Blog

CRICS Seniors created this video to share their collective story. Enjoy!

“CRICS’s annual blood drive started 2 years ago as a way to provide blood to the Red Cross Society who will distribute the blood to the local hospitals. Our school was swiftly accepted as a potential donor group when the first blood drive was arranged due to our ratio of foreigners who can give blood for any case that requires a foreign blood. The 3rd annual blood was not as successful as the previous two years, however, we still received a decent amount of blood to donate to the community of Chiang Rai.” – Puk, 12th Grade

“My project took place at an orphanage called the Akha Light Foundation, which is an orphanage that my dad started and takes care of. The goal of my project was to teach English to the orphans and try to bond with them so that we could make an impact on their lives and share the love of God with the kids.  We taught conversational English, played ice breaker games, ate lunch together and also played volleyball, soccer and basketball. At the end of the day, the kids and the volunteers said they enjoyed the day.” – Gabriel, CRICS Senior

“I wanted to do something that brought people joy for my Senior Project, so I partnered with the ministry of a CRICS family to impact the pediatric ward of a local hospital. I had four student volunteers and five adult volunteers. Before showing up to the hospital, I organized a book drive where we collected more than 250 books for the children to read long after the project had concluded. I also built and painted a bookshelf for the nurses in the pediatric ward to have a place to keep the books. We arrived at the hospital on March 18, ready to read to the kids and color with them as well. The sick children really enjoyed our visit and the coloring books that they got to keep. After spending a few hours with the kids we said goodbye to the very pleased nurses. However, this was not the final visit; part of my project was establishing a relationship with the hospital so the local ministry can return frequently with more books and activities for the children.” – Gideon, CRICS Senior

“Let’s face it, not many people like school. Okay, I’m sure there’s that one kid who’s like, “I love school. School is my life.” But other than that, most people would disagree. Keep that in mind as I take you to CRICS.
Students of CRICS would agree that homework or sitting in classes all day isn’t how they might choose to spend their time. They would argue, however, that their school isn’t just a “school.” CRICS is like a family. Sure, families have work and they don’t always get along, but families also like to have fun together. CRICS is no exception.
The CRICS school year always begins with the Youth Retreat, a time for middle and high school students to play games and learn about God while bonding with classmates, not to mention racing down a water slide.
Dress up days every month allow students to have fun by going through school in costume. Even though it’s against the rules, some use these days as an excuse to dress casually. But the everyday uniform rule needs a break every once in a while.
Speaking of breaks, during sports seasons, CRICS takes a break from school for Student Council’s pep rallies. The rallies pep everyone up for the tournaments and looking forward to the next sport season. Teachers and students alike cheer as the band plays to celebrate CRICS’s accomplishments.
Even with all these activities, CRICS wouldn’t be the same without its teachers. Just like in families where the older, wiser relatives can still have fun with the youngins, our teachers know just how to encourage their students and often forgo the common student-teacher relationship to develop closer bonds with their pupils.
Whenever the people at CRICS get together to have fun, good times are had all around.” – Gideon, 12th Grade

“School dances are the reason why I love CRICS. I have been a student at CRICS since kindergarten and always enjoyed dances. Disco, B-Boy, 80s, CRICS dances have it all. You can express yourself through dancing and you might even impress someone. It’s all about having fun and letting loose. Don’t know a thing about boogie? Just simply move your hips and shuffle. When I was at my first dance, I was nervous. I felt shy and just stood in the corner, but I realized something. I was the weird guy who wasn’t jiving. I strutted down the dance floor and went footloose; the crowd applauded and I fell in love with dancing. If you are a CRICS student reading this, I expect to see you at the next promenade. Be there or be square!” – Tan, 11th Grade Student

“As a junior at CRICS, one of the most remarkable moments of the year was the CRICS Youth Retreat. With the theme of “Invited”, the retreat offered a break from school and homework, giving students time to bond with each other and God. Filled with sounds of laughter and splashes from the water slides, the retreat provided enjoyment and relaxation. The sermons and worship warmed our hearts, but the final worship session on Thursday night made me realize a deep desire for emotional worship nights in which I could be vulnerable with God, teachers and friends. The Youth Retreat also provided opportunities to plant new seeds of friendships while strengthening friendships I already had. Treasuring these memories, I will always be grateful for the people who were there for me that night and were willing to discuss life. I was truly touched by their caring actions and am excited to see these new friendships continuing to grow each day at school. Our Youth Retreat made me realize how much I loved the CRICS community and appreciate being a student at CRICS sharing  precious memories with people I love.” – Annika, 11th grade

“During summer teenagers usually like to sit around and do absolutely nothing. But that is not how I chose to spend my summer.  As a student at CRICS, a teacher requested that I help with the summer enrichment camp program this year. Enrichment camp benefits kids by inviting them to discover new things, and for older students to have some kind of summer job. I assisted the second and third grade teacher. The camp lasted for three weeks, starting at 8:30am and ending at 12:00pm. A different topic gets introduced each year; this year’s topic was Space. Students worship in the morning and then go to class where they learn about space. Later, they are introduced to art projects where they can color or make space crafts. Music and drama class would pretty much carry on until the end of that morning. At the end of three weeks, the camp ends  with an excellent musical show. The show was about a rocket sent to space to spread the word of God. During the show I was moved at how awesome the kids preformed, even after watching them practice everyday; their effort shined through. Camp was an amazing experience, not only because I love being with kids but I also had the opportunity to learn while helping children learn.” – Ariela, 11th Grade

“The CRICS Summer Enrichment Camp provided lessons in music, art, reading, writing and games. I highly recommend this for students who are free during summer and want to use their time wisely. I was one of the student teachers at the camp. I have to say that it was a wonderful experience for my life. I got to teach amazing children, which is always my dream job. This camp allowed me to have more responsibilities.” – Daa, 11th grade

“My senior project was basically playing basketball with the Sansai church members. Also, I wanted to talk about God when they came down to our school. My goal in my senior project was to play basketball and have fun with my volunteers and Sansai church members, and also to talk about God in front of Sansai church members. Most of the Sansai guys did not know anything about Jesus. It was a great opportunity to improve on my leadership skills and to talk about God in front of numerous amount of people.” – John, CRICS Senior

“My project is about serving and helping people in need. Since there is a problem with the road, I decided to help a village to improve their road, so that their transportation system would be safer. We fixed the road by digging ditches to prevent erosion for 3 hours. Then we had lunch and rest for 2 hours. Then we worked around another 2 hours removing bamboo blocking the road. Everything worked out pretty well.” – Shan, CRICS Senior