A Little Write Up From The Regent's School in Pattaya, Thailand!

SawadeeKa, Everyone!

I thought that I would include a little Write Up that I found on The Regent's School's website written by Declan & Tae Kyoung, two Regent's School students that joined us on Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand for our Round Square International Service Project. The original article can be found on one of the school's pop ups by clicking HERE.

Here is the article & I believe that they will be posting pictures soon as well...enjoy!

Regents School supports Koh Phi Phi community during annual tsunami relief project

On the dusk of 20^th of June a team of dedicated Regent’s students and staff embarked on a mission to the Koh Phi Phi Island to work on drama activities, hospital service work, Art and English workshops. The mission would last one week and also involve the joint effort of The Bermuda High School, also a Round Square school.

The two schools have organised this trip over a number of months, with the main aims to promote global cooperation between different cultures and supporting the less privileged after a devastating natural disaster. The work was divided into 3 main sections, which included Drama, Service and Art with some English teaching as well. All the students were divided into 3 RS groups, of Regents, Bermuda and Baan Ko Phi Phi School students, to carry out each task of the mission during the week.

In spite of heavy rains, the students successfully completed each of the tasks. They cleared land, made channels for the pipes by digging trenches, all for the foundation of the new hospital to be built on Ko Phi Phi. We also performed “Comedia” on the streets of Koh Phi Phi to give a cultural experience to the local people and tourist community. The performance also included Thai students from the Baan Koh Phi Phi School and many tourists and local people enjoyed the performance, as it rolled through the streets of Koh Phi Phi. In true “Comedia” style, masks play a very important role. Making the masks was one of the art sessions during the week. All the students ensured that everybody had a mask to wear on the night of the performance.

The students from the Regents School also made a Round Square Garden for the Baan Koh Phi Phi school to symbolize the friendship between Regents and their sister school and also the similar IDEALS that both schools share. We also enjoyed playing football matches with the local people each evening, on the beach or the school playground. The local community and staff at the Baan Koh Phi Phi School provided delicious Thai cuisine during the whole week and also fantastic hospitality. We all made many new friends from both our sister Thai school and The Bermuda High School. We taught each other new words, cultures and values.

The Regents School library donated over 100 English and Thai books to The Baan Koh Phi Phi School library to provide further reading and ESL material. The Regents School students also created ESL flash cards as part of their school activities during the last term, which were also presented.

It was great to see the new and improved school kitchen and facilities at The Baan Ko Phi Phi School that now provide the 70 students with wholesome lunches everyday. The Regents School, Pattaya Panthers RFC, Jester’s Care for Kids Charity Drive and over 12 other Round Square Schools have now sponsored these school lunches well into the year 2008.

Despite the torrential down pours of rain the spirits of the students from The Regents School and the girls from Bermuda High School, were not dampened. Instead, they braved the conditions, performed “extreme gardening”, dug trenches under both the blistering sun and heavy downpours of rain and never gave in to the atrocious conditions. All the students never hesitated with the Round Square spirit to continue our work for the better of the community and to help bring the island gem back to its former grace and splendor.

Declan and Tae Kyoung (Year 11)