An adventurous time
At the beginning of their life in the Senior School at St Augustine’s Priory, Form III take part in a two day residential visit, two days of adventure with challenges, cooperation, fun and friendship. This is a sound basis for the girls’ time in the Seniors and so, from Thursday 29th to Friday 30th September, this year’s Form IIIA and Form III Alpha took part in a visit to the High Ashurst Outdoor Learning Centre for a venturesome and exciting time.
Daisy Morris, Form III Alpha, who started at St Augustine’s Priory at the beginning of this Michaelmas term, has written us this report of her time at High Ashurst:
‘After having spent almost four weeks at St Augustine’s Priory it was time for me to pack my bag and prepare for my first residential trip at my new school.
We arrived at the incredible site just before lunch, and spent a lovely meal talking and getting know new friends. For our first activity our teachers assigned us into groups with girls we knew and girls we hadn’t had the chance to talk to yet. Throughout the trip we were grouped like this, we were encouraged to talk to and meet as many girls as possible. This resulted in many new friends being made throughout the year group.
In our cabins and rooms we all had many opportunities to talk to new girls and to get closer to other friends. We all (everyone in our cabin) watched a film together and I think we even got to know our teachers better. There was always a chance to talk, sit with and get closer to friends and I think we all benefited.
I can confidently say that, as an individual, I belong to St Augustine’s Priory, and always will. I have an endless list of friends whom I now know really well. And during our many enjoyable team-building activities I gained courage and many new friendships. As a Form we gained friendship, courage and belonging. The best feeling after the trip was a much more secure sense of belonging, not just to the school but to each other.
Whether it’s to do with a sense of belonging, or friendship, as a new student I can confidently say I am completely settled in and delighted with my new school. And why? I can say for sure, that High Ashurst did most of the job.’
Apart from all the physical activities, there was also a poetry challenge set for the girls. Mrs Gosling, Senior Form Teacher, Form III, and one of the teachers accompanying the visit, asked the girls to write a poem about their experience over the two days. Here we produce one of these poems recounting Form III’s adventurous time!
‘With these daring heights,
We have to be brave knights,
We are pushed to the limits,
With no boundaries and no mimics,
A scavenger hunt to collect items, even shoes,
We searched high and low so we did now loose.
The high ropes put us to the test,
As always we tried our best.
High Ashurst is a great place to stay,
But it’s time to leave after an awesome day!’
