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Lives brightened, memories made
on trip to the ocean
The children are having great
fun playing in the Royal Varuna Pattaya pool.
Paul Strachan
The Rotary Club of Bangkok South made its annual pilgrimage to the sunny
shores of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya on Thursday the 13th of
March for the Kids Day Out.
Ten coaches were used to transport the 300 children and over 30 volunteers
from Bangkok to Pattaya.
Now in its 17th year, this event is the highlight of many of the kid’s
calendars as they get to swim in the sea, play on the beach and enjoy the
fresh breeze drifting across the bay.
Many of these children have physical disabilities and spend most of their
time in care and rarely get a chance to be out in the open.
The volunteers were made up of Rotarians from the Bangkok South Club, some
local Pattaya Rotarians and students from ABAC University and Chonburi
International School.
The students said that they realize that we are all equal and all human and
that we need to help the people who need us, no matter who they are.
The president of Rotary Club of Bangkok South, Michael Schulz stated that
this was a great day out and could only be managed with the generous support
of their many sponsors and that there was a great deal of logistics in
organizing the day, but to see the kids enjoying themselves, made it all
worth it.
In addition the kids were treated to some extra fun as many had their faces
painted in vibrant colors and they also enjoyed the zany antics of the kid’s
entertainer Doctor Penguin. Their bellies were kept full with a buffet of
fried chicken, som tam, and phad Thai.
One 15 year child named Ploy from Baan Notaphumi said that she had been hit
by a car and that it had left her severely disabled; however, she said she
had a great day playing in the pool and enjoyed making sand castles. Ploy
also said that she wants to be a swimming teacher when she grows up and that
she has already participated in a swimming tournament in Malaysia.
Asked what message she has for other people with disabilities, Ploy replied,
“Don’t give up and do good things because you will receive only good things
in return.”
Thank you for giving me the
chance to be here today.
The children are all happy on
this day.
The smiles say it all.
Thank you for the good time
together and for the great memories.
Let’s enjoy this as much as we
can.
I will be with you forever,
you are my best friend.
We enjoy swimming in the sea
and we hope next year we would be here again.
Our bodies are not perfect but
we have a strong heart.
Nong Keaw (right) is very
happy to visit Pattaya, “Thank you so much.”
All good things eventually
come to an end, and it’s time to go.
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Regents hosts record number of ‘London Academy of Music and Drama’ Examinations
Just some of the Regents students
who took LAMDA exams.
Tim Eaton
Regents International School Pattaya is enjoying another successful year
as the Eastern Seaboard’s only LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Drama)
International Examination Centre. This week over 108 eager drama students from
Regents and other international schools in the area took their LAMDA exams at
the school, making it a record year for entrants.
Over 60 Regents’ students were joined by candidates from Garden International
School and St Andrews School Rayong to take part in the
internationally-recognised LAMDA Acting exams. Students can be entered for the
Gold, Silver or Bronze LAMDA award, depending upon their level of proficiency.
The initiative is proving to be so popular that the school is looking to expand
next year to include the assessments in Poetry and Prose Reading, Musical
Theatre, Improvisation and Devised Theatre.
Anastasia, who is an IB Diploma student at Regents, entered for this year’s Gold
Award. She commented, “I really feel that the LAMDA exams have broadened my
range as an actor as well as giving me the opportunity to work on a selection of
challenging plays and characters.”
Nicholas Lewis, Head of Drama at Regents, commented, “The students from all the
schools have performed brilliantly and it’s great to see them come out of any
exam with smiles on their faces. Taking part in the LAMDA exams gives you the
confidence and skills to present yourself under pressure to someone you don’t
know. Students taking these exams are better prepared for job interviews, for
any profession, and Drama School auditions in the future.”
Dima gets into role.
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Pattaya School No. 8 wins ‘Dharma on Time’ quiz
Sponsors, judges and students
participating in the competition pose for a group picture after the award
ceremony at Diana Garden Hotel.
Warunya Thongrod
Three students from Pattaya School No. 8 won 15,000 for showing off
their knowledge of Buddhist teachings at the Diana Group’s ‘Dharma on Time’ quiz
contest.
Diana Group Managing Director Sopin Thappajug and top executives from television
show co-sponsors Sophon and Banglamung cable television were on hand as Naklua’s
monk committee head and Chaimongkol Temple Abbot Punya Rattanaporn awarded the
32,000 baht in prizes to students from four Pattaya public schools.
School No. 8 students Sukanya Kamyan, Metsaya Pharakul and Sivimol Orachon took
home 15,000 baht for first place, while the team from Pattaya School No. 3 won
the 10,000-baht second-place prize. School No. 7 won 5,000 baht for third and
School No. 11 won the 2,000-baht consolation prize.
Chaimongkol monks Mahathaworn Thanawaro and Maha-Athidet Punyawaro served as
judges for the two-part quiz, which required contestants to answer basic
questions on the root of dharma principles and speak on the subject, “Evil:
Better or Not to Commit.”
“I believe dharma can be implemented in daily life,” Sukanya said. “Therefore,
my friends and I read books and work on tests to prepare for three weeks before
the competition.”
“Dharma on Time” is a quarterly Buddhist lecture and knowledge television show
organized by the Diana Group and broadcast on the Sophon and Banglamung systems.
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GIS marks World
Awesomeness Day with flashmob
GIS teachers stunned students with their flashmob.
Mark Beales
Photos by Ritche Guisona
Teachers at Garden International School (GIS) turned on the style with a special
flashmob!
To mark World Awesomeness Day, IB1’s Sarah Chi and her friends helped organise a
special flashmob. After some gruelling practice, the teachers performed for
students. After starting with the theme from Mission Impossible, the teachers
then got down to ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyonce and Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’.
Awesomeness activities are being held in school this year and feature a mix of
music and art skills. A flashmob is an impromptu event, usually dancing, that’s
suddenly staged in public.
Check out the video of our flashmob at www.gardenrayong.com and head to the
Media page.
Work it! GIS teachers strike a pose.
Looking good! Teachers from GIS put on a show for
students.
Regents’ student displays outstanding writing skills to win journalism prize
Regents students have a successful day at the
Amnesty International Thailand Young Journalist Competition.
Tim Eaton
The competition to find the Young Journalist of the Year reached its
climax in Bangkok on Friday 14 March, with one young student from Regents
International School Pattaya scooping a prize for her essay on women’s rights. A
second student was recognised for the outstanding quality of her public
presentation on human trafficking in Thailand.
The Amnesty International Thailand Young Journalist of the Year competition is
in its second year and is proving to be a popular fixture in the school
calendar, with 16 different schools from across Thailand taking part this year.
The Key Stage 3 competition was won by Bel from Regents International School
Pattaya with her essay entitled Women are Worth It. “I am very happy to have won
the award for my paper and I hope it will raise awareness of women’s rights in
the future.”
Julianne in Year 13 at Regents was awarded the competition’s Certificate for
Outstanding Presentation following her stirring presentation, A Story Behind the
Bright Lights of Pattaya.
The 20 shortlisted essays were judged by Alec Bamford of Amnesty International
Thailand and Pravit Rojanaphruk, journalist with The Nation newspaper. Alec
Bamford commented, “It was refreshing to see students source their own
information, choose topics that challenged themselves, and deal with a familiar
topic from an original perspective.”
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