April 7, 2021
Our children are looking forward to the year-end “summer” break”. It’s hot and the skies are dark with smoke from crop burning and forest fires. The children were all wearing masks because of the smoke before COVID made them required for all. In a normal year, the Thai school year ends in March, but with a 6-week delay in starting last year, it has extended into April.
Despite the delays, we are enjoying graduations from 9th grade, high school, and college.
We have eight students graduating from 9th grade. A significant accomplishment: In the photo, there are a total of 21 students in the graduating class. There were over 30 in the class when they were in 6th grade. Over 1/3 of the class is Warm Heart students. All the Warm Heart 9th graders will continue to high school; four will go to vocational training programs and the rest to a Math and Sciences or a Languages track.
The Phrao High School decided not to have a graduation ceremony due to the pandemic. The earlier delay in the school year has meant delays in university acceptance as well. Jaa, one of the three young women high school graduates, has been accepted into a teaching program, most likely science. The two others are taking additional placement exams and will hear in June or July.
We have two students graduating from university and college in April. Only Mint, at the Sanpatong Maejo Vocational Technical College, is having a graduation ceremony. Mint studied in a two-year program about fisheries and has been accepted to complete her university degree at an environmentally-focused university in the ancient city of Phitsanulok, about halfway between Chaing Mai and Bangkok. She plans to bring enhanced agricultural practices to remote hill tribe villages.
Faa “Sky” graduates in Public Administration from Maejo, one of the top universities in Chiang Mai. She announced that we made our last school payment for her this month. She will be working nearby while she studies to take the civil service exam later this year.
We’ve focused on graduations because it is that time of year in our community, but we do not want to miss the opportunity to thank you for the day-to-day support of the children in K-12. Your generosity keeps the lights on and the children well-fed so that they can concentrate on their studies. They do love sports and seeing the glorious vegetables that come from the gardens they tend. More to come.
Take good care and find joy in the season.
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