A five day camping experience in the foothills of the Namadgi National Park at Tharwa near Canberra will be offered to this year's 9 and 10 students at St Catherine's Catholic College.
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The camp run by the internationally acclaimed Outward Bound organisation will provide the students with an opportunity to challenge themselves, build teamwork and resilience and develop their problem solving skills, says school principal Niamh Marzol.
"Other schools in our region like Singleton High and St Joseph's Aberdeen offer the program to their students and its time we also offer this type of challenge and experience to our students, " she said.
"It is not cheap for the five day course at $850/student and that is provided we have a certain number attending. But we believe it will be a worthwhile part of our student's learning experience."
When the idea for the camp was first raised in the school/parish newsletter Gary Holland who runs Dolly's Charity Op-Shop in George Street contacted the school to say he would donate the cost of six students attending the camp thanks to monies raised at the shop.
"We were extremely grateful for that generous donation to ensure students can attend the camp and if anyone else would like to sponsor student/s that would also be wonderful" said Mrs Marzol.
Year 9/10 co-ordinator Alicia Jenkins also wanted to thank Gary for his support.
Ms Jenkins is looking forward to the camp and is not too concerned about the fact there would be no showers for five days.
"Five days without social media and technology distractions will also be a big bonus," she added.
The school is planning to make the trip to the camp in mid-September with a full team of 18 students.
According to Outward Bound their mission is to provide challenging experiences that help people to discover, develop and achieve their potential. Outdoor education is undergoing a renaissance in the education system in Australia and Outward Bound Australia is proud to be at the forefront in the development of inspirational, safe and educational experiences for our participants.
Outward Bound Australia provides the opportunity for all Australians to build self-confidence, self-awareness and resilience, not just physical fitness. It uses the outdoors as the classroom to allow each participant to reach their potential in a safe and managed environment.
The school is currently undertaking a Live Respect program of personal development for year 9 boys.
The program run by the school counsellors is all about developing positive relationships.
Mrs Marzol said in today's world there way too many examples of poor relationships especially those shown on certain television programs.
"Our school program is designed to help the boys develop good relations especially with their female peers," she said.