete against other schools located around South-­‐East Asia. The girl’s team included Coach Carol Seymour, Aimee Campbell (Captain) Catherina Scanlon, Alexandra Selbe, Renee Gilbert (Co-­‐Captain), Aom Buddharaska, Laura Berdaga, Sophie May, Olivia Oakley, Youbeen Oh and Jasmine Goddard. The boy’s team included Coach Nik Ageros, Fifa Vongsaly (Captain), Danny Park, Anthony Goffin, Haider Chowdhury, Seung-­‐Gi Jin, Dario Fornelli, Sephane Selbe, Sean Goddard, Daniel Vi>kainen and Alexander Toyryla.

MRISA Volleyball was the first sport season of the year and VIS upped their game by both teams coming in 7th place on the third sets, bea>ng the UNIS team. The girl’s team also received the sportsmanship award. Both teams started off MRISA a bit shaky but a=er each game the teams got closer and closer and as the teams were reaching the end of the first day what maVered most was not the scores but the energy on the court. By the last few games the teams were playing up to 3 sets, had already come up with mul>ple chants and a had a rou>ne of coming together and suppor>ng each other through each point.

As proud as we already are for this year’s teams, we are more proud of having a huge number of new-­‐to-­‐volleyball players show so much effort and commitment. We are also extremely grateful for this year’s represen>ng graduates, Alex (Selbe) and Aom. They have made a big impact on the team and we hope they con>nue to enjoy and play the sport once they are gone. VIS is proud to have these players represent the school and a=er a great start to the year as well as great coaches who have put their hard work and >me into this season.

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