In Focus December 2012
On 12 September 2012, Years 7-10 went on an outdoor pursuits trip to the Conway Centre in North Wales. The aim of this annual trip every year is to socialise and learn more about the people in your year, and try out new challenging activities. On the way there, I was full of mixed emotions because a lot of things were going through my mind. I was feeling excited about the trip in general, thrilled to be spending time
Above: Walking the planks. Below: Charlotte on the left advises
out of School with my fellow pupils, enthusiastic about trying out new things but nervous when I thought about the unknown tasks that lay ahead, and then feeling quietly optimistic about my own chances of doing well. As I gazed out of the window, I noticed how breath-taking and picturesque the Welsh scenery was around us. It was just astonishingly green with rolling hillsides. We arrived at the centre after what seemed a short journey and we were all eager to commence the afternoon activities. However, first we had lunch and then we were allocated our rooms where we unpacked our belongings. Eventually, we all assembled in the castle courtyard and were split into groups according to what activity we were to
Page 9 undertake that afternoon. It was basically a competition between all the groups to complete a variety of physical and mental activities that were both fun and challenging. After dinner, Ms Smeaton read out the two lists for the evening’s activities. There was Street Dance or Mask Making. I was chosen to do mask making and the theme was to create a mask that was scary - for example, a goblin, ghost or fantasy face mask. Lights out was at 9:45 pm. Next morning after breakfast, we quickly got ready for our full day’s activities. I was signed up for scrambling - a new challenge for me, never having tried it before. My group got on the minibus and drove to a local mountain called Tryfan. As we approached the mountain, the clouds hung low and covered the peak. The terrain was uneven and very steep but I pushed on and inhaled the fresh air as I scrambled upward. The scenery was phenomenal and, from this vantage point, nothing like I’ve seen before. After a few hours of walking, we stopped to have lunch by a lake and to take a rest before continuing to the top of Tryfan. About 2 hours later, we finally reached the summit. It was unbelievably windy up there and I was nearly knocked off my feet several times. However, there was a wall which we climbed over and huddled behind to protecti us from the elements. It felt such an achievement to have scrambled to 3,010 ft. above sea level. Then slowly and steadily we made our way back down to the minibus. I had had the most amazing day and was glad to have had the opportunity to climb a Welsh mountain. That evening after dinner, we swopped activities and I did the street-dancing. Before going home the next day, our last activity was raft building. The whole of Year 8 travelled down together to the Menai Straits where we were given only 45 minutes to produce the rafts. Thankfully, everyone finished the task within the allotted time. Next we had to test the rafts’ seaworthiness and have a race to establish which team won overall. As soon as our raft went into the water, it fell apart so unsurprisingly my group came last. We were not happy but accepted it was just a bit of fun. Over the two days I had the most amazing time and it opened my eyes to new activities that I might consider taking up as hobbies. I would like to thank the teachers because, without them giving up their time, the trip couldn’t have taken place. It has also helped me get to know the rest of the pupils in my year better. I had a really good time and I hope to have lots more opportunities to participate in other exciting trips. Charlotte Cullen, Year 8 Raft disaster?