Parkdale Secondary College Blog

On Wednesday the 6th of April we got the privilege of welcoming almost 160 Year 12 students to The Summit. What a beautiful, polite, and kind group of humans. The Summit loved having you join us over the three days. We thank you for stepping outside your comfort zone and having all the fun with us. It was incredible to see many students set themselves clear goals for the activities and crush them. We hope your time at The Summit taught you many things but most importantly we hope it taught you to always do your best and give 100% because as we learnt from key number 5, it’s important to not go home wondering what if. Many of the activities challenged the students in some, whether it be leaping off towers to catch the Leap of Faith bar, getting to know our resident snakes and walking over a bed of nails, navigating through small dark spaces in the Cave or testing each other’s teamwork and cooperation whilst racing the clock at the Bush Challenge. These are only a few examples of the awesome opportunities the year 12s were given. After each activity, the students sat down amongst themselves with the coach and shared a few highlights from the activity and something they could take away from the experience. For example, in the Giant Swing: the students shared a few metaphors, to sum up, the swing. Some being… what goes up must come down, use the team of people around you, it's okay to ask for help, be clear on your goals (choosing a colour and sticking to it) and be brave and pulling the lever figuratively. It was very captivating to hear what the students had the share and The Summit crew thank you for playing all in and allowing yourself to be vulnerable and courageous when sharing your true feelings. Over the three-day camp experience, the growth that appeared from the cohort was world-class. Every student gave it their best and we hope you continue to do that throughout this year and always.

During the Year 12s stay at The Summit we played many games such as 50 Up and Pirates. Congratulations to the winners – you know who you are… aka legends! We also used our last morning to think about all the things we had to be grateful for in our worlds and consider a morning intention for ourselves. As the saying goes, win the morning, win the day. When you set clear and direct goals for yourself throughout your day you are more likely to accomplish them. And if we think about all the things, we have in our lives to be grateful for our days will automatically flow better. We also shared many beautiful GMICs (great moments in camp) it always feels so nice to give and receive a compliment. We hope you are still sharing all the kind words back at school. The Summit crew found it very heart-warming to hear all the kind words and genuine support each student gave to one another. After completing many more activities such as Abseiling, Rock Wall, Inflatable World, High Wire and one of the all-time favourites a good few game of Laser Tag. It was great to hear all the laughter and good vibes around The Summit Park.

On the second day, in mid-afternoon, the students came together in their groups to complete the Monster Course. Not only did the students crush the first lap, but they also demolished the second surprise lap. The students raced against the clock both times, the first one to see how fast they could. However, the time that mattered the most was the second, because that determined the improvement time overall. We believe that’s the most valuable time. Anybody can run the lap once on a good day, but it takes a little extra strength, courage, powerful-mindedness and incredible teamwork to run the second lap when you are tired and muddy. You are only as strong as your weakest link. Well done to all the teams who got around their mates who were struggling. And finished strong as a team. Each Group improved by 8 minutes or more. Unreal efforts to you all!!!

After a full-on day, it was time to wash away all the mud and chow down on some spaghetti with garlic bread and get an early night in bed. Even on the last day with sore muscles and bodies the students still came to every activity with a wicked go get’em attitude for that we thank you. We hope you keep making mistakes as long as you are learning from them. Thank you once again for being a wonderful bunch of students, we all wish you the absolute best for the rest of the year. Just remember to set yourself clear goals T, S, SS (Target, Stretch, Super Stretch) we promise you they will help you accomplish so much. Also, enjoy the last year of high school and make sure to have all the fun. Life is all about doing your best and embracing every opportunity.

To bring camp to a close each group voted for one person in their team who they believed lived by our 5 Keys and got comfortable being uncomfortable and never hesitated for an opportunity. These students were:

Ben Charlie

Ethan Sam

Spencer Alex

Abby Jordy

Zac Ben

Lily Jude

Liam Jack

A massive round of applause to the lucky 14 students who got a hot lap in The Summit's very own WW2 Army Tank, we hope you enjoyed crushing the car. What a wicked story to tell friends and family back home.

Once again students and teachers from Parkdale, we wish you all the very best for the year ahead. It was a pleasure to have you all join us at The Summit, we hope you have an incredibly happy and safe year. Best of luck from The Summit team in BLUE J

RESULTS:

TEAM NAMES: MONSTER COURSE: SNOWY RIVER: BUSH CHALLENGE:

1. Team Uno 1. 8.22 8.43 2ND

2. Bobbies Angels 2. 11.54 3rd 8.27 1ST

3. 3 Balls 3. 8.32 8.54 3RD

4. Pipers 4. 7.20 9.25

5. Mountain Seals 5. 9.20 14.46

6. Absolute Maniacs 6. 8.14 11.19

7. 7 Musketeers 7. 10.40 22.09

8. Great 8’s 8. 9.06 14.18 1ST

9. Silly Billy’s 9. 8.32 37.30

10. Stacy’s Mum 10. 9.50 36.14

11. The Hive 11. 12.04 2nd 31.50

12. Dipsticks 12 10.45 20.16 3RD

13. Quacks Dynamic Ducks 13. 9.29 29.28

14. Sir Jude 14. 14.10 1st 19.57 2ND