Wednesday 27th October
(Day 4)
The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and students were awoken to the dulcet tones of staff waking them up. One of the most enjoyable components of camp is watching how different staff members tackle this task. Simone Gill is a tent knocker, Nick Patzel is a stand in the middle and yell operator whereas Eitan from Wilderness Escapes provides his rendition of:
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9A spent the morning kayaking around the inlets of Hindmarsh Island in somewhat tricky conditions. A pocket of students found this particularly hard and in some ways, this is a blessing as it is when you see our students truly shine. Classmates become their greatest support and through this experiential learning, they are displaying the empathy that we spent so long learning about all year. The greatest growth happens outside of the comfort zone. All students in this class are flourishing with numerous students receiving more than one character strength medal for their actions. Seth Michielan, Nickolai Greenham, and Jedd Tranter particularly shone today. Mr. Maney was also able to flip the conversation at the medal ceremony and asked students to think about what two character strengths were their biggest weaknesses. Students were able to give informed responses and this helped them further develop their understanding of self.
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9B have had an up and down day. After completing the cove trek, students were elated with themselves and naturally exhausted. On the way to their Kayaking expedition, they were met with the news that the conditions weren’t favourable. However once again Mother Nature helped out and was able to change the wind direction, which allowed the students to paddle around the inlets this afternoon. Miss Clark is hopeful they will be able to get up early and get their paddle on. Special mention to Cayde Watson who capsized Joseph McCarthy’s kayak. The fake tan bandit has also struck again forgetting to do their feet, some would say they now have a nice ‘tradie sock’ line.
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9C was very excited to greet Miss Gill late last night and she will now join them for the remainder of the week. Micki Greenham will move to 9A and help them with their activities. Naturally, Miss Gill has arrived like an energizer bunny and given the students a morale boost. Glowing reports have come from this group yesterday, particularly in the Mountain Biking and the level they were able to ride at. Today after being caught in a traffic jam due to an accident they eventually managed to start snorkeling at 11 am, two hours after the scheduled time. Students were able to see many schools of fish and enjoy their last ‘half day’ activity. They have now begun their bushwalk and will conclude the camp with this. Angus Clarke has been lauded for his leadership.
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9D also had a very up and down day. Whilst unloading the kayaks this morning a wilderness staff member, unfortunately, dislocated their shoulder and was unable to continue. Therefore with a lack of instructors students were unable to complete the second half of their kayak. An excursion to Port Elliott and Horseshoe Bay occurred and students had a great time. Steve Primer and Ange Queale weren’t too upset to get the opportunity for a hot beverage at the Port Elliott Bakery. This group has been somewhat slow-burners when it comes to the connection to self part of the program however have made significant progress in the past 24 hours.
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9E enjoyed a feed of bacon and eggs this morning at Douglas Scrub and then headed off for their Rock Climbing/Abseiling activity. The sheer level of peer support was astounding with each student genuinely wanting the best for their classmates. The inclusivity of this group is all you can ask for from such a special group of students. They have now completed the first half of their bushwalk and will spend the rest of the trip completing this component.
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9F spent the morning completing the cove trek and the satisfaction on their faces said it all. Students were exhausted however so proud of their efforts. They will never forget how they were able to come together to achieve their goals and improve so much individually in the process. They have spent the afternoon kayaking from Investigators Landing and will do so again in the morning before a much-needed shower tomorrow night. This group should be very proud of themselves!
The past 24 hours have seen many students connect to the mindfulness strategies that have been learned through the 9SHINE program. Not one strategy fits all and students have found their unique way to self-regulate and therefore give themselves such a great opportunity to succeed.
“Mental health should be practiced like bouncing a ball, Mindfulness is the key ingredient” Neale Daniher
