Over the last couple of weeks our Year 9 students have been attending the annual Stars Camps based at Outward Bound, Anakiwa.

All Year 9 classes had the privilege of travelling out to Anakiwa for the overnight camp which was hosted by the Graeme Dingle Foundation and Outward Bound. 

Students spent two days doing a series of activities designed to build our school values of Manaakitanga, Kotahitanga and Whānaungatanga within their whānau groupings. It was amazing to see every student out there get stuck into the tasks, getting to know each other and seeing bonds developing between them. 

Students were tasked with designing and building a working raft using barrels, planks and ropes, and then paddling their raft out to the jetty and back. Students also learned the art of patience and the importance of teamwork in the Fire Lighting session using traditional methods (no fire lighters or matches in sight!) 

Manaakitanga was developed through a series of blindfolded challenges set deep in the forest. Teamwork and problem solving was the focus of development in Rogaine, with a series of mapped challenges throughout the Outward Bound site. 

The evening was spent jetty jumping, working in teams recreating photographs and getting to know how cool their teachers actually are. A scenic cruise in the Sounds back to Picton capped off the awesome experience. Week 10 sees the rest of our groups head out to Anakiwa to live the experience and get to know one another. 

Special thanks to Gemma Miller, Graeme Dingle Foundation and Emily Stenhouse for organising an incredible camp and supporting us on this amazing experience. Thanks to the whānau teachers Mr Jones, Miss Smith, Mrs Roundhill and Mrs Simpson and our wonderful Stars mentors for coming to support our students and getting stuck into the activities. 

Check out more fantastic photos from the camps here.