About

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Today’s children rarely experience life beyond school, the sports ground and video games.

St Stithians has a sixth school, which offers the children new and unforgettable experiences. Kamoka Bush School is an outdoor education facility situated in the beautiful Waterberg, and owned and operated by St Stithians College.

At Kamoka, St Stithians scholars of all ages camp outdoors, with fully supervised forays into the bush around the school.

They learn about the animals and insects that are there in abundance, and they learn to respect the environment in which they stay.

In addition, the highly experienced staff at the school engage the children in team-building exercises, with a sing-song around the campfire bringing a fun end to a busy day.

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Through these camps at Kamoka Bush School our students experience the eight Rs of outdoor education (OE), as outlined by our Rector, Dr Tim Nuttall:

  1. Rites of passage – opportunities for important, structured transitions, tied in with seasons of school on the College journey.
  2. Relationships – enhancing social and emotional intelligence, and enriching relationships within the school community and beyond it.
  3. Reach – embracing new encounters, widening horizons, and taking students out of their comfort zones. These experiences happen through physical exertion, social and emotional stretch, and new learning opportunities.
  4. Rootedness – giving participants a sense of place, of being grounded and connected. This relates to unique and beautiful natural and physical spaces, and to local contexts and communities.
  5. Responsibility – developing high levels of personal organisation, teamwork and collective accountability. Outdoor education offers a dynamic laboratory of leadership, as well as promoting environmental consciousness.
  6. Risk – enabling learning through managing risk, making mistakes, and dealing with danger. Outdoor education involves risk, which has many educational dimensions, as well as associated issues of safety and risk management for Kamoka, which are taken very seriously.
  7. Reflection – time to think, time to be, and time to grow in self-awareness and spirituality, all critical opportunities in our fast-paced and often superficial world.
  8. Resilience  -The mental strength and a positive attitude to bounce back from difficulties and challenges, to have the belief in oneself to adapt, and to overcome risk and adversity whilst realising that setbacks are learning opportunities.

The students who have had the benefit of attending the Bush School remember their experiences in a positive way, and many of them continue to enjoy all that the bush has to offer long after leaving St Stithians.

Our tearm at Kamoka are an important part of what makes the Kamoka experience so special, here is a pic of the exceptional team of facilitators and staff who work at Kamoka Bush School along with our Head, Stephen Baytopp and Deputy Head, Kerry Baytopp.

Staff

Get to know our Kamoka Bush School Team:

Stephen Baytopp - Head of Kamoka Bush School

Stephen Baytopp - Head of Kamoka Bush School

Stephen and Kerry Baytopp spent 18 years in the remote North Eastern Tuli Block  Botswana managing  game farms and operating an Outdoor Education centre  before moving to South Africa into a temporary  hospitality position in the Soutpansberg.  Their journey was followed by  managing Bush Pigs Outdoor Education Centre for WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa), for five years,  and they have headed Kamoka Bush School since 2015.

Kerry Baytopp - Deputy Head of Kamoka Bush School

Kerry Baytopp - Deputy Head of Kamoka Bush School

Stephen and Kerry Baytopp spent 18 years in the remote North Eastern Tuli Block  Botswana managing  game farms and operating an Outdoor Education centre  before moving to South Africa into a temporary  hospitality position in the Soutpansberg.  Their journey was followed by  managing Bush Pigs Outdoor Education Centre for WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa), for five years,  and they have headed Kamoka Bush School since 2015.

Sam Gama - Head Facilitator

Sam Gama - Head Facilitator

Samuel or Sam as he's affectionately known, started working at Kamoka in 2014 as a Facilitator and progressed into the position as Head facilitator in 2017. Sam is currently studying Philosophy Politics and Economics.

Mpho Mothapisi - Facilitator

Mpho Mothapisi - Facilitator

Mpho was initially employed as the Head Cleaner in January 2015 and became a facilitator in October 2015. In this position Mpho found his passion for the bush and successfully completed his FGASA Level 1 in 2019 and intends applying to complete his FGASA Level 2.

Seipate Mogoboya - Facilitator

Seipate Mogoboya - Facilitator

Seipate joined the Kamoka Team in 2018. She has a Diploma in Nature Conservation from TUT. She has work experience at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, City of Tswane and SANPARKS. She is currently studying A Bachelors Degree in Health Science and Social Services specialising in Pshycological counselling.

Dijaro Magana - Facilitator

Dijaro Magana - Facilitator

Dijaro has a Diploma in Nature Conservation from TUT. He has experience working at SANBI (South African National Botanical Institute)and with WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa) at Bush Pigs Outdoor Education Centre, prior to joining Kamoka in 2020.

Sipho Majoni - Head Chef

Sipho Majoni - Head Chef

Sipho Majoni joined the Kamoka team in 2017 after working for SODEXO at St Stithians Boys' College for a number of years. He also has prior experience of working in the bank at FNB, but found catering to be his forté and his passion.

Eunice Mothapisi - Assistant Chef

Eunice Mothapisi - Assistant Chef

Eunice is the sister of Mpho and started at Kamoka in 2014. She completed In-House Accredited food safety training in 2018, and she has a passion for baking.

Samuel Molekoa - Head Cleaner

Samuel Molekoa - Head Cleaner

Samuel is a past student of Phagameng High in Modimolle, (With whom we have had engagement with since our inception),matriculating in 2017.  He has worked at Casteel De Wilt, and Ikando contractors and is a member of the Apostolic Faith Church Choir. He has travelled to Swaziland to perform with the Modimolle Community Choir. He was employed at Kamoka in 2019.

A video showing the beauty of  our Kamoka Bush School.

To view directions to Kamoka, click on the PDF document below:

Kamoka brochure