Graduation at ISB has always been held on the last day of school in early-June, similar to many American public schools. However, graduation this year will be held on the 26th of May, 2 weeks earlier than it has been in previous years. This change was instituted by Mr. Alexander and the administration in early October this year.

When asked about the reasoning behind the date change of the graduation ceremony, Mr. Alexander stated that parent interest initially sparked the discussion on this matter, and a survey sent out to seniors, faculty, and parents returned with overwhelmingly positive results on moving the graduation date ahead. As seen in the graphs below, 72.2% of of the senior class voted for an earlier graduation date, and the same sentiment accounted for 87.3% and 86.8% of the parents of the senior class and faculty respectively.

In addition, Mr. Alexander believes that having an earlier graduation would allow seniors to utilise their time more effectively after exams to prepare for university. “In the past, there would just be a two week period after exams where seniors would just be waiting around for graduation,” he stated. With graduation right after exams this year, seniors will not have to stay in Bangkok for an extra two weeks, and instead will be able to travel back home and spend time with family before entering the next phase of their lives. Mr. Alexander also believes that this will  eliminate any potential jeopardisation of the chances of a student graduating, which could affect university admissions. He added that “when students have 2-3 weeks in between, they often choose to go on a senior trip, and some might choose to partake in activities that is against school rules, thus hindering their ability to graduate and receive their diploma.”

Generally, the seniors have welcomed this change, as it gives them more freedom and flexibility in their plans after high school. Hitachi Hu (12) is extremely happy with this decision since it will allow him more time to prepare for college, and spend more time with his family. Darwin Lee (12) is also pleased with this change and plans to take advantage of the earlier graduation date to travel overseas and go on vacation.

As the exam season enters its third day, we wish all the seniors good luck on their exams, and hope that they are looking forward to graduation on Saturday, May 26.