the great outdoors
Outdoor Education
Mark Haebich
Teacher - Outdoor Education Studies
Teacher - Bushwhacked
Term 1 was a busy one for Outdoor Education at BSC. With two classes of Bushwhacked and classes for both Year 11 Outdoor Education Studies (OES) and Year 12 Outdoor Education Studies, there are a total of 7 multi-night Outdoor Education programs running in 2019, along with a range of day programs.
Early in Term 1 the VCE Units 3&4 OES cohort built their 'platform' for 2019 by completing a 5 day bushwalking program at Wilsons Promontory. This group of students were building a case study of the historical relationships with this environment but also used the opportunity to visit the desalination plant at Wonthaggi for content that will be required in Unit 4 studies. Many of these senior students visited Wilsons Promontory as Year 9 Bushwhacked students 3 years ago so they enjoyed coming back to this special place to build their Unit 3 & 4 content knowledge and skills.
Sol Laslett
Year 11
Wilsons Prom' was a scientific site for the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, and this was the way they treated and interacted with it. Knowledge was gained because of their interaction with the land. This can be linked to my experience because similar to them, I was trying to grasp all of the information I could out of the experience. When observing and eating the “bush tomatoes” I was also studying they way they were distributed and how the plant grew.
Lachlan Kennedy
Year 11
What I experienced at Wilsons Prom was a feeling of awe. While walking through the wet forests and other types of environment during the trip, I was completely zoned in and connected to these pristine areas of nature.
Ella Connell
Year 11
Unlike our perceptions of Wilson’s Promontory, which was an area seen by our OES class as a place of learning with a rich cultural history, the early settlers perceived Wilson Prom as a place to access resources for financial gain.
Our interactions focused on moving through the park and learning about the historical uses of this area such as timber harvesting.
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Bushwhacked Basics
During Week 8 of Term 1, the two Year 9 Bushwhacked classes teamed up with Rubicon Outdoor Centre to extend thier skills. This camp was designed to consolidate and apply the character strengths and outdoor living skills that students studied in Term 1 classes. The class groups worked separately, accessing the Goulburn River and Cathedral Ranges as they investigated and championed their own character strengths and those of their teammates.
Alessandro Mortimer
Year 9
Overall, I really enjoyed the week we spent at Rubicon. It allowed me many opportunities to show and demonstrate my character strengths, and to observe the character strengths of others. I personally enjoyed the community project because I like helping people.
Elias Koch
Year 9
I learned a lot about myself, my connection to the world as well as my connection others and the importance of strengthening others' connections to me. Our focus on character strengths allowed me to explore the different strengths that I possess, as well as improving other characteristics I have. I believe that because of this camp, I understand my connection to the world more having spent time in nature and truly reflecting on it. I have also connected to others a lot more through this trip. I have strengthened friendships as well as made new friends and learned more about them as people.
Poppy McCammon
Year 9
Going to Rubicon was a really good experience. It was an opportunity to try new things and to have fun in a new environment. Also, since the activities go for at least a day, you can really practice the skills you are taught and put them to good use.
KC Kanizaj Clark
Year 9
It was a good learning experience as we were out in the middle of nowhere and there wasn’t a lot of us, so we were forced to talk to new people and to try new things, which is good.
Sarah Meads
Teacher - Bushwhacked
Outdoor Education is more than pitching tents for camps and going on hikes; it is all about learning skills that will serve you well for life — wherever it may take you.
Brunswick Secondary College offers Year 9 students the elective subject of Bushwhacked studies as an introduction to the VCE Outdoor Education Studies (OES) Learning Pathway. OES can take students on to a variety of further education and careers, including (but certainly not limited to) environmental studies, land and water management, parks and recreation, forestry and teaching.
This year's Bushwhacked students showed great drive, determination and a positive attitude on this recent trip. The camp hones their sense of personal responsibility and relience, as well as builds strong teamwork skills and ethics. It was good to see them all step up to the challenge of taking care of themselves while still looking out for and supporting thier peers.
Sabine Barnett
Year 9
The Bushwhacked Rubicon experience was a really rewarding and challenging trip that not only taught me a great deal about outdoor education, but also about myself.
As an academically-oriented person, I was a tad unsure about how I would do at Rubicon, but although it was challenging I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it for anyone in younger year levels. Even if you feel like you are not really the right kind of person for the subject, the Bushwhacked experience is super rewarding, and you do have fun facing its challenges.
Esther Rankin MacDonald
Year 9
My Rubicon experience was amazing. I took so much away from it - not only practical skills but also new friendships and better relationships with my fellow peers. Going on camp for five days allowed me to time to become closer with particular students in my group. My favourite part of the experience was our solo time when we had 45 minutes to silently reflect about our experience at camp and to appreciate natural beauty while watching the sunset. I also really enjoyed the overnight camp and the rafting because I developed so many new skills and learned so much about the river and rafting. One of my favourite photos from Rubicon camp was a picture of myself and two peers at the top of Mount Sugarloaf after we hiked to the top.
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Brunswick meets the Yarra Ranges
In the final week of Term 1, the VCE Units 1&2 OES class had their first opportunity to head out into the field on a day trip to the Yarra Ranges National Park. This class is made up of Year 10 students, who are taking the opportunity of VCE Early Start in this subject. They accessed the high ropes course at Tree Tops Adventures (Belgrave) to investigate the interplay between perceived and real risk. They also evaluated the factors that could influence access to the activities completed by them during this excursion.
