On October 8th, 2017, the Boarding Rolling News Team joined the grade 11 and 12 boarders on a Bio-Environmental Systems and Societies field trip to the Chiang Dao Mountain. Led by Ajarns Emma and Xin Yan, the boarders and their classmates set camp at Chiang Dao Youth Camp to practice the application of ecological sampling techniques that they have been studying about in class. Ajarns Stacey and Mtheto were also there to provide the necessary pastoral support and Khun Fai was on hand with all the apparatus and technical support needed.

Day 1 challenged the students to calculate stream biotic index and test the water quality. They were also tasked with performing quadrat sampling to test for association of two species using randomly generated quadrat data. This meant the students being resilient risk takers and getting into the water to find the samples, examining the plant life in the designated locations and recording their observations.

After an exhaustively significant amount of scientific observations and sampling, Day 1 wound down with a healthy and tasty Chiang Dao style dinner, bonfire debriefing and some marshmallows, rounded off with some games and a relaxing hang out until bedtime.

Day 2 prompted the students to role-play and dramatize the application of the Lincoln Index and perform the Mark-Release-Recapture technique for estimating population sizes of animals.
They also had to use the Line Transient Method to measure the impact that an environmental gradient has on the abundance of species. The final activity of the day and trip was the Soil Sampling after which everyone came together for a group picture and also to bid farewell to our wonderful hosts.

And then it was onto our vans back to home sweet Prem.