SEA turtle hatchlings will be safely making their way to the pristine waters of Costa Rica thanks to pupils from Lewes Old Grammar School (Logs).

Twelve Logs students from sixth form years 11 and 12 spent three weeks as conservation volunteers at the Rio Oro National Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica during the summer holidays.

The reserve is the most important olive ridley and green sea turtle nesting site on Costa Rica’s South Pacific coast. It is located in the country’s Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.

Pupils did night patrols to monitor nesting turtles and collect eggs as they were laid, placing them into the reserve’s hatchery to allow the turtles to incubate away from poachers and predators.

The group also got involved with day-to-day maintenance on the reserve, fixing holes in butterfly netting, erecting signs and planting mangroves.

“This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and will have a lasting impact on the lives of our students,” said teacher Michelle Fox.

“We travelled to Costa Rica to learn about wildlife conservation but this project was also about broadening students’ horizons. It was about introducing them to completely different environments and cultures. As well as the conservation work, we also visited supermarkets, explored rivers, caves and waterfalls and learned about local crafts and dance.

“Our visit taught our students that the best way to learn is through experience. We took the students to a completely different environment and introduced them to a different social group from their usual circle of friends.

“Catching, monitoring and tagging the wildlife required all of them to learn a particular role then work as a team to ensure all these actions happened quickly and in the right order.”

Lessons in Costa Rica were unlike any they had experienced in their Lewes classrooms. Workshops included how to catch, handle, measure and tag a caiman lizard and setting up motion sensor cameras in the jungle to capture wildlife images.

The trip was organised by Working Abroad, founded by Logs parent Vicky Kornevall-McNeil and her husband Andreas, which has conservation, education and healthcare volunteering projects around the world.

Student Jack Cadogan- Rawlinson, 16, said: “Costa Rica was a fantastic experience. We balanced fun with learning about the impact of the conservation work we were undertaking.

“We gained so much from the reserve staff and their amazing knowledge of marine biology, something we hadn’t learned about before the trip.”

“Our group learned about the importance of working together. When we spotted a turtle laying her eggs, it was literally all hands on deck to ensure the eggs were collected quickly and all the right measurements were taken. It was really important as all of these actions had to be carried out in the dark. We left Costa Rica with a better awareness of endangered species and why it’s so important to conserve the environment we live in.”