The culmination of the senior basketball season saw our senior girls team travel to KIS and our boys in action at Wells International School, in their respective tournaments. The girls played superbly, making it through to the third place playoff match and eventually coming fourth.
The boys, who had already won the TISAC league, started their tournament with their first, and what proved to be only, defeat of the entire season. That spurred them into action and they played some outstanding basketball to top their group before heading into a tough semi-final against SIS, from which they progressed to the final. In a physical final against St Andrews, we proved too strong and won the final decisively, making our senior boys TISAC League and Tournament champions. Peter Ball and Ben Cox have led the team admirably throughout the season and thoroughly deserved to be crowned champions.
This has been a busy week for both staff and students, with final preparations going on with the primary students for their challenge week, Korean BDST student exam preparation, university open days in town and basketball tournaments. For the staff, I am pleased to say that Ms Ho, Mr Armitage and myself are now qualified first aiders, which is a real bonus to boarding and our running of trips. We will, of course, still take a nurse on any of the higher risk trips, but, for minor cuts and bruises, falls or anything else that could happen when out and about, the students will have help on hand. Ms Ho has also been away for a couple of days to a boarding conference, to work with other schools sharing ideas to improve our boarding and make sure that we are offering all that we can. Finally, I spent Tuesday on training to support the International Award (IA), so that our boarders can get first hand advice on how to complete their bronze, silver and gold level training, and they can be fully supported on their adventure trips and also with their community service. The trip this weekend proved to be very popular: the Disney Ice Age show was spectacular and the students discovered the added bonus of a large science expo at the same venue. Next week, we will be going down to Pattaya to the Cartoon Network Water Park, so if any weekly boarders would like to attend, they need to let us know as soon as possible.
I write this from New Haven, Connecticut in the USA, where Ms Huckfield and I are accompanying our three World Scholar’s Cup teams at the prestigious Tournament of Champions at Yale University. It has been an amazing trip so far, and I hope you have all been able to follow their achievements via our Facebook page. As well as debates, essays and exams aplenty, our scholars have also been able to make friends with academically gifted students from every continent, and, this weekend, enjoyed a fantastic tour of the famous campuses of Harvard and MIT. However well they do overall in the competition itself, Ms Huckfield and I know everyone at BIST is proud of them regardless. We all look forward to sharing our experiences when we return, jetlagged, later this week.
Our week started with an assembly to commemorate Remembrance Day. Our students conducted themselves with aplomb on this solemn occasion and I was very proud to see all Secondary students learning about why we remember this day with the gravitas that it warrants. On Friday, all of Secondary took part in a new House competition for this year: the Paper Aeroplane challenge. Each student designed and produced their best effort at an aerodynamic plane that they hoped would fly the furthest and win for their house. There were some very interesting designs on show; proving that we have exceptionally creative students! Walters House were winners of the event and proud recipients of a number of house points. At lunchtime, the students got to see their teachers’ competitive side in the Staff House Dodgeball competition and I think that all were impressed by the passion displayed, along with a large helping of humour. This time, it was Taylor House that won, so I am looking forward to seeing how these events have shaped the overall house points standings.
Primary Head Boy and Head Girl
Head Boy: Jamie (Year 6)
Head Girl: Sakura (Year 6)
Head Girl: Sakura (Year 6)
Primary Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl
Deputy Head Boy: Min Heo (Year 6)
Deputy Head Girl: Jazzy (Year 6)
Deputy Head Girl: Jazzy (Year 6)
House Captains
Edwards: Fram (Year 6), Omelette (Year 6), Aaliyah (Year 5)
House Captains
Taylor: Sang Sang (Year 6), Gavin (Year 6), Jang Jang
(Year 5)
(Year 5)
House Captains
Walters: Sie (Year 6), Jerry (Year 6), Jacob M (Year 5)
Learning Committee
Chair (and Student Voice Executive member): Weili (Year 5)
Committee Members: Nama (Year 2), Ton Aor (Year 3), Ray (Year 4), Teya (Year 6)
Wellbeing Committee
Chair (and Student Voice Executive member): Harry (Year 5)
Committee Members: Khao Hom(Year 2), Phloen (Year 3), Victoria (Year 4), Pim (Year 6)
