Senior Games 2011
Our Best Shooter Driving to the Basket!
OBJECTIVES
This is the second year I have participated in the Senior Games and since last year was so much fun I was very excited to participate this year. My objectives this year were, like last year, to push myself to keep playing hard even though I get tired, and to support the rest
of my team. Also, since our team was different to the team we had last year I aimed to coordinate well with them as we do in training. The under 15 basketball team in our school was also participating even though it was a senior tournament. Prior to the games some members of their team had been saying some inconsiderate things in regards to the game we would be playing against them, therefore, another one of my aims was to not let this bother me, maintain a caring attitude and show good sportsmanship throughout the tournament.
Tired but Keeping the Team Spirit High!
WHAT I DID
The tournament consisted of consecutive matches against 5 schools from across south East Asia. The school we were in the finals with last year was there as well but unfortunately we lost the match against them. We both lost and won some matches which caused up to end up in the match playing for third and fourth place. As it happened our final match was against the under 15 basketball team. Many of the team members were not very happy to have to be playing them since we had played them a few matches earlier and some members in their team did not havegood sportsmanship.
Staying Hydrated During Half-time!
CHALLENGES
I think this final match presented the biggest challenge both for me personally and my team members. Before the match begin we tried to overcome our frustration by telling each other to ignore anything they said to us and just play as hard as we could. During the match there were moments when a team member would get very frustrated or upset, but we all stayed strong as a team and encouraged each other to maintain a caring attitude. Unfortunately we lost the match by one shot. Although this was due to the referee a mistakenly calling a foul, these things happen in sport and we have it accept it. Because of all the tension this mistake made many of the team members upset, including myself. However, we wanted to show that unlike some members of the other team we had good sportsmanship, so we kept our heads held high and congratulated them on their win.
WHAT I LEARNT
Even though we didn’t win a medal this year I learnt a lot about the effect your team mates can have on you. When we were all down and didn’t motivate each other, we didn’t play well, but when we encouraged each other kept our energy high, we won our matches. I am very proud of my team and myself for having good sportsmanship and coping well with a lose. I also improved my skills as the senior games present a more intense atmosphere than training, causing me to push myself. I coordinated well with the other members of my team and we successfully carried out the new strategies we had learnt in training. At university next year I will definitely keep up my basketball and will try to get on the university team, as basketball taught me a lot and keepsa balance in my life.
Basketball Training & Matches 2011
Getting Ready for a Game!
OBJECTIVES
Having enjoyed Basketball so much last year and gaining so many new skills I really started gain a lot from playing Basketball, such as team work skills, enjoyment, and perseverance. Not only that, but playing sport as well as studying for IB has allowed me to have balance in my life. Training this year took place every Tuesday in the gym and this year we had
a different coach. My objectives for this activity were to build on my skills, push myself harder, improve my fitness and learn as much as I could from the new coach.
WHAT I DID
When basketball season started it was right after the conference, meaning the gym was still under construction of returning to the way it was before. Because of this we had to train at a school nearby. A coach from America worked with both the boys and girls’ basketball team to work on our fitness during the weeks the gym was being renovated. After this, practice was held in the gym again. During basketball season we had a number of matches, at least once a month. We never lost a match and I am extremely proud of my team for accomplishing this. To this day we remain unbeaten and I am sure that when I am gone next year, they will maintain this streak. This is due to the strong team spirit our team has and the constant support of each other.
One of Our Best Matches! GO LIONS!
CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge I encountered regarded the fitness training. Having focused mainly on the conference over the past few months, I had not undertaken a lot of physical activity. I felt this during the first fitness exercise. I quickly became out of breathe, and was struggling to keep going. Although it was hard, afterwards I felt really good because I fought against the pain. I learnt how to this from last year, as I learned I am capable of pushing myself more than I think. After the first fitness training I promised myself I wouldn't give up and I was determined to improve my fitness. This perseverance paid off as I quickly realized I became less tired during matches and was able to play for longer.
WHAT I LEARNT
Although my fitness level is still not at the ideal level, I am trying to do some form of physical exercise every week to maintain and improve my level of fitness. I do believe i reached my objectives because I have learnt a lot from the new coach concerning tactics, which has lead me to be able to build on my skills. My defending skills have greatly improved and I more confident in my ability to score. The ESAC Basketball tournament is coming up but unfortunately I will not be able to attend due to an English poetry trip. Despite this, I am sure my team will do extremely well and I will motivate them as much as I can.
Father Ray Children's Village 2010
The Group!
OBJECTIVES
During the conference we had two service days so that all the delegates were provided with the opportunity to help and work with our local communities. I was allocated to the Father Ray Children’s Village service project. My aims for this activity were to work collaboratively with others to provide these children with nicely painted walls for their soon to be playground. Also, to learn more about the children who are there and brighten their day by playing with them.
WHAT I DID
When we got there most of the designs were already drawn on and our job was to paint them with colour. Not only were delegates on this service project but some children from one of our local Thai partners came along as well. One of the kids helped me work on my section of the wall and even though I don’t speak much Thai it was really nice painting with him and just laughing with him at silly things we could both understand.
WHAT I EXPERIENCED
While we were having a break I walked around the village and all of a sudden a little girl ran out of one of the houses and gave me a hug and wanted to play. I was so touched by the fact that the children who are staying there are so open and friendly to people they have never met before when I minutes before I had learnt that some of these children had been abused. The second day I went back the same thing happened again as a young boy invited me into his house to watch TV. I will never forget how sweet he was and how he cuddled up to me moments after we had met. It felt amazing to know that I was making these childrens’ lives better.
The Litte Girl from the Village :)
CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge I encountered was crossing language barriers but having previously encountered this issue I was confident in my ability to overcome it. When talking to the children at the village as well as with the children accompanying us on the project I used hand signals and made use of the little I knew. Apart from this I also asked help from people who speak fluent Thai when there was something I really couldn’t communicate on my own.
WHAT I LEARNT
I feel that I have reached my objectives because I worked well with both the delegates and the children and the walls look really nice. I learnt a lot about the children, where they come from and their stories and just by playing with them for a few minutes I felt that I was able to make a difference.
YouTube Video on Father Ray Children's Village: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyucO9R5RGE
'We Walk Together' Round Square Conference 2010
The day before the Conference :DOBJECTIVES
After 2 years of preparation, the conference had finally arrived. It involved 72 Round Square Schools, 5 Community Partner Schools and 800 people. My goals for the conference were to undertake new challenges, work collaboratively with others to perform our steering committee dance successfully, develop new skills and really demonstrate the meaning behind our theme ‘We Walk Together’.
REGISTRATION DAY
The conference lasted for 6 days. The first day was registration day and I was in charge of guiding the girls to their accommodation. This was great because I was able to meet a lot of people on the first day. However, it was very hot and always walking back and forth was very tiring. The biggest challenge was when buses arrived right after each other. When this happened it was very chaotic and everyone who arrived needed help because they didn’t know where to go. I approached this dilemma by staying calm and trying to attend to as many people as I could. I also asked other people to help me to make sure that no one had to wait for too long. From this I learnt new skills regarding how to deal with large groups of people.
OPENING CEREMONY
That night it was the informal opening ceremony and we preformed our steering committee dance that we had been practicing for 9 months. I reached one of my objectives because I worked collaboratively with the rest of the steering committee to plan how we would go on stage how and how we would help each other when someone did not remember their moves. The dance was a huge success and after we were congratulated by an endless number of people.
The opening flag ceremony.
INTERNATIONAL LUNCH
The next part of the conference that I played an important role in was the international lunch that took place the next day. My friend Han Sung and I were emceeing the event which meant again working collaboratively with others. I was a little nervous but because I wanted to be able to undertake new challenges I decided to try my best. As the lunch progressed I grew more and more confident and realized that public speaking is a potential strength of mine. One difficulty I encountered was right before we had to begin people kept coming up to us to make changes to their performances which meant changes to our script. To deal with this I made sure I had correctly written down all the alterations and read through it a couple of times just to become more familiar with my new text. The international lunch was a big success as well.
Me in my Belgian outfit :)
BARAZZA SESSIONS
During the conference I had to lead three one- hour long discussion groups (barazza groups) after a keynote speaker had spoken. I had 2 other leaders to help me however they relied on me to lead it. Barazza leaders had had training on a number of occasions to help us in facilitation a discussion however, I was still unsure if I could facilitate for an hour long. Surprisingly the discussion went very well and I discovered another strength I have. On the other hand I also realized that I would always try to rush through the content so we had it all done, but I learnt that the most important is the responses gained from the people in the group. From these discussion groups I learnt that another one of my aims were reached because all the delegates seemed inspired and passionate about our theme.
The Krathong we made in our Barazza Group to embrace Thai culture.
THE EXPERIENCE
The Conference was an amazing experience. Listening to the inspirational keynote speakers allowed me to become more knowledgeable about the world around me. The most memorable part of the conference was seeing the smiling faces of the children from our community partners and the friendships they formed with the delegates. When the conference was over and I witnessed the goodbyes between the delegates and children from the hill tribe, it made me feel as though being part of making this conference happen was truly a significant act.
The Steering Committee with the founder of Round Square, His Majesty King Constantine of Greece.
Glove Dance Preformance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qlAkhAWiaGo&feature=player_embedded#at=22
We Walk Together Facebook Pages: http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Walk-Together-2010-Round-Square-Conference/121550301234812
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=282080572225
We Walk Together Photo Montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqL5AGOqfqI&feature=related
Articles:http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/education-features/204355/the-regent-school-accommodates
http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/society/201663/walking-together
http://www.pattayamail.com/ourchildren/round-square-delegates-introduced-to-thai-culture-105
A Review from an Attending School:http://www.cobhamhall.com/sites/default/files/Round%20Square%20International%20Conference%202010.pdf
Jester's Fair 2010
The Penalty Shootout
OBJECTIVES
During previous years I had always gone to Jesters Fair and supported our school’s stall but I had never worked at the stall. I always wanted to, so this year I decided to volunteer. My objectives for this activity were to plan and initiate activities while working collaboratively with others.
WHAT I DID
When I got there, posters needed to be made to promote our stall. I undertook one of my objectives at this point as I organized people into small groups to work on different posters. The posters had to look both appealing while showing all the relevant information regarding our stall and what we are doing. Each year we have a penalty shootout where people pay to try and kick the football in the goal as many times as the can in 3 goes.
An Idea from some of the boys to walk around with posters on their backs
I also contributed to our stall when I participated in the ‘Build a Goal’ activity as well as having a few tries at the penalty shootout. Although I am not a very good footballer I knew the money would go to a good cause so I didn’t mind paying. The posters looked really good and attracted a lot of attention so I was pleased with how they turned out
Sitting at the Stall
CHALLENGES
The biggest problem I encountered was dealing with the humidity and the heat. While we were there I bought a fan to try and deal with it but in the end it just came down to reminding myself why I was there, and when I saw the kids who the Jesters Fair was helping I stopped thinking about the heat and just did what I came to do as well as I could.
Some of the Kids Jesters Fair Supports
REACHING MY OBJECTIVES
I feel I reached my objectives because I was able to organize how the posters would be made and I also helped out with the penalty shootout when someone was on a break. I am really happy with the contribution my school made and I hope that they continue the stall every year.
Jesters care4kids website: http://www.care4kids.info/
Steering Committee Year 12 Term 3
The Steering Committee and Khun Nui
OBJECTIVES
Term 3 was the last full term we had before the conference so there was a lot to do. My objectives for this term were to sort out the conference shirts, help make a well designed conference booklet and work as hard as I could to make the steering committee dance the best it can be.
WHAT I DID
The conference shirts that I was in charge of lucky got finished this term. We got a digital design of the shirts and picked colours so they are ready to be sent to the manufacturer. I am very pleased with the end product and feel a sense in pride knowing that more than 800 people will be wearing these shirts. I feel that I acted as a communicator regarding the shirts because I discussed the design with the steering committee and then had to speak to teachers in the school to agree on a design. I conveyed my ideas in both a verbal and visual manner which proved to be very effective.
Regarding the conference booklet I was asked to design the front cover. I feel that I showed qualities of a thinker when I decided that it would be a good idea to use the same general design for the front cover as was used for billboards and advertisements regarding the conference. This is because if there is a consistency people will most likely remember the conference and remember the message we were trying to get across. To add something more to the design, I had to use my communicative skills and work with of the school's graphic designer to alter the design. I was very happy with the result and I felt proud seeing it printed.
CHALLENGES
The dance we wanted to perform for the conference was where I encountered the most difficulties this term. The idea of the dance is to create letters and shapes with white gloves that will be lighted up by UV lights. The dance is choreographed to the conference song that we also wrote and recorded this term. With both dance and song rehearsals it was always very difficult to have everyone show up. Many people in the committee started to become upset if they were constantly there while others weren’t. We fixed this by communicating with the individuals who kept missing rehearsals but remained open-minded to hear their reason for not coming, as sometimes it was a valid reason.
A personal difficulty that I encountered was that I found it difficult to remember a lot of the dance moves for the dance and words to the song. I worked on this by rehearsing both the song and dance at home and trying to never miss a rehearsal. This proved effective as I soon began to do all the moves without hesitation and knew all the words the song
WHAT I LEARNT
What I learnt this term is that a lot of practice and preparation goes into a performance and the patience and I feel that next time I will apply the communicative and teamwork skills I learnt if I am ever involved in a performance again. This term we also met another one of our keynote speakers called Khun Nui who works at the Father Ray Foundation. Khun Noi was born without arms and legs and shared her touching story with the steering committee. Listening to her speak and learning of her strength as an individual really inspired me and made me realise how lucky I am. I am so happy to have met her and really admire her strength.
Father Ray Foundation website: http://www.fr-ray.org/home/?menu=news&sm=news&news_id=s2000027&proj=FRF&read=y
Conference song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OHTjcqmGlk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OHTjcqmGlk
Glove dance:
Barazza Leader Training 2010
The JUMP! Foundation logo
Barazza meetings
As well as being a member of the steering committee I was also chosen to be a barazza leader during the conference. Along with 80 other students I will be involved in a number of discussions and trainings to help prepare us for the barazza groups we will have to lead during the conference. ‘Barazza’ is a Kenyan word meaning all on the same level. The point of barazza groups is to have a discussion in which everyone’s opinion is equal. What this activity involved was to have barazza training on Thursday’s after school and on some weekends. We also went to the IDEALS centre on Koh Chang to have a barazza training week with Justin Bedard from the JUMP! Foundation.
OBJECTIVES
My objectives for this activity were to improve my barazza group leading skills, as we have done them in school before but I am always struggling to keep the discussion going. I also wanted to learn how to make sure everyone feels comfortable enough to share their opinion and to learn some fun and effective ice breakers that I can use during the conference.
WHAT I DID
During the sessions after school and during weekends we were presented with a stimulus, such as a speech or film. Then we had to split into groups and a barazza partner pair was chosen at random to lead the discussion. I was chosen to lead a discussion twice with my barazza partner. After our first lead discussion some of the gap staff gave us feedback on what we could do to improve, such as asking people to apply the issue to issues they may know of in their own country. The second time we lead the discussion we did this and it really got the discussion going, so I will definitely use this in the conference barazza sessions.
All the barazza leaders!
WORKING WITH THE JUMP! FOUNDATION
Towards the end of the year all the barazza leaders went to Koh Chang for a week. Unfortunately, the year 11s had examinations and could not participate in the training. However, to make sure that they did not miss out we passed on the techniques and ice breakers we learnt during a Saturday barazza training session. The training sessions with Justin Bedard and his JUMP! Team really taught me a lot. I learnt that in order to have a successful barazza session you do not ‘lead’ but you ‘facilitate’. This means that you provide them with a basis but they should feel as though it is their discussion. We also learnt many fun and useful ice breakers as well as participating in activities involving communication. Participating in these activities with the steering committee as well as the barazza leaders really bonded everyone together because we all had to communicate and work together. I think it was great that this happened because to have a successful conference we need everyone to be involved and for this to happen they need to feel part of the team.
CHALLENGES
One difficulty that we encountered during the week was that people became tired after so many hours of intense training. To solve some steering committee members Including myself, as well as the JUMP! Staff ran some energizers that they taught us. They were very fun and high energy activities and afterwards everyone was really excited to get right back into it, so it was definitely successful.
WHAT I LEARNT
I definitely reached my objectives because after so much training when I was asked to facilitate a discussion near the end of the week it ran very smoothly. Everyone was comfortable after having done a fun ice breaker and they were all eager to share their opinions. I will definitely use all the skills and tools I have learnt when I facilitate barazza groups during the conference.
The JUMP! Foundation : http://www.jumpfoundation.org/
The JUMP! Foundation facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-JUMP-Foundation/55717525543
Pattaya to Phi Phi Challenge 2010
Having fun while raising money :)
All the participants
To raise money for the Koh Phi Phi project this year, the school organized an event called The Pattaya to Phi Phi Challenge. Every team had to pay an entry fee and the challenge was to cover as much distance as possible in your team, either by the going around the running track or by lengths in the pool. The challenge was for all the teams’ distances combined to cover the distance from Pattaya to Phi Phi.
OBJECTIVES
My aims for this activity were to enjoy myself while raising money for a project that I really care about, to walk 20km with my team and to try and use different forms of transport besides walking.
WHAT I DID
I have been on the Koh Phi Phi project twice and I know what an amazing project it is and how it affects the lives of the people living in surrounding communities. This is why I was so happy to be able to raise money for it and wanted to give it my 100 percent. To keep our team spirit high, we wore tutus and headbands. This was to make the event fun for everyone and to enjoy ourselves while working hard to complete the distance.
Ready to swim!
CHALLENGES
To reach my objective of using different transport I walked, ran, rollerbladed and swam. Changing between transports motivated me to keep going because I was starting to get tired. This was the biggest challenge I encountered, dealing with the heat and tiredness. I overcame this by staying hydrated, cooling off in the pool and listening to the encouraging words of my team mates. To help them I did the same and I think we all communicated well.
WHAT I LEARNT
Unfortunately we didn’t reach the 20km we aimed for but we did manage to cover 18km. I am very proud of this because we never gave up and we had fun doing it. On top of the compulsory entry fee we had to pay I bought food and drinks which also supported the Phi Phi project. I feel that I did reach my objectives and I hope that my small effort makes a difference. I will definitely participate in The Pattaya to Phi Phi Challenge next year as well as other fundraising events, and encourage others to join in as well.
Information on the Koh Phi Phi project: http://www.regents-school.com/pattaya/rsideals-kohphiphiproject.php?news_id=98&start=5&category_id=3&parent_id=5&arcyear=&arcmonth=
Senior Games 2010
All the participating Regents teams
The Regents hosts the senior games every year, inviting schools from all over South- East Asia to participate in a two day weekend competing in football and basketball. Now that I was in the basketball team I had the chance to join and compete.
OBJECTIVES
My objectives for this activity were to perform to the very best of my ability, not to give up when I’m tired, play a fair game and to cheer along my team mates.
WHAT I DID
The ‘basketball day’ was on Saturday starting at 10am. Sadly we weren’t able to verse all of the schools because there was not enough time so the ‘knockout’ method was used. We won all but one of our games, which was the final, meaning we came second. This is a great achievement and we were all extremely proud. We could not have done it without the team spirit and positive attitudes we maintained throughout the day.
A snapshot of one of our matches
CHALLENGES
Some issues I encountered were that I got extremely tired as some matches were back-to-back and we had a very short break in between. This meant that I became very tired as the day progressed and there were times when I thought I would have to stop. I reached my objective when I thought to myself that if everyone else can do it so can I, and I didn’t want to let down my team. Another issue was that some of the competing teams became very aggressive and rude when they were losing the man. We decided to ignore this and just focus on playing a good game reaching my objective a playing a fair game. This united the team more as we all supported each other not to listen to the offensive things some of the opposing players were shouting.
WHAT I LEARNT
I really enjoy taking part in an event where I got to meet and learn from athletes from different schools. I learnt a lot of new techniques just by watching some of the other team’s players. Participating in the senior games has also helped me better my basketball skills, especially since the environment was more competitive and it really pushed me to try my hardest.
Second Place!!!
Steering Committee Year 12 Term 2
The Conference Shirt DesignOBJECTIVES
Term 2 was another busy planning term as the conference is getting closer. I am still aiming to maintain as well as achieve more of the objectives I set last term.
WHAT I DID
The first thing we did this term was gain feedback from the 6 members of our steering committee who went to the conference in India to represent the school as regents round square delegates. They informed us about the strengths and weaknesses of the conference, so that we could apply it to our conference as well as avoid making the same mistakes.
In my previous post I mentioned how we found the technique of delegation very useful. This is why when our chairman Amit suggested that we should divide our steering committee into sub-committees I agreed straight away. The sub-committees were the creative committee, barazza committee, entertainment committee, activities committee or the miscellaneous committee. The people in these committees may sometimes have separate meetings but will always report back so that everyone stays involved in every aspect of the conference. I took a risk when I volunteered to be the leader of the creative committee. I felt that I needed to since I hadn’t taken on any major responsibilities during the meetings up until that point. From then on 2 of the other members and I worked mainly on designing the conference t-shirts and making sure everything was ready for them to be ordered.
CHALLENGES
The difficulties I encountered this term mainly involved the conference shirts. When we presented our original design to the regent’s board they requested that we include some more information on the shirt. This was frustrating because we didn’t know where those things with fit on the design. We overcame this problem by discussing and sketching a few more designs with the help of the school’s marketing director. Another difficulty that we encountered was when the people from India came back and gave us feedback. Many of us were not familiar with the conference elements they were assessing and we had no idea what they were saying. To fix this issue I spoke up and requested that they explain the different concepts so that everyone in the committee could feel included in the discussion. As a result of the mutual understanding everyone contributed ideas.
WHATS NEXT?
Next term I will follow up on the conference shirts as well as deal with the other creative elements, such as the conference program. I am reaching more of my objectives because I stepped out of my comfort zone by volunteering myself and I am learning new skills during the process of designing the conference shirts.
Basketball Training & Matches 2010
When my friends encouraged me to join the Basketball team I wasn’t sure about it because I didn’t think I was very good at basketball. However, I decided to join the Monday after school training’s because of how great it was being in the Volleyball team and how much I learnt from getting involved with that.
OBJECTIVES
My objectives for this activity were to improve my basketball skills, encourage team spirit, learn how to play different positions and to perform my best during matches.
WHAT I DID
When we had our first practice I realized that the senior team members were limited, which explained why we trained with the under 15 team. This was not a problem as they were extremely good basketball players, therefore, instead of them having to keep up with us it was the other way around. I learnt a lot from them, which showed me that age does not limit your ability to be great. Soon after our first training we started competing against schools in surrounding regions. I was surprised when we won all of our games. This was mainly because we had so many valuable players in our team which I really appreciated and looked up to. During these matches I improved my basketball skills each time. My shooting started becoming more accurate and I was faster at getting to the defense zone.
Team Spirit!!
CHALLENGES
One difficulty I identified while playing basketball is that whenever I am passed the ball or need to shoot I panic and don’t take my time to pass or shoot. This usually means the ball does not go where I want it to go and it is very frustrating. During the training my coach helped me with this by encouraging me to take my time each time I am passed the ball. After a while I become more relax and started to learn how to just breathe and focus on where I want the ball to go. Of course I still get a little nervous during matches because I don’t want to let my team down, but now I can turn that anxiety into concentration.
WHAT I DID
Basketball has taught me a lot about communication and team work. I really enjoyed basketball and I will definitely continue to play for the school team for the upcoming terms. The more I play the better I will get and I am excited to see where I will be in a few months. The senior games are coming up and our school will be participating with our basketball team. I am looking forward to competing against schools from all over South-East Asia.
Charity Bed Race 2010
In the lead during the race!
When we were first told that there was an annual bed push the school wanted us to participate in, my friends and I signed up immediately as we thought it seemed like a lot of fun and it would be for a good cause. The school would pay money for the bed and that would go to charity. What we would have to do was push a ‘bed’ with someone on it as fast as we could to the finish line.
OBJECTIVES
My objectives for this activity were to work as a team, push myself physically and not to give up.
Waiting for the race to start
WHAT I DID
I arrived at about 10am as we were told the event would start at around 11am. The start time kept getting delayed and eventually it started at 4pm. It was boring having to wait for 6 hours and we all got a little frustrated with the organization of the event. However, to fill the time and keep a positive attitude we went bowling and had a nice lunch. When the event started I was a little nervous but excited at the same time as I saw how many teams we were racing against. We finished at third place and even though I was very tired I felt very proud.
One of the beds from a participating team
CHALLENGES
I encountered a few challenges, especially during the actual race. The course was so long and it seemed to never ending. I became very out of breathe and became a little dizzy because it was so tough. I considered giving up and to stop pushing all together but my team mates kept encouraging me to keep going. I drank a lot of water and pushed myself to keep going. Another difficulty that we encountered was the fact that even though it was clear we came third we didn’t get the prize for third place. The people who won the prizes were the biggest sponsors. Even though this was completely unfair we managed to laugh it off. I didn’t need a trophy to be proud of myself for not giving up.
WHAT I LEARNT
I did manage to reach my objectives since team communication was the main reason our team was so efficient. We constantly encouraged each other and kept communicating to make sure we all turned at the right moment. I never stopped pushing, meaning I reached my own personal goal and I learned that I am physically capable of more than I thought.
Information: http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2010/01/30/pattaya-international-bed-race-2010/
Senior Production of 'Blood Brothers' 2009
A scene from 'Blood Brothers'
In previous years, I had always signed up to act in the school play, however this year I wanted tolearn more about backstage and costumes. Therefore, during the first half-term of term 1, I signed up to work on costumes for the senior production ‘Blood Brothers’ every Monday after school. This activity ran into the second half term and I had to come in during some weekends.
OBJECTIVES
My aims for this activity were to demonstrate and enhance my creative skills, learn more about how costumes are assigned and gain a better understanding about the backstage aspect of a production.
WHAT I DID
Linnea (my friend) and I were told that we would be in charge of helping put together costumes for each character in the play, sorting through the costumes the drama department already had and hanging them on racks, making labels for each costume and on the night of the performance making sure everything was kept in its place. To find out what costume each character needed we sat down with them individually and asked some questions. We also asked them to draw what they wanted their costume to look like. To help us in assembling the costumes we researched what the fashion was in the time of the play and watch a version of the play preformed in England. The Final production was performed on two nights in early December and it was a huge success.
A costume I helped put together
CHALLENGES
We did encounter a few difficulties. There were piles of clothes to sort through that the drama department already had. They were all throw in different boxes and nothing was sorted or categorized in any way. Looking at it from a distance I was completely overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start, but then Linnea and I started planning and working out how we could sort through the clothes. Each week we addressed a different section of the dressing room and assigned racks to groups of clothes that were similar. Another issue arised the weekend before the play when we realized that some of the costumes the actors had brought from home not fit the time period of the play. We fixed this by searching through the newly organized costume racks for pieces that would work.
Two days prior to the first performance we were told that we would also be in charge of microphones. This was a shock as I thought I would only be helping with costumes and I was worried since I had never worked with microphones before. Thankfully one of the members of the technical crew offered to teach us how to manage the microphones. During the second performance of the play, the lead actress’ microphone stopped working. We tried to fix this problem by quickly swapping the batteries between scenes, however her microphone still wasn’t working. Finally we decided that we would use of the minor characters’ microphone as he did not really need it. This situation was very stressful, but I learnt that the best way to go about it is by staying cal and trying to come up with alternatives as quickly as possible.
WHAT I LEARNT
I have definitely learnt a lot from this activity. I learnt that it is best to work together with other people as they may have specialties that you can learn from. I have reached my aims because I learnt a lot about costume design and next time I am assigned to do this I will know what procedure to follow. I definitely gained a better understanding of backstage as I was introduced to the managing of microphones as well as costumes. I have also learnt that the backstage crew holds the whole play together, and that it is not only the people on stage who should be praised for the success of a production.
Article in the Regents Review: http://pattaya.regents-school.com/ptyregentsengine/_filesmgr/File/revues/RR%20Dec%20Jan%20Web.pdf
Steering Committee Year 12 Term 1
The Chosen Logo
The Steering Committee and other student leaders with Khun Mechai
Last school year, 15 other students and I were selected to be in the student steering committee for the round square conference hosted at our school in 2010. The theme we decided on was “We Walk Together”, a very powerful phrase representing equality. Our job is to help plan and organize the conference that will be attended by schools all over the world. We have meetings twice a week and I will play an active role in these meetings up until the conference in 2010.
OBJECTIVES
My aims for this activity are to get more involved in Round Square, gain more confidence and skills, step out of my comfort zone, and to help deliver an amazing conference to the delegates.
WHAT I DID
The first thing we started working on as soon as we got back from the summer was the presentation and performance that 7 members of the steering committee will have to present in India. This is where the conference is being held this year and the performance will advertise the conference we are hosting next year. Along with this, we have also launched a website providing potential delegates with information about our conference. We have also met and arranged which keynote speakers will speak at our conference and I am sure they will deliver amazing speeches.
CHALLENGES
We have encountered a few challenges over the course of this term. The first being what exactly we were going to put in the performance for India to clearly show both Thai culture and our theme. Many ideas were brought forward but we had to pick only a few, which was very difficult. We overcame this by delegating different aspects of the performance to different people, like Thai speakers were in charge of organizing the Thai dance and people handy with presentations were in charge of helping with the power point. This technique definitely helped prioritize what needed to be done and we will continue to use this technique. Another issue was the decision of which logo we would use, as we received so many great entries. In the end we all agreed that one really stood out and represented our theme the best. Its simplicity and the idea behind it is what made us decide on it. We came to this agreement through discussion and making sure everyone’s opinion was heard.
WHAT I HAVE LEARNT SO FAR
Since this activity is ongoing I have not achieved all my goals yet, however, I feel as though I am already contributing a lot to the discussions and generation of ideas. As well as this I have learnt more about Round Square as we have visited a few of our community partners, which has encouraged me to get more involved in service. I also learnt a lot about how group discussions are best lead. For example, having one main leader who makes sure everyone has an equal opportunity to speak. This tool is useful as I can use it in future discussion I will lead, such as barazza groups.
Khun Mechai's Foundation: http://www.mechaifoundation.org/mechai_home.asp
The video that will be shown in India to advertise our conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M83W38m_zis
Volleyball 2009
Shaking hands at the end of a game
OBJECTIVES
WHAT I DID
Training was held in the gym on Thursday and Wednesday lunchtimes. We also had the opportunity to play against other schools in the region. Our first match did not go so well as we were not used to playing together and many of us had hardly played volleyball before. As the trainings progressed we started to get along very well and could coordinate well together. My volleyball skills were improving every week , especially my serving. Everyone in the team grew more confident with themselves and with everyones ability to play well. As volleyball season drew to a close we were invited to participate in the ESAC volleyball tournament. ESAC stands for Eastern Seaboard Athletics Conference. This tournament involves schools from nearby regions coming together to compete. We did not win the tournament, but that did not matter. Our team spirit was the best it had ever been and we played so well together we won a few of our matches. We had come a long way since our first match.
CHALLENGES
A few difficulties presented themselves during this activity. Sometimes team members could not make practice due to lunchtime meetings or the fact that they forgot their kit. This meant we had less players and they missed out on practice time. However, no one got mad at anyone for missing practice as we understood why they could not make it. We always filled them in on what we had learned and they quickly caught up. Another issue we encountered was that at the beginning of volleyball season many of the other schools' teams had been practicing for many years and our team was newly formed. We did not let this bother and used it as a way to improve by watching their team tactics. We also always encouraged each other and supported one another when one of us made a bad shot. This kept the team spirit high and resulted in us all becoming very close.
WHAT I LEARNT
I was able to achieve my goals, as my serving and other volleyball skills have improved dramatically and I have become more involved in sports at my school. I also learnt how important encouraging your team mates is as it gives them more confidence in their abilities. Now I am always eager to participate in any sport event since I had the chance to experience how fun and beneficial it can be.
Yellow House Loy Krathong Dance 2009
Fancy foot work from my partner and I :)
OBJECTIVES
My objectives for this activity were to support my house in the Loy Krathong dance house competition so that I could contribute to helping my house gain more points. Also I have been living in Thailand for 6 years now and I decided to be an inquirer and learn more about Thai culture.
WHAT I DID
Me and 10 other students from yellow house practised every lunch time for a week and half, and two times after school to prepare for the dance we would be preforming during the Loy Krathong celebration. On the day we all remembered our moves and it turned out really well. I was able to achieve one of my objectives as yellow house came second in the Thai dancing competition, thus giving our house a lot more points. While I was learning the dance the girl who was teaching us told me a lot about Thai culture so I reached that objective as well. I learnt where Loy Krathong originated from and the meaning behind the dance we were preforming.
The beautiful Thai costumes we got to wear!
CHALLENGES
I did encounter some difficulties while learning the moves to the dance because they were very complicated and it was very hard to remember the order of the. However I practised at home at at school a lot, and on the day I remembered them all. Through this I have developed new skills as I now know some basic Thai dance moves and I learnt that practice really does help.
A snapshot of one of the dance moves
WHAT I LEARNT
From this activity I learnt a lot of new things about Thai culture as well as a dance that I can show my friends and family. When friends come to visit I will be able to use this knowledge to give them a better insight of Thailand.
Pattaya Players Halloween Event 2009
The Pattaya Players Logo
My friend and I working the face painting stall
OBJECTIVES
My objectives for this activity were to plan and initiate the workings of my stall regarding my stall, to help raise a lot of money for charity, and use my creativity to come up with nice face painting designs.
WHAT I DID
I was in charge of the face painting stall for the evening, which became very popular as more people arrived for the event. Because of this i was able to initiate a lining up system and I made sure that no one cut in line.I thought only children would want to get there face painted, but some of the adults showed up too, which showed me how involved people were. Before going to the event I had painted a design near my eye and while I was face painting many of the children asked me for the same design, which made me feel good about my creativity. I did reach my objectives because I was very involved with the stall I was asked to run and the fact that so many kids came to get there faces painted means I helped raise money.
Helping out with some of the other stalls
I did overcome some difficulties while I was face painting. Our stall was placed in a space where there was a lack of light which meant that it was very hard to see what we were painting. However me and my friend Linnea came up with the idea to use two small flashlights that we found to act as our extra light source. Also we were not given any pictures examples to work from and had to come up with all the halloween designs ourselves. Surprisingly, we got a lot of positive feedback from the customers about the designs, which let me know that I had put my creative assets to good use.
WHAT I LEARNT
WHAT I LEARNT
I Believe I reached my objectives and it was nice seeing everyone walk around with designs on their faces that I had painted. From this activity I have learnt that I am more creative than I thought and next time I experience a difficulty I have to explore my surroundings and search for resources I can use to fix it.
The Pattaya Players website: http://www.pattayaplayers.org/
Koh Phi Phi 2009
Me hard at work with the pliers!
For half-term break I went to Koh Phi Phi with 14 other students. Our job was to work on stage 6 of the community centre on Koh Phi Phi. While we were there we were joined by another round square school called Cobham hall. We arrived there Saturday afternoon and left the next Friday.
Transporting the huge metal wires needed to lay the grid for the concrete
OBJECTIVES
2 years ago I went on Koh Phi Phi and I enjoyed it so much and got so much out of it that I wanted to go again. I hoped to accomplish the same proud feeling that I had 2 years ago when I finished something that I started, as well as the satisfaction of knowing I had helped the people of the sea gypsy village. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do hard manual labour and that I wouldn't give up.
Working together to defeat the heavy sand bags!
CHALLENGES
When we were lifting the sandbags and passing them to each other it was really difficult and we got burn marks on ur skin but by collaboratively working together we overcame this challenge by coming up with the solution that if we formed 2 lines, 2 people would always be holding the sanbag. The method proved effective and we continued doing it like this for the rest of the trip. We encountered many similar challenges as the trip consisted of a lot of manual labour and transporting the elements needed for building the community center. A lot of the time they were very heavy and difficult to transport so we all had to work together.
Figuring out an effective method to carry the heavy wood
DID I REACH MY OBJECTIVES?
I think the trip was a success and we managed to get a lot done. Not only was it for a good cause but I had a lot of fun and made a lot of new friends that I am still keeping in contact with. Even though the work was really tough, I was able to achieve my goals as I was really proud of myself and it felt great helping the people of the sea gypsy village.If I get the chance to go on this trip again I definitely will because it was one of the best trips i have ever been on and I've learnt that I don't mind getting my hands dirty.
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