From Grade 2 onward, each grade completes an expedition involving overnight stays. These vary according to the grade level and last from one night to two weeks, depending on the age and grade of the participants. Every student is expected to participate; for many students, these expeditions are one of the highlights of their time at UWCSEA.
The skills and dispositions that students acquire through the Outdoor Education programme are applied in all other aspects of the learning programme. Many elements of these expeditons tie directly back to other areas of the curriculum, for example, students may visit service partners in country or undertake language immersion, depending on the trip.
Our objectives on these expeditions would be impossible to achieve within the classroom setting; the experiential learning aspect of the curriculum is one of the cornerstones of our ethos as a College.
All activities are planned to be well within the capabilities of the students, though they may be challenged to try something new and to overcome initial anxieties. Each adventure requires a level of commitment from the student and offers the chance to succeed and grow in confidence, self management and leadership.
This year for the first time Grade 9 students from both campuses travelled together on many of the Grade 9 expeditions. The article on the Everest Expedition is a collaborative submission by students from both campuses.
