GRADUATION 2004

Heartiest congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2004!

The American School of Bangkok's High School Commencement Exercise was held on Thursday, May 20th 2004. Thirty-five students graduated from the school.

The American School of Bangkok expresses warmest gratitude to The Honorable Mr. Darryl N. Johnson, Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Thailand for addressing the Graduating Class of 2004. The message that His Excellency gave to the graduating seniors was very inspirational and will remain in their fond memories forever.

Click here for the Commencement given by The Honorable Mr. Darryl N. Johnson, Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Thailand

The American School of Bangkok also expresses heartfelt thanks to all parents, teachers, students, and friends who attended the Commencement Exercise and for creating a truly enjoyable and memorable experience for all the members of the school’s community.

Heartiest congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2004 and the best of luck in all of their future endeavors!

Glimpses of Graduation 2004

The Honorable Mr. Darryl N. Johnson, Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Thailand, presents the diploma to an ASB graduate

ASB High School Choir performs at the Commencent Exercise

Graduating Seniors give farewell messages to their classmates

Cngratulations!

The American School of Bangkok (ASB)
Commencement Address – “Connections”

The Honorable Darryl N. Johnson
Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Thailand
May 20, 2004, 7 o'clock pm

Director, Mrs. Lakhana Tavedikul:
Principal, Mr. Bill Berglund:
Distinguished faculty and staff, family members, and most of all, the ASB graduating class of 2004:

It is a pleasure for me to join you this evening to honor the graduating class of 2004.

I attended high school once upon a time long ago, as did all of the other adults in this room. It would be interesting to ask the parental generation here tonight to describe what they remember most about their high school years. My guess is that some will recall football games, student government, perhaps musical or theatrical performances. I recall playing in the band. These activities were important in developing skills and interests outside the classroom. Yet, they were really sidelights from the main business of schooling, which was studying and learning. Most of us spent most of our time in class or doing homework. And it is the lasting value of that formal education, together with our accomplishments in our informal activities, that helped to make us who we are today. The same will be true for you who are graduating today from the American School of Bangkok.

This school has established an impressive tradition of combining the best features of the Thai and American educational methods and materials. By applying an American international curriculum, the school’s faculty and staff are helping to prepare a new generation of active, well-educated and well-rounded citizens of the global community. And your parents have invested time, money and hard work into making this institution a place where minds and spirits can grow and develop. When you look back, I think you will appreciate even more the opportunity you had to study among people from many different countries and cultural traditions.

In 1929, a Hungarian writer, Frigyes Karinthy, invented the theory of “six degrees of separation.” Social scientists later used this theory to suggest that any person on earth can be connected to any other person through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. That means that you, through your network of family, friends and acquaintances will, in theory, be able to connect with any other person in the world by reaching through just five concentric circles. The research pinpoints a class of individuals, labeled “super connectors,” who are the keys to linking separate groups across the global web of relationships. Your cross-cultural education has placed you in that select group of "super connectors." I am confident that each of you will use your multicultural experience to help people of different nations and cultures to understand one another better.

In 1963 I came to Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer to teach English, first in Buriram Province, and later in Lamphun. It was an era when young Americans were responding to President Kennedy’s inspiring call: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” The opportunity to teach English and to live and work in a truly Thai setting constituted my first international experience. During those two years, some of my Thai students, colleagues and friends learned some English and learned something about America. But far more importantly, they shared with me some of the riches of their cultural heritage, and helped me to see myself and my society with fresh eyes. That cross-cultural experience changed my life and formed a solid foundation for my later career in the American Foreign Service.

The Kingdom of Thailand and the United States of America have developed a broad network of official ties and personal experiences that have grown through several generations of educational exchanges. Thousands of Thai students have furthered their education at hundreds of schools and universities across the United States, bridging geographical divides and building a remarkable web of friendships between Americans and Thais. At the same time, tens of thousands of Americans have lived and worked in Thailand, in business, in government, in foundations, in universities, in the Peace Corps, and in retirement.

In 1967, a 17-year old Thai boy from Nakhorn Srithammarat took his first airplane ride, leaving his homeland to study in the United States under the American Field Service program. He had been proposed for this program by the Peace Corps teachers in his school. For the next year, he lived with an American family in Rushford, Minnesota, and attended a public school there. A few years later, he returned to the U.S. to study at Claremont College in California, from which he graduated cum laude in 1972. Still later he went on to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1982. And still later, he was a professor at Thammasat University, a newspaper commentator, a Member of Parliament, and Foreign Minister of Thailand. His name is Surin Pitsuwan.

In 1969, a young American stopped over in Thailand on his way home from Peace Corps service in Nepal. He was so attracted to the life-style in this country that he has lived here ever since. Because his lodging was located on the Chao Phraya River, he was able to see a special slice of life along that vital, living artery running through the heart of Bangkok. But seeing the river was not enough for him; he wanted to sample the essence of the river itself. To do this, he built a small boat and set out on an incredible journey to float and paddle down the whole length of the river, from the source of the Ping River in near Thailand’s border with Burma, to the mouth of the Chao Phraya below Bangkok. His name is Steve Van Beek, and his book is called, Slithering South.

Surin Pitsuwan and Steve Van Beek are among the many examples of connectors between our two societies. You, too, in the 2004 graduating class of the American School of Bangkok, can become such an example of cross cultural understanding and personal accomplishment. You may follow virtually any path to reach this goal. But the important message for you to remember as you leave these halls is, add value. Your life and the lives of those with whom you come in contact should be better because of the unique qualities you bring to each relationship.

In the relationship between the United States and Thailand, wise policies by government leaders have helped to build the loom, but the fabric of our relationship reaches far beyond the policies of our governments; it is made up of countless threads of personal and professional contacts, linking in widely varied patterns. As His Majesty the King so eloquently declared in 1960, during his State Visit to the United States, “Friendship of one government for another is an important thing. But it is the friendship of one people for another that assuredly guarantees peace and progress.”

Many important events have characterized the relationship between Thailand and the United States over time. The official ties between our two countries were first formalized with our Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed in 1833, and remarkably, the two countries have enjoyed friendly relations through nearly all of that 170 year period. The memories endure of the early American traders and missionaries who came to Siam to fulfill their goals and their calling, who fell in love with this land and people and who identified with their aspirations. During World War II, the U.S. supported the Seri Thai fighters in their struggle against Thailand's Japanese occupiers. And after the War, America helped Thailand to assume its rightful place in the community of nations. In every major conflict and in several humanitarian missions since then -- from Korea to Vietnam, from Afghanistan to Iraq -- American and Thai forces have joined in the effort to strengthen peace and stability in East Asia and beyond. Even as we speak, several thousand military personnel from the U.S. have joined forces from Thailand and three other countries in the annual Cobra Gold military exercise to prepare them for real-world contingencies including counter-terrorism, humanitarian evacuation and coalition operations. Such training helps our forces to know each other personally and professionally, and to build trust. During his State Visit to Thailand last October, President Bush, referring to Afghanistan and Iraq, said, “The emergence of these free nations is a setback for terrorism and radicalism. By sharing the duties of our coalition, Thailand is contributing to peace and stability in those two countries and increasing the security of all free nations.”

The Thai-US relationship has broadened over the years to encompass crucial transnational and regional issues. Our cooperation with Thailand in battling illicit drugs stands as a model for all nations. For more than three decades we have worked together on initiatives like crop substitution and eradication programs, as well as treatment of victims. Our close cooperation in law enforcement is reflected in the creation in Bangkok of the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), which is training law enforcement personnel from across Asia to combat transnational crime while upholding the rule of law and reinforcing core values of human rights.

Our economic ties are also strong and enduring. The United States remains Thailand's largest market, and Thailand enjoys a trade surplus of about $10 billion per year. In addition, US private sector companies have invested a total of over $21 billion in Thailand, making us the second in foreign direct investment. In an effort to expand opportunities for further growth and prosperity on a fair and equitable basis, our two countries are about to begin negotiations toward a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. American companies regularly reaffirm their commitment to this country by acting as responsible corporate citizens while demonstrating ongoing concern for the welfare of their workers, their communities, and their local environment. Thailand, as the center of a growing regional market, remains a very promising place for foreign investors to do business. This country’s successful hosting of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting served yet again to underscore Thailand's role as a leader in Southeast Asia.

Less visibly, Thais and Americans are engaged in a wide range of programs to improve the quality of life of our peoples and to serve the interests of our societies. For example, Thai and American medical personnel are working side by side to develop a means to treat and prevent some of the serious diseases which afflict this region and the world – diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and HIV/AIDS. We are also working together to address such important issues as refugees and migration, as well as humanitarian de-mining.

Let me conclude where I started by stressing the unique opportunity that you have to make use of the education you have received at the American School of Bangkok to serve the most pressing needs of the global community. Most of you will be going on to higher education in the next school year. You will gain many more lasting memories and lasting friends. And you will develop the skills necessary to perform your life's work. But remember: it started here. So whether your future finds you in Thailand, the United States or elsewhere, you owe it to yourselves, to your families, teachers and friends, to strive to do your very best with your own talents and energies to really and truly make a difference. The American School of Bangkok has prepared you well for that challenge.

Congratulations on reaching a milestone today -- a transition from childhood to adulthood and to new responsibilities. And congratulations as you assume your own role as a connector. I wish you every success in your future endeavors. Thank you.