Year 9 Camp Reflections
Weeks went by quickly, and before we knew it, the Year 9s were off on camp. It was an exhilarating experience, each activity getting us closer and closer as a connect class. The camp was held at Lord Somers, on the Mornington Peninsula. There was never a dull moment at Somers, you could always hear laughter around the corner. Whether it was the activities held by the Camp Counsellors before we all split up, or it was during our free time.
Personally, something that I think will really stick with me was the experience I had after our Stand Up Paddle-Boarding session. My connect class had some time left over, so we splashed in the waves at the beach, right next to the camp. I remember realising how special this camp was to me, and seeing the joy in my peer’s eyes as we all held hands in a circle and jumped into the crashing waves. It’s a core memory that will stick with the whole class and I’m so grateful for every one of them and the opportunity to create this memorable experience.
The camp not only strengthened my connection with the class but also gave me an opportunity to stretch myself and try something new. We were given opportunities to talk to those who we hadn’t spoken to before or try an activity that was foreign to all of us. The camp really allowed us to explore new connections, and engage as a whole community.
Overall, Year 9 camp was definitely one of the biggest highlights so far. I cannot wait for the day when I look back on reminisce on this camp and I hope to get closer to my class and whole year cohort as the years go by.
Samyukktha
In Week 6, the Year 9s headed down to Lord Somers Camp. The camp is on the Mornington Peninsula and is situated next to a beach and an estuary, which facilitated for brilliant team activities. We took part in many different activities including barista, kayaking, surfing, stand up paddleboarding, a trivia night, and a disco.
We were greeted with a delicious lunch of burgers with the fillings of our choice. After that, the activities began.
A popular activity was Barista. Here, half the class played the role of the customers whereas the other half were working in the cafe. It was very fun preparing coffee, milkshakes and toasties for our classmates and then switching roles and ordering food from them. Some people played the roles of funny characters which kept us all entertained.
Many people enjoyed the water activities, which were kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. In kayaking, we enjoyed a peaceful row along the estuary. On the other hand, we were thrilled catching waves and surfing for stand-up paddleboarding. Many people became good friends with the partners that they had for these activities.
At the end of day one, we had a fun night of trivia, suspense, and elation, where students battled it out in games of trivia, guess the teacher’s baby photo, heads or tails, and lip syncing.
We also had team-building activities, which were initiative games and beach games. Through these, we were better able to communicate with our classmates and friends and strengthened the bonds of our class as a whole. We played a range of games which required us to cooperate with our classmates, such as ‘Surfers Up’ (a bit like ‘Simon Says’) and fox holes, where we had to dig a deep hole in the sand, large enough to hide in without being noticed, and we had to quickly change to another whole when the instructor shouted out ‘Fox holes!’.
At the end of day two, we had another fun activity, a disco! Our theme this year was Marvellous Masquerade, and everybody came wearing sparkly masquerade masks and outfits. We danced for hours and gazed at the beautiful bright stars outside (stars look way brighter in rural areas). It was a night we will always remember.
Before camp, we didn’t know most of the people in our Connect classes very well, but being able to spend these three days with them helped us become more comfortable and build new friendships. We also connected with people outside our Connect classes. For example, we (the writers of this article) actually became friends on camp!
The Beach Olympics were a great way to end the camp, with all the classes battling each other to be crowned the champions (9I were the champions for group 2). This was such a great way to work in a team and support each other. In this activity, we also wore the t-shirts we designed in the screen printing activity that represents our class. At the end of camp, many people signed each other’s shirts since Year 9 camp is definitely an experience we would like to remember for years to come!
Tazmeen and Dillshad