Thailand Exchange: Entering a Different World

Posted on September 6, 2013 by admin

I finally arrived in Thailand at midnight on August 23 after a 24-hour flight. I knew Thailand would be hot but I never realized how hot it actually was; the heat struck me as soon as I disembarked the plane. I had never been in a country that had such a sweltering climate.

As I spotted The Regent’s School Pattaya sign ahead, where I would board for the next six weeks, I somehow knew that this exchange would be an adventure. I was half way across the globe in a country that I didn’t know and with people I didn’t know.

As I left the airport with the exchange coordinator, I finally entered Thailand. We drove for about one hour from the airport to the school, the entire time I looked out the window realizing how different Thailand was. The streets were filled with motor bikes not carrying only one or two people but rather many, the infrastructure was so different from what I was use too; everything was different. It was as if I had just entered a different world.

After being wonderfully hosted by the exchange coordinator and her two children for two days, I finally entered Elizabeth’s Girls Boarding House. The boarding house was quite spacious. There were two sides, one for primary and the other for secondary. The boarding staff was very nice and showed much hospitality. They did everything to make me feel at home. The girls were also very nice; many showed me around campus and introduced me to the other boarders.

Regent’s is an international school with a huge campus! It is composed of many buildings, each a different size and form. Boarders and students came from all over the world from Russia, Korea, Australia, England, Japan, Taiwan and many more! The first two days were rather quiet, boarders were arriving from different countries and everyone including me were just settling in. The night before school I was quite nervous and excited, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know anyone from school and I hardly knew where I was going.

Altogether theses first few days of my exchange have been fantastic, I am so glad to have chosen Regents School Pattaya and can’t wait for the weeks ahead. – Kamy Roberge-Carrington ’16

YPI and the Native Women’s Shelter

Posted on September 4, 2013 by admin

Claxton 10 had an eye-opening experience today at the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal. We started our day learning a little bit about the women staying at the shelter, the history of the organization and the Aboriginal people. We then went outside to paint the back patio and fences, while a few members of the advisory did some gardening. Once everything was done, we went back inside to conclude our experience.

It is most definitely a worthwhile organization to volunteer at, especially considering they are always in need of some help as well as donations such as sports equipment, toiletries, toys, etc. – Lydia Safi and Sabrina Chan, Claxton 10

Australia Exchange: Happy to be in school at St Philip’s College!

Posted on July 31, 2013 by admin

Although it is summer, I am still in school! Even so, I am really happy that I chose to come to St Philip’s College in Alice Springs, Australia. We started off the exchange at a school camp called Mittagundi and I had a great time there. The camp was eight hours out of Melbourne by bus. That part of the trip was horrible because no one wants to be on a bus on a windy road for eight hours straight. Once we arrived at the camp they took all of our electronics and then we were told that the following day we would be going to the snow. The next day we hiked up three hills to finally arrive at snow level very late at night. We had to set up our tents and cook ourselves dinner. We spent two days there and then we hiked back down to the camp. We spent the rest of the week working on the farm. We fed the animals and cooked meals in the kitchen. We had to cook using absolutely no electricity! After a week we returned to Melbourne for the night.

The next morning we flew back to Alice Springs where I met the host family at the airport. We went on a bit of a driving tour and the first thing they showed me was the Todd River. The Todd River is not really a river because most of the year there is no water in it. The only time that there is water is when it rains and it only rains around four times a year! People say that if you see the river flood three times then you can be called a local.

When we arrived at the house we watched a movie and ate Tim Tams. We spent a couple of days off from school but we returned to school on Monday. I met everyone and had a tour of the school. I already knew most people because of the camp except for a few kids who did not attend the camp. I also met the other exchange students. We spent the rest of the week getting used to everything and making sure we liked all of our classes.

Anina, my exchange partner has a job like most of the kids here and had to go to a meeting on Saturday. So I went out with my friend Georgia instead. We walked around the shopping center until Anina was finished. After that we watched friends play netball. When all of our friends were done playing a bunch of them were going to go bowling and so they invited us but Anina had to work so I went alone. At bowling I met another exchange student named Tamsin from South Africa. The next day Anina and her family took me on a day trip to Simpsons Gap and Stanley Chasm so we decided to invite Tamsin to come with us. We traveled to Simpsons Gap, which took about 20 minutes. We then drove 20 more minutes to Stanley Chasm, where we hiked to the center of the Chasm. Then we returned to the cafe where Tamsin and I had our first Australian meat pies! The next day we went back to school and planned our trip to Ares rock. — Emily Bekins ’15

Heartfelt Gratitude

Posted on May 22, 2013 by dlevy

I witnessed one of our best LCC school traditions on Tuesday morning—one that parents never see. It was an impressive series of heartfelt “Thank Yous” and words of appreciation from Middle and Senior School students to departing faculty.

So what is the impact of a good teacher? Incalculable. They work long hours shoulder to shoulder with students of potential. Young people need practice, refinement and opportunities to try and then try again. That’s how deep learning happens. Teachers’ work is more of a craft or art than a science. Teachers are in the people-building business. No single recipe for success works with any two students. It’s complicated and important work.

Several words come to mind when I think about a good teacher: intelligent, patient, insightful, concerned, connected, intuitive, committed, inspired, inspiring, invaluable, fair, industrious. The list goes on.

Today our students proudly took time to be genuine in their public thanks. It was clear from the students’ words that each teacher had really made a difference. Each one has touched students profoundly and in different ways. My thanks to all departing faculty for their commitment to learning and living by our LCC ethos of “Students First.” —Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Solisterra: A Remarkable Accomplishment!

Posted on May 8, 2013 by dlevy

This past weekend, 21 grade 8 enriched-math students participated in a community service trip to Solisterra in Kazabazua, Quebec. Students had hands-on experiential learning with renewable energy sources and sustainable construction while living in a straw bale house for two days, operated mainly by solar power. They completed two projects: the assembly and launching of an 80-foot windmill and the building of a straw-bale chicken coop. Four chickens were on site eagerly awaiting their new home!

Two students write about their experience at Solisterra:

Solisterra was by far the most educational and most amusing school trip I’ve ever been on. I would have never thought that working in the hot sun for eight hours straight could be so much fun. On this trip I learned a lot about sustainable energy, using power tools, construction and working efficiently. I thought it was very impressive that I was sleeping in the biggest straw bale house in the world and that it was fully run on Solar Energy. The highlight of my trip was the satisfaction of seeing the 80 foot windmill finally go up after all the hard work that we put into it. I would love to do this trip again in my future years at LCC! – Yianni Manousakis ’16

The Solisterra experience was a very enjoyable yet hard working experience. Building a house and a windmill at Solisterra was such a unique experience. Even though it was hot and hard work, I very much enjoyed seeing the finished results of the projects that we started. Not only was the work rewarding but the house we stayed at was awesome and very spacious, and the food was absolutely delicious. The owners, our teachers and others that helped out were all very supportive and helpful. Overall this was a fun and exciting experience.- Cole Ellicott’ 16

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