SHREWSBURY TOPS CIE AWARDS

In recognition of their outstanding examination scores at (I)GCSE, AS Level and A Level, students at Shrewsbury International School Bangkok Riverside will receive no fewer than 29 Cambridge Outstanding Learner awards at Cambridge International Examination (CIE) Board's official annual prize giving ceremony later this month; the second highest number ever achieved by the school.

In addition to the “Best Across 8 IGCSEs” award for Tarnfun (Tara) Chattmittrapap, Shrewsbury students earn more awards than any other school in every other awards category; 12 High Achievement awards, 12 Top in Thailand Awards and 4 Top in the World awards for the highest individual marks in different CIE subject examinations.

This year’s four Top in the World awards are shared between two subjects where performances are consistently very strong at Shrewsbury. Lauren Storah and Boonyavee (Prin) Wongwisetsuk earn their accolades as world leaders in Mathematics (IGCSE), whilst Top in the World awards for artists Athisaya (Tonnam) Vasikanond and Natcha (Kaimook) Pakdeekitcharoen mean that Shrewsbury students have 15 Top in the World awards for Art & Design since 2004. In the school’s 15 year history, Shrewsbury students have won 35 Top in the World awards and 234 CIE awards overall.

An all-round talent, Kaimook’s Top in the World award serves as further recognition for her outstanding AS level project portfolio inspired by meditation practices, and which attempts to capture the ephemeral beauty of reflections in water.  “I was never expecting to win an award, and it certainly wasn’t something I was specifically aiming for”, explains Kaimook, “but I’ve really been enjoying my art classes. It’s like a little family up there [in the art department] and we really feed off each other creatively. That’s reflective of the atmosphere across the school really. We gain a lot from being around supportive staff and other students with great ideas, and most of all, we have a lot of fun learning together.” Kaimook, who shares her passion for art in the community by volunteering for a charity for blind artists, is currently applying to several top flight US Art Colleges, including Rhode Island School of Design, with the aim of one day becoming a professional graphic artist.

Former Head Girl Pimmara (Pimmy) Soongswang -now at University of Cambridge – makes the CIE list for the second time with a Top in Thailand award for A level Biology  that follows her 2017 Top in the World AS Level award in the same subject.

Meanwhile, Kochakorn (Mint) Buasri, (now studying Medicine at Mahidol Ramathibodi) adds to her 2017 Top in Thailand award in AS Level Economics with the same award at A Level. Mint was also winner of Best Across 8 IGCSEs award and Top in Thailand IGCSE Maths in 2016.

Whilst their university commitments may mean that neither Pimmy or Mint are able to attend the CIE awards ceremony, one new Shrewsbury recruit, Melanie Utharntharm, will almost certainly be in attendance to pick up her Top in Thailand award for IGCSE Computer Science. Melanie studied for her IGCSE exams at a different international school in Bangkok, but, like an increasing number of her peers, has chosen to join Shrewsbury’s highly successful Sixth Form programme, supported by unparalleled Higher Education counseling, to help her achieve her ambitions of reaching a top flight university.

Adding his personal congratulations to the award winners, but also reflecting on the achievements of the entire examination cohort, Shrewsbury Riverside Principal, Chris Seal comments, “These awards are fantastic and richly deserved recognition for a group of truly exemplary Shrewsbury students, past and present. Our examination results across the board were again outstanding this year, with 70% A*/A at A Level, and 69% A*/A at GCSE”.

Mr. Seal continues, “The results have been earned by remarkably talented and dedicated individuals, whose passion for their academic area is unwavering. Their grades are evidently outstanding, but I also wish to draw attention to the variety of ways in which our students inspire each other (and their teachers), every day. The British curriculum allows learners to explore their academic passions in real depth, and in doing so, establishes a spirit of inquiry that has fomented a Shrewsbury culture of academic leadership, collaboration and ultimately, of unparalleled success. My congratulations to all of our CIE winners; you are inspiration to us all”.