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Beyond the Classroom –Outdoor EducationIt has so far been a hectic and exciting year for Outdoor Education,with a range of activities and programmes already completed andmany more on the horizon.Outdoor Education co-curricular options have again been verypopular with the students in Terms 1 and 2 and have featuredactivities such as surfing, sailing, yoga, kayaking and rock climbing.The overwhelming interest in these activities, particularly in Term1, led to extra sessions being created to allow more students theopportunity to participate.Another popular co-curricular programme this year has been theLancelin surf weekends, where girls and staff travel to Lancelinfor a weekend to learn to surf under the guidance of surf schoolinstructors. It has been amazing to see the skill development of thegirls by the end of each trip, with many able to consistently catchand ride waves after initially struggling to even stand up.The new Outdoor Education team has also been particularly activein the Middle School. The Year 7 students participated in a four-dayNanga Mill programme in March. Blessing Emole (Year 7) is alreadylooking forward to her next Outdoor Education camp. She enjoyedsleeping outside in a hutchie and thought the trees in the eveninglooked beautiful.Year 8 students recently participated in a six-day Margaret Riverprogramme in May. Feedback from the girls, their parents and staff,has indicated that the girls had a wonderful time and learned agreat deal from their experiences. Eloise Wiffen (Year 8) had beenlooking forward to abseiling and caving and these activities didn’tdisappoint. She also became more aware of her environmentalimpact “we have to make sure that we look after the environmentand don’t completely take it over,” she said.The first of the Year 10 expeditions has also been completed, withstudents hiking and kayaking their way around the Walpole regionin April. Further expeditions commence in July and September, withstudents hiking in gorges near Kalbarri or sea kayaking around theShark Bay Marine Park.Emilie Ong (Year 10) enjoyed her Southwest Explorer expedition.“The expedition was great and I found it really fun. Althoughphysically challenging, it was always rewarding,” she said.The new Outdoor Education team of Director of Outdoor Education,Liam Sullivan, and Outdoor Education Specialists, Jay Freap andEllen Barker, has worked hard to maintain the high standard ofOutdoor Education set previously by former Director of Education,Peter Nidd and his team at PLC, in particular, working with studentsand teachers to improve both the enjoyment of and the educationalopportunities that an outdoor programme can achieve.Through community living, connection with nature and activities thatprovide both mental and physical challenges, Outdoor Education atPLC aims to create balanced, caring, open-minded, risk-taking andresilient girls.Photos 1 & 2: Year 10 Students enjoyed kayaking and hiking in theWalpole region as part of their Year 10 expeditions.Photo below right: The Outdoor Education teamfrom L to R: Liam Sullivan, Ellen Barker and Jay Freap.23