February 15, 2021

CLASSROOM NEWS Issue 4

Bangkok's 1st Interscholastic, Student-run Newspaper

Inside the Issue

STUDENT LIFE

WHERE
INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOL KIDS GO
ON WEEKENDS
In this article, you’ll read about the top five places
where International School kids hang out.

PAGE 02

ACADEMICS

TIPS TO KEEP YOU

ORGANIZED DURING
THE SEMESTER
Here are some tips and techniques to help you
organize and stay organized during the semester.

PAGE 04

WORLD NEWS

COVID-19: THE
NIGHTMARE OF
ALL BUSINESSES
As customers pivot to online shopping and
consumer demand falls, numerous businesses
have filed for bankruptcy.

PAGE 05
STUDENT LIFE

Top 5 Places International

School Kids Go During the
Weekends
By Tanisha (Nisha) Sukheepod

All week long, students work hard studying

and being preoccupied with school. However,
the weekend is the time for students to relax,
hang out with friends, and have fun. In this
article, you’ll read about the top five places
where international school kids hang out.
Neenara (Neen) Bhandhumachinda / Section Editor

Common Malls
The most common places are usually
malls, such as Paragon and Emquartier.
They are both located in the urban areas
of Bangkok. One of the factors why both
Paragon and Emquartier are commonly
visited is because they are easily
accessible, as they both are linked to
the BTS (Bangkok Mass Transit System);
Paragon is linked with the Siam station,
while Emquartier is connected to the
Phrom Phong station. These malls are
also similar in the fact that they have
access to fashion designer stores such
as Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuiton, etc.
However, students are also spotted at
less luxurious malls, such as
Central Festival Eastville, which is
located on Pradit Manutham Road in
Lad Phrao. This mall is both indoors
and outdoors, and it is also pet friendly,
meaning you can bring along your dogs
or cats. They have a big variety of shops
and tons of restaurants. On special
occasions, there will be dog shows as
well. Malls are especially popular
among teenagers because there is so
much to do. You could go eat, watch a
movie, go shopping, sometimes even ice
skate or have a karaoke session with
your friends depending on the mall.
They are convenient places to go when
you want to relax and have fun.

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 PAGE | 02

 Popular Restaurants
There are also a lot of popular diners and restaurants that students visit
during their time off from school. One popular diner is the ‘V8 Diner’
located in Sukhumvit Soi 11, in the Khlong Toei area. This restaurant is
popular for its aesthetic decorations, and the whole concept of the diner is
based on an American style 1950’s restaurant. You can find multiple
photoshoot-worthy corners there since the diner itself looks like it came
straight out of Riverdale; a popular teenage television series. Another
popular restaurant that is often visited is ‘Soho Pizza’, also located in
Sukhumvit Soi 11. They have New York style pizza, and you really only need
one slice to fill you up. This restaurant always has a long line queued up,
but it is always worth it for their hot and filling pizzas.

International school students go to various places during the weekends.

Malls and restaurants are the most popular among them because they have
lots of enjoyable activities to do. If you haven’t been to some of these places,
make sure to check them out because you never know, you might be able to
find a new favorite hangout spot.

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 PAGE | 03

ACADEMICS
TIPS TO KEEP YOU ORGANIZED
DURING THE SEMESTER
By Thitilapa (Ivy) Sae-Heng and
Parissa (Tottie) Damrongmanee
In school, staying organized during the
semester can be difficult because of all the
overwhelming work and constant tests. A lot of
us could find ourselves losing track of work,
forgetting deadlines, or struggling in general.
Here are some tips and techniques to help you
organize and stay organized during the
semester.
Neenara (Neen) Bhandhumachinda / Section Editor

Have a categorized Use Google Create a folder to

system for Calendar to keep keep the work
paperwork track together

During the semester, Google Calendar is a great
you're going to get a lot app/website to use to get an
of handouts and insight into what’s
worksheets, so having happening during the week.
an organized system for You can add in homework
paperwork can help you or events that are taking
find documents and place, whether it is your
homework so much sports practice or your club
meetings. Once you have
easier. We recommend
added them in, you can also
purchasing a folder with
choose a time so that the
multiple dividers or
calendar can remind you to
slots since you will be do something. Obviously, as
able to categorize your a student, we have a lot of
paperwork into work, and we can use the
categories by subject or color-coding feature of
by type. This will also Google Calendar to help us
help keep your sort out our priorities as
worksheets and well. Furthermore, teachers
homework nice and like to use Google Calendar
neat. This way, you will to make plans for their
never have those lessons or to invite you to
moments where you content support, so it will
freak out when you can’t be a useful tool to keep up
find your handouts. with what is happening.
One thing that you could
do is create a folder for
classes with a lot of
documents. You can
organize the folders by
subject or by type, such as
notes or slideshows. This
will be extremely helpful
during exam season as
you do not have to go
search for it in your drive.
Instead of diving through
hundreds of documents
and slides from multiple
subjects, you will be able
to find the slideshow or
the document that you
need in a couple of clicks.
If you are an iPad user,
you could also create a
folder in your note-taking
app, so that when you
need the note, you can
find them right away.

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 PAGE | 04

 WORLD NEWS

Neenara (Neen) Bhandhumachinda / Section Editor

COVID-19: THE NIGHTMARE

OF ALL BUSINESSES
By Saran (Mighty) Burapachaisri

The Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic impacts millions of people
throughout the world. It affects a child’s ability to grow
and fully experience their childhood, teenagers from…
well, being teenagers, and adults from working and
running businesses like they used to. Many businesses
have to enforce new work conditions. Some adopted a
“Work from Home'' lifestyle, which, as the name suggests,
simply means working from their home rather than
working from the office. While for others, traveling
restrictions meant the lack of consumers, unemployment,
and a sad ending for a promising business. As customers
pivot to online shopping and consumer demand falls,
numerous businesses have filed for bankruptcy.

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 PAGE | 05

 Dean and Deluca
Business: American Gourmet Restaurant
Date: April 2, 2020
Summary: In a decline since 2014, the
iconic American gourmet restaurant
Dean and Deluca filed for bankruptcy on
April 2, 2020. It was first established in
the busy streets of New York in
September 1977 by Joel Dean, Giorgio
DeLuca, and Jack Ceglic - three best
friends who have a great passion for
food and its ingredients. Currently,
Dean and Deluca is under a
rehabilitation plan, which allows them
to resume business and continue
operations. This rehabilitation plan will
not affect Thailand and Asia operations.

Hertz
Business: Car Rental
Date: May 22, 2020
Summary: After 100 years of business,
Hertz, a car rental company founded
by an ambitious pioneer of auto
renting named Walter Jacobs, has
filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. With
Covid-19 establishing travel bans and
commuting restrictions, the tourism
industry took a big nosedive. Because
of this, Hertz was under $18 billion of
net debt, having to get rid of 200,000
cars by the end of this year, according
to UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION.

Muji
Business: Japanese consumer goods
Date: July 10, 2020
Summary: First founded in December
1980 in Japan, the US unit of the
Japanese consumer goods chain filed
for bankruptcy protection on July 10.
With incredibly expensive rent, Muji
was forced to close many of its prime
retail stores, succumbing to the
Covid-19 Pandemic. In 2020, Muji's
US operations suffered a loss of
approximately $10 million.

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 PAGE | 06

 J. Crew
Business: Women's, men's, and
children's apparel
Date: May 4, 2020Summary: J. Crew
is a clothing brand that specializes
in comfortable, preppy-style
clothing. First founded in 1947 in
New York, J. Crew found themselves
a victim of the pandemic early last
year. According to Michael
Nicholson, J. Crew's COO, the
company projected a staggering
$900 million decline in sales after
closing its stores in March.

Sizzler
Business: American steakhouse chain
Date: September 21, 2020
Summary: Founded in 1958, Sizzler is a
restaurant known for its salad bar and
scrumptious pizza. However, the
American steakhouse chain has sought
bankruptcy protection in September of
2020. Sizzler’s president said, "...our
financial state is a direct consequence of
the pandemic's economic impact due to
long-term indoor dining closures and
the landlords' refusal to provide
necessary rent abatement."

Covid-19 has become a ruthless predator for all business owners. The lack of
customer demand and quarantine restrictions is the combination of the
scariest nightmare for all business owners. In 2020, America alone averaged
a staggering 800 business closures per day (Yelp: Local Economic Impact
Report). Additionally, more than “60% of business closures due to the
coronavirus pandemic are now permanent"(Yelp data shows 60%...). These
terrifying and unprecedented numbers show how impactful Covid-19 has
been to businesses and the economy. As pharmaceutical companies such as
AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and many more rush to produce
Covid vaccines in this troubling time, this might be the hope business
owners are dreaming of. But until then, uncertainty is the only thing that
prevails…

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 PAGE | 07

 about the union
Founded at Ruamrudee
International School in Bangkok,
Thailand, The Union is Bangkok’s
1st interscholastic, student-run
news organization created for
international school students.

We hope to give students a voice

through our inclusive and diverse
organization that is run by a
collective community of
international students across
multiple international schools in
Thailand.

CONTACT
PHONE: (66) 92-563-8013
TWITTER: @THEUNIONINTERNATIONAL
FACEBOOK: @THEUNIONINTERNATIONAL
YOUTUBE: THE UNION
INSTAGRAM: THEUNIONINTERNATIONAL
WEBSITE: THEUNIONINTERNATIONAL.COM

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 PAGE | 08