Muir 🤿🎯🧭

November 18, 2022 by Tunmise Aniyi

Introduction to the Unit

During Semester two I participated in the Muir Outdoor Learning Program Course. The course consisted of archery, orienteering, snorkelling and an overnight camp to Rottnest Island. My goals for this elective were to try activities outside of my comfort zone and to do a more physical subject that involved hands-on learning.

The weather conditions at Coogee were not great to begin with. The sky was dark and cloudy, and the water was not that clear. This made it hard to snorkel and left me feeling not that confident when going in. Due to the weather conditions it was hard to see under water and watch my partner. To manage this my partner and I stayed close together so we could see each other better and I practiced putting my head in the water where I could stand to get familiar with breathing through a tube.

On the first day of camp we went to Little Parakeet Bay on Rottnest Island. While snorkelling there we had the opportunity to do a deep dive and swim through. Although I was not too confident in my swimming ability, I persevered and participated in the optional activity. This event was significant to me because it eased me into the nature of snorkelling allowing me to feel more free and snorkel for fun. While at base camp we did an Amazing Race which was energising and great fun. My group did a lot of running and towards the end met some of the locals living on Rottnest Island. The people there were handing out lollies for Halloween and were so nice to give us some as well. An animal that I saw that really stuck out to me was an Angelfish swimming by itself. I also saw a few schools of fish. The fauna was mainly coral and seaweed growing on rocks or floating in the ocean.

Capabilities I Developed

Resilience – By getting back into the water and snorkelling even when I felt less confident.

Collaboration – Working in a team during the Amazing Race that took place on Rottnest Island.

Effective Communication – Asking for help when I was struggling during archery.

Leave No Trace

The Leave No Trace Principle that I have seen and applied most throughout Muir is to dispose of waste properly. While at Rottnest Island I was made aware of the wildlife and fauna and learnt the importance of disposing any waste I saw properly to preserve their natural habitats.

My Takeaways from this Unit

From this unit I learnt that I am incredibly persistent and capable of knowing my limits and going beyond them. This means that in the future I can push myself harder and do tasks outside of my comfort zone.

Fatigue Campaign ⛔

May 26, 2022 by Tunmise Aniyi

My Takeaways

The biggest things I learnt from this campaign were that sleep is very important for our brains and how we react to potential hazards, and having a consistent sleep routine can heavily benefit the way we function.

My Advice

One piece of advice I would pass on to young drivers above all else is that; staying up all night is not cool & sleep is a very important benefactor for our heal/wellbeing. Many young people view staying up late as fun & do not understand the damage it does to their minds & the effects it has on their development.

My Pledge

I, Tunmise Aniyi, pledge to never drive fatigued & put myself as well as the people around me (i.e. passengers/drivers) at risk of danger. I pledge to continue to inform those around me of the hazards of driving fatigued & the importance of proper rest.

Bad Weather & Big Smiles 🌦 Kalbarri 2021

October 15, 2021 by Tunmise Aniyi

During the first week of Term 3 I, along with half of my cohort, embarked on a 5-day long OLP camp to Kalbarri. OLP stands for Outdoor Learning Program, and, as the name suggests, my school sends its cohorts onto different camps in order for them to develop new skills outside a school environment. The goal of this particular camp was to gain and practise teamwork skills.

One of the biggest challenges my group had to overcome was climbing into the gorge. As a result of the persistent rainstorms, climbing into the gorge proved to be both a painful and dangerous task, which wouldn’t have been possible without the use of teamwork. Due to the path being quite narrow, we walked in a single file line with two student leaders at the front. While only two people were able to be leaders, it was everyone’s responsibility to help the person behind them. I showed teamwork by pushing branches to the side so the person behind me could successfully walk through and do the same for the person behind them. When walking over rocks I made sure to shout out which parts were more slippery than others so that both the person directly behind me, as well as everybody behind them knew to be cautious. I even went so far as to stand to the side and hold the hands of the people behind me when travelling down the steep rocks. This ultimately meant that I ended up at the back of the line, which I was fine with because I could be certain everyone got through safe and uninjured.

Me and my group half-way into the gorge 🙂

If I were to summarise my camp experience in one word, I would have to say that it was tough. Having to battle constant rain every day was harsh and left me feeling exhausted and reluctant. However, as I started to depend more on my group and have them depend more on me, I realised that working in a team benefits both myself and everyone else. Although the weather never changed, I certainly did.