Visit of Ringwood Secondary College
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The year 2008 is the 12th consecutive year that Montfort College has an exchange program with Ringwood Secondary School from Melbourne, Australia. The bond between the two schools is ever more outstanding and fruitful.

This year we saw the largest group of students ? aside from the visit of the Ringwood Band every 3 years ? with 15 students and two teachers. The teachers on this trip were Ms. Anna Benson and Sjnett Elliott.

MC administrators welcomed the Australian students in the morning of 24 June with a brief cultural information of Thailand and Chiang Mai followed by the school visit.

The program of their stay was said by the students to be an exciting one. They participated in various school activities and class involvements but also with numerous field trips such as that to the elephant camp and bamboo rafting at Mae Tang; to Doi Suthep, the Umbrella Village, Baan Thawai handicraft center, local markets among many other interesting places.

The group visited to Agape Home that give shelter to AIDS orphan children. The Australian students collected a sum of money to be donated to the home by doing a few concrete activities in the school.

A highlight of the trip was a visit to Chiang Rai via Fang, Mae Salong were they visited the famous long-necked village; Doi Tung park, Mae Sai and the Golden Triangle with a traditional boat ride in the Maekong River.

All Australian students were happy and quite many would like to come back to Chiang Mai. They established a good relationship with their Thai student hosts and families.

A Kantoke dinner was held at the Chiang Mai Old Cultural Center for all guests and their hosts on Friday 4 July. They all departed Chiang Mai on Sunday 6 July.

Montfort students are scheduled to visit Ringwood Secondary School in Melbourne on October 2008.