Jonny Thompson

At Stamford American International School (Singapore), after exploring social equality and class systems through social studies, my fourth-grade students wrote and produced a series of short films. Blending creative writing, drama and filmmaking, the films reflect the students' understanding of fairness, empathy, and justice—all told through their own voices. Costumes were borrowed from the school’s drama department, and all films were shot in the school's black box theatre.

Click the play-button image to view the films.

At Stamford American International School (Singapore), my fourth-grade students, through a cross-disciplinary project combining science and technology, explored how energy flows and how conductive materials can be manipulated to create switches. I taught my students Scratch coding and how to use MakeyMakey kits, guiding them as they engineered functional arcade games that demonstrated their understanding of circuitry and coding.​

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Click the play-button image to watch student-led tours of their final projects.

At Waikanae School (NZ), I directed students in the creation of Waikanae School TV, a regular video news bulletin produced by and for the school community. From scripting and filming to editing and presenting, students took proud ownership of the production—building confidence, collaboration skills, and real-world media literacy through authentic storytelling.

Click the play-button image to view an episode of Waikanae School TV.

At Waikanae School (NZ), I led a group of gifted students through the writing process to craft an original short story for an interschool competition, judged by a local author. The project fostered advanced creative thinking, refined their narrative writing skills, and gave students a platform to share their voice beyond the classroom.

Click the newspaper image to read a published newspaper article I wrote to celebrate the competition. 

I strongly believe in the importance of giving back. At every school I've worked in, I've made it a priority to either lead or support 'Acts of Kindness' campaigns, where students give back to their community. At the heart of these campaigns is the spirit of generosity—shifting attention from receiving to making a difference.

Pictured here are Waikanae School (NZ) students participating in 'Arbor Day' - an annual foliage-planting effort to restore wetlands and birdlife within the local environment.