Boarders´ Activity Weekend

The purpose of the Activity Weekend is to give all new students the opportunity to begin relationship building with their peers and to enable staff and boarders to get to know one another through participation in both structured and informal situations.

On Friday evening the boarders participated in the Durham Shield, which is a fun swimming competition between the four boarding houses. This was hugely successful and the girls thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The event broke down the barriers between the different year levels and also saw the creation of friendships amongst peer groups.

Saturday and Sunday consisted of fun-filled activities. The days were spent running through a "Top Family" competition which involved rotating around activities such as "Dead Ants", "Marshmallows in Hot Chocolate", "Sheep and Shepherd", "Mindfields", "Spider's Webb", pitching a tent whilst blindfolded and pancake making. Each activity lasted approximately 45 minutes. Some of the games were physical, while others were mental, problem solving.

The students were divided into 20 family groups, each boarding family consisting of six or seven girls from different year levels. The girls stayed in their family groups and competed against each other during a rotation of approximately fifteen to twenty 45 minute games. Points were allocated at the end of each game with a final score and prize giving at the end of the two day event.

The 20 families were split into two groups of 10 and each day one group of 10 worked on the problem solving activities while the second group participated in activities such as kayaking, raft building, rock climbing, archery and mountain biking. The groups then exchanged activities on the second day. These activities ensured that the students worked together as a team within their family unit, the older girls supporting and helping the younger ones. The older students also encouraged girls from cultures outside New Zealand to challenge themselves in activities that they were unfamiliar with.

On Saturday evening the families competed in a "Sing Star" competition in the Auditorium.

The feedback from the weekend is always extremely positive. Although it is an exceedingly tiring time for both students and staff the rewards far outweighed any negatives.