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Grade10：Moganshan Discovery Adventure

May 3, 2018

Grade10：Moganshan Discovery Adventure

On April 27th and 28th, the sophomores of Shanghai High School International Division ventured into Moganshan- a famous mountain in Zhejiang Province. All students and teachers were extremely excited to be participating in this event, as this is the first time SHSID has ever cooperated with Discovery Adventures.

After three hours’ journey to the Discovery base, the students finally arrived at their destination. To maintain order, the 230 students were split into a total of eight groups, each under the supervision of a skilled coach. Then, they were sent off to adventure.

On the first day, four groups were assigned various activities such as rock climbing on the largest mountain climbing wall in China, abseiling, and zipping down a zip line. Some of the students had previous experience of such activities and showed their fellow schoolmates their swift acts and brave jumps, but what was more common was the clumsy attempts of those new to such challenges. Many of the students were afraid of heights and largely uncomfortable with various climbing activities, where their only ‘rope’ connecting them between life and death is literally a rope. But luckily, thanks to the patient care and encouragement of the coaches, all the students finished the activities and were victors among themselves. The favorite moments varied between different people. Some could still taste the excitement of walking on the tightropes, while others were reflecting on the wonderful, pollution-free scenery of the mountains. But no matter the favorites, the feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive.

Unlike the previous groups, the other 4 groups were sent on an 8 kilometer hiking trip. This was a difficult task for most, because of the steep slopes, loose rocks and streams running across the paths that the students were supposed to travel across. These difficulties led to various hardships for the participants: some fell after stepping on an unsteady rock or a slippery slope, and some were halted by the running stream and stones. However, students were also attended by the wonderful and trained coaches on site to finally surpass their previous limits and fears, to hike along the side of Moganshan.

As night arrived, the students, coaches and teachers, accompanied by a faint light on a completely dark field, built their own tents which they would spend the night in. This was a new experience for most of the students, and the excitement of sleeping in a tent led to laugher and jokes being shared across the camp site late into the night despite the fatigue of their bodies. Thanks to the teachers and the coaches, the students were all sent to sleep before it was too late, and this act proved useful as in the following day, the students were ushered up at 7 am and the groups swapped activities.

This first taste of Moganshan for the SHSID community resulted in good responses throughout the grade, from students and teachers alike. New bonds were formed and old bonds tightened under this two-day event, establishing a whole new atmosphere and bonds of friendship. This was a very worthy experience and all who tried will surely recommend it to the rising sophomores, who are all waiting to come.

After finishing all the activities, the students filled out an assessment form. Through feedback from peers, instructors and supervisors, along with their own reflections, students were able to better understand their strengths and weaknesses, and more importantly, better prepare themselves for more arduous challenges in the future.

(Written by 10(7) Cissy Choy Edited by 10(2) Tina Photos by the Grade 10 homeroom teachers)