During the July school holidays, Room 23 students Darcy Redding, Caleb Henderson and I joined our mainstream peers on the annual PLHS Ski Trip to Mt. Hotham. An early start on Sunday saw us depart Adelaide at 6:30am, but our weary eyes soon brightened as we boarded the bus and made the five-hour journey to Hotham.
The boys didn’t take long to get into the groove of things and on the first day were catching the loop bus independently to the slopes and to our accommodation. Caleb was a diligent learner and excelled in his snowboarding lessons. Within a few days, he was carving up the mountain with his peers and leaving his mark on a number of intermediate runs.
Darcy discovered the complexity of skiing early, but through sheer grit and determination, stuck with it and forced himself to learn this new skill. He attempted to master his craft on the slopes behind our accommodation, paving the way for students from our school and other schools alike. By the Thursday, Darcy was skiing independently on “The Summit”, where he caught the poma-lift a number of times. I was extremely proud of Caleb and Darcy’s conduct, both on and off the slopes.
I extend a huge thank you to Miss Cassie Norton, who worked closely with our boys as they were finding their feet. I commend the other PLHS students for the maturity they demonstrated during the trip – their behaviour was admirable and I am proud to have been involved in such a brilliant camp with such brilliant students. I extend a sincere thank you to Mr Shaun Maxfield and Ms Michaela Webb for organising the trip, as well as to Mr Chris McGown, Miss Jessica Mills and Mr Izaak Treadwell for their valued assistance on the camp.
~ Mr Michael Scheffler (Coordinator: Students with Learning Difficulties)
Above left: Darcy Redding building a snowman with Miss Mills. Above right: Caleb Henderson snowboarding down an intermediate run.