Ruamrudee International School (RIS, Thai: โรงเรียนร่วมฤดีวิเทศศึกษา) is an international school for students in Pre-Kindergarten (Age of 3) through Grade 12 incorporated under the laws of the Kingdom of Thailand as a non-profit organization. It is located in the district of Minburi, in Bangkok, Thailand. RIS was founded in 1957 by the Redemptorist Fathers of Thailand and the Sisters of Holy Infant Jesus as the "Holy Redeemer School" for the purpose of providing an education for the children of international members of the Holy Redeemer Church, the expatriate community of Bangkok, and parents who wished to place their children in an English speaking school. RIS is affiliated with the Catholic Church. It initially followed a British curriculum, switching to the American curriculum in 1966. Its first campus was in Soi Ruamrudee, Ploenchit. RIS moved to its current campus in 1992. The student numbers consist of approximately 1,779 students, of which 75% are Thai, 10% are from the Indian Subcontinent, 10% are Korean/Japanese, and a few others are either Taiwanese/Chinese or from elsewhere.
The RIS campus has 2 more sections:
Ruamrudee International School Swiss Section: Swiss Section was founded in 1963 as the "German-speaking school of Bangkok" by Swiss expats. It has since been funded and supported by the Swiss canton of Lucerne. From 1963 to 1982, the "German-speaking school of Bangkok" was located in Soi Ruamrudee, but functioned without license until it bilaterally agreed with RIS to move to the RIS campus as the "RIS Swiss Section" in 1982. In 1992, the Swiss Section moved to its current campus, which it shares with RIS by means such as sharing facilities and renting RIS's land. At present, 220 students attend the Swiss Section. Unlike RIS and RIST, which use English as the medium of instruction, Swiss Section's medium of instruction is German. Other languages such as English and French are taught. Swiss Section follows the Swiss integrated curriculum from KG to Grade 12 and offers the Swiss Matura diploma in German or bilingual (German and English) upon successful completion of Grade 12. Swiss Section has the same dress code as RIS and RIST, and uses not only its own, but also RIS's and RIST's facilities.
Redeemer International School of Thailand (R.I.S.T.): Prior to 2003, RIST used to be the "ESL" department of RIS. It had the function as an English as a Second Language (ESL) department to prepare students whose English was too poor for RIS standards. In 2003, RIST moved to a separate brand-new building, which had additional facilities. Since then, students have graduated from RIST. Grades run from grade 2 until grade 12 with approximately 200 students. Depending on how many students a grade has, a grade might be divided into 2 or more homerooms. RIST shares facilities with RIS and Swiss Section and has the same Dress Code.
Contents |
RIS and RIST provide a challenging college preparatory American Curriculum. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the Thai Ministry of Education and the Association of Indian Universities. RIS is also a member of the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) and the Council of International Schools (CIS). It is certified to award both the traditional US American high school, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate diplomas to Seniors. The top 10 graduating seniors usually receive admission to Ivy League schools as well as elite liberal arts colleges; scholarships are often a part of the admissions package. RIS and RIST have an international faculty with the largest numbers of teachers coming from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a smaller number coming from Thailand. Faculty members also chair clubs and chaperone field trips.
RIS High School consists of students from Grades 9-12. These students come from 26 different nations with approximately 73% Thai nationals. The High School maintains an advanced level of education in the English language to prepare students for higher education primarily in North America, Australia, the U.K., and in the international programs of universities in Thailand where approximately 45% of graduates attend after RIS. The eighty five high school teachers at RIS are from several different nations as well, with the largest number of teachers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand. RIS High School students consistently score well in external examinations. In May 2009, a total of 139 Advanced Placement exams in 14 subjects were taken. Passing scores of 3 or higher were achieved in 88% of all exams. A top score of 5 was achieved in 43% of all exams. In the same year, RIS had 147 students registered to sit 605 IB exams, and 44 of these students sat for the full IB Diploma. The average score for RIS students was a 5.56 and 93% of the scores earned by RIS students was a 4 or higher. Of the 44 diploma candidates, the highest total score was 45 points out of a possible 45 points, and the average score was a 35. The academic calendar in the High School consists of 180 school days divided into two semesters. The first semester is in session from August 10 through December 18, 2009. The second semester runs from January 11 to June 3, 2010. The High School has a block schedule with five periods of instruction daily. In addition to the academic curriculum, RIS caters to the extracurricular activities of the student body. Ruamrudee International School is very proud of its clubs, committees, and activities which range from Interact Rotary to Model United Nations to the Jeremiah Singers to Rock Band Club, mostly meeting at lunch breaks or after school hours.
RIS is equipped with several modern facilities including gymnasiums, courts (basketball, badminton, tennis, and volleyball), fields (soccer, touch rugby, softball, and cross country), swimming pools, auditoriums, canteens, scientific laboratories, libraries, and a clinic. RIS offers its students a multipurpose sports facility with a modern indoor gymnasium. The gymnasium is used for a variety of organized leagues, competitions, instructional programs throughout the year, and is routinely scheduled for self-directed ‘open gym’ play. The Phoenix Hall is equipped for two full size basketball courts, two indoor tennis courts, two volleyball courts, or eight badminton courts. Phoenix Hall is also equipped with two electronic scoreboards. The large size of the facility makes it ideally suited to indoor activities that require plenty of open space. The gymnasium has motorized retractable center court roll-up divider curtains for the courts in order to accommodate more than one event at a time. The Astra Pool is a state of the art 50-m swimming facility. Its design having 2-m depth throughout the facility will increase speed by reducing currents produced by swimmers in competition. It has fiber glass starting blocks for 8 lanes and complies with all FINA swimming regulations. Safety, being paramount for use of the facility has two lifeguard stands and currently two full time lifeguards positioned for all lessons and sporting events. The pool also has numerous training equipment, including fins, hand paddles and kick boards for instruction and training. The school further has an Aquatics Director whose position is to develop and facilitate implementation of the school's curriculum for swimming. RIS has 2 cafeterias on campus, where Thai, Indian, and Western dishes are popular. These canteens also include a drinks stall and snack bar. The Ruamrudee Performing Arts Center (PAC) offers an exciting line-up of professional Theater for high-impact presentations, where plays, musicals, seminars, and other events come alive. The clinic is run by School Medical Officers and a full-time Nurse. The primary functions are to identify, treat, refer, and follow-up pupils with health problems. The 3 RIS libraries use the Winnebago Library System for circulation and catalog to ensure effective and efficient delivery of materials and services to the students and faculty. Around 2,100 patrons and 54,000 materials are entered (books, curriculum resources, software, and AV materials). Web Catalog is also provided to allow patrons to have access to library collections, reserve books, and check lists of materials checked-out. RIS also has a dedicated building to the arts, where art classes are conducted and student galleries are exhibited.
The RIS, RIST and Swiss Section uniforms are those of a typical Catholic school - a selection of white short-sleeved polos or long buttoned dress shirts with the RIS/ RIST or Swiss Section logo embroidered on the pocket, paired with knee length dark blue plaided skirts or long/short dark blue trousers for girls and the same for boys. The RIS PE uniform colors are red, blue, yellow and/or green though students can also bring their own clothes for PE classes. "Cultural Week" occurs once every year during the last week of quarter 1 which students wear their home country's traditional costumes. In Cultural week, there is also a "International Food Fair" Where parents bring food from all over the world to sell to the students, staffs, and parents. "Spirit Week" allows students to dress according to the chosen theme decided by the student consul.