ELEVEN students will be ditching their everyday luxuries and creature comforts as part of a trekking adventure to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
The students will be accompanied by three Palmer’s staff and will be away during the summer of 2011. Students and staff will be carrying everything they will need for the trip including clothing, cooking utensils, sleeping equipment and fundamentals like toilet roll!
The trip will involve students communicating with locals who do not speak English, working on community projects, living with a tribe in the jungle, experiencing different altitudes, mountain climbing, white water rafting and more!
Planning and training for the trek recently began with a Group Development Day, where the students, staff and parents all met for the very first time. This event is one in a series to help the students bond as well as plan detailed itineraries for the entire trip. Students and staff will need to be in good shape for the trek and already have a 10k race planned.
Mark Vinall, Principal of Palmer’s College said: “This trip will be a life changing experience for our students and will help them develop a wide range of skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
He added: “This all starts with the Development Days which are a great way for the students to get to know each other and develop their trust, communication and team working skills prior to the trip.”
Bradley Keys, Business Teacher and leading the expedition said: “The students will be able to experience first hand the cultural differences between the two countries and be able to live alongside the locals, experiencing several life-changing experiences, as well as pushing their own physical and mental limitations.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity which each student will find challenges them in a unique and exciting way.”
Performing Arts student Faye Wheatley, said: “I’m looking forward to living on the basics, it will be a unique experience.”
This year’s group are a mix of males and females, currently on a variety of courses ranging from the International Baccalaureate (IB) to A-levels and BTEC courses.
Harry Collins, said: “I’m most looking forward to visiting the Galapagos Islands, especially as we may be one of the last groups to visit the island.”
The trip is organised by Outlook Expeditions and is the latest in a series of ambitious expeditions that have seen Palmer’s students travelling to such exciting places as Argentina and Tanzania.
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