NewsLetterIssue4 April-June10.indd - RIS stories

NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 4 

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Message from Campus Ministry 5 

New Administration Team at RIS 7 

Hope for Haiti 11 

8-9 

40-41 

12 

Hipping and Hopping on the 4 th Floor 15 

What is Classroom Composting? 17 

Global Issues Network Conference 2010 24-25 

RIST Community Pride 29 

3 rd Season Sports Awards 34 

Learning the True Reward of Service 42-43 

CPA Celebrates Our Students 46 

44-45 

Publication Information: 

Our school newsletter is published four times a year or at the end of 

each school quarter. The objective of the publication is to report on and 

communicate happenings at Ruamrudee International School as well 

as at our sister school, Redeemer International School Thailand. 

At least 2,000 copies are printed per issue to send directly to all students 

and their families. The Newsletter is also distributed among our faculty 

and staff numbering over 500, and mailed to RIS alumni and friends. The 

RIS family is a large and growing community of international citizens. 

20-21 

Newsletter Team 

Editor-in-Chief: 

Fr. Leo Travis 

Editor: 

Deborah Yogachandra 

Layout/Graphic Design: 

Sornchai Pongheamwattana 

Cover Design: 

Sornchai Pongheamwattana 

32 

39 

Printed by Print-At-Me Co.,Ltd. 

6 Ramkhamhaeng 184, Minburi, Bangkok 10510 

Tel: +66 (0) 2518 0320 Fax: +66 (0) 2518 0334 

RIS Website: www.rism.ac.th 

RIST Website: www.rist.ac.th 


3

Message from Campus Ministry 

Dear Friends, 

Today’s NEWSLETTER Quarterly invites you to celebrate! Take a moment to think about this school year 

of 2009 -2010 and see the many opportunities we had to be happy. We celebrate together now, grateful for 

the friendships and encouragement we received from our teachers and classmates. I know that I have a lot to 

be thankful for. You celebrated with me, too. My return from America on November 1st was a big day for 

me. You sang and danced to welcome me back to school. From that day on, my broken hip didn’t bother me 

as much as before, because I was back among you, my friends! I now celebrate your kindness and love. You 

made me happy and welcome! 

The four issues of the NEWSLETTER Quarterly of this school year are great history books. We can be 

honestly proud of the exciting activities that are featured in these volumes. Teachers and students wrote about 

their participation in the happy moments of the year. Did you enjoy the International Ozone Day with the tree 

planting ceremony? That was a special celebration to prove that we are truly united in our commitment to 

protect our environment. Our involvement with the UNEP and MUN is astounding and bubbling with learning 

experiences. How about the Mathivation movement and the debates! We read that these debates provided our 

students with more opportunities to become capable, self-reliant, self-motivated and life-long learners. The 

Middle School Knowledge Bowl also kept us alert, admiring the brilliance of our students. Read about it in the 

newsletters! We celebrate RIS and RIST, moving forward! 

Community Service was very exceptional this school year. At Christmas time a core group representing 

students, faculty, staff and administration went to the remote northern mountains past Chiang Mai to deliver 

blankets and jackets collected from our school-wide initiative, “Keep them Warm.” Others went to Sarnelli 

House to share love and caring. That same spirit helped us to collect more than enough money to purchase the 

furniture needed in three new homes for street children. The children celebrated, and we celebrate with them! 

I particularly am pleased that the front cover of the December issue featured the King of Thailand. We celebrate 

the King on his 60th anniversary. How wonderful! I felt honored that I was invited to say something on TV 

to celebrate the King! His words, “Set your sights on performing your duties to the best of your ability for 

the success of this country...” ask us to concentrate on what is right and good. Then we have a true reason to 

celebrate! 

God bless you, 

Father Leo Travis, C.Ss.R. 

School Chaplain 


5

Letter from the Editor 

I 

love butterflies. The way they flutter through 

the air and land on a flower so delicately, slowly 

waving their wings as if to say, “hello.” Each one 

so different. The funny reality is if nothing in this 

world ever changed, there’d be no butterflies. I 

cannot image a world without butterflies. 

Change is to be expected. And change is a 

necessary quality and an essential attribute of this 

world, and of time and place. I remember when 

our family made the decision back in 2005 to leave 

the familiarity and the comforts of home to move 

across the world to help the less fortunate children 

in India. Natascha was only 11 years old at the 

time, but so willing to give this new lifestyle a try 

to help her fellow man. 

It wasn’t easy. Our world changed significantly 

from what we knew – from living conditions 

to schooling to language to culture – all was so 

drastically different from what we were accustomed 

to. It would have been easy to turn around and go 

back home, but we reminded ourselves of our 

purpose for coming to India; and each time we 

made a difference in the life of a child, we realized 

our own discomforts were small in comparison. 

We left India the spring of 2007. We gave Natascha 

a choice to either move back to the United States 

or to another overseas experience. After spending 

some time at home, she came to us one day and 

said that she would like to experience another 

country, giving her the opportunity for further 

growth. We moved to Thailand in August, 2007. 

Touring several international schools in the area, 

she felt home once again at Ruamrudee. 

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us 

branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach 

new heights. Our roots are forever deep in our 

hometown of Fairport, New York, but the changes 

we have experienced and the friendships we have 

made in the last five years has brought tremendous 

growth to us as individuals. And it doesn’t end 

here. We will move yet to another phase in our 

lives – Natascha on to university in New York 

City in the fall, Nat and I to moving into my family 

home to care for my aging father. 

I thank all of you who have given us the opportunity 

to share life with you, learn a new culture, stretch 

out of our comfort zones, grow and reach new 

heights. I wish for you a world full of butterflies! 

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be 

worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him 

with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the 

poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry 

of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. 

Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. 

Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all 

men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, 

a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven 

for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the 

victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness 

distinguish all thine acts. 

With much love, 

Debbie 

6 

NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 4

WELCOME! 

New Administration Team at RIS 

s many of you know, a new 

Ainterim administration team 

has been appointed at Ruamrudee 

International School recently. With 

the recommendation from the 

Redemptorist General Government 

in Rome and Denver Province in 

United States, this new interim team 

is already busy at work! 

Due to the sudden ill health of 

Fr. Lawrence Patin, C.Ss.R., who 

remains hospitalized in the United 

States, Father Peter Pattarapong 

Srivorakul, C.Ss.R, has relocated 

to Pattaya to take over as Acting 

President of the Fr. Ray Foundation. 

Although we miss Fr. Peter on 

campus and appreciate his selfless 

service and devotion to Ruamrudee, 

we know that he is busy caring for the 

many needy children in Pattaya and 

wish him the best of luck. 

Father Joseph Apisit Kritsaralam, 

C.Ss.R, has been appointed as 

interim Head of School for RIS. Fr. 

Apisit, a former Vice-Provincial 

of the Redemptorists of Thailand, 

previously spent several years 

working at RIS. He returns with 

many years of educational and 

management experience. Welcome 

back, Fr. Apisit! 

Khun Anonth Collaco assumes the role 

of School Manager and Deputy Head 

of Finance and Human Resources. 

Khun Anonth comes to Ruamrudee 

with an extensive background and 

experience in the business arena. 

Father Leo Travis, our beloved 

Father, will continue to be spiritual 

director of RIS and RIST schools. 

His valuable and inspiring presence 

has nourished spiritual and value 

ministries of the school. 

Fr. Thomas Picton, C.Ss.R., of 

the Denver Province in the U.S. 

will oversee the new interim 

administration and assist in the duties 

and responsibilities that are mandated 

within this short-term phase. 

Pursuant to our mission and vision, 

RIS community is committed to 

educational excellence and will 

continue to work hard to maintain 

the overall high standard. We grew 

into one of the best international 

schools here in Thailand from our 

humble beginnings 52 years ago; 

and we will continue t o 

be here well into the 

future serving the 

educational needs 

of the children of 

Thailand. 

Let’s join 

together in 

“union of 

hearts” to 

welcome 

our new 

team! 


7

COMMUNITY 

RIS/RIST Pride in Supporting Fr. Ray’s Children’s Village 

by Marcelina Sawatsewi, RIST Activity Coordinator 

n Earth Day this year, April 

O22, RIS/RIST’s focus was 

on environmental and human 

development issues, specifically, 

helping provide the much-needed 

furniture and planting the beginnings 

of a flower garden for three of the 

homes of the orphans and street 

children of Fr. Ray’s Children’s 

Village. The Village is one of the 

various projects of the Fr. Ray 

Foundation in Pattaya City, Cholburi, 

run by the Redemptorist Fathers. 

Representing RIST in presenting the 

proceeds of 191,000 baht from its 

recently concluded Wordathon were 

11 of Ms. Rachel’s grade 7 homeroom 

students, the class that raised the most 

money. They were chaperoned by 

Mr. Isaac and Ms. Mars. The RIST 

representatives, together with Fr. 

Travis, Mr. Bob and RIS faculty and 

students were welcomed by Fr. Ray’s 

boys and girls clad in Thai costumes, 

their teachers and housemothers. 

Also present were Bro. Dennis, 

Fr. Simeon, and Fr. Peter. 

The children performed two 

Thai dances after which 

Acting 

8 


President of Fr. Ray Foundation, Fr. 

Peter, gave a welcome speech. When 

the RIS and RIST checks totalling 

almost a million baht had been handed 

over, both hosts and guests closed the 

ceremony by jointly singing “We Are 

the World.” 

A tour of the houses followed. 

Each was a one-storey building of 4 

bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a receiving 

room and a dining room/kitchen area. 

Prominently displayed on the wall 

of each living room was a plaque 

acknowledging the donations of RIST 

and RIS. Students were involved and 

busy everywhere - taking pictures, 

planting and watering a flower 

garden, interviewing, and making 

friends. Dripping with sweat in the 

steaming heat of the noon-day sun, 

students in mixed groups participated 

enthusiastically in balloon and paper 

tower games led by Ms. Alissa. It was 

actually heartwarming to watch our 

students mingle and bond with the shy 

and awed residents of the children’s 

village who eventually warmed up to 

their friendly visitors. 

After a simple but delicious lunch 

of steamed rice, fried chicken, and 

soup, and a totally refreshing drink of 

iced black jelly, the visit ended with 

cheers of Thank you, Goodbye, and 

See you again next time. On the bus, 

COMMUNITY 

the students sat back comfortably 

with a look of satisfaction on their 

faces with lyrics of “We Are the 

World” probably going round and 

round in their minds: 

“There comes a time when we 

heed a certain call... 

It’s time to lend a hand to life, 

the greatest gift of all. 

A change can only come when 

we stand together as one.” 

Next year’s project: a much-needed 

soccer field for Father Ray’s 

Children’s Village, perhaps… 

Documentary Film by 

ES Junior Council Members 

ne of the most exciting things happening with this fundraising 

Oeffort is being headed by the JC’s of the Elementary Section 

of RIS. During the visit to Pattaya, JC’s were hard at work 

photographing, videoing and interviewing many of the participants 

for upcoming short documentaries. These mini-documentaries are 

being filmed and edited by the JC’s themselves...and they will 

be presenting them to their homerooms and the rest of the school 

shortly. 


9

COMMUNITY 

HOPE FOR HAITI 

Amid the Worse Devastation, there is Hope 

RIS Unites to Help Haiti 

“ 

Be generous in 

prosperity, and thankful 

in adversity. Be a 

treasure to the poor, 

an admonisher to the 

rich, an answerer of 

the cry of the needy, a 

preserver of the sanctity 

of thy pledge. 

10 NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 4 

“ 

he earthquake that struck Haiti 

Tin the early afternoon of January 

12 has left more than 200,000 dead 

and one million homeless. The 

devastation will only add to the 

poverty and hardship already faced 

by the nation of 8.5 million people, 

where half the people are unemployed 

and nearly 70% live on less than $2 a 

day. 

Haiti’s quake is the worst disaster ever 

confronted by the United Nations and 

it devastated much of Haiti’s already 

inadequate infrastructure, destroying 

a third of the buildings in the capital 

city, Port-au-Prince, as well as its 

water and sewage system; and today, 

this poor country looks to the 

world for basic sustenance. 

Nearly 45 percent of Haiti’s 

population are children. About 

half the nation’s 15,000 primary 

schools and 1,500 secondary schools 

were hit in the quake creating an 

enormous challenge for the Western 

hemisphere’s poorest nation. 

Hundreds of teachers and thousands 

of students were killed. Schools in and 

around this devastated capital could 

remain closed for months or never 

reopen, according to Haitian and 

U.N. education officials. That leaves 

vast numbers of children languishing 

in camps or working in menial jobs 

as they struggle to survive. Repairing 

and building schools to provide 

education is a necessary component 

to their recovery as a nation.

COMMUNITY 

People all over the world have 

opened their wallets to help the 

people of Haiti. Every nation and 

every international aid organization 

in the world has mobilized for Haiti’s 

relief. This tragedy shows once again 

something that we, as human beings, 

have always known: that even amid 

the worst devastation, there is always 

hope. 

With the purpose of restoring that 

hope, Hope for Haiti was initiated 

by Natascha Yogachandra, a senior 

at RIS, with the help of her friends 

and the RIS community with the goal 

of raising enough money to build 

a school. Natascha is also the cofounder 

of Hope is Life Foundation. 

Hope is Life Foundation is 

currently working with two local 

organizations planning for the 

building of a primary school located 

in the Commune of Saut d’Eau, near 

Petion-Ville HQ in Haiti. The name 

of the school is Conservatrice de 

D’Anton. It provides educations for 

approximately 350 students under the 

supervision of Joseph Léon Diefette, 

Director. The previous structure from 

the original school was completely 

destroyed by the earthquake. A 

nearby church is being used for extra 

classroom space/storage. There are 

no bathrooms. Children are escorted 

to the surrounding area to use the 

bathroom. 

In response to the horrific scenes 

witnessed following the earthquake 

in Haiti, the RIS community came 

forward in full force to support Hope 

for Haiti. Students and teachers have 

been involved in several fundraising 

activities since January. Activities 

include used book sales by National 

Honor Society, jump rope competition 

by GI-SEEDS Club, a performance 

by the RIS Theater Ensemble, and a 

book sale by the elementary section, 

to name a few. Over 300,000 baht was 

donated from the RIS community! 

Not only RIS, but students from other 

international schools such as NIST, 

Bangkok Patana and ISB helped 

organized events to raise money for 

Hope for Haiti. Several restaurants 

and private groups in Bangkok 

including Masala Magazine’s A 

Night of Giving, have helped raised 

funds. Schools as far away as New 

York and Connecticut, USA, have 

also joined in helping the educational 

needs of the children of Haiti. 

Natascha is very anxious to visit Haiti 

in late June this year with her small 

team to finalize the plans, obtain 

materials and begin construction of the 

school. Her goal to raise US$50,000 

and personally visit Haiti to help the 

victims will soon be realized. 


11

COMMUNITY 

Happy Thai New Year! 

Songkran is a Thai word which means “move” or “change 

place” as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the 

zodiac. It is also known as the “Water Festival” as people 

believe that water will wash away bad luck. 

ongkran is the Thai traditional 

SNew Year which starts on April 

13 every year and lasts for three 

days. Songkran festival on April 13 

is Maha Songkran Day or the day to 

mark the end of the old year; April 

14 is Wan Nao which is the day 

after; and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng 

Sok, which is the day the New Year 

begins. Our schools were able to 

begin the festivities early on April 8 

at our all-school assembly, ringing in 

a new year with song and dance and 

paying homage to our administrators 

and teachers. 

The Songkran tradition is recognized 

as a valuable custom for the Thai 

community, society and religion. It 

provides the opportunity for family 

members to gather in order to express 

their respect to the elders by pouring 

scented water onto the palms of 

their parents and grandparents; and 

to present them with gifts, which 

include making merits to dedicate the 

result to their ancestors. The elders in 

return wish the youngsters good luck 

and prosperity. 

Songkran creates unity in the 

community by jointly acquiring 

merits, meeting each other and 

enjoying the entertaining events 

together. Society benefits as 

well, creating a concern upon the 

environment with cooperation such 

as cleaning houses, temples, public 

places and official buildings. Thais 

value the religion by means of merits 

acquisition, offerings alms to monks, 

Dhamma Practice, listening to 

sermons and monks-bathing. 

In the afternoon, after performing 

a bathing rite for Buddha images 

and the monks, the celebrants both 

young and old, joyfully splash water 

on each other. The most-talked 

about celebration takes place in the 

northern province of Chiang Mai 

where Songkran is celebrated from 

April 13 to 15. During this period, 

people from all parts of the country 

flock there to enjoy the water festival, 

to watch the Miss Songkran Contest 

and the beautiful parades. 

12 


CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

EARCOS 8 th Teachers’ Conference 2010 

by Teresa VandeLune, RIST ETC Teachers’ Representative and Olivier Fernandez, RIS ETC Teachers’ Representative 

he East Asian Region Council 

Tof Overseas Schools Teachers’ 

Conference (ETC) was held 

March 25-28, 2010 in Manila, 

Philippines. Over 1,000 teachers 

and counselors from several Asian 

countries including Thailand, Japan, 

Mongolia, China, Myanmar, Hong 

Kong, and Philippines attended the 

conference. From our campus, eight 

representatives from RIST and 52 

from RIS took part in professional 

learning opportunities at ETC. 

Two counselors, Pascale Thomas 

of RIS and Steven Summerfield 

of RIST, were presenters at the 

conference and shared their expertise 

with fellow conference attendees. 

Steven’s workshop was entitled, 

“My Homeroom is My Castle” and 

Pascale’s workshop was entitled 

“Be True to You.” Both were well 

attended by teachers from throughout 

the region. 

RIS and RIST teachers were inspired 

by the Keynote speakers with the 

“ Attending ETC is always inspirational, and I especially 

enjoyed Taylor Mali’s poetry workshops. I came back to 

school enthused and ready to teach a new poetry unit” 

Tim Mitchell, RIST English teacher 

poetry of Taylor Mali, the technology 

knowledge of Alan November, and 

the brain-power of John Joseph. 

Teachers and counselors were able 

to attend workshops, connect with 

former colleagues, examine the new 

books and tools in education, and 

learn about Philippine culture. 

The conference left teachers 

pondering which ideas they could 

utilize to improve their teaching 

skills and what to try first. Melanie 

Fawcett, RIS High School English 

teacher commented, “The ETC 

was a wonderful experience as an 

International teacher, the opportunity 

to meet other teachers and participate 

in workshops with such excellent 

leaders, was also truly a highlight.” 

Walter Koertge, RIS Middle School 

Art teacher felt that the comment by 

a fellow artist, Jennifer Delos Reyes 

showed the importance of the ETC 

Art Focus, “Social practice artists 

are affecting the world, setting things 

in motion, fostering connections 

between people and organizing 

everyday life so that it can be seen as 

engaging and meaningful.” 


13

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 

A Heartfelt Farewell 

s the school year comes to an end, teachers and 

Astudents look back at the year that has passed and 

reflect on the great year gone by. The end of the school 

year is also a time to look ahead – particularly those 

teachers and staff who are leaving Ruamrudee this year. 

The elementary section is sad to be saying goodbye to 

the following teachers who are retiring or have finished 

contracts this year. 

Ms. Corazon Akrapitak Mr. Ricky Faulds 

Ms. Chuchi Agustilo Mr. Robert Newberry 

Mr. Dave Reesor Ms. Supannee Dumrongvong 

Ms. Diana Blazar Ms. Susan Paterson 

Ms. Gail O’Connell Ms. Tracey Sauer 

Ms. Laurie Reesor Mr. Travis O’Neel 

Ms. Nina Zinner 

Ms. Pascale is moving to the High School to take over 

counseling duties there and we wish her all the best. 

At this time, we would also like to say a special thank 

you and farewell to Mr. Steve Massiah – our fearless 

Elementary leader who has accepted a Principal position 

in South Korea. Mr. Steve has been with the elementary 

section for the last three years. 

Thank you to all our teachers and 

good luck to those of you moving 

on. Ruamrudee will miss you. 

14 NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 4


Hipping and Hopping on the 4 th Floor 

O n Friday April 30, the 4th floor 

of ES was “hipping” and 

“hopping” with music and dance as 

students in Grade 5 participated in 

the annual Hip-Hop Happening dance 

competition. The contest (which is 

open to Grade 4’s and 5’s) saw 21 

groups performing in Ms. Nimfa’s 

room – and while the theme was 

“hip-hop,” there were certainly other 

genres of music represented. 

“We practiced for months,” said 

Jenny (Grade 5-5), “It was very 

stressful getting closer to the 

deadline. Even in the weekend 

before the event we practiced for 

hours and hours.” Jenny’s group 

“G-Bay” was comprised of herself, 

Bao Bao, Baimon, Gene and Mindy. 

For the Hip-Hop Happening, G- 

Bay performed to the song “Falling 

Down” by Selina Gomez, and ended 

up placing 2 nd – missing first place by 

less than 1 point. 

“It was fun because we got to 

participate and cooperate with people 

in our group,” said Bao Bao, “It was 

a great show, and we could see the 

talents and abilities of all the other 

dancers.” 

Ms. Nimfa, the brains behind Hip- 

Hop Happening was very proud of 

all her dancers and said, “I was really 

impressed by the amount of work 

my Grade 5 students have shown 

during their Hip-Hop Happening 

2010. There were 20 groups all in all 

and every group did their best. The 

confidence, the teamwork, the energy, 

the creativity, and the dynamic-funky 

moves are truly amazing. I can see the 

love and the passion of our students 

in this highly energetic dance style. It 

was fun! Congratulations Grade 5…. 

You all rock!” 


15


Congratulations 

Grade 5 Students! 

RIS has Given 

Confidence, 

Friends, Know 

a Whole Lot 

By Shin Chiewattanakul, Grade 8-6 

he end of the school year means 

Tone thing to Grade 5 students 

– GRADUATION! After years 

of making their way through the 

elementary section – our Grade 5 

students are moving on up to Middle 

School after a wonderful bridging 

ceremony scheduled for June 2 at the 

Performing Arts Center at RIST. 

Students are obviously excited 

about the end of elementary, and the 

beginnings of middle school. Pang 

(Grade 5-4) expressed her feelings 

on moving to Middle school saying, 

“I’m excited because getting from 

ES to MS is a big deal. I know more 

things now, I’m older too…and it 

will be good to be at the same school 

as my brother again.” 

Other students are cautiously excited, 

fearing homework as the worst part of 

Middle School. Roopesh (Grade 5-4) 

is optimistic about MS, but nervous 

also saying, “I’m going to higher 

grades, and I’ll learn more things and 

be challenged differently, but I’m 

scared of the homework.” 

Veera (Grade 5-4) expressed a similar 

feeling as Roopesh saying, “Many 

people are scared of the homework 

– with so much homework, I hear you 

don’t get any free time!” 

Middle School principal Ms. Sudha 

welcomed the comments by Grade 5 

students, and tried to alleviate their 

concerns with a challenge saying, 

“Yes, you will find there is more work, 

but you are stronger students now and 

you need to battle to become better,” 

she said. Ms. Sudha continued, “You 

will start to feel more grown up with 

the added stress…it is positive stress, 

and it will lead to success.” 

Mr. Dave (Grade 5 Head of 

Department) summed up his teaching 

experience at RIS and the Grade 

5’s graduation to MS nicely saying, 

“Teaching this year’s grade 5-3 class 

was a wonderful way for me to finish 

my time at RIS. I am very proud 

of how these guys supported each 

other in intramurals and field trips, 

worked hard on their assignments 

and laughed at Mr. Dave’s jokes.” 

Regarding the graduates Mr. Dave 

writes, “The graduates are a great 

group of kids, and I look forward to 

reading about their accomplishments 

in middle school and beyond. The 

only hard time I had this year was 

trying to figure out the awards. All 

the students should be proud of 

everything they accomplished this 

year. I hope they keep giving 100% 

to everything they do!” 

We all wish our Grade 5s the best as 

they continue their journey to Middle 

School. Don’t forget us! 

have forgotten what date of what 

Iyear I first set foot on Ruamrudee 

International School. Although the 

information of my age and of the time 

evades me, I remember the details of 

the event as if it happened yesterday. 

The room which is now the clinic 

was once used for admission testing. 

I walked in the room with my dad, 

looking at the ground as I stepped 

closer to Father Travis. I have thought 

from that moment on Father Travis is 

the kindest stranger I’ve ever met. He 

started a conversation, encouraging 

me to talk. At that time, I was the kid 

that never spoke to anyone. However, 

in the admission testing room, actual 

words and sentences escaped my 

mouth. That was the first of many 

ways RIS has changed my life. 

In Kindergarten, Mrs. Ira was my 

teacher. I had literally NO social life. 

I was that short shrimp in the corner, 

waiting for someone to talk to me. 

And that is when I made my first 

16 


MIDDLE SCHOOL 

Me 

Everlasting 

ledge and 

More! 

What is Classroom 

Composting? 

by Sooji Seo, Grade 8 

friend - Bhon. This ‘thought-dictator,’ 

also known as the MS president, was 

my first-ever friend. Kindergarten 

opened my sealed lips. I actually 

talked instead of just listening in the 

background like I did in Pre-School. 

As the years went by, I grew smarter 

and earned more and more friends 

– most of them are my best friends 

today. Teachers became friends, 

and friends became teachers. Before 

I knew it, my classroom became 

a society, where everyone knows 

everyone else. 

According to the Princeton Dictionary, 

a school is a building where young 

people receive education. I can say 

that RIS has brought me more than 

that, or more than any words could 

express. I have gained confidence, 

everlasting friends, knowledge, and 

also a new parent each year. This is 

more than any parent could expect 

from a school. 

hroughout Earth Week, there were 

Tmany events prepared by many 

students. One of the special projects 

was “Classroom Composting” in Ms. 

Jennifer’s Discovery Science class. 

The students, during the classes, 

made a mini compost and learned 

about it. The class also presented their 

composting to whole Middle School 

student body at Tuesday’s assembly. 

Students learned what composting 

is and why it is beneficial for the 

environment. 

So what is composting? Well, 

composting is simply used every day 

and nearly everywhere around us. For 

instance, leaves from the trees, dead 

animals and plants, simply decay 

and mix with soil, which makes rich, 

dark and healthy soil. Similar to 

composting in nature, decayed food 

wastes, mixed with soil, and put in 

a two liter bottle, make classroom 

composting. 

So why compost? We compost 

because we can make a better 

environment. First, the composting 

can be used by other living organisms 

and become their food. Composting 

can make the soil more nutritious 

adding high carbon and nitrogen, 

which makes plants grow well and 

provide more oxygen for us humans. 

I believe our environment is very 

important to us. We tell everyone to 

protect and help to make our living 

places better. There is quote that 

says, “Things are dependent on how 

the person’s action is changed.” In 

another words, we should change 

our thoughts to help the environment 

and challenge ourselves to make the 

composting cycle work even better 

than it does in nature. Let’s work 

together to make the Earth a better 

place! 


17

18 


HIGH SCHOOL 

SHAKESPEARE SONNET 

COMPETITION 

n Wednesday, March 17, all freshmen English students 

Oenthusiastically gathered in the Performing Arts 

Center to hear 24 finalists perform Shakespeare sonnets. 

Each recitation was greeted with applause and cheers for 

friends and classmates! The time flew by as students were 

immersed in an experience of language and dynamic oral 

communication. 

The project began when all English 9 students were 

assigned a Shakespeare sonnet by their teacher as part of the 

formal study of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Students 

memorized and performed their sonnet for classmates and 

teachers then selected a few finalists from each class for the 

competition. 

The judges for the event were: Matthew Sipple, Neil Waltom 

and Michael Wilson, Head of the English department. Their 

deliberation was quick as the winners were announced 

by Pamela McCarty: Hee Yoon Park (3 rd place), Rasika 

Sethi (2 nd place) and Sindhuja Krishnamoorthy (1 st place). 

Ms. Pamela presented the winners with certificates at the 

Wednesday high school assembly and the remaining finalists 

received certificates from their teachers. 

Sonnet Finalists: 

Isaya Limphachya (Fah), Chayanant 

Meeprasertskul (Poon), Pan Nyomtha 

(Pan), Chontida Asavahame 

(Pleng), Hee Yoon Park, Sindhuja 

Krishnamoorthy (Sindhu), Waralee 

Kaewkoon (Mook), Adisa Narula, 

Naphisa Senanarong (Pim), Nichapar 

Boonparlit (Joy), Soravut Suchindah 

(Billy), Rio Baudish-McCabe, Daniel 

Bystrom (Mickey), Shrada Agrawal, 

Parkin Maskutrath (Sea), Anand 

Khorana, Rasika Sethi, Sakdinant 

Riangkrul (Dontree), Cheeyang Cheng, 

Yada Thongcheum (Yada), Nuttha 

Paisamsrisomsuk (Beer), Apama 

Jayaram, Piyabutr Marcar (Brian), 

Oranicha Jumreomvong (Natty) 

NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 4 19

HIGH SCHOOL 

Do I Really Want to 

Become a Doctor? 

by Rungkarn (Sai) Rakkulchon 

A once-in-a-lifetime experience, the two-day Bumrungrad 

internship was definitely hard to forget. At the end of this 

program, I realized what working inside the hospital was like, 

and it was not too far off from what I had in mind. I have acquired 

a lot of new knowledge, and this experience made me even more 

certain that I am to pursue a career in the medical field. 

Melissa (Lisa) Kerkelis 

wo days of noteworthy 

Texperience and twelve 11 th grade 

students in search of what they want 

to be. On the 25 th -26 th of March, 

2010, we went to Bumrungrad 

Hospital to experience what a real 

hospital was like. As an IB diploma 

student, I am interested in studying 

both law and psychology, thus, I was 

the only social science student in the 

group. Questions were raised as to 

why I was attending this internship 

program, but were quickly forgotten 

once we started because we learned 

that there are many types of jobs in a 

hospital, not just doctors and nurses. 

The mundane routine shows you see 

on TV is nothing like what the nurses 

in Bumrungrad are doing. These 

nurses are the utmost important 

people. In the ER, the nurses are 

those who pick up the calls and are 

the ones who go with the ambulance 

to pick up patients. The amount of 

operating room use is also dependent 

on the number of nurses available. 

The nurses not only follow up and 

take care of the patients, they are the 

ones who remember the patients’ 

cases for the doctors. 

People often complain about the cost 

of their treatment, but they never really 

appreciate where the cost actually 

comes from. For the best treatment 

the hospital can provide, they also 

need the best machines. Giving 

patients the wrong medication is 

extremely problematic and therefore 

to prevent this, Bumrungrad bought 

a Pharmacy Robot to help lessen this 

risk. This robot seals and arranges the 

medicine for each different patient 

a n d 

cost 60 million 

20 


aht. In exchange for this investment, 

Bumrungrad is guaranteed that their 

patients’ lives are safer than before. 

“You can never buy good health,” 

said Catherine, Bumrungrad’s 

Marketing Manager, on day one. It is 

with no doubt very true. During the 

session of CT scan, chemotherapy, 

radiotherapy, and physical therapy, 

we all saw how poor health care can 

lead to painful consequences. And 

from these sessions we gained the 

knowledge that eating healthy food, 

exercising regularly, and having good 

posture whenever you are sitting and 

standing significantly helps maintain 

one’s good health. 

In two days we’ve learned the system 

of the hospital; how people operate 

there, the use of different expensive 

machines and programs that we could 

never have been introduced to if we 

were not in this internship program. 

We also gained knowledge ranging 

Feedback from other students: 

Shivam (Mac) Sachaphimukh 

The visit to Bumrungrad, overall, can be considered 

somewhat of a milestone in my life. I actually have no 

family members who are part of the medical profession 

and thus, going to Bumrungrad was very educational. 

Apart from the fact that I did admire the hospital’s 

great facilities, the thing I treasured most in this trip 

was experiencing the atmosphere of the hospital as 

a whole. Apart from the apparent pungent, more 

commonly known as the hospital smell, I felt there was 

much more to a hospital than just simply saving lives. 

The fact that a hospital has to actually pay so much 

attention to other aspects such as commerce and 

customer relations clearly emphasized to me that you 

don’t actually have to be a doctor to work at a hospital. 

Nuttanit (Now) Tancharoen 

I really like this program because it shows the lifestyle 

of people living and working in the hospital. They 

consider the patient as their most valuable person 

HIGH SCHOOL 

from the binomial code used for the 

radiation machine which identifies 

where to find cancer cells to literally 

touching organs with cancer in the 

pathology lab. Of course, the value of 

the technologies used in the hospital, 

the deeper understanding of how 

different factors in the environment 

can contribute to cancer, and the 

surgery cases can be searched on the 

internet. However, the atmosphere 

and the personality of the people 

who work in the hospital cannot be 

understood just by reading an article 

from the internet or any other sources 

of media, and definitely not just by 

reading textbooks. 

The Bumrungrad internship program 

provides students like me a chance to 

open my view to a wider perceptive 

of the actual world, and not just what 

I see on TV. It is an experience that 

is more than I have expected. It is a 

worthwhile experience, and I strongly 

encourage students to join this 

program, and see whether it changes 

your perspective about hospitals like 

it did me. 

and every minute is all about saving lives. I got to feel 

how it would be like if I were working in a hospital. 

Each section in the hospital has its own attraction. 

People working in the same department have a similar 

personality due to the work they have to do. This made 

me think what type of personality I have, and which 

department should I belong to. I got to see how a 

hospital is managed. 


21

HIGH SCHOOL 

Ahmarin Noor 

The place I found most interesting was the pharmacy. 

What I liked about the pharmacy at Bumrungrad was 

its advancement in technology. They use a pharmacy 

robot with a software overlay which would provide 

better inventory control, increase productivity and 

efficiency, and decrease the error rate at which the 

medicines are distributed throughout the hospital. 

Overall, it was a breathtaking experience, and I 

enjoyed every bit of it. 

Akansha (Aki) Shah 

To begin the worthwhile trip, we had an introductory 

overview from the marketing director of Bumungrad, 

who fortunately organizes this internship every year for 

all future medical students in RIS. She predicted that 

after witnessing the “inner-secrets” of the hospital, 

students might change their minds, choose a milder 

job within the medical department, or become even 

more enthusiastic. For me, the last scenario was true. 

In the two days, we asked many questions to suffice our 

inquisitiveness, took memorable pictures of a lifetime 

opportunity, and learned about each department 

specifically from experienced head nurses. 

Overall, I think that the trip was worthwhile and I 

encourage all sophomores and freshmen who might 

be considering a medical career to contact the Parent 

Auxiliary in your junior year to attend this internship. 

I believe that the Internship was a great opportunity 

for young students like us to view the realities of a 

hospital and determine our future in the medicine 

field. 

Tapani (Preme) Pratumsuwan 

What I really like about this program is how 

approachable and welcoming the staff of the hospital 

really are. All the staff were willing to share the 

major and minor details and information 

about their specific specialties and with such 

great admiration towards their field. 

Truthfully, the RIS Internship at 

Bumrungrad Hospital had made this 

year one of the best years in my life 

and no one should ever miss out 

on the wonderful opportunity 

and experience! 

Sheng Feng (Jacky) Tsai 

I would like to thank all the 

people who have made this 

program possible, especially 

the Parents Auxiliary and Bumrungrad Hospital. 

This trip has so far been one of the most interesting 

trips I have ever had. It not only introduced me to the 

jobs many diverse people have in hospitals, but also 

to many things that ordinary people do not see, or 

have ever thought about, when they go to hospitals. 

It completely changed the way I view pharmacists, 

from being people who sit behind the counter giving 

medicines to patients to individuals who control an 

intricate system of machines that sort medicines 

accurately and efficiently. Touching and smelling the 

organ samples from patients was sometimes repulsive, 

but it was also a new experience. It reminded me that I 

can have another route in the medical field, like being 

a pharmacist, but this doesn’t mean that I’m not going 

to try to pursue being a doctor. 

Nannapas (Pear) Sitipun 

This program provides a good opportunity for students 

to explore their interests in a very specific area. We 

had the chance to ask specific questions regarding 

diseases, symptoms, treatments, etc. I learned about 

medical equipment, human organs with cancer that I 

never learned or heard before without attending this 

program. I have learned that nowadays technology 

plays an important role in helping doctors examine and 

cure patients with less pain and costs. 

22 



23

HIGH SCHOOL 

Know • Care • Act 

Global Issues Network Conference 2010 

Hong Kong 

by Rasika Sethi (Grade 9) 

ccording to UNICEF, 24,000 

Achildren die each day due to 

poverty. They “die quietly in some 

of the poorest villages on earth, far 

removed from the scrutiny and 

the conscience of the world. 

Being meek and weak in 

life makes these dying 

multitudes even more 

invisible in death.” 

1.6 billion people — a 

quarter of humanity — 

live without electricity. 

Based on enrollment 

data, about 72 million 

children of primary school 

age in the developing world were not 

in school in 2005; 57 percent of them 

were girls. And these are regarded as 

optimistic numbers. 

Like most students at RIS, I am 

concerned about global issues and 

want to do something more than just 

joining campaigns online. But how 

can High School students effectively 

take action? This is the brick wall 

that stands in our way: the long 

brick wall which we all have the 

responsibility to deal with. I want to 

get a hammer and break down several 

bricks. But how? One answer came 

in Homeroom one morning. It is the 

Global Issues Network Conference. 

GIN is based on the ideas in Jean 

Francois Rishchard’s book, ‘High 

Noon’. He identifies 20 urgent 

global problems and encourages the 

formation of small groups around the 

world to help solve them. 

The theme of this year’s conference 

was “Know. Care. Act.” In the course 

of this inspiring conference, we were 

presented with opportunities to put 

together what we learned, shared, 

discussed, and were influenced by to 

become change makers. We attended 

interactive core workshops, global 

village action groups, the video 

festival, inspiring student and NGO 

presentations, as well as an NGO fair. 

There were also influential keynote 

24 


speakers. We learned about a wide 

range of issues and were involved in 

discussions with topics from human 

rights to HIV/AIDS. For example, 

in the global village group, we had 

discussions and made a canvas 

painting about maritime issues and 

water pollution. 

Listening to the motivational 

speeches of the keynote speakers 

was a big favorite for us all. We 

heard their passion, and were deeply 

inspired by their individual drive 

and awe-struck by their stories. 

Particular favorite speakers included 

David Begbie, Spencer West, and 

Efren Peneflorida. David Begbie, of 

Crossroads International, addressed 

the issue of poverty with the view 

that “The web of poverty is equal to 

the web of opportunity.” Crossroads 

International is an organization 

that connects resources to people in 

need. Inspirational and charismatic, 

Spencer West spoke about how he 

lost his legs at the age of five, but 

never lost hope or courage. He gave 

us all a thought-provoking message 

from his speech: the key points were 

“to be the one to make a change, to 

celebrate the differences, to be happy 

every day, and finally, to stand up”. 

Efren Peneflorida is the founder of 

the Dynamic Teen Company, and was 

also named CNN hero of the year. 

His key message is “One is never too 

young to give back to society. One is 

never too poor to help in society. One 

is never too strong to do things on his 

own. One is never too ordinary to be 

a hero.” 

The NGO fair gave us an opportunity 

to sign up for organizations and to 

find out more about them. A wide 

range of organizations were present, 

including the Jane Goodall Institute 

Hong Kong, UNICEF, Child Welfare 

Scheme, and Traffick Link. Most of 

the organizations that were in the 

NGO fair also gave presentations. 

I had a really hard time picking out 

which presentation to attend. But in 

the end, I chose to go to the Traffick 

Link presentation, which focused on 

anti-slavery and human trafficking. 

There are more slaves today than 

there ever were in history! Women, 

men, and children, even boys and 

girls as young as four years old, are 

sold, bought, and treated as if they 

are mere objects. This presentation 

brought tears to my eyes- it was really 

disturbing and horrific to think that a 

human could do insanely cruel things 

to four year olds, just for money. 

We were then informed about how 

we could take action, and what the 

Traffick Link organization are doing. 

They are currently educating rescued 

human trafficking victims- it may 

take five minutes to rescue a victim, 

but it takes over five years to recover; 

some don’t ever recover. 

I feel I am now in the process of 

breaking down the brick wall. Thanks 

to the GIN conference I feel better 

equipped and I have my goals more 

clearly defined. I aim to conduct 

a project on human trafficking by 

educating rescued victims. I am a 

part of the ‘Not for Sale Campaign 

(Student Abolitionist Movement)’ 

online and will be taking action 

in school to raise awareness about 

human trafficking. 

HIGH SCHOOL 

Beyond the brick wall is where we’ll 

all find peace and happiness. Imagine 

if everyone played a role in breaking 

a portion of the brick wall. Not only 

will peace and happiness for all 

be possible, but it can be achieved 

in a shorter period of time. Efren 

Peneflorida said that everyone has 

an element of hero within them, just 

waiting to be unleashed. Search for 

it in your heart. Change begins in us 

and change is what the world needs. 

“When spiders unite, they can 

tie down a lion.” 

- Ethiopian proverb 

The other students who also 

attended this year’s conference 

were Sheena Narula, Preshita 

Sipani, So Ra Lee, Ploy 

Busagornruangrat, Panachai 

(Bank) Assavaniwest, Panpan 

Punyaneramitdee, and Korn 

(Pete) Mungsommai. The 

encouraging teachers who 

attended were Dr. John Stiles 

and Ms. Lincy Fung. Without 

all nine of them, this conference 

wouldn’t have been possible. It 

wouldn’t have been as fun and 

exciting. Thank you. 


25

26 

Agarwal; Ankit 

Amarit; Jaturong (Arnold) 

An; Su Kyung 

Annachhatre; Tanmay Ajit 

Aroonratsakul; Nattha 

Asawachaisopon; Shinnawat 

Assavaniwest; Saran 

Balasundharam; Vaishaali 

Balasundharam; Vybhavi (Bobbi) 

Boonchub; Wanwisa (Ben) 

Boonparlit; Nutchapol (Paul) 

Boonyarungsrit; Penphob Andrea 

Bunjitpimol; Wichares 

Chalalai; Patcharasiri 

Chanasit; Varistha 

Chanchotiyan; Pisut (Tony) 

Chandra Mouli; Krithika 

Chaovanayotin; Arnant 

Charoenkul; Gunn 

Chauhan; Abhinav Singh 

Chayanupatkul; Pawit 


Chen; Hsiao-Wei 

Chen; Meng Che (Ricky) 

Chiaranunt; Pailin 

Chien; Emmy Lin 

Chinavinijkul; Panarin 

Chiochan; Tanya 

Chiu; Yu-Chen (Eugene) 

Choaknantiporn; Piroat 

Chou; Tzu-Hsuan (Demy) 

Chue; Macaire Siu Yin 

Chutchawanjumrut; Thorfun 

Dangprasert; Romkamol 

Dangprasert; Yingpapha 

Danjittrong; Rungradid 

Glynn; Richard 

Hanpunpong; Ratapong 

Haputpong; Leelanuch 

Ho; Yenni (Nini) 

Hong; Yunki 

Horungruang; Nichakamol 

Hsu; Suphattra (Pat) 

Hung; Ching-Hsiang (Eric) 

Jarusombat; Kittaporn (May) 

Jetjirawat; Wadhana 

Jiropas; Ton 

Jullamon; Mathurada (Peace) 

Kachornvitaya; Samida 

Kaewkoon; Kamolwan 

Kaewngarm; Thanawan (June) 

Kanjanakuha; Patchamol (Pat) 

Kedia; Shubham 

Keeree; Theera (Jay) 

Kerdnunvong; Usa 

Kewalramani; Lokesh 

Khandelwal; Parth 

Khanijou; Jyotika 

Khanna; Madhuri 

Khongthavornpipat; Peeranut 

Kim; Eun Ah 

Kim; Gyusik 

Kitcharoen; Karn 

Kittivittayakul; Abhibhu 

Koopirom; Patara 

Kothari; Akhil 

Kowittayawong; Patanin 

Kulthanan; Apasiri 

Kumar; Nithin Senthur 

Kunwongse; Tanya 

Kwanchit; Chitphan 

Laprabang; Saris 

Lee; Chi Hsun (Brad) 

Lee; Keun Sub 

Lee; Soo Min (Jane) 

Linhawetts; Gunlayapatt 

Lu; Yicheng 

Luangpoomyut; Kevin Lee 

Mahawanitwong; Saralee 

Masuo; Momoe 

Mateekusontan; Chayanee 

Mathur; Malavika (Monica) 

Meknavin; Pongsarut 

Mungsommai; Peerapat (Pete) 

Narula; Karishma (Candy)

Narula; Thanaphol Singh 

Ng; Charoen (Alan) 

Oh; Hana 

Oka; Koki 

Paik; Seung Hwan (Peter) 

Paladiganon; Ujainee 

Panusittikorn; Poap 

Parasar; Bhanupriya 

Park; Song Yee 

Paruggamanont; Thawan 

Patil; Ankush Yuvraj 

Pawa; Ramesh 

Penpoo; Kom 

Pimukwongchai; Anchisa (Ray) 

Poolvoralaks; Chanchanok 

Pornngarm; Kanokwan 

Prasitdumrong; Bunyawat 

Promthaveepong; Kittithat 

Punyanaramitdee; Pongpon 

Punyaneramitdee; Lada 

Punyavirocha; Narisa 

Rakshit; Ritika 

Ranjit; Anurag 

Ranjithkumara; Amanda Sansanee 

Rattanasripanya; Chanakarn 

Rojvanich; Natapong 

Ronnakittipisut; Varanya 

Roy Chowdhury; Siddharth 

Rungruangwuddikrai; Vasin 

Sachatheva; Wichan (Eeshaan) 

Samarakoon; Pulini Ayumi 

Santikul; Tanakorn (Mickey) 

Santitewagun; Tewan 

Sasirajpornchai; Ramestr 

Sharma; Sanjana 

Singh; Shruti 

Siribodhi; Pongyupa (Peace) 

Sirikul; Na-Bajr 

Sirinuntananon; Olivier Nakorn 

Sirison; Kantaphat 

Songpitak; Melissa 

Sorkhay; Patarachat (May) 

Srimanothip; Vasant 

Srisomburananont; Chalita 

Sritangos; Soraya 

Stitsupamas; Thitikorn 

Sukorndhaman; Sisira 

Sunchindah; Soravit (Benjie) 

Supasamsen; Krissada (Kris) 

Suthibutr; Chanawee Mate 

Suthidara; Korawee 

Suwanwong; Supanat 

Taalaibekkyzy; Aziya 

Tamrongsakulsiri; Nites 

Tanwani; Divesh Vashi 

Techasopapan; Ratha 

Thanalongkorn; Pitcha (May) 

Thaveeapiradeesak; Preedee (Billy) 

Thienapirak; Tarika 

Thisyamondol; Shinapat (Mike) 

Tienbang; Anekchai (Jean) 

Titatan; Saharit 

Trairatanobhas; Varitnun 

Treekutpan; Atigun 

Tripathi; Susmit 

Udomthaveedej; Silp 

Unahalekhaka; Apittha 

Uttasart; Ajamaphorn 

Vajanapanich; Santi 

Van der Linden; Natasha 

Vanichseni; Sathika (Prelle) 

Vechmamontien; Ratchanon 

Vechmamontien; Sorasakdi 

Viraporn; Pichcha 

Wachiralappaitoon; Supanat (Chris) 

Wimoltada; Kochaporn 

Wongpatimachai; Nat 

Wood-Thanan; Patikorn 

Yang; Kai-Ning (Kenny) 

Yi; Ta Wei (David) 

Yogachandra; Natascha 

Yoo; Jin-Tae 

Yu; Chun Yen 

Yungyoo; Ravisara 


REDEEMER INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL THAILAND 

Congratulations, RIST Graduates! 

RIST Class of 2010 

Abe, Hitomi 

Aoki, Kaori 

Boonyarattaglin, Sasipa (Ploy) 

Choi, Sung Hun 

Esaki, Makoto 

Fujishiro, Yoji 

Fukuhara, Yuya 

Hasegawa, Toshie 

Hirosawa, Mari 

Imasato, Shiori 

Kitamura, Masahiro (Masa) 

Nakamura, Kie 

Pornpratarnsuk, Saopetch (Cheque) 

Sirisuphanon, Pairaya (Plai) 

Suzuki, Moeko 

Takahashi, Mio 

Thammaraks, Prima (Prim) 

Tozawa, Ryota 

RIST Class of 2010 College Acceptance 

Compiled by Miho Katsumata, RIST Student Advisor 

Trakarnvanich, Thananan (ko) 

Waranaraya, Wasutorn (Beer) 

Yagashiwa, Misako 

Yamada, Chika 

Yamada, Kana 

We are pleased to announce RIST students of the class of 2010 have been accepted by the following 

prestigious universities and colleges. Congratulations to them all! 

Thailand: 

Assumption University (Business Administration, 

Communication Arts) 

Mahidol University (International Business) 

Thammasat University (Engineering) 

Japan: 

Aoyama Gakuin University (Economics) 

Chiba Institute of Technology (Engineering) 

Chuo University (Commercial Science, Law) 

Hiroshima University (Integrated Arts and Sciences) 

Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (International 

Relations) 

Kwansei Gakuin University (Sociology, Commercial 

Science, Education, Economics) 

Nara University of Education (Education) 

Nihon Kogakuin (Art) 

Obirin University (Liberal Arts) 

Ritusmeikan Asia Pacific University (International 

Program) 

Tokyo Communication Art School (Eco-communication) 

Tokyo Polytechnic University (Engineering) 

Tsuda College (International Relations) 

Waseda University (Political Science and Economics) 

Yokohama City University (International Comprehensive 

Science) 

USA: 

Iowa State University (Art and Design) 

Orange Coast College (Liberal Arts) 

Wake Forest University (Liberal Arts) 

UK: 

University of Essex (International Relations) 

University of Reading (International Relations) 

28 



RIST Community Pride 

by Sudarat Tanattanawin, RIST Assistant Principal 

esearch shows that parental 

Rinvolvement plays an important 

part in student achievement and 

school success. Children respond 

positively when parents set high but 

realistic standards for achievement. 

Realizing the significance of this 

crucial link, RIST administration 

strives to educate parents to help all 

youngsters succeed in school and in 

later life. 

This past school year, RIST has 

worked hard to provide guidance 

and support for parents 

so that they play a more 

active role in their child’s 

schooling. Through 

educational workshops 

and training, they have 

become more involved 

in helping their children 

with homework and 

other curriculum-related 

activities, decisions and planning. In 

addition, they find themselves with 

opportunities to be models for and to 

guide their children. 

Besides participation in the School 

Development Committees and 

Parents’ Auxiliary meetings, 

parents attended effective parenting 

training conducted by Mr. Steven 

Summerfiled, RIST Counselor. Other 

educational workshops that were 

helpful to parents in establishing 

a strong base for success and 

strengthening their child’s potential 

have included: 

English Acquisition 

Mr. Mike, RIST Principal 

Fair Isn’t Always Equal 

Ms. Karen, RIS Special Needs 

Department Head 

Early Graduation 

Mr. Mike, RIST Principal 

College Admissions 

Mr. Tawan and Ms. Miho, RIS 

& RIST Counselors 

RIST community members understand 

the implications of “partnership.” 

School will teach children how to 

read, but the home must guide them 

about what to read. School can teach 

students how to think, but the home 

must help them to know what to 

believe. 


29


Maintaining Excellence at RIST 

by Sudarat Tanattanawin, RIST Assistant Principal 

t has been just a year-and-a-half 

Isince the Western Association of 

Schools and Colleges, in one of the 

first joint accreditation processes 

with the Thai authorities (ONESQA) 

granted Redeemer International 

School Thailand a five-year term of 

accreditation, the maximum possible 

WASC term in Thailand. However, 

this was not a signal for complacency 

to set in. School development and 

improvement are top priorities for 

our school, not just to maintain 

accreditation, but to provide the 

best possible teaching and learning 

environment for our students in a 

constant drive towards excellence. 

Stakeholder involvement is high: 

faculty, staff, parents and students are 

all represented on the Curriculum and 

School Development Council, which 

meets three times a year, and the five 

School Development Committees, 

which meet monthly. These are 

permanent features of school 

operations, designed to address and 

monitor the ongoing Schoolwide 

Action Plan. This plan, 

which incorporates major 

WASC recommendations 

and drives all school 

development initiatives, 

is collaboratively revised 

annually after evaluating 

progress from the previous 

year. Individual faculty 

members and departments 

are also expected to 

develop annual goals that 

relate to the Action plan. 

All documentation related to 

accreditation and school development 

is published on the RIST website, 

including a yearly Action Plan 

Progress Report for all stakeholders. 

After reviewing the Progress Report, 

stakeholders have a variety of ways 

to provide input into Plan revision, 

including survey input from parents, 

students, and staff, discussion 

of the plan by all departments at 

scheduled meetings, and the review 

of achievement data by the faculty, 

parents, students and staff. Through 

this process, all stakeholders at RIST 

have input into the Progress Report 

and are directly involved with school 

initiatives and improvement efforts 

underway at the school. 

RIST Principal, Mr. Mike Booton, 

has served on five WASC Visiting 

Committees, two of them as Chair 

for visits to international schools in 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Kobe, 

Japan. His valuable experience 

supporting the improvement process 

in other schools provides insight and 

leadership for the ongoing impetus 

towards excellence at RIST. 

30 


SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES 

SEASAC Fine Arts Festival 2010 

Surabaya, Indonesia 

School for three days in the areas of 

music, art, drama and dance. There 

were different workshop groups 

throughout the days including puppet 

making, Ngremo dance of East Java, 

martial arts, and singing culminating 

in a final celebratory 

performance of their 

new skills to a large 

audience. 

ix of our high school students 

Sand Ms. Michaela and Mr. 

Duncan from the HS Visual Arts 

Department traveled to Surabaya, 

Indonesia to attend the South East 

Asian Student Activities Conference 

(SEASAC) Arts Festival on March 

5-7. RIS students worked alongside 

10 other schools from Southeast 

Asia at Surabaya International 


31


CHAMPIONS 5 YEARS IN A ROW! 

RIS Boys Varsity Softball Team 

he boys’ varsity softball team 

Tkept their winning tradition alive 

by capturing their 5 th consecutive 

SEASAC title. While the team 

struggled in the short season losing 

all 4 games it played, coach Dave 

Cote’s boys never let their poor start 

defray them from their goal. 

“Early in the season, the boys were 

finding ways to lose games,” said 

coach Dave. “They were ahead in 

each one of their games but had 

mental collapses in the big innings. 

We just kept things fun and positive 

up until the SEASAC tournament and 

you could see the hitting and overall 

team confidence-level improving.” 

When asked whether or not he thought 

that the RIS boys’ team would go 

undefeated in the tournament, Coach 

Cote said, “I wouldn’t have bet my 

life on it, that’s for sure! The boys 

played solid defensively and batted 

almost .600 for the tournament. It 

is difficult to lose a high school 

tournament when you are playing 

that well!” 

Congratulations to the RIS boys team 

for winning SEASAC this year! 

32 


RIS Varsity Tennis Boys 09-10 

“We’re gonna serve it! We’re gonna hit it! And we’re gonna smash it!” 

NIST and ended up competing for 3 rd 

place against BPS. The match against 

BPS turned out to be the longest 

and most grueling as the 1 st singles 

players had to play for the deciding 

match until the sun set. In the end, 

RIS prevailed, beating BPS 3-2 and 

came back with hard-earned bronze 

medals. 

ith the new team jackets and 

Wthe best uniform ever, the 

Varsity Boys Tennis team got off to 

a promising start. The season kicked 

off with over 20 players coming out 

for the Varsity team. By the end 

of the tryout week, the team was 

narrowed down to 9 players, with 4 

of these hopefuls being members the 

previous year. Everybody improved 

tremendously over the summer and 

the new players also turned a lot 

of heads. Guided by Jay, the new 

coach, RIS played matches against 

each other and polished their skills 

in preparation for the BISAC and 

SEASAC tournaments. The RIS 

tennis team was a force to be reckoned 

with. 

At BISAC, our Phoenix boys cruised 

to the semifinals, but faltered against 

The SEASAC competition 

at Singapore was fierce and 

unfortunately we did not meet our 

high expectations. The rain delays 

led to us losing a medal because of 

a controversial tie-breaker format. 

Nonetheless, the boys fought hard 

and represented RIS well. It was a 

great year! I leave the team this year 

with nothing but good thoughts. I 

wish the tennis program all the best 

in the future. 

Thanks for the memories guys! 

- Captain Touch - 

RIS Varsity Girls Tennis Team Make History 

IS Phoenix girls made history 

Rthis year. They won both 

BISAC and SEASAC! 

All seven players who played were 

each awarded with the SEASAC allstar 

plate for the first time in SEASAC 

history. All seven players played all 

their matches, making them eligible 

for all-star awards. 

Our reserve player didn’t play 

because she would make the player 

she replaces ineligible for an all-star 

award. We are still very sad that she 

didn’t have a chance to show her skills 

when she is such a great player. We 

are trying to encourage the SEASAC 

committee to change this rule, giving 

everybody on the team a chance to 

win all-star. Nevertheless, we all 

played our parts well as a team. 


We made sacrifices, we worked 

hard, we fought, and we won. In 

the end, we are proud that we have 

represented RIS well. Way to go 

girls! Go Phoenix! 


33


3 rd SEASON SPORTS AWARDS 

TEAMS 

MOST VALUABLE 

PLAYER 

MOST IMPROVED 

PLAYER 

MOST SPORTSMANSHIP 

PLAYER 

U19 Boys Softball Kaustav Bunti Neogi Sung Hwan Paik Shubham Kedia 

U19 Girls Softball Chanchanok Poolvoralaks Octavia Macnamara Ujainee Paradiganon 

U19 Boys Badminton Koki Oka Chanar Keratiyutwong Soravit Sunchindah 

U19 Girls Badminton Kawisara Jongkolratanaporn Maythita Eiampikul Preyaluck Sutarat 

U17 Boys Softball 

Masatoshi Hoshizaki 

Thubasa Fukushima 

Cho Soon Young 

Park Hee Yoon 

U17 Girls Softball Octavia Macnamara Shradha Agrawal Vishakha Choudhary 

U17 Boys Badminton Jittiwat Waranaraya Varis Olarnsakul Piyadej Wongsirikul 

U17 Girls Badminton Chavisa Kosolwattanaroj Aishawarya Afzulpurkar Kriti Singh 

U15 Boys Volleyball Peerakarn Karnchanapimonkol Sharath Kumar Muthukumaran Singchai Somsanguan 

U15 Girls Volleyball Monsicha Yoopensuk Pithamon Karnchanapimolkul Nutchaya Patitus 

U15 Boys Tennis Theera Saraneeyatham Thawin Suksathaporn Shin Chiewattanakul 

U15 Girls Tennis Nitchakan Chaiprukmalakan Panitnart Sakolsatayatorn Pim Asavahame 

U13 Boys Volleyball Natthapat Somsanguan Prachyawanich Khotawanich Suphot Khurana 

U13 Girls Volleyball 

Navarat techaratanaprasert 

Orana Sujiwarodom 

Nannaphat Sirison 

Amolnat Chiarnpattanodom 

U13 Boys Softball Shashank Saravat Sorawich Chaikongkit Voralerk Poolvoralaks 

U11 Boys T-ball 

Naman Kedia 

Divyesh Sipani 

Zeng ‘Jom’ Worathon 

Teague Marusak 

U11 Girls T-ball Supavee Kanjanakuha Donyaporn Kittvatcharapong Rittada Herabat 

Under 11 Girls’ T-Ball 

The Under 11 Girls’ T-Ball team went undefeated in all their games this year. They won a thrilling game 

against Bangkok Patana in the BISAC finals. The game went into extra innings after Sandy Kanjanakuha 

threw out Patana’s top hitter at home plate with a perfect throw from deep center field. In the extra inning, 

the girls scored 6 runs and needed 5 outs to win. Our girls, who played great defense all year, got 7 outs and 

won the gold with a 17-14 win! “This was the best girls’ team I’ve ever coached!” exclaimed Coach Brian 

with obvious pride. 

Under 11 Boys’ T-Ball 

The Boys’ Under 11 T-Ball team had a great season this year. Their regular season record of 6-0 included 

wins over ASB, Shrewsbury, and TCIS. Scoring a total of 128 runs they averaged over 21 per game while 

the defense limited opponents to 11 runs per game. The players worked hard in the April heat and made 

great improvements in their hitting, fielding, and throwing abilities as well as their understanding of the 

rules and strategies of baseball. Unfortunately due to ongoing political unrest, the BISAC tournament was 

cancelled this year, but the team looks forward to a new season in 2011. The roster for this year’s team: 

Naman (co-MVP), Divyesh (co-MVP), Jom (Most Improved Player), King, Ter, Winner, Aidan, Teague 

(Sportsmanship Award), Ananmay, Maek, Beek, Joey, Maddox, Andrew, and Tristan. The team was cocoached 

by Andy Marusak & Tim Mitchell. 

Under 13 Girls’ Volleyball 

The U13 Girls volleyball team had a great season. Most of the girls on the team had little-to-no experience 

but this motivated them to work hard and prepare themselves for the BISAC tournament. After a winless 

first-half of the season, the girls started to play a good team game and despite their nerves and added 

pressure, they did an amazing job at the tournament finishing in second place! The coaches, parents and 

students are all very proud of this young team of hard working girls. “Great season ladies and congratulation 

on your silver medal performance at BISAC,” concludes Coach Joei. 

34 



Under 15 Girls’ Volleyball 

At the beginning of the season, we started off as separate individuals and groups that never interacted. But 

as the sport season progressed, we became a unified group that looked out for each other, created precious 

memories through ups and downs, and constantly motivated each other to reach our best potential earning a 

silver medal at BISAC. Our first set in the final match of the tournament against the home team, ISB, was 

very disappointing, but we still put up a fight in the last two sets. The U15 team would like to thank all the 

varsity players who have constantly been there to support us and help us improve our volleyball skills. Our 

team would like to say a special thanks to Ton, Kom, Kunn, Preme, Pauline, Lissa, parents, manager, and 

our wonderful Coach Noi for assisting us in this successful and memorable season. 

JV Girls’ Volleyball 

2009 was an amazing year for the U17 girls and filled with a roller coaster of emotions and results. 

Through all their hard work and dedication, the girls have become better players and athletes, and will 

undoubtedly give opposing teams all they can handle in future years. Great job on a hard fought season and 

a second place finish at BISAC. Coach Richard puts it best, “You are all champions in my books!” 

U-13 Boys’ Volleyball 

The boys had a great season that not only made them better players but also great friends. They did a 

great job on developing their skills as volleyball players and young men. They may have been a little 

disappointed in their final standing at BISAC, but everyone had a great time throughout the season and we 

will be looking for retribution next year. 

Under 17 Girls’ Softball 

The U17 girls’ softball team had a long season of practicing without many games. In fact, the girls only had 

one regular season game before BISAC. All the hard work paid off in the BISAC tournament though, as 

the girls were able to bring the championship to RIS. The girls played stellar defense, giving up a total of 

five runs in two games and the offense scored a total of 14 runs. Both stats were the best among the teams 

in the tournament. As Coach Isaac comments, “the future looks bright for RIS softball as these girls look to 

improve even more.” 


35

CHAI YO! THE PHOENIX RISES AND MOVES ON! 

A graceful phoenix endowing love and warmth to her community 

Viewed upon with reverence by all – a symbol of immortality 

She nestles in the outskirts of Bangkok in lotus-studded Minburi 

This nurturing phoenix was bestowed upon the title Ruamrudee 

An international union of hearts, this apt name she was given 

Founded by the Redemptorist priests in nineteen fifty seven 

For fifty plus years she has educated and piloted from within 

Critically thinking, well-balanced and caring global citizens 

While constantly striving for excellence she’s been able to withstand 

The tremors and quakes of time experienced by institutions and lands 

This year the graceful phoenix jostled as she grappled to keep balance 

By a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale, the erupting economic crisis 

Compressed by competition from other international schools 

Shakes from the crisis cause the enrollment to drop 

Engulfed by jolts of newly set rules 

The infrastructure sways and rocks 

Vents of anger and distrust 

Shrouded toxic rumors 

The phoenix smolders 

Plummets 

Dark 

Pray 

Pleas for help 

Hours of mediation 

Parents, faculty, administration 

The community comes together to solidify 

Working against odds with one clear goal in mind 

The enthusiastic bright eyes of innocent, young lives 

This pivotal shimmer of light draws the community to reunite 

Chai Yo! The immortal phoenix rises amidst tremors and flutters to flight! 

Chai yo! The magnificent phoenix takes to flight 

United and together let’s lift her with all our might 

The RIS community is the wind beneath her rainbow wings 

Let’s join hands to help her rise, stabilize and soar 

Help her hover high as her rhythmic pulse echoes 

Brace her steadily; support her as constant praises we sing 

Chai Yo! Through the universe promote her immortality to ring! 

Let’s consolidate as one and together we steadily move on 

Rejuvenate our best intentions and let bygones be bygones 

Embed in our hearts the shimmering eyes as our ever-guiding light 

Ensure all we can to best prepare our future generations 

Empower them with skills to cope with unique situations 

Steer our ever-shining stars as our phoenix rises to dizzy heights 

Chai Yo! Anchor her as our community’s love, pride and delight! 

Amidst the tremors the Phoenix flourishes and moves on 

Keeping intact what we excel in as we penetrate beyond 

In ES, we implemented the balanced literacy program 

As fluent readers our star kids delve into books to magical lands 

36 


To promote critical thinking we implemented investigational science 

Our scientists enjoy this hands-on program that’s cool and dynamic 

In MS, we launched a reach-out rocket titled Girls Empowerment 

Empowering lady students through friendship, leadership and service 

The MS faculty merge to design a standard-based reporting system 

To effectively report our students’ learning, knowledge and wisdom 

We launched a school-wide campaign to protect our fragile ozone 

Igniting energy in our endeavors as we strive together and not alone 

Children helping children brought warmth to our hearts and tears to our eyes 

As students exert heartfelt energy to keep Father Ray’s Foundation alive 

The endearing phoenix extends her wings to embrace these street children 

Instilling security in their hearts enlightening them that they too can win 

To encourage risk-taking and to inspire students further in Math to excel 

The Mathivation Movement swirls into the phoenix to vigorously propel 

Words can’t express how diligently our phoenix is striving to soar 

To stand as a cutting edge institution our endeavors will enhance and grow 

Our RIS community we cordially invite you to unite with smiles that light aglow 

As we chime our glasses overflowing with pride and toast to her immortality CHAI YO! 

With love and inspiration, 

Heather Kingham, Grade 5 Teacher 


37


VAMPIRES ON RIS CAMPUS? 

RIS Theater Ensemble perform A Vampire Story 

wo young women arrive in a 

Tnameless British small town. 

Their names are not their own. 

They don’t declare their ages. Their 

relationship with each other is not 

clear. Are they sisters, as their 

assumed identities declare? Or are 

they mother and daughter? 

The eldest, Claire, takes a job in a 

pub. The youngest, Eleanor, goes 

to school. During a truth exercise in 

her drama class, Eleanor confesses 

that she has been alive for over two 

hundred yeas and has survived by 

drinking human blood. Her classmates 

think she is utterly crazy and Mint, 

her teacher, puts her in touch with 

the school counselor. She makes one 

friend, Frank, a boy who has been 

home educated and is as much of an 

oddity as Eleanor. He tries to get to 

the bottom of her vampire delusion, 

thinking it an epic and compelling 

psychosis. Why would anyone want 

to be undead? 

Frank’s parents believe that Ella is 

an anorexic - why does she never 

eat? Eleanor has started to write her 

life story as a play. Things are falling 

apart. People are disappearing. Are 

Eleanor and Claire vampires? Or are 

they troubled young women on the 

run? 

The RIS Theater Ensemble performed 

their last play of the season, A Vampire 

Story, by Moira Buffini on April 28 

and 29 in the Performing Arts Center 

(PAC). Under the direction of Mr. 

Darren Scully, the students delighted 

the audience and left them wondering, 

are Eleanor and Claire really 

vampires? The ensemble is made 

up of a group of high school students 

who are continuously working to test 

themselves and their range. 

We applaud the Performing Arts 

Department and the many performers 

and behind-the-scenes people for their 

hard work and dedication bringing us 

entertaining and thought-provoking 

theater this year. 

38 



Legends of Siam 

Performed by Thai Department 

he Legends of Siam, presented 

Ton April 1 in the Performing 

Arts Center, by students from Thai 

Music, Thai Drama and Thai History 

classes alongside students from Khon 

& Regional Dance was a spectacular 

performance. The production 

consisted of three parts including 

Ancient Kingdoms (Dvaravati, 

Srivijaya and Sukothai) depicted 

in Classical Thai Dance; Ayuthaya 

Kingdom with a performance in Thai 

Boxing and Thai Fencing; and the 

Rattanakosin Era illustrated through 

Thai Plays and Games. We thank 

the students and teachers of the Thai 

Department to bring Thai traditional 

culture and history to life on stage. 



40 


UNCENSORED 

IB ART EXHIBITION @ CENTRAL WORLD 


R uamrudee School’s IB Visual International Arts Year 

2 students put on an amazing exam 

show entitled Uncensored on March 

27-31 at Central World. The IB 

Visual Arts course provides students 

with opportunities to explore art on 

a number of levels, including visual, 

cultural, social and personal, which 

was clearly depicted in many of the 

pieces of work on display. 

The course is not just about ‘making 

things,’ rather it is a journey that is 

described in the following way in the 

IB subject guide: 

Artistic learning requires a high 

level of cognitive activity that is 

both intellectual and emotional. For 

students to communicate visually, 

they must place themselves within 

a cultural context, or contexts, 

from which to discover and develop 

appropriate techniques. Through 

the visual arts, people acquire 

understandings which are unique 

in human development. Study of 

the visual arts allows students to 

discover ways in which to interpret 

and comment critically on the human 

condition. 

Studying the IB Visual Arts course 

allows students to develop a critical 

and intensely personal view of 

themselves in relation to the world. 

It aims to encourage personal growth 

and commitment through the study of 

art as well as a relationship between 

research and the production of art. 

Students displayed their art 

professionally in order for the IB 

examiner to assess their work over 

the two-year program. Students had 

to demonstrate clearly in visual and 

written terms how personal research 

has led to an understanding of the 

topics (ideas) being investigated; 

analyze critically the meaning and 

visual qualities of an art using an 

informed art vocabulary; show 

awareness of cultural, historical, and 

social aspects of themes from more 

than one perspective; and examine the 

visual and functional (the purpose) 

qualities of art from your own and 

other cultures, identifying meaning 

and significance. 

Our congratulations and best of luck 

go out to the graduating IB Visual Art 

students for a job well done! 



Learning the True Reward of Service 

By Nicha Ratana-Apiromyakij, Junior Executive, Interact Rotary Club 

t is spring, the season of the renewal 

Iof life and hope for the future. 

Once again, as they have done for the 

past years, members of the Interact 

Rotary 

out of the 

Club made a trip 

city, away from 

comfortable 

Bangkok 

and its many 

luxuries, to 

build houses 

for the 

homeless. 

The Habitat 

for Humanity 

trip lasted four days, from March 

24-28. The 33 club members 

(composed of 11th and 12th grade 

students) were accompanied by a 

team of hardworking and delightful 

chaperones: Ms. Donna Eastlake, Ms. 

Jillian Nichols, Ms. Lincy Fung, and 

Mr. Andrew Marusak. Together, they 

built two houses, for two families: 

a factory worker with two teenage 

sons, and a couple with a baby on the 

way. 

Had it not been for the various 

fundraising activities the club 

coordinated, along with the 

efforts and donations from our 

community, the trip wouldn’t 

have been possible. Fundraising 

on the club’s 

behalf was composed 

of various t-shirt 

sales and bake sales. 

The greater half of 

funds, however, 

was the generous contributions of 

business sponsors and individuals. 

The Interact Rotary Club thanks you 

for your donations. 

Despite the painstaking fundraising 

process, the toughest, and most 

rewarding part of this project, was 

building the houses themselves. 

Picture it if you will: a group of kids 

who arrive with clean fingernails and 

ipods, who are taught to mix their first 

bucket of cement, dig their first holes, 

build their first walls. The labor was 

intensive under the sweltering heat, 

but anyone who went on that trip 

would say they loved every minute 

of it. Not only was it a characterbuilding, 

bonding activity - they had 

changed lives. 

The four days flew by. And, before the 

members knew it, they were handing 

over the keys to the house. Some 

students and the new homeowners 

42 



had tears in their eyes. As their bus 

drove away, and the students watched 

the waving families disappear as they 

turned the corner, they felt a sense of 

fulfillment. Natascha Yogachandra, 

the club’s co-president, speaks for 

the members when she says, “Each 

year, habitat never fails to provide 

an opportunity for the members to 

step out of their comfort zone and 

offer a helping hand to those in need. 

In addition to building a home for 

these families, we’re building our 

own character and learning the true 

reward of service.” 

One club member’s remark sums 

it up: “We did not build houses, we 

built homes.” 


43


Earth Day Celebrates 40 Years Uniting All 

in the Preservation of Our Planet EARTH 

arth Day is the largest, most 

Ewidely celebrated international 

environmental event. It is celebrated 

in 190 countries by one billion 

people. Earth Day helps celebrate 

Earth’s unique place in the universe. 

It is the only planet in our solar 

system teeming with incredible 

biodiversity. 


Ruamrudee and Redeemer 

International Schools celebrated Earth 

Week April 19-23 culminating with an 

all-school assembly on Friday, April 

23. The 8 th Grade class, homeroom 

8-5 presented Liza LeGranite, The 

Good Mother Planet by Rick Borsten, 

delivering the message that Mother 

Planet does love us, 

but that WE 

must keep loving with all our hearts, 

THE WHOLE OF CREATION – and 

not just us alone! Various agencies set 

up booths in the breezeway to create 

awareness of the environmental 

issues facing us today and students 

were gathering signatures and 

commitments to reduce their use of 

plastics. 

Wisconsin Senator Gaylord 

Nelson and Harvard University 

grad Denis Hayes spearheaded 

Earth Day on April 22, 1970, 

uniting 20 million Americans. 

It was the largest, organized 

civic demonstration in U.S. 

history. Earth Day was planned 

over seven months, on a budget of 

US$124,000. Nelson insisted the day 

be based on grassroots movements 

across the country and rejected a 

top-down, national approach. The 

first Earth Day 40 years ago led


to the creation of the Environmental 

Protection Agency and the passage 

of the Clean Air, Clean Water and 

Endangered Species Act in the U.S. 

Earth Day reminds us we all share 

the same planet. Sharing Earth means 

taking responsibility for what we use 

and how we use it. It is a day to think 

of the environmental challenges we 

face and how to solve them. 

Dr. John Styles spearheaded a video 

contest in which students were 

invited to submit a 3-5 minute video 

with the theme “A Good Planet is 

Hard to Find,” and to respond to the 

challenges of Earth environmental 

issues. A total of 7 videos were 

submitted. A panel of teachers and 

students watched the videos and 

ranked them according to the impact 

of their message. Congratulations 

go out to all our participants! Third 

place winners were Tarn Susumpow 

and Nicha Ratana-Apiromyakij, 

Grade 11; Second Place winners were 

Nicky Fugajananon, Ann Moon, and 

Win Chatsirivichaikul, Grade 11; 

and First Place winner was Preshita 

Sipani, Grade 11. 

Protecting Earth is every person’s and every country’s 

responsibility. Here are a few ways you can help Earth 

every day: 

• Walk or ride a bicycle to school, the park, or the store. 

Encourage your parents to walk or ride to work, too. This 

is a great way to help reduce the pollution created by 

cars, trucks, buses, trains, and airplanes. 

• Plant trees. Trees help keep the air clean. 

• Do not litter. Pick up litter on the sidewalk, street, beach, 

or riverbank. This will help keep the environment free of 

contaminants. 

• Create a compost pile for food scraps and plant waste 

from the garden. This is a good way to cut down on the 

amount of trash that goes into a landfill. As a bonus, 

compost helps create rich soil for gardening. 

• Recycle! Recycling is an important part 

of keeping Earth clean. It is very easy 

to do. By giving old things a new life 

we put less pressure on important 

resources all of us will need in the 

future to survive. 


45

PARENT AUXILIARY 

CPA Celebrates Our Students 

by Cindy Lin, CPA President 

n Sunday, May 2, 2010 the 

OChinese Parents Association 

(CPA) celebrated their annual yearend 

luncheon at the Four Wings 

Hotel. Over 80 students, parents 

and guests attended this festive and 

fun event. Seniors, Demy Chou and 

Chun-Yen Yu MC’d the program 

which included entertaining student 

and parent performances, 

fun games and generous 

raffle drawings. This 

annual luncheon is 

an opportunity 

for us to 

congratulate 

our 13 seniors 

and recognize 

our 8 CPA 


scholarship winners. Honored guests 

included Father Apisit and Father 

Travis who provided inspirational 

speeches to our students and parents. 

This is the last year the CPA will 

exist as a group; going forward RIS 

Chinese parents will form a new 

group which will include RIS alumni 

and parents of alumni. Grade 12 

parent, Shirley Sung, has volunteered 

to help lead this new group. If 

you are interested in finding out 

more information about the new 

Chinese parent group, please contact 

Shirley by email at dk_shirley@ 

hotmail.com or by mobile #081-825- 

8132. 

As the out-going CPA President, I 

would like to thank my 2008-2010 

CPA Board for their wonderful 

support and dedication these past two 

years. Without these amazing moms, 

we wouldn’t have had Chinese food 

at the International Food Fair and 

cultural performances and food at the 

Chinese New Year celebration. Even 

though I have only been at RIS for 

three years, it has been a pleasure 

working with RIS students, teachers, 

administrators and parents. My 

family and I will definitely miss all 

the great friends that we have made 

at RIS!

PARENT AUXILIARY 

RIS Parent Auxiliary Committed to Supporting our School 

by Sioux S. 

s the year end approaches, 

Athe Parent Auxiliary Board 

of 2009-10 would like to thank all 

parents, staff, and administrators 

for your help and contribution in 

making all events this past year 

a huge success! A great big thank 

you to our national representatives 

for their tireless efforts – Ms. Cindy 

(Chinese), Ms. Wee Gee (Filipino), 

Ms. Sumol (Indian), Ms. Tomoko 

(Japanese), Ms. Hera (Korean), and 

Ms. Romanee (Thai). We would also 

like to thank our advisors – Khun 

Sittisak and Khun Vipa – for their 

guidance. We couldn’t have done it 

without you all. 

The major project for this year was 

the creation of the Middle Zone in 

the Griffith Library. This has been 

an ongoing project for two years with 

the goal of creating a space dedicated 

to the specific reading and research 

needs of our middle school students. 

On March 22, 2010, Father Travis and 

Father Pattarapong presided over the 

grand opening of Griffith Library’s 

Middle Zone. We would like to 

thank Ms. Nancy Bono, the Griffith 

Librarian for her determination and 

wonderful efforts. A great part of 

the monetary contribution for this 

project came from funds raised at 

this year’s International Food Fair, 

where we raised over 200,000 baht. 

Many parents graciously donated 

their hard work and time to make the 

event a memorable one for the RIS 

community. Other events that the 

PA hosted or sponsored included the 

following: 

• RIS Cultural Events and 

Activities: Korean Day, 

International Food Fair, RIS 

Chamber Orchestra, Chinese 

New Year Celebration, Songkran 

Festival 

• Student Clubs and Activities: 

Pre-K/ ES/ MS Games Day, 

HS Career Day, Bumrungrad 

Career Development Program, 

Internal Debate Tournament, 

InterAct Rotary Club (Habitat 

for Humanity) 

• Student Recognition: STAR 

(Students who are Talented and 

Remarkable) Program 

• Support for Teachers and 

Administrators: New Teachers 

BBQ, ES Parent Coffee 

• Support for Parents: Taught 

English language classes for 

parents 

We would like to congratulate the 

five new Parent Auxiliary Executive 

Committee members of 2010-11: 

Ms. Supinya (Poo) Laiprasittichai 

Mr. Samart Lewsriskul 

Mr. Camilo J Lim 

Ms. Wipapun (Noi) Poltanawasit 

Mr. Jumrud Sawangsamud 

We would also like to wish express 

our sincere appreciation and thanks to 

the following parents who are leaving 

and have made major contributions 

to the school: Cindy Lin, Sittisak 

Haputong, Wee Gee Suthibutr, 

Piyawan Suwanpotipra (Pure), and 

Nat Yogachandra. We wish them 

much success in all endeavors as they 

continue their journey beyond the 

RIS family. 

We are very fortunate to have such 

a caring community. Once again, 

thank you to all for your continuous 

support. Look forward to more 

activities and exciting projects in the 

upcoming year! 


47

DIVING AT RIS 

The 2009/2010 year was a great year for scuba diving at RIS thanks to the efforts of the Aquatics Department, 

Mermaid Dive Center and PADI IDC Staff Instructor Jeff Sanow. Raha Del Rosario Mortel, Director of the 

RIS PE Aquatics Department made certain that the facilities and classroom were ready to be used by the diving 

students. Scott Jackson from Mermaid Dive Center brought all the necessary equipment to RIS and assisted Jeff 

Sanow, husband of Middle School teacher Renee Sanow, in the pool and open water instruction. As a result of 

their collective efforts, 22 members of the RIS community were certified as Open Water scuba divers. 

As a year-end treat, Shirley Seiverling from 

the High School organized a liveaboard dive 

trip over the Songkran holiday to the Similan 

Islands in the Andaman Sea. The picture of 

the sleeping spotted puffer fish below was 

taken by Renee Sanow on a night dive on 

that trip. 

In preparation for a great dive trip, several 

RIS divers completed a Buoyancy Clinic 

at Astra Pool. The objective of the clinic 

was to review the basics of fin pivot and 

hover, then put them into practice. Thruogh 

a series of exercises and games, the divers 

all greatly enhanced their buoyancy skills, 

making them better, safer divers. The final 

skill was to swim through a hoola-hoop 

holding a ping-pong ball under a spoon. 

The following picure shows RIS Physics 

teacher Marc Sabb concentrating on the 

final skill. 

RIS’s intrepid explorer/ 

teachers dove on a submerged 

temple close 

to the Burma/Thai border. 

The above photo 

shows one of the insets 

on the wall of the 

temple. 

Fall 2010 promises to offer lots more scuba diving opportunities for the RIS family. In 

preparation for participation in the International Beach Clean-up in Pattaya, 18 September, 

there will be a buoyancy clinic tentatively planned for 11 or 12 September. There will be at least two trips 

to dive the sunken temple in Sangklanburi plus classes for people to become PADI Open Water certified 

divers. An added bonus for summer 2011 will be a marine biology summer program being jointy developed 

by Jeff Sanow and John Stiles HS/IB biology teacher. 

48 


For more information on scuba diving in Thailand, contact Jeff Sanow at 081-923-8426 or jeff@sinbadscuba.com

THANK YOU AND 

CONGRATULATIONS! 

Retirees 

Pornthip Puangmalee 

(41 years) 

Marcelina Sawatewi 

(37 years) 

Supannee Dumrongvong 

(37 years) 

Suntaree Pensuwan 

(24 years) 

Busaba Yimyam 

(20 years) 

Corazon Akrapitak 

(18 years) 

Jeffrey Ryback 

(17 years) 

Candice Crouch 

(7 years) 

A sincere thank you to our retirees and those 

administrators/teachers who have dedicated 

their time and expertise to the students here 

at Ruamrudee and Redeemer International 

Schools over the years. We will definitely miss 

you and wish you all the best of luck in your 

new endeavors, wherever they may be! 


SUMMERTIME… 

A Chance to Stop and Smell the Roses! 

man sat at a metro station in 

A Washington, D.C., and started 

to play the violin; it was a cold 

January morning. He played six Bach 

pieces for about 45 minutes. During 

that time, since it was rush hour, 

it was calculated that thousands of 

people went through the station, most 

of them on their way to work. 

Three minutes went by and a middle 

aged man noticed there was a 

musician playing. He slowed his pace 

and stopped for a few seconds and 

then hurried up to meet his schedule. 

A minute later, the violinist received 

his first dollar tip: a woman threw the 

money in the till and without stopping 

continued to walk. 

A few minutes later, someone leaned 

against the wall to listen to him, but 

the man looked at his watch and 

started to walk again. 

Clearly he was late 

for work. 

The one who 

paid the most 

attention 

was a 3-year 

old 

His 

boy. 

mother 

tagged 

him along, hurried, but the child 

stopped to look at the violinist. 

Finally the mother pushed hard and 

the child continued to walk turning 

his head all the time. This action was 

repeated by several other children. 

All the parents, without exception, 

forced them to move on. 

In the 45 minutes the musician played, 

only 6 people stopped and stayed for 

a while. About 20 gave him money 

but continued to walk their normal 

pace. He collected US$32. When he 

finished playing and silence took over, 

no one noticed it. No one applauded, 

nor was there any recognition. 

No one knew this but the violinist was 

Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians 

in the world. He played one of the 

most intricate pieces ever written 

with a violin worth 3.5 million US 

dollars. Two days before his playing 

in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out 

at a theater in Boston and the seats 

averaged US$100 each. 

This is a real story. Joshua Bell 

playing incognito in the metro station 

was organized by the Washington 

Post as part of a social experiment 

about perception, taste and priorities 

of people. The outlines were: 

In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: 

Do we perceive beauty? 

Do we stop to appreciate it? 

Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? 

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: 

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best 

musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever 

written, how many other things are we missing? 

50 


Congratulations RIS Seniors! 

Class of 2010 College Acceptances 

Accademia Italiana International Fashion and Design Institute 

Thailand 

Assumption University Thailand 

Aston University United Kingdom 

Australian National University Australia 

Bangkok University Thailand 

Bard College at Simon’s Rock United States 

Birmingham City University United Kingdom 

Boston College United States 

Brandeis University United States 

Bucknell University United States 

California College of the Arts United States 

Carleton College United States 

Carnegie Mellon University United States 

Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design United Kingdom 

Chapman University United States 

Chulalongkorn University Thailand 

Clark University United States 

Clarkson University United States 

Colorado School of Mines United States 

Columbia University United States 

Cornell University United States 

Delaware College of Art and Design United States 

DePauw University United States 

Drexel University United States 

Elon University United States 

Emerson College United States 

Fashion Institute of Technology United States 

Florida Institute of Technology United States 

Georgetown University United States 

Georgia Institute of Technology United States 

Heriot-Watt University United Kingdom 

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Hong Kong 

International College of Hotel Management Australia 

Iowa State University United States 

Jacobs University Bremen Germany 

Kalamazoo College United States 

Kenyon College United States 

King’s College London United Kingdom 

Knox College United States 

Lancaster University United Kingdom 

Lawrence University United States 

LES ROCHES, Swiss Hotel Association, School of Hotel Mgmt 

Switzerland 

Lewis & Clark College United States 

Linfield College United States 

London College of Fashion United Kingdom 

London School of Economics United Kingdom 

Loughborough University United Kingdom 

Loyola Marymount University United States 

Lynn University United States 

Mahidol University Thailand 

Marquette University United States 

Massachusetts College of Art and Design United States 

McGill University Canada 

Mercyhurst College United States 

Michigan State University United States 

Mount Holyoke College United States 

National Central University Taiwan 

New York University United States 

Newcastle University United Kingdom 

Northeastern University United States 

Oregon State University United States 

Pennsylvania State University, University Park United States 

Purdue University United States 

Queen’s University Canada 

Queensland University of Technology Australia 

Rangsit University Thailand 

Reed College United States 

Rhodes College United States 

Ringling College of Art and Design United States 

Rochester Institute of Technology United States 

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Australia 

Savannah College of Art and Design United States 

School of the Art Institute of Chicago United States 

Scripps College United States 

Silpakorn University International College Thailand 

Simon Fraser University Canada 

Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat 

University Thailand 

SrinakharinWirot University Thailand 

St. John’s College United States 

St. John’s University - Queens Campus United States 

St. Olaf College United States 

Syracuse University United States 

Texas A&M University United States 

Thammasat University Thailand 

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 

The College of Wooster United States 

The Ohio State University United States 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States 

The University of the Arts United States 

Trent University Canada 

Trinity University United States 

Tufts University United States 

University of Aberdeen United Kingdom 

University of Alberta Canada 

University of Bath United Kingdom 

University of Birmingham United Kingdom 

University of British Columbia Canada 

University of Calgary Canada 

University of California at Los Angeles United States 

University of California at San Diego United States 

University of Cincinnati United States 

University of Durham United Kingdom 

University of Edinburgh United Kingdom 

University of Exeter United Kingdom 

University of Greenwich United Kingdom 

University of Illinois at Chicago United States 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign United States 

University of Liverpool United Kingdom 

University of Manchester United Kingdom 

University of Maryland, College Park United States 

University of Melbourne Australia 

University of Michigan United States 

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities United States 

University of Oregon United States 

University of Oxford United Kingdom 

University of Portland United States 

University of Rhode Island United States 

University of Southern California United States 

University of Surrey United Kingdom 

University of Technology Australia 

University of the Pacific United States 

University of Toronto Canada 

University of Washington United States 

University of Waterloo Canada 

University of Western Ontario Canada 

University of Wisconsin, Madison United States 

University of York United Kingdom 

Ursinus College United States 

Villanova University United States 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University United States 

Waseda University Japan 

Washington University in St. Louis United States 

Wellesley College United States 

Whitman College United States 

Willamette University United States 

Williams College United States 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute United States 

Yale University United States 


51

NewsLetterIssue4 April-June10.indd - RIS stories

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