Monday, February 20, 2023

Making Memories at EOEC

 What a wonderful week! I'm tired but happy because I had the privilege of escorting 49 Grade 7s and 8s on a four-day, three-night school trip to the Etobicoke Outdoor Education Centre near Caledon, Ontario.

I went on a similar trip with Grade 8s in June 2018 and with Grade 6s to SOES (Scarborough Outdoor Education School in Kearney, Ontario) from Pringdale Gardens Jr. P.S. during the 2003-2004 school year. Going to Kearney is a Scarborough student tradition but when I was in Grade 6, my parents did not allow me to go on the trip. Our school's current Grade 6s will go to SOES in May of this year. These current Grade 7-8 students did not have the opportunity to do an overnight when they were in Grade 6 because of the pandemic. It makes my heart glad that they were able to attend and that circumstances allowed me to go with them. Many of these students were in my Grade 5-6 class in 2020-21, so I'm delighted I could be a part of this experience.

Today's blog is a reflection of the activities and events from our group's time together on, what was for many, their first time away from home and families for any significant length of time. Although I took over 900 photos while on the trip, I'm only going to post images that don't feature students' faces. My "memory moments" might not be the ones the students themselves would select but are significant to me, as one of their teacher supervisors.



Monday Morning

We gathered in the gym with lots of luggage waiting for the school buses to arrive. Two of our Grade8 students could get employment at Pearson Airport as baggage handlers because of the coordinated and smooth way they helped load the bus with room to spare.

Monday Afternoon

After arrival, lunch, and a overview of the building and rules, the first of our programs began. The students were split into three activity groups. For this session, I accompanied the Grade 7-8 group with "EOEC Abbey" for lessons on Survival Skills. The students were briefed on The Rules of Three for basic needs (3 minutes for oxygen, 3 hours for shelter [this includes clothes], 3 days for water and 3 weeks for food) and then we went into the woods for three challenges: make a fire, boil water, and construct a shelter using resources from the land.  


Once we returned from our adventure in the woods, the students had a choice of indoor or outdoor free time. Some of the students fed the wild chickadees. Many others enjoyed the various board and card games available in the large indoor common room. The amount of "down time" each day was perfect; it was frequent and long enough to recharge our batteries and for students informally socialize on their own terms with adequate supervision. No one seemed to miss the lack of technology. 

Monday Evening

The evening consisted of engaging in First Nations and Inuit games, such as the Blanket Toss and various low- or no-equipment challenges such as trying to push someone out of a marked circle while both participants are sitting back to back on the ground.

I was particularly pleased with my MacGyver skills later that night. Because the EOEC aims to promote eco-friendly activities, showers are supposed to be limited to 5 minutes per person in the evenings. I acted as the official timekeeper in the girls' dormitory. A problem soon arose: one of the showers had a clogged drain and no one wanted to use it. I hunted around and could not find a plunger. However, I located a popsicle stick and broom handle. By poking the drain holes to encourage drainage (and then discovering the drain cover could be removed for even further prodding), the puddle vanished. I'm no plumber, but I was pretty proud of that accomplishment!  

Tuesday Morning

After breakfast, I accompanied the Grade 8 activity group on their Biodiversity Hike. They really enjoyed visiting the EOEC chickens.


I had to cut my time on this trek short, because my borrowed boots were a bit ill-fitting and my socks, though warm, kept slipping. A small wound on the back of my heel formed, so to ensure I wasn't completely out of commission for the rest of the trip, I headed back to HQ to a) get a Band-Aid, b) trade the boots for a more suitable size, and c) use a combination of my long, knee-high socks with the shorter, warmer socks for better protection. 

I continued my MacGyver streak by hand-stitching a student's pants, which had a huge rip in the crotch. My preference is to use a sewing machine, but I got the job done and it looked good!

Tuesday Afternoon

"EOEC Steve" and "EOEC Alison" led the group I followed, the Grade 7-8 mixed team, on a meaningful exploration of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum. I will need to ask them again for the source they used when explaining to the students. It was simple yet comprehensive. This afternoon included traditional hunting and cooking methods. All my senses were engaged, from the scent of the cedar tree recently penetrated by a large woodpecker, to the taste of fresh bannock baked over an open fire in the woods.




Tuesday Evening

The evening activities consisted of "Find Frank", a whole group outdoor challenge, and a movie night. It doesn't matter how many times I see Pixar's "Up" - I cry every time!

Wednesday Morning

It was my chance to spend time with the straight Grade 7 group, when they went on their Biodiversity Hike with "EOEC Dean". The weather was rainy but the interest was high. Students saw and heard many animals, from geese to rabbits to cardinals. They also saw evidence that many more plants and animals were nearby, such as deer poop and berries.




One of my favourite moments was shortly after this hike, when one of the students announced, "I am now invested in birding". We shared this news with EOEC Dean, who then showed the particular student how to use his personal (and very expensive) camera equipment to take photos of the birds assembling near their feeder. Later, he then printed off one of the images she captured as a memento. Her photograph was way better than any I took on this trip.

Wednesday Afternoon

There were two parts to this session on Wednesday afternoon. The first was called "Instincts for Survival". It is a common outdoor activity. I myself played it as a youngster during a day-trip to the  Hillside Outdoor Education Centre. I knew it as "Predator and Prey". Back then, I vividly remembered a) being a chipmunk, b) losing all my "lives" within the first five minutes of the game, and c) spending the rest of the hour lost in the [small] forest. This was a much more positive experience thanks to the leadership of "EOEC Wes", both for me and for the students. I got to play Mother Nature, where I gave extra lives to students who had to surrender their sticks to student predators (for a small price of an answer to a question about the animal they were representing). The other teachers played cars on the "highway", aka the paved boundaries of the outdoor game space. No one got lost.

The second portion was the chance to learn about maple syrup. Our group was fortunate enough to be the very first group this year at EOEC to tap maple trees and hang the sap collection buckets. 




Wednesday Evening

Just before dinner, we had a special guest visit us, which brought happy tears to many of our eyes. After dinner, we headed outside, built a large campfire, roasted marshmallows and ate a version of smores. The conditions weren't ideal for staying out, so we returned to the indoor common room, where every dorm room performed short skits distributed by "Macphail Dean" (Dean Roberts, one of our male supervisors and an expert at these sorts of outdoor education trips). Defying expectations, we even had a group volunteer to perform a song of their own accord during the evening's entertainment. (We have a lot of initiative-taking leaders in this group of students!)

Speaking of "Macphail Dean", another unique moment formed after the skits were done and shortly before bedtime. The girls had heard rumors that Mr. Roberts sang to the boys early in the morning to wake them. Several expressed dismay that they didn't get to experience the phenomenon themselves. I asked Dean and he agreed to give a short command performance at the end of the girls' dormitory. He serenaded them with his deliberately-off-tune version of "On Top of Spaghetti", which was met with loud applause and appreciation. 

Thursday Morning

Packing took a while, even though it began the night before. After their final breakfast, the whole group of students used GPS devices in a scavenger hunt. I stayed behind in the main building with a couple of students who weren't feeling 100%. I read 10 chapters of Wab Kinew's Walking in Two Worlds to them while they rested. I really appreciated "EOEC Lori" for all she did during this time for our students and their families.

Thursday Afternoon

Buses? Check. Bags? Check. Bye-byes? Also check. Mr. Tong and I rode with the Grade 8s. We thought the majority of them would be asleep on the ride home but they defied expectations by remaining awake and alert. 

A lot of credit for the success of this trip has to go to Lisa Daley, the Grade 7 home room teacher, and Farah Wadia, the Grade 8 home room teacher. They organized everything from the permission forms to dorm allocations to seating plans and more. Our school supervision team consisted of me, Ms. Daley, Mr. Tong ("Macphail Steve") and Mr. Roberts ("Macphail Dean"). Dean retired in 2020 but did us a huge favor by agreeing to come on the trip to help monitor the boys' dormitory.


Steve Tong and Lisa Daley deserve awards for their stamina, because once we returned from EOEC, they conducted parent-teacher interviews until after 7:00 pm!

I am not exaggerating when I say that this trip creates memories that last a lifetime. While at my Cross Fit gym just prior to leaving, I mentioned that I would be absent for a few days to supervise the students on their overnight trip, and so many adults, now in their 20s, 30s and 40s, began to reminisce excitedly about the wonderful times they had on a similar excursion. If you are a hesitant parent debating about whether or not to let your child attend, I recommend you say yes. The appreciation for nature, solidification (and formation of new) friendships, independence, rich authentic learning and the community building is unparalleled. 

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