Welcome back to the new school year.
Our VCAL students have been very busy and we are only in week 4. The Year 12 students went on their Residential Camp at Ormond College which is accommodation for students who attend Melbourne University. The students took part in team bonding activities which included 'The Human Knot', 'The Tower of Shoes', 'Shark Tank' and 'Who is Prime Minister?'
After the first exciting day of camp, the Year 12 students met the Year 11 students at Melbourne Central Station. The students were all excited to have the opportunity to speak to the Salvation Army and have a tour around the city. The students were given the opportunity to witness where the homeless sleep at night and hear some stories of the people the Salvation Army have encountered.
The VCAL students discovered that a 105,237 people slept rough every night.
Below are some of the photos of their Year 12's on camp and the Year 11 and 12 at Salvation Army. There are some reflections from the Year 11 and Year 12 students.
ORMOND COLLEGE
During February, the Year 12s spent 2 days at Ormond College.
Ormond College opened in 1881 and occupies 10 acres of land on the northern end
of the University of Melbourne. It was built from the generous donations made by Francis Ormond, a farmer
and landowner. The purpose of the residential was to bond, to explore
further the importance of our last year of school and to take on board advice
and tips on how to be successful students.
We
participated in many activities which encouraged team building such as the
‘Human Knot’ and ‘Tower of Shoes’. We had sessions with guest speakers and got
a lot of information about VCE/VCAL,
projects, ATARs, career aspirations and study strategies. We were lucky to have past
students: Amy, Frazer and Christy, come along to talk to us about their
experiences and give us advice on how to get through the year successfully.
It
was an enjoyable couple of days and I learnt some things that I can put into
practice that will help me to achieve my best.
Tamara
Williams, Year12.
THE
SALVATION ARMY
On
Tuesday February the 6th, VCAL students made our way to the
Salvation Army in the city. We were greeted by 2 guest speakers: Lauren and
Ben. They spoke about homelessness in Melbourne and the work the Salvation Army
do to help.
We
participated in some games to get us thinking about the homeless problem. One
game was called ‘But Why?’. The purpose of this game was to give us an
understanding about the fact that there is always a reason why someone behaves
the way they do.
We
went on a tour around some alleyways where the Salvation Army regularly find
many homeless people. The feeling and smell was both horrendous and devastating
for me to experience. We learnt about what homeless people have to do to
survive such as sit on the streets, begging for money or self-harming because
of their helpless situation. During the excursion we saw many homeless men and
women which made me feel sad and wonder about the struggles they face every
day. Lauren and Ben explained that the main reason for homelessness is domestic
violence.
Overall,
I enjoyed learning and finding out ways that we can help the homeless.
Skye
Inwood, Year 11
STAY TUNED FOR STUDENT PROFILES, THEIR ADVENTURES AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE A CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC SAFETY WHERE THE STUDENTS WORK WITH A FIREFIGHTER.
