Patana News Volume 27 Issue 24

PATANA NEWS

Friday 21st March 2025 Volume 27 Issue 24 www.patana.ac.th

The Future of Libraries

By Stephen Murgatroyd

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Also in this issue...

SEASAC Gymnastics

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Designing for Change

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Habitat for Humanity Build Trip

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Community Engagement

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Patana Participates

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Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS 21/03/2025

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The Future of Libraries Stephen Murgatroyd, Cross Campus Head of Libraries

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hapeshifters is a fantasy series of books, written by Ali Sparkes, which involves a main character called Dax Jones who realises one day that he can change shape - in his case, into a fox! If you have not read them, and you like a good Young Adult (YA) fantasy read, then they are well worth checking out.

However, I digress slightly… the reason for this thought process was thinking about our libraries and how they have changed over the course of the past ¼ of a century. Effectively, much like Dax, they look very different yet when you dig a little deeper they are still very similar, offering a service that is both valued and needed in this modern technological world. In much the same way that an electric car does the same job as one with a combustion engine, yet is completely different, our libraries are still full of books… yet are unrecognisable in so many other ways from where they were at the turn of the century.

books can still be read thousands of years after they were written, which cannot be said about many of the technological methods used and discarded over the past 40 years!

Not more than five years ago, we had a relatively small digital footprint, with thousands of physical offerings in print books, DVDs, CD, Audio CDs, magazines and so on. Fast forward to today and you will still find a vast physical catalogue of media, as that is what our community wants and requires, but our digital footprint has expanded massively, covering thousands of books for a wide range of ages, magazines, graphic novels and comic books. We also subscribe to many research databases, which allow our children and students the opportunity to find out the answers to their questions both online as well as in a book. You need to move with the times, whilst at the same time respecting the past and the strength that printed materials have. After all,

managing its risks. Just recently, I read about a national bank in a country not far from Bangkok that is streamlining operations, replacing 3,000 jobs with AI for greater efficiency and effectiveness. At the same time, it is creating 1,000 new roles to support AI-driven advancements.

This shift does raise questions about the evolving role of humans in these industries—but also opens the door to new possibilities.

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To help us think about these aspects we have enlisted students, parents and staff to gather ideas, thoughts, ideas, which can generate discussion about what direction can be taken so that the libraries at Bangkok The undeniable force in today’s Patana continue to provide what our world is AI. It’s here to stay, and the community needs and wants. challenge ahead lies in harnessing its incredible potential while carefully Interestingly enough, not one person has suggested that there is no place for a library in the future. In fact, everyone still sees a need for them and loves having a specific space where they can chill and relax, work and research, revise and collaborate, read and socialise. Our libraries are a busy hive of activity in all hours of the school day, we are definitely not a ‘quiet space’ and we love the fact that you can walk around all of our libraries and see the children and students taking part in all manner of human related activities, which is an absolute joy to see.

So, where does that leave the library as a physical space, what does a library of the future look like and how far away are these issues before they will need answering?

So, where does that leave the library as a physical space, what does a library of the future look like and how far away are these issues before they will need answering? I would tentatively suggest that now is the time, so that the new technological AI wave can be ridden, rather than wash over us and we become submerged.

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In the discussions we have had, our libraries have been celebrated for the physical space they offer, the collaborative spaces we provide, the number and variety of books on the shelves - including home languages, the ease of finding books that people want to read, the choices of places to read independently, the opportunities and the time given for the children and students to spend time reading as well as having resources that are specifically useful for parents. However, we have also had suggestions and requests about creating more space as things are a bit cramped, not having enough collaborative spaces, not having enough books in certain areas such as home languages, finding the layout of the libraries confusing making books tricky to locate, not having enough places to read quietly 3

and not having enough time to use the library for reading and borrowing books.

us, is that basically people would like us to have more of the same just better! The library is, in fact, a valuable space and resource that the As you can see quite clearly from whole community appreciates. As the the above feedback, one person’s issue of screen time becomes more positive point of view is another’s and more of a hot topic, having a negative viewpoint. So getting it dedicated place where you are able right, moving forwards, is going to to hold something physical in your be no easy task, however, what all hand and connect with your friends of the feedback received so far tells is even more important. Much like the

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invention of the Kindle over 20 years ago was supposed to spell the end of the printed book, and it was not, the advent of AI is asking the question of whether spaces like a library are going to be necessary or needed moving forwards. The answer we are hearing from the Patana community is an overwhelming yes and that could not be a better reply as far as we are concerned. Happy reading.

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SEASAC Gymnastics Georgina Wright, Head Gymnastics Coach

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angkok Patana School proudly hosted SEASAC Gymnastics 2025, bringing together nine schools from across Southeast Asia for three days of incredible talent, fierce competition, and inspiring performances.

High level gymnasts in MAG Level 3+ and WAG Level 5+ performed skills, from giants on bars, double back somersaults on the floor, to back handsprings on beam.

Their warm up and routines thrilled spectators of all ages, including our youngest Foundation Stage students, who watched in awe.

The set up in the sports hall was a fantastic transformation… the event was more than just a competition; it was a celebration of gymnastics, teamwork and sportsmanship.

Teachers, staff, parents and students from across Bangkok Patana turned out in force, cheering on the athletes and soaking in the atmosphere. Year 3 gymnasts were seen with home made banners of support, while Year 2 boys were impressed with the strength required in gymnastics.

nearly 20 years of gymnastics at Patana between them.

Our WAG Level 5 gymnasts reached a major milestone by conquering their kips on bars, and our exceptionally talented primary gymnasts are some of the youngest to compete at SEASAC, among their older peers.

An event of this scale wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of an entire community working behind the scenes. Our Gymnastics coaches took on the roles of trainers, mechanics, decorators and cheerleaders for all schools. Khun King and the Sport and Activities Team were in school from 4.00 am, ensuring deliveries arrived on time. Khun Annie in Transport orchestrated logistics with seamless precision, while Coach Wah’s impeccable organisation kept everything running smoothly. Coach Naam managed the complicated scoring and judges, ensuring every technical detail was taken care of.

Beyond the competition, our gratitude to the external companies who helped make the event a positive one for There were many highlights from our gymnasts who all involved. Get Fresh, offering delicious food, professional delivered unforgettable moments. The cheers that erupted photography with Rembrandt and our own photographers, when Emily landed her aerial on beam were a testament high quality gymnastics gear with iNUS and of course the to her dedication and training. Elsie’s floor routine radiated PTG who promote our Tiger Spirit. Patana’s mascot, Tuk energy and pure love of the sport, earning admiration Tuk, performed in ceremonies, welcoming every gymnast from all corners of the gym. Saira (Captain) and Claire into the competition. The skills shown by this tiger are almost (Vice) performed in their last ever SEASAC, accumulating on par with the gymnasts themselves!

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ACADEMIES AT PATANA

The weekend concluded with a Superhero themed Gala Dinner and Closing Ceremony, giving gymnasts and coaches a chance to come together, celebrate, and reflect on their achievements. It was a time to socialise, capture memories in the fantastic photo booth, and recognise outstanding performances with the Team Awards. The evening began with heartfelt thanks to the dedicated coaches, who have played a pivotal role in shaping these athletes’ journeys. A special highlight was the congratulatory message from Kelly Simm and Claudia Fragapane, our Great British Commonwealth and Olympic gymnasts, who had spent two weeks at Patana earlier in the year. Their words of encouragement and inspiration we hope will leave a lasting impact, reminding every gymnast how far passion and dedication can take them.

SEASAC Gymnastics 2025 was a spectacular display of athleticism, dedication, and community spirit. Whether competing, coaching, cheering, or organising, everyone played a part in making this an unforgettable experience.

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NAME Zea Luenganantakul Billy Howslip Philip Duckworth Ronya Wallin

ALL AROUND AWARD MAG L3 - 2nd Place MAG L3 - 6th Place MAG L4 - 6th Place WAG L5B - 1st Place

Elizabeth Lee Jasmine Beroud

WAG L6 - 6th Place WAG L8 - 3rd Place

NAME Zea Luenganantakul

MAG EVENT FINALS MAG L3 - Floor - 3rd Place Pommel Horse - 2nd Place Rings - 2nd Place Parallel Bars - 2nd Place High Bar - 3rd Place MAG L3 - Floor - 5th Place

Harper Collins Billy Howslip Philip Duckworth

Glar Watakeyanon Caleb Ebrahim Sam Jones

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MAG L3 - Vault - 2nd Place MAG L4 - Pommel Horse 1st Place Vault - 6th Place MAG L4 - Parallel Bars 2nd Place MAG L4 - Parallel Bars - 5th Place MAG L4 - Pommel Horse 6th Place Vault - 1st Place Parallel Bars - 4th Place 9

NAME Isabella Pek

WAG EVENT FINALS WAG L5A - Vault - 3rd Place

Ronya Wallin

WAG L5B - Beam - 1st Place Floor - 2nd Place WAG L5B - Vault - 1st Place Beam - 5th Place WAG L5B - Vault - 4th Place Beam - 2nd Place Floor - 4th Place WAG L5B - Bars - 5th Place Beam - 6th Place WAG L6 - Floor - 6th Place WAG L6 - Vault - 6th Place Bars - 3rd Place Beam - 3rd Place WAG L8 - Vault - 1st Place Bars - 4th Place Beam - 4th Place Floor - 6th Place WAG L8 - Vault 2nd Place Bars - 3rd Place Beam - 2nd Place

Naan Dai

Suri Tiraratanakul

Jasmine Thamprida

Amelie Kawasaki Elizabeth Lee

Jasmine Beroud

Emily Cannon

TEAM WAG L5B WAG L6 WAG L7 WAG L8 MAG L3 MAG L4

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TEAM AWARD 2nd Place 3rd Place 3rd Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 3rd Place

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D e s i g n i n g f o r C h a n g e : John Clare, Design + Technology Teacher

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opefully by now, you have taken a trip to the Arts centre to visit the IB Arts and Design and Technology Exhibition. The exhibition is a demonstration of the hard work our students have put in over the last 2 academic years, with four students included in both Art and Design Technology.

Over the course of Year 12 and 13, our Design Technology students have taken multiple trips to The

Village International Education Centre as part of their Internal Assessment and undertaken their own design project, focusing on socially responsible design. We take four visits to The Village throughout the project, with each visit demonstrating the fantastic work our students have done here at Patana, developing their investigation and initial ideas to fully functioning working prototypes.

Pin approached this project with thoughtfulness and dedication, working with experts from The Village International Education Centre to develop a functional design for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The project combines a competitive numerical game with activities that promote gross motor skills. Pin’s focus on user-centred design, supported by collaboration with students and specialists, ensured the outcome effectively meets user needs. This well-considered project successfully blends learning, movement and social interaction.

MANINTORN (PIN) MANAVUTIVETH Throughout this project, I worked with a team of experts from The Village International Education Centre to innovate a functional design, supporting students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

with students and specialists to develop the prototype under the premise of user centred design, focusing on developmental needs and anthropometric profiles of each potential user.

My project was aimed to support those who have This project therefore is a combination of several difficulties in cognitive thinking by playing a competitive elements including the development of gross motor skills, numerical game which also develops the children’s gross basic mathematical practices and socialising. motor skills by moving around the board. I worked closely

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D+T Students Showcase Their Designs Munk approached this project with an open mind and willingness to collaborate with members of the school, both the students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the personal trainers. His design focuses on addressing tactile needs, aiming to improve attention span by engaging the vestibular system to help manage hyperactivity. Munk’s thoughtful approach and commitment to understanding his users’ needs resulted in a well-considered product that effectively supports both learning experiences and sensory regulation.

KULAMONGKOL (MUNK) SONAKUL NA AYUDHAYA In my project, I worked with Personal Trainers and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder to achieve the goal of creating a product that would support their learning experiences and sensory needs.

needs, would serve as a supporting tool to enhance attention span as much as possible. The idea was to benefit from the students’ requirement to stimulate their vestibular system to help soothe any hyperactivity.

My project, aimed to support children with their tactile

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Transforming Lives: 2025 Habitat for Humanity Build Trip Kulamongkol (Munk) Sonakul Na Ayudhaya and Max Thompson, Year 13

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rom 28th February to 3rd March, 2025, Munk and Max, co-presidents of Bangkok Patana’s Habitat for Humanity club, led 20 team members on a successful build trip to Ayutthaya. Our goal was to give back to the local community by helping construct a new home for a family in need. Through teamwork, manual labour, and a lot of sweat, we not only helped to create a stable living environment but also built lasting memories and bonds within our team.

using steel beams to create a stable framework for the house. On the second day, we installed the wall panels and used cement to reinforce the structure, ensuring it would withstand the test of time. Our team split into two groups: one group dug the septic tank while the other worked on the interior, laying down the foundation for the floor and marking out where the rooms would be.

completed, the roof panels were installed, and the doors were put in place. Finally, we applied glaze to the bricks and silicone to fill any gaps, ensuring a waterproof house.

Unfortunately, due to Thai labour laws (apparently children aren’t allowed to work 24/7—who knew?), we couldn’t work full days. But we made the most of our downtime by organising quizzes, bonding The next day saw the interior team activities, and relaxing as a team in focused on installing door frames and the evenings. windows while the exterior team laid THE BUILD EXPERIENCE This trip was more than just a build; we The experience began with laying out the structure for the roof. It was learned many practical construction out the foundation of the house with all hands-on deck on the final day skills, but more importantly, we were bricks. After securing a solid base, as the whole team came together to able to give back to the community. we installed the skeleton of the walls finish the build. The septic tank was

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THANK YOU We would like to thank the Habitat representatives for welcoming us with open arms and providing us with guidance as well as snacks and refreshments to keep us in tip-top shape throughout the very tiring build.

We send out a huge thank you to our

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generous sponsors—NTasset, HANA, TeenWorks, and Pool & Spa—for making this trip possible. Without their support, this incredible experience wouldn’t have been possible. Finally, as a club, we would like to thank Mr Munir and Ms King for giving up their weekend and accompanying the build trip.

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If you would like to get involved with Habitat for Humanity and make a very worthwhile difference, join our meetings every Friday at lunchtime HUM 310. All Year groups are welcome.

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Community Engagement at Bangkok Patana Eames Kallayawinai and Thiti Bhanarai

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e Love is a community engagement team centered around supporting the integration of the performing arts into local Thai communities, specifically our collaboration with elementary school students from the ages 6-14 at Sawasdee Wittaya and ChamChan Schools.

incorporate that creative direct activism, with our indirect activism in spreading the word across campus in the many events we’ve been involved in, stirring interest surrounding our cause with Patana Students.

In September, ‘We Love: Mario Kart!’ was our launch event at the Community Engagement Fair to introduce our cause to Secondary School students through Mario WE LOVE: TO CELEBRATE! An annual keystone event of ‘We Love’ is our involvement Kart. It was a massive success: getting our peers at Patana with these schools and taking them out ‘to celebrate’ with involved allowed us to inspire individuals who connected fun music, drama, and artistic activities that integrate our with our cause. key goals in providing arts accessibility to the students.

Progressively within the year, we had been reaching out to the Drama department at Patana to involve those we During the holiday season, the ‘We Love’ team cooks up ideas in the studio lab of musical mastery, introducing the help with a novel experience for all; bringing the children children with team games along with the joy of the holiday from ChamChan and Sawasdee Wittaya Elementary spirit and musical madness, handing out goodies and schools onto campus to watch Bangkok Patana’s ‘Grease: toys, and being able to be that musical friend to the kids. The Musical,’ was an experience that was enjoyable to The students at Sawasdee Wittaya Elementary School all. ‘We Love X Grease’ helped bring the We Love team, loved getting involved with the games and activities, and and the schools together providing an experience which just being able to enjoy music and play with the We Love the school teachers remarked afterwards, “was something Team, an opportunity that is not as commonplace, is music the children thought they’d never see in their whole entire life; A once in a lifetime experience to explore new things to their ears. (whether the music room, pond or theatre), that they would At ChamChan Elementary School, the We Love Team have never seen within the walls of their own classrooms. helped the students prepare for their musical involvement We Love & Patana’s friendly nature opened the doors to in their school’s ‘Christmas Celebration,’ where our team the amazing world of theatre.” specialized in practicing and helping give ideas in music, dance choreography, and pronunciation skills. We worked WE LOVE: VALENTINE’S DAY! with them everyday in the build-up to their performances, Our most recent involvement at school got the students helping them with our guidance and direction, taking our at Patana involved with our cause, where we had musical and dance experience as inspiration for the kids to organised a ‘Valentine’s Day Roses & Serenade’ Event, feel the best mentally and musically for their performances. which allowed students to send their love to a special Being able to go watch the final result, and also aid in someone. We went around during the early morning funding for eight musical scholarships from our fundraisers tutorials with our prepared Valentine’s Day candy roses at school, was an unforgettable experience that we will and our singing voices, to send love to all the students who continue to contribute to. donated. In total, we raised over THB 12,000 worth of donations from our service and our stall. We hoped that WE LOVE PATANA EVENTS (WE LOVE: MARIO the receivers felt the love (and that their friends enjoyed KART; WE LOVE X GREASE) their slight embarrassment) and understood the love and Speaking of school fundraisers, back at Patana, ‘We care we always put into our work: making people smile Love’ shifts direction in being able to simultaneously through music and creativity.

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IB Biologists win at the British Biology Olympiad 2025 Emma Unwin, Biology Teacher

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etween 4th and 7th February, 19 Year 12 IB Biologists gave up their free time to come along and sit two 45 minute online assessments that tested their Biology knowledge, application and critical-thinking skills against their peers internationally. 18,500 students took part across more than 1,000 schools all around the world and the results with certificates were presented this week

by Mr Seddon. At Bangkok Patana, we had a significant proportion of students who managed to achieve a leveled certificate. The results are as follows: Commended - Anisa Ngamtrakulpanit, Gena Wang Highly Commended - Pannyanat Tanarujiwiwat, Aishwarya Lingarajan, Qiyin (Jean) Xiang

ernchanvanich, Priyakorn Pabbamnan Silver - Sera Karl, Akane Hirono Gold - Yoochan Hwang, Kulchad (Sheen) Thianthai, Najai Wongpaibool - only the top 5% of students achieved this level As a thank you for taking part, every student obtained a certificate of participation as well as a year’s membership to the Royal Society of Biology. Congratulations to all who took part. Following the interest and successful uptake of the Olympiad, there will also be a Year 10 version, ‘The Biology Challenge,’ later on this year. Watch this space and take part!

Bronze - Baifu Zhang, Xinning Huang, Venice Dumn-

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Patana Participates!

Achievements from Our Community Rodney Fountain, History Teacher

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or the third week in a row, BMX has featured in Patana News, which can only be a good thing! Last Sunday saw the much-anticipated Maxxis pump-track championship being held just 20 minutes from Patana, off Srinagarindra road.

A pump track can be used by balance bikes, roller skates / blades, scooters and skateboards, but this race was only for bikes with pedals. Strange then, that in a pump track race, riders will only pedal for about 10 meters at the very start of the race. The speed for the rest of the race comes from ‘pumping’ the undulations in the track and as crazy as it sounds, they generate even more speed out of the banked turns, or berms. By the second berm they’re at maximum speed and if they need to pedal again, something’s gone wrong!

age categories and waited for their start time. Unlike a regular BMX race, pump track races usually follow a time trial format meaning it’s just the rider against the clock over 2 laps. In 30 seconds or so it’s all over, which is when the nervous wait to see what time the other riders in your category will post begins.

Arjan put in a great time, but sadly not enough to get him on the podium in his category. However, L&D Racing had one rider on there as Rod managed to get third place in Masters.

There are lots of pump tracks littered around Bangkok, and beyond, and so if you want to get ready for the next round then find your way over to www.facebook.com/ pedalsreadgo or message rofo@patana.ac.th to find out more.

History teacher Rod Fountain and one of his L&D Racing teammates, Arjan Hora (10M) signed on to race in their

Photo credits: Rod by 701 MOTO VLOG; Arjan by Peloton Thailand.

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Patana Participates!

Achievements from Our Community Sisi Leung, Parent

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n 16th March, Evie Cho U11, Levi Ross U9, Caden Kong U9, Luke Mahadumrongkul U9 and Yun Yun Myat U7 won ‘Best School Teams Winners’ at AISB Chess Tournament.

Also, Levi Ross won 2nd runner up along with Caden Kong who won 3rd runner up at the U9 category. Yun Myat won 2nd runner up at the U7 category.

Achievements from Our Community Tina, Parent

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ianpu (Torres) 7B achieved First Runner-Up in the Thailand Junior World Cup Golf Tournament last week. Congratulations Torres on your achievement!

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