On the 20th of May 2022, the BISP community came together to celebrate the graduation of our 57 Year 13 students. The event was both a pleasure and a relief, as it was the first time in two years we were able to enjoy the ceremony in person.
Our graduates have experienced a final two years of education that was unpredictable and complex. While the IB programme is amazing preparation for university and life beyond school, the additional challenges of the last two years has also made our graduates a bit more resilient, patient and determined. Therefore, the day and ceremony were an important milestone for the school and we are hopeful for the months and years to come, that celebrations on campus will return to normal.
You can view the linked BISP IB Graduation 2022 Photos.
The ceremony began with a welcome from Jason Perkins, the Head of Senior School and Master of Ceremony. His welcome was followed by the National Anthem of Thailand and the National Anthem of the United Kingdom, performed by BISP music students.
Along with parents, students, teachers, staff and most importantly the Year 13 students, the event was attended by Dr Apiramon Ourairat – BISP CEO, Dr Nares Pantaratorn – BISP Managing Director and Mr Bill Barnett who was the invited keynote speaker of the ceremony.
Headmaster, Mr Simon Meredith, offered his opening address highlighting that this year’s group of students represent 22 countries including Thailand, Korea, Japan, Burma, Australia, Britain, Russia, Switzerland, Denmark, Philippines, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Ecuador, France, Lithuania, Finland, India, Brazil, Austria, Malaysia and Singapore. With their preferred choice of University, they will move to 21 different countries around the world.
Mr. Meredith recalls when in 2001 he saw the first BISP Year 13 graduates leave the school. This year we celebrate 25 years since BISP was opened and so graduation this year was an important milestone for the school.
The keynote speech was made by Mr Bill Barnett who is the Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks which specialises in asset management and hospitality consulting. Formerly he has been Deputy Managing Director of Laguna Resorts and Hotel, Chief Operating Officer of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Asia Pacific, and senior executive at Century Hotels Hong Kong and his asset management has involved properties such as Four Seasons, Regent, Ritz Carlton, Grand Hyatt, Westin and Hilton. Mr Barnett encouraged students to remember where they have come from as they move on from BISP and Phuket and to take with them the values of the school and the legacy of having Phuket as their home base over the past years.
Following the keynote address, Mr. Perkins introduced the student awards for the class of 2022. The awards recognised students who have made some exceptional achievements in Creativity, Activity & Service, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay which are the three core components at the heart of the International Baccalaureate Programme. In addition, two new awards, the IB Learner Profile Award and the BISP Student-Athlete Award, were presented at the ceremony. The awards were presented to the following students respectively:
- CAS Award – Na-Siam (Por-pan)
- Theory of Knowledge Award – Ryan,
- Extended Essay Award- Youn,
- IB Learner Profile Award – Tiffany and
- Student-Athlete Award- Armaan.
Finally, the Valedictorian Awards for 2022 were presented. The Valedictorian honour is awarded to the student with the highest total points score from the grades awarded at the end of Year 13 and hence the top-ranking academic student at BISP. This year, however, this formula has identified 3 students, but one could argue, given the incredible challenges of the last two years, that all the graduates are deserving of the highest-ranking honour, recognising the resilience, determination and tenacity of the class of 2022 as their IB experience has unfolded. The Valedictorian Award for 2022 was presented to:
- Na-Siam (Por-pan),
- Tatsan (Scooter) and
- Wongsathorn (Oak).
The three students have consistently held the highest grade profiles, yet fully embraced the holistic nature of school life at BISP.
As the ceremony focused on the graduating class of 2022, two very important leaders, out-going Head Students, Tiffany and Oak took the stage. The students recognised their peers and the accomplishments they have made as a year group and on behalf of their year group thanked their parents, teachers and friends for the support over the years.
To close the event, Mr Perkins wished the graduating class of 2022 a bittersweet farewell. Wishing them two take-aways from their time here at BISP. May they carry the many wonderful memories of life here as a BISP student and secondly, and may they keep the meaningful life-long friendships.
To reiterate the words echoed throughout the ceremony, from all of us at BISP:
To the class of 2022, congratulations, well done, and we thank you for your many and varied contributions to the school. We are very proud of you!
