On 4 and 5 February, our Year 13 students attended camp at the Totara Springs retreat in Matamata.

The purpose of the camp was to develop us as leaders, challenge us to do things beyond our own comfort zones, to work as a team, and of course to have fun.

The first day of camp, the girls took part in a variety of traditional camp activities. Activities ranged from rock climbing to tubing to archery tag. The abseiling was one of the most challenging ones, moving backwards down a cliff face and into water at the bottom. The waterslides were hugely popular.

On the second day of camp, the students participated in workshops for both public speaking and leadership. The public speaking workshop was led by Mrs Finnimore, and the leadership workshop led by Ms Kanji. At these workshops we had thought-provoking discussions about what it means to be a leader, and how to effectively communicate a message.

Overall as students we had a really great time at camp. We learned valuable leadership skills like cooperation, courage, public speaking, and it was a great opportunity to spend time with one another before our final year of school kicked off here at TGC.

Over the duration of Year 13 camp, we grew as both leaders and students, plus leadership sessions have helped us effectively engage in our new vertical whānau classes. Camp was an exciting opportunity to prepare for the year ahead - particularly to have us all on the same page for what has been an action packed start to the 2021 school year! - Teia Kahura

A huge thank you to the Totara Springs staff, all the teachers who came along to help, and Mrs Lochhead in particular for making this camp possible.

Written by Brodie Banfield and Annabel Robinson