Tragedy to Triumph
The fall of 2007 marks the end of construction and landscaping of the 35 Rajaprachanagroh campus. As we reflect on the transformation from the three temporary buildings where the children attended school in February 2005 to the impressive campus that now exists, the ISB Tsunami Relief Network takes great pride in the role we have played to create this expansive new facility with classroom buildings, dormitories, teacher housing, a library, a canteen, a nurses' station, administration building, water treatment plant and an auditorium a reality.
With the completion of the school, the children are more focused, happy and ready to learn. The faculty and the administration have a renewed sense of purpose. The emphasis is now is on strengthening routines, curriculum and learning.
Thanks to ISB alumni volunteers the new library offers a tranquil setting for studying students. The bookshelves are organized with books in Thai, English (many of them donated by ISB), Japanese and other languages. Our volunteers read to the children daily giving them the attention and love they need.
The state-of-the-art playground is set up and the children will be allowed to play on it as soon as the equipment is stabilized. The R35 administration states that this is the best playground in all of southern Thailand. They are quite proud of this new addition. The students are so excited that they broke into their new playground when they thought nobody was looking (see the video)…but the principal caught them!
The English language program is becoming a hallmark of the school's academic progress. The program becomes stronger as each new group of volunteers makes their mark on the curriculum, schedules and program focus. The new Thai supervisor has embedded the program at R35 creating new plans, rules and rigor in the schedules. Volunteers now have that important connection between the administration, allowing easier transitions between outgoing and incoming volunteers.
The ISB Tsunami Relief Network is in the process of developing new projects for this school year. Please keep reading our posts for exciting new news.
Financial update | Donation to the Project | ISB Tsunami Relief Network Background
