Year 9 The Summit Camp - Taking on the Challenge

Natalie VALENTINE

Head of Junior School

Classroom Teacher

From July 15–17, 160 enthusiastic Year 9 students and 18 Highvale staff members headed to The Summit Camp in Trafalgar East for three exciting days of adventure, connection and personal challenge.

The focus of the camp was to build stronger connections with each other and encourage students to step outside their comfort zones by trying something new.

Throughout the camp, students were encouraged to embrace The Summit’s five key principles:

Have Fun – Enjoy the experience, embrace the activities and make the most of every moment.
Play All In – Fully commit to every experience, give your best effort and be willing to challenge yourself.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable – Step outside your comfort zone and discover what you are capable of achieving.
Make Lots of Mistakes – Understand that mistakes are part of learning. Try new things, learn through trial and error, and grow from the experience.
Don’t Go Home Wondering – Seize every opportunity and give things a go, so you leave with no regrets!

Students certainly embraced these principles as they took on a range of exciting activities, including the high ropes course, giant swing, flying fox, snowy challenge and Leap of Faith. Each activity provided opportunities for students to test themselves, support one another and discover what they were capable of achieving.

It was fantastic to see so many students step outside their comfort zones, overcome their fears and surprise themselves with what they could accomplish when they simply gave something a go. Many students returned with a renewed sense of confidence and pride in what they had achieved.

A huge congratulations to all of our Year 9 students for their enthusiasm, positivity and willingness to participate throughout the camp. We are incredibly proud of the way they challenged themselves, supported their peers and embraced every opportunity.

A special thank you also goes to our 18 dedicated staff members who generously gave their time to attend the camp and support our students throughout the three days.

Well done, Year 9 — what an incredible adventure!