Patana News Volume 24 Issue 34

PATANA NEWS

Friday 17th June 2022

Passionately Patana!

By Matt Mills

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Also in this issue...

Little Paws Gymnastics Team World Scholar’s Cup Sustainable Air Travel Season 4 Sports Patana Masterclass Secondary Arts Awards

Page 8 Page 11 Page 13 Page 14 Page 19 Page 20

www.patana.ac.th

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Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS Bangkok Patana School News

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Passionately Patana!

Greetings everyone, As the pandemic continues to challenge us, we have successfully concluded another exciting year of learning at Bangkok Patana School. We opened our campus in early November operating strict weekly ATK testing measures to ensure our school community was stringently monitoring any positive Covid cases and high-risk contacts.

We all agree, from the expert educators to teachers to par¬ents and most important from our students, that optimal learning takes place in the classroom not at home, so we remained steadfast to keep our school campus safely open as much as we possibly could.

Education is such a critical part of any child’s journey and though the global pandemic has thrown out numerous obstacles over the past two years, as international educators we remain confident and resolute to support our learners in any way we can.

SENIOR DELEGATES 2021/22:

Pim Wongswan 13M

Janelle de la Cruz 13T

Tom Evans

Carolyn Suradejvibul

13T

13A

Anna Meller 13C

Thank you to our five Senior Delegates who have done a superb job in their roles this academic year and we wish them all the very best in their tertiary years.

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Over the past eight months I have observed; confident polite students who are at ease in wanting to question to improve their understanding on any given new concept. Our students have had to be resilient and super focused as they experienced a very late start to attending their campus in Term 1. All of our student successes are beautifully showcased in the 2021/2022 Yearbook, which is being published as I write this account. Many thanks to our editors, Stasha Malcolm and Cheryl Rego, who have spent countless hours planning this year’s compilation. Our resident photographers have done a splendid job taking literally thousands of photos of our students in action over the past year.

I would like to thank every teacher and staff member for their professional dedication in helping guide our students to reach their full potential. Special thanks to the myriad of business staff who continue to help and support the academic staff daily, what would we do without you?

Deepest thanks also go out to our wonderful supportive PTG who were ably led by our outgoing PTG Chair, Phil Ngan.

Pictured: PTG Annual School Transport Check

As usual being an international school, we have a number of students and families leaving us this year and we want to wish all of them the very best for their future wherever they are moving to around the world. Please stay in contact with us, as we are keen to stay in touch and welcome you to our worldwide Alumni group – please take a moment to register on www.patana.ac.th/ alumni to receive the latest news and reunion invitations.

We have several teachers leaving us this year as we do every year, and we want to wish them all the very best as they move on to new positions around the world. A special farewell, also, to our Graduation Class of 2022 as they embark on their tertiary studies.

Finally, a special farewell to our School Director and Head of Thai Programme Kru Gai who plans to retire but keep her hand in education.

Our Head Nurse Khun Patama is also retiring after 25 years of distinguished service to the school, and we will miss them both a great deal but wish them a happy and contented retirement.

On behalf of Sarah McCormack, Helen Thew, Matt Seddon, and myself, we would like to wish all of our Bangkok Patana community a wonderful, safe, summer holiday and we look forward to welcoming you all back to school on Wednesday 17th August.

Enjoy your last weekend before summer!

Matt Mills Head of School

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Bangkok Patana School News

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Getting Batty and Birdy in the Outdoor Classroom Coke Smith, Curriculum Leader Environmental Systems and Societies

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ust in time for the end of the year, the Outdoor Classroom has some new features – bird houses and bat houses! These refuges are part of our effort to increase the biodiversity of our fantastic outdoor urban ecosystem by providing two vital groups of animals places to call home.

young students are very skilled and serious with what they do and should be commended for this outstanding contribution to our Outdoor Classroom ecological community. And a special thank you to Mr Richard Smith for his outstanding leadership of this group in all their endeavors.

As you probably know, bats are an incredibly important order of animals that can help control insect and pest populations and pollinate local flora on a nightly basis. Birds are also important players in these ecosystem services. Our hope is to provide safe and secure places for these animals to rest and reproduce. These features will also provide excellent learning tools that will provide an array of learning opportunities for our students of all age groups.

Please enjoy the images of these new features as shown by our very own Khun Ploy, our Outdoor Learning Spaces Technician, who has been with us for the last two years. Ploy will be moving on to a new role at Bangkok Patana and a Teaching Assistant in Primary next year.

We in the Science Department would also like to thank her for her hard work and contributions to so many of our outdoor spaces. She’s been a true pleasure to work with these last two years.

Although she will be missed greatly by us in the Sciences, she will still be contributing to our students’ learning, just in a different role.

These wonderful bat houses and bird houses were designed and assembled by our very own Design Council.

Through in-depth consultation with student and teachers, the Design Council built all of these houses. The end product of their hard work are some of the best bat houses and bird houses I have ever seen made at the secIf you have any questions about the new features at ondary school level! the ODC, please contact Coke Smith, our Environmental Science Leader (cosm@patana.ac.th). Please visit the The Science Department would like to personally Design Council’s website if you would like to know how thank the following Design Council students: Jiwon Yoo, they made these fantastic houses. Please also visit the Pongpanod (Gere) Worarittichai, Nichapatr (Petch) Outdoor Classroom’s website to learn more about what Lomtakul, Stuti Shah, Kasijutha (Ma-proud) Kasikam, our facility offers!

Nattarin (Grace) Sintavanarong, and Yingchi Ku. These

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Bangkok Patana School News

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STUDENTS SPEAK

THE JOURNEY TO RECOVERY by Hui Ying (Ying Ying) Han, 5G

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here was a lively, cheerful town where everyone was content and kind to each other. This town was where Yuri lived with her parents, in a small house. Yuri was considerate, so she had many friends. Her best friends were Aru and Tiana who she shared her best memories with.

Many years passed and Yuri continued to happily go to school, meet up with her friends, and life carried on like it always had.

Then… One day, a horrible fairy named Covid poisoned Yuri’s town. Many people were infected by Covid sneaking them poison at meals, and a lot of people died. A few people recovered, but not many. Yuri and her friends were terrified of the fairy, and their school shut down. As time moved on, people found out that Covid HATED clean people, and soon they all started to fear the virus less.

Then school started again, and Yuri, Aru and Tiana ate, learnt and played together again. They were still wary of the virus, so they made sure they were clean before doing everything. Yuri and her best friends hadn’t been infected by Covid yet, and they were grateful for that. Until… Covid poisoned Yuri.

Yuri was devastated, all she could do was lie on her bed

and after the first day had passed, she felt sick of being SICK! Finally, it was night and her mind slipped away into her dreams.

That night, a beautiful glowing fairy appeared in front of Yuri, and smiled, “Hello Yuri, I’m Hope. Every night I will come to heal you from Covid’s poison, but in order for it to work fully, you must believe in recovering and staying happy.

Then you will recover fast and you can go to school.” Then the image faded away into nothing and Yuri woke up in her bed.

She was more determined than ever to keep herself happy and follow Hope’s instructions. Aru and Tiana called her every day, hoping to make a difference in Yuri’s health. Yuri did all the things she enjoyed: reading, drawing, dancing.

Soon, Hope appeared again in Yuri’s dreams and beamed at her, “Well done Yuri! Tomorrow you will have been totally cured of Covid.” Yuri felt a smile appear on her face and she thanked the fairy for all her help.

The next day, she returned to school, happier than ever, knowing that she had conquered Covid. Alone, she wasn’t able to recover. But together with her friends and hope, she recovered.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE by Garam (Momo) Lee, 6D blinding light seared Profitis’ eyes. The heat on his face was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He felt the breath of the land soothe his skin. When his eyes adjusted, he found himself standing before a giant wall of lush emerald. As he moved closer, he realised that the vast wall was made of many individual columns with mud-coloured bases and fuzzy tops. What were these things? Monsters?

They didn’t look anything like the black figures that he had seen every day at home on the cave walls. He reluctantly placed his trembling hand on one to notice the still, strong tranquillity of them. They weren’t monsters at all; there was a certain beauty to them.

After walking for what felt like hours, Profitis felt a pain in his legs like he had never felt before. As the light surrounding him grew dim and the air cold, he began to hear distant roars and screeches. Were these monsters? Full of fear but curious, Profitis dragged himself to the very edge, where the viridescence ended and a new place began. Darting lights coming at him from every direction. Looming grey structures extended as high as the eye could see. Beasts with blazing eyes charging after one another, leaving odours behind that made Profitis cough. Suddenly, Profitis heard a rustling behind him.

Boy: Hi! Are you okay?

Profitis was startled. He turned around to see a young boy with an object placed on his head.

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Profitis: What’s that on your head?

Boy: It’s my boy scout hat!

Profitis: What’s a boy scout?

Boy: A boy scout is someone who hangs out in the forest and goes on adventures and stuff.

Profitis: Oh! I’ve just been on an adventure myself!

Boy: Really? That’s cool!

Profitis: My whole life, I’ve been living in a cave, with these shadow figures on the walls. Oh, how fascinating they were I thought.

Watching them dance and play was all I ever knew.

Boy: Oh! That’s just like Plato’s Cave!

Profitis: Is it? What’s Plato’s Cave?

Boy: Well, Plato was a famous philosopher. He had lots of stories that gave people ideas and changed people’s opinions on things.

Profitis: That’s interesting! My thoughts on the world have changed completely. It’s so much brighter and definitely way louder here. There’s so much more in the world than I ever imagined. It’s amazing!

Boy: The world is a beautiful place, isn’t it?

Profitis: I’ve got to tell the others in the cave about what wonders I’ve experienced today. They need to see all of this for themselves!

Boy: Good luck, caveman!

Bangkok Patana School News

STUDENTS SPEAK

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SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

ISIT A limited selection of Apple products are now available to the Bangkok Patana Community at a discount.

Please click here for further information.

SECURITY REMINDER Parking in the Todsamon Lot is strictly reserved for Bangkok Patana Staff members only.

Families may park at the Sports Complex or in our parking lot on Soi 35.

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Silver Duke of Edinburgh International Award Jonas Christiaen, 11J; Sirikorn (Jin) Dansiri, 11L; Elyse Hawson, 11W; Maetus Low, 11W; Erin Richards, 11K; Yiting (Freya) Yao, 11K; Chien-Shiang Wang, 11M

THE SILVER DUKE OF EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL AWARD WAS A FUN AND UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE! The 3-day adventurous journey involved kayaking 22km in the waters of Samut Prakan.

Initially, we felt a bit disappointed at not being able to go to the islands as planned but this quickly changed when we saw our new location in person. We had the opportunity to meet many local people in villages along the way and get a better insight on their way of life and how they use the river as their main travel route. We also got to observe the surrounding mangrove ecosystem, which was very exciting as we’d previously learnt about it in school, and even come in contact with wildlife like the mudskipper fish.

We have learnt a wide range of skills including navigating, cooking, and using kayaking related equipment. When we got lost, we took it as a learning experience. But most importantly, we learnt to work as a team to reach the end.

A major challenge that was faced was getting lost halfway through our journey. It was a very difficult time for all of us and we felt discouraged. However, we chose to persevere and use teamwork to overcome this obstacle. From this, we learnt the importance of communication and collaboration which we look forward to applying in our daily lives as well.

Although we faced numerous challenges during the trip, we still managed to support each other and completed the journey in good spirits. This trip has taught us how to work collaboratively with others by solving problems together and supporting each other.

We all feel extremely lucky to have been able to take part in this kayaking trip and it was amazing to be able to put the skills we’d spent so long perfecting at the school swimming pool to use in a variety of real life situations. We thoroughly enjoyed this experience and many of us look forward to moving onto the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award next year.

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Bangkok Patana School News

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Thank You to our Coaches!

Cindy Adair, Cross-Campus Assistant Principal Extra-Curricular Activities and Sports

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s Season 4 draws to a close we’d like to thank all the academic staff who have contributed to the Cross Campus Competitive Sports Programme in 2021/2022. Participating in sport and e-sports helps our students stay fit, learn new skills, form friendships and take on leadership roles.

Thank you for your time, effort, enthusiasm and support.

Olly Blundell Billy Osborne Liam Tyrrell Claire Dale Katie Allen Shane Owen Philippa Richards Andrew Tatam Chris Meller Graham Lewis Tristan McCarthy Zoe Edmunds Rebecca Blundell Lewis Bain Andrew Haughton

Paul Wadsworth Phil Berry Tim Jarrett Dylan Jones Karen McGuire George Hume David Staley Charles Tudsbery-Turner Karel De Cock Jim Thombs Jim Myers Claire Myers Tracey Barton Hannah McLaughlin Laura Renesto

Nick Smith Kieran Clarke Richard Molloy Laura Perry Anthony Casey Carly Peart Joe O’Neill Deborah Smith Victoria Paxman Grant Robertson Matt Mills Max Dunn Carly Ellis Jennifer Cunningham Sara Bain

Daniel Morrison Liam Bowden Rebecca Fricsay Robb Falls Virginia Diaz Lopez Roshanak Lashkari Bart Cowling Eoin Bevan Taher Ebrahim Daniel Mitcheson Laiyoung Cheng Aazar Munir James Sowerby Worapong Woramanont

Daniel Ahl Thassha (Gift) Vitayaviroj Putporn (Ball) Chantawannop Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski Siranya (Wah) Bunphueak Tim Tripp Joe Denton Aekapol (Ake) Sumatha Mark Potter Brandon Grady Justin Jempson

Little Paws Gymnastics Team Rebecca Maw-Dzatkowski, Head Gymnastics Coach

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his academic year, the Gymnastics Academy launched a new programme for Year 1 and Year 2 gymnasts called Little Paws. This programme runs separately from the recreational gymnastics ECAs, as Little Paws training sessions take place on Saturday mornings and a year-long commitment is expected following a successful trial. Little Paws caters to students who aspire to make the Gymnastics Academy competitive team (Year 3+). Little Paws has been an excellent addition to the gymnastics programmes at Bangkok Patana School, and we are very proud of their progress this year.

Saturday 11th June marked their final training together as a cohort and we would like to congratulate our Year 1/2 students for all their hard work and commitment this academic year.

If your child is interested in joining the 2022/23 Little Paws Gymnastics Team, an email will be sent out to all Year 1 and Year 2 parents in August.

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Dance Extravaganza 2022!

Vallary Lokre, Head Dance Coach

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he Dance Academy hosted their annual dance showcase on 6th June - The Dance Extravaganza 2022! There were 33 dance performances by 130 dancers from all Key Stages who seemed super thrilled to get on stage in their amazing costumes and perform to a full audience, something which we haven’t had in the last two years due to COVID. Some of our Key Stage 1 dancers performed to Meghan Trainer’s hit ‘Me too’ in bright red costumes, while some others frolicked to songs from Disney’s Frozen.

Our Under 11 team from Key Stage 2, rocked a brilliant Hip Hop performance and a contemporary dance performance as well. Other dancers from Key Stage 2 included our Primary K-Pop team, Cheerleading team and many others that performed to a variety of music. Some amazing solos and duo performances from Primary students also took place.

Our Varsity team performed a beautiful contemporary dance to the song ‘Vicious’. Their other piece, with a message, was called ‘Hip Hop Feminism’ highlighting the issues with the male dominated hip hop industry. Student-led K-Pop committee, Daze, and our Secondary K-Pop teams wowed the audiences as well. Last but not least, 16 members of our staff community performed an amazing group Latin fusion dance to conclude the show.

Bangkok Patana dancers felt very appreciated on this day, as many parents and family members presented them with flowers to thank them for their wonderful performances. The feedback about the event has been overwhelmingly positive, making for a very memorable Dance Extravaganza indeed. We sure are looking forward to the next one!

Ana Bolakoso, 7D The Dance Extravaganza was a great opportunity for me to share my Pacific Island culture with the Bangkok Patana community. The piece I performed was called Raude and it is a traditional meke (war dance) performed after battle. Traditionally, it’s performed by large groups of male warriors. However, I adapted the piece to include a dramatic entrance via waqa (traditional canoe - Fijians are a sea-faring people) and also incorporated a more feminine section of choreography at the end of the piece to represent the power of modern Fijian women. The music I chose is a mix of traditional Fijian music and modern rhythms and beats and is performed by a band called Black Rose, several of the artists are from my home province in the Islands - Nadroga.

My dad helped to design and make my costume and taught me the masculine choreography which he used to dance with his brothers as a child in Fiji. It was really exciting to perform on stage again and the audience were super encouraging. I was proud to bring this unique dance style to the Dance Extravaganza programme. This project was an awesome learning experience, a chance to connect with my Fijian roots and my Dad and I enjoyed rehearsing together. It’s been really fun to have messages from Fiji all week after I shared my photos on social media - my extended family in the Pacific are really proud.

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Bangkok Patana School News

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Luanne Poh, Managing Editor of The Union, 12M

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he Union International is Thailand’s first interscholastic, student-run newspaper. We represent students from over 18 international schools in Thailand. As part of our Bangkok Patana School Chapter’s independent activities, we are spotlighting submissions from Bangkok Patana’s student body about issues and themes that they are passionate about.

Browse through the excerpts below from four of our very own student submissions! To read the full articles and more, visit https://theunioninternational.com THE ISSUE OF RECYCLING WASTE IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

by Preeyanan (Pam) Jirarungroj “...A huge reason for this is the problem of waste management in countries around the world, specifically in Bangkok, Thailand.

Bangkok, with a population of 10.72 million people, has about 446 sanitary landfills, engineered landfills and controlled dumps where 50 tonnes of daily waste goes to but as mentioned earlier, only a small portion of waste produced is recycled. In addition, there are still disposal techniques like MSW incinerators used which release harmful chemicals and pollutants into the air, damaging both the environment and people’s health. A lack of funding for waste management and lack of education about recycling methods for households in Bangkok, decreases the ability to recycle waste. “ THREE FILMS FOR PRIDE MONTH

by Yewon Kim “...In the celebratory spirit of Pride Month, here is a list of films which embrace queer identity and tell its audience what it means to be different. To many, especially LGBTQ+ youth, queerness imposes a strange feeling of loneliness, of not belonging. There is a sense that you or the lifestyle you lead is not normal, and that society punishes you for being an outlier - a theme which countless queer films explore. Queer culture has historically always revolved around extravagance, fashion and taboo however it must be celebrated in the same explosive spirit and creativity it bears its roots to. Therefore, the following list will contain three films that exalt queerness, gaiety, flamboyance, and style. Please note that some of these films may contain mature themes intended for an older youth audience.

AN INTRODUCTION TO UTILITARIANISM

by Ashwinniey Vasudevan and Laxwinniey Vasudevan “...Utilitarianism is a system for maximising happiness, an incurred notion to morality fostering actions that generate happi-

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ness, not pleasure, and opposes unhappiness; maximising utility which is defined by actions and rules with the greatest difference between total happiness and total suffering. Entailed to cause social betterment, one acts to make the least burdensome decision whilst considering long-term benefits to society.

With regard to school life, utilitarianism is clearly implemented into lessons. Teachers seek out interesting ways to engage different types of students, perhaps through creative interaction rather than traditional classes as the incorporation of many learning techniques aids various different types of students - leading to higher academic success. This proactive approach which can be seen through the schools’ ‘ESL’ and ‘Extended Learning’ programs, challenges the idea of requirement, thus creating a sense of purpose and fulfilment for all teachers…”

NATURE IS OUR FUTURE

by Vachiravich (Turbo) Phantratanamongkol “...Remember when the forests rose high Before humans ignited the forest to the ground Responding to the trees’ resounding cries By further pounding them down When mountains of ice scraped the sky To intrigue man’s unkempt eye Of the majestic, astounding sight And its ever so frostbitten night Now man’s cruelty climbs to its peak Bringing down nature, robbing its beauties Now nature has never been so weak And man has forgotten all his duties To preserve the ever-dwindling trees To preserve the endangered species To preserve the scent of a freshened breeze To preserve the acidifying seas…”

If you are interested in working with or contributing to The Union International, please contact Luanne Poh (Managing Editor) luph23@patana.ac.th

Bangkok Patana School News

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WORLD SCHOLAR’S CUP Daniel Nason, Secondary English Teacher

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he World Scholar’s Cup returned to Bangkok Patana School on the weekend of 11th – 12th June with over 240 students from 19 schools competiting for medals, trophies and fluffy alpacas at the Bangkok Regional Round of this year’s competition.

Held annually in countries all over the world, The World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) is a global academic competition featuring four events: Team Debate, Scholar’s Bowl, Scholar’s Challenge and Collaborative Writing. In teams of three, competing Scholars study a huge curriculum of six subject areas: Science, Art and Music, Literature and Film, History, Social Studies and the Special Area. Each year, the WSC launches a new theme for their curriculum and, inspired by two years of COVID resulting in worldwide cancellation of events, 2022’s theme is ‘A World Re-Renewed’ with Scholars studying such topics as: the succession of leaders; geoengineering; the colonisation of other planets; sequels and reboots; the ethics of fast fashion; mistakes, apologies and recoveries; trends, memes and fads and much, much more.

Bangkok Patana entered 39 students into the competition, in both the Junior and Senior Divisions, and although it was the first time many of these students had debated or performed in such rigorous academic events, the huge medal haul is a testament to their commitment and success. Our students took home a total of 187 medals and several huge trophies between them. A special mention must go to Arevik Khanyan, 9S, who came in 2nd place Overall Winner of the Junior Division; to Dolrit (Tyno) Thebpatipat, 8G, Chaiyanat (Win) Kuptivej, 8G and Andy Isaac, 8V for finishing as the 3rd Place Overall Junior Team; to Luomeng (Baobao) Zhao, 8V, Jira Wongswan, 8V and Alisa Sangiambut, 8V for finishing as the First Place Writing Team in the Juniors. Another mention should go here to Jira for being one of the eight debaters asked to compete in the Debate Showcase, a formal debate held in the theatre in front of an audience of almost 300 persons. This is a huge

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achievement considering Jira has only recently begun to learn how to debate. However, victory is only a small part of the World Scholar’s experience: the competition is about much more than that. Aside from the development of key academic skills, the World Scholar’s mission is also about friendship, fun and finding a sense of belonging. It was a great privilege to hear just how much the weekend meant to each individual Bangkok Patana scholar.

Andy Isaac reflected “It was a wonderful experience and I wouldn't want to spend a weekend in any other way than destroying my voice debating, walking around campus and getting lost somehow, and managing to accomplish feats and awards that I wouldn't have even imagined possible”. Madeleine Cholvy said “I think this was one of the best days of my life. The alpacas are so adorable, and I made so many new friends and learned many things along the way. It is very noticeable that this competition isn’t only about winning and knowledge, but friendship, participation and most importantly fun.”

The Regional Round also marks the start of a journey. From here, each team is now invited to the Global Round, held this year in Bangkok in September. Though we do not have to travel far ourselves, the Global Round will see visitors from all around the world head to our fair city to compete in a larger scale version of the competition. The Global Round is also an opportunity for our Scholars to add to their growing collection of alpacas- the cute mascots of the World Scholar’s Cup. At the Global rounds, Scholars receive a larger alpaca – a symbol of all the hard work and fun that the event represents.

Should our students make it through the Globals, they will then have the chance to head to the prestigious, world-leading Yale University in the United States of America for the culmination of the competition: the Tournament of Champions. Here, they will compete against thousands of other Scholars from all over the world, spending a week on Yale’s amazing campus.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer a huge thanks to all the Support and Business Staff who helped me organise this huge event. Without them, the Teacher Judges on Day One and my group of dedicated Student Volunteers, the weekend would not have been able to run as smoothly as it did. What a wonderful team we have here at Bangkok Patana: it was an honour to be just one of them.

The World Scholar’s Cup will return as an ECA next year and all are welcome to join.

Bangkok Patana School News

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Patana Participates!

Achievements from Our Community Chupit Chutitum, Patana Parent

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ylan Gulkin, 9C, led his Siam Raptors’ Under 14 team in winning one of the toughest 3x3 basketball tournaments in Thailand, the Singha Chiang Mai Basketball 3x3 2022. Rylan and his Siam Raptors teammates played using a disciplined strategy and fought ferociously to win the tournament.

Rylan loves sports, especially basketball. He and his teammates regularly participate in a variety of basketball tournaments in both Bangkok and the provinces. He and his Siam Raptors teammates also practice very hard every weekend. The recent championship of the 3x3 basketball tournament was a remarkable attestation of his dedication, determination, and talent in basketball!

Rodney Fountain, Patana Parent and Secondary History Teacher

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ast weekend saw the final race of the Thai National BMX series. If you’ve been following the adventures of the L&D Racing team keenly, you might be wondering why there was no race report for Round 4. It takes a lot for the team to miss a race, but visa renewal trumps even BMX racing in terms of importance! The team used the extra-long break between races to chip away at the mountain of skills it takes to race well. In the last race report there was a hint that something very special was about to happen in the world of Thai BMX and over the weekend it did. Thailand now has a world-class BMX track that will see World Cup racing come to Thailand for the very first time in the next couple of years. The 50 million THB facility is in Min Buri, which even with Friday traffic is under an hour from Bangkok Patana. There’s never been a better time than now to sample the brilliant world of BMX racing! The track only opened last Friday and with racing starting the next day, L&D Racing (minus Ed, who was on a flight to England after finishing his last (I)GCSE), were keen to practice. As the sun set on Friday practice, a huge storm rolled in so the team headed home with an hour’s work in their legs and the track layout seared into their brains. The new track is a world away from anything they’ve raced before because the start-hill is longer and steeper and the track itself has more features, all with their specific names which sound a bit odd to the uninitiated: rollers, step-ups, tables, doubles and step downs. In BMX the banked turns are called berms and on the new track they’re steep and painted blue (in contrast to the straights which are painted in a colour that reminds the team of strips of bacon!) and so throwing your bike in there at high speed feels a little like surfing a huge wave. Nico, Frank, Freddy and Rod have been racing long enough to know that high speed on an unfamiliar track can lead

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to a summer on crutches and so the team-talk before the race was about bringing bikes and bodies home safely which thankfully they all did. Rod got 2nd place in the final and, committed to the mission of steady improvement, the boys were ever closer to staying with seven riders in front knowing that the number and variety of different skills needed to be an all-round racer don’t come in a single season. As the team were packing the bikes away to the soundtrack of the stories of the day, the manager of another team came and spoke to Rod. He said that he’d been watching the boys racing all season and was really impressed, but not only with their progress. He spoke of how their big smiles are becoming a welcome and familiar sight on the race-scene and that they missed seeing them at Round 4. He went on to say that quite a few parents of younger racers have told them to look to Nico, Frank and Freddy as a reminder that racing, first and foremost, has to be fun; get that right and the speed will come. And so whilst the boys haven’t been close to winning a race all season, it seems that they’ve actually won quite a lot more than trophies: the respect of their peers. There’s a long off-season now, but with new bikes secured for next season L&D Racing are already looking forward to the gate dropping on the 2023 series. If you want to follow the journey head over to https://www.facebook.com/pedalsreadygo/

Bangkok Patana School News

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Is Sustainable Air Travel Possible?

Ana Bolakoso, Key Stage 3 Representative, Student Environmental Committee (SEC)

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s many of us head off on holidays for the summer, we will board planes and fasten our seatbelts.

There is no escaping the fact that air travel creates carbon emissions. However, as an International community we want (and need) to visit our home countries on occasion. Here are some top tips from the SEC to consider as you travel home this summer:

off-set credits. Do your research to ensure the off-sets you purchase are going to make an actual difference. Did you know that one long haul flight is the equivalent of taking 800+ 10min hot showers or watching Netflix for 980 days!

6. Fly with airlines who have sustainability in mind and are cutting down single use plastics on board. To serve a 1. Choose not to fly if you can. If it’s an option to travel single meal on an A380 uses 545 plastic cups, 545 sets to your home country by car, train, bus or boat why not of plastic cutlery, not to mention all the individually plastic give it a try - what an adventure! wrapped food portions.

2. If you must fly, choose direct flights, the most emis7. Choose airlines who regularly upgrade their aircraft. sions from aircraft happen at take-off and landing, by Newer planes generally have greater fuel efficiency and cutting out stop-overs you are keeping emissions to a therefore have lower emissions. minimum.

8. Choose flights in the daytime. Planes flying at night 3. Pack light, less weight means planes burn less fuel generate contrails and cirrus clouds that trap heat, causand less fuel means lower emissions. Do you really need ing extra warming. During the daytime, planes reflect that 3rd pair of shoes? sunlight back into space, counteracting the heat-trapping effect.

4. Fly Economy, yes we know the leg space is not as generous, and the food can be a bit…questionable, how9. Did you know that there is research underway to creever an economy seat takes up less space and therefore ate electric and hydrogen powered airlines? In the future is relatively less polluting. we may be able to fly in cleaner and greener ways. Yay science!

5. Fly with airlines who pride themselves on their green credentials and give you the option to purchase carbon

Sing Song Service for CAS Project Aidan McDonagh, Secondary Mathematics Teacher

O

n Friday 27th May, Ashwinniey Vasudevan, Laxwinniey Vasudevan and Jiatong (Angela) Li organised a ‘Sing Song Service’ karaoke event to raise money for their CAS project ‘At Your Service’ which works with Second Chance Foundation in Bangkok to improve the quality of life of residents in Khlong Toey. The event proved to be hugely popular, with many staff and students joining in and singing along.

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Over and Out for Season 4... With a Roar!

Rich Molloy, Cross Campus Head of Sports

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e have finally completed Season 4, a season which was introduced a few years ago before COVID impacted us all. Over the weekend, we got to see it to its conclusion for the first time and it did not disappoint. The weekend included Touch/Rugby and Badminton for Under 12, Under 14 and a triple header of Under 11 sport, with Tennis, TeeBall and Volleyball.

Day 1 saw the focus mainly on Under 12s and Under 14s. Bangkok Patana played host to the Under 14 Badminton and parental support made a big difference.

Welcoming back our supporters, our Tigers found an edge – the winner-takes-all final round against ISB for both girls and boys was a nailbiter! The boys stormed home with three straight singles wins to clinch the tie, while the girls’ match came down to the double, locked at 2:2 before a fantastic final set meant the Tigers added to more Hanumans to the cabinet!

Another sport which has been on fire this year is the Touch Girls’ team, who travelled to NIST to face the hosts and ISB for the titles. The Under 12s had an early start and were determined to set the tone for the day as they ran riot and lifter the title. The Under 14s were equally determined and going head-to-head with ISB who are always strong. The girls came away with the title as well! That’s another two Hanumans!

WHAT IS THE HANUMAN?

Mission BMAC

The Hanuman is the mascot of our sports

league

BMAC.

The

Hanuman is the Thai Monkey God of

Wisdom,

Strength,

Courage,

Devotion and Self-Discipline.

aspires

to

outstanding

be

an

education-

based athletic organization that

provides

experiences

high-quality

and

authentic

learning pathways to every student-athlete.

Why the hanuman The traits

Hanuman our

represents

group

of

the

schools

character wishes

our

athletes to aspire to. Through sport they learn

key

lessons

and

gaining

the

attributes of the Hanuman God is a part of their development through school sport.

Collect the hanuman Each

BMAC

winner

receives

the coveted Hanuman Trophy.

Each

year

we

will

aim

to

collect as many as possible.

COURAGE,

14

FORTITUDE

Rugby has been a challenge this year with ISB still not playing contact. This meant two tournaments for the boys – one at Bangkok Patana for contact and supporting our rivals at ISB by playing Rippa on Saturday. On Tuesday, the Under 14 boys came away victorious in the contact version of the game with a tough 15:10 final against NIST. They had a tougher time on the Rippa field as the ISB experience (only playing Rippa) meant they were extremely slick on the day and our Tigers finished 5th.

The Under 12 boys did the opposite, finishing a close second on Tuesday before really ramping up the skills in Rippa to take the title with some fantastic running and offloading skills on show.

AND

EXCELLENCE

The Under 12 Tigers were also at NIST for Badminton and the boys managed came away with a hardearned silver, a reflection of a year of real improvement. The girls were unfortunately stripped of half their team due to injury and illness, but battled bravely to finish 4th.

The Under 11s also began their events on Saturday with Tennis and the Tigers really showed their teeth as they stormed to both titles. Team tennis tests the depth of a programme, and the Tigers were up to it. Two more Hanumans!

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Finally, we made it to the Under 11 Super Sunday and the BMAC Community arrived at Bangkok Patana for TeeBall and Volleyball. First up, the TeeBall tournament showed some fantastic throwing, hitting, and catching skills. The Tigers team was on great form in the A Tournament, going unbeaten to take the title.

2021-22 BPS SPORT IN NUMBERS

Across a long afternoon of more than 40 Volleyball matches, NIST and Bangkok Patana battled it out at the top of the charts for the title. In an enthralling three-way battle for the title, the Tigers held their nerve to claim a clean sweep of the Hanumans in Season 4!

These Tournaments concluded Season 4, the first time this has ever happened. It has been so exciting to see so many students involved in Sport all the way through to the conclusion of the school year and we can’t wait to push on again in Season 1.

Keep an eye on social media for more details of trials in Season 1. Under 11s start the year with Football, Under 12s with Basketball, Under 14s with Basketball and Tennis, JV-Varsity teams with Football and Volleyball and Cross Country available in all ages! Go Tigers!

Dan Ahl, Head Tennis Coach

T

he Bangkok Games Tennis Tournament took place at Bangkok Patana on Wednesday. We welcomed players from Harrow, Shrewsbury, STA and Bangkok Prep, with 47 boys and 18 girls competing in round robin groups before the winners progressed to a knockout draw.

Bangkok Patana players performed extremely well with Risako Ikeda, Pippa Balankura and Alisa Thanomsat finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Girls’, whilst in the Boys’, Phasin Sinchalong defeated Khoon Wanglee in the final and Anton Limvatanayingyong and Philip Andersen were semi finalists.

BPS TIGERS COMPLETED MORE THAN 300 FIXTURES ACROSS SEASON 2-4 BPS TIGERS HOSTED 126 EVENTS (NOT INCLUDING FIXRURES) FOR SPORT BETWEEN SEASON 2 AND 4 MORE THAN 60% OF STUDENTS HAVE BEEN IN AN ACADEMY AT BPS IN THE LAST 3 YEARS TOUCH RUGBY HAS SEEN OVER 100 GIRLS IN SECONDARY TAKING PART THIS YEAR U12 AGE GROUP HAS HELPED INCREASE YEAR 7 STUDENTS ACCESS TO TEAMS BY MORE THAN 300% BPS SPORTS TEAMS FINISHED IN THE TOP 2 IN 85% OF BMAC TOURNAMENTS

85% BPS COLLECTED A TOTAL OF 33 HANUMAN TROPHIES IN 2021-22

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Primary Enjoys an End-of-Year Bonanza of Sport!

Andrew Tatam, Primary Leader of Learning, Physical Education

A

s I write this article, we are in the middle of one of the busiest sporting weeks that I have known during my time at Bangkok Patana – and how excited are we to be able to do all of these amazing activities!

er first with the also new Bangkok Games, competing with Shrewsbury Riverside and City, Harrow, Wellington College, Denla British School, Bangkok Prep, St Andrews 71 and ourselves attending. Monday saw us take three Girls’ Basketball teams to Shrewsbury whilst Our week of wonder began on Sunday (Saturday two Boys’ Football teams travelled to Harrow with plenif we include our BMAC Tennis stars!) with our dual ty of great games enjoyed. Tuesday saw a reverse with BMAC events taking place here at Bangkok Patana four Boys’ Basketball teams heading to Shrewsbury and with Tee Ball in the morning and our inaugural Volleyball a Girls’ Football team heading to Harrow again with event taking place in the afternoon. For Tee Ball, we wel- many great games played and experiences enjoyed. comed teams from ISB and NIST with five of our own Year 4 to 6 teams, adding up to a wonderful total of 53 Wednesday saw 28 of our young athletes taking to Bangkok Patana children participating. Our Cup team the track and field events at Wellington College, where were successful in bring home the Champions Trophy, our students produced many amazing performances whilst all of our Festival Teams got numerous wins under in the Year 4/5 events and Year 6 events. At the same their belts. Batter Up for 2022/23! time, Coach Dan and his team were welcoming Bangkok Games Tennis players to our Courts as we hosted The inaugural BMAC Volleyball began just after Tee this sport for the Games. Over 50 students enjoyed a full Ball had finished – the Sports Hall was looking re- and successful day of Tennis. splendent with eight courts set out for the 19 teams from ICS, NIST, ISB and ourselves who came to play. Games Our final Bangkok Games event was Touch Rugby on consisted of 4-a-side on a Badminton Court with a 2m the morning of 16th June at Shrewsbury and our three net height and adapted rules for the Cup competition teams were so excited for their matches! and Festival matches. We had three co-ed teams in both Not wishing to leave anyone in Key Stage 2 out of the Cup and the Festival with a pleasing 25 Bangkok the FUN, we also held our Interclass Sports events this Patana students involved from our ECA. All of the students used the skills that we have been working on to week. Yesterday, our Year e3 children developed their great effect with wins on the board for everyone during future basketball skills through Mat Ball, whilst Year 4 the afternoon. A big shout out to our Tigers Team who took to the pitches for their Interclass football festivals. All of these events will have taken place during the students’ brought home the BMAC trophy! normal PE times and we are delighted that parents were From the heady heights of Sunday, we entered anoth- able to join us!

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Today brings the curtain down on our exhausting week with our Year 5 and 6 students enjoying their own Interclass events with some different games on offer for the students to showcase their developing skills and understanding. Year 5s will have enjoyed the option of playing one of their class teams in Football, Uni-hoc or Handball, whilst the Year 6 choices were Volleyball, Handball or Ultimate Frisbee. A huge thank you any student who helped their class by taking their second sport option!

next year from the 1st to the 4th of June 2023 at the new venue of Pattana Sports Resort on the way to Pattaya.

More information about this amazing event will come out at the beginning of next year. I certainly hope that many of our Year 5 and 6 students will put themselves forward to try out for our FOBISIA Team of ten boys and ten girls from Year 5, and the same from Year 6, to compete across the four sports of Football, Tee Ball, Swimming and Athletics.

Whilst my head is buzzing with all that has happened this week, I am delighted to share that we are extremely positive about a return of the FOBISIA Primary Games

The Primary Tigers are well and truly back on the prowl!

Gooo Bangkok Patana!

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Supanika (Inkie) Vejjajiva and Oranat (Pang) Manavutiveth

S

EED is a club that aims to raise awareness about educational needs for under-privileged children in Thailand and we work with Speaking Hub, which is an online platform that helps Thai students improve their English. This is a link to their official website which states their aims and what they do: https://www.speakinghub.org/ We would like to host this short story competition for primary students in order to donate some money to Speaking Hub to then host a trip for underprivileged students. The money received from this event will also be donated to buy learning equipment for over 100 under-privileged schools in Thailand.

We would like Primary students to get involved in this competition as it is for a good cause and we will publish the winner's work in a book that will be distributed at the Primary Library. The theme is ‘an adventurous story’ and the participants can either come up with a story or it can be based on something they have experienced before. This opportunity will allow them to be creative and develop their writing skills.

The short story should have a minimum of 500 words and the entrance fee is 300 THB. If possible, we would like parents to pay by transferring to the bank account in the form linked below.

We hope to see your children participate in this event as we believe it will enhance their writing abilities.

Sign up for the event here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUGgBrSfsqInV3wFIM2YstKvbDijLC7mG4BQsW4E6qwxttfQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

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Explore how visual art can fire the imagination through the power of imagery and be a powerful stimulus to inspire ideas for writing in a variety of text types including poetry, narratives, feature articles, persuasive writing and playscripts.

Purnima Ghogar, Secondary English Teacher

I

ntended to combat the ‘writer’s block’, challenge views of poetry as dull, inaccessible or always needing to rhyme, and above all, to enrich budding writers with new perspectives, this masterclass video demonstrates the proven benefits of using visual art as a powerful stimulus for developing creative writing. Works of art can be used as a springboard for developing a range of skills including: close reading, critical thinking, observational and interpretative skills, speaking and listening, development of rich and adventurous descriptive vocabulary for writing in a variety of text types, as well as confident experimentation with a range of literary techniques.

develops our appreciation of the nature of art and its relevance to our lives.

The act of writing about art is known as Ekphrasis, which takes its name from a literary practice that dates back to ancient Greek times. Today the term is most commonly used to describe either prose or poetry inspired by a work of visual art. It can provide an illuminating perspective on a work of art or the ideas it has inspired. In its most simple form it offers a vivid and often dramatic verbal or written description. The Ekphrastic approach is particularly relevant, inclusive and accessible for today’s students living in an increasingly visual world and

3. Putting your ideas and poetry into descriptive words;

Discover the practical steps that students and teachers can take to develop oral and written responses in thoughtful and liberating ways through a guided exploration of Mark Rothko’s abstract painting, Untitled (Red), 1956; these steps can be applied to writing in a range of poetry forms inspired by any artwork: 1. Careful observation and looking; 2. Interpreting and asking hypothetical questions;

4. Performing / sharing your work To learn more about how you can use these steps to write creatively using art and top tips to get started, watch the masterclass video below, which also features a powerful performance of an ekphrastic poem by Sebastian Scharder, 8L. Watch the full Masterclass on our YouTube Channel!

Purnima’s published research focuses on her interests in interdisciplinary learning and the relationship between visual art and literacy. She is co-author of the Secondary English textbooks, ‘Inspired English: Creative Writing and Critical Thinking Through Art’ published by Macmillan Education Australia, available at the Secondary library, and is currently writing a new book focusing on inspiring Secondary students in Years 7-9, of all abilities and learning styles, to engage creatively with reading and writing poetry through learning activities that support learners to generate an appreciation of writing poetry through engagement with art.

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Arts Awards 2022 Secondary Arts Faculty Svasti - Orchestra After playing in the Violin 2 section of the Bangkok Patana Orchestra for several years, Svasti successfully auditioned for the role of principal violinist in August 2021. She showed excellent leadership skills in this role, proved to be reliable, helpful, and keen to further improve her violin skills. The ensemble could always count on her to be prepared and to be supportive towards the members of the Orchestra. She was ready to play some solo sections with confidence and showcasing great musicianship.

Sammy - Musician of the Year Sammy continues to be an enthusiastic, active member of the Bangkok Patana Orchestra, consistently showcasing a high level of musical skill and maintaining a humble attitude towards the ensemble and music itself. She continues to be a positive role model by being passionate about music and always aiming for using rehearsal time effectively and working towards achieving the highest possible quality at performances. Sammy has also been a committed member of the Senior Choir. Her vocal leadership has strengthened the group and she again, is a positive role model to her section. Sammy has been a regular participant in the Bangkok Patana Concert Series and has also performed as a soloist at the Bangkok Patana Classic. Sammy is an active member and advocate for music at Bangkok Patana.

Tee - Musician of the Year Tee has a real passion for music. He has been an active member of the music programme both in the classroom, electives and ECAs. Tee has demonstrated commitment to his music and assisting with the music of others. He has made a significant contribution to the Bangkok Patana Big Band and Bangkok Patana Jazz Ensemble and has become a leading force in both groups. Tee has also demonstrated great musical prowess through composition and performance. This student is an avid bassist, pianist, composer, musical technologist and is proficient in various industry standard music software programmes.

Tee has also performed extensively over the years at the Bangkok Patana Concert Series – most notably, the Bangkok Patana Jazz and Blues annual concerts. Congratulations Tee!

Aadit - Jazz Aadit has taken a leadership role in the Bangkok Patana Big Band and the Bangkok Patana Jazz Ensemble for the past six years. He has been involved in countless performances during his tenure with these jazz groups. He has performed at assemblies, recordings and the Bangkok Patana Jazz and Blues concerts giving a great deal to the musical life of Bangkok Patana. He is extremely reliable, diligent and always attends rehearsals and performances well-rehearsed and prepared.

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Arts Awards 2022 Secondary Arts Faculty Hsuan-Ling (Charlene) Chen - Visual Art Award 2022 Charlene is a clear candidate as recipient of the Art award this year. Since the beginning of her GCSE Fine Art course, she has shown an unparalleled enthusiasm for the subject that has seen her generate consistently experimental and exciting artwork. Always challenging herself, Charlene followed her passion to supplement her Fine Art coursework with extra skills she learnt in her free time, becoming particularly adept in polymer clay modelling and animation. At IB level, Charlene began to explore the conceptual possibilities of her artwork and this saw her create a number of thought-provoking and singular responses to the pandemic, mortality and the changing face of Asian life, so that she began to be recognised in international competitions a young artist. Her Final Show for IB saw her artwork draw the attention of anyone who visited, from the very young to the very old, as she made nuanced use of subtle imagery and tactile, interactive experiences. It gives me so much pride to see her further pursue her art studies in the USA this year and I know that her problem-solving mind will lead her into a very exciting future. By Ms Marie- Claire Redman

Angela Braun - Drama Award 2022 We are delighted to be able to give one of the Drama Awards 2022, to Angela (Angie) Braun. Angie has been an absolutely amazing part of the Drama department throughout her whole time in Secondary. She stood out in her Key Stage 3 lessons, moving on to take Drama at (I)GSCE and then into IB Theatre. Angie took IB Theatre at standard level (SL), going above and beyond in this course by completing the Solo project performance unit – which is a unit of work that SL students don’t have to complete!

Within this, she created a fantastic and beautiful piece, in which she used her movement and physicality skills inspired by the theatre theorist Kazuo Ohno. On top of her work in the curriculum, Angie has thrown herself into the extracurricular life of the performing arts, she has been involved in numerous plays and musicals including Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat (2016), The Wardrobe (2018), Hairspray (2018) and Cabaret (2019). Angie has a strong stage presence and is a beautiful performer to watch, being particularly skilled in dance and movement. We are so proud of all of the work that Angie has contributed to the Drama Department during her time at Bangkok Patana and she is a well-deserved winner of this award. By Ms Laura Glanowski

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Arts Awards 2022 Secondary Arts Faculty Gemma Verde - Visual Arts, Drama and Music It is very rare that we encounter a student who excels across all three of our Arts Faculty subjects. Gemma has worked tirelessly and given so much to each of her Arts subjects that this year, independently, Art, Drama and Music teachers nominated her for their individual awards. This achievement is remarkable, well deserved and celebrated below. Well done, Gemma! Before we mention Gemma’s outstanding performance in each of her Arts subjects, I would like to acknowledge her leadership of the Student Arts Council this year and to say thank you to Gemma for being such an ambassador of the Arts at Bangkok Patana School.

By Mr Christopher Ferne

I

t gives me great pleasure to congratulate Gemma for being the winner of the Art award this year. Gemma has demonstrated her passion and commitment towards Art since the early stages of her GCSE Fine Art course. However, the full picture of Gemma’s engagement and dedication towards the Art has contoured during the IB course. Gemma has been a great anchor and motivator for the IB art group, her positivity and resilience are a true testimony to the fact she has embodied the ideal Art student since the beginning. Gemma has overcome with success the challenges of these last two years when COVID restrictions have hindered the natural progress of young artists.

She did not give up and set up a studio in her room tackling difficult painting techniques and sculpture.

Gemma has literally gone above and beyond while creating her art pieces for the final exhibition, an example of this is her stunning underwater photography which she has set up and experimented with outside the lesson time. Gemma is a generous artist who has shown support to the rest of the art students, while being organized and meticulous she has stepped in when needed encouraging some of her fellow colleagues and even helped with the logistics of the Final Exhibition. Gemma’s contribution was instrumental leading the Art Council and we have witnessed the popularity of the Arts growing as a result of the countless hours she has given to write articles, take photographs of the events and promote the Art at Bangkok Patana on social media and within the school community. During the final IB Exhibition, Gemma’s work has engaged with the viewers through the exploration of conceptual qualities and exciting use of media, her “Icarus” piece in particular has created a buzz and the audience engaged with great interest in conversations about the symbolic meaning of the piece. It gives me so much pride to see Gemma further pursue her art studies in the UK and I know that she will achieve great exciting things in her future adventure at the University. By Ms Mihaela Marcovici

T

heatre director, Julie Taymore, talks about the idea of an ideograph, she says, ‘If I were to boil it down (the subject), what would be the one image that I could hang my hat on?’ If I were to apply this to Gemma, it would be a heart, representing her love and enthusiasm for theatre. Gemma’s passion for expressing herself creatively comes through in all her work. Always at the core of this passion is the natural desire to express herself and tell a story. I remember when Gemma was working on her Solo performance. She had her leg in a brace from a recent injury, but she didn’t let that stop her from choosing one of the most physical theorists. She was determined to not let that stop her. Part of the reason we have awarded Gemma with the arts award is that she fully understands and embodies the idea of collaboration which is also at the heart of Drama. Even when working on her solo project she was the one supporting others with their set designs or lighting plots despite the fact that she was still working on her own performance. Effortlessly generous with her time, Gemma has given a lot of herself to the arts and for that we say a well-deserved ‘thank you’ for all your efforts.

By Mrs Katie Meadows

G

emma has been a committed member of the Senior Choir for five years. She has led the alto section with enthusiasm and positivity. Gemma really cares about singing and is confident to seek clarification in the music to enable the altos to sound their best. Gemma has not only demonstrated vocal leadership but organizational leadership. She is highly respected by her peers and is a positive role model. As a director, it has been a pleasure to work with Gemma. Her beaming smile from the alto section will be missed! Good luck Gemma with all your future endeavors and I hope you continue to sing wherever you go!

By Ms Laura MacRitchie

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Arts Council Reflections Overall I really enjoyed being part of the arts council this year. My favourite experience this year was mcing the Christmas Concert in the lounge. It was great to see everyone in the festive spirit and it was the first time since lockdown there was a big event in school. I feel it put everyone in a great mood and I especially enjoyed the part where the audience was engaged with the songs. Max, Year 12 As this was my first year in the arts council, I absolutely loved being a part of it. I really liked helping out behind the scenes of performances even when I wasn't a part of them. A definite highlight for me would be the dance extravaganza, helping manage the younger kids after they danced. Seeing the kids so enthusiastic to dance after so long was a real burst of joy. Rats, Year 10 After the past two years, without live performances, exhibitions and shows, this academic year things were slowly getting back to normal. The Christmas concert, Dance Extravaganza, KS3 play and the final IB art exhibition, there has been a lot of fantastic work done by all the music, drama, dance and art students at Bangkok Patana School. The Student Arts Council has been behind the scenes at many of these events, and we hope to have even more live events to look forward to in the next academic year. Reem, Year 12

Young Entrepreneurs in Year 4 Duncan Ferguson, Year 4 Teacher

I

n their final unit of learning, Year 4 students have become Young Entrepreneurs. Each class has chosen a product and set up four businesses within their classes. It has been a huge project for the whole year group with a multitude of learning opportunities, and students have had to be extremely resourceful and resilient. They carried out research to design their products, learnt how to do marketing, planned and produced a web page, wrote and recorded an advert using persuasive techniques and collaborated to manufacture their products, package them and deliver them. Real-life maths was also important as they worked out their costs per unit and used this information to develop a pricing policy with a realistic profit. The products on offer are bunting, soap, chocolate, bread recipe packs, Laotian dream catchers, planters, bath bombs and coasters. It has been amazing to see the motivation and engagement of the students and the quality of the products they are offering.

The ‘Y4 Online Shop’ opened last week for Year 4 parents to buy the students’ products and pay through a QR code. At the time of writing, nearly 60,000 THB has been raised for the Year 4 charity, the Nan Hill Tribes.

Year 4 are hoping they can hit their target of 100,000 THB by the time the shop closes at 12:00pm on Monday 20th June. Year 5 and 6 students will be invited to a ‘Closing Down Sale’ with special offers before the end of term. This real-life learning has given the students invaluable experience of a huge range of skills at such a young age, and they have absolutely risen to the challenge. Well done, Year 4!

All of the products are sustainably produced and packaged with messages about reusing and recycling included. Students were keen to be ethical throughout the process, and this was a big part of the learning as they planned their business models. Through developing their communication skills within their teams, they learnt to share responsibility for meeting demand; they developed record-keeping skills and helped to teach each other as they fulfilled orders.

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Desert Island Discs With Victoria Hyman, Secondary Curriculum Leader - Physics

T

his column follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?

Today Secondary Curriculum Leader - Physics, Victoria Hyman, is stuck on a desert island.

MS VICTORIA, IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WHAT EIGHT PIECES OF MUSIC WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

One and One - Robert Miles

Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison

The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel

The Story - Brandy Carlile

In The End - Linkin Park

The Lord Bless You - John Rutter

Dreams - The Cranberries

Click to listen to Ms Victoria Hyman’s playlist

PICK ONE LUXURY ITEM YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU. THIS ITEM MUST BE INANIMATE AND OF NO USE IN ESCAPING THE ISLAND OR ALLOWING COMMUNICATION FROM OUTSIDE. An Xbox 360 hooked up to a power source WHICH ONE BOOK WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU? An Encyclopaedia Catch the real Desert Island Discs on BBC. Now that you are stuck at home, what are you listening to? Have a list of your own? Let us know! Contact STML with your favourites.

Habitat for Humanity Table Tennis Competition Aidan McDonagh, Secondary Mathematics Teacher

On Tuesday 14th June, Habitat for Humanity hosted a Teachers Table Tennis Tournament in the Secondary lounge. The teachers battled it out through the rounds whilst many students came to enjoy the spectacle. The event raised over 2,500 THB towards Habitat’s annual build planned for December 2022. Special thanks to Alexis, Chloe, Yanna, Nichole, Cheyenne and Maanya for organising and running the event. Habitat For Humanity is excited for the next academic year and looking forward to upcoming events!

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#222: What Parents Need to Know About TWITCH Twitch is a livestreaming service which tends to focus on gaming.

Users can publicly broadcast their gameplay and commentary online for other users to watch. It’s a community-driven platform where viewers can support their favourite streamers’ channels through PayPal donations, “Bits” and more.

Each streamer or group creates their own community for fans to interact with each other. Twitch has more than 15 million daily active users and includes non-gaming topics such as music, cooking and art. Anyone can create a channel to livestream or watch videos.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of potential risks such as inappropriate content, private chat rooms and strangers.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Brian Taylor Assistant Principal, Campus Curriculum Technology Integration

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COMMUNITY

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COMMUNITY CY-2022-019

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For daily updates, snapshots and news on life at school you can find us here...

643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th 28

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