Mathematics Olympiad Competitions
By Dr Thitida (Ling), Parent
Dayton and Jaodin from 5J have each been awarded Gold Medals in two prestigious Mathematics Olympiad competitions.
1. The Hong Kong International Mathematical Olympiad (HKIMO) Final Round. Both boys are the only 4 Thai students who received this award.
2. The Thailand International Mathematics Olympiad (TIMO) Heat Round. Dayton ranked in the Top 3 nationally.
In addition, Jaodin earned another Bronze Medal in the Hong Kong International Science Olympiad (HKISO)- Heat Round.
AI and Robotics Hackathon Competition 2025
By Bobby Thanavut, Parent
Brinz, along with teammates from different schools, took part in the AI & Robotics Hackathon 2025 organised by MIT Media Lab. Their idea stood out among many creative entries, earning them the award for Best AI & Robotics Visionary Pitch – High School Level. Congratulations to Brinz and his team on this achievement!
Pursuit of Speed and Purpose
By Mr Rodney Fountain, History Teacher
The national BMX racing series finished last September and doesn’t re-start until late January this year. For Patana History teacher Rod Fountain (No.823), this is pretty tough because there’s nothing he likes more (except perhaps teaching History!) than getting his bike in the start gate. However, last weekend he got to have fun because the vintage BMX community came together for a race day.
With bikes from the 1980s, and even older riders, a vintage race is a nothing like a BMX race of today. With no 5-meter start hill, no hydraulic gate, no banked turns and absolutely no asphalt, bikes and riders hammer around a flat track, banging bars in the loose, dusty turns and hanging on over the jumps. In fact, the winner is usually the one who doesn’t crash!
For once, Rod wasn’t in the top age category, as that went to 60+. Lining up with the other ‘youngsters’ in the final, on a Skyway BMX from 1984, he got tangled in the gate as it dropped and was stone-cold last into the first loose turn. With luck more than skill, he eventually drew level with the leader but into the last turn that luck ran out and his feet blew off the pedals, meaning that he was literally left in the dust as he choked his way home in second place. The vintage scene is starting to grow and there are more races planned for 2026 and so if you fancy some low-key, simple racing, get in touch with Rod on rofo@patana.ac.th or follow him on www.facebook.com/pedalsreadygo
2026 FOBISIA Chess Championship
By Chris Huang, Parent
Twelve Bangkok Patana students, representing Year 2 to Year 7, competed in the 2026 FOBISIA Chess Championship on 9th -10th January. 316 students from 26 schools came together to play nine individual matches. As a team, Bangkok Patana won 3rd place in the U7 category, 2nd place in the U9 category, and 4th place in the U11 category. Overall, they ranked 5th. Miles (Milo) Huang, a Y6 student, won 7 of his 9 matches and finished in 3rd place in the U11 group.
Reflecting on the tournament, Milo wrote,
“Playing in FOBISIA is really different from other tournaments because, firstly, It’s much bigger, and there are schools that come from Malaysia, Singapore, and more. Secondly, the winners of each category get to play a special invited player in a simulation match.
This year, a Singaporean Grandmaster, Kevin Wei Ming Goh, gave a very inspirational speech at the closing ceremony. Some things I learned from him were that his journey to become a GM took over 20 years, so I shouldn’t be discouraged about time or how fast I’m progressing.
Also, read chess books rather than watch chess videos on Youtube to improve, and most importantly: Every loss is a win! Yes, when you win you might be in a much happier mood than when you lose, but when you lose, you must review your game to learn from your mistakes so you can avoid them in future games. Also, this lesson isn’t just about chess, but can be applied to other parts of life too!”