46 | Education Living

HALL OF FAME

Wells International SchoolWith the end of the school year fast approaching, Wells International School can look back with a great deal of pride on the events of the past few months and at the many accomplishments of its students. Among the departing seniors, acceptances to top universities in Thailand and abroad attest to the effectiveness and competitiveness of the rigorous Wells curriculum. While many of the 2011 graduates have impressed the Wells community with admission into institutions such as Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, Purdue University and the University of California – Davis, senior Surachaet “Nick” Charaschanya made the biggest impact when offered the prestigious Presidential Scholarship from Colorado State University, worth USD $36,000!

A Year of Success in Review

Not to be outdone, the budding Wells scholars in the Primary School managed to bring home a World Championship during the annual World Math Day, despite competing against over 10,000 other schools around the globe. With Wells students performing two grade levels above their American peers in mathematics on average, it’s little wonder that they were able to seize the top prize. Though unable to reach first in their division, the middle school team also earned an impressive fourth place against thousands of competitors.

In other events, two more first place awards came at the second annual Asia Books Readers’ Theatre last November, where Wells teams dominated both the junior and senior divisions despite stiff competition from Bangkok Patana, Concordian and International Community School. The World Scholar’s Cup regional tournament on April 30th brought equal success. Among the thirty-three medals received by Wells teams were one gold and two silver medals in individual debate, one gold and two silver medals in team debate, and one silver and one bronze medal in the overall tournament placement.

WORLD MATH DAY

ABOVE: WORLD MATH DAY RESULT

WORLD SCHOLAR’S CUP CHAMPION WITH FOUNDER, DANIEL BERDICHEVSKY

AT WORLD SCHOLAR’S CUP

AT ASIA BOOKS READERS’ THEATRE

SURACHAET “NICK” CHARASCHANYA

Education Living | 47

HALL OF FAME

Story by Jared D. KuruzovichVice Headmaster, Wells International School

Motivated by their success at the regional round, the Wells students charged into the global round of the World Scholar’s Cup, held at the Universiti Teknologi Mara in Kuala Lumpur from June 17th to June 19th, again capturing several top awards. Competing against 750 top students from Asia, the United States, Europe and elsewhere, Tsai Chi “Cathy” Shang Kuan received gold medals in the categories of “Science: Biotechnology” and “The Modern Metropolis,” and also placed 15th among all senior competitors. Jung Mo “Jack” Lee tied Cathy for fist place in science and also received 17th place in the senior division despite stiff competition. With Ding Shun “Daryl” Ong receiving an additional silver medal in “The Modern Metroplis,” the Wells teams demonstated that their mettle extends to the international stage.

And, of course, the year would not be complete without several trophies from Wells’ highly competitive Seahawk sports teams. Beginning the basketball season with a first-place finish against Harrow International School at the St. Stephen’s Khao Yai Invitational last fall, the Under-15 Boys Basketball Team tore through the opposition all season and ultimately defeated American School of Bangkok to win the TISAC league championship. With the Senior Boys contributing another first-place trophy,

and the Under-13 Girls and Under-15 Girls Teams each finishing second, the Seahawk basketball program continues to flourish. With a brand-new soccer pitch scheduled to open at Wells’ new Bangna Campus in the fall, the league-champion Under-15 Boys Football Team also has much to look forward to. Most impressive was the brand-new Under-15 Boys Volleyball Team, which managed to beat both International School Bangkok and NIST despite having only been formed this year.

What a difference a year makes! Having seen its student population rise by 25% from the 2009-2010 term, Wells International School has not only met the challenges of such rapid expansion, but also flourished. With equal growth anticipated for the coming school year, it can only wonder at the accomplishments the future will bring.

AT THE GLOBAL ROUND OF THE WORLD SCHOLAR’S CUP

SENIOR BOYS CHAMPIONSHIPKHAO YAI CHAMPIONSHIP