by Dennis Harter, MS Principal
dennish@isb.ac.th
We have reached the end of the 2020-21 school year. This time last year, I acknowledged what a strange year we had then, trying out Virtual School for the first time. Now, after possibly an even more strange year, I want to offer my congratulations and appreciation for how well our community has persevered through ever-changing times.
We started the year quite well relatively. In August, as schools in other countries remained online, ISB campus opened with new safety guidelines and infrastructure in place, allowing us to have students in classrooms, engaged in activities, and being social once again. The first semester felt closer and closer to “normal” school culminating in hosting our annual MS Olympics and having a final assembly spread out in the large gymnasium.
Unfortunately, our second semester started with some cases in Thailand and we opened in January doing Virtual School again. We happily returned to school after a few weeks and got going again, only to sadly close campus and return online for the last 9 weeks of the year. This led to cancelled school trips and loss of seasons, productions, and activities.
That said, our students and teachers once again impressed me with their dedication to learning. In an environment in which “school” took place on a laptop screen and distractions surrounded people everywhere else, overwhelmingly, our community focused on the needs and task at hand and kept learning moving forward. Thank you to parents who helped their children create a home environment conducive to learning. Thank you to teachers, who flexibly adapted their lessons to suit an online environment, and thank you to students who developed a routine, kept their focus, and made it work.
There is no doubt that we can all use this break now. We hope everyone has time to step away from screens, and safely get outside, read books, play games with siblings, and connect personally with people. We hope it’s a time for everyone to RECHARGE.
Our MS/HS Library has updated our RECHARGE page to provide families with ideas to pass the time this summer. Ways to stay curious, ways to build, ways to get out into nature, and ways to learn. We hope that this is a useful resource for everyone over the summer, as we look for things to do to connect with each other and disconnect from screens.
(of course, the irony of pushing a website encouraging “disconnecting” is not lost on us … we hope the site provides ideas that students can then take off-screen)
There are also opportunities for academic enrichment and a Summer Reading Challenge.
We wish everyone a safe and restful summer. Take care of yourselves and each other.
The 2020-21 school year has been one of uncertainty and disappointment. It has also been a year of renewed social interaction, celebration, and success. I continue to be proud of our MS community for both their dedication to learning and their care for each other.
Congratulations on completing the 2020-21 school year. Have a wonderful holiday break.