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Fab Flamenco
GIS Spanish students attend
the Flamenco performance held at the Thai cultural centre in Bangkok.
GIS IB students Satya
Shinin and Daniela Escobar
Students from Garden International School recently had
the chance to experience Spanish culture first-hand on a trip to Bangkok.
The GIS students, who all take Spanish as a Second
Language, witnessed a ‘Flamenco Dance Show’ performed by the Ballet
Nacional de Espana at the Thai Cultural Centre, as part of the 13th
international festival of dance and music.
During a scene which portrayed the streets of Espana, men
gathered to sing and others to play music for a lady to dance. The
extravagant traditional dress is called Trajes de faraleas and is
usually brightly coloured, with several layers of ruffles in the skirt which
give it volume. It was incredibly impressive to see the dancers move with
such grace yet force to move their dresses.
Before the students board the
school bus for Bangkok.
The students were awestruck by the fabulous performance
of the dancers and got tingles down their spine on hearing the heartfelt
cries of the singers (cante) and the stamping and clapping of the
dance. The overwhelming music, fantastic costumes and dance movements, with
graceful postures made the experience even more memorable. This event was
both enjoyable and a great learning experience for the students.
Garden International School encourages such events and
aims to show students different cultures from around the world, thus
providing them with an all-round education that promotes an international
mindset.
(L to R) Alexa, Francisco and
Pam look formal for the event.
Last minute photo before the
performance.
The girls are seated and eager
for the show.
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St Andrews students celebrate International Day
Gary Foster, Year 2
teacher at St Andrews International School
The celebration of International Day at St Andrews proved
to be a fantastic day enjoyed by everyone who took part. It was a day of
sharing, as we celebrated our cultural diversity and learned about many
different countries and their customs.
The day began with our International Flag Parade. It was
amazing to see so many students, parents and teachers dressed up in their
country’s colours or their national costumes. Everyone was very proud to
join in with the parade and as the national anthems played we saw the
colorful flags of all the nations represented across our school. The flag
bearers did a fabulous job and they were all beaming with pride when their
moment came.
Throughout the rest of the day, the students were given
the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of cultural activities.
These ranged from Aboriginal dot painting to making Vietnamese spring rolls,
from playing Maori stick games to learning Arabic and from Thai puppet
making to Cuban dancing. By the end of the sessions, there were many
children proudly waving Korean fans, others were wearing English crowns and
another group of children were peering out from behind the Thai masks they
had made.
At lunchtime, the delicious smells coming from over on
the hard-court made our mouths water. Parents had contributed dishes from
their home countries and the range of food was incredible. Everyone had
their favourites and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to sample
everything from Korean kim chee to Finnish meat pies, from Lancashire hot
pot to American pulled pork sandwiches, from Indian samosas to the
lamingtons from the Australia and New Zealand table. Everyone who
contributed to the lunch did a superb job, providing us with such a variety
of really tasty dishes.
The final part of the day was an extravaganza of dance
and performances. The hip hop dancers had us all clapping wildly as they
went through their brilliantly choreographed routine. The Chinese dance was
an interesting blend of dance and martial arts, which was very entertaining.
The energy and aggression of the Japanese ‘Souran Bushi’ dance contrasted
with the beauty and serenity of the Thai dancing. In addition, we all
enjoyed being serenaded by the French Chanteuse and Mr. Peter had everybody
dancing to “De Vogeltjesdans”, also known as the Birdie or Chicken Dance.
All in all, International Day was a hugely enjoyable
event and everyone participated with such great enthusiasm. Thank you to all
the people who contributed their time, their food or their expertise. It
helped to make the day really special and allowed our children to explore
and learn about many different nationalities.
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Regent’s jointly invests with UK’S Riddlesworth Hall
(L to R)
Kwanshanok Techavijit, executive director of the Regent’s School
Thailand; Thiphavan Techavijit, vice chairman of the Regent’s School
Thailand; Dr. Virachai Techavijit, chairman of the Regent’s School
Thailand; Paul Cochrane, principal of the Regent’s UK; Keith Bolter,
chairman of Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory School; and Angela Gregory,
administration manager, Regent’s UK.
Keith Bolter, chairman of Riddlesworth Hall
Preparatory School, the famous 250 year old establishment where the
Princess of Wales studied when she was young, welcomed a co-investment
from The Regent’s School Thailand by Dr. Virachai Techavijit, chairman
and Mrs. Thiphavan Techavijit, vice chairman. The co-investment has led
to educational development, academic cooperation and exchange to benefit
students.
“Reaching Beyond Our Limits” at International Round Square Conference - Wellington
Regent’s students meet Queen Elizabeth II.
Nancy Ellis
The theme of the conference was “Reaching Beyond Our
Limits”. During the time at the conference, the majority of the
activities were related back to this theme and we were tested both
mentally and physically within this area.
We were introduced to many different cultures and
people which was very overwhelming to start with and for some of us it
was a new experience. We learned to respect and be open minded about the
other cultures and religions, although we may be different in that
sense, but then again we are also the same. Having to adjust to this we
had to go beyond our comfort zones and this resulted in us gaining
knowledge and friendships.
The Wellington College crew made sure that no one
from the same school had any activities with each other and that they
were in different meal queues, boarding houses and barazza groups. This
allowed us to make new friends and bond with a group of people who we
wouldn’t have done normally if we already knew someone who was with us.
This made some of us anxious but it definitely got us to speak up and do
things we wouldn’t do on an everyday basis.
Delegates and Mr. Crouch
getting ready to perform a Muay Thai dance.
Activities such as the service day and adventure day
are good examples of people reaching beyond their limits physically.
Service activities that required manual labour such as cutting down
trees or cleaning the beach were activities that were demanding and new
for many of us. We needed to push ourselves mentally and physically to
get the job done to the best of our abilities in conditions and
environments that we weren’t accustomed to.
The Barazza groups were organized by names of
different underground stations in England such as Piccadilly Circus,
Trafalgar Square and Kings Cross Station. There were 2 barazza leaders
in each group who were students at Wellington College and had
volunteered to do this job. The groups consisted not only of students
but of teachers, headmasters and headmistresses from different schools.
Although they were teachers they were placed in the discussion group as
equals with the students. During these barazza sessions, we discussed
what the keynote speaker had said and how this relates to the theme of
the conference ‘Reaching Beyond Our Limits’ along with many other
questions and discussions.
Nine and Ha Eun release
red, white and blue balloons.
The barazza sessions gave everyone the chance to
listen, speak their opinions and receive feedback. Listening to other
people say what they thought about the speaker or the issue presented
made it clear that despite the fact we were all from different
countries, we all had many ideas that we wanted to share and we were all
at the conference for the same reason. Hearing someone give feedback on
your idea, making it better, giving you constructive criticism and
agreeing with them makes you feel as if you have achieved something and
that you are at the conference for a very good reason.
These sessions really made me feel like I was there
for a reason and with just the small act of contributing to a group
discussion had me feel like I belonged. After listening to what the
other people from different cultures and countries had to say about all
the issues I realized how much potential we have as young people and how
we can change the world because WE are the future.
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King and Queen of Greece attend Round Square International
Conference 2011 in UK
(L to R) Thiphavan
Techavijit, vice chairman of the Regent’s School; H.M. Queen Anne Marie
of Greece; H.M. King Constantine of Greece, executive president of the
Round Square Organization; and Dr. Virachai Techavijit, chairman of the
Regent’s School Thailand.
On the prestigious occasion that H.M. Queen Elizabeth
II presided over the Round Square International Conference 2011’s
opening ceremony, H.M. King Constantine of Greece and H.M. Queen Anne
Marie greeted Dr. Virachai and Mrs. Thiphavan Techavijit, management of
the Regent’s School Thailand at Wellington College, UK.
The Round Square International Conference 2011,
hosted by Wellington College, UK, under the theme of “Reaching Beyond
Our Limits”, was attended by 1,000 delegates from 21 countries worldwide
comprising of UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Germany,
Australia, Japan, Thailand, India, Oman, Jordan, Bangladesh, UAE, South
Africa, Kenya, Peru, Bermuda, Armenia and Singapore.
In 2010, Regent’s School Thailand had the great honor
of hosting the Round Square International Conference 2010 in Pattaya.
The Round Square Organization, led by H.M. King Constantine, executive
president, aims at enhancing young peoples’ ethics, life skills and
community services to promote a better world and peace.
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Sahapat Group offers lunch, necessities to child evacuees of Bangkok floods
Youngsters from the flood
inundated Rangsit Baby Home have been evacuated to Pattaya.
Theerarak
Suthathiwong
Employees from a Sahapat Group company treated
children evacuated from flooded areas of Bangkok to lunch and donated
relief supplies for temporary stay at the Banglamung Vocational Training
Center.
Sumet Surachatchairith, factory manager at S & J
International Enterprise Co., and thirty co-workers served up fried
chicken, rice, noodles and ice cream to evacuees from the Rangsit Baby
Home who’ve taken shelter in the Pattaya area until flood waters recede
from Bangkok.
Pinya Jumroonsan, caretaker for the 241 infants and
small children, thanked the Sahapat Group for the lunch, as well as
their donation of powdered milk and consumer goods. Sumet promised
continued support for the children, all under age 6, until they can
return home.
Pinya said the Rangsit home was inundated with water
a meter deep on Oct. 25. A military vehicle relocated them to the
vocational center. They will remain at the center until the water
recedes and the nursery is repaired.
Despite Sahapat’s handout, more supplies are needed.
Anyone wishing to donate can call 081-931-0301 or visit the Vocational
Training Center.
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