Senior School Scoop - Final Issue 2022-2023

Senior School Scoop

What's inside

The Musical: Alice in Wonderland - Page 7

Celebrating diversity: International festivals

The world is a tapestry of diverse cultures, each with its unique traditions and celebrations.

International festivals provide a vibrant platform to showcase and celebrate this rich cultural heritage

Two such remarkable festivals are Mother Language Day and Songkran, which were celebrated in Wellington College International Bangkok during the Summer Term.

Page - 7

Contributing to the community: The Duke of Edinburgh - Page 8

Also inside:

House competitions - Page 10

Art Exhibition - Page 5

Swimming in the Nationals - Page 6

Book Week - Page 3

Serving the students of Wellington College International Bangkok

Editorial: Wellington College Expansion

By: Shawn

New Building and Facilities: Wellington College International School, Bangkok, is excited to announce the expansion of our facilities and learning opportunities for our students The school will be undergoing physical changes, as well as providing new learning opportunities for the students.

The ‘Skylight’ building, which caters to senior students, will be completed around February 2024. The fourth floor of the building will have our science labs, while the fifth floor will have our Art studio and a Sixth Form centre

Next, the ‘Crowthorne’ building will be completed around 2025, which will house our Music department on the ground floor with our Design Technology (DT) and Computing classrooms on the first floor The second and third floor will be our Year 5 and 6 classrooms, while the fourth floor will host our food tech classrooms and a drama/media studio. Finally, the fifth floor will have a multipurpose room for hosting events and such

Furthermore, other developments to come include a second sports hall/gymnasium, a new tennis court, and a new football field

New Programmes and Opportunities

As for new programmes and opportunities for students, a new university guidance programme will be offered to Year 11 students to explore their medical and Oxbridge university pathways. They will also be introduced to the major university systems such as American, UK, Thailand etc. They will be

Solutions:

Games page 12

coached with their volunteering profiles, maximize IGCSE performance, as well as peer mentoring and career talks with students, parents, and teachers

Year 12 students, under close supervision, will hone their critical skills, begin writing university style essays or practise for standardised tests Particular attention will be given to building an impressive portfolio of volunteering, research, and real job experiences. Educational Trips and exchanges with other international schools and universities will also be available for them

Lastly, Year 13 students will have intensive A-level preparations and life skills for the future

We are excited to see how these changes will positively impact the education and future of our students here at Wellington College and look forward to the prosperous years to come.

Book Week assembly Speech

By Laura

Throughout your life, you will hear many arguments for the importance of reading You are told that books allow us to explore other perspectives, to dive into the unique consciousness that makes up a character’s identity and to excavate it for traces of ourselves. Reading is immersion, empathy, a raw portrait of life, passion, and identity revealed on a naked canvas

Reading is Fundamental

By Ella andClareko

The first week back in Summer Term was Book Week, brimming with captivating activities that ignited our love for literature From writing mini books to immersing ourselves in scenes from beloved tales, the week was an enchanting journey through the realm of imagination One of the highlights occurred on Thursday when author Stephen Davies graced our senior school students with his presence, sparking their curiosity and igniting their passion for storytelling.

Throughout the week an alarm bell rang at random times, signaling that it was DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) For 10 minutes, each student read a book, recognizing its profound role as a FUNdamental part of learning Not only does reading fuel creativity and expand our knowledge, but it also serves as a remarkable stress-reliever, offering solace in the pages of a book

Friday brought an explosion of fun as senior school students adorned themselves as beloved book characters of their choice. The school transformed into a vibrant story book, ranging from businessmen and enchanting witches to

even the inhabitants of Pandora from the movie Avatar

During lunch breaks, teachers enthralled us with readings from different books Each day, we eagerly gathered in the theatre, immersing ourselves in different works of literacy

Additionally, a book fair near the café provided an opportunity for students to purchase their favorite books during breaks, lunchtime, or after school.

In our English classes, every student had the chance to write their own mini books. However, there was a twist: each book had to be confined to a mere 100 words, adding a challenge to the creative process Ms Norwell picked a few winners who were selected from each year group and they were awarded a book voucher for the book fair

Congratulations to all the winners and

It develops your writing, polishes it until no blemish remains It is this that will save you when you must write but have nothing to say

Yet these points are not entirely honest It is not some philosophical notion of deepened empathy that drives me to read, and it certainly is not vague concepts of lowering blood pressure, reducing cortisol, or enhancement of literary skill. I do not care for those, neither do you, not deeply enough to sacrifice your time willingly - so why should you read?

Reading is impulsive It can only be sustained regularly when you think back to it in your spare moments, when you begin to see it as a blessing and not as a responsibility Many of you hate books, you are incredulous at the concept of spending time staring at empty words on a page, the monotony, the horror Yet you have reached this conclusion from reading the wrong books. Countless “books you must read before you die” lists tell you to read acclaimed classics, War and Peace, The Grapes of Wrath, One Hundred Years of Solitude They are wrong Instead, find a book that seems like it was written for you, one by a person who did not die 100 years ago, one that covers a topic you are genuinely interested in

Find a novel that immerses you in the narrative, one that pulls you to think about its world when you look away from the page, one with characters that you see yourself in. Find a book that makes you laugh or cry. When you do, you will understand how fundamental reading is.

Interview

By Clareko andMira

In Wellington, we have loads of amazing teachers who help, support, and inspire us every day, so we decided to find out what inspired them, and why they are so passionate about their subject We interviewed a selection of teachers, and here are some of the responses we got:

1. What is your favorite thing about being a teacher?

Ms. Demezhan: Being able to inspire the students I love it My favorite thing about being a teacher is when students get inspired, have goals, achieve great things, and especially when they get admitted into their dream universities and get A stars; I love being a part of that process of students achieving their dreams

Ms De Pablos: The moment when you see that a student has discovered something new, and there’s a special feeling in their eyes, and it’s like something just clicks.

Miss Norwell: Just being in the classroom and being able to inspire a student I love it when you make a student excited about English and just being able to make them enthusiastic and passionate

Mrs Nunes: My favorite thing is being in lessons with the students, however my least favorite part by far is doing emails and admin

Mr Walton: My favorite part is the students.

Mr. Holliday: The positive effect you can have on someone ’ s life.

Kru Bee: Every part, I love to see students making progress, and especially from early years, I love to see them grow up

Mr Hamilton: The fact that every day is different, and I can see students achieve something

Mr Findlay: The fact that every lesson is different There are different benefits, there is variety that teaching allows you, makes it exciting and interesting

2 What made you become so interested in your subject?

Ms De Pablos: At first, I studied history instead of geography But then, after revisiting geography, I realized that it was my passion It held answers to all the things I never had the answers for, and it was so much more than just mountains –it was where everything connected

Miss Norwell: When you teach English you are teaching people what it means to be human, unlike in other subjects, you can step into other people’s shoes and experience things that you wouldn’t otherwise experience. In English, you can teach empathy English has always been my favorite subject, and I have always been a big reader, ever since I was really young

Mrs Nunes: I really enjoyed IGCSE chemistry and biology, and I had a really good chemistry teacher I also wanted to look at drug research and cures for cancer

Mr. Walton: I’ve always enjoyed maths, and I did my degree in engineering, and then became a motorcycle engineer. I then converted my degree from engineering to maths.

Kru Bee: I taught every subject in Thai schools before, but I really liked teaching social studies

Mr Holliday: It was something that felt like a fresh start during A levels, and also business and economics was something that I was good at

Mr Hamilton: I liked technology and new technology and learning about how it works and what it does, and how it can make my life better.

Mr. Findlay: There was one teacher I had at school who was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, which got me interested and made me want to find something that I really enjoyed, to find something that was a passion of mine

3 Did you always want to become a teacher? If not, what did you want to be?

Ms Demezhan: maths was my passion in school, but I didn’t want to be a teacher at first, and I was advised to choose IT as a career My dream was to be a software engineer at Google, but after working in the IT field, I found it a rough environment and the people there cared more about money. I am a person that really cares about other people, and I realized I wanted to work with people and students.

Ms De Pablos: Yes, I have always wanted to be a teacher since I was a child, and I remember teaching my teddy bears in front of a whiteboard when I was really young I loved my teacher, and I was inspired to be a teacher The teacher was the person who knew the answers to all the questions, and I wanted to be that person

Miss Norwell: Absolutely not, I never used to want to be a teacher. I eventually chose to be an English teacher after I taught really young children; I decided I wanted to teach, but an older year group who I could have proper conversations with

Mr Walton: I decided to change from engineering to maths I used to teach students at the motorcycle shop, and I realized I actually enjoyed teaching them more than engineering

Kru Bee: I wanted to learn about history and find ancient things like an archeologist, but my father didn’t accept it because of the salary, so I decided to be a teacher instead.

Mr. Findlay: I wanted to do history at university but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do as a career When I was really young, I wanted to work in finance Later on, I wanted to work with people, though not necessarily as a teacher

Art exhibition

We were very proud to be part of the BACC Art and Creative School Fair II which took place in the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre Our Head of Art Ms Duna Carbonell curated our powerful exhibition - Art and Science: A Metamorphosis - which features the work of over 50 Year 8 and Year 9 students.

She told us "The project questions and highlights how the boundaries between Art and Science can sometimes blur. ‘Was Leonardo Da Vinci an artist or a scientist?’, ‘How do we establish whether the work presented in “Body Worlds” by the distinguished physician, inventor and forward thinker, Professor Gunther Von Hagens, is a scientific study or an Art installation?’ These were some of the questions debated by students in order to reflect on this topic At their core, Art and Science are both about observation, investigation, experimentation and interpretation, which have all been the essence of this project

Imagery of cells, bacteria, viruses and fungi seen through the microscope have served as the starting point for this collaborative installation created for the BACC. "

Have a laugh with our comic

By: Shawn

Football Season

By Alexandra

The last few months have been fantastic for the Wellington Collage football team. Between the four teams, we have competed in an amazing number of matches, and come out with an incredible number of wins! Every team ended the season with a GBAC tournament, and every team came out with a medal We have played against a huge range of different international schools in Bangkok, like Brighton College, Kings College and TSIS We have an exceptionally dedicated group of teams, training twice a week and targeting our weaknesses in order to improve The exceptional heat and pollution levels this summer has posed an extra challenge, but we have worked even harder to overcome it. A huge thankyou from everyone on the football team to our incredible coaches, who have helped motivate and inspire us to be the best footballers we can be

Overall, our football playing has gone from strength to strength this year, and we can’t wait to start again in September

Swimming in the nationals

By Alexandra

We have, without a doubt, had an amazing year of sport here at Wellington! The pinnacle of the sporting calendar was The National Swimming Championships, with an amazingly dedicated team of 10 swimmers: Orca, Baikao, Kim, Andre, Skye, Leila, Maya, Steffanelle, Jun, and Toddy The competition took place in April at Assumption University Some incredible results were accomplished, including three members of the team receiving medals, four making the finals, and lots of personal bests! The Wellington team even finished 19th of 160+ teams at the competition.

Maya, one of the youngest swimmers on the team, achieved 4th in her 200 m. Breaststroke Final, her first ever final. She then proceeded to win her first ever medal (Bronze for the 50 m

Baikao, a swim scholar here at Wellington, walked away from the competition with two medals. She earned a Bronze in the Girls 400 m. individual medley and an incredible Gold in 100 m Butterfly!

Orca also had an amazing final, competing in the 100 m Freestyle He missed out on a medal by only 0 07 He also broke a championship record 15-

Kim made personal best times in the 200 m. Individual Medleys. Kim came sixth in the 400 m. Individual Medley.

A quote from Maya ‘It was a really fun experience, I made so many friends and I actually learned stuff Now I can say that I WENT TO NATIONALS, yes Maya WENT TO NATIONALS!’ A big well done to everybody involved, you all did amazingly well

The musical: Alice in Wonderland

By Praline andFiaya

Celebrating Cultural Diversity: Mother Language Day and Songkran

By Mighty

The world is a tapestry of diverse cultures, each with its unique traditions and celebrations International festivals provide a vibrant platform to showcase and celebrate this rich cultural heritage

Two such remarkable festivals are Mother Language Day and Songkran which were celebrated in Wellington College International Bangkok during the Lent term. In this article, we will delve into the essence of these festivals, exploring their significance and the joy they bring to people worldwide

Mother Language Day: Embracing Linguistic Diversity

Language is not just a means of communication; it is an integral part of one's identity and culture Mother Language Day, observed on February 21st, is an occasion that honours linguistic diversity and promotes multilingualism This festival serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving and revitalising endangered languages.

On this day, we come together to celebrate our native tongues through various activities Cultural performances, poetry recitations, and storytelling sessions bring languages to life, fostering appreciation and understanding We learned how to write our name in various ways including in the Cyrillic alphabet We also created colourful flags, and

learned about the structure of language

Mother Language Day is a joyous celebration of our linguistic heritage, highlighting the power of words to connect and unite us

Songkran: A Splash of Joy and Renewal

In the midst of April's scorching heat, Thailand lights up with the vibrant Songkran festival, also known as the Thai New Year. This iconic celebration marks the beginning of the traditional Thai calendar and is a time for renewal, purification, and paying respects to elders and ancestors

Water plays a central role in Songkran festivities, symbolising cleansing and the washing away of misfortunes People take to the streets armed with water guns, buckets, and even elephants equipped with water cannons, engaging in friendly water fights This exuberant water festival brings laughter, joy, and a sense of unity as locals and visitors alike join in the merriment. We celebrated through assemblies, water pouring rituals praying to monks and a House

Alice in Wonderland is a famous novel written in 1865 The story follows the adventures of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world called Wonderland Throughout her journey, Alice experiences a series of surreal and nonsensical events, defying the rules of logic and reality. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a classic that is loved throughout the world, captivating the eyes of audiences from all different ages with its imaginative storytelling and colorful characters Here, in WCIB, we will be recreating this play and exploring the original play's imagination and selfdiscovery

The people involved in our WCIB main cast are: Elyssa, Leila, Alexandra, Josiah, Miki, Eddie, Amelia, Maya, Sainahm, Suri, Ete, Max, Stefanelle, Ping Ping, Luka, Lydia, Hazon and Nida.

The people involved in the core ensemble are: Mira, Isis, Aiden, Pam, Janine, Praline, Hazon, Nida, Elsa and Karissa

The people involved in the chorus are: Ingwa, Matty, Ocean, Summer, Ava, Jeff, Flynn, Ingfah, Ria, Anya, Avi, Tyra, Lincoln, Alice, Tiya, Tycoon, Hans, Tan and George

The people involved in the Tech Team are: Freya, Pai, Fiaya, Puhh, MeiMei, and VJ and Clareko

The musicians are: Neya, Ete, Matt, Garm, Puifai, Yuri, Ella, Winnie, Mickey, Thomas, Caylyn, Rada, Grace, Mira, Kru Pat, and Kru Meaw.

The organizers are: Ms Corrigan, Mr Mckee, Mrs Mckee, Ms Benja, Mr Findlay, Choreography team and Costume design team

The students will get an exclusive preview of the show on the 21st of June and there will be a public performance on the 22nd of June Get ready to be wowed and see you at the performance!

Duke of Edinburgh

By Maple

For this past year, the Year 10 students have been working on their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award From hiking to cooking, they all participated in a wide range of activities With two practice trips to Khao Ito at Prachinburi, everyone learned how to pitch tents, cook their own meals, and navigate through the forest with only a map, compass, and Garmin for two days straight. They all managed to make their way to each waypoint on the map through dense forest, a great variety of plants, animals, and some rivers.

Besides the adventurous journey, they are also required to complete a skill, a sport, and volunteer service (Two for three months and one for six ) During the Lent Term, they spent the weekly Thursday enrichment session volunteering to help teachers in Junior with different tasks such as reading to the Year 6 students, helping teachers organize and decorate the classroom, and many other This term, they had the option of learning a skill (cooking, sewing, or photography), it has been a great experience and learning opportunity for us all.

Wellington Exchange

By Maple

During late 2022, Octavia from Wellington College in the UK came to visit our campus for two weeks Attending our classes in Year 10, she got to experience life here in Bangkok attending WCIB Taking part in various sports such as netball and football, she was immediately welcomed into our community and had the chance to experience life here During the weekends, she explored Bangkok and even went to Huahin beach to witness the beauty and cultures of Thailand. On November 11th, she joined the IGCSE History class to the Annual Service of Remembrance for the fallen soldiers of World War One

Earlier this year, Year 10 students Tonaor and Eddie also received the opportunity to fly to England and attend school at Wellington College UK Hosted

by Octavia and Arul, they stayed at Hopetoun and Raglan House respectively They both had unique opportunities to experience both student life by attending lessons there and taking part in various activities such as climbing, shooting, netball, multiple House events, and even watching productions.

It was a great experience for everyone involved and will hopefully take place again next year

Uniforms are essential: True or False?

By: MikiandClareko

Uniforms. They are everywhere. We have them here at Wellington. But why do we need uniforms? Why do we need that precious ten minutes in the morning to look smart and tidy? These are the kind of questions I’m sure have come across your mind

There is no Planet B

By Mira, Winnie andElla

Planet Earth, a thriving planet which is home to over 8 billion people and an estimated 7 billion species of animals and plants, is filled with picturesque landscapes and nature which provides all our resources and gives us life However, each second, 218 metric tons of CO2 are being emitted from the US alone, each minute, 2 garbage trucks worth of plastic is being dumped into our oceans, and each day, 42 million trees are being cut down, all demolishing the homes of thousands of species

An estimated 50, 000 species are at a loss of habitat due to deforestation, many places (including Bangkok) are in risk of severe flooding due to rising sea levels, and a vast increase in greenhouse emissions have led to an increase in our global temperature, which will later lead to catastrophic events all around the world At this rate, we may lose everything in less than 100 years This must stop With the rapid growth of human consumption, population, and urbanisation, humanity is using more of Earth’s resources than it can replenish naturally

Additionally, a third of the food intended for human consumption is wasted or lost. If food waste was a country, it would be the third highest emitter of greenhouse gases. Bangkok alone can waste up to 5,669 tonnes of

food waste per day, and Thailand emits 279 million tonnes of CO2 from unnecessary lights and AC per year– if everybody stopped wasting so much, just imagine how much a of a better situation the world would be in right now. Our planet simply cannot survive the preposterous demands of the human population The use of fossils fuels is a mammoth contributor to climate change as they are a cause of vast amounts of Co2 emissions, and one day the earth’s supply of them will run out Humans One of the main contributors to the destruction of our planet The only way to save our planet, and along with it billions of species, is if every single one of us pitches in and tries to help. Now you might think that just one person turning off their lights or AC won’t make a difference, but if everyone in the world did this, the improvement would be immense Here are just a few things that you can do to help:

• Turn off lights and AC when you are not using them

• Take a shower instead of a bath

• Reduce meat consumption, if possible

• Don’t use single use plastic: Recycle

• Buy only what you need

• Try to use public transport. We need to do something now, before it’s too late. There is no planet B.

The most obvious reason why we should wear uniforms is because it unites us as a community When we are all wearing the same clothes, we are part of the same family We share the same values We are one Furthermore, it promotes equality within our society

Around the world, about eighty-three percent of students in schools without uniform face bullying and teasing for their clothes. These students may not have the same expensive or fashionable clothing as others may have Fifty percent of students who feel they do not fit in drop out At Wellington, we value equality and by wearing the same clothes, we can minimize bullying Now, tell me How many times have you stressed over choosing an outfit for a social gathering? Imagine how much brainpower you could save if you wore the same outfit every day.

When you go outside and meet someone, what is the first thing that stands out to you? One’s personal style can tell you so much about one ’ s personality And what better way to express your personal style than through your outfit Even just to put on hoodies or new sneakers or a cute vest can make such a difference on how people perceive you Some may argue that uniforms feel tasteless It restricts the freedom to express your personality When everyone dresses the same, there is no sense of individuality.

In the end, it all comes down to whether you would sacrifice style and extra sleep or brainpower and risks of teasing With that said, do you think uniforms are essential?

Assemblies And The Winning House Is...

By Clareko andMira

The past year has been full of inspiring assemblies Throughout the year, our assemblies have covered many things, including music and meditation, thoughtprovoking 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

The assemblies presented by Houses were equally impressive; the Houses dedicated time and hard work into producing them and it definitely showed. Many assemblies were thoughtprovoking talks presented by many different people These types of assemblies, although very different from the other ones, are still interesting and great These assemblies require the audience to think, reflect, and learn

Many assemblies over the course of the year have been about the many cultural events that take place

Assemblies have played a major role in making our school what it is.

By: Clareko, Mira andSainahm

We started off the year with a House basketball tournament, as part of the Senior School games afternoon At the end of the whole SportEd unit, and House basketball afternoon, it was a draw between Orange and Anglesey, and it went down to a shoot off, but finally, Orange House won – congratulations!

As we neared the end of the Michaelmas term, we had a Senior School House swimming competition, and although not everyone wanted to, the whole school participated in a mix of relays, individual races and fun races At the end of the day, it was Hopetoun who won!

On the last week of the Michaelmas term, the senior school Houses merged with the junior school Houses for the House singing competition, in the spirit of Christmas. Decided by the wheel of fate, each House got one song to perform, with Wellesley singing I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, Apsley singing Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, Benson singing Jingle Bell Rock, and Stanley singing Run Run Rudolf After only 2 days of practising, and everyone giving it their all by making props, singing and dancing, it was Apsley House who won!

competition to win the Wellington Senior Sports Day Trophy It was a day packed with exciting events, including track, javelin, long jump, tug of war, whole House relays and individual sprints After everyone gave it their all, it was Hill who won – well done!

At the end of Lent term, we had a House football competition There were four pitches and eight Houses, each racing to score the most goals. After four incredible matches, it came to a draw between Hopetoun and Picton. It was incredibly close, as it came down to penalties, but in the end, however, it was Picton who took the trophy!

Ending this academic year, House singing was the final House competition Each house picks a song, and the whole house has to participate in singing, dancing, playing instruments and prop making

A year in pictures

Gues

Which teacher in our school do you think it is?

When I was 9years old, I was accidentally knockeddown by a car in front of my house I spent 5 days in a coma, 3 weeks in hospitaland2months bedridden Who am I?

I used to ride a penny farthing along Lake Ontario beach frontto advertise Britisharchitecturalantiques Who am I?

I have 2 brothers and 1 sister; I am the eldest of my siblings. Who am I?

In my last profession, on one occasion, I made more money in one day than Inow earn in ayear Who am I?

When I was 8 years old I spend my Summer holidays learning OldEgyptian andhieroglyphics Who am I?

Mandarin Riddle:

One person. Can you guess a Chinese character?