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Kids' Corner
Happy New Year to everyone. Marvin and I
have been very busy making lots of plans about what we want to do this year
and we have decided to make a New Year’s resolution. That’s a long word
but it just means that this year we are really going to try hard to do
something that will make us better people. Marvin has decided that he wants
to try harder with his homework. He doesn’t like to do his homework after
school so he is going to try to do it as soon as he gets home without
complaining. That will make him a very good student. Marvin wrote this New
Year’s resolution on a piece of paper so that if he forgets he can
remember.
Have you made a New Year’s resolution?
If you haven’t it’s not too late. Think about what you want to try hard
to do this year and write it down on a piece of paper. You could send it to
Marvin and tell him too. You can send your letters to:
 Marg and Marvin
Chiangmai Mail
156-158 Im-boon Housing Estate
Muangsamut Road
T. Changmoi, A. Muang,
Chiang Mai 50300
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 053 234 145
JOKES
1) What is the biggest kind of ant?
2) What do elephants do in the back of a
mini?
3) What is as big as an elephant but
doesn’t weigh anything?
4) What do you get if you cross an
elephant with a flea?
ANSWERS
1) An elephant
2) Play squash
3) An elephant’s shadow
4) A lot of worried dogs
Bye from Marg and Marvin
Dutch foundations open their hearts and their purses
Potable water and education for hill tribe children
Annelie Hendriks
Four Dutch foundations (Wilde Ganzen, ICCO, Samsara and
Rotary Amsterdam) in cooperation with the Foundation for Education for Rural
Children in Chiang Mai will donate 40,000 Euro to school facilities at poor
schools in the mountains of Mae Sariang district.
 The
first 20,000 Euro donation being handed over (from left) Ratana Kheunkaew
(Samsara); Thanom (Department of Education Mae Sariang); Kasem, (director of
Sawan Luang and Mae Lit schools); Surian (director of Baan Den School);
Annelie Hendriks (Samsara/FERC); Praseat (director of Baan Kapoeang School)
and Renee Vines (FERC).
At Mae Sariang they have established close cooperation
with the Education Department. Projects with a total value of 20,000 Euro
(980,000 baht) are already under construction. These include 2 dormitories
and a canteen for the primary school in Mae Sawan Luang (146 children), a
dormitory for the middle school in Mae Lit (240 children), a library for the
primary school Doi Liam (126 children), a drinking water facility for the
small primary school in Baan Den (46 children) and a canteen for the primary
school in Baan Kapoeang (184 children). All the facilities will be furnished
by the foundations.
 Villagers
volunteer in building the library at Doi Liam primary school.
The construction of the buildings is a community based
activity which requires the contribution of the teachers and the villagers.
No salaries are paid, except for very specialist jobs. The children of the
school were involved in clearing the sites, which was great fun for
everybody involved.
 Pupils
eagerly watch the construction.
All the schools are located in the hills and only
accessible during the dry season and therefore very isolated. Children often
can not walk home the same day which is why dormitories are built. Canteens
are necessary because the schools have to provide meals, often three times a
day for the children. In the libraries the children can do homework and
share the books which often are not available for each student. There they
are also able to watch school television, but often the schools do not have
electricity and safe drinking water.
 The
new canteen
The foundations mentioned will spend the second 20,000 Euro at similar
projects in the first half of 2004. The need in this region is enormous. The
foundations will also dedicate themselves to raise more money for these
kinds of facilities, as there are 168 schools in the Mae Sariang district,
of which many are lacking almost all the basics.
Prem Arts and Music Festival deemed a huge success
Katherine Voll
Last Wednesday, parents, teachers and students gathered
in Prem’s Art House for an afternoon celebrating the artistic and musical
achievements of its students.
 Emily
and Lydia, future art critics.
Visitors were encouraged to wander and admire the student
artwork lining the walls. Students of all ages, from Junior School to IB art
students, displayed pieces which used a wide variety of media, including
paint, sculpture and video animation.
In addition, several local artists exhibited their work
and craftspeople were invited to lead workshops for adults and students
alike on everything from umbrella painting to kite making.
A great time was definitely had by all. The atmosphere
was further enhanced by background music provided by Prem’s jazz band,
string ensemble and rock groups who performed throughout the afternoon.
 Sienna,
Sunny and Shanker, the umbrella artists.
After the art exhibition, everyone gathered in the
auditorium for a stirring performance of “Boom”, a Canadian play dealing
with land mines, put on by Prem’s drama club. The play was skillfully
directed by Middle School science teacher Robert Service and featured
several moving performances by students. Not only was the play
well-performed; it also raised awareness within the audience about the
devastating effects of land mines worldwide.
The day concluded with a joint choral performance by the
Prem senior choir and A Capella groups together with the “The King’s
Barbers”, a choral group visiting from King’s School Ely in Ely,
England. The “King’s Barbers” sang wonderfully and showed true
versatility, performing everything from American spirituals to Beatles’
tunes.
In addition, the audience was thrilled to see Prem
singers team up with the Ely boys for several songs, filling the Prem
amphitheater with a harmonious blend of voices.
After the more formal performances by both Prem and Ely
choir groups, several Prem musicians led the audience in an informal
carol-sing by candlelight, sponsored by the Prem Parent School Association.
All in all, parents and teachers alike were amazed at the artistic,
dramatic and musical efforts that students shared throughout the course of
the day. The amount of dedication and talent put into the day was obvious to
everyone who attended.
International choir sings for their supper
And to help Chiang Mai charities
Chin Rattitamakul
The Ely Choristers, from the King’s School Ely near
Cambridge in England, came to Thailand to perform in Chiang Mai raising
funds to be donated to charity organizations in Thailand.
Peter Havis, director of King’s International Study Centre Ely, said
the project this year aimed to raise money for Phayao Northern Women’s
Development Foundation and other charities. “We have received a good
response and we plan to come back every two years,” said Peter.
Father
David Townsand (center), the Jesuit priest from Seven Fountain Catholic
Church, gave the Ely Choristers a warm welcome. Peter Havis, director of
King’s International Study Centre is on the right.
The
performance at Seven Fountain Catholic Church.
CMIS alumni return for 50-year reunion
Kevin Morse
Chiang Mai
International School
Over the past year, Chiang Mai International School
(CMIS) has been hard at work preparing for its first-ever Alumni Reunion in
honor of the school’s Fiftieth Anniversary. From January 2-4, 2004, dozens
of former students, teachers, parents and friends of the school will be in
Chiang Mai to meet up with friends from years past and celebrate the
school’s history together.
 Students
and teachers pose for a photograph at the opening of CMIS’s present campus
in 1958.
CMIS has grown significantly since its humble beginnings
in 1954. On June 1st of that year, eight students began their instruction
with a single teacher on the property of what is now the First Thai Church
of Chiang Mai, along the Ping River. Four years later, in 1958, the school
moved to its present campus, behind the Prince Royal’s College. Today,
CMIS is the largest international school in Chiang Mai, with more than 430
students and nearly 70 staff from 30 countries.
The alumni reunion will give former students and friends
the opportunity to see the changes that have taken place at CMIS (formerly
known as Chiangmai Children’s Center, and Chiangmai Coeducational Center,
CCC) over the years. New buildings have been erected, and the school has
been expanded from a K-8 school to now include a fully accredited High
School program, the first of several now open in Chiang Mai.
The school looks back on its past with thankfulness and
appreciation for the dedication of the many who have contributed to its
development, while looking forward with anticipation as it continues to grow
and change.
Former students, teachers, parents and friends from the school’s
50-year history in Chiang Mai are welcome to contact Kevin Morse in the CMIS
Alumni Office (alumni @cmis.ac.th, 053-242-027) for further information
regarding the reunion.
Plearn Center Christmas fun
Marion Vogt
Santa Clause was seen almost everywhere in Chiang Mai and
did not forget the newly opened ‘Plearn Center’ for Language, Art and
Culture.
It was exciting and fun to watch the small ones getting
in the mood of Christmas, singing appropriate carols.
 A
little suspicious but smiling after receiving something special from Santa.
(Photo by Yui)
Santa took pride in his task to entertain and hand out
little presents. Faces, which were a little suspicious in the beginning,
were soon lighting up when they found out that Santa had indeed remembered
everybody and nobody was left out of the Christmas goodies list.
Children, parents and teachers enjoyed and have already started planning
what can be done in the year to come. Surprisingly Jim Messenger missed
Santa, only appearing after the man in the red suit had left to hand out
more goodies all over the world.
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