Gr. 8’s @ Manning Park

The energetic Grade 8’s from York House just finished their Outdoor Education experience.

It was filled with lots of snow, smiles and interesting meals. We headed to Manning Park, which is a little past Hope, to see what the coastal mountains had in store. Our first day included travel, settling into our new home, and some sledding. For many of our students this experince was going to provide several firsts: first time away from home, first self cooked meal, first snowball, and first time jumping into a snowbank.

Our next couple of days included snowshoeing and cross country skiing. On our final night we set off for a hike at night to reflect on our trip. Everyone got a chance to try both winter activities, by day four it seemed I had finally slowed the Grade 8’s down. We set off for a final day of downhill skiing on Friday; luckily we hit fresh powder lines all day.

It is always a pleasure to share in these outdoor experiences with our girls. I am always humbled that somehow they always have energy to sing on the long bus ride home. Here is a students view of the trip written by Gina:

Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating. You name it and the Grade 8’s at York House were doing it during their outdoor education trip to Manning Park!

For a lot of girls it was the first time they had ever downhill skied, cross country skiied, skated or snowshoed. The talent shown by some first timers was impressive. There was a backdrop of beautiful scenery, it never stopped snowing, and and we had the opportunity to see the various forms of weather the coastal mountains has to offer.

At the end of each day we headed back to the cabin to cook ourselves dinner. It was a lesson in how hard it must be for moms and dads at home to get dinner on the table. For many of us, it was a first time feeding ourselves and others, pizza and lasagna were a go to choice. Thanks parents!!

For the Grade 8 girls, Manning Park will always have great memories of fun and snow, but best of all, is the knowledge that we bonded as a grade and with the teachers who came with us.

Enjoy the Spring Break Girls – You have earned it!!!

Mr. Christopher Britt
Senior Science Teacher & Outdoor Education Coordinator

¡Hola! from Mexico!

Santa Prisca Cathedral, Mexico
Santa Prisca Cathedral, Mexico

On March 4th, 2011, Anna and Rachel left with their Spanish teacher, Señora Marte, for Cuernavaca, México. These two adventurous York House Grade 9 students are part of a 1 month reciprocal exchange program. The exchange is part of the YHS Spanish Program, as well as Global Programs.

The girls are attending Williams College in Cuernavaca with their hosts. They’ve been experiencing authentic Mexican food (yummy!), as well as visits to Zoofari, Santa Prisca Cathedral…and much more!

Read about Anna and Rachel’s experiences in their own words on the Spanish Blog: http://yhspanish.wordpress.com