Outdoor Education and Cultural Immersion program

New opportunities for new experiences in Year 9

This year our Year 9 students experienced a new Cultural Immersion and Outdoor Education program, providing them with new and rich learning opportunities. The Outdoor Education program took the form of an expedition that launched from Trinity's riverfront property in the area north of Licola in Gippsland. Students engaged in various outdoor activities, including hiking, rafting, camping and cooking.

The Cultural Immersion program provided students with the opportunity to learn about one of the diasporas that make up the diverse city of Melbourne. At the end of this program, they created a display and a presentation to inform other students about their cultural experience.

Below we have reflections on both experiences, from two of our Year 9 students.

Outdoor Education

At the start of Term 3, all Year 9 forms made their way to northeastern Victoria to Camp Licola. It started with a three-hour drive by bus in groups of two forms, including a mid-way stop at a sports oval, sharing packets of assorted Arnott’s biscuits. Once we arrived at camp, students split into forms and then further split into two groups within each form.

The first thing that my group (the "Merritt Swallows") had to do was cross a river with our packs on. We learnt the technique of crossing in groups to safely navigate the river.

Our plan for the week was to do two days of hiking and three days of white-water rafting, followed by a solo night. On the first night we needed to organise all our belongings so that we could be ready for the rest of the week. It was funny watching some of your mates struggle with putting in extra group gear into their 75-litre packs! Some students had to attach things to the outside of their packs. On a serious note, everyone courageously pushed through the hikes up Mount Tudor and Horse Hill.

Everyone had a great time, singing songs around the campfire and cooking dinner together. The most challenging part of camp would have been the Mount Tudor hike, as it was the first time for many with heavy packs, and conditions were very slippery from the rain. My highlight from the eight-day camp would have to be the last day of rafting. Overall, camp was lots of fun and a great learning experience to meet new people and challenge ourselves.

Kieran Soesanto (Year 9)

In early Term 3, the Year 9s had the wonderful opportunity to immerse themselves with various cultures that are now part of the Victorian diaspora – notably Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian and Greek. Each Year 9 form group was assigned a culture to study, and subsequently embarked on a week of activities across Melbourne.

A notable activity was "The Great Race", where students in small groups were issued with a booklet that took them to numerous key landmarks in the CBD. The students – with some staff supervision – worked in a team and independently as they solved each challenging quest the booklet demanded.

Those who were studying China explored the highly acclaimed Chinatown and the Chinese museum, with a delectable yum cha lunch at Shark Fin Inn to follow. The groups studying Vietnam and Italy took cooking lessons at Otao Kitchen Cooking School, learning how to make spring rolls and pasta with high-end equipment and wellmade dishes. The Vietnam group also had their fair share of dining, savouring the best of Vietnamese dishes at Tran Tran Restaurant, Richmond. The group studying Greece, meanwhile, experienced dance classes – strengthening relations as they all worked together to present elegant choreography.

The week also included visits to the Immigration Museum and Eureka Skydeck, to learn about how immigrants came to settle in Australia and its profound impact on Australian history. On the final day of Immersion, all forms came together for the final challenge: to make a concise presentation and a display for passers-by.

The program was a great experience for everyone, as students and teachers alike tried new activities, food and journeys.

James Tsui (Year 9)

Will Katic (Year 9)