On 20 Sep an
intrepid and rather excited group of ten boys from the threes nipped down the
M4 to Pangbourne Colledge for its Junior Teamwork Challenge. Five
schools took part in what turned out to be a fun day of something a bit
different. As the fifty under 11s all sat looking at each other across tables
in the Pangbourne dining hall, guessing who would break the ice first, Mr
Mawson's former RSM (gulp) stepped forward as organiser of the day and set
about getting everyone in to teams.
The ice
broken,fifty pairs of feet dashed of to five corners of the school,
following their lower sixth form leaders (who were excellent throughout with
the boys and girls)to begin a round robin of nerve, brain and muscle-testing
tasks. Two tasks were stationed at the high ropes course (the favourite
with the Ludgrove boys). Here, Henry Wiggin showed the confidence,balance
and sure footedness of an alley cat and Jack Woolland decided standing
thirty feet up on top of a telegraph pole with four others, was a great place
to meet new friends.
Charlie Sherlock
and Matthew Buckner led their team across a 'murky swamp' and Charlie
Bullen showed good leadership skills and lateral thinking in solving the
problem of the 'Tower of Hanoi'.
At the close of
play,as our ten boysand their new friends picked blackberries and
unpicked the day, it was clear they had enjoyed themselves no end. Some
would happily have stayed for more.
They had all
learned a little about themselves, about teamwork, making new friends and that
not all learning has to be done sat at a desk: sometimes it can be done
thirty feet up hanging from a rope.
The Ludgrove team
was:
Alexander Ballingal, Matthew Buckner, Charlie Bullen, Orlando Hyslop,
Callum MacGregor, Edward Rhodes, Charlie Sherlock, William Shott, Henry Wiggin,
Jack Woolland.
JRM
Further pictures of the day are here.
