When I reflect on my experience of secondary education, my memories are full of images of airless and sterile square rooms, with wooden desks arranged in orderly rows facing a blackboard and the teacher’s desk strategically positioned at the front. Every now and then the teacher would write notes on the board which we frantically copied down. We often worked independently, and frequently in silence. This experience was repeated throughout the day with each classroom looking relatively the same.

Yet, I also remember times when learning did not look like this. Where learning happened outside of the classroom; whilst hiking, or rafting, or abseiling, sometimes around a campfire whilst we prepared meals together, immersed in nature. Like many young people, it was in these places, outside the boundaries of the classroom, that I thrived. Where learning happened as part of the experience, and where I learnt so much about myself, others, and the world.

Over the last two years, a group of staff across the School have been developing a sequential ELC - Year 12 Outdoor Education Program. We have been guided by our own experiences as well as the experiences that we have been fortunate enough to share with the young people in our care. We launched an updated program at Celebration Night and look forward to seeing it in action in 2025.

Ivanhoe Girls’ has a long history of providing tailored, nature-immersed experiences where students can build the skills, knowledge and resilience that will empower them to embrace challenges. We believe that through such immersive experiences, students make authentic connections to the natural world, inspiring them to take on the responsibility of caring for our environment and contributing positively to the world they will one day lead.

Recently our Year 8 students participatedin a journey down the Murray River. SophieJay and Felicity Parkes shared theirexperience of the journey at our SeniorSchool assembly on Monday 11 November.Both reflected on the importance of bondingwith their tutor group, as they hiked,collectively navigating their way throughnature to their campsites, rafting down theMurray, and enjoying the simplicity of sittingaround a campfire whilst sharing stories
and toasting marshmallows under the stars. Not surprisingly they spoke about how their rafting skills improved over time, alongside their relationships with their peers and teachers. They reflected on the cultural learning they gained from spending time with Indigenous elder Ian Hunter, who shared stories of his childhood and his culture with the students, even showing them how to carve and throw boomerangs. This year we also offered our Year 10students the opportunity to be part of a pilot program with Outward Bound, journeying along the Snowy River for eight days. The
week was both challenging and rewarding with our students returning very keen to share their learnings with their Year 9 peers, and encouraging them to participate in the program in 2025.

In Week 9, our Year 9 students went on their Outdoor Education experience, aptly titled ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’. Whether it be surfing at Waratah Bay and hiking between Sandy Point and Walkerville, rafting along the Mitchell River, or cycling between Bright and Wangaratta, each experience had a clear purpose and clear learning outcomes. Although different to the traditional outcomes received in a Mathematics test or English essay, each of these opportunities provide invaluable authentic and sustained learning outcomes, with every outcome unique to each child’s experience.

At Ivanhoe Girls’ we will continue to offer our students opportunities to immerse themselves in nature as part of their secondary school journeys. I am so fortunate to be able to reflect on how profoundly these opportunities have shaped my learning, and I am certain that I am not the only one.

Ms Louisa Scerri
Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School