On March 4th, ISB middle and high school students, six instructional assistants, three teachers, parents and members of the ISB Tsunami Relief Network committee visited Rajaprajanugroh School 35 for the First Annual Friendship Weekend between the children of ISB and Raj 35. The weekend was full of games, friendship and team building activities, puppet making and dancing. Both the students of Raj 35 and the group of volunteers from ISB experienced a thoroughly enjoyable time as new friendships were made and the relationship between the students of Raj 35 and the ISB Tsunami Network was brought to a new level.
Construction continues at the school six days a week and will go on for some time. One classroom building is complete and in use. The computer building, a fourth domitory and the auditorium are now finished with a fifth dormitory to be completed by May. Cement walkways have been installed connecting most of the completed buidings and ground has been cleared for the construction of a basketball court. The ISB Tsunami Relief Network/Cendant Cares classroom building now has three floors with walls and roof in construction. Please view photo gallery.
Raj 35 will be starting their summer holidays on March 25th. The kindergarteners have already been dismissed while the older children sit for their end of semester exams. The administration reports that there are 620 students currently attending the school . They anticipate 850 to 900 students when school resumes on May 16th, thus the urgent need to complete the dormitories as quickly as possible. The number of students enrolled and attending fluctuates while the school campus is in construction.
Five English as a Second Language (ESL) volunteers, sponsored through the Network, will begin an ESL program at the school in May. This program will be part of the curriculum of the school with the goal of English instruction to all of the students at Raj 35. The classes will focus on practical exercises, tourist industry related for the older children, and an emphasis on phonemic practice for the younger ones.
For more information, please contact Usa Somboon or Benjawon Wattangkura (Ben).
Financial update | Donation to the Project | ISB Tsunami Relief Network Background
