Student Achievement 2013/14

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StudentAchievement 2013/14

StudentAchievementA Record of All-Round Excellence

Bangkok Patana School is an IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC

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Bangkok Patana School is dedicated to providing students with a well-rounded education. StudentAchievement celebrates the tremendous accomplishments of our students in the many diverse areas of school life, including academics, the arts, community services, leadership activities and sports during the academic year 2013/14.

Printing: Scand-Media Corp., Ltd.Back Cover Photo: VLM Adventure ConsultantsDate of Production: December 2014

No part of this production may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of Bangkok Patana School.

CONTACT

Primary Principal

Secondary Principal

Cross Campus Principal

Primary Assistant Principal

Head of School Matthew G Mills

Michael Smith

Carol Battram

Suzanne Lindley

Clare Sharp

James Penstone

Jason Cooper

Helen Thew

Michael Balo

Rachel Jones

[email protected]

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Primary Assistant Principal

Secondary Assistant Principal – Curriculum and Assessment

Secondary Assistant Principal – Student Welfare

Cross Campus Assistant Principal – Sports and Extra Curricular Activities

Admissions and Registration

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IntroductIon

Mission 4

Foreward 4

Academic Achievements

The Primary School 5

Key Stage 1 Results 6

Key Stage 2 Results 7

The Secondary School 8

Graduate Destinations 9 - 11

IB Results 12 - 13

(I)GCSE Results 14 - 15

Foundation Board Prizes 16

Mathematics Awards 17

CONTENTSArts Achievements

Arts 18

Instrumental Music Awards 19

Competitions

Sports 20 - 21

House Awards 22

Global Dimensions

Student Delegates 23

Extra-curricular Activities 24

International Award 25 - 27

Community Service 28 - 29

Model United Nations 30

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OUR MISSIONIs to ensure that students of different nationalities grow to their full potential as independent learners in a caring British International School.

Foreword

I am delighted to introduce the StudentAchievement booklet for the 2013/14 school year and to share with you the tremendous achievements of our students.

Bangkok Patana School is an independent, international school with well-established traditions of excellence and a very exciting future. It is widely recognised as one of the highest performing schools in Asia with an enviable record of academic, sporting and cultural achievement.

We recognise that learning is the primary purpose of the School and as such, all members of our community engage in developing their intellectual, creative and physical talents.

Reading through this book, it will become obvious that Bangkok Patana School is achieving its mission and aims. Our students are consistently succeeding in a wide area of academic benchmarks. Their high scores are a celebration for not only the individual students but also for their teachers, parents and the school.

Finally at Bangkok Patana School we believe learning should be challenging and enjoyable and we strive to maintain that balance to ensure our students confidently and successfully face the challenges of the 21st century.

Matthew G. MillsHead of SchoolMSc.Ed., B.Ed., Adv.Dip.TeachingDecember 2014 “experientia docet”

“Experience teaches”

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The Primary SchoolBy Clare Sharp, Principal, Primary School

W ithin the following pages you will have a snap shot of the Primary School, particularly with reference to student attainment.

As a primary school we build upon the development of the child beginning with the characteristics of effective learning. These are playing and exploring, active learning, creating and critical thinking. It is these characteristics that drive

our Foundation Stage learning and upon these that learning is developed for the child, enabling them to acquire skills and knowledge. It is this application that leads to our approach of looking at what the individual child needs to succeed in their learning as well as the bigger picture of what the class and Year group need.

The importance of being principled, caring and open minded continues to be evident as we support our community. Here students grow from experiences and learn to value the traditions and values of others. This is central to the way in

which we help our students grow.Whilst the academic results share our success in reading, writing and

mathematics, many students have achieved personal progress which is highly commendable. This is not only in the classroom but on the field, in the swimming pool, in music, dance and drama. This holistic approach to achievement makes these students shine in many ways, so we celebrate each and every one.

We are extremely proud of all of our students. Visitors continue to comment about the way in which they present themselves in the classroom but also their attitudes and dispositions around school. We realise that supporting your child, especially for our youngest students is significant but in the following pages I hope you will have a small glimpse of the joy we experience when teaching your children.

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Primary School Results

T hese results are based on the National Curriculum Tests for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in Reading and Mathematics. The writing results, including the UK comparison, are based on teacher assessments at Key Stage 1. There are new writing guidelines for Key Stage 2 which the school has followed. All assessments are moderated to ensure consistency

when assigning levels using these guidelines.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

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O nce again I am delighted to report on excellent results from the end of year (I)GCSE and IB examinations with very high percentages of our

students achieving or surpassing their predicted grades. It’s quite easy after being at Bangkok Patana School over a long period of time to assume that high achievement is a given, something that naturally takes place both during the year and culminating in those final exams. It’s also easy as a school to reflect upon and to judge ourselves and the achievements of the students purely based upon those results.

However, I prefer to think of this excellent academic success as being just one of the measures of the success of the school in creating a culture where holistic and personal development are key, where every student is encouraged to recognise and strive to achieve their own individual potential across a

wide range of fields including the Arts, sports, leadership, contributions to school life or service to the community. If this takes place and we ensure that we recognise, value and celebrate this commitment to participation then we are truly a high achieving school.

We are extremely proud that a great deal of this already takes place but we can always keep improving. This year I encouraged the whole Secondary School to follow the example of the highly successful British Olympic Cycling team who adopted the idea of ‘marginal gains’ making one per cent improvements across a range of areas to dramatically improve their overall individual and team performance. If we can all commit to this ideal then perhaps that constant very high achievement can become a given after all.

The Secondary School By Mick Smith, Secondary Principal


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International Baccalaureate By Andrew Roff, Senior Studies Assessment and Curriculum Leader/IB Coordinator

T he International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) consists of students taking six subjects, three at Higher Level and three at Standard Level, each of which can score a maximum of seven points. Additional components are Theory

of Knowledge, Extended Essay (up to three points) and Creativity, Action and Service, giving a maximum possible score of 45 points.

Historical Summary:


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Notable Students

Tracking each students’ progress from (I)GCSE to IB allows us to project a likely points score for students transitioning from one qualification to the next. With this in mind, it is also very important to recognise and celebrate the achievement of the following students who demonstrated excellent application and hard work during the course of their IB Diploma to achieve four or more points above their prediction, based on their (I)GCSE results.

Bangkok Patana School is proud of its inclusive curriculum, and giving students the opportunity, through careful guidance, to study at Diploma level. This makes our Diploma statistics for this cohort a particularly special achievement of which we are all extremely proud.

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E ach year, thousands of students in the UK and around the world sit (I)GCSE examinations. At Bangkok Patana School our students sit both Cambridge

International Examinations (CIE) IGCSEs and Edexcel IGCSEs and GCSEs in a wide variety of subjects.

In May and June 2014 a total of 205 students from Years 9 to 11 sat these examinations. Most students were from Year 11 but there was also an additional cohort from Year 10 sitting their IGCSE Mathematics a year early, along with some students from Year 9 sitting examinations in their home language.

(I)GCSE Examination Results By Shereen Hughes, Key Stage 4 Assessment Leader and (I)GCSE Examination Officer

3 students received a perfect score of 10 A*s

8% of students received 8 or more A*’s out of a possible 10

91% of the students who sat IGCSE Mathematics a year early achieved an A* or A

35% of the Year 11 students who sat AS level Mathematics a year early achieved an A


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Aditya Aylur Cliona Britton ThanyamaiChansavangwonk Jasmine Chia

Janice JeanRachel HoHolly DejsupaSilvia de Gomery

Alexander Jensen Maja Kuehner Jesper KwantTeephop Keerasuntonpong

Sarah Lim

Isabel McDonald

Daral MaesinceePriyansh LuniaAsel Liyanage

Joshua Mo Emma Nicholson Natsharee Pulkes

Josephine Purnomo Ashvin SharmaRiya ShahOve SchoeppnerMillie Ribeiro

Miki Sugita Yada Thanyodom Prawat Trairatvorakul Sebastian Walter Young Sudthatada (Kate)WattanavekinVighnesh Vijay

Foundation Board PrizesBy Simon Griffiths, Student Progress Leader


B angkok Patana School’s Foundation Board kindly sponsors a number of awards to recognise the talents and hard work of a number of our students. Details of this year’s recipients are

outlined below.Foundation Board Higher Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

The two students who attained the highest score from the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme are Prawat Trairatvorakul and Jasmine Chia.Foundation Board Key Stage 4 Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

These students demonstrated an exceptional achievement with 8 or more (I)GCSE results being graded at A or A*. Congratulations to Cliona Britton, Thanyamai (Mai Mai) Chansavangwonk, Holly Dejsupa, Rachel Ho, Janice Jean, Teephop Keerasuntonpong, Priyansh Lunia, Daral (Lily) Maesincee, Joshua Mo, Natsharee Pulkes, Millie Ribeiro, Ove Schoeppner, Riya Shah, Ashvin Sharma, Yada (Tammy) Thanyodom, Vighnesh Vijay, Sebastian Walter Young and Sudthatada (Kate) Wattanavekin.Foundation Board Key Stage 3 Attainment Prize

The 2013 Prize is awarded to: Maja Kuehner, Sarah Lim and Josephine Purnomo. These students attained the highest average reported grades, across all subjects, at the end of Year 9.Progress Prizes

In addition to academic achievement, Bangkok Patana School also recognises students who have worked hard and made exceptional progress across Key Stages. This year we would like to recognise the following students for the progress they have made:Foundation Board Key Stage 2 to 3

The most improved students are Silvia de Gomery, Alexander Jensen and Asel Liyanage; these students showed the most progress between their potential levels and average reported levels at the end of Year 9. Foundation Board Key Stage 3 to 4

The most improved students are Aditya Aylur, Thanyamai (Mai Mai) Chansavangwonk, Daral (Lily) Maesincee and Millie Ribeiro. These students demonstrated exceptional progress by scoring significantly above their potential grades in their (I)GCSEs. Foundation Board Key Stage 4 to Senior Studies

The students who showed the greatest increase in their IB diploma results over what had been anticipated by their (I)GCSE grades are: Jesper Kwant, Isabel McDonald, Emma Nicholson and Miki Sugita.

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MathematicsBy Scott Tooley, Head of Mathematics Faculty

A significant number of Bangkok Patana students have their mathematical lives enriched by a competition organised by the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT).

The three challenges are aimed at 11-18 year-olds but we do enter students from Year 6. Those who successfully negotiate the first round (Senior, Intermediate or Junior) are invited to take part in an Olympiad round which provides students with an opportunity to really focus on the art of mathematical communication at a very high level.

Particular credit should go to all our students who were invited to take part in the Olympiad round for their individual competitions. In addition, two students were invited to take part in the British Mathematical Olympiad - Gregory Winyard and Benjada Korprasertsri.

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ArtsBy Alec Bien

T he Arts programme at Bangkok Patana provides an extensive calendar of school-based annual events. The academic year 2013 /14 was no exception. Our calendar kept us all actively engaged and allowed students opportunities to explore and learn in the arts beyond the classroom environment. As a major international school, we are also connected to a network

of other schools through a Bangkok-based consortia as well as organisations such as SEASAC and ISTA. In Primary School, the production of Peter Pan was performed to a full house every night and the 88-member cast and 24

backstage crew members impressed the audience with their dramatic and musical skills. The Competition Choir, made of students from Years 4 to 8 earned a Silver A Diploma at “A Voyage of Songs”, an international choral competition held in Bangkok. Activities such as the Choral Festival, the Solo Festival and the Informal Concerts put children on the stage giving them the experience of performance and the thrill of achievement.

Annually, Secondary students are given an opportunity to attend a String Orchestra and a Choral Festival, both of which are hosted at ISB (International School Bangkok). We have been loyal participants at these festivals for many years. We support these programmes because the benefits to our students are immense. They collaborate with professional conductors and other student musicians towards a common goal: to learn music to the best of their ability, have fun, and share their achievements with family and friends in a festival performance.

Bangkok Patana, in turn, hosts a String Festival for Key Stage 3 students. Our festival typically involves over 100 young string players, working with the conductors from the participating schools in a fun and informal atmosphere. This festival gives our younger string students a boost and also puts our superb arts facilities to very good use. We also participated in the SEASAC (South East Asia Student Activities Conference) Arts Festival.

ISTA is the International School Theatre Association and it offers workshops and festivals worldwide. We were proud to host the ISTA Middle School Festival in 2014. The visiting artists and all the schools in attendance were most impressed with our school facilities, the warm welcome and the professional organisation of the event. I am certain that they have returned to their respective school communities with high praise for Bangkok Patana School.

We have a full and stimulating school-based Arts programme at Bangkok Patana, but these types of festivals serve as further enrichment and help us nurture a community of artists, musicians and actors across different cultures, countries and schools. Both students and staff members benefit from such experiences and return with renewed energy and fresh ideas. As well, our wonderful facilities and strategic location make Bangkok Patana School a very desirable location for arts festivals.

ARTS ACHIEVEMENTS

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Instrumental MusicBy David Larking, Coordinator of Instrumental Music

T he Instrumental Music Department plays a crucial role in the musical education of approximately 550 students at Bangkok Patana. The Instrumental Music team, consisting of 24 instructors and staff, provide tuition on more than 20 instruments in addition to music theory to students across the school.

External examinations offered at Bangkok Patana are overseen by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and Trinity Rock and Pop in the UK and are highly regarded in the UK and overseas alike; they act as an international benchmark of musical standards. Students at Bangkok Patana are encouraged to participate in these external performance and theory examinations. These exams are organised twice per year and are recommended as they help motivate and chart student progress.

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SwimmingThe 2013/14 acadaemic year was successful for the TigerPrawns and TigerSharks competitive swimming programmes. Highlights of our 2013/14 events:• SEASAC Championships: Boys - Champions, Girls - 4th• BISAC Championships: Seniors - Champions, Juniors

- 2nd• Feeding Frenzy Home Invitational: Overall Team

Champions• Shrewsbury Relays: Seniors - Champions, Juniors - 2nd• ISB SwimFest: 3rd Place Overall Team• Thai Nationals: 8 Individual Qualifiers• Singapore Tri Meet Champions (AIS v UWC v BPS)Stand-out performers included:Luke Gebbie - 15 and Over Boys’ High Point Champion

BISAC and Runner-up at SEASACTan Sriprai - 12 and Under Boys’ High Point Champion

SEASAC15 and Over Boys’ Relay Team ( Luke Gebbie, Chris Lo,

SportsBy Michael Balo, Assistant Principal Sports and Activities

B angkok Patana School participates in three athletic conferences as well as attending numerous invitational tournaments throughout Asia. We have more than 800 students who are actively engaged in about 18 different sports. They make up over 90 teams who participate in more than 500 fixtures per year.

COMPETITIONS

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Ajay Sribhibhadh, Anselm Xavier and Ton Kiangsiri), who broke all four relay records at SEASAC for their age group.

TennisThe tennis teams had a successful year with the three Girls’

teams winning BISAC and the Under 19 Girls winning SEASAC for a fourth year running. The Boys, although winning no titles, did medal in two of the three age groups. Individually we were outstanding at FOBISIA winning four out the six individual titles and Jasmine Olds won the Under 15 Girls’ BISAC crown.

BISAC SinglesUnder 15 Girls’ Champion – Jasmine OldsUnder 15 and Under 19 Boys’ Runner Up – Leo VithoontienUnder 13 Girls’ Runner Up – Savanna OldsFOBISIA Leo Vithoontien - Champion Under 15 BoysJasmine Olds - Champion Under 15 GirlsSavannah Olds - Champion Under 13 GirlsBalloon Ruamruk - Champion Under 11 Girls GymnasticsHighlights included:• Winning the largest number of Boys’ team Golds of

any school across the year’s major competitions including four team Golds at SEASAC, which secured them the championship

• Level 5 Girls’ team winning Gold and Level 1 Girls’ teams taking a podium place at every competition they attended this year

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House System 2013/14By Helen Thew, Secondary Assistant Principal Student Welfare

S tudent input into the House system is very important as they are needed to help organise their teams and create House spirit. Two student House Captains oversee this and they work closely with the Year leaders from the other Year groups. Congratulations to the following House Captains for holding these important positions and for being such strong

supporters of their House.

Congratulations to the following students who received House Spirit Awards:

Ko Chang - Sri HollemaKo Lanta - Momiji Uji Ko Phuket - Jadesada (Lou Lou) SchneiderKo Samui - Piers IllingMany hard fought competitions took place throughout the

year with all Houses fielding strong teams. The table below shows the results from the major House events that took place.

When all the awarded points were in the final House positions were as follows:

Many congratulations to all who participated in a House event and scored themselves House points and a special well done to our 2013/14 champions – Samui House.

COMPETITIONS

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T he role of Student Delegate is a prestigious position within the Bangkok Patana School community. Student Delegates are role models for their peers and for younger students and as such have a leadership role within the student body.

Student DelegatesBy Helen Thew, Secondary Assistant Principal Student Welfare

Student Representative Council (SRC)The SRC strives to enhance the learning environment for

the students of Bangkok Patana School.The SRC is the voice of the student body which deals with

a variety of issues. It is divided into a Senior (Years 10-13) and a Junior (Years 7-9) Council. They dealt with some of the issues listed below:

• Gave feedback on many academic issues including home learning, reports and grading for university applications

• Discussed which virtual learning platform worked best for them

• Gave suggestions for new foods in the canteen and snack bar

• Took part in many charity fund-raising eventsCongratulations and thanks to the Senior and Junior

delegates from each Tutor group for being a part of student voice.

The Key Stage 2 Student CouncilsClasses in Key Stage 2 (Years 3 – 6) elect two representatives

to join the Year group Student Council.The focus of these meetings, and any subsequent actions, is

to give the children a voice and enable them to make a wider contribution to the community as well as to their specific Year group.

The elected children have to represent the views of their class and help with other duties such as raising the Thai flag and helping to organise Year group fundraising events. Once elected, the children are expected to:

• Talk to other children to find out what they think• Listen carefully to others• Represent the views and present the ideas of their class• Attend regular meetings• Report back to their classmatesChildren who master this particular set of skills are well on

the way to becoming caring, open minded and principled, three of our important learner attributes.

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Extra-curricular ActivitiesBy Michael Balo, Assistant Principal for Activities and Sports

B angkok Patana School’s strong ECA programme aids students’ holistic and all-round development, encourages them to develop diverse interests and gives them the opportunity to make a contribution to the community in which they live and study.

Extra-curricular Activities (ECAs) present students with personal challenges, opportunities to contribute to community and environmental projects, extend an interest, learn a new skill or just socialise and have fun. Bangkok Patana School has a robust ECA programme that engages students from Foundation Stage 2 all the way to Year 13.

ECAs at Bangkok Patana can be student-led, skills-based or knowledge-based activites that widen and enhance skills and introduce students to new experience. Skills-based activities included music composition, photography, computer programming and iPad animated movie-making.

The extensive dance programme provided a combination of modern and traditional dance styles for students to explore and excel. Some of the choices students had included Ballet, Hip Hop, Tap, Traditional Thai and Highland dancing. The students’ efforts were celebrated at the end of the Term 3 with the vibrant and energetic Dance Extravaganza, which wowed the audience with the breadth and style of the many different dances.

Beyond the Selective Sports Programme, another 20 sports were offered through the recreational programme. These included sailing, horse riding, yoga, pilates, muay thai boxing and indoor surfing.

Musical extra-curricular opportunities, both school performance and community entertainment, were numerous and well-attended and include the orchestra, jazz band, Primary and Secondary choirs and DJ clubs. Drama and Performing Arts continued to develop opportunities for performances throughout the academic year.

There were over 1,000 students who participated in the International Award programme, which included expedition, field trips and community projects. Popular community service-based ECAs included Habitat for Humanity, Interact, Smile Club and Amnesty International.

ECAs

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International AwardBy Sally Madden, International Award Coordinator

T he Duke of Edinburgh’s (DOE) International Award was first introduced at Bangkok Patana School in the year 2000 and is now in its 14th highly successful year.

The Award is a personal development programme for young people aged 14 – 25 and is made up of four sections: Adventurous Journey, Physical Recreation, Skills and Service. In each level young people volunteer their time and set themselves a personal challenge. There are three levels: Bronze (Year 10), Silver (Year 11) and Gold (Senior Studies).

The Award teaches students to become independent learners, building their confidence, challenging them to think for themselves and teaching them how to be self-sufficient. They work both as an individual and as part of a team; consider what role they play in that team and also how to evaluate and learn from their experiences.

It is a very valuable opportunity and a great enhancement to their everyday studies. The Adventurous Journey is probably the most memorable section where students take part in an overnight trekking expedition.

“The people who choose not to do DOE are definitely missing out because our Gold cycling practice expedition was one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life, as clichéd as that might sound. The memories made with the group and the fun times we shared will be cherished and unforgotten. We learn so much outdoors. Only during the trip do we ever realise the importance of collaboration and teamwork, especially at the campsite and whilst cycling. We learn to tackle problems together as a group and as a result, we overcome our difficulties with ease.”

Ashley Siribhadra, Gold Award holderCongratulations to the Award students listed here who committed themselves to taking on the Award challenge.

Gold Award 2013/14: Year 13, 38 Students

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Silver Participants 2013/14: Year 11, 43 Students

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Bronze Participants 2013/14 : Year 10, 69 Students

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Community ServiceBy Helen Vincent, Secondary Community Service Coordinator and Clare Tomlinson, Primary Community Action Coordinator

D uring 2013/14, Bangkok Patana School Community Action Teams (CAT) continued to provide outstanding support for a wide variety of children’s

educational and social welfare projects, as well as supporting the communities within which these children live. The teams, led by their respective CAT committees, host events for fundraising, volunteer in these communities and generally work tirelessly to provide financial and material aid.

Secondary Students took part in a vast array of community projects, giving up their time to volunteer for the causes they support in Bangkok and beyond. They held a wide range of very successful fundraising events throughout the year as well as campaigns to raise awareness; fundraisers included lunch time entertainment and an evening charity auction.

Senior Studies students also led their own inspirational, independent projects as well as the CAT clubs and were superb role models for the rest of the school.

Community service awards were presented to two students who not only showed huge commitment to their community projects but took key leadership roles, inspiring those around them and were an example to us all.

Wen Mun Lee (Smile):Senior Studies Community Service Award 2013/14 Rosanna (Rosie) Schofield (Project Star):Key Stage 4 Community Service Award 2013/14 In Primary School, the major whole-school fundraisers

were Tiger Spirit Day, Busking Day and Philippine Typhoon Awareness Day. These events collectively raised an amazing 486,000 baht.

Some of these funds supported various projects in Thailand such as Children of the Forest, Sanghklaburi; Sarnelli House Orphanage, Nong Khai; Thailand Hilltribe Education Project (THEP), Operation Smile and Klong Toey Fire Relief. We continue to support the children of Zanskar through a Winter School programme as well as the Chin State Children’s Welfare Fund, based in Myanmar.

Bangkok Patana responded very quickly to the natural disaster Philippines Typhoon Hainan. The Primary School

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held an Awareness Day where we wore the colours of The Philippines flag to show our support. We were able to donate over 240,000 baht to the Philippine Red Cross and The Springboard Foundation as a post typhoon response, helping with the relief work by providing food, healthcare and shelter for the typhoon survivors.

In addition to our whole school events, individual Year groups have continued to organise a whole range of exciting fund-raising activities, from bring and buy sales, various dress up days, sponsored spellathons and writeathons, music concerts and temple fairs to support their own Thailand-based children’s charities. The donations supported organisations in buying food and other consumables, providing medication, educational projects, instruments, equipment and rebuilding schools and homes. In total, the Primary School was able to donate over 1,500,000 baht to support and change the lives of others.

Who we supported in 2013/14Foundation Stage: The Saidek Hub Youth ClubYear 1: Urban Neighbours of Hope Foundation

(Khlong Toey), Lutheran Christian Foundation, House of Praise (Khlong Toey)

Year 2: Chanukroh Day Care Centre, Khlong Toey Safe House, Mae Sot Rubbish Dump

Year 3: Safe House for Hope, In Search of SanukYear 4: Dhammanura Foundation (Kanchanaburi), Khlong Toey Fire Relief, Children’s

Foundation, Lutheran Christian Foundation, MRV Project (Chiang Mai)

Year 5: Good Shepherd Sisters, THEP Pak Weep School (Khao Lak), In Search of Sanuk

Year 6: Thai Red Cross, The Wishing Well Foundation’s Yaowawit Home (Phangna Province)

Music Department: The Immanuel School of Music (Khlong Toey)

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Model United NationsBy Chloe Heather, Michael Brooks, Deepa Patel and Gabriel Henao, MUN Lead Teachers

T he Model United Nations programme (MUN) continues to grow, with over 60 members currently taking part in the weekly sessions to hone their debating and diplomacy

skills. They also benefit from taking an active interest in world affairs, as well as learning to work cooperatively with peers from Bangkok Patana as well as other schools in Bangkok, and through international conferences, around South East Asia.

Lalida Ekasastr and Eli White, the elected Secretary Generals, aided by Parliamentarian Jasmine Chia, ably led the MUN. The highlight of the year was, as ever, the IASAS MUN conference held in Kuala Lumpur. Ten delegates represented Bangkok Patana at what is undoubtedly the most prestigious conference in the MUN calendar, taking part in intense debate over a three day period. Students also attended the Bangkok conference and FOBISIA MUN Conference in January.

In April, 12 students from Years 7-9 attended the 11th annual Middle Years Model United Nations (MYMUN) conference hosted by Mont Kiara International School, Kuala Lumpur. Students represented Turkey and Kazakhstan within various committees and there were a range of debate topics for the delegates.

June saw a new initiative introduced by the incoming Secretary Generals Napas Udomsak and Ajit Rajendran, supported by their parliamentarians Wen Yi Teong, Metinee Ding and Kristie Chow. The traditional third term conference was opened up to local schools with fledgling MUN programmes, providing an opportunity for new delegates to engage in the excitement of a full conference for the first time. Bangkok Patana was proud to host this, with 100 students taking part in the final weekend of the school year. For many, this was their first ever experience of public debate, and offered a challenging and exciting end to the term. This conference also saw a full Bangkok Patana Press team for the first time, with Nancy Italiya filming and Ellis Han and Tim Comer producing detailed written coverage of all the committees, interviewing guest speakers and providing analysis of the debates.

“At the start of debate I had butterflies and hardly raised my placard to speak, but as we progressed my confidence grew and I began speaking frequently. My committee was amazing, being mature and on task during debate and comical and friendly at free time; my chairs were sweet and their pep talk made my butterflies skedaddle. Attending this conference again would be a great learning opportunity and am looking forward to attending the MYMUN XII conference in 2015.” Muskan Shah, Environment Committee, MYMUN 2014.

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BangnaBangkok 10260Thailand

Email: [email protected]

Fulfilling Potential

Documents

Student Achievement 2013/14