Junior School Report – February 18, 2016

Year 7 Camps

On Monday, February 1^st, after only one day of school, three of our Year Seven classes found themselves out at Log Cabin Camp, Creswick, participating in the first of four camps over two weeks, designed to help the boys get to know each other and provide first hand experience of the traditions of the College.

The facilities at Log Cabin Camp provided ample opportunities for the boys to push themselves out of their comfort zone and take on challenges that they may not otherwise undertake. Activities included the giant swing, flying fox, archery, trampolines, obstacle course, milk crate stacking, initiative course, canoeing and raft building. This year saw the introduction of a new challenge for the boys to conquer; the Leap of Faith. This proved a popular activity for the boys and really got hearts racing.

Mr Crowley, Mr Sullivan and members of the Student Congress visited the camps and provided the opportunity for the boys to be introduced to the College Song and War Cry. While the words of the War Cry may still be a bit of a mystery to some of the boys, the enthusiasm they displayed in chanting the War Cry certainly showed they are well on their way to becoming true Paddy Boys.

A highlight of the camps was the involvement of Year 12 students from 2015. It is a credit to these young men that they give up their free time to give back to the St Patrick’s community and assist the next group of Year Sevens as they begin their journey through the College. Wisdom and advice abounded throughout the camps, with one constant message being prevalent; St Pat’s is a place of great opportunity, so take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. We would like to thank Laurence Cashin, Evan Green, Kelsey Gannon, Mitch Canny, Connor Dowie, Paddy Collier and Sam Laidlaw for their generous involvement in the camps.

A big thank you to the dedicated staff who accompanied the classes to our camps; Pastoral Tutors: Mrs Jenny Willis, Mr Jarrod Ryan, Mrs Maria Richards, Nick Joosten, Mr Juri Kaczkowski, Mrs Katrina Bird, Mr Tom Ferguson, Mr Brett Earl, Mrs Margie Dodd and Ms Rachael Leighton. Teaching Assistants: Mrs Glenys Jarvis, Ms Lisa Henderson, Mr John Finch, Mrs Jackie Twaits, Mr Neil Henderson and Mrs Julie Johns. We were also fortunate to have the services of Mr Matt James assisting throughout the program. It was great for one of our counsellors, Mr Alex Montgomery to spend time getting to know the boys. Thanks also to Mr Dave Carpenter, Mr Leigh McKee, Ms Victoria Moore, Mr Stephen Hill and Mr John Richards who also visited at various times throughout the camps. We would like to acknowledge the wonderful support of our hosts, Grant and Christine Laidlaw, whose amazing hospitality allowed the boys to have such an enjoyable time.

Mr Gerry Willis and Mrs Jacinta Burge

Year 7 Co-ordinators