31 May 2019
Mr Pirie recently had an extremely successful Distance Education (DE) trip to Lord Howe Island (LHI). Camden Haven High School has had a long standing partnership with Lord Howe Island Central School, to support them with their education. Essentially, the high school students go to school each day and learn via distance education booklets. This year it is Mr Pirie’s job to spice things up by providing more practical activities and engaging projects for these lovely students. During week 4, Mr Pirie was on the Island doing just that:
Mr Pirie: “I put together an action packed itinerary for the week. We went on an excursion to hike up Malabar hill and fed the fish at Ned’s beach. We did a range of sporting activities including team sports and a gym circuit where the DE students were the leaders for primary school students. This was an excellent activity for the older students to mentor the younger students and be positive role models in the small community. The students participated in a range of STEM activities including; Robotics, drones and they tested their engineering skills by building a bridge to enter in the local bridge building competition. Also, we did a range of Scientific Experiments and I provided them with lots of one on one support with their harder subjects. The staff and students really appreciated my help at the school and look forward to having my ongoing support this year.
A highlight for me was during an informal diner with the parents at the Golf club. They allowed amateurs to get up on stage so I jumped up with my guitar and sang a Vance Joy song and my year 7 girls grabbed the other microphone to help me sing in front of approximately 70 people!
Overall, it was an amazing week. Definitely one of the highlights of my teaching career. A huge thankyou to all of my students and the staff and parents who welcomed me into their community and showed me around their beautiful island. Until next time :)”
