Camp Synergy

Today I visited our Grade 10 students, staff and leaders at "Camp Synergy." Although the weather was damp, "spirits" were not as 60 of our Grade 10 students enjoyed a day of archery, low and high ropes, farm education and other team building activities. Held at the Tim Horton's - Onondaga Camp near St. George, students get a wonderful opportunity to continue to build relationships with each other over the 3 day/two night experience.Mr. Stephen Merner and senior student leaders organized the second of three opportunities for our Grade 10 students to participate in. There will be a third trip later in the year. It was enjoyable watching the students and our staff (Mr. Fisher, Ms. Grieve, Ms. Burke, Ms. McCoy and Mr. Warner) participate in the activities which were both fun and educational.Of course, I had the pleasure of enjoying a nice hot lunch with our students and staff as we warmed up from the wet weather and shared stories from the previous day's activities."Synergy" is a follow-up to LINK Crew, which all of our Grade 9's experience when they transition to our school. As our school continues to promote an inclusive and safe environment, "Camp Synergy" is a perfect example of promoting the value of teamwork and collaboration, while also continuing to develop and sustain positive relationships with one another. The emphasis on the cultivation of future student leaders via both the LINK Crew and Synergy experience is what makes our student body at The Ridge so unique.These very special learning opportunities allow our students to take risks in a supportive and collegial environment, where students can demonstrate personal growth, while also respecting the attributes of one another. Many of our Grade 9 & 10's go on to serve as leaders in their senior years and we are fortunate for this as we know the value of developing strong leaders for the future, both within our school and beyond. A great day everyone....thanks for the privilege of letting me join you!