What book do you recommend and why?  

What podcast do you recommend we listen to and why?

Song Exploder. A fascinating listen for anyone keen on music. Songwriters take apart their songs piece by piece, sharing demo recordings and stories behind the creative decisions that shaped the final track.

Where do you work/teach? 

I teach music in the Primary Arts team.

This year’s theme was ‘Gratitude’ for the Patana Poetry competition, inspiring some beautiful responses ranging from the small, quiet appreciation of everyday things that we may take for granted, to the epic life-changing indebtedness that shapes who we are and promises what we may become. Whether our poets adopted the persona of another or wrote from their own experiences, all were deeply personal poems, with the entrants offering little pockets of themselves through their words on the page.

Once again, the quality this year was consistently high – it was an incredibly difficult decision for the judges to make – so difficult in fact, we have broken with tradition and have four winners with two in joint second place. Each year I am awed by the talent amongst the student body here at Patana and this year was no exception. I would like to thank each and every person who entered the competition, for taking the time to consider, think, and put pen to paper – or fingertips to keypads – and commit the brave act of sending me your poetry. Thank you – please keep on writing!

3^rd: Narida (Nia) Ekaraphanich, 10N

What the Rain Taught Me

I used to run away from the rain,
hide under dark roofs
and pull my sleeves down
leaping from bridge to arch to doorway
turning back, instead of crossing the street.
I watched as classmates rushed past with shining umbrellas,
disappearing.
Till only the distant splashes of their departing wellies coming into contact with puddles could be heard.
I watched days slowly flicker away,
drip, drip, gone.
Walking without looking up,
until the day I did.
Through the translucent veil of pitter pattering.
I saw plants with stolen leaves with their outstretched arms,
young buds being tickled in the soft downpour
waiting to bloom as fresh dewy flowers,
the droplets of water dazzling the fragile petals,
vibrant clusters of red, pink, yellow, blue shoots,
embracing the curtain of rain
of growth
of renewal
of quiet strength
For I realised that without the scattered showers and stinging streams of hardships and struggles and pain
we may never grow.
The rain will come.
The rain will go.
Not every blow is meant to break us,
If we endure, we’ll learn and rise and flourish from the
freezing bullets, torrential waves and the unforgiving forces of nature
And like flowers engulfed in persistent rain,
We learn not only to survive, but to bloom
For that, I am grateful for the rain.

Joint 2^nd : Krista Liu, 9A

Gratitude is the quiet light of morning,
 resting gently on the day,
 a reminder that even small moments
 carry something bright within them. 
It lives in simple things—
 a kind word, a warm laugh,
 the steady rhythm of breathing
 when the world feels loud.
And in these ordinary miracles,
 the heart pauses, soft and still,
 whispering a small, humble
 thank you. 

And Ana Bolakoso, 11V

Thank you for the Music

Before I had words
For the weather inside me
There was music
Back then
Songs were playground currency
A rhythm clapped by chubby, sticky hands
A melody looping between friends
Along came the recorder
Plastic, squeaky
A little out of breath with itself
Its notes wobble upward
Like question marks
Not beautiful
Not yet
But brave
Because music begins that way,
Awkward and earnest
A first attempt
At turning breath into meaning
Music has this quiet talent
For rearranging the furniture of a moment
It arrives lightly
A lazy ukulele afternoon
Four small strings
Strumming sunlight into the room
Sharing earbuds
One song
Split between two people
Until silence doesn’t feel so silent
Later, when days grew heavier
Some afternoons arrived
Like unfinished chords
Legato in the air
That’s when I found the harmonica
Breathing in and breathing out
Sliding between keys
Like life sometimes does
One small shift
And suddenly the whole song is different
It taught me that feelings move
If you give them somewhere to go.
Then there was the guitar
A constant presence in my island-flavoured home
Someone would start a chorus
And suddenly the room leans closer
Laughter syncing to a beat
Unified voices finding their footing
Curated playlists, musical mosaics
Three minutes long
And somehow large enough to sum up your life
A single lyric on repeat
Catching your heart
Like a hook
In your ears
On buses
In bedrooms
Walking home
Until you realise it wasn’t a just a song
But a mirror
In verses
The quiet unfolding
Line after line of ordinary moments
Stitched together
But every song carries a chorus too
The lines that return
Until you finally understand them
LIFE HAS THOSE
The same lessons
Knocking on the same doors
Until we learn the rhythm
And let them in
And sometimes
When the whole song has been building toward something brighter
THERE IS A BRIDGE
The moment everything lifts
The sudden key change
The memory that glows
Long after the music fades
A choir fu l of voices
Finding the same harmony
Or one voice alone
Steady and soulful enough
To hold the quiet

1^st Ethan Choi, 9V

In The Act of Beginning

Before memory had language,
there was a thick, endless dark
not empty,
but crowded with waiting.
I rested inside the void,
the way a seed rests in soil,
not sleeping
nor awake,
only gathering
the quiet strength
to become something louder.
Nothing moved quickly there.
Time folded in on itself
like slow water
circling a deep place,
and I drifted in that turning,
not yet a body.
A rhythm
desperately learning
how to continue.
I was not yet “I.”
I was a small listening,
a pulse practising
the ways of the breath.
Then something
began to knock.
It was soft at first,
a small wave touching shore,
pulling back,
and touching again.
Knock.
Pull.
Knock.
Pull.
I came forward
as tides do,
resisting and yielding
at the same time.
The dark loosened,
slipping from my shoulders,
whilst cold hands
lifted me
into noise,
into brightness,
into the long sentence
of living.
I cried,
and everyone said
I had arrived.
But really,
I was saying thank you.
Thank you
for the loud world,
for the sharp colours,
for the difficult gravity
that keeps my feet
from floating away again.
Since then
life has never stopped
breathing this familiar rhythm:
arrival,
departure,
fullness,
hunger,
wave after wave
undoing and remaking the shore.
Morning spills open.
Night gathers it back.
I lose things,
I am given things,
I lose them again
yet the tide keeps returning
my name to me.
And sometimes,
in the small hours
when my room is almost the colour
of that first darkness,
I feel the quiet motion
that carried me here
still moving inside my chest.
Gratitude rises inside me
steady,
as water touching land.
Again
and again
and again.
And quietly,
so quietly that,
no one hears.

I whisper again:
Thank you
for the chance
to begin.

Nicny is one of our TigerSharks and a champion in open water swimming. Her journey reflects true grit, resilience, and passion, developed through years of dedication and perseverance. To learn more about her journey and achievements, we spoke to Nicny about her experiences in open water swimming.

What first got you into open water swimming, and do you remember the moment you realised it was something you wanted to take seriously?

My dad has always been passionate about triathlons, especially the Ironman, racing everywhere from oceans and canals to the Chao Phraya River. Because of him, the sport slowly became part of my life and eventually turned into something our whole family shared.

My first real memory of competing was in Austria, when I joined an Iron Kids race at six years old. I was the slowest swimmer there, but I remember telling myself it was okay because I finished. I was even featured in a local Austrian newspaper as the youngest competitor and the only Asian athlete.

When COVID started, I spent time in Phang Nga and learned how to surf. Being in the ocean so much changed how I felt about water. That was when my dedication really grew.

At ten, I signed up for the Oceankids 1km race. In the last 150 meters a current pulled me off direction, but I kept going and still finished 2nd overall in my age group.

I started noticing waste along the shoreline, which made me feel responsible and pushed me to take the sport more seriously. That mindset pushed me to compete in the Thailand Open Water Swimming Championships in 2024. I was 11 and tried my first 3km race. I did not make the podium, but I told myself next time I would.

Since then, I have stayed consistent and now have five championship titles across the 1km, 2km, and 3km events. The biggest thing I have learned is that progress comes from continuing to show up.

The 1km and 3km swims are tough races, what was going through your head during the hardest part of the swim?

The hardest part of the 1km and 3km swims was dealing with unpredictable conditions such as strong currents, changing weather, cold or shallow water, dehydration, jellyfish and sea lice stings. It was also scary starting some races in the dark. In those moments, I reminded myself that I chose this challenge, so I had to finish it strongly. I stayed focused on my goal to win and to share my experience in a way that could inspire confidence and raise awareness.

Have you ever experienced obstacles mentally or physically and what helped you overcome them?

Yes, I have experienced both mental and physical obstacles: strong currents, changing weather, dehydration and stings; mentally, feeling scared or frustrated in unpredictable conditions.

What helped was reminding myself why I chose this sport, staying calm and continuing to move forward. My goals and determination gave me the confidence to push through.

Balancing school, training, and competitions isn’t easy, how do you stay motivated and organised as a teenage athlete?

Balancing school, training and competitions is not easy. As a young teenager, I am still learning how to manage my energy and health. I know there are no shortcuts to success. I trust my coach, stay organised, and plan my time carefully while staying flexible. There are many moments when I have to say no to social activities and accept the sacrifices that come with chasing my goals.

After achieving first place at a national level, what message would you give to other young people who might doubt themselves or feel nervous about chasing big goals?

It is never too late to start, and the only thing stopping you is fear. Do not be afraid to ask for support. Even if you come last, completing the journey means you had the courage to try. Be the main character of your story. Safety comes first, but it should not be a reason to give up.

I especially want to encourage girls going through puberty. The menstrual cycle is not something to be ashamed of, and it does not have to stop you.

Go for it.

Nicny just competed in the Oceanman and placed 1st in the 5km alongside Miss Philipa and Theo. We wish her luck in her future competitions!

January marked an exciting start to the 2026 season for the TigerSharks, who competed at the FOBISIA Swimming Division 1 meet. With over 70 swimmers representing the school, our junior TigerSharks delivered a series of personal bests and standout performances, including two new school records from Clay, Year 7 in the Boy’s 11–12 50m and 100m Butterfly. These performances resulted in the following awards, contributing to a 5^th place overall team finish:

• Clay S. – 11 year old Boys – Individual 3^rd place
• Leah L. – 12 year old Girls – Individual 3^rd Place
• Tate B. – 12 year old Boys – Individual 1^st Place
• 9-10 years Girls – 3^rd Place
• 11-12 years Girls – 1^st Place
• 11-12 years Boys – 2^nd Place
• 9-12 years Combined – 2^nd Place

SEASAC followed in March as the next conference meet, for our varsity swimmers travelling to Kuala Lumpur for this season’s version of SEASAC. The swimmers enjoyed the trip away together and battled hard throughout the three days of racing. The TigerSharks claimed 2^nd in the Girls and 3^rd in the Boys, achieving their target prior to the meet, both teams exceeding their predicted points total. With the TigerSharks claiming the most points overall throughout SEASAC (unofficial award). 

Congratulations to Theo, Year 11 and Loch, Year 11 for winning the Boy’s 400m IM & 100m Backstroke respectively, with two school records claimed by Nicny, Year 9 – Girls 13-14 and Open 800m Freestyle; and Theo, Year 11 – Boys 15/Over and Open 800m Freestyle at SEASAC this year. Congratulations to all our TigerSharks on many fantastic individual and relay performances! Thank you to the parents who travelled out to KL, supporting our swimmers with a sea of orange in the grandstand! 

The TigerSharks also attended meets for our junior swimmers during Term 2, gaining race experience and development in their overall swimming ability. The team attended three national qualifying meets at to achieve qualification for Thailand Age Group National Championships in the Songkran break. Six days of racing at the championships for our 28 qualifiers saw 15 finals appearances from 10 different swimmers.

This year saw two national medallist:, congratulations to Agatha, Year 6 for winning Gold in the Girls’ 10-11 50m Butterfly and Clay, Year 7 for winning bronze in the Boys’ 12-13 50m Butterfly. Further school records were claimed at Thailand Nationals too from our TigerSharks:

• Agatha (Year 6) – Girls 9-10 50m Butterfly
• Clay (Year 7) – Boys 11-12 50m Butterfly
• Nicny  (Year 9) – Girls 13-14 800m Freestyle
• Tara  (Year 10) – Girls 15/Over 50m, 100m & 200m (Open) Breaststroke
• Theo (Year 11) – Boys 15/Over & Open 800m Freestyle

A shoutout goes to our two Mixed relays (combined age of 61/Under of 2 x Girls/2 x Boys) who claimed 4^th place in both the 4 x 100m Mixed Freestyle (Theo R., Emma E., Tate B., Nicny K.) & 4 x 100m Mixed Medley (Katie C., Oscar L., Clay S., Emma E.) relays at this year’s championships!