Our Christmas Bazaar took place on our second last week of school. I was part of the YSI Group so we set up a stand to raise money for it. Under the permission of Mr. Dungan I set up a stand to donate to the Simon Community. At the stand I would explain how the Simon Community help the homeless in their area. Overall the night was a success and I donated the money I earned at the bazaar to the Simon Community.
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For four days I went up to County Louth to Carlingford along with my year group. We did a range of activities that took place in a forest that overlooks the town of Carlingford.
I did activities such as ziplining, aeroball and laser tag. These were all activities I really enjoyed and I plan on doing again. A lot of these activities required teamwork and skill. We stayed in the Carlingford Hostel where we were served food and had a shop where we could buy food. Overall the trip was very enjoyable and I definitely would like to return to Carlingford in the future. The TY musical was a great experience for me and was the highlight of my year. Our musical was on Legally Blonde. I had the role of a Jet Blue pilot in the musical. We rehearsed for a month before we first went on stage. Over the space of a month we practised dance moves several times and scenes from the musical. We also performed in front of the Junior School and Senior School before performing on the scheduled nights.
The musical gave me an insight into theatre and acting. Even though acting doesn't interest me I enjoyed the opportunity to perform on stage with my year. Our Eagle's Flight Workshop was a 4-hour long class where it taught me a valuable lesson about planning and organisation. The teacher who led us was called Mr. . He was very diligent and good at getting messages across. What made the workshop a valuable experience was the fact that the moral was given out at the very end.
At the start of the class we were introduced to a board game called "The Search For The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine." There were five groups, each with 6 members in each. The majority of the game was tactical as there were an endless list of limits, dangers and risks in the game, but also was a group effort, because you were allowed to trade resources with the teacher, who ran the game, and the other groups. This as a result brought in teamwork. The main goal was to travel towards a gold mine, mine as much gold as you can, and return to the starting point within a 20 day period. Each of the 5 groups in the game had a number of resources all totalling a value of 750$. With this, the goal was to harness as much as you possibly can and to not end up being unable to get back to Apache Junction, which was essentially home in the game. We were given 15 minutes to plan out our 20 day long voyage. Most planned out the first 5-10 days, which became their biggest and only error. There were options to use two books which provided information about the landscape and the weather , which affected the length of the journey to and from the mine. In my group, we set off on Day 1 taking a Midland Route to the mine, which at the time seemed like the best idea. Some took the Low Land junction, which was risky as the land and the river could slow their progress down. We arrived first in the mine, but after being informed on the weather, we realised our time was cut to a fraction as weather patterns would soon take away all our resources. After spending four days in the mine and mining 10000$ worth of gold, we took the High Land Route back to Apache Junction. We were also the first to arrive home and complete our part in the game, on Day 17. We mimed the least amount of gold while other group mined as much as 25000$ worth of gold. Once the game finished, the teacher tallied up all the scores. He then went on to ask a series of questions about our actions during the board game. We soon realised that we didn't know about many supplies that could have aided the journey and left us with more gold. He pointed out that all of our mistakes came down to how we didn't plan at the start enough, and how planning and getting started beforehand is much better than dealing with problems during the game. The teacher summarised by saying preparation is best done at the beginning even if for example a deadline, a due date seems too far away because it leaves you more prepared and less busy during and close to the end, which is the most important thing I learned from the Eagle's Flight Workshop Our camping trip was a part of my Gaisce Bronze Award, where it is required to embark on a 3-day 2-night adventure into the wilderness in order to receive the award.
Before embarking on our journey all the students had to receive their results at the school in the morning. There were mixed emotions among the crowd of TY students. Once we received our results we got a bus straight to Lough Dan. The campsite was a large bumpy green with a campfire in the corner. By noon, all the tents were unpacked and set up and people were digging in to their first meals. There was a house opposite the green called "The Barn" whcih became a sanctuary when there was a shower. On the first day we went for a 5km walk and it would be my first of many to come times where I suffered severly from the rain. It left me more prepared for the following 22km hike the next day. The first night in Lough Dan was cold and rough. At around 9 o'clock, all ninety students were perched around a blazing fire that was constantly bombarded with fresh and dry planks of wood. By 11:00 P.M. everyone on the site was back in their tent and slowly the noise began to discipate. Never in my life had sleeping been so hard! The rain was boisterous as it pounded against the tent's roof. This make suddenly waking up very easy. The following morning I awoke to noise coming from The Barn. People were up as early as dawn. Early morning cooking created a steam room in the barn as sausages and bacon were put on the pan. The long awaited hike started at midday, and we travelled all the way around the mesmerizing lake. The weather held up as intimidating clouds would suddenly merge and then vanish. The hike consisted of crossing muddy and marshy landscape There was cursing through sludge and crossing through cold rivers which saturated waterproof boots to the bone. The hike was completed by a swim in the lake itself, which was invigorating but also freezing. The last night was the best as most gathered in the barn. There was great atmosphere and and fun. The 3rd and final day of the comping trip was the busiest as people were packing up their soggy clothes and tents before heading home. The camping trip, apart from giving me a terrible cold, taught me about how life's easier when you are organised and prepared for everything. Aswell as losing half of my clothes to the rain, I also had a fantastic time and hope to go on more trips with the school. |
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