Junior Secondary Camp

What an outstanding Term One it has been. For many of our Year 7s and 9s the highlight of this term has undoubtedly been their Camp to Phillip Island. The atmosphere and excitement was incredible from the start as many of the students sang songs and played games to pass the time on the bus journey.

Once there the students quickly settled in to their new digs that would be home for the next 3 days, it still amazes me how quickly a nice clean cabin can be transformed into something much the opposite simply by putting 6 or 7 teenagers in there!

Over the course of the next 3 days the Year 7s and 9s would take part in a number of fantastic adventure activities. The students all had a try of the low ropes course, abseiling, giant swing, archery, rock climbing and the very scary looking circatron. The students were all amazing at participating and providing encouragement and support to their peers.

The highlight of the camp for students and staff alike was our walk to Cowes Beach, the weather was incredible and many students took the opportunity to put their feet in the water or simply lay on the sand. The Year 7s and 9s were then challenged to create the best sandcastle they could, the results were incredible, in my opinion there are certainly some future engineers and Hollywood set designers among this cohort!

At night times the mood shifted as we all came together to eat dinner and reflect on the day’s adventures, on the first night the Year 7s took part in a trivia competition while the Year 9s all got together to plan their activity for the following night. Once our night activities were over the students all retired to their cabin, how much sleep they got however remains debatable.

Tuesday night’s epic game of hide and seek was excellently led by the Year 9’s who throughout the course of the 3 days demonstrated fantastic leadership skills. By dinner time on Tuesday we had some very tired young people who through a combination of exercise, excitement and no sleep on Monday were well and truly ready for a rest.

Wednesday morning came before we knew it and it was time to pack up, some cabins had more to clean than others, Oreo wrappers and half empty chip packets were a very common sight! One last round of activities a quick lunch and it was time to leave. The bus ride home was considerably quieter than the journey there, many students taking the opportunity to get some much-needed sleep. Our adventure came to end once we pulled in the gate back at school, many people were happy to see family waiting for them and eager to get home to share their experiences.

Our Phillip Island camp has strengthened existing friendships and fostered new ones.