Regents clean up the World 2006

Lunch and library donation go to kids of Wat Kao Pothong School

Asian University Commencement Day - 19 September 2006

The Fobissea Music Festival at Garden International School

Regents clean up the World 2006

The hard workers take time out for a group photo of the Regents students, the Wat Mai Nern Payom students and the Lions Club of Jomtien.

Paul Crouch
Senior Teacher
(Round Square)
Regents School, Pattaya
On 17th September 2006 at 10 a.m., a number of day students, boarders, Global Connects and teachers from the Regents School, Pattaya, gathered at a school called Wat Mai Nern Payom near Sriracha, along with a few members of the Lion’s Club of Jomtien. We were all enthusiastic and ready to go for the cleaning task ahead of us.
Mr. Crouch handed out bin-bags and led the way to the beach which was roughly 500 metres away from the Thai School. When we got there the members of the Lion’s Club handed out plastic gloves as we looked on the mountainous task of cleaning the beach. It was so dirty that there were more plastic, beer bottles, clothes, tyres, rubber than sand. It was disgusting.
We got stuck straight into it, filling over 50 black bin bags and Clean Up the World sacks. This consisted of two straight hours of concentrated and determined cleaning. We filled bin-bag after bin-bag with rubbish till we were out of them.
By the end of it at 12 noon, we were exhausted and the beach was not quite as clean as we would have liked it, but it was much cleaner than it had been when we got started. Do you know what the best part of it was: the inner satisfaction I had, we all had at the end of it, for having done our part to Clean Up the World.

These two “Eco-dudes” represent the Regents Primary School.

Global Connects students from Eastern Europe seem to be enjoying the cleanup.

Manee, Girish and Prakhar have a little fun with the clean up.

Global Connects students, representing Regents boarding students, play a big role in cleaning up the environment.

Lunch and library donation go to kids of Wat Kao Pothong School

Narisa Nitikarn
The YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center and Pattaya Sports Club on September 19 served lunch to the children of Wat Kao Pothong School, and donated 10,000 baht to support the school library.

The rice with red pork was delicious.
The presentation, which came under the Lunch Project, was led by chairwoman of the YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center Nittaya Patimasongkroh, Premrudee Jittivuthikan, chairwoman of the Lunch Project, and Bernie Tuppin, charity chairman of the PSC.
Wat Kao Pothong School director Mrs Suchada Voothisiri said that the school received support from government departments that had transferred from the local administration to the Muang Nongprue Municipality, but the received amount was not enough to support all of the school’s children.

The kids loved the ice cream treat for dessert.
However, she said, the school received support from several private organizations including the Pratamnak Lions Club and the Pakistan Businessmen’s Association. On this occasion YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya had cooperated with the Pattaya Sports Club to offer the children lunch, and to donate some money to support the school library.
The children welcomed the visitors with a ballroom dance and a thank-you speech. The group distributed lunch to 254 students from kindergarten to primary school class 6.

Nittaya Patimasongkroh, chairwoman of the YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center, distributes lunch to children at Wat Kao Phothong School.

Wat Kao Pothong School director Mrs Suchada Voothisiri (center-right) receives a donation from Premrudee Jittivuthikan (center-left), chairwoman of the YWCA Lunch Project.

Asian University Commencement Day - 19 September 2006

Graduates of the future.

Bachelors of Engineering and Bachelors of Business Administration graduates pose for posterity.

On Asian University’s seventh Graduation Day, Lord Ronald Oxburgh was invited to present degree certificates to the 2006 graduates.
After a brief welcome by the university president, Dr. Viphandh Roengpithya read messages from H E Anand Panyarachun Hon. KBE, the university council chairman, and from H E David Fall, the British ambassador, congratulating this year’s graduates and wishing them well.

The Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts was especially proud of the first batch of Liberal Arts (BA) graduates in English for Business Communications.
Dr. Vip then introduced Lord Oxburgh who presented the degree certificates to a total of forty-eight graduates. They included Masters of Business Administration (MBA), Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) who have specialised in Business Economics, Finance and Banking, Management, Marketing or Management Information Systems. The Bachelors of Engineering included those who had specialised in Mechanical, Information Systems and Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
The Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts was especially proud of the first batch of Liberal Arts (BA) graduates in English for Business Communications.
Some of Asian U’s overseas students had returned to Thailand especially for the presentation.
Proud parents watched and applauded as the certificates were presented, and each graduate received a few words of encouragement from Lord Oxburgh. Current students from the university and from the college at Asian U were in the audience along with several alumni from previous years.
Lord Oxburgh completed the ceremony with an address when he stressed how lucky these graduates have been to have had an education at a relatively small university, where everyone knows everyone else. He also asked the graduates to publicly thank their parents for making it possible. Like everyone else, he wished the young people luck in their future endeavors.

Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) graduates have specialised in Business Economics, Finance and Banking, Management, Marketing or Management Information Systems.

The Fobissea Music Festival at Garden International School

7th - 12th November 2006

Shane O’Shea at work; all calm assurance

By Andrew Watson
Four weeks down and the pace is hotting up. The faces of twenty five IB diploma students, seated around their Guru Shane O’Shea, in the impressive main hall at GIS, were pictures of concentration. Shane moved around the group with a potent mix of ease and urgency, calming his students’ anxieties whilst cajoling his charges to take a great leap forward. If it wasn’t already clear to the students who will be managing the Fobissea Music Festival, then the magnitude of their undertaking must now be obvious. Indeed, it would be understandable if the students felt daunted or overawed by their huge responsibility. But not a bit of it; they are uniformly eager to take on the challenge.

Some appear over eager. Two students were ejected from the class for a misdemeanour which, in Shane’s view, was inconsistent with the standards of behaviour and the level of commitment he feels is essential if the festival is to be brought to a successful conclusion.
For forty minutes, the objectives and responsibilities of the school towards their Fobissea friends were discussed. Whilst acknowledging that the festival was “not a competition”, Shane stressed that average would never be enough. Without contradiction, he implored the students to aim for a peak of performance which both they and the school could be proud of. The rhythm of the class changed, from soft undulating encouragement, through humorous interchange, to rousing hyperbole. It was clever stuff and engendered a strong sense of unity amongst the assembled. Having expelled two of the number with such immediate firmness, Shane explained how discipline and commitment would be critical aspects as they moved towards success. Nobody was arguing with him.
Something that needs stressing is that the school is meant to go on ‘as normal’ even as the students and teachers work increasingly hard towards a deadline. As the weeks go past, I’m expecting the stress levels to rise as the pressure mounts. Some of the group are sitting public examinations in November, more or less slap bang in the middle of the festival. If they are going to come through these with their potential met, then some tender loving care is in order. Shane explained all of this to his students with almost parental care and attention. When you do this, words act as a panacea for paranoia. Confidence is recharged and energy released; in short, inspiration happens.
Students were encouraged to ask questions and there were many. But by the end, everybody knew their role and understood what was going to happen next. Shane’s a busy man but never too busy to attend to what’s important. In this particular case, he took the time to talk to the two young men whom he had earlier ejected from the lesson. There was no humiliation, only explanation. The message was clear; it’s a team game and nobody is going to get anywhere unless the team wins.
A quick glance at his watch and Shane had to be elsewhere. For some reason, he imagines he has time to coach both the Under fifteen and Over fifteen soccer teams. “I’ve asked the Thai government to increase the number of hours in the day from twenty four to thirty six” he laughed.
For further information, please email music.fest@gar denrayong.com or check at the GIS website; www.gar denrayong.com

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