On February 28th, 29th and March 1st, the Grade 7s at Vimy Ridge Public School took a trip up to the Durham Forest. The students, supervised by Ms. Ellwood and Mr. Kennedy, were on a three day trip of interacting, learning and being one with nature. Students were asked to carry out tasks that would benefit the environment, in the form of challenges. One challenge asked students to try not to waste any food and have the smallest eco-footprint of all! The Patriots took this challenge to heart, and succeeded in their mission! They wasted no food whatsoever, and had one of the tiniest eco- footprints! On top of this, students participated in a variety of team-building exercises. This helped students to get to know each other better, learn to co-operate, work as a team and, most importantly, have fun! Students also went on a nature walk in the dead of night. The pitch black walk was one of main highlights of the trip. They showed courage and determination as they walked through the dark woods. Another high point of the trip was the campfire. Students got to experience a real campfire, roasting marshmallows and singing through the night! After they returned, students were shouting the praises of Durham Forest, and expressed a desire to go back again. Vimy Ridge Public School would like to thank Durham Forest for the trip, and hopes to return with next year's batch of Grade 7's as well!
S.O.A.R. - Student Outdoor Adventure Retreat
Here at Durham Forest we had a blast. We had so much fun at the activities we had done. We had a hello hike, which introduced us to, Fen, Hoot, Oak, Snow, Mosquito, Agomo, Sunflower, and Aki. The hello hike gave us a first look at the forest and the wildlife outdoor. After lunch, we had time to discuss what we will do next year at Vimy Ridge for Student Council and Earth Keepers. We had leadership brainstorming. This brought out some ideas from Gr.7 and Gr.5. Next, we went for a nature hike so we could find wildlife. Some of the things we found were Fungi, Millipedes, Centipedes, Spiders, and chipmunks. At the pond, we found leeches and more. We had a night hike. In the hike, we called owls. Then we had our solo walk. It was scary as it was almost pitch black. We all made it through. Next morning, we had breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes and sausages. We did the many things that we did on day 1 and we had a great time. Thank you for all the staff and teachers that made this trip possible. We had a great time.