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A Vision for a Greener Tomorrow

“This project reflects our vision of nurturing future leaders who are also responsible global citizens,” shared Rev. Fr. Jittapol Plangklang, C.Ss.R. “As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si’, our common home calls for bold and united action to safeguard the planet. Planting these silver oaks is one way we are answering that call, combining care for creation with education to inspire responsible stewardship among our students.”

Beyond carbon sequestration, the trees will improve air quality, provide shade, and serve as an educational resource for ecology and conservation studies. This initiative highlights RIS’s commitment to sustainable development and environmental education, motivating the community to take meaningful steps to protect the planet.

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• Venice Pimphaporn Chonviriyabun, Class of 2026
• Versailles Kanjanick Chonviriyabun, Class of 2027
• Flint Na-dham Wongkularb, Class of 2034
  
  All three students registered the following innovations: 
  • The Senior-Safety-Strider, an AI-powered walking aid with fall detection for seniors
    (gold)
  • Smart Finger Fruit, an AI-powered glove to help measure the ripeness of fruit
    (gold & special award)
  • Blip, a natural lip balm designed to reduce black pigmentation on the lip
    (silver)
• Party Ponpalat Vipattipumiprates, Class of 2025
  Voice-controlled wheelchair for people with physical disabilities
  (silver)

• Earth Puvit Seetisarn, Class of 2026
  Eco Bridge, a self-sustaining pedestrian bridge with renewable energy for accessibility and environmental monitoring
  (gold & special award)

• Kaka Dhirath Thanglerdsumpan, Class of 2025
  Rumbometer, a cost-effective vehicle speed measurement device that utilizes a novel means of ground vibrations from transverse rumble strips
  (silver)

2023

• Pan Pornprapat Jirapojaporn, Class of 2026
  Saveomatic, a stylish portable capsule that reduces impact force when hitting the ground from falling
  (gold & special award)
• Gain Nutvarit Manorotchaturong, Class of 2027
  SeaVenture, a marine conservation society app
  (silver)
• Ray Kritpaul Prasattongosoth, Class of 2025
  Clinic Connect, a healthcare app connecting patients and clinics
  (silver)
• Grace Varittha Manorotchaturong, Class of 2024
  & Ball Phasakorn Chivatxaranukul, Class of 2024
  CONTROL+, a support app for people with ADHD
  (gold & special award)

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Tri-M, a national honor society for academically capable and musically gifted students, is a National Association for Music Education (NAfME) program. With Tri-M, students can develop confidence, creativity, critical thinking, compassion, and other leadership skills to serve them well beyond school!

This week, RIS held its first-ever induction ceremony to welcome the members formally. Secondary School Principal Dr. Nathan Meisner opened the ceremony with words of inspiration preceding the charter presentation. Chapter co-advisors and beloved high school music teachers Ms. Sarah Hanson and Ms. Jennifer Forsland presented RIS Tri-M’s officers—Prom (Nikki) Kotepech (Co25), Monrada (Moji) Sae-Seai (Co24), and Natacha Chindapol (Co27), who will serve as President, Vice-President, and Secretary, respectively.

Congratulations to our newly inducted Tri-M Music Honor Society members! We look forward to your musical adventures and future endeavors!

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In early November 2023, Team Thailand-RIS attended iGEM, an annual worldwide synthetic biology competition. Here, team captain Ivy Thitilapa Sae-Heng (Co24) and fellow team member Gunn Thanakorn Vajirakachorn (Co25) talk about their project, their experience in Paris, and their appreciation for the support they received from the RIS community.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of iGEM, the premier global conference for synthetic biology. Team Thailand-RIS’ project, Powering Up Plant Defenses, aimed to increase the speed of stress response in plants. Agriculture plays a huge part in Thailand’s economy, so the project was definitely important to the team members.

“Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are heavily damaging to a plant, and over time, this can lead to a change in color, smell, and its other features,” explained team captain Ivy Thitilapa Sae-Heng (Co24). “ROS are produced when plants sense stress, such as when there is a shortage of water or a change in temperature. They occur naturally in many organelles but are most concentrated in the mitochondria.

“As the Glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) protein is localized in the chloroplast, the plant’s ability to respond to stress is not efficient enough, causing damage. By being able to produce GCL in the mitochondria, Team Thailand-RIS is facilitating the ability of plants to deal with stress far more quickly.” (for more on Powering Up Plant Defenses, visit the Team Thailand-RIS wiki page.)

With Powering Up Plant Defenses, Team Thailand-RIS definitely made an impression at iGEM. They were awarded a Silver Medal and nominated for best presentation (making the top ten out of 121 high school teams). The judges and graduate students at the Grand Jamboree know that working with plants is extremely challenging. Given the limited lab time from July to September available to the team, they were commended on their ambition, especially as high school teams tend to choose the more traditional path of modification through yeast or bacteria. The team was also commended on their understanding of the discipline, citing that they gained constructive feedback to build on for future endeavors.

“This was my second year of iGEM, and like last year, it was a thrilling and enjoyable experience,” shared Ivy. “Like last year, “I got to dive deeper into my interests in Biology while working on the project. As the team captain, I also got to refine and strengthen my leadership skills. During the Grand Jamboree in Paris, I got to connect with other teams from around the world and learn the different applications of synthetic biology and how they are applied to solve various global problems.

“We feel immensely fortunate that we were able to increase awareness about iGEM and showcase the importance of synthetic biology in Thailand,” added fellow team member Gunn Thanakorn Vajirakachorn (Co25). “At iGEM, our travel team members got inspired by various projects from different synthetic biology fields—food, environment, diagnostics, and even AI. We forged new connections with teams around the globe and received encouragement on our objective.”

"Eventually, we’ll be able to take an atom, place it wherever we want, and the results will work every time. Biology already does this really well."

—excerpted from iGEM Foundation President Mr. Randy Rettberg's comments at the Grand Jamboree closing ceremony, November 2023)

During their trip to Paris, Team Thailand-RIS also had the honor of meeting with the Charge d’affaires of the Thai Embassy in France. In addition, they were also able to engage with art museums (Musee D’Orsay), historical sights (La Conciergerie, Montmartre), and religious monuments (such as Sainte-Chapelle, which dates back to the 14th century, and various other educational attractions, making the trip even more special.

Acknowledgments from the team

A big thank you and congratulations to the 12 traveling members of Thailand-RIS for demonstrating Phoenix pride all the way in Paris:

• • Ivy Thitilapa Sae-Heng (Co24)
    (Team Captain)
  • Miu Unyakorn Patrathiranond (Co25)
  • Gunn Thanakorn Vajirakachorn (Co25)
  • Ananya Anuj Dharna (Co25)
  • Maera Singh (Co25)
  • Anika Kapur (Co25)
  • Jacky Setthachai Lertwatsana (Co25)
  • Vin Pungprasert (Co25)
  • Sara Supissara Sirichantaropas (Co25)
  • Pleum Pannavit Dangvijit (Co25)
  • Ray Kritpaul Prasattongosoth (Co25)
  • Achi Kitrawipong Pongwilai (Co25)

Also, a #Head #Hands #Heart nod to all the work done leading up to the competition that included our home team members:

• • Kaka Dhirath Thanglerdsumpan (Co25)
  • Axe Sirakrit Ratanachai (Co25)
  • Tyna MacPherson Sethaputra (Co26)
  • Thamognya Kodi (Co25)
  • Prin Aornvara Uchupalanun (Co26)
  • Aiko Jidapa Jittirat (Co26)
  • Fortune Vattikorn Kunkongkaphan (Co24)
  • View Wariya Turongkinanon (Co25)
  • Sun Suphanat Thanombooncharoen (Co25)
  • Tun Itthipat Saipornchai (Co25)
  • Tem Thanatorn Onraksa (Co25)
  • Pun Patcharipa Jeerapat (Co24)

We would like to thank Ms. Nicole Sabet and Mr. Olivier Fernandez for their time in advising us, as well as Ms. Mina Park, Ms. Jennifer Voigt, Ms. Katie Seneesiririkul, Mr. Kom Penpoo, and Mr. Tyson Churchill for assisting us with our Human Practices Educational Workshops.

We are grateful to our sponsors—Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited for providing us with a grant that supported iGEM registration and lab practice as well as travel expenses; Mahachok Fruits for funding one of our Chanthaburi outreach trips; and Chulalongkorn University for providing lab facilities and advisors.

We would have never been able to achieve what we have done without all of you.

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COVID-19 continues to require our children to spend more time online. Being connected helps them reduce the impact of COVID-19 and encourages them to continue with their lives, but it also presents risks and dangers. It is essential that we are all aware of the potential danger that comes when giving students unprotected access to the internet.

Online Risks

• Victims of cyberbullying by peers, adults, and strangers 
• Instigators or observers of cyberbullying and peer-on-peer abuse online
• Targeted by adults or peers online for sexual purposes through social media, games, and messaging platforms
• Seeing harmful content, violence, misogyny, xenophobia, inciting suicide and self harm, pornography, etc.
• Sharing personal information and sexual videos or photos of themselves
• Developing internet addiction and reduced focus
• Giving strangers access to your child through any online game or platform (Roblox, Discord) that allows chatting. 

Internet Safety Essentials:

1. Protect Your Child with Tech Fixes

• Set up parental controls 
• Turn on SafeSearch in their browser 
• Set up strict privacy settings in online apps and games 
• Cover webcams when not in use 
• Turn off the chat function
• Keep personal information private, especially from strangers – some people are not who they say they are! 

2. Protect Your Child with Adult Supervision

• Supervise your child’s online time as you would supervise them in any other social setting. 
• Keep technology in a public area like the living room. Be careful about leaving children online alone in their bedroom. 
• Check your child’s internet history and talk with them about what they do online and who they were with.  
• Set a “technology curfew.” For example: No tech/devices/Wi-Fi after 9 p.m. (Removing devices from the bedroom at bedtime supports healthy sleep patterns in children.)

3. Protect Your Child with Open Communication

• Talk with your child about the importances of reporting inappropriate behavior online. Reporting keeps themselves and others safe. 
• Tell your child that if they experience something online that makes them feel upset, uncomfortable, scared, or bullied they need to tell a trusted adult (parent, teacher, etc.). They will not get punished for speaking up. 
• Be alert to signs of distress. Notice if your child is withdrawn, upset, secretive, or seems obsessed with online activities.
• Tell RIS if your child is experiencing harm online so that we can intervene. 

See Something, Say Something!

• Please report to your child’s teacher, counsellor, admin or the Designated Safeguarding Lead if your child is experiencing harm online. When possible, send screenshots to help us understand the situation better. 

• Designated Safeguarding Lead: priscillal@rism.ac.th 
• ES counsellor: juliusp@rism.ac.th
• MS counsellor: andrewk@rism.ac.th
• HS counsellors: deneener@rism.ac.th & taylors@rism.ac.th

Click here for more help, advice and resources for parents. 
Click here for more help, advice and resources for children and teens.

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Ms. Yi Chng, a former IB Diploma graduate (40 pts) will be visiting RIS on Thursday, February 10 (Day B-2) to give talks about what students can expect from the IB Diploma Program, as well as offer some great tips and tricks to help students reach their highest academic potential.

Ms. Chng has a Masters in Marine Biology from the University of Southampton and currently works with Lanterna Education*, the origins of which began through a CAS project. Ms. Chng’s talks will be focused on IB preparation and success. She is looking forward to bringing her wealth of experience to RIS and meeting students through one of the following sessions:

For Parents of Diploma or Prospective Diploma Students:

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Meeting ID: 822 7766 3196
Passcode: Wmx6nN

For Pre IB Grade 10 (and Grade 9 students):
Flex H408
This session is best suited for Grade 10 students who have selected IB Diploma for 2022 to 2024 or who are taking a majority of IB classes. However, any grade 9 or 10 student is also welcome.


For IB Diploma Y1, Grade 11 students
Lunch H408
This session is best suited for Grade 11 Y1 Diploma students, but all grade 11 students who are enrolled in at least one IB class are welcome.

*Lanterna Education is a group of top IB alumni who specialize in helping IB students worldwide through providing study resources and tuition. The talks are not an endorsement of Lanterna’s services.

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Middle School would like to send out a monthly parent newsletter that has a different topic or addresses different subject areas. This month our focus is from Mr. Andy and the Counseling office. 

Enjoy,
Madeleine and Diane

Mr. Andy Krauthoefer – Counseling

Background

Hello RIS Parents! My name is Mr. Andy Krauthoefer and I am coming to you from the United States. This is my 13th year working in education. For the last six, I have been a middle school counselor. Additionally, I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and have provided private therapy to families and teens for the last three years. I love working with this age group. I embrace their passion for life, their awkwardness, and even their emotional rollercoasters. This is a time in their life of incredible growth and we need to be there for them to support them on their journey.

What do I do here?

My job as a counselor is to ensure that students feel safe and comfortable at school so they can focus on engaging in academics. School is much more than content covered in class. They need to learn how to learn, how to engage with their peers, how to communicate with their teachers, and how to be global citizens of this world. I am here to provide multiple levels of support. 

• Tier 1: I develop advisory lessons that are taught by myself and Advisory teachers. ALL students receive these lessons. They are developed based on student need and on what we know our students need developmentally.
• Tier 2: I run small groups to target specific skills or areas of concern students may have. These include, but are not limited to: social skills, stress/anxiety, body image, study skills, peer relationships, and self-esteem. 
• Tier 3: I also work with students in a 1-1 setting. Sometimes students come to school and are not ready to learn based on external factors. My goal is to work with them to address any barriers to engagement in their education and get them back to class so they can focus on their academics. 

Parent support: I am here for you! Being the parent of a teen is hard! Some days, you may feel that you don’t recognize your child and ask yourself what happened to them. This is NORMAL! Your child is not broken. I am here to listen and offer any perspective I have.

Parent Coffee #1: The Teenage Brain

I was able to offer a presentation on the Teenage Brain discussing the development of the brain, how it impacts choice and decision-making, and how to engage in meaningful conversations with your teen based on your understanding of where they are developmentally. If you missed it, check it out with the links below! Check this page for more information regarding upcoming Parent Coffees. 

Presentation Slides

Zoom recording

Tips for Talking With Your Teen

Talking to your child can be difficult. Here are some tips to help with engaging in conversations with them. Here are some tips!

Advisory

Students meet with their Advisor each morning for 10 minutes and once per cycle for 45 minutes. The goals for Advisory are: to build authentic relationships and a sense of community, to support students and develop their social, emotional, and academic abilities, to develop trust and create safe spaces for students, and to have fun! Ask them about what they have talked about in their Advisory lessons and ask them to explain it to you! 

6th grade Advisory Lessons (Presentation Slides): Middle School Survival, Executive Functions, Goal Setting, The Brain, Self-Regulation, Empathy, Active Listening

7th Grade Advisory Lessons (Presentation Slides): Empathy, Compassion, Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Healthy Relationships, Introvert/Extrovert, Conflict Resolution/Perspective Taking. 

8th Grade Advisory Lessons (Presentation Slides): Personal Identity, Authenticity, Active Listening, The Teenage Brain, Social Media & Peer Relationships. 

House Points: All students are part of one of five house teams: Pink Elephants, Emerald Cobras, Titanium Tigers, Golden Gibbons, Hornbills. Throughout the year, students participate in competitions to earn points. 

• Trivia: For example, students participated in a House Trivia competition. In grade level advisory teams, students answered questions in five rounds. See if you can answer the questions and ask your child for correct responses! 
  • 6th Grade Trivia: Questions/Answers
  • 7th Grade Trivia: Questions/Answers
  • 8th Grade Trivia: Questions/Answers
• KNOWLEDGE BOWL: The day before Christmas Break, we will have the Knowledge Bowl. Advisories will compete in teams to answer content related questions developed by their teachers. 

You can view a live points leaderboard here. 

High School Counselor Visit: December 14th.

High School Counselors will be visiting our 8th grade students to talk about course selection for Grade 9 and high school transition. 

Peace Week 2021!

• The Middle School Leadership team planned a week of activities in line with the United Nations Peace Day. The theme of this year was: Recovering Better For A Sustainable and Equitable World. Each day, students wore a different color to represent a different cause. They watched videos and discussed these topics each day in Advisory. 
  • Social issues discussed: Pride/Embracing Diversity, Black Lives Matter/Stop Asian Hate, Cancer Awareness, Climate Change/Healthy Oceans, COVID Impact & Awareness. 
• They also shared their challenges and uplifting messages. These were put together to the tune of the MS/HS Choir singing the song “More to Me”. The video can be seen here: More to Me

• Because we were not able to be on campus, students created a Bitmoji and added it to a picture of campus to create a Peace Week photo that is typically taken on campus. See it here!

I am here for YOU! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, want to discuss anything further, or just need someone to talk to about your child. Thanks for reading!

Mr. Andy Krauthoefer, MS Counselor
andrewk@rism.ac.th

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