 |
Photo: Students taking in the view at Somerset.
Many schools look to a school camp experience to “bring people together”. For the Year 7 cohort, this is especially the case in Term 1 with students merging into one school from several primary feeder schools. Whether the camp is in the first or fourth term, the outdoor experience provides the opportunity for students to get to know one another, develop and strengthen existing friendships, as well as try different outdoor pursuits early in the journey through high school.
Somerset has facilitates several Year 7 Camps, including one for The Scots College who have been coming to Somerset for nearly 20 years. Scots view the Year 7 Camp experience as “an opportunity for teachers to get to know the boys and their personalities” over the four-day camp, which they attend in the third week of Term 1. The program for Scots Year 7 is designed so the students participate in activities that are linked to The Scots College framework which includes “resilience, empathy and brave hearts”.
In the most recent camp review with Scots, they commented on “Somerset’s smooth operation in all areas from activities to logistics, with safety always at the forefront.” This benefits the school, as it allows school teaching staff to focus on their pastoral role at camp, and student discussions, ensuring they can incorporate outcomes from camp into the school environment on return.
Somerset appreciates that every school is different and may have specific requirements for their camp and the outdoor experience. We welcome the opportunity to discuss these requirements with each school, in particular with the relevance to cohort and year group, so the program and debrief sessions can be tailored to the specific outcomes desired. This will ensure every school gains the most from their Somerset experience, not only to “bring people together”, but also to extend and challenge beyond the classroom and known situations.
Contact us, to find out how we can design a school camp for your school's requirements.
 |
Photo: Students floating in tubes on the Colo River.
Content by Danielle Bukovinsky (Corporate Development Manager), graphics by Kelly Aitchison (DoE Administrator).