Thursday, May 15th 2003 marks another milestone for The American School of Bangkok. Once again, ASB is proud to present the Graduating Class of 2003.

Heartiest Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2003, and best of luck in all your future endeavors.

Click here for the message by Dr. Suseri Tavedikul, The President, The American School of Bangkok

Glimpses of Graduation 2003

Message by Dr. Suseri Tavedikul, President,

The American School of Bangkok

The Graduating Class of 2003, Parents, Members of the Faculty, Students, and all of us who are gathered here….

Good evening.

I did not expect to be making this speech this evening. I was given a very short notice about two hours ago that I must do it. I now feel the same nervousness that our Principal, Bill Berglund, was talking about earlier. I have not been with the school for a while. Not since January 2002, when I had to be away for most of the time. Coming back to this podium on an important occasion like this is quite frightening.

But everywhere I went, my mind always came back to the school. I checked the website every now and then, and I noticed the great changes that had been made. In fact, I would call it a "Great Leap Forward." And for that all of those who participated in it are to be congratulated.

As I remember, we had 7 graduates in the year 2000, 18 in 2001, 24 in 2002, and now 32 in 2003.

This is already quite an achievement.

I also noticed that when I came back from The Netherlands in 2000, we only had 300 students for both campuses. Now, in 2003, we are close to 700 students. By the beginning of the 2003-2004 academic year this figure should rise to about 800 students. We are no longer an ordinary international school. We have never intended to be one, and we will never be one.

As you know the Sukhumvit campus will soon add a high school there, too. This has been in the work for quite some time. It is a combination of the parents' requests, our need to fulfill an earlier vision that we can do it both ways, and our desire to serve the two different communities.

But does all this really mean? It means that people are beginning to believe in the excellent education that we provide. I understand that a number of this graduating class have received scholarships to study in the United States and elsewhere. It means that our teaching staff is getting better and better all the time. Keep it up, folks, for there will be something for you there from the Director.

And I hear more than often enough about the new initiatives that have been taken by the members of the faculty. I congratulate them for that.

There is a great leap of faith among the students as well. We have succeeded in instilling values in our children. There are sport values, when the students have to work as a team or as individuals. There is compassion for other people, as evident in the outreach project for people who are in need. And we reach out to the greater community outside our campuses and embrace it as if it was our own in order to implement our philosophy of cultural diversity. The responses were overwhelming, as could be seen in the Sukhumvit Fair earlier this year.

Now I hear it all the time that you-all of you-are proud to be a part of the "Fightin' Eagles"!

And therefore my congratulations to you-not only to the graduating class of 2003, but to all of you who have been and are a part of this community.

As for the graduating class of 2003, you will have to do something for me. I urge all of you to build on the foundation of learning and interdependence that has been the ethos of The American School of Bangkok since its birth.

You have been given a chance to come here at an important moment in history. Share what you know about our school. Remind yourselves and tell other people of the wonderful experiences you have had while you were here. Tell them how good we are-academically and in all other aspects.

When you leave you will have to build a community like the one you have just been a part of. "BUILD A COMMUNITY THAT BELIEVES IN TOMORROW, NOT YESTERDAY." And I repeat, "BUILD A COMMUNITY THAT BELIEVES IN TOMORROW, NOT YESTERDAY."

So as you venture out into the wide world outside,remember to endure and do good deeds. Believe me, you will never fail.

Thank you.