After 10 days on the road through Central Australia with 80 Year 10 students, it was so nice to wake up in my own bed again. But then again, it wasn’t quite the same as sleeping on a mattress under the brightest stars I have ever seen.
Mooroolbark is nice but nothing compares to the brilliance of the rocks and dirt of Central Australia.
Central Camp was one of the best experiences I have been part of in my time teaching. We demanded high standards of behaviour from our students and they were sensational. We regularly got compliments from members of the public about their behavior. What a terrific crew of young people we have in Year 10 at Mooroolbark College this year.
Some of the special moments included :
• Luke MCormick leading a trio of students in the song "Hey baby" before we left and within minutes the whole crowd was on their feet and joining in. He set the scene with the message, "things go a whole lot better when everyone joins in and works together with enthusiasm". And join in with enthusiasm they did for 10 whole days.
• We talked with the kids about how sacred and special the Centre of Australia is and the deep significance of these places to indigenous Australians and many white Australians too. We encouraged them to respect and embrace the sacredness of this place and learn as much as they could.
• The bus driver commented that he had never seen a group of students so interested and respectful and spend as much time as they moved through the Uluru cultural centre. I felt moved as our students spontaneously sat in silence watching indigenous women paint.
• We had a "battle of the genders day", full of laughs and games and male v female competitions (and the BIGGEST Paper Scissors Rock Gender battle the universe has ever seen) And then that night we discussed with great respect how gender stereotypes and male sense of power and control over women contributes to domestic violence.
• We walked into a Kata Tjuta gorge in the same way indigenous men do ..... in silence. It was quite something to see our 86 strong party complete the 20 minute walk in total silence (NOT a WORD) and then sit at the lookout at the end of the walk, still in complete silence. What great kids we have.
• We slept under the stars in a bush camp 100km from Alice Springs and lay outside watching shooting stars and listening to the sounds of the bush with the brightest stars we had ever seen above us. We regularly talked with the kids about the beauty of our world and respect for the land we were on.
• Students auctioned their services to raise money by putting up tents/ carry bags or giving massages. Students paid money to be at the front of the meal line, 5 boys collected money to have radical haircuts (one shaved, one Dusty Martin, three shaved headed mullets). Students also willingly paid money into a swear jar or for failing to put on their seat belt and so on and so on. All good fun that raised over $4000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service ($1700), the Mercy Hospital ($1700 for the wonderful care they have shown Andy and Cathy U'ren's sons Sam and Toby) and $1000 to help pay for accommodation for Andy and Cathy as they live at the hospital caring for little Toby. What brilliant kids we have.
• On our last night, because the students had been so responsive and mature, we changed the program around to spend some extra time in reflection. We took the students to the top of a hill and sat in the dark (with Mr Van Keulen again providing reflective music) and talked with them around three themes: the need to support each other, gratitude and change. Students listened and then had 10 minutes on their own to reflect in the dark and then come back to share their thoughts. Tears flowed as students got in touch with what is most important in life and who they really want to be. This was another great teaching opportunity.
These are just some of the special moments and do not include the many laughs, new relationships and friendships that formed and the increased respect the students have for teachers (and vice versa) and for each other.
At Mooroolbark College we run an extraordinary camping program. I don't believe any school matches what we do with our camps. For us camps are not just "tours" or for "fun" but we want them to be life changing. We want kids to come back and say it was "the best week of their life". We want kids to find a level of acceptance and respect they have never experienced before at school. We want camps to play a major role in building the Mooroolbark College culture. On the final night, we stressed to the kids that this camp is the start of a three-year journey together through the tough years of senior school. We have encouraged them to be the people that create a culture of care and support within the year level. We want this culture to be what helps protect them and care for them over the coming years at Mooroolbark College. They certainly seem up for that challenge. We think we have made a good start in building that culture.
What great kids we have at our College. I hope you are as proud of them as we are.
John Nichol – Student Welfare Coordinator
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