Grade 11 Out-Trips & More

As the first month at SMUS draws to a close, the Bolton Boys are now well-versed in the school routine. The weather is getting a little colder and the academics are starting to pick-up. It seems as though every boy, however, is taking this in stride and coping well with their eclectic schedules.

Every September, all of our Grade 11’s at our school take part in Outdoor Trips across British Columbia. Some of our Bolton Boys traveled up and down the island for hiking, kayaking, fishing, and biking. A couple even traveled all the way to Penticton to go rock climbing!

Leadership is a big theme for our Grade 11’s as they prepare to lead the school in their senior year. The outdoors is the perfect avenue to explore one’s leadership styles, and challenge themselves in new situations. Most importantly, the outdoors provides students with an opportunity to make mistakes and learn how to rebound after failure. These learning experiences, which require teamwork to persevere, will hopefully stay with our Bolton Boys for years to come!

Here is an interview with Jack that I had with him tonight after coming back from his Out-Trip in Ucluelet:

Mr. Fryer – “Hi Jack, welcome back from out trips! Tell me about your last week.”

Jack – “I was on a kayak fishing trip in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. This was a new out trip this year and I had so much fun! Some of the boys caught some big fish…however, I only caught a little one. Let me show you my fillet!”

Mr. Fryer – “That sounds awesome Jack – I’m glad you had a good time and you even caught a fish! How big were the biggest fish?”

Jack – “The biggest one was probably around 25 lbs. It was a Chinook Salmon (in the United States they call them King Salmon).”

Mr. Fryer – “Wow, those are some sweet pictures! What was the best moment of your trip?”

Jack – “The best moment of the trip was when I hooked a really big salmon and I was using a small trout rod and a 6 lbs. test line. I was really nervous but excited so I was yelling “FISH ON BOYS – I’m not going empty handed tonight…” and then I lost the salmon. There was a moment of silence and then I just screamed, “NOOOOO” which echoed into the distance.”

Mr. Fryer – “haha thanks for that visual Jack, quite funny! What was the most challenging part of the trip?”

Jack – “The most challenging part of the trip was when it was very windy and we had to paddle against the wind for two hours straight! We didn’t even catch a fish that day!”

Mr. Fryer – “Any other thoughts about this trip?”

Jack – “It was an awesome trip and I would definitely recommend for anybody else to go on it. I would do it again!”

One of our new Bolton Boys, Nghia, also joined Justin, Vincent and Laurent on the Victoria Outdoor Sports expedition. Nghia went fly fishing for the very first time and even learned how to tie his own fly! Here is a picture of the fly below, along with some other photos of their biking and fishing adventures:

Back on campus, some of our Grade 12 Students were busy in the classrooms and at assembly practicing their own leadership skills. A couple boys even spoke in front of the whole school – they are definitely modeling the way for the younger boys in the house!

And finally, the Junior Boys Soccer Team played extremely well over this last weekend and placed 2nd in the Independent Schools Association Tournament. Here is a picture of Patt and Ryan working hard with their teammates.