Our Commitment to Responsibility
Our Commitment to Responsibility
Students also reflected on how being away from the campus environment encouraged them to think creatively, demonstrated through group activities such as developing and performing skits together!
Importantly, Camp Squeah leads several activities focused on the environment and sustainability, teaching Grade 6 students about the ecosystem of the Fraser River and its watershed.“ The activity leader showed us mineral layers and vegetation there, and how they’ re all so important, and the ways that the water can get back to the river; she explained how when we build houses, it can be harder for the water to get back to the river, and it can get polluted,” Sophia said.
“ We did tree planting and learned how, when trees die, they can spread nutrients to other trees— they help each other grow!” Samantha said.
Highlights of Camp Squeah this year for many students were the high and low ropes courses and, of course, campfires with classmates.“ At the campfire, you feel connected with your community in a way that you wouldn’ t feel if you were in an assembly at school; at camp, you get to go outside of the school bubble and experience new things. I think it’ s good for the new students, and it’ s a way that everybody can get to know each other and see each other in different ways,” Samara, Grade 6, said.
Next year, Grade 4, 5 and 7 students will all attend Camp Fircom. The camp’ s program is deeply rooted in outdoor education, with opportunities for students to canoe, hike, try their hand at archery, polar dip, play field games, do arts and crafts, and host campfires, depending on their grade.
A cornerstone of the program is its intentional partnership with the Squamish Nation, ensuring Indigenous Ways of Knowing are integrated into daily activities. Students engage in land-based
teachings guided by Squamish Elders and Indigenous youth leaders, with lessons ranging from coastal ecology to sustainable resource management— aligning with Fircom’ s focus on place-based learning and community building.
“ At different stages in their life, in their school journey, and times of the year, outdoor school gives us the opportunity to help students reflect on how they have changed since the last time they were there, and potentially be able to dive deep into some Indigenous teachings and learnings that are rooted in the people of that place,” Ms Hare, Teacher, Ivy Compass Program, Junior School explained of the OE Program as a whole.“ For us, Outdoor Education is about things being land-based, being rooted in place, and having that reflective aspect.”
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