BKK Prep, Message from the Head of School, News September 26, 2019

Dear Parents and Students

As you know, Bangkok Prep is the second school in the world to be accredited with the highest Eco Schools Award – the Green Flag!

We are very proud of this achievement but we are realistic in the challenge ahead. In March 2019 our school hosted the first FOBISIA Environmental Conference in Thailand. This conference focused on reconnecting with nature in our cities. Children explored ways in which we can live more sustainably.

Bangkok Prep is also extremely proud to be a fully affiliated member of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund).

I hope that many of you have had a chance to hear Greta Thunberg’s passionate speech to the UN earlier this week:

She has been an inspiration to millions of people and she bravely reminded the politicians about the urgency that we should be addressing climate change and why we should be saving our planet. Also earlier this week, Sir David Attenborough shared this heartening video which implores people in power to make a change immediately. It is clear that this is an issue that world leaders need to solve as soon as possible.

Please take some time to watch (or even share) these videos.

Our school is also working very closely with the Foundation for Environmental Education to provide training, resources and information for schools, teachers, students and parents. This will help to improve community engagement and meet the shared goals of higher levels of Global Citizenship.

The school has also developed the Bangkok Prep Forest School initiative on the purpose built campus on the Green Lung. This enables students to have regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees. We have the honour of hosting the first UK Forest School Training Level 3 in October 2019. This will enable our teachers to skillfully facilitate outdoor learning and embed it into our curriculum. There is no doubt that this style of learning has a deep and profound impact on our children’s well-being and their understanding of the environment.

The new facilities made available when our new Block D is completed in June, will be very impressive and will include another huge array of solar panels. These solar panels will add to the complement of panels that have been in use since August 2017.

Clearly, Bangkok Prep is fully committed to environmental education and sustainability! We have fully and authentically embedded the UN Sustainable Development Goals into our curriculum which we use as ‘guiding lights’ to shine the path towards a sustainable future.

The staff and students of Bangkok Prep fully recognise that to enable a ‘real impact’, we all have a collective responsibility to ensure we recycle and follow a more sustainable pathway.

Yours sustainably

Duncan Stonehouse

Head of School

Bangkok International Prep and Secondary School