In the Thai Class Club meeting held on Monday, Dec. 11, club members made origami flowers to celebrate Loy Krathong Day. Members learned about how this holiday is celebrated in Thailand to show respect and gratitude for water.

“When we plan for each meeting, we like to gather ideas about how to make meetings more engaging and creative so that the activities and mini-lessons don’t feel repetitive. We want each meeting to be fun and exciting,” Diskul said.

The club meets every other Monday during lunch in Room 122. The club was founded at the beginning of the 2023 school year but preparation was well underway from last school year. “Last year, 2022, midway through the school year, we started planning for the club,” Treasurer junior Sareen N Papangelou said.

The four officers of the club came together to enhance diversity and inclusivity at WJ. “I met [club president] Tebi [Diskul] for the first time and he said he wanted to teach people more about Thailand,” Vice President senior Indie Viriyakul said.

Each meeting is thoroughly organized with activities and themed Google slides about different aspects of Thailand. There have been six meetings so far, each centered around different topics such as the origins of the Thai people and Thai etiquette. For the meeting on the origins of the Thai people, the officers created a lesson plan with a descriptive slideshow and a worksheet that members could fill in throughout the meeting. The Thai etiquette meeting was taught through playing Jeopardy.

“So far, I really like the lessons in general. Very well planned out and I am impressed with their management. The lesson plans are also chronological. I think I definitely know more about Thai culture now,” junior Pearl Shelton said.

The club has also participated in school-wide events such as International Night, the Asian Culture Assembly and the Winter Pep Rally. In the Winter Pep Rally, which was held on Dec. 8, they danced to the song BARBIE (OOPS OOPS) by VIIS. This is one of Diskul’s favorite T-Pop songs to perform.

The motto of the club is to create a bridge between Thai culture and WJ. With each meeting, the officers hope to build and strengthen this bridge.

“We are trying to make connections with how Thai people connect with other countries, rather than just focusing on Thai people,” Diskul said.

Finally, each officer holds different thoughts towards the club.

“The four of us have similar and different reasons for deciding to be a part of Thai Class. Personally, I saw the club as an opportunity for me to connect more with my heritage and share my knowledge about a place I’m familiar with. Our mission is for more students to know more about Thailand and its culture,” secretary senior Fannie Sukhumparnich said.