Junior Secondary 

Year 9 Adventure Camp

As an intentional change to the camping program, our second camp for the year shifted from a learning content focus to this year being an immersive experience for personal growth and development. Armed with the concept that 'nothing grows inside your comfort zone', our Year 9 students were taken to The Summit in Gippsland where each one was guided and challenged to set targets, articulate what a stretch past those targets would look like, and given opportunities to expand what they believe is possible for themselves.

The activities were definitely a highlight! Students were stepping off 16-metre-high platforms, navigating rope bridges suspended above a lake, walking across beds of nails, and climbing 6 stories worth of ladders into the sky only to abseil themselves back to earth. They problem solved in teams during challenges and obstacle courses, which involved thinking critically and creatively, stratergising, speaking up and listening. There was also just a whole lot of fun had with inflatables and outdoor laser skirmish.

More than the excitement, energy or hype brought on by adrenaline and comradery, this camp was significant for the stories that can be told of student, after student, after student facing daunting, challenging, or scary situations and walking away with an enormous sense of achievement. Whether it be the elation of, “I’m so happy, I never thought I could do that!” or the resolve of testing the boundaries of their comfort zone and discovering the confidence to decide, “this is the furthest I am going right now”, every student found themselves immersed in situations that stretched them. Although on the outside it could appear that camp was about the 'doing' of big things, either in a team or on their own, this camp was all about the 'thinking' that happens when they are put in these situations. 

My deep hope is that our students translate the skills and experiences from camp to their everyday life so that they can get through challenging, daunting, and hard experiences. I hope that the memories made on this camp will becomes anchors for them to look back on and use as motivation to get past whatever obstacle is in their way, or whatever hard thing they just really don’t want to do, or whatever daunting situation they’d rather just avoid.

Well done to everyone who came on camp! As teachers we saw each one of you bravely push the edges of your comfort zone out further, and we are so proud of you!

Tim Eddy

Year 9 Coordinator