Senior School Scoop - Wellington College Bangkok

Senior School

All in one: House Competitions

As we all know the Senior School is divided into eight houses, these houses are our home in the school, we know the other students very well and they become part of our day to day life no matter the age difference Houses are where we can always find support

During the year the school hosts different competitions where the houses can compete against each other These are friendly occasions where the schools routine changes and we all have fun

So far, we have participated in 3 house competitions (one per half semester) and one with the whole school: basketball, sports day and Christmas Songs. T them have been fun and challengin now the house points are tied. Which be the Senior School champion?

Continue reading inpage 7

Editorial: be careful on Social Media

By Maple

During the past semester some incidents with social media publications have taught us life-long lessons. We all should reflect on the dangers of social media and how an impulsive decision could easily change the course of our lives in the blink of an eye

Especially in these changing times when everyone appears perpetually online with the rise of new applications popping up here and there, it is crucial that we all understand the implications of what we post or send to people online.

While most of the time social media is a great platform for communication and seeing photos of friends, family, or even people you may not know personally It is a huge advance we all utilize, but there are boundaries to what should be published

Posting or sharing photos of others without their consent is definitely unacceptable, and is crossing that boundary This could have unimaginable consequences to them and us and create unforeseen damages. It is essential that we make sure to be wary of our online presence and remember that once something is posted, it never disappears.

We all have the right to stay safe online, and need to help each other maintain that right

Assemblies

By Clareko andMira

The past year has been full of inspiring assemblies, kickstarted by a welcome assembly covering the theme of kindness Throughout the year so far, our assemblies have covered many things, including music and meditation, thought-provoking thoughts, cultural assemblies and assemblies presented by houses

Music and Meditation assemblies are a chance for our Wellington music scholars to play for the Senior school, showing off their talent and hard work they have put in; throughout this year, we have had many stellar performances The Wellington Senior School has also had the privilege of having professional musicians play for us during our music and meditation assemblies. Back in October we were joined by a string quartet from the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra who played a selection of pieces on the viola, violin and cello with an accompanying opera singer, and even a typewriter! Next, we were joined by Mr Rhys and Ms Rowena: a violinist and cellist from the London Symphony Orchestra who played a duet, a tradition Scottish piece and the Pirates of the Caribbean theme tune The assemblies presented by houses were equally impressive; the houses dedicated time and hard work into producing them and it definitely showed. The first one was presented by Murray Stanley B on courage. The members of the tutor group talked about the types of courage and the importance of courage to everyday life and school

Things to loook forward to:

Many assemblies were thought-provoking talks presented by many different people Dr Panton presented an assembly on global citizenship in which many difficult questions were raised Next was the assembly on Remembrance Day presented by Mr Findlay

Other assemblies over the course of the year have been about the many cultural events that take place In November, the Loy Krathong assembly took place, presented by Shawn and Nicha. Next was the Chinese New Year assembly, made possible with help of the Mandarin team and Year 6 students.

Assemblies have played a major role in making our school what it is Assemblies are times for students to reflect and learn, times for students to have fun and relax They are also opportunities for students to rise on stage and speak Assemblies are something you can look forward to at the beginning of every week and are a pleasure to experience

Bring enough snacks to share and hide some, so you don’t finish with none.

Oreos run out fast in the Café

Have good friends so they’ll remind you about which class is next and about the thousands of overdue preps that you haven’t done

Have a pencil case with spare pens and pencils. We don’t know how, but they always disappear, maybe there’s a pencil leprechaun in the school.

Be on time so you don’t miss anything from class and won’t interrupt the teacher when you walk in late If you are late don’t forget to say, “sorry I’m late” so you won’t seem rude

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Tips to survive the school year

by: Puhh and Aeyyah

Organize your locker so you don’t have to carry a ton of books to classes

Be positive and patient with your friends because they are not perfect. They might do stuff that you don’t like so talk to them with kindness

Talk to as many teachers and students as you can, they all have a lot to share and maybe you’ll end up with a lifelong healthy friendship

Basketball Season: team playing

This basketball season has definitely been an amazing one! With as many as twelve matches played in the senior school alone, we have come out with 10 wins and only 2 losses.

Some highlights would be the epic win from the U13 girls against TSIS. They came out with a score of 17 to 2 despite only having no training prior to the match and having to rely on what they had learnt last year, a full two months ago It was clear that the more they played the more the team got to know and understand each other’s strengths, preferences, and styles As a member of the team confirmed, “Playing basketball really strengthens the bond with my teammates and I really enjoy the competition.”

Another great moment this season has been the U15 team winning the east Bangkok GBAK tournament. This is a quote from Matt, the captain of the team “We failed last year, we kept our head up and took advantage of the summer break

We put hours and hours into training and learned a lot, both individually and as a team This evidently paid off during the season and we came out on top of as champions of the 2022-2023 GBAC league.”

Playing a strong defensive game and relying on every player’s contribution, the U15 girls managed to concede only two baskets against our neighbours at Brighton College Bangkok This win was made all the more satisfying as BSB enjoys a strong reputation for basketball This reputation is now being challenged by all the Wellington teams, not only the U15 girls

And the U13 boys have kept a completely clean sheet this season They have not lost a single match, despite some stiff competition from VIS, TSIS, BCB and LFIB. The boy’s energy, teamwork and good communication on the court is what set them apart from other teams Their twiceweekly practices, which focused on dribbling, shooting skills, and overall

By Alexandra

schools in our region But, if they keep up the practice and show the determination and resilience that they have shown this season, the teams can be confident of further victories in the coming year “We just can not wait to get back on the court,” cheered the whole squad.

Christmas

Celebrations

By Ella andWinnie

After two years of Covid restrictions, the Christmas Fayre finally returned to the Krungthep Kreetha area with the Friends of Wellington recently holding the IlluminatedChristmas Fayre 2022

Hundreds of parents, students, teachers, and members of the public turned up for the festivities. The Fayre featured more than 50 food and drink stalls, live music performances by WCIB’s very own students and fun games were held in the sports hall

Learning life skills in the Duke of Edinburgh

By Shawn

In 2022 the classes of 2026 and 2027 participated in our Duke of Edinburgh program There, the year 10s had completed their bronze hike and camp in the peaks of Khao Eto, and the year 9s had hiked and cooked in training for their bronze qualifying round. One of the most exciting experiences last term was the hike in Khao Eto B They hiked for 6 hours in the treacherous d fi d h i h d 6

the checkpoints in their route This was a great learning experience for the students of Wellington as they learnt to be responsible for themselves, their friends, and the camp without teachers telling them what to do. Even though there were hiccups and some students did mess about, everyone came back with a more resilient attitude to everyday life and an appreciation for the conveniences we all have This semester they will do their service h l i h d d d h

The highlights of the Christmas Fayre were the dunk tank where many teachers got a refreshing bath, the raffle lead by the many sponsors and organizers and the performances As the name “Illuminated” states, there were many dazzling Christmas lights which made for amazing photos

Along with all the other festivities, we also had a Christmas lunch. Different British Christmas foods were served including sausages, roast ham, bell peppers and more! And as a surprise, the Senior School teachers served the food! 2022 at WCIB ended with a Christmas Concert! Senior school students and even some Junior School students worked alongside Ms Corrigan to put together this concert The students had been working hard throughout the term on various songs including traditional Christmas songs as well as modern Christmas songs The performances ranged from violin, to guitar, to singing, and even a drum duet! A great end to the year!

The wall of values Residential trip

By Ella andWinnie

Our school has five values that we all identify with During assemblies we celebrate the people who have demonstrated any of these values during the preceding week

Our five values are: courage, respect, integrity, kindness and responsibility

These were the students who received a shout out last term and with their behaviour they set an example for our community:

Kin Kindness

KP Kindness

Wish Kindness, Integrity and Responsibility

Amelia Kindness

Poon Responsibility

Chevan Responsibility

Baikao Kindness

Tasha Courage and Responsibility

Sainahm Responsibility

Alexandra Kindness

Trip Responsibility

Skye Responsibility

Ete Kindness

Atom Kindness

Oscar Respect

Sofia Responsibility

Kaka Responsibilty

Moeka Responsibility

Ploen Courage

Elyssa Responsibilty

Ku Ku, Nicha, Julian, Tem Courage

Atom, J-Jean, Omni, Tino Courage

Amelia, A-Ya, Caylyn, Tiga, Aylsa, Pao Pao

Courage

By Clareko and Mira

At the beginning of this of the Senior Schoo residential trips, Years Kanchanaburi, and Year to Saraburi The reside organized by the JU whose wonderful facil trips fun and safe

There were many differ throughout the week, r pitching to elephant kayaking to bonfires. things to do before cam pitch our tents, in which we would be sleeping later that night. This involved finding a good area to put the tent, assembling the poles, and finally attaching the body We also learnt how to tie different knots, which is a vital skill for living in the jungle, and also extremely useful!

A definite highlight was learning how to use a flint and steel to make a fire, and toasting marshmallows on them – Yum! Kayaking down the river was a fun activity where students went into pairs to tire their muscles out as they paddled up and down the river. Some year groups stayed kayaking for hours, learning many things, and making many memories It was hard work, but it definitely paid off! Another highlight was working with

elephants: bathing them and preparing their food, which was made of bananas, elephant pellets and other important nutrients

Many of the students hiked around The hiking was an enjoyable and memorable experience, where students got to appreciate the beauty in nature around them Some of the hiking bits were tiring and hard, but we had no casualties and students on the trip got to experience some great new things!

“It was agreat andwonderfulexperience. Iwoulddefinitely do itagain!”

As well as being really fun and a great experience, these residentials were a great lesson in independence, and great for collaboration and teamwork Overall, it was a fantastic week

We are an international school

By Shawn, Mighty andMs de Pablos

At Wellington Bangkok, we value the diversity of culture. Every year our Senior School celebrates a range of cultural festivities. So far this year we have participated in the National Spanish day, the Thai traditional Loy Krathong and Chinese New Year

On the 12th of October we celebrated “el Día de la Hispanidad” In Spanish speaking countries this day commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World It is a day for reflection on cultural differences and similarities and how well two different cultures can live together In the Senior School we learnt about Christopher Columbus, the cultural differences in the Spanish speaking world and colonialism We ate very good Spanish food and during break we listened to very good music.

On November 8th, we celebrated Loy Krathong with an assembly and other activities organized by the Thai department and Senior School students. In the assembly, we learnt about the history of Loy Krathong, the stories of its creation, and its modern-day environmental impacts Students also got to participate in the tradition of floating their own crafts made entirely from bio-degradable natural products like banana stem, banana leaves, flowers, etc

Chinese New Year is celebrated throughout China and other related countries During that week we did workshops to learn more about Chinese culture On Friday we participated in an assembly with Dragon dance, Kungfu and traditional music In addition to that, we had traditional Chinese games in the Sport Hall to play during breaks. Each of the students also received a rabbit chain as a gift.

We can all be leaders in our school

By Maple

Since the start of the academic year three different group of students have been elected to be part of the different groups of students. These students are giving their time to be everyone's voice.

The Student council is starting this academic year, a small group of two to three students per year group were selected by Mr Holliday to represent their peers by raising the concerns and organizing social events

STUDENT COUNCIL:

MAPLE, AMELIA, OMNI, ALEXANDRA, TONAOR, MIGHTY, J-JEAN, SAINAHM, PLOEN and THOMAS

The house captains were elected this year as it is a tradition by a democratic election. A representative from each of the 8 houses has been elected to support and encourage their house as role models, leading through the various house competitions occurring throughout the school year

The communication team, led by Ms. De Pablos, was established this year. We are in charge of updating the weekly notices on the entrance screen and writing the biannual newspaper. Our aim is to ensure that important announcements are received by all students and everyone in school is up to date

HOUSE CAPTAINS: POON, NICHA, SHAWN, JOSIAH, MIRA, CHEVAN, CLAREKO and MAX

Use

The Editor is Shawn, the Sub-Editor is Maple, and the Designer is Mighty The writers and photographers are: Aeyyah, Sainahm, Praline, Alexandra, Puhh, Winnie, Fiaya, Mira, Clareko, Miki and Ella.

All in one: House competition

By Sainahm andMiki

Basketball

After 6 weeks of basketball practice, the Senior School students competed as houses against each other in basketball. In the end, after many defeats and victories, the final competition was against Murray and Orange. The entire Senior School were fired up At the end, Orange won the game However, after adding up the overall points including, the training section, they were tied with Anglesey, who earned many points from

past Basketball Games sessions

Swimming

On Thursday 8th of December, the Senior School students competed against each other in houses in the House Swimming Competition. With DJ Mr Mckee blasting music, the Swimming Gala officially came to a start with representatives of the eight houses going into the water. Everybody performed well and gave their all However, after calculating the scores, including the no-shows, Hopetoun-Apsley

ranked first and claimed a glorious victory in House Swimming.

House Singing

During the last week of the first term, Wellington launched a House Singing Competition, consisting of the four houses from both the Junior and Senior School As the wheel of fate spins, each house got a Christmas carol that they need to perform Benson got Jingle Bells, Stanley got the song Run Run Rudolph, Wellesley sang I wish it could be Christmas every day, and Apsley got the song Rocking around the Christmas tree Each house only had 3 days to rehearse before their performance. Everyone contributed to sing, dance, and make props as we gave our all. Even after the very close competition, with every house giving such a beautiful, energetic performance, there could be only one winner As more amazing performances by students and staffs went on, the judges decided which house did the best Cheers broke out in the theatre as the judges announced Apsley to be the winner!

Sports Day

The morning was divided in two. There were four sports events before the morning break and we competed in our age groups. After the break, we participated in the 800 meters race and 100 meters race The last event was the relays, when all the house members worked together

Hill won the competition with Anglesey coming second Congratulations!

Talking with Scholars

By Mighty

We interviewed a group of scholars from Year 9 and Year 10 One music scholar, one golf scholar, one academic scholar and two swim scholars share their experiences, aspirations and dreams with us

What is your career goal?

Nice Y10: To be a professionalgolfer and play in aprofessionaltournament.

Jerry Y9: Change the world into a better place

Orca Y10: My career goal is to make it to the SEAgames

Andre Y10: Iwant to beat my biggest rival in swimming, and I want to be gold medalist in the 200-back swimming event

Who is your idol/role model?

Nice Y10: Nelly Korda, a professional female golfer who I look up to and admire.

Words search

By Fiaya andPraline

Jerry Y 10: Myselffromyesterday.

Orca Y10: My idols are Caeleb Dressel, Thomas Ceccon and of course my swimming coachMr Goddard

Matt Y10: My role models are Synyster Gates andStephen Curry

Why did you choose to come to Wellington College?

Orca Y10: I chose to come here as the swimming programs are great and are very enjoyable

Matt Y10: I chose to come here because I was invitedby a friendandfoundthat the program was remarkably interesting .

Andre Y 10: Because Igot a scholarship in swimming, andIlove the schoolhere. It is nice.

How much extra work do you have to do as a scholar?

Orca Y10: As a swim scholar I must train atschool8times a week

Matt Y10: Ijustpractice the guitar andgo to music ensembles

Andre Y10: After every training session, even though it isn’t compulsory, I go running for 20 minutes to improve my endurance Other activities I have to do are sometimes coaching the kids, all school competitions, volunteering when help is neededandattending allsessions

Tell us about a personal achievement that makes you proud

Orca Y10: One of my favorite personal achievements was finding out I made the Thai nationals for the first time back in 2021.

Andre Y10: I qualifiedfor Thainationals in all backstroke races, and it makes me proud as it is the biggest swim competition Thailandhas.

How does it feel to be a scholar?

Matt Y10: I feelproud to be a scholar here atWellington

Guess who game

Which teacher in our school do you think it is?

Iwon the European Championships aspartofa larger group in 2015and2016andfinished2ndin the World Championships in 2014and2016in the same activity Who am I?

Ihave a twin sister. Who am I?

This teacher oncegotpaida lotofmoney for spitting outtea. Who am I?

Ioncegotdiscovereda dinosaur fossilfrom the family ofthe brachiosaurus Who am I?

Iusedto workfor McDonald's Who am I?

Ihave a hydroponicgarden athome Who am I?