Last Thursday morning the year 9 cohort started the day off early, loading onto buses to travel to Sydney. We were excited as it was the school's first time participating in the 'amazing race' like adventure around Sydney, called the Urban Challenge. Students got to test their independence with this camp, by allocating different roles such as navigator, leader, treasurer, accommodator and caterer among their group of 16. Each team chose a fun theme to dress up as including, Rappers, Pyjamas, Hawaiian, Spies, the Matildas soccer team, Adam Sandler, Batman, Men in Black, Barbie and the 80's.

Once dropped in Darling Harbour, teams were sent to various places with riddle-like clues and tasks to complete. Students were placed in the driving seat, having to manage their own transport, accommodation, money and food. Some of the highlights for different groups on the trip were the ferry ride, camping on Cockatoo Island, staying at their different accommodations, making food for the homeless, the clue chase, wondering around Sydney and engaging in small activities along the way such as making music videos and finding the best deal for a frozen coke.

Everything that each group participated in earned them points and were posted as photos and blogs, these decided their spot on the 'unknown' leaderboard. In week 2, term 4, the urban challenge winning team will be announced. Leftover money from each team will be donated. The Urban Challenge was an innovative way to strengthen the year 9 cohort, give back to the community, develop skills like independence, collaboration and leadership, and overall have fun!

By Tessa Kelley and Bela Koljanin
Year 9