Students from Greenfield Community College had an exciting time when they travelled to Morocco as part of a World Challenge expedition. They had previously raised the £1,500 to secure their place by taking part in fund raising events such as bake sales, bag packs, tea parties and quizzes to name just a few! This once in a lifetime experience certainly lived up to the title of ‘World Challenge’ as it proved to be one of the toughest challenges of their lives. The students were exposed to extreme heat, 5.30 am wake up calls and trekking 30 km over challenging terrain reaching peaks of over 3000m as they negotiated the slopes of the High Atlas Mountains. The first phase of the expedition saw the group facilitate their own individual and team skills to help renovate a community centre on the periphery of the mountains. It was a race against the clock to complete within the time restraints given and particular attention was paid to budget restraints and organising specific skills to create a more purposeful learning environment that will be truly special for the young pupils upon their return to pre-school. During the week each student was given the freedom and guidance to assume the roles needed on an expedition (leader, accountant, etc) enabling them to learn more about their own strengths and weaknesses within the teams and develop invaluable life skills. The challengers certainly took ownership for their own expedition and whilst staff were there to advise and support they showed superb self-reliance and responsibility for themselves and their team. Special memories such as climbing mountains in searing heat, playing football against young Moroccans, sleeping on rooftops under the stars, haggling with Marrakech stall owners and enjoying the general hustle and bustle of Marrakech square are just a few experiences that will stay with challengers. Seeing animals such as a cobra, camels, mules and monkeys and of course the fantastic treks and the satisfaction of creating a special environment for the young Moroccan pupils. The challengers did their school, their families and most importantly themselves proud during this visit to Morocco. Well done to all challengers; Samantha Clark, Matthew Davis, Sophie Hayes, Max Hunter, Jordan Paramor, Ellis Plews, Nathan Shaw and Christina Shodunke. The school is planning on running another World Challenge expedition to an unconfirmed destination in the summer of 2018 for the pupils currently going into year 9 and 10. More details and an assembly will follow during the autumn term where you can register an interest with Mr Butterworth or Mr Robson.
