Middle Years 

Mittagundi

Early this week, our Year 9 boys, Mr Rymarz, Mrs Nichols, and I returned from nine days away at Mittagundi. This formed part of our Year 9 Micah Experience. Mittagundi is a unique community enabling young people to come together and live a simple life full of purpose and where everyone matters to each other. The boys spent three days in the snow, based at McNamara’s hut, learning to cross country ski. The remainder of the time was spent at the Mittagundi Outdoor Centre working on tasks such as cooking, fencing, wood chopping, milking cows, gardening, making and fixing tools, and using the forge. 

A few things stood out to me about our students:

• Firstly, they are resourceful and worked well when faced with a problem. I enjoyed watching a small group working together to strain and tie off a new fence, combining the skills and knowledge of each individual for the task. 
• Secondly, they loved to be adventurous. This was noticeable when skiing. Everyone gave cross country skiing a go and tried skiing more complex and challenging terrain. Skiing lines through the trees was a highlight for many in my group. They thrived in challenging situations both in the snow and at the Outdoor Centre.  
• Thirdly, they quickly and efficiently learned to get on with group tasks and made them fun with their conversations and even singing. I loved watching my group organise the dishwashing process themselves and had fun singing pirate songs.
• And finally, the Year 9 boys were caring but also hilariously funny. The number of students who asked if they could help with carrying luggage or who jumped in to help another student with a job or task was pleasing. I also found myself laughing out loud about many of the funny conversations going on during the week. Humour and caring conversations have created lasting memories of the experiences over the week.   

The Year 9 girls should be looking forward to their Mittagundi experience next week and I hope the Year 8s get a chance to speak to the Year 9s in preparation for their trip in 2023.

Ben Hawthorne

Head of Middle Years