Year 7 Camp

On Monday 2nd May, the excited students from Year 7 Miki, Ward, Lewis, Coudere and Ricci set off for the YMCA Anglesea. The sun was out and as bright as the enthusiasm of the students as the buses pulled up and the students began exploring their new surroundings.

Over the next three days, students made new friends and experienced many new activities that required a lovely balance of bravery and teamwork.

On Wednesday, the students from Strada, Claver, Licona, Carroll and Borgia swapped places with the first camp after an excited exchange of stories and the fun began again.

Many thanks to the staff that accompanied our students and made the camp possible. It was a truly wonderful experience for all.

Ms Leonie O’Brien Year 7 Coordinator

I loved camp a whole lot, especially doing all the different activities and being able to face my fear of heights and challenge myself in different obstacles. I loved doing the big swing because of the thrill. I also loved canoeing and raft building because it was a group activity and extremely fun.

Being in groups with people you didn't completely know was fun but was also hard because you had to create new friendships and work with people you didn't know. It was also a challenge getting in a line for dinner if you didn't know many people at camp but you got to meet a lot more people.

I made lots more friends, some I can't completely remember their names but I am still friends with. I met people when at the cabin area, also in my activity group and at dinners, trivia night and movie night. All the friends I made were lovely.

Jasmine Sinclair 7 Ward

Hi! I'm Otis, I'm an Ignatian leader in 7 Borgia. And I absolutely LOVED camp! It was so much fun! I met new people, my friendships with others grew, and all the activities were very fun! I think the thing I liked most about camp was probably spending time with my friends, and getting to know everyone (even the teachers) much better.

A challenge I overcame, was when we were lining up for the giant swing, and I was just fine until they started pulling me up and I was about three quarters to the top, and then I made the big mistake of looking down! But then I realised that the giant swing was one of the best activities, and that I HAD to go to the top, and I ended up doing it and I felt great afterwards because I challenged myself.

I made quite a few friends while on camp, and all of them are in different classes. One of them was in my cabin, and most of the others were in my group that we did activities in. I thought that I wouldn't like camp that much, because most of my friends were in camp 1, while I was in camp 2. But I ended up liking it a lot! I think this camp may have been the best one I have been on yet though, and although most of my friends were in the other camp, I had a lot of fun meeting new people!

Otis Tilley 7 Borgia

I loved meeting new people or getting closer to some of the girls in my class. I normally would not hang out with them but now I know how nice they are and a bit more about each. Or I say hanging with my friends and trying new things.

In previous years I couldn’t get as high on the giant swing but I just acted calm, went first and did it (it was so fun)!

It was so fun in free time and when we had people come in to talk about how they watched the Year 11s when they were in Year 7 and their memories of camp

Jemma Kelly 7 Licona

I enjoyed the giant swing and the activity called radio rogaine. I overcame the challenge of going all the way to the top of the giant swing.

I didn't really make any new friends, but I did connect a lot with some people that I haven't met before. An interesting fact is I really enjoyed the movie night.

Hugo Bonner 7 Coudere

What I really enjoyed about camp would have been making new friends and really motivating the other members in my group to keep going when they know they can go further, and support them when they accomplish their challenge.

Some challenges I faced were trying to keep strong when I was climbing up the crate tower, like it was hurting my shins leaning on it and being that high and it wobbled , but in the end I made it to the top.

I made friends with Stell and Amelie, although I already knew them I have made a deeper connection with them and know more about them. I also really liked learning about their personalities.

Just staying at camp I had never been in before and staying with people I hadn't been in a cabin with, but overall it was amazing.

Also having fun with the teachers and, meeting the YMCA staff were really was really good.

Big thanks to Mrs O'Brien for allowing us to have this time and this opportunity to go on school camp.

Maddi Hobbs 7 Strada

The Year 7 camp at YMCA Anglesea was a week of fun and exciting challenges. It was a great opportunity to get to know fellow Year 7 students that we didn’t know. I enjoyed lots of things on camp, including the giant swing but my favourite thing was spending time with my friends and getting to know them better. As an Ignatian leader I feel extremely lucky to be given the opportunity to do activities such as camp when there are kids less fortunate like the people in Ukraine who are going through a tough time. Thanks to all the teachers who make these things possible.

Billie Cook Slevin 7 Strada

As one of the Year 7 students I was privileged to go to the Anglesea Recreation Camp on 4th May.

At the camp there were so many new opportunities and everyone was willing to have a go at them. The camp also opened my friendship circle and I met so many new students and staff. Two of my highlights from camp were the giant swing and coming back on the bus singing and laughing in a positive attitude. I also learnt a few new things along the way like how to use a walky talky and some survival skills. Altogether camp was an awesome experience and there is a lot to look back on. Thank you to all the teachers and staff who made this opportunity possible.

Jeeann Tinij Year 7 Borgia

Camp was a fantastic experience and one of the best camps I've been to!

I loved the activities but my favourites were crate climb, giant swing, vertical climb and bush tag. The trivia night was also a very fun way to get people to dress up and get creative while having two great competitions (trivia and best costume) and having the chance to win movie tickets!

The movie night was also a great way to relax.

Some of the activities were tiring but it is really if you give it your all. A challenge was that there were two groups that could not do canoeing or raft building and I was in the group. The alternative activities (bush tag and amazing race) were fantastic making both rainy and dry days really fun! It was also a great way to connect and reach out with people. I found some people to hang out with and I loved it! This camp was very memorable and I highly recommend future years 7's to participate at YMCA camp!

Emily Neicho 7 Ricci