The 'coming of age' annual Prize Giving of Asian International School, which has now completed 21 years of excellence, was held among a distinguished audience which included members of the Board of Directors, Principal, Sectional Heads, staff, parents, friends and of course the students.
Mrs. Priyanthi Seneviratne, Principal, paid tribute to the founder members of staff, including the maintenance staff, who supported the Chairman Mr. W.P. Perera and Dr. (Mrs). Goolbai Gunasekara, former Principal, in establishing the school and anchoring them over the twenty one years. She paid a special tribute to Dr. Mrs. Goolbai Gunasekara who has led this team on its trailblazing path with unmatched verve and sagacity.

The Principal, Mrs Priyanthi Seneviratne delivering her address and distributing awards

In her address Mrs. Seneviratne quoted W.B. Yeats equating Education to not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. She also reiterated that AIS has striven to recognize a student's worth in a caring environment, giving different opportunities for development, fostering spirituality, good fellowship and viewing education as a total concept, shaping students to fit into a technological age without losing their sense of values.

She further emphasized that AIS had a strong commitment to a high level of academic learning and intellectual activities but was also aware that physical development is indispensable for growth and for holistic education. Consequently, sports is an integral part of the school programme and AIS students have the broadest opportunities for active participation. Mrs. Seneviratne went on to enlarge on each sport offered at AIS like Badminton, Rowing, Tennis, Cricket, Netball, Swimming, Basketball and Athletics.

In today's fast-paced world, she said, we needed to take into consideration the changing nature of knowledge and the changing demands of society. The need for peace education, conflict resolution, research orientation, entrepreneurial skills, technology, computer usage, environmental and scientific knowledge for progressive education and an inter-disciplinary approach, has given a new conception of curriculum, and AIS has to meet these demands. While kindness, spiritual values and self discipline are relevant for all time, we have to take heed of emerging demands for educational reforms and AIS has striven to meet some of these challenges and to set standards of excellence and of humanizing syllabi with broad based learning. The Principal then explained the various Clubs and Societies on offer and expanded on their activities which involved students in setting goals and planning, in order to develop leadership and organizational skills.

She then went on to thank the academic and administrative staff for their individual function in being the backbone of the school. Last but not least she thanked the Chairman for his strong support and daily concern for the school: his kindness and patience while she came to grips with the myriad functions of the school during these first months as Principal.

Mrs. Seneviratne concluded her address by quoting the ever popular musician Michael Jackson - "Human knowledge consists not only of libraries of parchment and ink; it also comprises the volumes of knowledge that are written on the human heart, chiselled on the human soul and engraved on the human psyche".