Building Bridges: Our Global Exchange with The Prince Royal’s College
In our ongoing mission to graduate curious, courageous, and compassionate global citizens, St. Andrew’s has officially launched a hallmark exchange program with The Prince Royal’s College (PRC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The seeds of this partnership were sown last spring through the Austin Sister Cities program, when a delegation from PRC first visited our campus. Following a reciprocal visit to Chiang Mai by Melissa Grubb and myself this past fall, the alignment between our two schools became clear. As a K-12 institution serving over 7,000 students, PRC operates under the motto, “The ultimate aim of education is the development of character,” a sentiment that resonates deeply with our own values at St. Andrew’s.
For the past two weeks, we have had the pleasure of hosting three PRC educators: Ms. Fon, Ms. Sora, and Ms. Faye. Between observing classes, leading specialized art lessons for 5th and 6th graders, and exploring the sights of Austin, they have kept very busy! It has been inspiring to watch students and teachers transcend language barriers, finding a common tongue through creativity and collaboration. Our guests even treated the Lower School faculty to a spectacular, authentic Thai meal!
The exchange continues this June, when St. Andrew’s teachers Jae Lappinga, Lani West, and Olivia Havel travel to Chiang Mai to teach, collaborate, and immerse themselves in the PRC community. Looking ahead, we are excited to grow this partnership, with plans to expand the exchange to include Upper School students in the coming years.
