Year 7 Camp 

Lucas Tan, Year 7, Ridgeway Campus

During my time at camp, I had the opportunity to try multiple activities to challenge me in different ways. Each activity provided me insight into the importance of working together and helping each other out. 

On the first night at camp, we immediately slept in the tents. I found this an exciting and new experience. It gave me time to bond with my group and get to know people I would have never communicated with. The following day, we participated in multiple activities, these included: bike riding, bouldering, high ropes, team bonding games, and cooking dinner. Cooking dinner with my camp group was an amazing experience that allowed me to make new friends and get to know my group. It also gave us the opportunity to learn how to work as a team in a new way. We had to do everything together, chopping vegetables, prepping the plates, and stirring the pots. If even one person wasn't contributing to the dinner, everything could have gone wrong. Luckily for us, we succeeded and had an amazing dinner. 

On the second day of camp, we moved into cabins. We continued to do more activities such as: canoeing, archery, and orienteering. For my group, we found orienteering a little complicated, but also really fun. We had to use a map and find markers hidden all around the camp. The hardest part was figuring out if we were on the right path, however when we found a marker, we knew we were one more step closer to the finish line. It was awesome working with my team to figure everything out. Sleeping in the cabins with my friends was an adventure! Although, we didn’t have our devices and weren’t allowed to make much noise, it was still a memorable night.  

Overall, camp was a blast. I learned a lot about myself and how to work with others. I also got the opportunity to spend a lot of time outdoors, doing things I’d never tried before. I’ll never forget all the fun times I had with my friends. It was an adventure I’ll always remember! 

Oriana Briganti, Year 7, Ridgeway Campus

During my Year 7 camp experience I gained so many valuable skills that helped me build my confidence. The camp pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and got me to try new things, and now I feel much more comfortable facing challenges that intimate me. One of my highlights was the high ropes course. Although I was nervous at first, I pushed through, and when we completed it I felt really proud of myself and my friends. I also really enjoyed spending time with our Year 11 camp leader Izzy, who was encouraging and supporting. She made my experience even more memorable. This camp taught me so many new skills and lessons that I am truly grateful for. 

Sofia Savkoski, Year 7, Ridgeway Campus 

Year 7I, along with 7J were the last two classes to go on camp to Wombat Camp Grounds, located in Emerald. 

The 1hour bus ride was really exciting, and when we arrived at camp, we unloaded our luggage and went inside to meet the wonderful camp leaders. Once we were allocated our camp groups, we introduced ourselves by playing a game where we said our name and something about ourselves that began with the same letter. 

Everyone seemed to love BBQ night the most. This was indoors in the food hall, cooked by the camp staff. My favourite part of camp was cooking outdoors on the stove in the forest. Our group worked as a team and made delicious butter chicken.  

Most of the time was spent around the different activities and during free time we made use of the trampoline and gaga ball area. We had fun attacking each other and throwing balls at each other.  

The flying fox was another popular activity, we got to go on as many times as we would like. For canoeing, we were in pairs with our own canoe. This activity was cold and involved lots of splashing, as well as teamwork to navigate the weedy lake. 

Another fun game, organised by the Year 11 leaders, was where we would walk around the room and they would yell out a number of how many people in a group we would need to form, then they would yell out an action we would need to make, for example, traffic lights, or beach. Everyone really enjoyed this game. 

Camp gave us all many chances to make great new friends as well as learn new things about each other.  Lots of great friendships were made among the different classes. Thank you to our teachers, Year 11 leaders and camp guides for making this experience fun and memorable for all Year 7 students.  

Tiffany Moutsos, Year 11, Ridgeway Campus  

Being a Year 11 Camp Leader on Year 7 Camp was a highly fulfilling experience, where I not only learnt about leadership and teamwork, but also about myself. Towards the beginning of the camp, I was unsure of how to meaningfully connect with Year 7 students, but as the camp unfolded, I realised that being a Year 11 Camp Leader was not merely about giving instructions to younger students but building genuine relationships and a safe environment.  

I spent a lot of time helping Year 7s adjust to being away from home on camp, and supported them in undertaking activities that for many, pushed them outside of their comfort zone. Some of the activities undertaken by Year 7 students on camp include canoeing, archery, the flying fox, and most notably the most challenging for many students, high ropes; where students were required to face their potential fear of heights. Through challenging activities, however, it was wonderful to see students supporting their peers and offering words of encouragement; helping foster a supportive environment. It was wonderful to see Year 7 students who may have not interacted prior to camp leaving camp as close friends.  

Thus, watching the Year 7s push through their fears, and seeing their confidence grow, was incredibly rewarding. Being a leader on the camp, the importance of patience and adaptability particularly resonated with me, as while holding this role, every student was different in terms of how they adapted to challenges presented, however, I enjoyed working with the individual needs of students in such circumstances.  

In many regards, Year 7 Camp was just as much about building relationships as it was about having fun, and the experience of being a leader in this environment was invaluable. 

Holly McKechnie, Year 7, Ridgeway Campu

Year 7 camp was heaps of fun and the activities we did were very enjoyable. Sleeping in the tents was fun but if I were to choose to do something differently, I would prefer sleeping in cabins. My two favourite activities were the high ropes and canoeing. High ropes was very enjoyable, I had to push myself to the limits and also had a great time with my friends.  Canoeing was an amazing experience because I was free to enjoy spending time on the lake with my friends, as we were splashing each other and doing races. My camp leader was Izzy, and she was an amazing Year 11 camp leader because she helped us overcome obstacles and always made us feel welcome. She made sure that no one was left out and that everyone had a great time. Overall camp was amazing, and I made lots of new friends and had a great time with the friends I already had and with the friends I made along the way.