In an effort to promote not only a greener campus, but a green environment at large, Yew Chung International School of Beijing Secondary school students played their part in preserving nature this past Wednesday by going on a fieldtrip to the Great Wall.

This trip was not only an exercise in developing comradery between students, but it was an engaging way for students and teachers to strengthen their relations outside the classroom as well

According to Casey Fanning, Pastoral Care Coordinator, the theme for the trip aligned with last year’s Great Wall Hike “Just like last year, this year’s theme for the trip was also more environmentally and sustainability driven.” This is in the bid to raise awareness on the effects litter has on the environment.

“Last Year, we did a big trash pick-up and this year we also did and our driving point was the Seeds of Hope theme of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” A move that has also influenced our campus to go greener by reducing the use of paper and other substances that may harm the environment. In addition to reinforcing the practice of the popular three Rs, the trip was also used as a way for the students to have a deeper appreciation and respect for one of the world’s most iconic tourist attractions.

As part of our school’s holistic learning approach, YCIS Beijing’s Secondary School students have the opportunity to learn outside the confines of a classroom, be it through our annual Experiencing China trips or the Great Wall clean-up. The goal of these trips is to immerse students in Chinese culture and to raise awareness about the current environmental challenges facing the 21st century population, respectively

Our schools solutions based learning nurtures creative ways for students to come up with alternatives for our daily challenges. Students were tasked with coming up with inventive ways to pack their lunches and snacks, to demonstrate that it is possible to use minimal plastic or disposable products in our daily lives.

Students had this to say when asked about what their thoughts were on learning outside the classroom initiatives and their highlights from the trip;

Julie Ju (Hyunjeong) Year 8• What do you think about learning outside the classroom?I think it is very helpful to our learning, because sometimes it is better to go directly to the place that we learned about and see it, instead of just reading about it in a book.

Andrew Wong Year 12• How do you benefit from learning outside the classroom?This kind of learning helps students’ understanding of things that they study in History class. They get to see and touch something that they studied in class.

• What were the highlights from the Great Wall trip?It was good to get exercise from the hiking, help each other during the hike, and build relationships with other studies. The exercise also helped our mental health by lowering our stress levels.

Casey Fanning echoed Andrew’s last point by saying “It breaks up the norm of the usual classroom routine, which can benefit students”.