11 May 2022
Zoe B, Year 10
On Friday 29 April, to celebrate the hard work and dedication we put in throughout the Easter holidays and during our exam week, Year 10 took part in a brilliant activity day organised by our Head of Year, Mr Nunes.
We were initially a little apprehensive, having only been told that the day involved mud, which was not exactly what we pictured as a fun day out. Despite this, we all met at our departure point by the flagpoles ready and raring to go and spent much of the bus journey singing songs from Mamma Mia.
The activities began with us building our teamworking skills through a good old fashioned tug of war. We also played the “astronaut game” where, split into two teams, one by one, we spun around a pole and then had to kick a ball into a goal. Challenging as this was, it was extremely funny watching your classmates fall to the ground and head in completely the wrong direction. Then it was time to begin the main event, the mud course!
Nerves were racing, adrenaline was pumping and everyone cheered each other on. We raced along, climbing over walls and feeling as if we were in a Bond movie, until the first mud obstacle appeared - the dreaded slide into a pool of the stuff. However, we each took a friend by the hand and on the count of three we went for it! Now, completely soaked in mud, we felt that we could face anything and threw ourselves into the rest of the course. We waded through mud rivers that came up to our chests, climbed through tunnels, carried tyres and so much more.
Although the idea of the day hadn’t been too appealing, the reality was fantastic and had me grinning from ear to ear. My highlights would have to be the jumping block, where you were fully submerged into the mud, and the sheltered river, which was dark and eerie. Once we were all dry and dressed in clean, comfy clothes we headed back, exhausted. The quiet bus journey was the complete opposite to the morning’s antics.
Looking back on the experience, being able to relax after the stress of exams and also getting closer as a year group was really beneficial to us all. At one point, I was close to falling in and someone who I don’t often spend time with gladly saved me. I thanked her immensely afterwards. The entire day was filled with emotion and it was the perfect way to have a break from the normal school day.
Thank you to Mr Nunes from all of Year 10 for his help to us all during exams, and for his participation in getting stuck into the mud as well. This was exactly what we needed.
