by Clare Rayner

Duke of Ed. Walking Event – Mystery Drop off!!!

It was great to do something different as the students continue to build their hiking skills and abilities. We had a bit of fun as the students were blindfolded and taken in the mini-bus to a mystery drop-off location. At that point they were given a map, instructions of the rules and the time to arrive back at school. The students were at the heart of the problem solving and route planning for our activity. I was impressed with their efforts and the way they worked together to navigate and walk to a deadline. Everyone was super excited at being blindfolded and being dropped off in a secret location. Great work to both walking groups, it was fantastic!

Breakneck Hill Walk Challenge

Our Bronze and Silver students took on a hill walking challenge – they were given 90 minutes and they needed to complete as many ascents as possible of a very demanding hill outside Yarra Glen, safely within the time. The students took the task on in a sensible mature manner and were extremely safe walking up and down the steep, slippery conditions. The views were amazing on a golden afternoon. We were focusing on group work and appreciation of the outdoors, as well as pushing ourselves physically. Well done to all students involved; I would encourage the students to try to complete more walks with a backpack on their backs over the holidays, certainly a few times before their adventurous journeys next term.