Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze expeditions

On 27-28 April, 21 of our Grade 9 and 10 students participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze qualifier or Bronze practice expedition in the Lusaka National Park.
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The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a prestigious international program that encourages civic-mindedness and the development of outdoor skills in high school students.  Students who participate in the Award program complete a practice expedition at their level (Bronze, Silver, or Gold, with one, two, or three nights spent self-sustaining outdoors) and participate in ongoing community service activities.

Thirteen Grade 9 students embarked on their Bronze practice expedition and eight Grade 10 students completed their Bronze qualifier expedition. All students were self-sustaining, carrying their food, tents, sleeping bags, and all supplies with them for two days and one evening in the park.  For the practice expedition, students were accompanied by an outdoor guide and AISL teacher. For the qualifier expedition, they had check-in points and GPS devices so that their location was tracked, but they functioned completely independently; qualifier students did, however, camp with the guides and teachers at night.

Students walked an average of 12 km per day with their heavy packs with all their supplies.  Every member of each group had specific tasks to fulfill (navigation, camp setup, bush cooking, scouting, or first aider). This was no easy task, but our students excelled in this accomplishment!  We’re so proud of all their hard work preparing for and completing this expedition!

The 2018-2019 school year is the first year that AISL students have participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award program.  We plan to continue our program, offering students opportunities to practice and qualify for Silver and Gold awards. If you would like your child to participate in this program, please contact the Duke of Edinburgh coordinator for our school, Driekie Smith, at [email protected].

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Bronze practice participants: Mekyla, Michael C, Christina C, Lewis, Mega, Christopher K, Jay, Khizar, Victor, Alex, Rosie, Jerry.
Bronze qualifier participants: Haley, Nathan, Harry, Maddy, Etai, Jan, Ammaar, Mia.