around the quad
Welcoming Thai Scholars
Ploy Wattanawanichkul ’17 receiving her diploma from Head of School Phil Peck during Commencement in May
We meet in the photography classroom, surrounded by student work and professional photographs. Ploy sits perched on a stool, her artwork pinned to the corkboard behind her. Reflecting the wide range of projects she tackled this year, the photos range from a black-and-white print made from a film camera to a colorful digital print with Ploy standing among larger-than-life paper cranes. Smiles continually cross her face as Ploy talks about her year at Holderness. “When I walk around campus and I see my friends,” says Ploy, “they greet me with their smiles, and I just feel that I am not alone in this community. ere are so many people around me who try to support me, even though I’m not good at English. It makes me realize I need to speak out and I need to connect with them.” Ploy Wattanawanichkul ’17 is a ai Scholar, one of only about 50 high school students chosen by her government to study in the United States. Dating back to 1897, the ai Scholar Program was originally established by
King Rama V, who understood that the health and independence of his country depended upon staying up-to-date on the knowledge of the time, particularly in math and science. He therefore selected young people to attend western universities and bring back their knowledge to ailand. The program is now merit based, and the Civil Service Commission of the Royal Thai government administers a nation-wide, highly competitive exam. Students have to have a GPA of 3.5 to apply and achieve at least 550 points on the paper-based ToEFL, a standardized test that evaluates a students’ English as a second language skills. The scholarships support students through their undergraduate years and only require that they spend time working in Thailand when they are finished with their degrees. e program also often includes one year at an American boarding school, prior to enrollment in American universities. According to the Student Cultural Exchange website, “In
HOLDERNESS SCHOOL TODAY | fall 2017
1992, the Office of Educational Affairs of the Royal ai Embassy concluded that the scholars who came to the United States would benefit from an orientation to American culture and the American educational system.” Ploy chose to do her orientation at Holderness, and we’re glad she did. “Curiosity is most valuable when balanced with thoughtful care,” says Ploy’s English teacher Jini Sparkman. “And this is what I will hold most dear from my time in the classroom and on campus with Ploy. ough quiet, she was fearless in her inquiry and willing to engage with difficult topics and ask challenging questions of herself and our world.” Ploy’s dorm parent Marilee Lin agrees. “Ploy has that rare combination of humility, drive, and intellectual ability,” she says. “She truly embodies the word scholar. ough she expresses insecurity about her spoken English, she gave one of the most thoughtful, articulate, quietly impassioned Senior esis presentations I have witnessed.” During her year at Holderness, Ploy also took advantage of numerous extracurricular activities. In the fall she joined the field hockey team, even though she had never played. In the winter she joined the Intro to Snow Sports program and learned how to downhill ski, ice skate, and snowshoe. In the spring she joined the Outing Club and had the opportunity to hike New Hampshire’s endless network of trails, as well as try her hand at climbing at an indoor climbing gym. Ploy is one of three ai Scholars who have attended Holderness. Chatarin “Mee” Wong-URailertkun graduated in 2009, and Supavit Pokawanvit graduated in 2016. is year, Holderness welcomed Warich Ngamkanjanarat and Sirapop Klinkachorn. Back in the photography room, Ploy’s face lights up as she talks about her plans for the 2017–18 school year. In the fall she is attending Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, where she wants to study math and education. •