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Lamphun students
link up to London via video
Nopniwat Krailerg
Thai students from Chakkham Kanathorn School in Lamphun
exchanged knowledge and experiences with students of London’s Cumberland
School via satellite in a VDO conference. It was part of the “Dream and
Team” project at the CAT Telecom office in Chiang Mai.
Ministry
of Education representatives, British Council staff members, including its
director Jon Glendinning, and teachers observe the Thai students’ VDO
conference.
The project was supported by the British Council, the
Ministry of Education and the Youth Sport Trust which supports and promotes
sporting activity for youth in the United Kingdom.
Six students from Chakkham Kanathorn School - Jitsuda
Jinati, Pimploy Meeboon, Sawitree Juntiwong, Kewalin Poonjan, Chotewoot
Suuwan and Buncha Krungnirun - exchanged opinions on sporting activities in
Thailand with their London counterparts. They discussed the most popular
sport in each country, and other topics concerning sport and young people.
Under the “Dream and Team” project, students will
have to arrange a “Global Sport Festival” to take place on the same day
to promote the value of participating in sports.
Thailand’s “Dream and Team” project was established in 2003 and is
sponsored by the Ministry of Education as part of the country’s
educational reform. At present, nine Thai schools have joined the project
and in future it will be promoted to many more schools to cover schools in
various regions.
FERC helps the Children
Garden in Doi Saket
Annelie Hendriks
Three weeks after the fundraising dinner at the Fondue
House, which was a sell-out, the Foundation for Education of Rural Children
(FERC), donated a total of 130,000 baht to the Children Garden in Doi Saket.
Children,
helping hands and some FERC board members went to the farm in Doi Saket to
hand deliver the donations.
The Children Garden is an orphanage led by founder Aik
Lone Khammui (nickname Stanley) and his wife Bu and daughters. They take
care of 26 orphaned hill tribe children or from broken families. The
orphanage is a small farm that aims to be self sufficient within a couple of
years.
The
children from the kindergarten in Doi Saket.
The fundraising dinner collected school and money for
food for these children. The aim was to raise enough money for a whole
school year. FERC volunteers presented a huge calendar and everyone could
buy days in the calendar. One day cost 500 baht and that will feed and
educate 26 children for one day.
 Stanley
shows us the fish pond.
Stanley started this great initiative in March last year.
The farm is doing fine. Pigs are raised, fruit trees are planted and
vegetables are growing and the fish are doing great in the nurseries and big
ponds. A water tower has been donated. But is will be at least one more year
before the orphanage can be self sufficient, and this donation will do a lot
to help Stanley out.
The board members of FERC would like to thank all participants at the
fundraising dinner, but also the people who bought some days from the
calendar afterwards. You all made it possible that these children can
continue their happy life at the farm and that they are able to continue
with their schooling. After all, their future depends on their education.
EARCOS conference in Ho Chi Minh City
Krittika
Wongkiattakajorn, Student Council President
John Allen, Krishya Yimprasert and Warunee Swanson, our
school administrators, recently attended the East Asia Regional Council of
Overseas Schools (EARCOS) Administrators Conference in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam. The purpose of this conference was for managers to receive
information about a variety of issues such as curricula, teaching methods,
supervision methods and other important items in the educational business.
The issues were based on practical information and new
ideas on how to make the school better. John Allen reported on issues that
were useful to our school and he had found much of interest.
Warunee Swanson was very happy with the conference and
said that she found books she had wanted for a long time for the elementary
school that were not in the catalog. She thinks professionally that the
conference was valuable. “I think attending this conference is always a
beneficial and rejuvenating. It makes you feel active and young. You get to
meet other teachers who do the same job, to help each other and talk about
problems,” she said. “It was an enriching experience.”
Our administrators also took a day with the CMIS (Chiang
Mai International School) Administrators and others from APIS (American
Pacific International School) and PREM (Prem Tinsulanda International
School) to do some sightseeing in Vietnam.
Eight English teachers receive awards
School teams goes to Prince Royal’s College
Autsadaporn
Kamthai
The presentation for the “Teacher Who Cares” awards
in Chiang Mai was held on November 18 during the International Education
Week at the International Center, Chiang Mai University.
 US
Consul General Beatrice Camp presents the award to one of the eight
distinguished English teachers.
Eight English teachers were honored. They are Attire
Serape from Chiang Mai University’s Demonstration School, Paramus Chantrat
from Yupparaj Wittayalai School, Phiphat Gnoksamoe from Montfort College,
Vinyuvadee Gujral from The Prince Royal’s College, Asst. Prof. Wanida
Penkingcarn from Chiang Mai University, Asst. Prof. Jirada Wudthayagorn from
Mae Jo University, Asst. Prof. Anchalee Wongla from Rajabhat University
Chiang Mai, and Jenjit Gasigitamrong, the Associate Dean for Academic
Affairs at Payap University. They were rewarded for promoting an
understanding of the United States and American studies to Thai students.
At the same event, presentations were made to the winners of the Brain
Flex Plus! Olympiad to encourage talented school teams. This year’s US
Consul General’s Challenge Trophy went to the Prince Royal’s College
team who successfully retained their championship won last year. The
Montfort College and the CMU Demonstration School came second and third.
Chiang Mai International School presents Godspell
Anticipation is building in the community
for the opening of the Chiang Mai International School (CMIS) latest musical
production, ‘Godspell’. Students in the high school Performing Arts
class have been rehearsing since August to put this new production together,
which opens on Friday, December 3 at the KAD Theatre in the Kad Suan Kaew
(Central) complex for a two night season.
Director
Jonnell Uptin with some of the hippie cast members of ‘Godspell’ ready
to hit the road with the musical in December. Like “Wow, man!”
Led by CMIS music/drama teacher Jonnell Uptin, the cast
of 25 have been through months of singing, acting and dance rehearsals to
prepare for their two performances in Chiang Mai, followed by a week of
touring to Thai schools in the region.
This is Jonnell Uptin’s seventh year at CMIS, and
‘Godspell’ is unlike any of the other productions produced by her at
CMIS. It is a ‘lean’ production, without a lavish set or too many props,
so that it can be easily transported on tour. Full of comedy and lively song
and dance numbers, the show aims to appeal to a broad audience. Some scenes
are even presented partly in Thai.
Ms. Uptin’s vision is that this musical will be enjoyed
and appreciated by Thai school children in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Fang
who may not have ever experienced live theatre. The cast has embraced this
vision and is excited about the opportunity for CMIS to give back to the
local community through the production.
‘Godspell’ tells the story of the life of Christ
according to the Gospel of Matthew, but in 1960’s song and dance. The cast
is in colorful costumes designed and coordinated by student costume designer
Rachel Filbeck (Grade 11). Student director Sarah Schachtel (Grade 11) has
played a crucial role in keeping production details in line and has been a
great asset to Ms. Uptin. A host of parent and teacher volunteers have also
given generously of their time and energy, and are much appreciated as
opening night approaches.
Tickets are 100 baht for children and 200 baht for adults and are
available at CMIS (053-242-027, 053-306-152) or at the door. The sale of
tickets for the Chiang Mai performances will help to cover the cost of
touring to Thai schools in Chiang Rai and Fang, at which admission will be
free.
Prem teams place second and third in Bangkok Volleyball tournament
David
Michaels, Luke Simon, and Janet Powell
Last week, both the Under 16 boys and girls volleyball
teams from the Prem Tinsulanonda International School (Prem) traveled to
Bangkok to compete in the BISAC tournament. Despite some of the competition
having enrollments of over 2000 students, Prem was indeed up to the
challenge.
The
Under 16 Boys Volleyball Team at Prem shows off their second-place trophy in
Bangkok at the BISAC Tournament.
After placing second in the Chiang Mai Athletic
Conference tournament, the boys team looked forward to taking on the
competition in Bangkok. Despite losing the first pool match against the New
International School of Thailand (NIST) in a tightly fought encounter, the
Prem boys showed good form. This form lead to victories in the remaining
pool games with the result being a place in the semi-finals against TCIS,
the winner of another pool.
Prem rose to the occasion and played a convincing two-set
win to earn a place in the final against NIST, their earlier opponents. NIST
won the first evenly fought set by a score of 25-22. Prem began the second
set by losing nine straight points, but composed themselves and battled back
to win a tense set at 26-24. With the final set to decide the fate of the
tournament, Prem once again went down 0-9. However, in a typical display of
Panther heart, the boys clawed back to even the score at 14-14.
Unfortunately, in the final tense moments, NIST won the set, 16-14. However,
the boys came home with a second place outright, truly something to be proud
of.
Prem’s
under 16 Girls Volleyball Team finishes a strong third place at Bangkok’s
BISAC Tournament.
The girls team, having placed first in the Chiang Mai
Athletic Conference tournament, had high expectations. Losing only one game
in their pool, they advanced to the semi-finals where they faced the
tournament favorites, Bangkok Patana. Prem took the first set, Patana took
the second, and in a nail-biting finish Prem lost 14-16 in the final set.
Despite the disappointment, the girls kept their cool and went on to win the
3rd/4th playoff game against ISB.
Having earned second and third places in the BISAC tournament, the boys
and girls under 16 Prem volleyball teams can feel proud of their
performances against much larger schools in Bangkok.
Waiting for autographs
After
the recent football match between Germany and Nigeria, young fans from the
Christian German School in Chiang Mai waited patiently to get autographs on
their bags, caps, or, more appropriately, footballs.
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