BASIS International School Bangkok opened its doors for the first day of school on August 19th, and held its grand opening ceremony on September 21st. Read on for reflections from senior school leadership.
The last year and a half of preparation has been so busy. We’ve recruited our students, hired teachers, and filled the buildings with all of the things that we need to become a school. Our campus is complete, and specifically designed to not only enhance and serve our curriculum with science labs, art rooms, creative spaces, but also honor Thai culture with a traditional Thai house on campus, and over 20 different types of plants native to Thailand growing nearby.
The Thai house at BASIS International School Bangkok.
As we sat in the on campus Thai house on Saturday, listening to the monks chant and looking around at the people that we have come to know and love, I realized that this day was more important than I had envisioned. Traditional dances, speakers who are deeply knowledgeable about Thai culture, and a ceremonial blessing, all came together to create a moving and respectful event. This ceremony, this celebration, was our first chance to come together as a community to acknowledge all of the hard work and dedication that it took to build our amazing new school. It was such a cathartic moment for many of us as we celebrated our accomplishments and then turned our eyes forward to the challenge of educating our new students.
Thai dancing during the opening ceremony.
We were honored to have a representative from the U.S. Embassy in attendance to present a congratulatory speech, as well as Senator, Former Minister of Commerce Apiradi Tantraporn as our keynote speaker. The Grand Opening truly marked the beginning of what will be a marriage of Thai culture with our BASIS Curriculum.
Amanda Thies is the Senior Director of Academics, Admissions, and Operations at BASIS International School Bangkok.
