The Eagle and the Panther: SAS and ISB Seniors Comment on Their Schools

Living in Bangkok, and going to school at International School Bangkok (ISB) not only gifts students with the privilege of learning more about rich Thai culture, but also allows students to explore South East Asia through establishments such as the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS).

Either through sports, or through more academic means such as debate or Model United Nations, students are presented with the opportunity of traveling to either Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, or Manilla where they are challenged to work their hardest in hopes of returning home victorious after enduring four days of grueling competition.

Although all IASAS schools are extremely competitive during the three day tournaments, all schools also support each other, as international friendships remain intact through varying social media platforms. Although IASAS tournaments only occur at the end of each season, the IASAS community is continually in contact with each other, ensuring that our international community is prosperous both during and outside of the competitive seasons. Recently, Panther Nation collaborated with the SAS Eye in order to gauge the juxtaposition between the two schools.

Each school interviewed two seniors, who both answered the same questions pertaining to their school. Here’s what they had to say!:

Aadhiya Jeharajah (SAS, 12)

What do you like most about SAS?

“I really like the emphasis SAS places on service and the number of opportunities they offer for students to further their commitment to different service clubs and projects.”

What time does school start/end?

“School starts at 8 and ends at 3? But mentally school is 24 hours of my life.”

What is the most challenging part of high school?

“The most challenging part is balancing academics with social life as sometimes it can get so overwhelming in terms of things that need to get done and assessments happening and it’s hard to balance that with spending time with family and friends.”

If you could go to any other IASAS school which one would it be?

“I’m not too familiar with the other IASAS but I wouldn’t mind going to ISB just because I was born and lived in Thailand for five years.”

Do you like the food at school? Why or why not?

“The food in school is not bad but having the same options every day for four years makes me dislike it just because I feel like there’s nothing much to eat anymore. It’s also really overpriced for food that doesn’t taste as good as something I could get by eating out which would be cheaper (hawker center).”

How do you get to school in the morning? Do you ever think it’s inconvenient?

“I get to school by the school bus every morning and overall it’s been pretty convenient just because it arrives at the same time and gets to school earlier than most buses so I have time to study. There have been times when it’s been inconvenient as it’s arrived later but otherwise it hasn’t been too bad.”

How far/close to school do you live?

“I live around 30 min by taxi from the school.”

Opinions on our school’s uniform?

“I don’t really have issues with our uniform, except when it comes to the sweaters we are and aren’t allowed to wear. It’s also a bit frustrating with dress code as bottoms that we can’t wear are longer than our uniform approved skirts but the actual uniform itself hasn’t been too much of an issue.”

Jethro Tong (SAS, 12)

What do you like most about SAS?

“I really enjoy Interim as it lets me experience different cultures outside of school together with my peers and teachers that are not bound by the stresses of their workload.”

What time does school start/end?

“School starts the same for everyone at 8:30am and usually ends at 3pm but for me, it sometimes can end as late as 6pm because of extra curricular activities.”

What is the most challenging part of high school?

“I think it’s consistently maintaining the quality of work throughout the semester since there’s almost always something to do.”

If you could go to any other IASAS school which one would it be?

“TAS, mainly for its cooler climate and the design of the school looks amazing.”

Do you like the food at school? Why or why not?

“I LOVE the food at school. Having attended other schools, SAS has one of the tastiest foods around. Not to mention their Beef Fried Rice that’s on a special order menu.”

How do you get to school in the morning? Do you ever think it’s inconvenient?

“School bus. It is always inconvenient to travel to somewhere that’s only accessible by car or by walking.”

How far/close to school do you live?

“About 20 minutes from home by car.”

Opinions on our school’s uniform?

“The shirt is fine but the shorts can be slightly shorter and not drape over the knees :(“

Chanon Wang (ISB, 12)

What do you like most about ISB?

“I really like the opportunities that ISB has to offer, we have a lot of extra curricular activities  and we have a lot of sports for our students, and if you’re not really into sports we also have a lot of academic extracurricular activities that students can partake in. I think the school is really well rounded because ISB has something for everyone.”

What time does school start/end?

“ISB  starts  at 7:20am, we normally end at 2:25pm, but if you’re an IB student and have are taking a higher level course and have HL time, that runs until 3:00pm. Honestly, I think school starts a bit too early in my opinion, probably because of the traffic in Bangkok… if there was anyway to adjust our morning hours that would be great, but I don’t really mind starting and ending the day early.”

What is the most challenging part of High School?

“I think the most challenging part of High School is just getting everything together  and making sure that you’re on top of everything. If you chose to take the IB diploma then you also have to make sure to get your CAS (Community Action and Service) hours and that’s quite a pain if you don’t finish that on time.” Time management is important, keep time for friends, school, and sports. Keep yourself in the right mindset.”

If you could go to any other IASAS school which one would it be?

“That’s a tough one! I think I would go to ISKL, because I have a lot of good friends at ISKL and it would be fun to spend some more time with them. I miss them right now, but I will be seeing them soon!”

Do you like the food at school?

“Raw, uncooked, but most of the time it’s good, compared to all the other schools i’ve been to for IASAS at least. Except SAS, let’s be real.”

How do you get to school in the morning?

“I take my golf cart to school, since I have a license I also get to park at school so that’s really convenient.”

Opinions on our school’s uniform?

“Hot, uncomfortable, extra, and too strict.”

Lily Bates (ISB, 12)

What do you like most about ISB?

“Definitely the community, my teachers have become some of my best friends which is so lame to say but they’re just so understanding and they will always go out of their way to help you, always. So for sure the teachers.”

What time does school start/end?

“School starts at 7:20am and ends at either 2:25/3pm depending on whether you have HL time. It’s good that school ends early, so that you can start your homework earlier on in the afternoon, but at the same time there are a lot of sleepless nights because of ridiculous amount of work from IB.”

What is the most challenging part of High School?
“For me, it was the academics, just because IB is quite difficult, especially with psychology. But IB has definitely helped me manage my time better and has allowed me to learn so much. I would definitely recommend students to take the IB diploma, it’s definitely  a challenge, but it’s nothing you can’t handle.”

If you could go to any other IASAS school which one would it be?

“I’d say ISKL because my best friend is there, and I went there before in Elementary school.”

Do you like the food at school?

“I think the school food is alright, my favorite would have to be the spring rolls they have every Tuesday! I love them!”

How do you get to school in the morning? How far/close to school do you live?

“I drive my golf cart to school, I don’t live very far away from school in comparison to other international standards, but for Nichada standards a little bit far. Maybe around 4/5 minutes.”

Opinions on our school’s uniform?

“I don’t think it fits the climate, but the school is trying to change the material, they haven’t been really successful yet. But having the flexibility of wearing student ambassador shirts or shirts from our sports teams help a lot since they are a lot more comfortable and allow us to represent our teams/extracurricular activities!”

Panther Nation hopes to continue collaborating with additional IASAS schools in the future to continue strengthening the special bonds formed over IASAS!  Thank you to SAS and ISB seniors for this initial offering!

Until then, stay classy panthers!