Ethan Tangpornisn
Do you know someone who is a second degree black belt, has played piano for seven years and is more flexible than you could ever be? Chances are you do not, but believe it or not freshman Ethan Tangpornsin checks all of these boxes.
Tangpornsin recently came to Seabury for his freshman year after going to school at the nearby middle school, Raintree Montessori. “The change is very big and the scheduling and organization is very different,” says Ethan. The teaching style was very different at Raintree and not based around classes, but rather the freedom to choose whatever subject he wanted to focus on during a certain period of time.
“He is naturally very nice to others and he cares a lot about school,” says faculty member Nancy Landi.
As freshman Ryan Dekat puts it, “Ethan is a very chill guy and he’s good at math.”
Along with piano, taekwondo and keeping up with all of his schoolwork, Tangpornsin also participates in drama here at Seabury. “Ethan is lighthearted and optimistic,” says sixth grader Eliza Brockhoff. “He is a bit of a joker but in the end when it’s time to get to work he puts the jokes aside and acts his best.”
Regarding Ethan’s view on Seabury, he believes that Seabury is really great. He says, “Seabury is an awesome place. That's the only way I can describe it.” Ethan finds that here at Seabury things are very different than where he used to go to school. Besides schedule, Seabury is different in a number of ways. “The teachers reinforce being kind to one another,” says Tangpornsin. There is something that makes them different according to Ethan: “Unlike in other places people actually care and try to become friends with others, and not fake friends either.”
Tangpornsin has practiced taekwondo for a whopping seven years and can now break plastic boards up to an inch thick. During training, he will do anything from sparring to using various weapons of many different sizes and weights. Ethan has used double nunchucks, bow staff, Bahng Mahng Ee (tiny staffs in each hand), kamas think: short sickles and a trisectional (three bars connected by a chain).
Ethan competes in competitions revolving around his ability to wield nunchucks, and has competed in around 50 competitions and now generally places in first or second. Regarding his success, Ethan says, “One of the really cool mottos I follow from taekwondo is winners never quit and quitters never win.”
Ethan hopes to become a world champion in taekwondo and receive his third degree black belt. “Taekwondo really just helps me to focus and gain more self control,” says Ethan. On the off hand chance that someone may have gotten their head stuck in a wooden chair, it is definitely a good idea to give Ethan a call; even if you do not need a board or wall broken, you should still give Ethan a call and see just what other amazing things he can do.
What are people saying about Ethan:
Mrs.Czarnecki-Ethan a curious student and he works really hard. He’s a great addition to the ninth grade class.
Cael Berkland- He has a lot of great ideas for our play in drama.
Isabelle Pro- His marshmallow Halloween costume was really cool.
