Grade 7 Leadership
Grade 7 Leadership Camp by Sam Taylor
On Friday 15th January all the Grade 7 boys boarded two buses and set off for Konka camp. From Friday to Monday we were involved in team building activities and had lots of fun. We slept in big dormitories – about 40 boys per dorm – and we worked in teams of 14 during the day.
We were challenged to complete exercises such as traffic jam, the Long Walk to Freedom obstacle course and a number of other challenges. We learned a number of important leadership values when we had to organise a set of numbers so that no two numbers were in the corresponding order and also during the night hike. We also did wall climbing, zip-lining, the spider challenge (where you have to get a ball into a cup when everyone is holding one leg of the spider).
Of all of these, my favourite was the zip-lining. I wish I was better at wall climbing but am going to keep practising to improve! We were accompanied by 5 facilitators and 7 teachers and it was fun to get to know the grade 7 teachers better. It was definitely the most enjoyable camp I’ve been on at Saints.
Grade 7 Camp: Kyle Cohead
We arrived at Camp Konka on Friday 15th just before 4pm. We got off the bus and received an enthusiastic welcome from the Konka staff. We were divided into two dormitories and went to the dorms to unpack. We then had a briefing on the rules of the camp and the staff explained the programme for the next few days to us.
On Saturday we had a day of leadership activities in our different teams and they were all a lot of fun. On Sunday we went zip lining and wall climbing. We completed an obstacle course and we swam for a long time – Konka has a big pool and a nice tuckshop. The food was delicious – especially the dinners! Evening activities included team war cries and eating marshmallows around the bonfire
On Monday we ate a big breakfast, did camp feedback and debrief and then said our goodbyes. Camp Konka is by far the best camp I’ve ever been to. I learnt a lot about teamwork – that you need to listen to others and accept and include their points of view. I learnt a lot about leadership and that to be a good leader you need to know how to positively influence other people.
Camp Konka: Dan S.
On Friday the 15th of January, 84 insanely excited grade 7 boys jumped on a bus and set off on a leadership camp to Camp Konka. We arrived at about 4 o’clock and were given an enthusiastic welcome by all of our facilitators. We were then escorted to our dormitories, each consisting of 41 bunk beds, which would be our sleeping quarters for the next 3 nights.
Our days would start off with a scrumptious breakfast usually consisting of French toast, eggs, sausages, toast and cereal with yoghurt. The boys would then be divided into about 6 groups of 14, with each group heading off in different directions.
We would spend each day in our groups attacking a variety of challenging activities which tested not only our physical and mental abilities but also our ability to communicate and work together as a team. A few of the activities which were the favourite amongst all the boys included the 200m zip-line, the 6m high climbing wall and the “hexa-challenge” which was a hexagonal obstacle course.
Lunch time was always a welcome opportunity to rest and replenish our reserves for the afternoon activities.
Each day’s activities would finish at about 5 o’clock, allowing us some free time to catch up with the other groups before dinner.
The after dinner “slow-down” consisted of a small hike or chill time in the dormitories until lights out at 10pm when all the teachers and facilitators would also head off to bed. Now this was when the real fun started, but, as my dad always says, “what goes on camp, stays on camp”.
I’m sure that future Grade 7 boys will find the camp both enjoyable and rewarding.
Lead for Life Review
“I am a Leader, I am a Leader! I lead from the front, I lead from the back! “
This was the motto from the Lead for Life team who came to St Stithians and hosted a two-day workshop last week. They taught me that a leader can influence people positively or negatively. I believe that a great leader will only ever influence someone to do good things. During the leadership program the facilitators encouraged us to work as a team, I understood that in order to be a great leader you have to work well with your team. A great leader makes sure that they get everyone’s input and ideas, because sometimes other people might have a better idea than you. The facilitators taught me a lot about leadership and I now know that one day I can be a great leader, just like Nelson Mandela.
Daniel Schmidt 7M
