THE BLUE AND WHITE

This year, we all experienced something new in the first week of October: the Week Without Bells. Grade 9s went to Olympia Sports Camp, Grade 10s to Camp Pine Crest, and Grade 11s to Camp Wanakita. One thing is sure: TBAW’s photographers are excellent. Check out these photos, courtesy of Ryan She, William Shi, Edmond Shen, camp staff, and parents.

Onto the findings of the survey… 

Preparation

Most people thought they were very well-prepared for the Week Without Bells. This can be attributed to the packing list. There were more than ten responses that specifically commended it for its thoroughness. The biggest takeaway in this section is the “rather safe than sorry” mindset works and the school is right in using it. 

Activities

Activities were generally above average, but some were especially popular.

Among Grade 10s and 11s, canoeing was the favorite, with seven responses explicitly mentioning it. One Grade 11 said the canoe trip was “unreal”, while a Grade 10 said their favorite aspect was seeing their friends’ canoes flip. 

For Grade 9s like me, the Amazing Race was a welcome inclusion. Many of us, including those who didn’t like the overall experience, thought that this was the best part of camp. I agree. When do you get to run around with friends, solve puzzles together, and eat crispy fried crickets on the same day? Certainly not every day. The novelty and the teamwork are the best of what camps have to offer, and the Amazing Race had them both. 

A few other activities were also well-liked. All three grades commented on variants of climbing activities, such as high ropes, ziplines, and the giant swing. The zipline is especially popular among Grade 9s. Popular non-climbing activities included archery, spikeball, and group relays. 

Overall, very fun activities. One suggestion: tweak the programming next year so that Grade 9s can experience the good ones Grade 11s did, and vice versa. 

Camaraderie

Another aspect of the camp that was well-liked was the camaraderie. Many people, especially new students, were able to make new friends simply by virtue of being in completely randomized groups. Others just liked playing ninesquare during freetime, freestyle banter at night, and being off the phone so that they could actually talk with their friends. Card games and board games were popular, especially in Olympia: there were poker games every night in some cabins, including mine. Even people who did not like any of the things listed above enjoyed the extra days they spent with their friends. This is why the school should focus more on this part of the trip: it is more impactful to build friendships and trust than run another zipline activity.

Suggestions & Conclusion

I have two more suggestions to make 2025 better. 

First, the school should be open to feedback. After all, 2024 was the first year of the Week Without Bells, and, as with the first times of everything, there are things that are not perfect and things that are overlooked. 

Second, focus even more on the team-activity side of the trip. This makes more friendships, but is also just fun. People from Mowbrays like to win against Martland’s and Orrs and vice versa.

Ultimately, I think the school put a lot of effort into the most important parts of the trips and had many successes in these aspects: we were prepared, there were lots of fun activities, and many of us made new friends. There is always space for improvement though, so I’m looking forward to an even better 2025 trip!