The weather was crisp and sunny, the mood excitable, as Year 7 departed College for 3 days of fun and fellowship at The Tops Conference Centre in the stunning Stanwell Tops. The theme of ‘One body, many parts’ was explored, in Bible discussions, in activities participated in and in PC and House groups. Students learned about living in God’s community as a valued member, playing the part He specifically designed us to do, as well as the call to love one another ‘as God loves us’.
Students participated in cart racing, archery, abseiling, the giant swing, the leap of faith, survivor challenges and high ropes. Students challenged themselves to push through self-doubt, apprehension or fear to succeed at these activities. It was a wonderful thing to witness groups chanting the names and encouraging each other to complete activities, often this being the very thing a student needed to continue on. Students worked as a team to ensure activities ran smoothly, with every student doing their part, whether it was checking helmets, checking harnesses, supervising ropes or simply pointing out ways to overcome obstacles. This reinforced the ‘One body many parts’ theme perfectly.
A silent disco was held on the first night of camp. The teachers watched on as students donned headphones allowing them to listen to whatever music they wanted to dance to. It took no time at all, however, for everyone to sync into what each other was listening to and suddenly, the ‘silent’ disco was instead 156 young voices singing songs from different generations together, really loudly!
A trivia night rounded out the final evening at camp and what a fun way to discover the culture knowledge of our Year 7 cohort. Topics included geography, name that song, name that place, among many others. Needless to say, students headed to their cabins fairly tired and managed to sleep soundly despite the loud storm raging around them, as rain, wind, thunder and lightning punctuated the peace of Stanwell Tops. A great time was had by all. The Year 7 team of teachers all commented on what a privilege it was to take this cohort on a camp and a delight to see them growing in themselves, encouraging one another and responding to the word of God.
Mrs Fiona Byrne
Languages Coordinator & Year 7 Advisor