Secondary School News

An Unforgettable Chinese Adventure!

The Young Leaders to China Experience.

On the 13th of September, 14 students embarked on a long awaited journey to China. As they assembled at the airport dressed in their blue signature uniforms and surrounded by their parents, they burst into song and thus began their five week adventure to China. And what a journey it was! This was not just a last minute holiday plan for these students, but a carefully prepared for exercise, almost a year in the making.

From the initial interview the year before, right up to the night of departure, quite a lot of planning, training and preparation had been put into place to ensure the smooth running of this mammoth trip the students would be undertaking. Meticulous planning had been put into effect and as the students emotionally farewelled their parents, they knew that this was going to be a trip of a lifetime and they were not disappointed. What an amazing trip it was!!!

Eight cities were part of this hectic itinerary. Guanzhou, Beijing, Xian, Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Kunshan and Shanghai. Included in this busy schedule were four Homestay experiences, numerous tourist visits along the way, as well as Language classes, set schoolwork and expected project work as they travelled. Not the most relaxing scenario, but what an experience for the fourteen students involved.

Thanks to the meticulous attention to planning by the Principal Dale, and the LOTE staff, Lijuan and Will, it was really a perfectly planned and very successful Chinese trip once again. The amount of planning, contact, rejigging, and effort that goes into the planning of such an exercise is beyond comprehension. Regardless of the fact that this was the fifth year that the trip was enjoyed by the students, there are always changes to the program in order to continuously improve the experience for the students. Unlike the normal camps that we have on offer for students, this camp is constantly changing in order to accommodate the international schools and their busy schedules, as well as making sure that everything is booked, perfectly synchronised and juggled in a timely manner.

Leading up to the departure date, the students have been involved in weekly China Trip meetings, weekly fundraising through the market efforts and finally a Trivia night to raise funds for supplementing the budget for the trip to ensure that our students have the very best experience that they possibly could. Dale and Lijuan have been involved in the planning and execution of at least 15 years of the China Trip, but with the Government funding of the Young Leaders to China program, they have helped evolve this trip from the initial two weeks of yesteryear to the five to six week program of today. It is definitely a mammoth task to co-ordinate such a tight, smoothly run overseas trip, especially when the foremost aim is to provide the students with as many amazing experiences and opportunities as possible one over there.

Fourteen lucky students: Dani, Ruby, Zinia, Mia, Teaghan, Angela, Phoebe, Sue Ann, Matthew, Finn, Asher, Will, Mohamed and Nina, accompanied intermittently by teachers Dale, Rosie, Judith, Liria, Sam, Lisa, Olga and Will, who all tag-teamed throughout the five weeks and were diligent in looking after the students’ safety, needs and well being. It was a tiring, yet very rewarding effort by the teachers, as they were on duty continuously, but even for all the teachers this was a labour of love. To be a part of this experience, as tiring and demanding as it was, every teacher was aware of how much the students gained from this experience and we were all honoured to be able to make an event of this magnitude safe, successful and memorable.

Our students are so happy to have had this opportunity and they have all been impacted by the many truly amazing moments they lived, undoubtedly these memories and experiences will always be cherished by them all. Unbelievable sights such as The Great Wall, The Terracotta Warriors, The Forbidden City, Summer Palace, the Bund, Shanghai Circus and Disneyland are just a few of the places that they visited, but these iconic sights and experiences were not the only highlights. The opportunity to be a part of authentic Chinese family stays and to be involved in the Chinese system of education, as well as their own practising of the Chinese language were eye opening and very valuable experiences.

Each and every participant on this program has come back to their ‘real life’ now professing how much they have changed and grown themselves from their Chinese adventure. They have seen wondrous sights, acquired historical knowledge and really immersed themselves in a different culture wholeheartedly. New friendships have been developed, great moments have been had and our students are back to share their experiences with their families and the wider school community. A fantastic experience for all.

Liria Stratus

Middle School Learning Community Leader