Years 11/12 Camp

The story of us

by Daniel Symons, Years 11 & 12 Coordinator

This year heralds the inauguration of our new urban study camp for IB Diploma students at Preshil.

Nestled within the clutch of colleges at the edge of the University of Melbourne, Queen’s College accommodated us in relative camp luxury: individual dorms, good wifi and daily buffets of hot food.

This year’s camp theme was The Story Of Us, providing an opportunity to examine the stories we tell about ourselves, the stories we tell about each other and the stories we tell to ourselves. We couldn’t have had a more appropriate venue than our beloved Melbourne, honoured as the second UNESCO City of Literature in 2008. The stories we told together came in many genres: some students overcame great personal hurdles to attend camp at all, some students were warmly welcomed into the Preshil community and some students stared down their fears about the challenges ahead of them in the Diploma. All developed new connections and renewed admirations.

Highlights included study sessions with Elevate Education and workshops with the State Library of Victoria and the University of Melbourne. Our social and cultural expeditions were trips to Cinema Nova, a Trivia Night melee (helmed by the charismatic Helen and Linda), Shakespeare Under the Stars at the Botanic Gardens, charging through the CBD in our version of The Amazing Race and Photobomb Hunt (developed by the magnificent mastermind, Kris Austin) and exploring the world of self-publishing and zines from esteemed author, Timmah Ball.

Most of all, we enjoyed, celebrated and connected with each other. In the journey of listening to one another, we understood more about ourselves, both individually and collectively. Together, we are beginning to compose the beginning of a marvellous new story in Preshil’s esteemed history.