ARCADIA: AIS' FIRST SCHOOL GARDEN
After months of planning and hard work, the first student-made garden is now complete. The new “Arcadia” section of the school was planned and built by three seniors: Jasmine, May Rose, and Stella. Arcadia is located in the northeastern corner of the main school building and aims to provide a peaceful place for students to either study, relax, or hang out with friends. Arcadia was built over the summer with a budget of 300,000 kyats. To raise environmental awareness, materials such as old tires and unused pieces of wood were repurposed into things such as benches and flower pots. A variety of trees and flowers were also planted bringing more life and character to the school garden. Aside from “the usual objects” you can find in a school garden, decoration pieces such as the motivational artwork are added to create a park-like atmosphere. The seniors have accomplished their goals with Arcadia as it seems to be a popular spot for students, especially the younger kids, as well as parents to hang out. They said they will certainly graduate next year knowing that their hard work was not in vain.
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THE 13TH KAGOSHIMA ASIAN YOUTH ARTS FESTIVAL
Held in Kagoshima, Japan, the 13th Kagoshima Asian Youth Arts Festival invited student representatives from Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thai, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Ayeyarwaddy International School had the honor to participate in this event as the Burmese representatives; students from sixth to ninth grade participated in this event. After practicing for three whole months, they performed varieties of traditional Burmese songs at the festival gracefully.
An interview with one of the participants [Juliet from Grade 8]
Interviewer: How did you feel during the trip? How was the experience?
Juliet: During the trip, it was very tiring but also exciting and fun because there were many new things to see and new friends to make, so I really enjoyed it! If I had to summarize it into one sentence, I’d say “the feeling of excitement and proudness to represent Myanmar to Japan and the other Asian countries was so tangible yet out of this world.”
Interviewer: How were the rehearsals and the performance?
Juliet: During this trip, we weren’t well prepared for our performance. When we watched the rehearsals of the other countries, every single one of us was stressed out. But, with the mindset of wanting to do our best and representing our school and the country to the fullest, we worked harder; it worked out well in the end.
Interviewer: Do you have anything else to add?
Juliet: The trip was really exciting and thrilling at the same time. However, I do have to say that following the tight schedule was extremely tiring. Anyway, I was very excited about going to Japan and so were my friends. We were thrilled to learn about its culture and also of the other countries joining us. However, when we need to dance, this feeling somehow vanished since all of us were really scared. Well, rather we had mixed feelings. However, as mentioned before, we gave our best, and so I believe our performance turned out really well and all the hard work was worth it.
THE CHAUCERIAN PILGRIMAGE PROJECT
-Silvester
On October 19th, the seniors submitted their Chaucerian Pilgrimage Project to their Language Arts teacher, Mr. Kelly. The aim of the project was to celebrate the literary tradition of Geoffrey Chaucer and the purpose of his work, The Canterbury Tales, in which multiple smaller stories are told inside one big interwoven story. The seniors did something similar to Chaucer, but on a smaller scale.
Their goal was to observe, comment on, and critique the archetypes of A.I.S. by making a short movie. They were randomly divided into seven groups of two, six pairs for representing each archetype and one pair for narration. In the story, the host of pilgrims follow a set route and do not stop until their pilgrimage is complete. This pilgrimage is then filmed, edited, and scored into a production piece. The seniors were given a choice whether to use Modern Standard English, vernacular English, or Middle English in their production, and each pair was required to write a six ten-line stanzas for each Prologue and Tale whereas the narrating pair had to write twelve ten-line stanzas. The hard copies that were also required to be turned in along with the production included a detailed storyboard with transitions, sound, and music selections, the transcripts of the Prologues and the Tales, and a word processed reflection of their experience.
THE AIS HALLOWEEN PARTY
-John and Sofie
On November 3, 2018, our school celebrated the 2018 Halloween Party for the fourth time. Many students from Grade 3 to Grade 12 attended and participated. The student council, who is in charge of organizing this event, was divided into three groups to do so: the decoration team, the food team, and the activities team. Thanks to these students, the AIS Halloween celebration became a success. To start off, this year’s Halloween surely has an artistic touch where the lights and candles were mainly used to create an aesthetically pleasing picture. Moreover, the new activities this year - the photo booth and the spider web game - added more fun to the excitement. Ranging from appetizers to desserts, the food was also delicious, and many students loved it.
UNIVERSITY FAIR
At Yangon
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THE NEW SCHOOL JACKET
Silvester (Red-10)
In the recent student council meetings, the committee had announced that they are planning to create a new school track jacket which can be worn during both the regular and P.E. classes. While the council is still not sure when it will be available, the members have unanimously agreed to replace the existing vest with the track jacket. The original color scheme of the sample was blue and black with white stripes. The members have voted to change the color to black and white however.
Currently, the school has placed an order of a thousand units of the jacket. When they do arrive, they will be available in various sizes. The school estimates the price of the jacket to be around 20,000 kyats. The early reactions to this price tag seem to be positive. In conclusion, these e jackets will finally offer an alternative to the school blazers.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT GROUP
-Thin Rati (Red-10)
About the Club
Taking place at YayMaSoYain, an orphanage in the outskirts of town on every Sundays (10AM-12PM), the WEG is another student-led club; this project mainly focuses on teaching about personal hygiene, women empowerment, and other major-related lessons to girls. Moreover, they have held numerous fundraisers by selling toasts, and they plan to raise funds by selling bookmarks. The members of the Women Empowerment Group (WEG) are all working together in making a real impact on this unprivileged community. If you’re interested to be part of the community, feel free to contact the club president (Shirley, R12).
Roles in WEG
President: Shirley
Secretary: Nicole
Treasurer: Grace
Photographer: Thin Rati
Fundraising managers: Minty & Juliana
Website developers: Norine & Thin Rati
Content creators: Sophia (Digital) & Norine (Hand)
Classes & Teachers
G4 (15 girls): Minty, Ruby & Sophia
G5 (36 girls): Nicole, Norine & Thin Rati
G6 (27 girls): Juliana, Grace, & Shirley
THE CATAPULT PROJECT:
UP, UP, AND AWAY!
May Rose (R12)
On September 27th and 28th, the physics class, led by Teacher Mark, tested their self-built catapults. The goal of the Catapult project is “to build a catapult that can fire a tennis ball a minimum of ten meters.” There were a total of 9 groups, and they had to compete with each other on whose projectile goes the farthest and the most accurate.
The project has two categories:
Distance competition
The students had two chances to launch a tennis ball as far as possible from their catapult. Distances will be measured from the point of impact. The winner will have the farthest launch in the air.
Accuracy competition
The students fired their catapult towards a hula hoop at a distance of ten meters. The winner will be able to land a tennis ball in the center of the hula hoop.
YOUTH HABITAT
Article by Arielle
The Youth Habitat is a club that has emerged successful with over 25 students; they all retain one purpose: 'to spread awareness of the needs of our community, and to support them.’ Unlike most clubs, the Youth Habitat was the first ever club to be established by Cindy, a junior. “It was her idea, her vision,” Tr Barbara, the supervisor of the said club, acknowledged.
The Youth Habitat club has motivated many students to partake in aiding those in need. The club has made an announcement at the assembly offering reasons as to why we should help those in need, especially in our country that is rapidly evolving. Moreover, in order to restock a library, which they planned to build up again, after it was destroyed, they have requested the student population to donate books, more specifically children's books. Over the summer, the club has already built a playground for one of the villages in Myanmar: Yegyi. The purpose was to refurbish and rebuild.
In addition, Tr. Barbara welcomed those who wants to follow their passions:“if there's anyone, anyone who wants to help, who has an idea, bring it to the table. Your teachers will listen to you, and we'll try to get it off the ground.’
We highly encourage those who wishes to share their ideas and help those in need to join the Youth Habitat. After all, as said by Steve Maraboli, “A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.”
ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY
John & Sofie (Red 10)
Ayeyarwaddy International School (AIS) will be celebrating the Halloween party on November 3, 2018; this will be the 4th time of celebrating Halloween party in AIS. Since 2015, AIS has been celebrating Halloween parties, and we found out that most of the students enjoyed it. Now, the student council members are planning for the 2018 Halloween party. They have been trying to come up with plans to hold a better party and make it more memorable than those of the previous years. Many volunteers from secondary and high school are taking a part in helping the council. Moreover, all students from secondary to high school are welcome to come to the Halloween party. New information about the Halloween party will be updated by the school when it is near.
TRASH HERO: A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE COMMUNITY
-Jasmine (Red-12)
On September 31st, Miss Anne Cruickshanks from the organization Trash Hero paid a visit to Tr. Andrew’s Environmental Science class. Trash Hero is a global organization of volunteers who aim to keep the world clean and trash-free for the upcoming generations. With the motto, “We Clean, We Educate, We Change,” the organization strives to encourage people to be more environmentally conscious in their daily lives. Wanting to preserve Mandalay’s beautiful natural places, since late 2016, Miss Cruickshanks worked together with Phone Kyaw Moe Myint, the leader of Trash Hero Myanmar, and established the Trash Hero Mandalay chapter. With the students of the class working on their projects, she came to aid in bettering their understandings on environmental awareness. In short, the talk she gave was about the need to reduce our reliance on plastic and to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
THADINGYUT
By: Teresa Red 7
The dim, yellow flickering lights of the candles and the smell of burning wax is one of the sights you will never forget. The crowds, the lights, and fireworks exploding in the sky, blooming one after another, paint one of the most important festivals in Myanmar: Thadingyut. Dating a millennium back in time, Thadingyut is one of the 12 monthly festivals. It is a light festival where many people from diverse cultures are welcome to celebrate with us. This year, the festival will take place from October 23rd to 25th.
2018-2019 STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTION
Our school hosted an annual student council election on Friday, August 24. Positions ranged from President, Vice President, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer, and Secretary. The participants were limited only to high-school students, but both the secondary and high school students voted. The election results came out on Monday, August 27, during our monthly assembly.
- John and Sofie (Red 10)
PRESIDENT
Justin (Blue 11)
"It was never my intention to run for President. However, I was motivated by my friends who wanted changes in the school. I'm really honored to be your president, and I assure you that you won't be disappointed. I just want to show you that even someone ordinary like me can become a president. Though I’m not the top student in my class, what separates me from them is that I challenged myself, stepped outside of my comfort zone, and overcame the fear. Trust me, believe in yourself, and you will get there eventually. My goal as the student council president is to make all the upcoming events livelier and enjoyable. The student council committee will make sure that the students have a memorable year."
Interview with Ms. Barbara
- Teresa (Red 7) & Jonathan (Red 6)
Our first interviewee for the first issue of Vanguard is Teacher Barbara, our secondary principal. She is someone who actively helps out and participates in many clubs such as Student Council. Do you think you really know about our secondary principal? Let’s find out.
What would you tell the 6th graders?
At secondary, they will push you toward success.
What would you like to tell the seniors?
I would like to tell them to stay on course and not to get senioritis.
The Student Council elections are coming up, so how do you feel about it?
Excited. I love Student Council. I think it is a great way for students to develop their leadership skills.
What if the popular people get voted instead of the people that try hard for the elections?
I remind people that these elections are vital to our school, and we need to focus on who will be best for the job.
What is your favorite sport?
I enjoy watching basketball.
What is your favorite color?
I like to buy everything I can pink.
What’s your favourite book?
When I was a kid, I read a book called, “The Family,” and it was about a woman and her husband that kept adopting children that nobody wanted, and they ended up with 12 children.
Halloween is coming up, so how do you feel about it?
So, here’s the truth; last year, I didn’t attend the Halloween, because I had a conference, so I was not here. So I am really excited about this year, and I heard many good things about it.
That is all we asked. We hope you know more about Tr. Barbara, our secondary principal.