The Quill: Volume 1 Issue 8

Quill The

Farewell Mr. Andrew & Mr. Darryl

BY WIN

LEELAMANTHEP

Volume 1 Issue 8 May 2014

AROUNDICS 4 Mr. Andrew 6 Mr Darryl

8 Voice for the Voiceless 9 Eagle Eye

AROUND WORLD the

verything is Broken 12 E Thailand - Behold the beginnings of a failed state

LIFESTYLE

14 Seven Spectacular Summer Sights

Pack Booncharoensombat

10 Senior Session Yu Booncharoensombat

ATHLETICS 11 Soccer Satisfaction 11

The Quill May 2014

Contents

47

OUROPINION

6

16 Something Different Reflections

aikay’s Corner 18 W Nihilism

12

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Will Leelamanthep

Pann Sermchaiwong Surawut Withayarukson Time Chaiteerath

Ms. Lissa Scott

EDITORS

ADVISOR

LAYOUT DESIGNER Pann Sermchaiwong Surawut Withayarukson

Young Kwang Shin Poom Sethabutr Prim Thientanakij Khem Somsak

WRITERS Keshav Garg Poon Vorapanyaskul Leah Robinson Win Leelamanthep Khem Somsak Young Kwang Shin Gid Jiranuntarat

AROUND ICS Farewell Mr. Andrew by

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Win Leelamanthep

For almost a decade spent at ICS, Mr. Andrew has been a phenomenally amazing teacher and father figure, one that our school will never forget. As one of the major science teachers, he has left a great legacy behind. From his supernatural kindness to comprehensive lectures, he will always be part of ICS. As he has decided to stop his teaching career, whether temporarily or permanently, the ICS community wishes to express its utter gratitude to him.

Initially, a personal address to Mr. Andrew and paragraphs about him and his success as a teacher seems fit, but once given to ponder on

the matter of fact, words of tons would have more weight than words of one. Therefore, here are some of the letters from anonymous students to Mr. Andrew.

“The lessons Mr. Andrew gave us pertain not only to matters biological, but also moral. This is especially true in his famous ‘take home tests’, which challenged us to be true to ourselves even when no one is looking. I have Mr. Andrew to thank for such a profound lesson on accountability.”

“Perhaps, lessons in Biology are completely unimportant in comparison to what Mr. Andrew has instilled

in us. If you have heard the saying: an ordinary teacher tells; a great teacher shows, then you know that the true lesson, the true message that Mr. Andrew, the great teacher, has conveyed to us is the virtue of human kindness. Mr. Andrew has demonstrated an unending capacity for compassion that touched the depths of our hearts. It is this quality of his makes him wholly

always been one of my most favorite teachers. From casually joking about quizzes over remembering thousands of nucleotides to drawing Titan (the protein) as homework, his somewhat dull and obvious jokes actually brighten up the classroom. I cannot dream of having a better biology teacher. However, it would be nicer if the classroom is a little warmer.”

As seen, Mr. Andrew is a beloved teacher and a respected person in our community. As he departs and goes back to the States, we look at him from afar, remembering him as one of the best members of the community.

The Quill May 2014

extraordinary. Perhaps, it is not him who must make himself worthy of our love, but us who must make ourselves worthy of loving him.”

“Do you guys know what gastrointestinal tracts do to their friends’ cars?”

“They drive them?”

“No. They wreck-them!”

-Inside joke with anatomy students

“Mr. Andrew has

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Farewell Mr. Darryl by

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Win Leelamanthep

Though I have seen him around before, I first truly came to know Mr. Darryl some time after the school year started. A strange man, he rebelliously resists categorization. I failed and still fail to group him with anyone else. To me, he is simply Mr.

Darryl, neither a student nor a teacher, neither a young Joe or an old man, neither an African nor a Canadian nor an American, neither a Christian nor a Muslim nor a Buddhist. He is Mr. Darryl, just Mr. Darryl and nothing less. Saying that he belongs to any classification would draw a

gravely inaccurate picture of him.

To a stranger, Mr. Darryl radiated an atmosphere of aggressiveness, one that a tiger emits when it has eyed its prey, when it readies itself to cut the thread of life. Everyone felt that intimidating atmosphere invading their personal space.

He seemed easily irritated, generally unsettled, and mostly volatile. Every part of his physical appearance conveyed that he is strict.

But like most cases, a

AROUNDICS May 2014

first impression never holds. In this case, it simply shattered.

When one truly knows him, Mr. Darryl proves himself a paternal figure and a supportive hand that shepherds his students through the endless labyrinth called high school. He exhibits a particular quality that no teacher can quite emulate. Patubbatubbatoi.

In the end when he leaves, I can see HS308, an empty room, once teeming with life, love, and joy, sitting wanly and crestfallen, now devoid of those qualities

altogether. I see its boards, its desks, its windows waving their goodbyes and sending their best wishes, still with rivulets of tears on their cheeks, but unable to stop their torrents for once. I see the students who once looked at those boards, sat on those desks and gazed dreamily through those windows, now holding for their teacher a special place in every of their hearts.

I see Mr. Darryl himself, whose body has been worn down by its perpetual fight against

time, but whose mind has won its battle, now has left the table at which he once sat and freed himself to a better soil on which he spends the happy rest of his life unburdened by his current affairs and obligations.

I see that we hold in remembrance his joyful attitude toward teaching, his willingness to engage his students, and above all, his readiness to forgive.

I see that, after all, he is the most worthy of happiness.

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May 2014

AROUNDICS

by

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Greetings Readers.

Perhaps, at the moment, you might be pondering over the odd title of this article. However, rest assured that it will all make sense along the conclusion of this article. If you are a part of the ICS Community (as the writer of this article expect most of you to be), you must have noticed the announcements of an ongoing project called “Voice for the Voiceless.” During this time of the year, most students and teachers cooperate and work on establishing a project to help generate maximum revenue to support this project and its subprojects. Some outstanding projects ought be noted, many of which were started by ICS students to achieve their eventual goal of assisting needy people.

Perhaps one of the

most creative ventures was that of Daniel Ha (9th grader).

Recently, he went to a nearby farm and purchased 45 kg of fresh mangoes. He then decided to take orders from individuals at a price of 100 Baht for 3 kg of mangoes. On May 9th he then sold his mangoes with the assistance of his fellow peers.

Some other trite enterprises included the sale of sodas, meat, cookies, and simple donation boxes. Another interesting strategy is being played by the “Eagle Stream Club.” They are a small club/organization in ICS that runs a website called “Eagle Stream” featuring media of events featured on the ICS campus. The club plans on creating a small income through advertisements and will eventually be able to gather the

Keshav Garg

sums of money to aid the needy.

Our ICS Community (elementary, middle school, high school students; teachers, and staff) make up 1,051 people. If each member of our community donated at a bare minimum of 100 Baht, we could raise at least 105,100 Baht instantly without any loss. Now imagine if only every member donated 200 Baht or 300 Baht.

Yes indeed, one could raise money for the unprivileged in no time at all. The community, can exponentially increase our results towards this project if we donated a mere 100 Baht.

Anyhow, as they say, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Until the community does not push our limits further we will not see drastic changes in the modern society.

BY

Booncharoensombat

May 2014

with Yu

Poon Vorapanyasakul

AROUNDICS

SENIOR SESSION

Q: What would you say is your favorite memory of ICS? A: My favorite memory of ICS would be our Senior Trip to Koh Kood. It was a relaxing place for us to escape from all the school work and college apps, and also gave us a chance to bond even more as well.

Q: What about of your class?

A: I’d say that our last day of school would be my favorite memory of my class, starting from barging into all the classes when the teachers were teaching and ending with chanting 2014 together on the soccer field.

Q: If you could do one thing different during your years at ICS, what would it be?

A: I would participate in more activities and go to more events, so I could get to know more people before I leave ICS.

Q: What legacy do you think your class left behind?

A: Showing respect to all the Thai teachers at ICS on the last day of school by giving them flowers and making most of them cry.

Q: Do you have any advice for you underclassmen?

A: Don’t stress too much over school work and enjoy senior year as much as possible. Spend time with people you love.

Q: If you could describe your ICS experience in one word, what would it be?

A: Amazing

Q: Lastly, do you have anything to say to your class?

A: Thank you for the amazing 12 years. ICS’ 2014 will always have a place in my heart.

Q: If you could describe your class in one word, what would it be?

A: Real

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EAGLES EYE

with

Pack

Booncharoensomba BY

Poon Vorapanyasakul

AROUNDICS

May 2014

Q: Congratulations on completing your first year of high school! How was it?

A: It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

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Q: What do you think is the biggest difference between being in middle school and high school?

A: For me, the biggest difference between high school and middle school is having to take final exams.

Q: Any classes you found particularly hard and why?

A: One of the subjects that I would consider to be challenging would be Honors Thai. Kru Siwaporn gave many pop quizzes.

Q: What was your favorite class this year?

A: My favorite class is PE since no brain power is required hahaha Q: If you could describe your freshman year in one word, what would it be?

A: Different.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most this summer?

A: Sleeping in, free time.

Breakfast at a normal time haha

Q: Lastly, what advice would you give to eighth graders who might be reading this article?

A: Don’t stress too much, it’s not that bad.

ATHLETICS

The big day had arrived breaths were panting and hearts pumping. As the guys got ready to start eyeing up the field and preparing themselves for a big game their opponents were waiting. After an unexpected turnaround the sophomores were playing against the the freshman. Some might say easy win but with the overall season favouring more in the freshmans favour it didn’t look like the sophomores game, especially as the sophomores lost most of their games apart from one draw during the season. Their luck stayed the same until they came to the knockout rounds where they did well enough to qualify for the final.

Speaking to Alan the sophomore intramural captain a major problem they faced during the

by

Leah Robinson

season was team unity and trust.

Throughout the season I was told that they lacked motivation to win which can often be the case when the games don’t go in the teams favour as its easy to lose team spirit. However something that helped the team come through in the knockout games were when they started to pass to each other more, gaining trust in themselves and others so that they could make quick,strategic placements and moves. Talking about the final game I was told that it was intense but not as hard as the team first thought boosting the teams confidence and helping them feel motivated.

Winning the tournament was obviously a huge achievement for the sophomore team but motivation played a large part alongside skill in helping them

do it. Alan reported that winning meant that despite their season they had changed and improved especially as a better unified team.Speaking to Alan about plans for next year I was told that he was hoping to keep mostly the same strong team and when asked about advice for those thinking about joining next year I was told that he would encourage people to join an intramural team. He would say that playing simple is better, being a team player is good and that when there isn’t a leader in place someone should step up and take the role of leader. The winners of the intramurals this year have definitely shown us that being the underdog doesn’t have to mean a losing season, in fact it could mean that you come out on top.

The Quill May 2014

Soccer Satisfaction

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AROUND WORLD THE

Everything is Broken by

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Khem Somsak

Behold the beginnings of a failed state. A few years ago Thailand was a bastion of optimism in Southeast Asia - a rare example of a healthy democracy going hand in hand with a booming economy. Compare that with the nation’s state on May 7th, after a constitutional court ruling ousted the interim Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for replacing a security official with a relative.

Cloaked as it may be in a legal pretext, the ruling does not justify the removal of a head of government. The display only serves to further show how deeply divided the nation has become, and how partisan its institutions have

grown. Unless both sides are willing to take a step back from the brink, the nation could fall into another episode of conflict and bloodshed.

The nation is now essentially divided between two visions of Thailand. To supporters of the Pheu Thai government, the rise of Thaksin Shinawatra represents a blessed relief from decades of rule by political syndicates and military dictatorships. Riding the liberal wave of Thailand’s democratic 1997 constitution, he gave a voice to the previously unrepresented majority, most of them in the less developed North and Northeast. To them, he transformed lives of the poorest with progressive health

and education programs, and challenged the powers-that-be who have long masterminded national policy, from the privileged Bangkok elite to the Privy Council.

To supporters of Mr. Thaksin, the constitutional court ruling and the recent upsurge of PDRC activism (led by Suthep Thaungsuban) are nothing but tantrums of an establishment that cannot

mutual concessions. A good beginning would be to delegate more power to the country’s constituents. Right now, only Bangkok and Pattaya elect mayors in democratic elections; spreading local suffrage to the rest of the provinces would prevent the majority from gaining unchecked power.

This devolution would also allow Suthep and his faction to retain control of their

Southern voter base even when they are unsuccessful on the national scale, helping to break the gridlock. A cutback on Shinawatra nepotism would also be much appreciated.

Negotiations between the two camps have been going on for quite some time, but so far to little fruition.

With growth tee-tottering and social cohesion on the edge of collapse, it is the

The Quill May 2014

accept the results of the ballot box. Indeed, ever since it came to power, the Pheu Thai Party and its predecessors had won every single free and fair election they had run in, and would have done so again last February had results not been invalidated.

A catastrophe could only be averted if both sides are willing to step away from the brink and accept

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LIFESTYLE Seven Spectacular Summer Sights by

Keshav Garg

Greetings Readers.

Today’s article will be featuring some breath-taking journeys to make this summer. Although your plans may be obstructed by the stress of finals, SAT’s, or extracurriculars, remember there is always a time to work and a time to play!

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1. Chand Baori The Chand Baori is a step well located in the village of Abhaneri, Rajasthan.

The step well is said to date back to 800 A.D and was created during the Nikhumba Dynasty.

A special thing about this step well is that the base of the well is almost 5 - 6 degrees cooler than the top of the well. I would definitely recommend this place for people who particularly enjoy history and taking cool dips in the hot weather.

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2 2. Tianzi Mountain - The Tianzi Mountain is an amazing mountain that reaches 1262 meters above the sea level.

The mountain is located in the Hunan Province of China, and due to its gargantuan size has been nicknamed “The Monarch of the Peak Forest.” The Tianzi Mountain and its surrounding mountains served as a theme for much of the setting in “Avatar”

by James Cameron.

3. Salar De Uyuni The Salar De Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat which is at 10,582 kilometers. The salt flat is located in Southwest Bolivia and was formed through transformations between several prehistoric lakes.

When the salt flat is covered with water it also becomes the world’s largest mirror.

3 4. The 12 Apostles A collection of limestone stacks located in Victoria, Australia.

The sight not only features amazing limestone formations but beautiful scenery to the ocean and its surrounding beach. The limestone stacks were originally called the “Sow and Piglets,” but was changed to “The 12 Apostles” for tourism purposes. Although the name says 12 apostles, there are only 8 total stacks.

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5 Netflix, and Oracle) as well as holding Stanford University.

6. Ferrari World - Ferrari World is a Ferrari themed amusement park located in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The park features 20 rides and also has the record for the world’s largest indoor amusement park. Ferrari World also contains the world’s fastest roller coaster known as the “Formula Rossa” which travels at a booming speed of 240 km h.

7. London’s British Library The British Library is the national library of the UK and is located in London, UK. The library features over 150 million items making it the world’s largest library by number of items catalogued. The library holds books from as far as 2000 B.C.

The Quill May 2014

5. Silicon Valley The South Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California, USA. The area gets its name from the large number of innovators and manufacturers of silicon chips, however, has transformed into a high-tech business area. Many prominent technology companies have their headquarters based in this area ( Google, Facebook, AMD, Adobe Systems, Apple, Intel, HP, Pixar, Ebay, EA, Yahoo, NVIDIA,

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The Quill May 2014

Its nearing the end of May, and that means, dear readers, that I will soon become an ICS senior. It has been a long journey, these past twelve years here, and it’s not one that I would call smooth. But it has been a journey nonetheless.

I’ve always wondered though, is whether high school would be considered the “good old days” when I grow up. Once I have washed my hands clean of ICS and conquered the inevitable monstrosity that is university life, will I look back on my time here as the best of times? And to that question, I truly have no answer. I don’t 1 know whether whatever college 6

OUROPIN

Ref

has in store for me will be the best experience of my life; neither do I know whether it will in fact be the cause of severe depression and suicide.

I wouldn’t know, because after all I wasn’t born with the gift of omniscience. However what I do know, is how much I can take from the present, from the moment right now, and how that will affect the person I will be in the future.

It’s not always that I would get the opportunity to share my thoughts, so I thought where else would I be able to share it except for the magazine that I don’t think anyone reads. Before we get

going any further though let’s get something perfectly clear.

I am not ready for college, or university, or anything outside of high school. Hell, I ain’t even ready for senior year. So believe me when I say that I am not looking forward to leaving the comfortable parameters of high school. But time marches on, and what I say or feel have no effect whatsoever on the inevitable. You must also realize, dear reader, that I hate school. I hate everything about it. I hate learning, I hate coming here every day, I hate dealing with pedantic students, I hate dealing with religious fanatics, I hate dealing with

NION

flection by

Gid Jiranuntarat

non-religious fanatics, I hate the majority of the students, I hate listening to lectures, I hate suffering through classes that I couldn’t care less about, and I hate grades. This would be surprising to some, but to others extremely obvious. But this is also to say that I love everything about school. I love some of the teachers here (I say some because to be honest, the others are not worth loving at all), I love some of the people I meet on a regular basis (again the rest aren’t really worth much in my mind), I love the challenge, I love learning the subjects that I do care about, I love listening to the

variety of races, I love holding discussions about a multitude of topics (whether genocide, gay sex, movies, video games, straight sex, or even philosophical issues for that matter), and I did learn to love the school itself. This seems like its straight out of 1984, in which you would expect that I had been put into room 101, and now I have learned to love Big Brother, but indeed I have. I have grown to love this wonderful place I call home, or as much a home as a school can ever be. I have after all spent the majority of my life within these literal and hypothetical confines.

But are these really the good times, the times that I’ll look back on fondly, filled with wistful nostalgia? Well, that I may not know, but I do know this. I can safely say that my life, no matter how low or high it has gotten, has been the best of times, because frankly it’s the only time I have known.

I don’t know any other time I’ve ever experienced. Any situation that happens today is the same that happens in the past. My whole life will be in itself, the best and the worst of times, and there is absolutely no use in separating the two.

The good roll with the bad, and it’s up to us to deal with it accordingly. High school can be the absolute worst years of my life, and I would still consider it the best of times, simply because it’s an experience that I have been fortunate to have experienced. It shows that I am still alive, and I am still capable

of human thoughts, feelings, and emotions. So why would I ever consider something that makes me human as the worst of times?

The future can be as intangible as it wants to be, but let’s be honest to ourselves here.

Que sera, sera. The future may be important, but it’s the now that will affect the future the most. If you want the present to be the good old days of the future, then we must strive to make it so. Our time won’t become the golden days on its own. How we spend it will make it so. In life there will be many things that will be simply out of my control and there really is nothing I can do about them, but what I can do is how to react to such situations. Control the things you can control, and I feel like my question will be irrelevant.

If you gave your best at all the things you deem deserves your best shot, then all these things will inevitably be considered good. In the end, the best I can do is to try my hardest in things now, so that when I do reach the end of my days I can proudly say that I had given my best now, and it would be worthy of praise. If golden days are still in store for me, I still wouldn’t want to know. The future is the future, and there really is no point in worrying about it. The present is what I can control, and so to the best of my abilities I will make it so that these times, and the all the rest of my days will be the golden days of my life.

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May 2014

OUROPINION 1 8

Waikay’s Corner Nihilism by

Young Kwang Shin

The world is in constant flux. Parents scramble to put bread on the table for their children, bakers scramble to bake the bread to put no their tables for their loved ones, and children of bakers and nonbakers alike scramble to earn the opportunity to NOT scramble to put bread on anyone else’s tables.

The human species’ history is a scramble for bread, and only when our bellies are full do we contemplate the higher things.

And when May is done and gone, the Class of 2014 will join

the scramble and the queue will proceed step further. Now ask yourself, why does it all matter?

I’d hate to end the year in a depressing note, but since Something Completely Different is going for that very tone, I decided to do Something Rather Similar. Also, I think if one is approaching the legal drinking age, one should be more inclined to think about the higher things as a final tribute to his or her extended sobriety.

Death is looming above and around us all. Everything we treasure in life: friends, wealth, art, love, nature - our experiences of them will perish with our bodies. In other words, we not only die to the world, but the world dies to us. I can hear a few cry out that ‘We can create our own meaning in life!’ or ‘Life is valuable because it’s temporary!’. Well, I can make up an imaginary friend to cope with the difficulties of life. Creating one’s own meaning in life is a delusion of the worst kind, the kind to which you commit your entire life. The second slogan fares no better. There is absolutely no reason to assume a connection between how long something lasts and its value.

In fact, valuable things seem to be valuable to us regardless of its duration. If there was such a connection, we’d all be better off being robbed of everything we own.

And robbed we will

be when death comes. The more we’ve gained, the more we will lose, and the more tragic will everything be. In the end, not even love cannot solve nihilism - love too will end. We can speak of leaving a legacy, but whatever crumbs we leave behind for the future inhabitants of our pale blue dot to commemorate our achievements, they too will dissipate into history.

Worst of all, if we live, we live as hypocrites.

We live as if good and evil matter, as if human rights (we kinda made that up too) ought to be protected, as if children need to be nourished, as if humanity ought to be celebrated, as if truth is worth seeking, as if beauty is worth being cherished, as if the social contract among the enlightened ought be venerated and preserved.

As if enlightenment would lead to anything other than nihilism.

Albert Camus once said that the only true philosophical question was, ‘Why not commit suicide?’ It is not hard to see why.

We live in the nausea of freedom, as absurdity of the life we lead tries to withhold its laughter. We are free to do as we please, yet that is the root of the tragedy: we remain powerless, except when we pretend not to be. That is why deliberately limit our freedom, through laws and morality, to avoid staring into the abyss.

We, unsurprisingly, repress the nihilism that grows in

our filled bellies. After all, it wouldn’t be too conducive to our survival. We are free, but that’s about it. That is all we’ve got.

I don’t claim to have the answers. But I do think rock bottom is where we must begin our journey. Buddha’s journey to enlightenment was over the moment he realized the absurdity of life; it is high time we realize enlightenment isn’t going to cut it.

We need to seek something that is worth surrendering our freedom.

Something that isn’t just true, but true FOR US. I’m not saying we should go along with every trend we FEEL is right, but any serious investigation into the solution of nihilism entails that which we can commit our lives to. And it cannot be merely subjective: again, that would be nothing short of a delusion.

What we seek is something outside of us, greater than us, yet something worth it for US. But what if something like that doesn’t exist? Then we either die now or die after living a life masked.

If there is anything the Class of 2014 can take with them, it is this. This is the greatest journey they and we will ever embark on, the crux of the human condition. I only wish the best luck for us all.

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