REGENTS’ NEWSLETTER

EDITION 5 TERm 1 2014/2015

SECONDARY

As you read this newsletter we will have concluded many of the student elections for this current academic year. The new Student Guild is now in post and just today, all students and staff voted for their new Head Students. Our nine candidates have given their speeches, campaigned hard and it is now time to count the votes. The quality of student leadership at Regents is something we are very proud of and our democratic processes are engrained into our school culture and ethos.

Democracy is a foundation pillar of our Round Square philosophy and is a privilege that we all enjoy and have the right to express. This week found us looking back at our shared histories and remembering the countless men and women who have given their life in conflict across the years to secure us the freedoms we enjoy today. Democracy remains a powerful motivation for action which should be protected, never taken for granted and we hope that our students know and appreciate this as they move towards adulthood.

Reflection and looking back has incredible personal and social value but only if we use what we

find to learn, adapt our attitudes and change our behaviours as we move forward. These changes can be small and have an immediate impact upon; your next science lesson, your desire to learn a new instrument, a challenge to attain that higher grade, take a risk and run for a student leadership position or grow into having a clear vision of what career you want to pursue for the rest of your life. We want all our students to have a clear message that looking back and learning from previous success and failure can only make you a more resilient and creative learner as well as a stronger person.

We are confident that all our students will leave Regents having learned respect for the rights and freedoms we enjoy today as well as knowing how to effectively use lessons from their past as a way of shaping and focusing their very bright futures.

I look forward to introducing our new Head Students to you all in our next newsletter but in the meantime, please enjoy this edition and thank you for your continued support.

CALENDAR DATESFriday 14th Nov U15 FOBISIA GAmeS – hOSted By St AndrewS SchOOl In BAnGkOk Saturday 15th Nov SenIOr rUGBy tOUrnAment In BAnGkOk

MoNday 17th Nov yeAr 10 OUtdOOr edUcAtIOn week

WedNeSday 19th Nov kS3 hOUSe BASketBAll cOmpetItIOn

MoNday 24th Nov yeAr 10 OUtdOOr edUcAtIOn week

thurSday 27th Nov SecOndAry SchOOl prOdUctIOn – A chrIStmAS cArOl

Saturday 29th Nov prImAry chrIStmAS FAIr

LESSONS fROm ThE pAST ……

ThIS WEEk IN ThE SECONDARY NEWSLETTER

PauL MccoNNeL, dePuty head oF SecoNdary

LiviNG hiStory iN actioN

Nord aNGLia deveLoPMeNt aWardS

year 12 - ModerN art MuSeuM viSit

Loy KrathoNG ceLeBratioNS at reGeNtS

‘When you go home,

Tell them of us and say,

For their tomorrow,

We gave our today.

This short epitaph, which relates to all wars – both past and present – was a key message of reflection both during the whole school Secondary School Remembrance Assembly on 10th November and the Kanchanaburi Remembrance Ceremony on 11th November, to which a group of Regents’ students and staff attended.

Beginning at the start of the academic year, the theme of Remembrance was explored by the students of Regents in many ways, in the build up to the assembly. Many departments across the school explored the theme and in particular, World War One, such as the Drama Department, the Art Department, the DT Department, the English Department, the Music Department and the Science Department, to name a few. In addition, students have been involved in many activities

of reflection during recent PSHE lessons. The Art After School Activity group created an Art Exhibition entitled, ‘Red in a field of Black and White’. Furthermore, across the whole school, students got involved in many activities run by the History Department on the theme of ‘Living History Week’, details of which will feature in the next newsletter. Student Guild members and Form Reps have been selling poppies and Poppy bands around the school for the last week.

The annual Remembrance Assembly is a perfect opportunity each year to reflect as a community on the sacrifices which people make in times of war. The

assembly featured a play entitled, ‘From Sakaoe to the Somme’, directed by Mr Michael Thomas, Drama Teacher and acted out by 9R. The theme of the play was the involvement of the Thai volunteer army in the last stages of World War One, based in France. It was a truly moving play, demonstrating how Thai people rose to the call of their King to help defend their homeland. The ashes of those Thai volunteers who died in the conflict can be found at a memorial in Sunam Luang Park in Bangkok. The choir followed the play with a beautiful rendition of ‘Adiemus’. To end the assembly, Mr. Clarence Mansell and a group of students performed the Last Post.

SArAh trAvIS-mUlFOrd, ASSIStAnt heAd OF SecOndAry

‘WhEN you Go homE, TEll ThEm of uS aNd Say,

foR ThEiR TomoRRoW, WE GavE ouR Today.’

With no time to spare, some of the students who performed in the play during the assembly were ushered into mini-buses, accompanied by Mr Mike Thomas, Mrs Sarah Travis-Mulford and Mr Clarence Mansell, to travel to Kanchanaburi in order to take part in the Centenary Remembrance Ceremony at the war cemetaries in Kanchanaburi on 11th November. It was an honour to be invited to participate in this very important Remembrance event, which was extremely moving. Poppy Mulford from Year 9 was given the honour of laying a wreath for Regents International School, Pattaya, walking up to the cross

alongside veterans of war.

Following the main service, the Regents students who had played the Last Post at the Secondary Assembly, played the Last Post again - at a smaller, but very poignant location – the site of the first prisoner of war camp in Thailand during WWII. The students played beautifully and made us all proud to be members of the Regents School. In return, the British Legion awarded the students of Regents School with a Certificate of Appreciation for the contribution that the school makes to the British Poppy Appeal: ‘Lest we forget’.

reGeNtS’ StudeNtS reFLect oN the ceNteNary coMMeMoratioN oF WorLd War oNe

LIvINg hISTORY IN ACTION

year 8 GeoGraPhy FieLdtriP to Sai KaeW Beach

The trip to Sai Kaew beach took about an hour but was well worth it! The Geography trip was very educational and lots of fun at the same time.

During the day we completed 4 different activities:

We measured waves and how the long shore drift drags along material from South West to North West of the beach.

We also completed some questionnaires, asking people questions about the beach and about themselves; this was to help us find out the type of people who go to the beach and how popular it is.

We completed bipolar surveys, looking at issues which tourists bring to the beach, and we also completed a field sketch of the area.

The best part about this trip was that we got to bond with your friends even more and work together as a team. It was great to experience Geography work outside the classroom as we have been studying coasts in geography lessons and to see in person for ourselves what we have been learning was a great opportunity.

At break time we got to eat at the shops nearby - crisps, fruits, ice cream, but the best food was obviously chicken.

After the day ended we got back from the beach safely from the horrible storm.

By JOnAthOn, yeAr 8 StUdent

hANDS-ON ExpERIENCE Of gEOgRAphY OuTSIDE ThE CLASSROOm

By Andrew perrInS, heAd OF mAthemAtIcS depArtment

MathS WorKout – caN you Meet the chaLLeNGe?

To SEE ThiS WE muST fiRST REaliSE ThaT if ThE baSE of ThE pyRamid haS N EdGES, ThERE Will alSo bE aNoThER N EdGES To makE ThE SidES joiNiNG aT ThE Tip, GiviNG uS 2N EdGES iN ToTal. ThERE Will bE N + 1 facES iN ToTal, hENcE ThE diffERENcE bETWEEN ThE NumbER of EdGES aNd ThE NumbER of facES Will bE :

(2N) – (N + 1) = N – 1

LAST WEEk’S puZZLECongratulations to Mr Mulford in Primary school who correctly worked out that for any pyramid with N edges on its base, the difference between the number of edges and the number of faces will be N – 1

This next puzzle involves a little probability, and I hope to be able to give an honourable mention for the first three correct submissions to andrew.perrins@regents-pattaya.co.th. Enjoy!

the BaSe oF a pYRAmID haS N edGeS.

What iS the diFFereNce BetWeeN the NuMBer oF

edGeS the PyraMid haS aNd the NuMBer oF FaceS the

PyraMid haS?

afTER playiNG 500 GamES, my SuccESS RaTE aT SpidER SoliTaiRE iS 49%. aSSumiNG i WiN EvERy GamE fRom NoW oN, hoW maNy ExTRa GamES do i NEEd To play iN oRdER ThaT my SuccESS RaTE iNcREaSES To 50%?

thAnkS tO www.nrIch.mAthS.OrG FOr theIr weekly pUzzleS

Laura won the award for Innovation in High Performance Learning: for an individual or school who has made a substantial contribution to the development and implementation of High Performance Learning in their school.

Laura volunteered to lead a whole-school focus group which had the challenging task of producing a proposal for embedding and embracing HPL across the school. She led 10 colleagues through a 2-term process, with over 16 meetings. The final document is fantastic and was presented to the SLT at the end of last academic year. The document is extremely well-considered and avoids the superficial approach to philosophy which so often occurs in schools. It sets out a 3-year time-frame and addresses everything from changing mind-set to vertical curriculum to classroom practice.

A few quotes from the leadership team on their reaction to the news of these awards:

“This reflects the importance our school places on staff development connected with world class teaching standards” Iain Blaikie, Principal

“I am very pleased that these three staff members have been recognised for the effort, perseverance and hard work they have displayed in three very different sections of our school” Nonie Adams, Head of the Primary School

“This is a reflection of our school as a global leader in education and our relentless drive towards improvement” Garry Russell, Head of the Secondary School

SecOndAry enGlISh teAcher And hpl chAmpIOn

Laura ButLer

LAuRA buTLER & LuCY LEWIS

regularly at our many recitals and concerts.

All our teachers teach toward ABRSM or London College of Music standards. We believe it is important that all our children are given internationally recognized standards of teaching and learning.

We aim for our students to be nurtured and inspired through all the music teaching in the school. We provide both challenges and scaffolds, confidence and support, encouraging the students to step up, step forward, persevere and work hard to achieve highly.

The children are astounding and demonstrate daily that when given the opportunities they can achieve higher than they ever thought they could.

By mArk lOAder, prOFeSSIOnAl develOpment cO-OrdInAtOr

Tim won the Nord Anglia University Leadership Award: At any level, in any part of the company, for people showing effective leadership of other professionals in line with Nord Anglia Education values.

It is often difficult to quantify the impact of individuals, though increased student numbers is an obvious indicator of success for Tim. What Tim does is work with people extremely effectively. He is not a ‘bolt-on’ leader; he gets involved in operational and strategic discussions at every level. One example is the development of the RISE programme at Regents which was born out of discussions between Tim and the Secondary SMT.

Lucy won the award for Innovation as a result of Professional Enquiry: “people who can demonstrate the impact of their research on the organisation.“

Lucy Lewis manages our Instrumental tuition programme which is interwoven with our performance, recital and

concert schedules. The research into music study and benefits of instrumental learning are well documented and embedding an instrumental programme into our weekly school life has had far reaching positive effects.

We have a fantastic team of eleven instrumental teachers. We offer tuition in woodwind, brass, strings, vocal, guitar, piano and drums. The last three years has seen this instrumental programme grow radically from a starting point of 28 pupils to now over 270 students across Early Years, Primary and Secondary.

The depth and breadth of musical talent, expertise and interest in our school is now quite astonishing and is displayed

NORD ANgLIA pROfESSIONAL DEvELOpmENT AWARDS

heAd OF mArketInG, AdmISSIOnS And cOmmUnIcAtIOnS

tiM eatoN

heAd OF prImAry mUSIc

Lucy LeWiS

TIm EATON

For the second year running, our school has taken the limelight at the Regional Nord Anglia University Professional Development Awards. This is a showcase of the most committed professionals and their outstanding work in professional development, improving practice and innovation from across all Nord Anglia Education schools. All staff at our school are committed to their professional development and these awards go towards recognising

that dedication and drive to continually improve both themselves and the school.

We are exceptionally proud that 3 of the 6 awards available to well over 1,000 professionals across the region have been awarded to our staff and here are some highlights of why they have won:

STAff pROfILE

I am sure that you could not help but notice the recent beautification of the Regents’ Secondary displays on campus! There is one person to thank for all of the new, wonderful displays - Mona Yapova.

So, who is Mona and where does she come from?

At the age of 18, Mona has already lived in 5 (soon to be 6) countries. She was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and then moved to France, then Switzerland, then Brussels, Belgium, and finally with us here in Thailand. As a result of her different experiences, she is also fluent in 5 languages: Bulgarian, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Next year Mona will add another country to her living list as she pursues a double French/ English law degree for two years first at the prestigious King’s College in London followed by another two in Sorbonne in Paris. Mona is not afraid to speak her mind in order to stand up for what is right.

For this, she will make a perfect lawyer. Because she cares so deeply about improving the condition of the world, she wants to work specifically in human rights law.

If you asked her a year ago that she would be in Thailand now, she would laugh incredulously. The idea that she would take a whole 14 months off of school to move to a completely foreign city a lengthy 17-hour plane ride from her home was completely ludicrous. However, as her final year at the European School of Brussels drew to a close, she started to feel like there was something else missing in her life. Having worked so hard in school for her entire life, Mona was desperate for a new challenge.

Regents came as a miracle solution. She has thus found a job in one of the most beautiful parts of the world where she could effectively combine her two passions of traveling and art into every

day life. A mere 5 months later, Mona became Regents first ever Art Intern/Technician.

As featured on this page, her art is absolutely spectacular. She has even sold some of them in public auctions to support international humanitarian efforts such as relief for those victims affected by the earthquake in Haiti and support for impoverished Zambian schools.

If you ever are looking for her, you are sure to find her working away in the Art Department, or the Round Square Office. Mona has managed to place her heart and soul into making this campus a better place. Although she is mostly a behind the scenes worker, I think we can all agree that the school continues to be a better, more pleasant place because Mona is here.

fROm mONA’S WORkShOp

By Jenny lUndt, GAp StAFF

reGeNtS FirSt ever art iNterN, MoNa, iN the SPotLiGht…

mONA YApOvA

year 12 viSit to the MuSeuM oF ModerN art BaNGKoK

Just before half term, the Year 12 Visual Arts IB students went to Bangkok for a day of culture and gallery hopping at MOCA (Museum of Modern Art) and The Bangkok Cultural Institute. The students were truly wowed by the grand scale of the gallery spaces at MOCA; beautiful exhibitions rooms that were filled with some of the most exciting contemporary art in Thailand. The museum still seems to be a well-kept secret and the galleries were very quiet allowing the students plenty of space to explore, sketch, photograph the works and sneak off for iced cappuccinos in the excellent gallery café. To quote Danielle, “Miss! We are now like proper Art students; talking about Art all day and drinking coffee!”

We made a quick stop at the Bangkok Cultural Centre on our way home which is right in the heart of commercial Bangkok and next to the giant Siam Paragon Shopping mall. The layout of the space is similar to the snail-shell like design of the Guggenheim Art Gallery in New York and contains a range of cool and quirky art shops and cafes, a dedicated Art and Design library and a program of rotating exhibitions from both local and international artists.

We had a wonderful day and we can highly recommend both venues for anyone interested in Thailand’s Art Scene. Many thanks to Caroline Turner for coming with us on this trip.

By kAtherIne perrInS, heAd OF Art

WE ARE NOW LIkE pROpER ART STuDENTS .....

..... TALkINg AbOuT ART ALL DAY AND DRINkINg COffEE!

croSS couNtry MedaL WiNNerS

By rOSlyn mccOnnell, heAd OF pe

ISE was the host of the recent Cross-Country event which students from as young as Year 3 all the way through to Year 13 participated in. From the 120 runners from Regents, we collected a bumper number of medals and certificates in each race despite the torrential rain and thunder storm!! Our students battled on through the mud and puddles with the determination of a Regents Lion to succeed and finish the race. A special mention needs to be made to Hermione, Chloe and Andrey who won both cross country events this year within their age group – well done. We are very proud of everyone who represented our school and know that if we keep working hard and aiming high, then we will find even greater success next year.

YEAR RESuLTS

u13 GirLS

billy – 2Nd

jamiNE – 8Th ESTEllE – 9Th

u15 GirLS

chloE – 1ST miRabEll – 4Th

STEph – 5Th valERiia – 6Th

ZoE – 8Th

SeNior GirLS hERmioNE – 1ST

u13 BoyS

louiS – 1ST maxim – 2Nd huGo – 3Rd EoiN – 4Th

miN hyuk – 10Th

u15 BoyS

aNdREy – 1ST GiaN – 4Th Nick – 5Th

TimoTE – 7Th

SeNior BoyS/aduLtS

cliff – 3Rd

icE – 4Th

heartS oF LioNS

caPtaiN’S PerSPective oF the PhuKet tourNaMeNt

By erIn elmS, yeAr 13 StUdent

On November 6th, the Senior Football Teams packed up and headed off to Phuket, Thailand to compete in the BIS Phuket Tournament.

This was my second year attending this tournament and we all had high hopes for the outcome. As a team, we were still very new to each other, having only played for a couple of weeks, however we were determined to continue our undefeated record from the past games this year. And with our excellent coach, Mr. Hart, were had all of the means to have a successful tournament. We were all very excited as we arrived to the hotel, especially having lots of time to get to know each other and mentally prepare for the upcoming fixtures.

As a captain, I wanted to use this time to have ‘team bonding,’ to get to know some of the girls better and therefore be better connected on the field. The bonding turned out to be a huge success, full of laughter and enjoyment of each other’s company. We were all fully prepared for the tournament ahead and anxious for it to begin as the first night came to a close. Due to the early morning arrival and anxiety of the games, the first game on Friday, was a little slow and definitely not the top of our game as a team, but we were able to come out with a tie.

The rest of the day progressively got a lot better, everyone was more focused and determined to win the top of our pool. Even with the slight distraction of the boys team’s games and all the other excitements of the tournament, we ended the day 2-2-0; without conceding a single goal.

We were all very proud and determined for the semi-finals, going in as the number two seed. By the end of the first day we were told that our next competition was against BIS Phuket, a very strong competition; this caused some hesitations for majority of the girls, recalling our past games against this team. However, after a few pep-talks and encouraging words during warm-up we were determined to take on this team and come out with a victory.

The hesitation from the night before, never showed one on that field. Every single player contributed to one of the best games we have ever played together as a team. We were strong and united and defeated the Phuket team with a 1-0 final score. The adrenaline and team pride was at an all-time high after that game leading into the finals. We were determined to take home the gold medal. By the start of the finals, everyone was mentally and physically prepared to play Uplands, and keep our undefeated streak.

Sadly, Uplands had the upper hand by the final whistle, winning 0-1. However, the tournament was not a disappointment. As a team, we grew much stronger on and

off the pitch and were able to win the silver medal against all odds.

Being the underdog team coming into the tournament, the team was able to leave proud of the games that we played wearing the silver medal. Overall, the games were a huge success, as a Senior Girls Team, we placed the highest in the Phuket Tournament than ever before. However, this achievement would have never been possible without our fantastic coach, Mr. Hart and additional support from Ms. O’Conner and Mr. Dean.

We are all now very determined to win the Gold Medal in February on our own turf at the Senior Games.

NeXt ? GoLd at the SeNior GaMeS

On Tuesday the 4th of November, Regents celebrated the annual Loy Krathong festival. And what an event it was! This was much anticipated as it was the first House competition of the year and the first test for the newly elected House Captains. Students and staff, who had all been encouraged to wear Thai costumes in order to gain House points, roamed the corridors all day, appreciating each other’s efforts.

Lunchtime started the celebrations off with the House Krathong competition at the swimming pool. Our judges for the day were: Mr. Blaikie, Mr. Russell, Mrs. Travis-Mulford and Khun Anyanist. Beautiful, creative and colorful Krathongs had been made by the Krathong committees to represent their respective Houses. They were judged on appearance, floatability and the link to a theme. Luckily, every Krathong remained afloat even if we had a little sinking moment for Krungthep House. This event was then followed by a great rendition of the Loy Krathong song from some Year 8 students.

The festivities then moved to the Globe theatre for KS3, where each house competed in Thai dancing, the Noppamas beauty pageant and the very entertaining ‘Hit the can’.

A variety of styles of Thai dancing were offered by different Houses. Special recognition was given to Sukhothai House for being the only one with male dancers in their crew. The next event, the Noppamas beauty pageant was also pretty amazing. All the contestants dazzled in their Thai

costumes and some donned very extravagant accessories and head pieces. In typical beauty pageant style, each student & staff couple were asked a question. For example, “What would you do if you won 10 million THB?” The answers were great, making it a difficult decision for judges. The Noppamas contest finished with all contestants showing the judges their best ‘wai’ in true Thai fashion. It was a tough competition but ultimately, our Noppamas Prince and Princess were Sascha Bickel and Esther Strafford from Krungthep and the coveted King and Queen prizes were won by Mr. Crush and Ms. Aina from Thonburi.

By JASmIn leStelIn, rOUnd SqUAre Intern ASSIStAnt

LOY kRAThONg AT REgENTS: mIxINg CELEbRATION AND COmpETITION!

‘Hit the can’ was extremely amusing to watch as Mr. McConnell (the best commentator in the history of Regents) entertained us with his emceeing skills while dodging cans, inadvertently wacked his way. Pairs from the different Houses competed in order to try and hit the can at the fastest time possible. One was blind folded whilst the other gave instructions in Thai as to guide them towards the can. Many of the players were non-Thai speakers, so it was a great test of their Thai language skills. We also surprised our judges by getting them to come on stage and try it out.

The afternoon in the Globe was so eventful that time flew fast. The ultimate winner of the House competition was Thonburi with 423 points, followed closely by Krungthep with 412 points. Tied 3rd, we had Sukhothai and Ayutthaya with an impressive 406 points.

Loy Krathong was a great start to this year’s House competition and the House Captains learned to plan and organize under pressure! The next competition, which was supposed to be the Basketball Inter House, has been postponed in order to give full merit to the Head Boy and Girl election events, but we will keep you posted of when it will take place!

EvENTS

accEllERaTEd REadER yEaR 7 2 4 1 3

accEllERaTEd REadER yEaR 8 4 1 3 2

accEllERaTEd REadER yEaR 9 4 2 3 1

TERm 1 commENdaTioNS 9 8 7 9

loy kRaThoNG 412 406 406 423

TOTALS 432 421 420 438

I was then ushered into my chair on the beautiful lawn of the University. The ceremony started with a blessing from one of the most respected monks in all of Thailand. The picturesque colors of the sun setting in the background made the moment even more surreal. Although there were a total of 5000 people in attendance, we all sat perfectly still relishing in the tranquility of the moment. Monks came through and passed the gift of fire to each row.

The ceremony was focused on self-reflection and kindness with a capstone of the release of 15,000 glowing lanterns into the dark night sky. The release was a sheer moment of perfection. I sat in anticipation as the warmth of the fire crept up my knuckles. I waited… 3… 2.. 1.

The moment of releasing my first Krathong into the sky was unlike anything I had/ will ever experience. The lantern scene from the Disney movie Tangled did not even compare to what I experienced. The sight of thousands of glowing wishes flying high up to the full moon brought actual tears to my eyes.

The whole three days I celebrated Loy Krathong moved me remarkably. I was given lots of time to sit and reflect not only on my life back in

California, but also the three months I have been here at Regents School. In such a short amount of time, I have learned so many lessons about Thai culture, teaching, and about myself. The calmness and the appreciation for simply being alive and the smiles of all of the Thai people I met put everything in my life back in perspective.

When I go back to the US in a month, I will talk frequently about this past weekend and what it meant to me. More than anything, it made me realize how much I have appreciated the opportunity to be here.

By Jenny lUndt, GAp StAFF

Part of the reason I chose to come to Thailand for my Gap year was to experience the rich cultural traditions that surround the Land of Smiles. I knew very little about Thai culture (besides the fact that I absolutely adore Pad Thai).

Experiencing the things we take for granted within each of our cultures, such as the food, dances, music, and celebrations are the things that make travelling to foreign nations so incredible. Last weekend I was able to

experience several central aspects of Thai culture, centered on the holiday of Loy Krathong.

After several hours in a bus (US Thanksgiving traffic has nothing on Loy Krathong traffic),

I found myself in the middle of Bangkok bustling with festive spirit. Even in the most congested areas of downtown, the unmistakable smell of incense from the thousands of Krathongs hung in the air.

I spent several hours by the Chao Phraya River in front of Wat Pho where hundreds of dazzling colored floats glided by. It was truly endearing to see the plethora of affectionate Thai couples place their illuminated Krathongs into the dark water.

The combination of majestic Thai music, the fireworks over Wat Arun, and the captivating trance of the floating Krathongs as they rocked back and forth from the wake of the boat is a memory I will never forget.

The next day, I flew up to Chiang Mai in order to witness the

festivities in the North.

I was brought to Mae Jo University for a lantern ceremony, where I was served traditional Lanna food- many coconut dishes, purple fruit juice, and crispy crackers. I sat on colourful ground cushions and watched the beautiful traditional Thai dances.

loy, loy kRaThoNG… a pERSoNal REflEcTioN oN a Rich culTuRal TRadiTioN fRom ThE laNd of SmilES ... ThaNk you, loy kRaThoNG

FeStivaLS aNd traditioNS oF other couNtrieS

Two very different celebrations that have one thing in common: the dead.

What is the Day of the Dead?

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that is celebrated on October 31st - November 2nd of each year. On the Day of the Dead or El día de los muertos, in Spanish, the boundaries between life and death begin to blur.

Men, women and children of all ages honour and celebrate their loved ones who have passed away, participating joyously in a festival that has roots from around 4000 years ago. I have always heard people talking about this Mexican festival. Unfortunately, I have never been there to take part in it.

Why is Día de los Muertos such a fascinating holiday?

First of all, Día de los Muertos is a time of celebration. Although losing someone is undeniably a sad and life-

c h a n g i n g event, Día de Muertos provides people with the opportunity to rejoice in the living memories of their loved ones.

What is All Saints’ Day? How do we celebrate it?

All Saints’ Day is observed by Christians in many countries around the world. In my country, Spain, offerings are made on this day. People bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives and they also light candles on top of graves. Some people, particularly in the centre and south of Spain clean or repair the graves on this particular day. There are also church services in memory of all the saints and these are held on November the 1st.

By yOlAndA hOmS mArtínez, heAd OF mOdern FOreIGhn lAnGUAGeS

1ST NOvEmbER: el díA de lOS mUertOS en méxIcO (dAy OF the deAd) el díA de tOdOS lOS SAntOS en

CLEANINg AND DECORATINg gRAvES fOR “EL DíA DE TODOS LOS SANTOS”

EL DíA DE TODOS LOS SANTOS IS A ChRISTIAN CELEbRATION

Why ShouLd you Go oN aN eXchaNGe?

During my time on exchange here at Regents International School, Pattaya, I have experienced many things: zip wire adventures flying through the treetops, I have swum in coral reefs and hiked through tropical rainforests, multiple times. I have had a great time with unimaginable opportunities.

I wish I could have seen everything Thailand had to offer but that is difficult with such a short stay. However, this exchange has shown me the culture and tradition of a country I would never have experienced this way if I hadn’t gone on exchange. On this exchange I have seen far-away places and met new and wonderful people who have helped me through the language barriers and helped show me all that the school has to offer me. While in Thailand I have even learnt some Thai and seen a

part of Thailand no tourist would ever see.

The Regents’ Exchange Programme has given me the opportunity to see a country from a very different perspective and not just as a tourist. I would recommend exchange for anyone ready for an adventure and ready to see a whole new way of life in a very different part of the world. Through your school I have been able to interact with charities I would never have had the opportunity to help before. Exchange is a real character building experience that helps bring you closer to your friends and closer to discovering yourself and what you can achieve yourself. You step way out of comfort zone by experiencing a whole new country, embracing it and living with new friends, facingyour fears and overcoming them.

By vIctOrIA mAcFIe, yeAr 12 exchAnGe StUdent FrOm SOUth AFrIcA

uNImAgINAbLE OppORTuNITIES WhICh buILD ChARACTER

Christmas in a Shoebox:

Every tutor group in the Secondary School is making a shoebox of little Christmas presents for a child living at the Mercy Centre. Please support this appeal by bringing in one suitable contribution to donate to your tutor group’s shoebox by Monday 8th December. Thank you!

REMEMBER: the best decorated shoeboxes wins points for your House!

THE MERCY CENTRE CHRISTMAS SHOBOX APPEAL

Run by Year 12 students: Anna, Caria, Kenny and Sirinan with the support of the Student Guild..

Please help your tutor group get their box ready by Monday 8th December.

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