TOOLEYBUC Central School students have thrived in new experiences recently.
Year 9 students recently ventured on a week-long camp to Merimbula, south of Sydney on the coast.
Activities concluded BMX, kayaking, archery, Indigenous games and survival skills.
Jayla Andrews and Alex Everitt said the survival skills involved building a campfire from scratch and pitching a tent using minimal items, such as a tarp and rope.
“It was a bit wet so making the fire was interesting,” Alex said. “We ate spaghetti, roast beef and pork, pizza, pancakes and slept inside a dormitory.
“We had no television and no access to our phones, which forced us to come together and connect as a team.
“It didn’t matter what you did, we all encouraged each other and the staff at the camp were really friendly and welcoming.”
Jayla and Alex said they connected with peers they probably wouldn’t have at school.
“We all did things we had never tried before so it was a really fun experience,” Jayla said.
Meanwhile, the Grade 5 and 6 students also recently returned from a Canberra camp, visiting Old Parliament House, the new Parliament and Australian War Memorial.
They also ventured to the Snowy Mountains for a snow expedition, which was a first for many students.
“I have never been to the snow so it was a fun experience,” Grade 6 student Mason Pedretti said.
“We had heaps of fun together and connected more with our friends.”
The school also had success in the open girls division at the Central Schools Netball competition, held in Dubbo on Tuesday.
Competing against five other schools, Tooleybuc came out on top.
Amele Biumaiwai, Jorja Algie and Ella Foley were part of the team and told The Guardian that the competition was “tough” and “skilful”.
“We play for the Saints (Tooleybuc) in netball, so we were part of the team for school,” they said.
“Some of them were really tough matches. The schools all had really skilled players with most playing together for clubs outside of school.”
