A unique project to catalogue the health of the Starling Inlet is underway at ICHK.
The school’s Science and Outdoor departments are leading the citizen science programme, with students conducting fieldwork in the spectacular natural surroundings of their campus.
The innovative project has already been the subject of a presentation at the NAAEE Research Symposium and Conference, and is allowing students to make important contributions to environmental work.
Students spend time collecting data, including water samples, which is used to populate a database, thus developing a long standing relationship between the school and its immediate environment.
Lab and field days are held twice a year, with students collecting and testing water samples from the many streams flowing into the body of water on the school’s doorstep, the Starling Inlet.
Their findings are recorded in a database, the Starling Inlet Almanac, enabling students to catalogue the health of the estuary
Under the initiative, students also work in teams to collect plastic pollution along the coast, and then sort, count and record the quantity and types of waste into the database. This information contributes to global research conducted by the Ocean Conservancy on plastic waste.
Staff from ICHK’s Science and Outdoor departments are working in collaboration on the long term initiative, guiding students as they develop as citizen scientists. The school’s experienced outdoor educators work alongside Science teachers to ensure students have the necessary skills to run the project.
Over the past year it has been embedded into the Science curriculum, meaning that all Year 8 and 9 students spend time collecting data. They will transition from learners to mentors as they move through the school, with the data being used by senior students in research, and providing valuable insights into climate patterns.
As well as developing scientific thinking in students, the project also fosters creativity, resilience, teamwork, and a deep connection to the natural world.
The project was inspired by the work of hermit scientists who keep detailed logs in their locality, which are providing invaluable insights into climate patterns.
It is one of a series of programmes, which showcase the creative and innovative learning that is underway at ICHK. The school has attracted global attention for its cutting edge approaches to learning and has attracted an international interest in its innovations, programmes and curricula.
The school’s amazing surroundings provide students with unrivalled opportunities to experience authentic outdoor learning and connect with nature. Fieldwork and science experiments are regularly conducted outside of the classroom. For many years students have explored the nearby mangroves, witnessing species in their natural habitats, and learning about the importance of the ecosystems both to humans and to the environment.
The school has long recognised the tremendous benefits that outdoor learning brings to students' holistic development, and takes pride in being at the forefront of outdoor education in Hong Kong.
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