Year 8 Camp From A Student’s Point of View

By Milou Hoeft, Year 12

Middle school camps created memories we all cherish, but we never properly appreciated them at the moment. The year eight students had their first camp ever from the 4th to the 7th of October. They missed all other camps and field trips in middle school due to COVID-19. I spoke to a year eight student to discover what it was like.

Tell us a little bit about your camp experience. 

I went to Les Crosets, Switzerland which is in the mountains for four days. In the rooms there could be from two up to six people, separated between girls and boys. Before leaving we were allowed to tell the teachers who we would like to be in a room with so that we could be with our friends. Our programme included outdoor activities such as hiking, learning survival skills and visiting a salt mine. In the evening we did fun activities, including a music quiz and a campfire. Our homeroom class was split into two groups, called A and B. The group A’s from all of the homeroom classes did activities together, and so did the group B’s. 

What was your favourite activity? 

My favourite activity during our camp was survival skills. In this activity, we learned how to address wounds with outdoor resources, like sticks and moss. We also practised building a water- and windproof shelter, as well as filtering water. However, the most interesting part was learning how to build a fire. This activity was my favourite because it was interesting and fun, as it required teamwork and finding new techniques to keep the fire alive. 

What do you think should have been done differently?

I think that we should have had the opportunity to visit our friends in other rooms. We did not have the chance to properly interact with our friends or classmates that were not in our group or room. A small change, such as mixing the groups throughout the week or allotting time just for us to be able to hang out with others could have made a big change. 

Would you go to this camp again and why? 

Yes, I would go to this camp again because all in all the activities were fun and the counsellors created an enjoyable atmosphere. We had a team chant that we sang around the campfire, bringing us closer together. 

As this was your first camp ever because you missed the ones in years five, six and seven, did the camp meet your expectations? 

Before this year I had never gone on camp with school, therefore I did not really know what to expect. However, I was overall pleased with how it turned out to be. After this experience, I think that my grade has definitely missed out on some great experiences due to only being able to go on one of the four camps usually offered in middle school.