From the Head of Secondary 11.05.19
Duke of Edinburgh – Bronze Adventurous Journey:
On Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th May, a number of Year 9, 10 and 12 students set out from KIS on their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Adventurous Journey.
An Adventurous Journey requires all Duke of Edinburgh participants to embark on a number of days of trekking and camping in the beautiful and often breath-taking surroundings of rural Sabah. In the case of our Bronze Cohort, this would mean two days of trekking and one night of camping in and around the Tamparuli area.
Along with walking clearly-planned routes and demonstrating skills in navigation, camp craft and teamwork, our students are also required to complete some form of Purpose Work which shows they are able to fully engage with the environment around them. This can be anything from taking photographs and filming video clips, to painting and writing poetry inspired by the world around them, to interviewing local residents about a variety of topics.
As is always the case in Sabah, day one was incredibly hot, and as our students made their way along their routes, special care was taken by all to be covered up, to be using sunscreen and most importantly, to be eating and drinking the appropriate amount for such a strenuous activity in the hot sun! All three groups out on the road were able to successfully navigate their routes through good teamwork, organisation, and a fair amount of resilience, and all arrived at Shittim Camp in good spirits and ready to set up camp and prepare their evening meals (which they prepare and cook themselves) and continued purpose work.
After a good night’s sleep, albeit during an incredibly balmy evening, our students woke up refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Day two saw further soaring temperatures and even more strong work from our teams, with a particular focus on pacing and being as accurate as possible with routes, timings, adaptations to route cards and so on. All three groups stepped up to the plate and once again excelled in their execution of their Adventurous Journey, and finished their treks thrilled and proud of their previous two days’ worth of hard work.
As teachers, we are merely supervisory in many respects. Duke of Edinburgh is all about promoting independent skills and teamwork, and frankly this expedition for us was a pleasure to be involved in. When groups work as well as our Bronze students this year, it makes our job easier, and it is truly wonderful to see so many young students demonstrate capability, enthusiasm, and general awareness of the world around them. We have high hopes for students who are able to show these qualities.
A huge thanks must go firstly to the students who took part, but also to the local guides and water support truck driver who ably assisted us on our trip, the staff at Shittim Camp, who accommodated us so well, and finally to the teachers who gave up their spare time and weekend to come along too! Thank you Miss Dobson, Mr Colbeck, Mr Withers, and in particular Ms McNutt – our leader, without whose dedication, passion and organisation we would not be able to do any of this at all!
We dearly would like as many of the Bronze students as possible to sign up for Silver next year! If you think you (or your son/daughter) would be an ideal candidate for Duke of Edinburgh, please do enquire at the school. We welcome all applicants!
Mr Withers
