Great Scot September 2019 Great Scot 157_September 2019_ONLINE | Page 18

Middle School
‘I can’t’ becomes
‘that was so much fun’
MS KATRINA STALKER
HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
YEAR 8 BOYS
LEARNING ROCK
CLIMBING SKILLS
AT THE TOOLANGI
CAMPSITE
The activities in which Middle School boys involve
themselves, in and outside the classroom, have been
many and varied over the course of the year.
The aim of extracurricular activities is to challenge
and extend the boys to look beyond the confines of
the Victorian Curriculum. Many boys display interest
in the range of diverse pursuits and self-nominate to
participate, involving themselves in activities such as
Challenge Classes, Poetry Slams, History Bee and
Bowl, Robotics, Coding, Chess, Debating, Public
Speaking, the Model United Nations and the Water is
Life science group, to name just a few.
The boys involved in the da Vinci Decathalon
team won a place in the national final. Scotch Year 8
boys came first in general knowledge and mathematics
and were placed second in codebreaking. The Year 7
team came second in engineering and third in general
knowledge, cartography and science, placing them
third overall.
The opportunities each of these pursuits creates for
our boys will prepare them for intellectual challenges in
the future, broadening their perspectives and deepening
their knowledge. Meeting and competing with like-
minded peers from other states helps build friendships
that are often pursued into later years. Within classes,
boys continue to be challenged to do their best, extend
their knowledge and apply their skills to a wide range of
subjects. We believe that embracing diverse experiences
prepares our boys well for a rapidly evolving world.
Inter-form
competitions, while also
involving sporting
events, extend well
beyond sport. On
the topic of ‘Starting from Scratch’, Hugh Hasker’s
(Year 7) contemplation of the first recorded AFL game
between Scotch and Melbourne Grammar secured
first spot in the Year 7 event. Joshua Cutchie (Year
8) emerged victorious in the Year 8 competition,
after carefully reasoning that ‘The Key to Successful
Leadership Today is Influence, not Authority’. In the
Year 8 Play, MLC and Scotch worked together to create
the very funny 30 Reasons Not to Be in a Play. (A report
on the play appears in the Senior School Drama section
of this edition.) The cast and crew from both schools
thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as did parents and
students in the audience.
For the first time, all the Year 8s went to the
Outdoor Learning Program (Year 8 Camp) during the
same week. The logistics behind organising the camp
to ensure all boys had the same experience required
meticulous planning, and Mr Peter Riley (TIC) along
with our providers, Bindaree, Indigicate and Man
Cave, are thanked for their hard work.
The camp was held at three locations, with the boys
moving around between each activity. We used Scotch’s
campsite at Healesville for the boys to experience their
session with the Man Cave organisation, exploring
identity, and learning from Indigicate about early
Australian Indigenous history and the people’s
connection to land.
The boys visited the Toolangi campsite to learn
some rock climbing skills and challenge themselves on
the high ropes course. In Eildon they prepared for a
hike in the surrounding bushland; they also mountain-
biked and rafted down the Goulburn River, in rather
chilly water. On the night of the hike, boys cooked
their own meal on a Trangia stove – the best meal of
the hike, more than one boy said!
The Year 7 boys also visited Healesville this
year to participate in activities with the Man Cave
organisation. There was much praise after their visit,
and many boys felt they understood their classmates
better as a consequence. Project Rockit conducted
sessions with the Year 7 boys about bullying, helping
them to become people who will stand up for others.
During the snowsports beginners’ camp, 48 Middle
School boys challenged themselves on the slopes of
Mount Buller. The ‘I can’t’ turned into ‘that was so
much fun’ and much growth was observed in both
ability and resilience among the boys.