The following excerpts are reflections of the Grade 7 students’ experiences at Leadership Camp:
My first time going to camp was so much fun! I learned quite a lot of things I never thought of doing, but with the help and support of my classmates, doing them was pretty fun.
I remember when everyone was going on the high ropes course. At first it looked fun, but when I got up there it was so scary. I tried not to look at the ground. As I got to the last rope I said, “That’s it.” So I told Courtney [our camp leader] I didn’t want to do it anymore, and she told me to lean back and let go, so I did. When I got to the ground I started to cry. Courtney told me I did so well, but I didn’t think so. I thought I could have done better and made it all the way to the top.
The next day, after lunch, we went to go do the low ropes course. It was a fun team effort; we had to get everyone through the holes that were formed by ropes. So, what we did was have two strong people lift the shorter people to the top and put them through the top holes. After that, we decided who would go through which holes on the bottom.
Later that day, we all had to get into groups of three because we were going canoeing. At first, it was really hard learning how to row, but I got used to it. As we were rowing, we bumped into a few trees, but then we made a plan to make a steady beat so we could all row at the same pace and the same time. We started going faster and soon we were making nice sharp turns. I learned that we needed to take our time and actually work as a team. We got back to the dock second last, but we worked hard and had fun, so we were all winners.
After that trip, I have gotten more confident with myself because of my classmates’ help. I am starting to reach my goal to talk louder and be okay with how I sound and what I say. My best friend is always there for me, and she is my biggest inspiration; without her, I wouldn’t be where I am now. If there were an inspirational award I would definitely choose her to win. So overall, I really loved this trip and I will never forget it.
Last week I had the privilege of going to Leadership Camp. Yes, I did a lot of fun activities, but I learned some valuable things, too.
I think the majority of people think “leadership” means to be the one in charge. They think it means that they are the only ones allowed to lead. This concept is completely against teamwork. At camp, one of the concepts we focused on was “fellowship.” We participated in different activities that taught us not only how to lead, but how to let others help you lead too.
Along the lines of “fellowship,” we also focused on the idea of “support” (a good leader has to be supportive). The high ropes course, rock climbing, and the Leap of Faith were very frightening for some people, including me! Support from my peers was definitely the only thing that kept me going. In order to be a good leader, you need to support people mentally and emotionally (i.e. with the decisions they make) as well as when they do physical tasks.
Leadership Camp is three days without your parents. I don’t have any problem spending time away from my parents, but I’m sure other people do. Parents are always there for you, and when you leave home, you not only feel sad and homesick, but you also feel like you can’t do anything. While spending time at camp, you build valuable skills you’ll use later on in life when you’re living by yourself. I would definitely recommend to parents to send their children to camp. You build memories there – valuable memories, fun memories. They are the best memories you will ever make.
I learned a lot of different traits at camp this year. The camp leaders emphasized leadership as a big and valuable trait at camp. The activities we did there required a lot of leadership, support, courage, empowerment, and kindness.
We showed support at a lot of our activities. At the high ropes course and rock climbing wall, we cheered on everybody so they would gain more confidence. It did help them, but some people did not need it. I learned that leadership is not only guiding someone, but also helping them and supporting them. Camp taught me a lot about how to trust someone on the low ropes course; we had to carry some people through a rope web without actually touching the rope itself.
Camp is a great way to experience different things. If you have never been away from your parents, this is a great way to come out of your comfort zone. If you do not like heights, camp is a great way to get over your fear since you are climbing and jumping off things.
Camp teaches you a lot of discipline and encourages healthy habits for meals. If you put a lot of food on your plate, you still have to finish your food so up don’t waste anything. If you normally have juice with every meal, you need to make different choices. Each table has to have two pitchers of water before you can have any juice. You do not get juice for dinner; it’s only milk or water. You have to use polite words if you want someone to pass the food. That is what I learned from camp.
We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!
To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.
More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here.
