Huge congratulations to the Year 10 DofE boys who all successfully made it through their Practice expedition!
A week ago today, they were all packing their rucksacks and making sure they all had the necessary items for their weekend.
WE were all hoping that it wouldn’t be as damp as it was today…..but it was!
Saturday morning saw them all set off, hiking to the overnight venue that was to be Base Camp, where training sessions on Navigation, Cooking, Tent Pitching were delivered. Then, it was time to put them all to the test.
Camp was set up, lunch was cooked/eaten and then off they went on mini hikes testing their compass and map skills. Luckily the rain held off for them.
Downtime in the evening where pizza and marshmallow treats were consumed before heading off to bed. The sound of tent zips could be heard around the site…..just before the pounding of raindrops on tents took over!
The morning saw a very damp breakfast session and some difficulties packing up wet tents in a muddy field before setting off on some pre-planned hikes back to school…..and just like Peppa Pig….’some jumping in muddy puddles’!!
They all made it back in fantastic form. Proud to say their behaviour, effort and teamwork were excellent. They’re on track to smash their qualifying expedition in June (we have pre-ordered dry and warm weather for that one!)
The Duke of Edinburgh Awards are all about challenging yourself, learning to work as a team, learning to become independent and self-sufficient, learning new skills and importantly, developing an understanding of your surroundings, the area you are in and the people around you. During this time, friends are made, fun is had and hopefully each participant grows in confidence and gains faith in themselves.
At EGS, we offer the Bronze Award in Year 10 and then the Silver in Year 11. It is open to ALL the boys who wish to participate and is definitely a plus point on your CV or in your personal statements when applying for college, university or jobs/apprenticeships.
www.enfieldgrammar.org/dofe/
