In Week 4, Sheppard Year 8s along with Mr Prasad and Miss Birtch were the first Camp group cleared to make the trek to Orton Bradley Park. Students, staff and whānau volunteers enjoyed great weather, polite students demonstrating our CSKI values and fun activities provided for us by the Adventure Specialists. Below are some highlights from Sheppard Year 8 ākonga.
On the 23rd of February CSKI Sheppard Year 8’s left school on their way to Orton Bradley Park for Camp/EOTC – Education Outside the Classroom. On the day of arrival the first matter was to pitch the tents in the separate fields and lay out our gear and beds then prepare for our first outdoor activity. First for me and my group, because of cancelled water activities, we ended up with Flax Weaving and Abseiling. Flax Weaving was mainly a place to chill and talk while we worked but Abseiling was different. It was a lot of encouragement, focus and dedication while the rappel was surprisingly easy. Afterward there was just a bit of waiting and because I went second I had a long while to wait. When we made it back to camp 20mins late we had showers and a group of people went to the playground where the war for the flying fox commenced!
– Coen (S2)
On the Last day of Camp groups E & F got to do High Ropes, which is the best activity we did (apart from Abseiling)!! The first activity we did for High Ropes was climbing up wooden posts and balancing on a beam. The first climb I did was the Centipede which is a smaller climb but very wobbly and “difficult” to climb. Because I take climbing lessons regularly, the climbs at Camp were easy and I got up them very quickly. I was the first person to do the centipede and I zoomed up really quickly that I had to stop climbing a lot so my belayer could catch up to me. I did the Centipede three times.
When I did the beam, the holds were the same kind as the ones on the Centipede but it wasn’t wobbly so it was much easier to climb. Once I got to the beam, I stepped onto it which was scary because there wasn’t anything to hold onto but everyone said that I was the fastest to go across and the first in my group to do the star jumps and push ups on the beam. Sadly, I only got to do the beam once before we moved on to the next activity.
The next activity that we did was the Giants Ladder. The start of the ladder was easy but the rungs got farther apart as we got higher. Eventually it had gotten so far apart that they had to have a rope to help us up. The rope was smaller than I had hoped but we did manage to get to the top. After the Giants Ladder we got to do the Flying Kiwi. I chose to swing so when the instructor said “fly” I would have to run at full speed away from my belayers. Within five seconds after the instructor said “fly,” my feet left the ground and I was up in the air. This was probably the best activity that I did in the whole camp.
– Lena (S2)
The food at camp was not disappointing. The first day we had packed our own lunch but the dinner we had was really good. This is because for dinner that day we burgers and got to choose what we put in it and it was really good. One thing I didn’t try on that day was pasta but my friend did and she said it was so good. The next morning there was toast, beans, cereal, and milk and yogurt to choose from for breakfast.
– Yeeun (S2)
Thank you to all the parent volunteers who came to support our rōpū; we truly appreciate the kindness and care you showed to our students and the encouragement you provided through all the challenging activities!
