Student Voices

Year 4 and 5 Camp

Heston Lee (4M)

One of my favourite parts of the Year 4 and 5 Mapleton Camp was being in a cabin at night. It was great spending time with friends after school hours and having fun together.

The activities were all really enjoyable. Canoeing and the team-building challenges encouraged us to work together and support one another. During Van Dieman's Land, we had to try and lift a raft, but everyone kept falling into the water. Luckily, most of us had our swimmers on! The food was surprisingly good. Last year, students at assembly kept talking about how amazing the food was, and I remember thinking, "As if!" But they were right! It was much better than I expected.

It was also my first time ever being in a canoe. At one point, we got stuck in weeds and a tree, which made it really difficult to steer. I had branches in my face, but after some persistence, we managed to get out. To make things even more interesting, there was a huge spider running around in our canoe! We solved that problem by pretending it wasn't there.

Olivia Borshch (5P)

Since my old school didn’t have camps in Year 4, I had never been on one before and didn’t know what to expect. I was excited to find out what camp would be like.

One of my favourite activities was canoeing. There was lots of splashing from other canoes, and I hadn’t worn togs because I wasn’t planning on getting wet! To stay dry, we paddled to the other side of the lake away from all the chaos.  At one point, I nearly capsized our canoe trying to get unstuck from a tree, which was a bit scary. We also saw a massive lizard jump off a log and swim towards our canoe, which made us paddle even faster! Who knew they could even swim?

The Possum Glider was the highlight of camp for me. I was near the end of the line and felt really nervous while I watched everyone else zoom through the air. By the time it was my turn, I was shaking while putting on my helmet. Once I got on, though, it was so much fun and I was really glad I gave it a go.

A memorable activity was rock climbing because we had to work together as a team. We took turns climbing and supporting each other from below. It helped us realise that we could trust one another and work together to achieve our goals.

Another activity that taught us about teamwork was Build a Bridge. We only had a short amount of time to tie ropes, tubs and wooden batons together before putting our ‘bridge’ into the water. As soon as we launched it, the whole thing collapsed! Even after people jumped into the freezing water to try and save it, the bridge still fell apart. No one managed to make it across except for the toy llama. Even though we weren’t successful, we learned a lot about teamwork and had plenty of laughs along the way.

On the first night, everyone was so excited that it took a while to settle down and get to sleep. The second night was much quieter. By the end of camp, I had made great memories, tried new things and learned more about working together as a team.

Please refer to the Week 7 Photo Gallery for highlights.

Year 9 Camp

In Week 6, the Year 9 cohort experienced a week of exciting challenges and bonding. The trip began with a long bus ride filled with fun and music. 

We arrived at the tree tops challenge for our first activity of the camp which was one of many highlights. Our cohort was challenged to build skills across numerous areas including encouragement of other, facing fears and leadership. 

On Tuesday, we travelled across the mountain range on our mountain bikes and climbed high to reach the top of the Giant ladder. Then in the afternoon we collaborated with the other classes to battle it out in a game of Capture the Flag. Even though our team lost horribly, it was such a fun experience to throw flour bombs and whack our classmates with pool noodles. 

Wednesday began with a map and a bunch of hole punchers for orienteering. Side quests added a unique twist to the game as we explored the camp site with pieces of nature attached to them. The afternoon brought leadership activities and a game of Stranded, were we had to work together to survive by building shelters and fires and finding food and water. To end the night the teachers and students enjoyed Just Dance.

Thursday was Curriculum Day. Heads of Department came out to teach us about sustainable energy, trading and economics, and drama activities. Free time activities in the afternoons throughout the week were filled with card and board games, basketball, walks to the lookout and ping pong tournaments.

Overall, this camp experience will be a highlight for many years to come, with memories and friendships that will last forever. 

Please refer to Week 7 Photo Gallery for highlights.

Year 10 Camp

The Year 10 camp was an unforgettable experience that brought our year group closer together. Throughout the camp, we participated in a variety of activities designed to test our physical and mental strength. These included carrying students on stretchers, pulling cannon-like objects with weights and a big long pipe, crawling under thick nets and across rocky sand, driving buggies and going down the big white slide into the water. The mud activities were especially challenging, as we had to help and encourage each other when people were struggling or falling. These activities taught us the importance of working together and not leaving anyone behind. 

In our free-time, we enjoyed playing volleyball and spotlight, having Milo around the campfire while having a chat with the teachers and working together in our Alpha and Bravo teams to prepare meals each day. These experiences allowed everyone to come out of their comfort zone, have fun and demonstrate the Clayfield values.

The final day of camp was particularly meaningful because it helped us understand some of the challenges soldiers faced during difficult times. All students were blindfolded and had to work together in complete darkness, representing the conditions soldiers experienced when they had to rely on each other in pitch black. We were required to communicate with our teammates to find an “injured” person and locate objects that could be used to safely rescue them. This activity demonstrated how important trust, communication and teamwork are, especially when you cannot rely on your vision. It also connected to the wider purpose of the camp, as all of our activities were based on the experiences of the ANZACs and soldiers. By the end, we had strengthened our friendships, created a lifetime bond as a year group and made unforgettable memories together.

Please refer to Week 7 Photo Gallery for highlights.