EDUCATION
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
TAKING THE ‘ CLASSROOM TO THE CLOUDS ’: CHALLOCK PRIMARY SCHOOL TREK TO THE HIMALAYAS
HAVING WORKED TIRELESSLY TO PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT PROVISION FOR THE CHILDREN OF CHALLOCK PRIMARY SCHOOL THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC , THE PASSIONATE STAFF TEAM DECIDED TO FIX MORE POSITIVITY ON THE HORIZON WITH A DREAM FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE .
Handily taking place during the Easter holidays in April 2022 , 1 headteacher , 2 teachers , 4 teaching assistants , and 1 secretary will don their walking boots to undertake the 10 day trip , flying into Kathmandu before beginning their trek through the foothills of the Himalayas and the Annapurna Mountains in Pokhara . The gruelling expedition , which includes a 3,210m assent to the summit of Poon Hill at 4am on day 7 , will feature throughout the school ’ s curriculum as well as linking with the outstanding primary school ’ s Infant Passport and Junior Award Scheme – through which children achieve awards by staying active , exploring the world and inspiring adventure .
Tell us a little about why some of Challock School ’ s staff have decided to trek the Himalayas in aid of charity ?
Like all ‘ great ’ ideas , what started as a chat between two of us has just grown and grown . When we saw an expedition on the Dream Challenges website called “ Let ’ s Trek for Children ” it was an obvious choice !
We will be raising money for two charities ; one in Nepal and one local children ’ s charity . ‘ Classrooms in the Clouds ’ was founded by Dawn Geljen , a Sherpa in Nepal and the charity not only builds classrooms in remote Nepal , but funds
teacher training and provides learning supplies for children who otherwise would not have access to an education . Our second charity will be chosen by our pupils . We will be asking them to research and prepare presentations on why we should select their chosen charity . We can ’ t wait to see what types of organisations our children want to champion .
How are the staff involved training for such an intense trek ?
Training has started already with everyone donning boots individually and just getting walking . The ‘ official ’ training schedule starts in October and is daunting to just read let alone stick to ! We will have to support each other through the dark , cold and raining walks in winter and there is even talk of us clubbing together to hire a stepping machine for the staff room ( if anyone has one currently acting as a clothes rack at home , please feel free to send it our way !) The Poon Hill assent is apparently 7,000 steps so ‘ step ’ training will be vital for us all .
What is the team most excited about and most apprehensive about during the trip ?
We are so excited about sharing this experience with people that are not only colleagues , but trusted friends , knowing we are doing it together is really appealing .
What we will see in Kathmandu and in the mountains is going to be life changing ! Nepal is a truly unique place and the thought of who we will meet along the way is inspiring . The most exciting thing though , will be sharing this with our pupils and making this a real learning experience for them . We are really excited to get the whole school community involved in one way or another . What we are hoping to model for the children in terms of achieving personal goals , teamwork and commitment is very special .
We are all daunted by the steep climb and the crazy amount of steps ! Oh , and let ’ s not forget the altitude sickness ! The endurance needed to trek day after day will no doubt be difficult for us . This is a real ‘ out of our comfort zone ’ activity , not only physically but in terms of being thousands of miles from home , in an unfamiliar culture and without the luxuries or home comforts we would normally fall back on after a hard days ’ hiking … no bubble baths or comfy beds for us !
How much money are you aiming to raise and how can people support this amazing fundraising effort ?
An ambitious challenge calls for an ambitious fundraising total so we hope to raise £ 1,000 each for our two charities . Obviously , the more we raise the more we can change childrens ’ lives both locally and in Nepal . We are all funding our own trips so all the money raised will go directly to our charities .
We will be asking our pupils to come up with their own fundraising ideas throughout the year , but one we have up our sleeve already is to ‘ sell ’ personalised messages on our prayer flags . These colourful , fabric rectangles are traditionally strung at altitude to bring peace , goodwill and special blessings . We are hoping to take a whole string of these flags to the Himalayas with peoples ’ wishes on them . Who wouldn ’ t want their personal blessing to be taken to the foothills of Everest !
If you would like to support Challock Primary School ’ s Himalayan Trek visit www . justgiving . com / crowdfunding / challockchallenge or www . challockprimaryschool . co . uk and click on the link to donate .
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