Patana News Volume 25 Issue 7

Page 1

1Bangkok Patana School News PATANA NEWS Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit IB World School accredited by CIS Friday 30th September 2022 Also in this issue... World Scholar’s Cup Global Round Student Sports Scientists House Assembly Diversity and Inclusion CPL BMAC Weekend #1 International Day: PTG Call for Volunteers Page 4 Page 6 Page 8 Page 9 Page 12 Page 14 www.patana.ac.th Our FlOurishing ECA PrOgrAmmE
Page 2 Volume 25 Issue 7

Our FlOurishing Extra-CurriCular PrOgrammE

For an ECA programme to truly excel, there should be a clear pathway for students to thrive during their school journey. This pathway should of course allow for diversions as interests change and students develop new passions. Many students will change ECAs each block, whilst others will take part in our yearlong options. Some students may remain on the same pathway for the duration of their time at school, whilst others will turn left, right, for wards, or backwards. There is no correct path, it should be unique to every individual.

Our model at Bang kok Patana School provides learners with opportunities to ac quire broader skills such as critical thinking, metacognition, lead ership and a greater understanding of our school’s core values: Well-Being, Learning and Global Citizenship.

We aim to empower students to flourish as independ ent and critical thinkers, whilst maintaining a safe envi ronment where students adopt a value system of kind ness, tolerance and acceptance of multiple viewpoints.

The role of the teacher, coach or external provider de livering the session is to motivate and inspire students to

achieve exceptional outcomes through innovative prac tice. If they strive to promote a positive and safe learning environment which supports inclusivity, engagement and enjoyment, positive attitudes towards extracurricular ac tivities can be formed.

WHY ARE ECAS IMPORTANT?

Bangkok Patana is proud of its emphasis on a holistic approach to learning and preparing students for life out side of the classroom. The extensive ECA programme on offer this academic year aims to prepare well-rounded individuals who can overcome adversity by adopting a positive attitude towards challenge. There are many ben efits to students, particularly improved academic perfor mance resulting from the opportunity to let off steam, try something new and time management. It can broaden your view of the world, exploring broader perspectives; drive problem-solving to goal setting and give valua ble time-out to the pressures of school life. For example, many of our students maintain their desire to be physical ly active and are performing at a high level of sport well into their Key Stage 4 and Senior Studies years. These students comment on the importance of learning to bal ance their sport with their studies and are advocates for the positive impact it has on their physical and mental health, particularly during exam season.

As a result of our approach, we have witnessed in creased engagement and ample opportunities for learners to undertake different roles. By providing further opportunities in ECAs for students to undertake activities independently with one another, our desired outcomes were achieved.

We have seen autonomous motivation, where deci sion making resulted in a greater sense of responsibility, leading them to achieve the desired outcomes from the block or yearlong programme. With students experienc

Alice Curwood, Cross Campus Assistant Principal, Extra-Curricular Activities and Sports
2 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022

ing our school’s core values, we notice a wider impact on other situations which they may be exposed to daily. For example, students demonstrating resilience to over come challenges faced in lessons, such as persevering when attempting to solve an algebraic equation.

WHAT DOES AN ‘ECA PASSPORT’ LOOK LIKE AT BANGKOK PATANA?

By tapping into student’s passions and inspiring the pursuit of learning beyond the classroom, student’s confi dence and sense of self will flourish and they will achieve their personal best and beyond. This can then empower students to celebrate the breadth and depth of learning opportunities that are available to them and recognise the importance of its place in their education journey.

This model can be used as a key to student success, viewing their ECA experience as an opportunity to grow from a Year 1 student right up until graduation in Year 13. Documenting their learning can be viewed as an ‘ECA passport’, allowing students to compare themselves to

their younger selves. It can lead to self-improvement as they notice where they failed and can set higher goals. They can reflect on their achievements and the appli cation of the skill set they acquired at different stages, highlighting its impact which may not be seen until much later from the event or individual ECA they attended. An international school experience can be unique to differ ent family circumstances, and this is a powerful viewing tool for reflection, learning and moving forward with purpose.

If individuals can leave Bangkok Patana with a ‘pass port’ of experiences that are all underpinned by our core values, we have provided a platform that promotes choice, encourages exploration of interests and guides pathways for students to thrive outside of the classroom. Whichever pathway a student may take during their time at Bangkok Patana, we strive to provide the foundation for them to progress with a core fundamental conceptual understanding for lifelong learning.

3Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022

Winning WOrld sChOlars at thE glObal rOund!

The World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) is an academic compe tition held annually across the world, consisting of three rounds, each increasing in scale and difficulty: the Regionals, the Globals and the Tournament of Champions, which is held at Yale University in the United States. In preparation, scholars in teams of three are expected to study six comprehensive subject areas: Science & Technology, Art & Music, Social Studies, Literature & Media, History and the Special Area. All material contained in the study areas stem from a yearly theme, which this year was “A World Renewed”. As per the curriculum, Scholars studied topics such as: the succession of leaders; geoengineering; the colonisation of other planets; sequels and reboots; the ethics of fast fashion; mistakes and apologies; trends, memes, fads and much, much more.

Advancing from the Bangkok Regional Round hosted at Bangkok Patana, the 2022 Scholars’ Cup (re)renewed its Bangkok stay for the Bangkok Global Round held from 2nd to 9th September, with most events taking place at the Pullman Hotel’s opulent Aksra Theatre.

After all 39 members of Bangkok Patana’s Regional del egation qualified for the Global Round last academic year, 23 students chose to continue the challenge in the Bangkok Globals, representing both Bangkok Patana School and the country of Thailand. The week-long event amassed nearly 1,200 students participating from over 20 countries around the world, far exceeding the organisers’ original expecta tions. Some delegations were sent from countries as distant as Kenya and New Zealand, all set on gaining the massively oversized trophies and of course, the event’s trademark fluffy alpacas. Needless to say, it was a very tumultuous and excit ing experience for all.

Similar to the events during the Regional rounds, scholars competed in four academic events: Collaborative Writing, where each member of a team writes a creative essay dis

cussing challenging, curriculum-related notions which are then peer-reviewed; the dreaded Scholars’ Challenge - a massive 120-question multiple choice test where Scholars can submit multiple answers to questions designed to wring out every drop of knowledge pumped into their brains (“I guessed most of the second half of the test” was said by multiple scholars) ; the game-show style Scholar’s Bowl, where emotions run high as teams are thrown into a rush of clickers and enigmas; and finally the notorious Team Debates - which test every team’s collaboration, public speaking and analytical skills in heated arguments against rival teams.

As well as the academic events returning from the Regionals, the Globals introduced new awkwardness-inducing social events. For example, the Scholar’s Scavenge that spanned most of the first day sent randomised teams to the Siam Amaz ing Park to tick off a list of increasingly bizarre ice-breaking prompts, including “film a singing duel between the best and worst singers”, “show a WSC staff member a wild amogus”, “Initiate a dinosaur-alpaca feud”, and many, many more.

After all the challenging events, Scholars enjoyed the heart of the Global round, the diverse Cultural Fair which sparked many opportunities to experience and appreciate the differ ent customs and cultures from all around the world. Suh Yeon (Ashley) Uh, 11R, shared that “Everyone at the Cultural Fair was very welcoming, proud, and eager to share about their country and its mindblowing cultures. I especially liked all the traditional foods I got to taste!” With stalls from countries as various as Malaysia, South Africa and Japan, it was a fasci nating experience.

Along with the cultural fair, another remarkable highlight of the Bangkok Global round was the Scholar’s ball. To the ex hausted scholars, the Scholar’s Ball was an award for their ef forts over the previous days. This disco also gave all scholars a chance to come together as a big community and socialise,

Yuanxia (Richard) Xu, 9G ; Teeramet (Zheng) Yupoonsup, 10K; Suh Yeon (Ashley) Uh, 11R ; and Patharasiri (Seiya) Tiraratanakul, 11B
4 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022

something all of us have been sorely lacking for the past few years due to COVID. For Patharasiri (Seiya) Tiraratanakul, 11B, “The Scholars' Ball was one of my most memorable experi ences during the WSC Global round. Not only did I get the opportunity to make countless new friends from all around the world, but it also reunited me with an old friend of mine who I coincidentally bumped into; it was the first time we had seen each other in over five years!”. The disco got everyone up on their feet, singing and dancing their heart out to the top hits of the decade. After a long period of quarantining and being stuck at home, getting to encounter people from all around the world was truly amazing and an extraordinary breakout from the previous difficult years we faced.

Given the quick turnaround from Regionals to Globals, the Scholars from Bangkok Patana performed exceptionally well, a testament to their dedication and, of course, skill. In total, our Scholars collected over 100 gold and silver medals, an amaz ing achievement, given the high standard of the competition. Notably, Sebastian Schrader, 9L, was one of the few Scholars chosen to take part in the Junior’s Debate Showcase, a terse best-of-the-best 4v4 debate in front of hundreds of scholars, and contributed to his team’s victory. Utkarsh Bagaria, 11S, was also nominated as a judge for the Senior’s Debate Showcase, another position only given to the top debaters. Additionally, all of our Scholars in both categories qualified to continue the glorious platinum road to the Tournament of Champions, held at Yale University this November. Finally, our coach Mr Danny Nason was recognised as one of the Coaches of the Year, winning a trophy that represents his efforts in re-introducing World Scholar’s Cup to Bangkok Patana, in addition to host ing the Regional round in his first year at the school. Congratu lations to all our scholars for their magnificent amount of hard work and effort, and to Mr Nason for making our experience in the World Scholar’s Cup possible.

The World Scholar’s Cup ECA is being run in all blocks by Mr Nason (dana@patana.ac.th) and aims to provide return ees and novel Scholars alike with the skills and knowledge to prosper in the upcoming 2023 season.

Here are some reflections from the WSC Global Round competitors:

AREVIK KHANYAN, 10S:

“Attending the very first introduction presentation for a then-un known competition called the ‘World Scholar’s Cup’ was the best decision I have ever made.”

UTKARSH BAGARIA, 11S:

“A great experience above all, where the opportunity to interact with so many people really provides you with a chance to con nect and make great friendships, not to mention the alpacas!”

CHAIYANAT (WIN) KUPTIVEJ, 9G:

“I personally think that the World Scholar’s Cup was an incredible experience and the Scholar’s Challenge was incredibly hard, but the alpacas made it worth it!”

VACHIRAVICH (TURBO)

PHANTRATANAMONGKOL, 10Y:

“Every minute of the diverse and challenging events was a unique enjoyment: a healthy mix of adrenaline rush and laughter. In par ticular, the scavenger hunt was a strenuous challenge around the amusement park which provided me the opportunity to bond with randomly chosen teammates. Second to none was the cultural fair where I explored cultural diversity by engaging in fun activi ties and tasting the savoury food from every corner of the globe. Those days at the Global Round were a delight to remember!”

5Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022

studEnt sPOrts sCiEntists: Putting their teachers to the test

As part of the IB Sports Exercise Health Science course, students are studying the effect of exercise on heart rate and blood pressure in various populations. This week the class welcomed several special guests to enhance the real-life application of their learning. Nurse Joe, our Head Nurse, visited the class on Tuesday to teach the students how to operate a blood pressure monitor and how to take someone’s blood pressure. The group discussed “White Coat” syndrome, the natural anxiety some feel before medical testing and proce dures, as well as how to position the cuff to ensure an accurate reading and no damage to the blood vessels in the upper arm. Students were even shown an “old school” blood pressure machine, complete with hand pump and mercury measure. Thank you Nurse Joe for sharing your expertise.

On Wednesday the class put their new skills into action running a practical lab in the Shark Tank. The lab aimed to collect data on heart rate and blood pressure at rest, after weight training and after endurance exercise. The student scientists created two groups – one of students and one of older adults to see the affect age had on the readings. Subjects had to perform ten medicine ball slams with a 10kg ball followed by a three minute row ing ergometer time trial. They really worked hard and were encouraged on by their sports scientists and some healthy competition within the group.

A huge thank you to Miss Thew, Cross Campus Prin cipal; Mr Murgatroyd, Head of Libraries and Craig White, Business Director for being such great sports and putting themselves forwards as victims (oops, we meant subjects) for this study.

Using real data gathered during the lab, students were able to discuss the workings of the heart when under stress from exercise in a variety of age groups.

6 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022
A COLLECTION BOX IS PROVIDED AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE YEAR 1 BUILDING
7Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022

haPPy hOusE assEmbly!

Standing at the back of the hall, band playing, waiting for my cue to go on stage for my first as sembly as Head of House, I had a special moment of realisation; this is what Bangkok Patana is really about. In front of me I was experiencing the whole of the Sec ondary school community together for the first time. I could feel from the energy in the room that everyone already understood what House Spirit means; something for everyone, taking part, having fun and being a good sport.

Like many students and staff that have joined over the past few years, I’ve not experienced the many House events that take place throughout the year, so this was a chance to catch everyone up to speed. Along with my fellow Heads of House, we quickly set the scene and handed over to the newly-minted

Year 12 House Captains, letting their work and ded ication shine through. Over the past few weeks these committed and enthusiastic Seniors have shown great initiative in planning the first whole-school assembly in almost three years.

Coming up with the theme “Fighting House Spirit”, they skilfully scripted and delivered an entire assembly, supported by videos, explaining the many House events and initiatives students can look forward to. Things were capped off with a fun, if slightly chaot ic, balance-bike relay race. A member of each Year group lapped the stage on a tiny custom bike paint ed in House colours; participation, cooperation and good cheer on full show. The whole event really set the stage for things to come - a return to normality- and I, for one, am really excited.

Chris Wakeling, Head of House for Samui, Secondary World Languages Teacher
8 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022

divErsity and inClusiOn advOCatEs

In keeping with the school’s mission to develop Glob al Citizenship and in particular, to ensure Bangkok Patana is “diverse and inclusive” we have created a DEIJ Advocates group within the staff. Throughout 2022/23 we have partnered with Angela Browne, a consultant from the UK, who will be working with this group to examine the school’s current poli cies, procedures and prevailing cul ture. The end goal being, to develop a strategic plan to help us navigate the ever changing modern world, unique to our context as a British In ternational School in Thailand. Each session is 2.5hrs long and involves a mix of reading, lectures and interactive Zoom discussions. 24 staff from both our Business and Academic divisions are taking part in the training. Each session will deep dive into one or two of the Protected Characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act of the UK.

Our first session on September 26th focused in on Sex, Maternity and Pregnancy. The discussion was wide rang ing and touched upon hot topics such as: maternity and paternity leave; adoption leave; provisions for staff un

dergoing fertility treatment; or experiencing severe men opause symptoms; as well as female representation in leadership at every level within the organisation. Whilst many of the topics were focused on staff, the link was es

tablished that what we model as adults, and as an organ isation, is absorbed by the students we teach. Angela’s “Being Luminary” programme brings together research and best practice in this area and helps staff to navigate topics of discussion which can sometimes be challenging to confront on a daily basis.

Cindy Adair, Cross Campus Assistant Principal, Continued Professional Learning
9Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022
yEar-lOng training FOr
PRIMARY PRIMARY SCIENCE SCIENCE WEEK WEEK 24th228th 4th228th 4th - 28th October October October

BY LIN MARSH

Bangkok Patana School

College International School

Prep

Chinese International School

Andrews International School (Nord Anglia)

International School

Bangkok

International School

British School

International School

City Campus

Andrews 107

10 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022 3rd -5thOctober 2022 FESTIVALCONCERTWEDNESDAY 5TH O�TOBER 2.30PMatBangkokPatana School ROSAMUNDSTUETZELTHEATRE GUESTCONDU�TOR: LIN MARSH “ALONGCAMEMAN”
King’s
Bangkok
Thai
St.
Shrewsbury
ICS
Bromsgrove
Denla
Charter
Shrewsbury
St

BPS DANCE

SUNDAY 30TH OCTOBER & MONDAY 31ST OCTOBER

Workshops with nine guest dance artists. Masterclass Performance opportunity. Showcases by professional dance crews. Freestyle training & introduction to Cyphering. A range of dance styles including K pop, Vogue, Hip hop, Street jazz, Breaking, Dancehall and more!!

OCTOBER(LIMITED SPOTS ONLY)

Dancing and collaborating with dancers from other International schools.

Open to Years 4 13 (Primary and Secondary dancers are not likely to be grouped together but there may be exceptions.)

Our two day Dance Festival includes
11Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022
FEST'2022
dance@patana ac th

bmaC WEEkEnd #1

Last weekend saw the first Bangkok Metropolitan Athletics Conference (BMAC) tournament for the 2022/23 sea son take place with both Varsity Football and Volleyball taking place. Both tournaments saw competition between BPS, ISB, ICS, STA, NIST, RIS and Bangkok Prep and over 80 students represented Bangkok Patana. Below is a summary written by each head coach, all speaking highly of teamwork, motiva tion, fair play, and respect on display by our students. There was also a real opportunity for connection with other schools, something missed by all of us during the pandemic. The foot ball tournament allowed for our Junior Varsity teams to ex perience this high level of competition and their performanc es were something to be proud of in the first ever 11-a-side matches as we transitioned to this format for BMAC.

notoriously challenging local BMAC competition. Beginning the action at BPS on Day 1, the boys started with an excellent performance to beat surprise package ICS with a number of highlight reel moments. Following up was a grudge match with NIST who came in hot and showed their SEASAC credentials, a clear indicator too, of the work we still need to get through.

On Day 2, we moved to ICS and the team continued to grow and find a rhythm each match, showing the value of lots of matches and really understanding each other's movements. Wins against ISB, RIS and STA left us in second to NIST, with plenty of work still to do. There were plenty of great moments but Hugo’s run of 12 insane jump serves in a row to drag STA back to level terms in our final game was particularly impres sive. There was also a growing togetherness in the group, something we need to continue to work on as we head to wards SEASAC.

GIRLS’ VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

The Varsity Volleyball team are in a rebuilding phase fol lowing COVID and the graduation of several stalwarts of the team. BMAC therefore, provided an excellent challenge to let players and coaches experiment with new positions and combinations on court. The team, which includes four Year 10 rookies did themselves proud pushing experienced teams to scores tantalisingly close to a win (Eg: 19-17 against NIST in the 3rd set!). Our libero’s Krista and Sharlene threw their bodies on the line against hard serving opponents from STA and ISB, as did our utility play Tatiana - coming away with a few new bruises. Great serving was on show from Helen, Keira, Emma and Pang, whilst Pa, Athena, Celina and April im pressed with some fantastic hits - showing they will be “weap ons” once we consistently connect our dig, set and spike. Ing Ing showed amazing energy both on and off the court - often seen dancing when we won a hard earned point. We fin ished the tournament in 5th place, taking great pride in our small wins on Day 2. Thank you to the amazing parent sup porters who kept us fed, watered and our spirit high. On to SEASAC we go!

BOYS’ VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

Over the weekend the Volleyball Boys were in action, at the

GIRLS’ VARSITY FOOTBALL

The Varsity Girls’ team played three games this weekend, drawing 1-1 with ICS, before beating Prep 2-0 and STA 8-0. They showed great versatility, with several players trying un familiar positions, all performing well. They also showed they can reflect on and learn from previous experiences, as evi denced by their much-improved finishing in their final match. The team noticed their shooting was limiting their success so decided to practice this for 15 minutes prior to this match. Special shout out to those who didn’t start the first game, yet contributed heavily to the team’s success over the course of the weekend. proving we are not a one-player team. Next week will see the Girls take on NIST in the final of this competition, an exciting opportunity to continue to build towards SEASAC, taking place in Singapore at the start of November. Bangkok Patana certainly has a lot of potential with a young, talented squad of players capable of facing any team!

BOYS’ VARSITY FOOTBALL

The Varsity Boys showed plenty of Tiger Spirit this week end playing 3 fixtures against some tough opposition. Our first game was against a physical ICS team where we were unlucky to go a goal behind; however, the chaps showed lots of grit and determination to come back at win the game. The second game took place on Sunday against a well drilled Bangkok Prep side, again a lapse in concentration saw us go a goal behind but a couple of excellent Att Chansiri strikes

Alice Curwood, Cindy Adair, Richard Molloy, Mark Potter, Justin Jempson, Brandon Grady, Jim Myers and Dan Ahl
12 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022

stole the show with us running out 4-2 winners. Our final game fell against a strong St Andrews side, we showed plenty of heart and dominated the early parts of the game but quality from them and fatigue from us showed towards the end of the game, a special note for Ed who scored a tremendous goal in this game. We find ourselves in 3rd and 4th place play offs against ISB, from which I am sure we can get another positive result!

would have been different. In the last group game we faced a NIST team needing a victory to move out of the group stage top. The youthful JV team were again able to hold this expe rienced team for some time but going 2 goals down before the end of the first half left the team with a bit to go. The team rolled the dice and stuck 2 up top as they chased the game but this was not their day and were very unfortunate to leak a few more goals. The coach holds his hand up to this. Coach Myers was extremely proud of the way the team approached this tournament and is already looking forward to our next one through these games it was often difficult to spot which team was the Varsity team and which was the Junior Varsity team.

TENNIS

GIRLS’ JV FOOTBALL

Our JV Girls entered into the Varsity BMAC Football tourna ment over the weeknd with a young and newly built squad, so they knew they would be up against some tough and organ ised opponents. This however did not stop them from going out there and giving it their best shot in every game. The girls got off to a flyer by beating RIS in our opening group stage game 2-1 with Matilde and Natalia both finding the back of the net. Our next two games were against well-proven teams ISB and NIST. Our girls proved to be a tough team to crack but ultimately fell short in the last 15 minutes losing to ISB and narrowly missing out on a point with a 2-1 loss to NIST. The Girls showed real maturity, organisation, and fight to put every Varsity team to the test over the weekend and showed they are a real tough team to beat. The girls left with their heads held high and lots of positives to take into our upcoming JV BMAC.

Last Sunday saw 38 Bangkok Patana students take part in the Under 14 BMAC invitational singles. The Boys played at Bangkok Patana whilst the Girls’ event took place at ISB. As there were big entries in both events, the tournament was split into three categories: A draw, B draw and C draw. With the weather staying kind to us, play was continuous throughout the day with the Boys’ first match starting at 8.30am and the last match finishing at 7.15pm. Overall results were good with Al winning the Boys’ A draw and KK winning the Boys’ B draw, defeating Tyno in the final. The Boys’ C draw was played as a matchplay event, giving all players two matches each. Many of the boys were unbeaten. The Girls’ had equally impressive results with Raichah finishing as runner up in the Girls’ A and Teerin winning the B draw, defeating Anya in the final. Other notable performers were Rinka, who finished 3rd in the Girls’ A draw, Ben 3rd in the Boys’ B and in the Girls’ C, Leonor was runner up and Emily 3rd. The season continues with some friendly matches before the BMAC Team Championship in early November.

BOYS’ JV FOOTBALL

The JV Boys’ football team were delighted to be invited to the Varsity BMAC tournament and had been looking forward to the event and an opportunity to showcase their talents. During the first match against RIS the boys looked the more mature/ senior team and actually dominated possession and chances. A 1-nil victory could and should have been bigger. The next game saw the team hold out a very experienced ISB team and we were also able to create many chances of our own. The final result of 3-nil to ISB didn’t tell the true story of the game as an early chance hitting the bar for Patana could have changed the whole course of the game. This performance from the entire team was very respectable and with a bit of luck the result

13Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022

intErnatiOnal day is COming uP!

intErnatiOnal day is COming uP!

nOvEmbEr 2022

15th nOvEmbEr 2022

The PTG is looking for country representatives! Volunteer to represent one of the countries listed below by emailing ptgvicechair@ patana.ac.th . If you don’t see your country listed, send an email and let us know!

Armenia Burkini Faso Czech Republic Colombia Costa Rica

Croatia

Denmark Estonia Iceland Ireland Laos Luxembourg

Maldives Mongolia Netherlands Nigeria Norway Peru

14 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022 Philippines Romania Russia Saint Lucia South Africa Sri Lanka

15th
15Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022

WildliFE Spotting with coke

Koh Lanta Diving

The other day, I was asked by a colleague if all of this rainy weather puts a damper on my weekend expedi tions. I’d be less than honest to say that rain and flooding doesn’t impact my activities, although my rule of thumb is, unless I know for a fact that it is raining cats and dogs in my destination, I will still give it a go!

But there is a wildlife-viewing activity that I absolutely love to do, and the idea of getting wet doesn’t affect my decision to go one bit. In fact, getting wet is a given. And this is SCUBA diving! The Smith family are avid divers and having a home situated directly on the beach allows us to partake in this activity virtually any time we want. My ‘home of homes’ is on Koh Lanta, which is definitely a very good launching off spot for many famous diving areas.

Thailand is world-renown as a good diving destination. While I would not necessarily rank it up with other world class destinations, such as Raja Ampat or Palau and others, it certainly offers marine wildlife enthusiasts awesome op portunities to see hundreds of species of marine critters that can be viewed quite easily.

There are several great dive spots in Thailand, most of which are in the Andaman Sea region of Southern Thailand. My personal favorites are the various spots in the Similan Islands. Over the years I have done many liveaboard diving expeditions exploring the various locations on the island chain. I have had so many incredible experiences ranging from diving with eight giant Mantas at the Koh Bon cleaning station to the multiple whale shark experiences had at Richelieu Rock, a sunken reef that is absolutely one of the finest dive spots in all of Thailand.

As I find myself in Koh Lanta often through out the year, I am partial to some of the easily accessible dive loca tions nearby. The easiest to get to hotspot is Koh Ha, an awesome location for some of the most spectacular ag gregations of soft corals anywhere. And Koh Ha is a great place for mixed ability groups, as there are designated snorkeling locations directly adjacent to some great diving opportunities. And of course, Koh Rok is another well known dive location accessible easily from Koh Lanta. Some of these locations are open all year round and others may be closed during the stormy season – best to check. Koh Tao in the Gulf is a better bet in the rainy season.

And the birder in me would be remised if I did not point out that these off-shore islands are home to one of Thai land’s most spectacular birds, the Nicobar Pigeon, which is found on most of the islands but is easily seen on the Similans at the main campsite.

Coke Smith is our Environmental Science Leader and would love to hear from you if you have any questions about where and how to go diving in Thailand! Feel free to reach out at cosm@patana.ac.th

16 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022
17Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022

This column follows in the style of the famed BBC podcast which features a celebrity every week – here we feature our own Bangkok Patana celebrities! What eight songs, one luxury item and one book would you take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?

18 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022
With Karen Ferguson, Year 1 Teacher Desert Island Discs 1st October 5.30 amSee you at Rama 9 Park!

#229: how to be green with Your tech

Right now, humans aren’t living sustainably: we’re taking too many resources and not leav ing the world in a fit state for future genera tions. Old tech products are a clear example: if we throw them away, the poisonous lead and mercury inside can get into the food chain through the soil. Recycling tech, though, has its own issues: it’s often exported to countries where the law doesn’t protect people from hazards. Whole villages (including children) sort through discarded devices to remove use ful parts and substances like gold, silver and copper – often putting their health at risk. Find ing ways to re-use tech is the greenest option.

In the guide, you’ll find tips on a number of tips such as donating your old devices to charity, reusing your smartphones and recycling the batteries. We have a battery recycling station in front of our main recycling area at the Foun dation Stage entrance.

We hope you can join us at the next PTG Tech Tips event on the 4th October – sign up here

Have a great weekend.

19Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022
20 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022 COMMUNITY
21Bangkok Patana School News30/09/2022 COMMUNITY
22 Bangkok Patana School News 30/09/2022 643 Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) Bangna Tai, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 THAILAND Tel: +66 (0) 2785 2200 Fax: +66 (0) 2785 2399 www.patana.ac.th Email: reception@patana.ac.th For daily updates, snapshots and news on life at school you can find us here...
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.