Clubs and Societies
Design Club
The Design Club of Stafford International School (in collaboration with AOD) specializes in all kinds of design. Our goal is to enhance the creativity of our students, improving their critical thinking, nurturing their creative talent, and giving our students an easier path into the world of design. Students also get the opportunity to understand the usefulness of design as it helps them take responsibility in all creative activities.
Our first workshop was held for all students from year 10 and above on the 7th of July 2021 conducted by AOD lecturer, Mrs. Samantha Weerawardane. At this workshop we explored the world of illustration by learning how to draw comics under the topic, “a funny moment”. Our second workshop was held on the 16th of September held for students from year 6 to year 9 by Lecturers, Lashinka Rathnavibushana and Roshanthi Joseph. The students were able to learn about the rich history of moonstones along with the opportunity of creating your personalized moonstone with the things they are personally interested in. Both these interactive workshops ended with a very interesting question-and-answer session.
Chithru Gunawardena
President
Drama Club
The Drama Club is focused on teaching artistic talents and bringing them together to create dreams and entertainment. We strive to bring confidence and showcase the power of teamwork while helping our members express themselves to their fullest potential.
Members of the club have continued to take part in the biennial school concerts, and we have two full public performances under our belt- “Down the Rabbit Hole” [2016] and “A Doll’s House” [2020].
This year too, we did not falter – we held several online workshops where our members spent most of their time in giggles and awe of each other’s abilities and skills. We did not allow the pandemic to take away our fun. We used it as an opportunity to showcase our resilience and experiment with online productions. We made an Avurudu skit in April 2020, and for Christmas, we collaborated with the Media Club and produced four short skits. Go check these out @staffordramaclub on Instagram.
If you don’t want to miss this fun, please WhatsApp 0777666738 to join our next workshop. After all – the more, the merrier! Do not be discouraged thinking you do not know how to act! Before joining the drama club and meeting with helpful seniors and our incredible TIC, none of us knew either. After all, as Tahir Shah from Arabian Nights says, “Believe, and what was impossible becomes possible, what at first was hidden becomes visible”. Who knows, one of you can become the next Mr. Shah in our upcoming production. Did you hear me? Get ready for Arabian Nights.
We extend our sincerest gratitude to Ms. Michelle Herft, the Teacher in Charge, for all her contributions to keep us going, especially during these challenging times. To quote Tahir Shah and to echo many of Ms. Michelle’s sentiments, “To succeed, you must reach for the stars, and let your imagination find its own path”.
Meth Abeysinghe
President
English Literary Association
The English Literary Association of Stafford International School is founded on a set of objectives focused on giving its members the best experience possible and putting earsplitting smiles on their faces! We want to nurture and cultivate a passion for reading, writing and the English Language in our members, and provide valuable opportunities and encouragement for them to grow and exhibit their language skills. Moreover, the ELA wishes to strengthen their creativity, analytical skills, communication skills and logical thinking, and discover, connect and create meaningful bonds between students with an eager enthusiasm for reading, writing and the English Language.
Our first workshop, held on the 19th of July 2021, was conducted by Mr Oshanthaka Cabraal, the teacher-in-charge of the association. The workshop began with our members getting to know each other, discussing their favourite books and why they enjoyed them. This helped them engage with and interact with each other to grow their connections as members. We then proceeded into a description session, where we took part in an exercise to describe their favourite poem in 3 words. Lastly, we discussed haikus, lune poetry and kelly lunes. The session ended on a high note, with members sharing their poetry and commenting on each other’s work.
Kashia Dias & Ramudhi De Silva
Co-Presidents
Gavel Club
It’s been another successful academic year for the Gavel Club of Stafford International School, and with it came unforgettable memories and valuable experiences. Although Covid-19 resulted in the cancellation of physical meetings, the Gavel Club was not shaken as meetings were aptly converted to the Zoom platform, being one of the first clubs at Stafford to do so. As the President, Diren Gunasekera says it was “Not just a smooth and fun transition, but an enjoyable one that has helped connect with many distinguished Toastmasters”.
THE NEW COMMITTEE
As always, the new year gave rise to a new executive and substitute committee who worked diligently to effectively perform their tasks. It comprised of the following.
Executive Committee
President- Diren Gunasekera
Vice President Education- Jai Amalean
Vice President Membership- Dhahamsi Premaratne
Vice President Public Relations- Chiran Premaratne
Secretary- Ramudhi de Silva
Treasurer- Oneli Rajavasan
Seargant-at-arms- Pavan Rajavasan
Immediate Past President- Savith Herath
Substitute Committee
Asst. Vice President Education- Akindu Pathirage
Asst. Vice President Membership- Jaden David
Asst. Vice President Public Relations- Rahul Vaithyalingam
Asst. Secretary- Shenodh Peramunugama
Asst. Treasurer- Thanujan Nandakumar
Asst. Sergeant-at-arms- Sashin Perera
FIRST EVENT: INTRA GAVEL CONTEST 2020
The highly anticipated Intra-Gavel Contest held on the 16th and 23rd of October 2020, was the first main event of the year. It was held through the Zoom platform and comprised of two categories- Junior and Senior. The contest was an exciting event where participants gained a range of valuable skills: effectively preparing competent speeches, displaying creativity through language and presentation, building a competitive spirit, and gracefully accepting victory or failure. It was a great opportunity for members to be a part of a competitive environment as well!
The winner of the Junior Category was Bhupesh Selvanayagam, the first runner up was Ranuli Jayawardene and the second runner up was Mukarram Jameel.
In the Senior Category, the winner was Amaya Perera, the first runner up was Savith Herath and the second runner up was Ramudhi de Silva.
SUCCESSES AT ISLANDWIDE COMPETITIONS
The members reached great heights as they displayed their talents at islandwide competitions. These include Amaya Perera, who was placed third at the All-Island Best Gavel Speaker Contest 2021; Dhahamsi Premaratne, who was a finalist at the Speak to Lead Competition 2021; and Chiran Premaratne and Ramudhi de Silva, who were semi-finalists at ISBSC 2020.
INSPIRING GUEST SPEAKERS
Several renowned guest speakers presented motivating speeches, all geared towards helping the members to unleash and strengthen their public speaking talents. They were: TM Dananjaya Hettiarachchi (Q & A session), TM Hisham Alif (“creativity in public speaking”), TM Digayu Jayawardene (“take the leap”), TM Sanara Premaratne (“’ why’ you should try public speaking”), TM Ravindu Amendra- (“body language & stage use”) and TM Farhaz Farouk (“using humor in speeches”).
It was a truly fantastic year and the Gavel Club is immensely excited to continue this special journey for the years to come, with a mix of both familiar and new faces!