11/12 Camp Week
On a Friday lunchtime, in what feels like the distant past of Term 1, an entire school community was huddled around phone screens as the news came through that the State would be going into another lockdown, and the building excitement over the following Monday’s camp was dashed. After a difficult year, you could hear the collective resignation of ‘here we go again’ echo through the school grounds.
Fast forward a few months, the combination of excitement, relief and disbelief was evident on everyone’s faces as they arrived at the CYC building in Melbourne’s CBD for a camp that, for a long time, seemed like it was never going to happen. The DP camp is always a highlight of the year, taking some time out from the rigours of academic life to bond as a cohort and create that sense of community that is so important to the final two years of school.
And we wasted no time in getting started.
As soon as bags were dropped off at our hub at CYC we set out for a day of electives in and around Melbourne: some overcame fears (particularly a nervous Year 11 Coordinator) or did their best Steven Bradbury impersonation on the ice at O’Brien Icehouse, while others took things at a more leisurely pace with a morning of lawn bowls at Flagstaff Gardens; some students got involved with the Melbourne street art community at Blender Studios, taking part in a workshop and creating an original graffiti stencil to keep as a memento. We also put our detective skills to work at Fitzroy’s Mystery Rooms, racing against the clock to solve puzzles and escape the locked rooms. After an action-packed day, we returned to the CYC building on Collins Street for one final challenge: ultimate quiz maestro Amy Byrne’s trivia night.
Much of the hype in the lead-up to the DP Camp is fixed on the annual Amazing Race day, where teams battle it out across Melbourne and surrounding suburbs for the coveted ‘golden shoe’. Each group needed to navigate their way through the city to locate teachers, scattered at various locations, who would set challenges and puzzles to complete in order to reveal the next coordinates. The first group to make it back to the accommodation would be able to claim the shoe and bragging rights for another year. They explored Melbourne’s history at the State Library and General Cemetery, phoned in requests to Triple R radio, and tore through Barkly Square to find the ingredients for Jamie Oliver’s beef tacos, to name a few of the stops on their almost mythical quest. To end the day we partook in one of Melbourne’s great cultural events: a private screening of a true piece of auteur cinema, Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. In reality, we heckled and hurled spoons at one of the worst films ever made. It was cathartic and provided us with enough one-liners to take through the rest of the academic school year.
A weary cohort shuffled out of the building on the final morning for one last push - a strenuous morning of lawn bowls, a graffiti session or a casual 25km bike ride to the Abbotsford Convent. After a challenging year, the week away was a well-earned reward, giving students the time to enjoy each other’s company and start the term on a positive note.
Chris McDuff Year 11 Coordinator
christopher.mcduff@preshil.vic.edu.au
and
Cat Pacitti Year 12 Coordinator