A GRAND DAY OUT

Shrewsbury International School is a major sponsor of the The Rotary Club, Bangkok South’s “Kids Day Out”.  This incredibly special annual event has been running for over 20 years, giving disabled children from government homes the opportunity to experience a memorable and fun-packed day at the beach, in some cases for the very first time.  

This year a group of around 25 students from Year 11 accompanied the children from Pak Kret to the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, Pattaya.  The excitement started when they were helped onto the buses by Shrewsbury students and served luxury snacks, but the five star treatment continued throughout the day, with Shrewsbury students all aiming to help the children feel like VIPs for the day.

As ever, Shrewsbury students responded positively and sensitively to the children’s needs - helping blind children play confidently in the sea, patiently explaining what was happening to anxious children, and supporting those with physical disabilities to play safely in the water.  They fully embraced the responsibility given to them to create a caring, fun atmosphere and helped to make it a truly amazing day for the children.

Shrewsbury students are often deeply touched and inspired by this experience, prompting further ideas for fundraising ideas and service volunteering. For some the experience even sows the seeds for future careers in medicine.  The day gives an important opportunity for our students to help other people and to see the world through someone else’s eyes.  The students thought the most rewarding aspect was being able to develop trust with the children and help them to "let go" and have such a great time.

Shrewsbury’s own Mr Simcox is a key link with The Rotary Club, receiving the certificate of appreciation alongside Mr. Flavell and Mr. Williams at a Rotary Club lunch.  Mr Simcox said “ Shrewsbury students never fail to amaze me in the way that they respond to the challenge of working with these kids!  The Rotary Club thanked our students for their maturity and engagement with the children, helping to make it such a magical day for them.” 

The Shrewsbury Staff team:

Chris Simcox, Stuart Flavell, Paul Williams, Angus Turkington, Lee McKernan, Kay Sanders, Sam Seal, K.Mah  K.Beem