RELIGION & VaLUES
The RIS Religion program-—designed for Catholics, Protestants, and any other students who choose to enroll—provides the opportunity to experience the virtues of a Christian education on a regular basis. As a Catholic international school, RIS’ holistic approach reflects its vision of nurturing the intellectual development, moral character, and physical well-being of its students.
Students in the RIS religion program not only learn to stand firm on the foundation of their faith but also to be respectful of other people’s worldviews. Through collaborative learning and discussions, the HS religion program explores Christian beliefs and the virtues of sharing faith with others. Structured with Christ-centered lessons, the ES and MS religion curricula guide students to incorporate and personalize scriptural principles into their everyday lives. Along with these classes, a Catechism program is offered for the students planning to receive the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Students and other community members are also welcome to attend Mass, officiated daily at St. Mary’s Chapel and twice a month at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, both on campus.
While Catholic students engage in religion classes, students of other faiths participate in Values classes. Crafted from RIS’ mission and its Redemptorist founders, and respectful of the uniqueness and diversity of the individual, the RIS Values program promotes experiential learning, community service, and the cultivation of fair-minded critical thinking while exploring the realities of social and economic hardship in society. ES Values classes focus on active and cooperative learning, while the MS Values classes emphasize the relationship between critical and creative thinking. Meanwhile, Values classes in the HS explore the mechanics of Socratic dialogue and the importance of questioning and enlightening the disciplined mind.
SERVICE LEARNING
Giving of one’s self to others—within the community and beyond—is a fundamental element of character development at RIS. Service learning is the backbone of RIS’ mission and its culture. Across every section of RIS, service is embedded in curricular and co-curricular activities. Service activities are based on several components, including how the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and our own Principles of Phoenix are met. Through this focus on service, students are encouraged to be open-minded and effective communicators who embrace diversity.
Given its affiliation with the Redemptorists of Thailand, RIS regularly supports Redemptorist Foundation projects such as the HDF Mercy Centre, Sarnelli House, and the Father Ray Foundation. Fundraisers are organized throughout the year to provide these organizations with educational materials, medical supplies, and everyday products. RIS students, faculty, and staff organize and take part in multiple community service outreach projects and creative activities to collect donations for these foundations in addition to several other local and regional charities and causes.
MS and HS students often embark on memorable trips devoted to community welfare, such as visiting children in orphanages, interacting with children and adults with physical or mental disabilities, and building with Habitat for Humanity. Some of these visits are arranged by the school, but many are student council initiatives, IB students working on CAS projects, or after-school clubs devoting their weekends to helping others. The LEO Club (Leadership, Experience, and Opportunity), for example, was a student-led initiative to promote community service projects, including visiting schools for the blind, homes for the elderly, and other underprivileged groups or children.
As a community dedicated to helping others in need, RIS has been an exemplar for other international schools for its contributions in the arena of service learning. RIS students are often deeply moved by their service learning projects and reflect on their experiences in their schoolwork and beyond. The school’s service learning program is one of the fundamental reasons why RIS students become compassionate, civic-minded, global citizens, many of whom, after graduating from RIS, go on to develop a lifetime commitment to helping others who are less fortunate.
