Snakes on Campus Benefit Students and the Community

Bangkok Patana School has begun the installation of a serpentarium at its much valued, on-campus Outdoor Classroom. The Outdoor Classroom will double in size, taking over part of the football fields and two tennis courts at the Sports Complex.

“As Bangkok continues to urbanise, many native reptiles lose their habitat. Some of these dangerous species are entering homes and the current Red Cross facilities cannot handle the influx of calls. We will offer a place to re-home these poisonous reptiles on our campus. This falls in line with our values of contributing to glocal and local communities.”

Coke Smith, Secondary Environmental Systems and Societies Leader

As part of the project, students will be taught to handle reptiles and extract their toxins. The link to the curricula is welcomed by teachers. “This is an excellent opportunity for students to get hands-on experience in an area they typically can’t access. Yes, there will be risks in handling deadly toxins, but the opportunity to have children as young as six years getting this experience, far outweigh the risks,” said Dave Walton, Primary Science Advocate and the Leader of Learning and Welfare in Year 4.

As a side effect, the Football and Tennis Academies will reduce their schedules to reflect the contraction of their facilities.

The school is looking for feedback from the community on how to fully maximise the potential of this project. Please email communications@patana.ac.th with your suggestions or if you would like to volunteer.