On Friday, March 22, 33 grade 9 students went on an overnight field trip to C Resort. The purpose of the trip was twofold: first, to engage in several types of learning activities; and second, to provide an opportunity for students to bond and develop their group cohesion.
The students (and their chaperones: Tamara Peterson, Gwen Taylor, Eric Boateng and Johnny Schwerk) left the LCS campus at around 8:00 am and drove approximately two hours to the resort near Prampram. After unloading their bags upon their arrival, everyone walked about 500 meters to the New Ningo D/A Junior High School, where we were met by enthusiastic students ranging in age from about 7 to 16 years old.
After a formal welcome, students participated in an ice-breaker activity that warmed everyone up to each other. This was followed by tree-planting on the school grounds, where students dug holes in the ground, placed the saplings we had brought and covered the holes with fresh soil. After a brief snack, students sat down to play some games: UNO, Oware, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo and regular playing cards. We left several games and footballs with the school, which was met with immense gratitude. Then it was time for farewells and the LCS group headed back to the resort for lunch. We then spent the rest of the afternoon in the swimming pool, walking on the stone jetty, playing Kubb and enjoying each other’s company.
The next morning, students had the opportunity to watch fresh sea turtle eggs being dug up and relocated to a safe breeding ground run by a group called Turtle Up Ghana, which is a nonprofit that runs the largest sea turtle hatchery in Ghana. All in all, there were about 75 eggs relocated, which helps to protect the hatchlings from predators, poachers, shore development and plastic pollution. After a 2-3 month incubation period, the turtles hatch and are escorted to the sea safely.
And then it was back to Accra, where we arrived in the early afternoon on Saturday, tired but inspired. A big thanks is due to Ms. Tamara Peterson, who worked tirelessly, alongside the grade 9 Student Representative Council (SRC) representatives, Vrish Bundhun and Dhruv Jain, to bring this trip to fruition. By all accounts, it was a successful trip where students had both the opportunity to learn and to deepen their friendships with each other.
