Thailand-July 16, 2010

Today I had the honor of visiting Principal Areerat’s (Sorn) School. The Rattanakosinsomopoch-bangkhen School. I was delighted to have such an overwhelmingly warm welcome! The students greeted me with a beautiful banner that had a special picture of Sorn and me taken when she visited Lovejoy. The school is absolutely amazing. There are 2,355 students and approximately 100 teachers. It is evident from the student performance that Principal Areerat and her staff have dedicated much time to the education of their students. The students are very respectful and very bright. After my presentation about Lovejoy School, a group of students led the tour of the building and spoke excellent conversational English in the process. I visited each department and to my delight, there were pictures of me and Principal Areerat (taken during her visit) decorating many, many bulletin boards. I participated in a question and answer period with a class of English students and once again, was delighted with their obvious academic excellence! I was also taken to the gymnasium to view a Takraw presentation (this is an very breathtaking sport—it consists of three players on each team and can be compared to high powered volleyball played with the feet!). I was surprised by the beautiful reception that was planned in my honor—the decorations were fit for a Princess! Staff had prepared a variety of exotic dishes and students very skillfully performed both traditional Thai music and dance! Today was my best day! I can truly understand why the saying “Amazing Thailand” applies to not only this country but also in particular to this excellent school headed by their outstanding leader, Principal Areerat!