Like the apartments, the Tridhos school comes with a hefty price tag. The teaching staff is largely Thai and classes will follow a traditional Thai curriculum. Some Western instructors are involved, including a group of former Peace Corps volunteers. Mr. Ellis said. Dr. Chanthrapanya Panomporn, professor of education administration at Chiang Mai University, who chose the Tridhos school for his son, said, ''I believe in what they offer to my son in terms of international standards and at the same time we are trying to maintain our Thai culture, maybe you can call it Thai heritage.
Many parents like to send their children abroad, but in a sense they are losing Thai culture.
Dr. Panomporn who lives in Chiang Mai plans to move onto the Tridhos campus with his family. The school combines outdoor and indoor activities. Outdoor instruction will include environmental studies, organic farming and community service within the village. School officials admit that separating the parents of students from their jobs in Bangkok may be impossible. Some parents will only be able to visit, with grandparents or other relatives staying full time.