In the afternoon on the 24th of March, the Mount Alexander College students and teachers arrived at The Summit to start their year 7 camp. Some of the students were hesitant to start their camp, others were excited. But before we could commence with activities the students needed to be introduced to their coaches Mim, Sam, Calarnee, Chris, Franzie, Elena, Milena and Simon. At The Summit we have something called the Five Keys, these keys help the students get the most out of their camp and constantly want to try new things, push themselves outside of their comfort zone, always find the fun as well and not leave camp with any regrets.
These keys are:
- Have Fun
- Play All In
- Make Lots of Mistakes
- Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
- Don’t Go Home Wondering “What If”
Then the students were led to the stage and were taught how to put on a harness and helmet, this was partnered with a goal-setting strategy called Target, Stretch, and Super Stretch. Now that they were all loaded with information we could get started on our 8 activities. These activities are
- Giant Swing
- Snowy River Challenge
- Summit Window
- Cave
- Rock Wall
- Scavenger Hunt
- Bag Blitz
- Laser Skirmish
By the end of the first rotation, all the groups needed to make their team names because that is what the group will be known for the rest of the camp. Before dinner, everyone participated in two activities followed by free time.
Starting the second day Calarnee talked to the group about setting a morning intention and having a plan for the day so that everything out of their control doesn’t control them. After, we played a morning game of Jockeys to get everyone moving and hyped for the day. Day two was a big day as the students participated in 4 rotations of activities and the Monster Course. At the time the students didn’t know that for the Monster Course, we ran two laps. So, after their first lap, we break the news to them that the winner isn’t the team with the fastest time, it’s the team that improves the most. This proves to the students that they are stronger, more resilient and have more perseverance than they thought.
Sadly, the final day was upon us and they had two rotations left on camp. But before they could do that Sam was the one to talk to them in the morning showing the power of gratitude and to be thankful for what we have. Once again, we had a morning game of Pirates run by Mim to get everyone motivated to start on our two last rotations. Finally, after 2 rotations, it was the end of camp, during the last rotation the students needed to vote for someone within their group who they believed showed The Summit Five Keys the most. This person would be a Values winner and receive a medal for living camp life to the fullest. They would receive this medal when all the results were read out just before all the students got on the buses and left The Summit.
