Colomendy Expedition

For many students the first weekend at the beginning of a new school year provides time to organise for the new term, however for 17 GCSE Geography students the first weekend was a time of anticipation and excitement as they travelled to North Wales for a Geography Field trip.

They were to spend three nights in an activity centre called Colomendy which is situated in a beautiful Welsh valley. The purpose of the visit was to gather data for their river study course work and on the Saturday, they spent many hours out ‘in the field’, measuring river velocity, depth and the size of the pebbles on the river bed. To the surprise of the staff, the students were so engaged in work that they gave up their evening activity in order to continue with course work.

Following such a busy day, the students took part in various activities such as kayaking, caving and raft making. Through these activities students were able to build leadership and team skills. Also all students at some point found themselves in ‘new territory’ and despite any apprehension and fears were able to participate and therefore should be extremely proud of their performance. In particular, the students who swam in a lake, despite being nervous and the students who attempted and completed the caving activity even though they were in tears before hand at the thought of the dark cramped spaces ahead.

All students conducted themselves in a manner that both the Academy and Parents should be proud of.