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Raimon Land opens Sanuk Community
Centre for children in Pattaya
Raimon Land staff represented
by Kwanrudee Maneewongwatthana, senior VP communications, visit the Sanuk
Community Centre at its Northpoint construction site in Pattaya to treat the
construction team’s children to snacks, toys and other gifts. The centre is
operated by the Melissa Cosgrove Children’s Foundation.
Award-winning luxury property developer Raimon Land has
taken its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to new levels with the
sponsorship of the Sanuk Community Centre operated by the Melissa Cosgrove
Children’s Foundation (MCCF) at the site of the Bouygues-Thai Staff Camp in
Naklua.
Raimon Land is covering the construction and operating costs for the day
care centre, which will be used by the children of the construction team at
the company’s Northpoint development in North Pattaya.
The Sanuk Community Centre is open seven days a week from 9am-6pm, and all
the children are being offered Thai and English lessons as well as training
in basic hygiene, health and safety. They are fed each day and taken for
field trips to the beach and Hard Rock Hotel.
Raimon Land chief executive officer, Nigel Cornick said, “Raimon Land takes
its CSR programme very seriously, and our support for the Sanuk Community
Centre reflects our commitment to allocating resources to projects that
provide a positive contribution to Thailand, and the staff who contribute to
our success.”
Founded in 2003, MCCF is a non-charitable, not-for-profit organisation
working to help disadvantaged children throughout Asia.
Raimon Land recently won the prestigious Best Developer Award for the second
consecutive year on its way to sweeping four categories at the Thailand
Property Awards 2008.
School fair goes creative
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The development of creativity was the theme of this year’s
educational fair at the Mareevit School on November 21.
 An
aspiring singer shows her talent on stage.
But it wasn’t all serious learning, as students also took turns to show
on stage that they can sing and perform in reasonably creative ways, and
singing almost always in tune.
Premprecha Dibbayawan presided over the opening of the seventh school
fair with its objective for students to develop new skills in the
current academic courses.
Sopha Kloysuwan, project officer for the fair, said the event is held
every year and this year the focus is on “developing creativity” where
the subject classes include Thai language, mathematics, science, social
sciences, culture, physical education, art, technology and foreign
languages.
There were exhibitions of students’ work, ranging from their grades and
activities organized by the Banglamung Hospital.
There were competitions to test students’ knowledge on the go, divided
by elementary class and secondary class. This gave students a chance to
exchange academic views as well as to build positive attitudes in their
relationship with teachers and school.
A couple youngsters view
the student artwork on display.
A young band accompanies
the aspiring singer.
Plenty of books available
at the fair.
Students take part in
making crafts during the fair.
Mareevit students have a
blast at the school fair concert.
Mareevit students
listen to their teacher at the school fair.
Cromwell Industries makes generous donation to PILC welfare
Ingrid Cunliffe
Every once in a while Shaun Burke from Cromwell Industries in Bangkok
donates tools and goods from his business that are either scratched or
dented, to the Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC).
 Shaun
Burke from Cromwell Industries donates tools and goods from his business
to the Pattaya International Ladies Club.
The PILC in turn distributes these tools and goods to the many welfare
projects that we support around Pattaya. This year the Mercy Center
received a substantial donation, and the rest of the tools we managed to
sell for a profit of 10,000 baht.
We used some of this profit to send 40 kids from Bann Jing Jai and the
Independent Living Center to a Halloween party a couple of weeks ago,
which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We will use the remaining funds on
Christmas gifts for the less fortunate to celebrate this wonderful time
coming up in December.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Shaun and Cromwell for supporting our welfare
projects and the people of Pattaya. We look forward to continued support
from you.
Some of funds were used to
send 40 kids from Bann Jing Jai and the Independent Living Center to a
Halloween party.
Seminar drafts new school curriculum
(L to R) Pratheep
Malhotra, managing director of Pattaya Mail Publishing Ltd., Sopin
Thappajug, managing director of the Diana Group, and Wannapa Wannasri,
educational supervisor, at the seminar.
Pramote Channgam
The syllabus for schools in Pattaya is to be adjusted to
emphasize local knowledge in the Ministry of Education’s new national
curriculum for basic education announced this year.
Education supervisor at Pattaya City Education Bureau, Wannapa Wannasri
told the “Management of education for future human resources” seminar,
organized by the Bureau at Pattaya School 7 on November 20, of the
syllabus change designed to equipped students better for working in
Pattaya’s tourism industry, for example.
Pratheep Malhotra, managing director of Pattaya Mail Publishing Ltd.,
and Sopin Thappajug, managing director of the Diana Group, were honored
speakers at the seminar, sharing their management experience and
industry views with more than 100 teachers from Pattaya schools.
The seminar was also a workshop to help develop the Ministry of
Education’s new education curriculum which made changes and improvements
from the basic curriculum 2001, and will be taught in schools from May
2009.
Wannapa said schools in Pattaya should prepare a teaching plan to be
ready to respond to future changes with the aim of greater local
knowledge, foreign language skills, IT training and awareness of the
environment.
She said current education does not emphasize that students should
continue to university, but to meet the needs of students and their
families. After leaving secondary school at class 3 or class 6, if the
students are not ready to continue studying then they can work. Whenever
they are ready later they can take up higher education studies.
Pratheep said that Pattaya earns a large amount of income from tourism,
therefore the city administration should focus more on tourism than it
has to enforce a good legal groundwork for the tourism industry to
operate in.
If this can be provided, visitors to the city can expect to have a safe
and pleasant stay, knowing that their rights are well-protected under
the law.
He said that as there is a current lack of hotel personnel, if the
Education Department wishes to respond to the needs of the industry the
city administration should support setting up a hotel management school.
This training facility should exist to respond to students wanting be
become professionals in Pattaya’s hospitality industry, he said.
Sopin said that she was worried about the surplus of hotels in the city
which is not in accord with the principle of supply and demand.
She recommended that all teachers attending the workshop study the
Pattaya Young PR project which could be incorporated in the new draft
curriculum.
The project will help students have direct conversations with foreigners
and address their current weakness in foreign-language skills.
She recommended that students be taught by professional hoteliers to
ensure a high standard of hotel management education with graduates
being equipped with qualifications meeting current market demands.
Rotary provides clean water for schools
English-learning CDs are
presented to Pisamai Pannoi,
director of Ban Bangpra Kindergarten School.
Pramote Channgam
Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard has donated new drinking water
filtration systems and English-language CDs worth 200,000 baht to Ban
Bangpra and Wat Wanghin schools in Sriracha.
 Students
at Ban Bangpra Kindergarten School drink clean water.
Toy Ryser, president of the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard, presented the
donations to Pisamai Pannoi, director of Ban Bangpra School, and
Chatchanun Nuntawisut, assistant director of Wat Wanghin School,
teachers and students at the schools on November 21.
The Ban Bangpra School has more than 900 students from kindergarten to
secondary school level 3 and Wat Wanghin School has approximately 200
students from kindergarten to primary school level 6 who do not have
clean drinking water.
The donations were made possible by joint fund-raising efforts of three
Rotary Clubs in District 3340 consisting of the Rotary Club Eastern
Seaboard, Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya, Rotary Club Sriracha, along
with the Rotary Club of Nootdorp-Pijnacker District 1600.
Stefan Ryser, past president of the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard, Wibun
Rakthongsuk, president of the Rotary Club of Sriracha, and Rotarians
from District 3340 were also on hand at the presentation.
Stefan Ryser said that many thousands of students from low-income
families in the Sriracha area do not have access to clean drinking
water.
The Rotary Clubs see the giving of water filters as a good way to
contribute to the health of the students.
The water filtration
system is donated
to the happy students at Wat Wanghin School.
Asian University hosts fourth College Inter-Games
Susan Joyce
The four houses in the College at Asian University have just
enjoyed their annual competition in sports and associated activities.
The College is located on the campus of Asian University on Highway 331,
near Jomtien.
 The
best sports award went to Rome House, shown here being cheered on by the
president of Student Union (white shirt).
All the students in the College are members of one of the four Houses:
Rome (Green), Alexandria (Yellow), Troy (Red) and Constantinople (Blue).
The House names were chosen by the students soon after the college
opened.
Seven sports activities were on the programme for the two day event,
including petanque, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, basketball,
football and athletics as well as fun and games. There were fourteen
trophies to be won, not just for the sports but also for the cheering
and the most beautiful banner contest.
 The
most crazy cheering award went to Troy House.
There were volley ball and football matches between teams of students
and the staff.
The trophies were presented by the head master, Mr. Bernard, the main
awards being:
- The best sports award to Rome House.
- The most beautiful banner to Alexandria House.
- The most crazy cheering to Troy House.
- The best cheer leaders to Constantinople.
- The best personal performance at the 2008 Inter-games was awarded to
Thor, the Captain of Constantinople House.
The most beautiful banner
to was awarded to Alexandria House,
with its featuring house captain Super Bong Bank.
‘No sex please, we’re students’
Saksiri Uraiworn
“No sex please, we’re… students” is one of the determined
messages coming out a meeting of 40 Pattaya youth leaders held by the
Suppanimit Foundation at Pattaya City Hall on November 25.
 Sudjai
Nakpien from the Suppanimit Foundation urges students to refrain from
sex at this young age.
Attended by Sudjai Nakpien, Chalika Hanilanee, Ekkachai Thomee and
officers of Suppanimit Foundation, the purpose of the event was to have
youths from different institutions and community organizations come and
exchange ideas in order to help solve problems preventing young people
from realizing their full potential.
Organizers of the event hope to spread this message through word of
mouth where one listener may pass on the information to 30 other youths.
Sudjai said that youths are of course the future of the nation’s
development but at present there are many factors corrupting them, such
as violence, sexual intercourse at a premature age, online games
addiction and drugs.
There are also many factors leading them to become materialists and
support for creativity is too limited.
So immediate responses are needed and “sexual intercourse is seen as one
of the major factors leading to self-destruction,” she said.
Sudjai encouraged parents to give good advice to their children to
separate love, affection and sex as well as to know principles of moral
values. Also every family should allow their children to express their
opinions.
Control is also needed from the media to reduce violence and
pornographic material such as found on the Internet, DVDs or even mobile
phones. Most youths are not mature enough to separate between what’s
right and what’s wrong, leading them to do harm to both themselves and
others.
Pattaya youthful leaders
take part in team building activities between different schools.
Horseshoe Point sponsors
Regent’s Coin Challenge 2008
Jate, Kyla and Sompkeng
link arms to show the partnership between Horseshoe Point, Regents and
the Fountain of Life.
Cassandra Dowling
(Year 9)
On the 28th of November, the Regents School Pattaya hosted its annual
Coin Challenge. The Coin Challenge is where the students and teachers
collect coins (1, 5 and 10 baht) and then place them around the oval, on
one specific day, and in so en-circling the oval with no gaps, making
one long chain. Each of the coins has to be touching and then when it is
completed, the total amount of coins is donated to major Round Square
service projects such as the hill tribe project in Mae Hong Son, the Koh
Phi Phi tsunami project, and HIV/AIDS awareness projects in and around
Pattaya.
 Fountain
of Life children carefully adds their coins to the chain around the
oval.
This year the coin challenge was a fantastic success! The school raised
over 110,000 baht, well exceeding last year’s total of 75,000 baht. The
Fountain of Life was also present again this year donating their coins
that they collect every week to help other people and to understand
about service to others. The Regent’s student council provided every
student from the Fountain of Life with soft drinks, pork, sticky rice
and cookies to thank them for their spirit and support. We look forward
to working with the Fountain of Life on future RS projects and taking
them on our hill tribe project in February.
This year the coin challenge has been generously sponsored by the
Horseshoe Point Resort and Country Club. Khun Jate and his team very
kindly offered a prize to the form class that collected the most money.
The prize is an afternoon of fun games and activities at Horseshoe Point
for the winning form class and some of the Fountain of Life students on
11th December. This prize was, admittedly, great motivation and the form
class that collected the most money was 9G. Their total was 18,015 baht,
a magnificent feat and a school record. The day was full of friendly
competition and exhilarating fun and the next coin challenge is sure to
be awaited with just as much enthusiasm.
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