This past week saw our students make noticeable jumps in their personal growth. Whenever people travel, the challenges and experiences they encounter push them to grow in ways that don't always happen during a normal school day.  When students step outside of their usual routines, they get to see different sides of their classmates and of themselves. 

Cultural Trips give us that kind of unique window into who we are when we are outside the familiar structures of school. One thing that jumped out this week was how much our students grew in how they collaborate with and support others. 

As part of our Skills for Life and Learning framework, we focus on a range of areas including Self - Management Skills, Social Skills and Inquiry Skills.  And this week, Social Skills were on display time and again.  Here’s just a few that kept popping up:

• Considers, supports, encourages and gives voice to the needs of others
• Uses strategies to proactively recognize, support and encourage others; acts as an upstander
• Engages in cooperative behaviors when working in a group that support the goals of the group and move the thinking forward

There is one word that connects all of these: support. And this week, our students demonstrated what support can look like. Some of those moments were intentional and planned. Teachers designed learning experiences that placed students in boats, museum groups, beachside challenges, ropes courses, teams, and countless other groupings that required them to work together. But some of the moments that will become memories and build confidence were the ones no one planned. Like when grade 11 students supported one another in an impromptu Horo dance around a pool, or when students rolled up a sleeping bag they were sure would never fit, or when students figured out how to hike down a hill without killing their knees, or when students looked at the flora and fauna of our nearby mountain that they never knew existed.  Along the way, they were guided by friends -  friends who shared with them the skills, the etiquette, the shortcuts - the tools they needed to feel comfortable and confident. 

Also, some of the biggest opportunities for collaboration came simply from a shift in accommodations. Sometimes students navigated rooming with their closest friends, and sometimes with people who may become new friends across the year. Sharing a room means learning how other people wind down, wake up, and organize their stuff and things (which can be a bit challenging in a tent). It also means navigating the interpersonal challenges that arise. Cultural trips offer a glimpse into classmates' personalities and dispositions that we don't always see at school. There is no real off switch on a trip, no going home at the end of the day to reset. Students eat, walk, ride buses, complete activities, and encounter the world all day with the same group of classmates. That constant togetherness offers countless opportunities to notice what others need and to figure out how to offer support, especially when things aren't going perfectly. 

We treat Cultural Trips as huge learning experiences. Many of our students went in with personal goals, and many others discovered new goals along the way. As you talk with your children about their trips, consider asking…How did you support someone else? How were you supported? And what might you do differently next time you travel with a group? These conversations help students recognize that the value of a Cultural Trip doesn't end when the buses return to school. The experiences, challenges, friendships, and moments of support help students continue to develop skills they will carry with them long after a single week, truly becoming…skills for life and learning.