Year 12 Study Camp

Being the first large scale event for Year 12s this year, Camp Howqua was an extremely memorable and enjoyable experience for everyone. It allowed us to further develop relationships with teachers and with our peers that will no doubt continue for the rest of the year. It is certainly one of the best experiences that we have had during our time in high school.

Upon arriving, we immediately began to participate in activities run by the incredible Camp Howqua staff, pushing us all beyond our limits. For some of us, this meant conquering heights through the flying fox or high ropes. For others, that was crawling on our palms and knees through the mud of the survival course, riding a horse or going down the rapid waterslide (or the “wedgienator”). In addition to these, we also had the opportunity to participate in a range of other activities including archery, frisbee golf, low ropes and a study session. 

Our first night concluded with an amazing trivia night run by Miss Tarquinio. Everyone felt the competitive energy in the room that night, with some of us even representing our team with matching uniforms! Even here, we were pushed out of our comfort zones with people competing in mini games comprised of singing, dancing and limbo in front of our entire year level who supported them by cheering them on thoroughly. 

However, the highlight of the night was definitely Mr Hudson’s unforgettable Elvis performance. To top off the already incredible night, we enjoyed some of Camp Howqua’s hot chocolate that was to die for, before returning to our cabins.

The following day consisted of more and more activities, rotating around the different ones. As the day came to an end, the student leaders ran team building activities including, but not limited to, creating dresses out of toilet paper and a balloon race. They taught everyone how to cooperate and work efficiently within a team but most of all, caused an abundance of laughter. 

As dusk fell upon Howqua, we ended our final night at the camp with the traditional disco where we were able to dance and sing at the top of our lungs with our friends. Mr Charlton’s iconic dance moves also made their debut, easily the greatest part of the night. 

Overall, the camp was by far one of the biggest highlights of school. It was filled with laughter and smiles and there never seemed to be a dull moment. The scenery we were exposed to itself was unforgettable. We were able to wake up to kangaroos right outside of our cabin and a sunrise over a beautiful array of bushland. We will all undoubtedly cherish these memories for a long time. 

On behalf of the Year 12 cohort, a big thank you to Miss Tarquinio, Mr Laganga and Ms Massarotto for organising this for us and also thank you to all of the other teachers that came! And of course, thank you to all of the Year 12s for making this one of the greatest experiences we will ever have.

Roheena Hamidi 12E

School Captain