Year 9 Students Face Challenge on White Water Camp

Published on Friday 06 September, 2019

Year 9 students from Heritage College joined students from sister school Gilson College on Victoria’s Mitta Mitta River for the annual White Water Rafting Camp. Part of the year-long Challenge program, which rotates through four physically different camps throughout the year, the White Water Rafting camp allows students to spend time in the outdoors where they are challenged to “do hard things”.

The Year 9 program takes students outside their comfort zones, challenging students emotionally, physically and intellectually in a supportive environment. The aim is to provide opportunities to help students understand themselves better and develop their leadership and teamwork skills.

Over four key expeditions, students work together to solve shared challenges and make decisions collectively. Through these experiences, students develop critical negotiation skills to achieve success. The Year 9 Challenge provides shows students first-hand that personal development can happen outside the classroom.

“This camp is a once-in-a-lifetime experience where students discover what they are made of - and find that perspective and attitude to tough circumstances ultimately determine what we get out of life. Year 9 students have walked away with stronger muscles and minds as a result of their attendance at this camp.” - Miss Belinda Maggs, Year 9 teacher

Year 9 students provided their feedback on what they learned from their experiences:

"My favourite part of camp is the satisfaction of finishing the course to know I've completed it and that I knew I could do it again." - Elijah

"I learned that I am a lot stronger and braver than I thought and we need to push ourselves to do hard things." - Eowyn

"Never underestimate yourself." - Brooklyn

"I learnt about resilience and never giving up." - Harrison

"When we all pull our load it makes things easier." - Elijah

"Do things that you think you can't." - Matthew

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