Rain, Mud and Wind … Build Character!
Rain, Mud and Wind … Build Character!
March 13, 2017 at 2:54 PM
For over 20 years, our College Year 7 students have been heading away to a five day camp at Chosen Valley in the Bombay Hills during ‘sunny March.’ Twenty years of photos show predominantly sunny days, blue skies and big smiles as our newest and youngest students enjoy everything the venue has to offer.
So Year 7 Camp 2017 was just a ‘wee bit different!’
Yes, camp just happened to coincide with the worst conceivable weather for a week away! The weather bomb of Tuesday night dropped over 100mm of rain, left rivers flowing down the field, an overflowing lake, an underwater confidence course, several large carpeted areas awash, a layer of mud through the main toilet block and a quarter of our students ‘sleeping’ in 16 sodden tents and pools of water!
Whilst the rain stopped on Wednesday morning – it was only to be replaced by gale force winds!
But there is nothing like resilience and the ability to bounce back in the face of adversity. By Wednesday lunchtime ‘things were largely sorted.’ The wet sleeping gear had been dried in the laundry, the tents were abandoned for marae style sleeping in the Chapel for all remaining nights, and the planned activity programme simply carried on in the wet weather that continued to dump abundance of excess water!
The students, teachers and parent supervisors (who came out to help in the afternoons), treated it as an adventure and cheerfully carried on. The whole experience was best summed up by a dad who said in an email, ‘I have to say it was an absolute highlight to see the way the students, teachers and parents just entered into the spirit of things… it was blowing and wet, and yet I didn't hear a single moan from the kids, just encouragement of their fellow students to get through the next challenge. It was inspirational and I can absolutely agree that it will build great resilience and character. They won’t forget the camp of 2017!’
The Year 7 camp provides an opportunity for our new College students, who have come from various primary schools, to get to know each other, develop friendships, pride in their Houses and be introduced to the Saint Kentigern values and expectations. Cooperation and responsibility came to the fore as the students worked together to support and encourage each other through their week of activities – in decidedly inclement conditions! It’s fair to say that the tough conditions have set the students up well for their first year at the College and brought them together as a cohort as they embark on their Saint Kentigern journey.
