Expedition #4 Ridgelines & Coastlines - Hiking & Paddling Cohorts

Words and Photos from Kyle S. & Logan H.

From Kyle S.

For our 4th expedition day, our hiking cohort was combined with the paddling cohort. The day started out in a classroom where we planned out our trips with the help of our guides. We used a mapping website where we placed markers to figure out how far it was from site to site and how much we had to hike each day to finish the whole trail in 4 days, and it came down to about 10 kilometers per day. We also talked about animals we might encounter such as cougars, bears, and wolves, and what to do if we came across one. Lastly, we talked about risk management and the problems we may face hiking, like cliffs, tides, and weather. We were split up from the paddling group, as they had a different route.

At first I was nervous and unsure of what to expect on the hike, but the guides helped us get an idea of what it would be like through the conversations we had. After a short break, we stopped by the outdoor education office and the guides showed us the tools we’d use to cook our meals during the hike and how to use them. We took those with us, along with some macaroni and cheese, and walked up Mt. Tolmie. We split into smaller groups of three and distributed the boxes of mac and cheese between our small groups. I got the fuel and cooking element out (which was called a pocket rocket) and my group got the pot ready with the mac and cheese, and we began making lunch. The guides told us that this is similar to the food we would be eating on the hike, so it was really nice to get some experience with this. Each group then fried up a sausage to eat with the mac and cheese so lunch was surprisingly enjoyable!

Everyone then packed up and we made our way back to SMUS. After a short lunch break, we met back up in the boardroom beside the lecture theatre and each got a chromebook. The guides assigned each person to a category (plants, birds, sea creatures, mammals) to do research on. The instructions were to pick three common organisms that we might see on our trips and research their habitat, behaviour, diet, etc. My category was birds, and I did research on the bald eagle, barn owl, and hummingbird. This took up the remainder of the afternoon. The guides told us that they were going to print out and laminate each one to take with us on our trip so if we run into one of them, we will know a bit about it. With that, our 4th expedition day came to an end.

The focus of the day was mainly to give us an idea of what our trip will be like, from the distance to the animals we may encounter. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we all feel more comfortable about our trips now that we know what to expect, and we are all looking forward to our final expedition day leading up to the June Pursuit Trip!

From Logan H.

Our day started inside, as we pored over maps and charts alongside the hiking cohort, learning how to read them and measure distance. Shortly after, we booted up some computers to load up ArcGIS, a mapping software that we used to plot out the distances we would travel each day, as well as noting some interesting sights that we could encounter on our journey.

After working with maps for a while, we headed up to Mount Tolmie to practice our culinary skills by making some artisanal (boxed) pasta, fine fried cheese, with a delicious side of homemade brownies (bear paws). Being equipped with a gas canister, a pocket rocket cook stove and some camping pots let us get a taste of the experience we will get on trip. After we finished cooking our mac and cheese and frying our sausages, our leaders brought out some bear paws for dessert. Now bear paws, being a sugary treat in high demand, were sought after by many members of our group. A small brawl ensued, with many fighting to claim the final bear paw.

We then returned to the school, to learn more about the animals we might see on our trip. We split up into a couple of groups, choosing either flora, avian or aquatic animals. I chose to research into some of our feathered friends, and found a couple fun facts. For example, did you know that the rhinoceros auklet can hold its breath for 150 seconds? Or that the fork-tailed storm petrel ejects its stomach oils to defend itself? How about the peregrine falcon, which predates on approximately one fifth of the worlds birds? We learned lots of fun facts about lots of the cool animals we see in our beautiful home.

With that, our day was concluded. Whilst this day was considerably more low key than the other days we’ve done, it nevertheless provided valuable experience and knowledge for all of us to use when we leave for our out trips at the end of the year.

Expedition #3- Sports Analytics

Words & Photos from Liam E.

Our cohort was very excited to be united, and continue to build off our work of learning how to apply analytics and stats to increase performance. During our previous Expedition days we had the opportunity to being to develop skills in excel and gain an overview of data analysis in sport, and we knew that on this day we would have the opportunity to meet with experts in the field to see how they use these in a professional setting.

We began the day breaking down stats from the 2012 NCAA Volleyball Finals, which helped us learn about how hard statistic taking is without the help of technology. We Then used these statistics to try to make intriguing infographics that all viewers can use to their advantage from fan to manager to coach. This same style of analysis could be then applied to any sport, as well as having applications beyond sports data analysis.

In the afternoon we headed out to lunch at Romeo’s and then entered the Save on Food Memorial Stadium, to meet with J.F. Best, assistant coach of the Victoria Royals. He first gave us a quick tour of how elite athletes perform and stay healthy at the level they play at. Then, we went into the conference room and learned how the statisticians for the Royals sorted and used technology and statistics to their best advantage. We then used some tools that the Royals use to analyze game tape and did some of it ourselves. This was a highlight of the day, as we not only learned some skills we can take away and use in our cohort for the year, but gained insight at how this data is used at the top level in sport by coaches, players and staff, in an effort to help the team’s performance.

Overall, we had a fun day and are excited to further implement our knowledge into the next expedition day.

Expedition #3- Alternative Energy & Design

Words & Photos from Leo D. and Dewi W.

We all met in the morning at School and Mr. Donatelli and Mr. I told us we were going to Sooke. Everyone was quite excited, since we were supposed to go last time. The cohort leaders brought us to our two parked minivans, a black and a white Ford flex. We were greeted at the Sooke Solar project by the administrator of the power plant and he led us into a house. To start off a first nations lady purified our spirit by “bathing” us in the smoke of some burning herbs and then spraying us with holy water from all different places around the world. We then continued our visit by touring the battery storage. We were all expecting one huge battery, but it turns out they use 20 smaller sized batteries, like ones you would find in a motorboat. Quickly after we went to see the main solar cells array. There are many solar panels around the village, but they have main array of roughly 35 solar cells right on the water. According to our guide, in the summer they produce and huge excess of electricity that they sell to BC Hydro, but in the winter they can not produce enough electricity to satisfy their needs, so they buy electricity from BC Hydro, effectively not spending any money, because they are using the money they made by selling electricity to BC Hydro. Any household is allowed to do so. They can produce electricity with solar cells and sell it to BC Hydro. BC Hydro only allows you to sell electricity until so called “net zero”, which is that you sell all the excess electricity you produce, but only up until the point where you can equalize with the cost of the electricity that you have to buy when you can’t produce enough. Since T'Sou-ke Nation was one of the first to implement the technology, they have an agreement with BC Hydro, so they can make money off selling electricity.

During the tour we also learned that it is a gamble to invest in solar energy right now, because the cost of the solar cells drops lower every so often. Also, you can’t really predict how much money you will be able to make off selling energy (other than to BC Hydro, because they don’t really allow you to do so.

Another important thing I can clearly remember our guide saying is that before actually producing energy, the best thing you can and should do is to save energy. There are many ways to do so: turning off an excess of lights, using low power LEDs, not leaving the heater on while you’re away, etc. In fact 70% of the energy consumption in an average household is used by hot water and heating.

At this point we thanked our guide and headed for the cars, but not before having taken some beautiful pictures by the lake with the reflection of the mountains in the background and the houses mirrored on the water. I think we must have stayed there for five minutes before we went back to the car. On our way back, somehow all of my “cohort-mates” were sleeping. It was 12pm. Anyway, once we arrived back at school, we had a lunch break and then went to the arts lab to finish up what we had not finished last expedition day. One group went to finish coiling up the copper wire. Another one set up the frames for the wind turbines. Jan and I decided to do some soldering work with Mr. England and soldered all the coils together. It took way longer than you can probably imagine. After these last tasks, the only thing that’s left is to pour the resin in the stamps and we should be done with our turbines! I can’t wait to see them in action next expedition day!

Expedition #3- Fashion Design

Words & Photos from Rinradee A.

On our third expedition, we started the day by finishing the cutting and pinning process which we began on our last day together in our cohort. We set up all of our sewing machines and equipment we would need in the School House, which was our home base for the entire day.

Once organized, we began sewing our pieces of fabric together using the sewing machine provided.. Some of us, who had never done sewing before, struggled to follow the pattern guide sheets we got from FabricLand, since they were quite complicated and confusing. But with our experienced cohort teachers’ help, we were able to slowly go through each step. It was very exciting to get comfortable with the machines, and see improvements in our sewing skills throughout the morning. After three hours of working on our clothes, we were off to lunch at the Sun Center for around fifty minutes.

Following we came back and continued sewing for the rest of the afternoon. Sewing might not seem hard and time-consuming, however, only two of us actually managed to get their clothes perfectly done by the end of the day! Based on the results of the time together, we planned to have a sewing session for the first half of the next expedition day, and for the second half, we’re going to design our final outfit that we will make during the Fashion Design pursuit trip in June. Overall, it was really nice to have a chance to practice and improve our sewing skills and reconnect with our cohort and teachers! All of us are vert excited to continue working out our projects.

Expedition #3- Ceramics & Glass

Words & Photos from Namrata B. and Alex C.

We started off the rainy morning by finishing off our stained glass pieces from our last Clay and Glass Fusion Cohort day. To put together our stained glass pieces we first had to learn how to drill together wooden boards and pieces to create a ninety degree corner where we could use metal and lead to create a border and section off the different glasses. A lot of us didn't know how to use a drill or were afraid of drilling, so the first step that we had to get down was, drilling. It was easier than I had expected it to be, you just had to hold onto what you were drilling and keep the drill straight up and down. Not long after getting down how to drill and putting together our wooden boards we started putting the together our stained glass. To get the different sections of the glasses to stick we had to use lead in between the pieces and then use a really hot metal tool to melt other types of metals that helped the lead stick to each other and the borders.

While some of us worked on putting together the stained glasses, the rest of us worked on drawing designs to carve into a really unique types of glass. To carve into the glass stone we had to use various types of ball point tools that span really fast so that it took away the top layer of the glass and left a black carving of what you drew onto the stone. After carving into the glass we left the glass in a solution to clean off the dust and make the designs pop out more. Before everyone could finish with their stained glass pieces, it was lunch time.

Once finishing lunch and heading back to derby, we began to finish up our stained glass pieces by adding a chain to the top and polishing up the whole piece. We began a new project with felt so that we can melt glass on top of the felt and the design we built, by stacking felt, will be left behind. Everyone made very unique designs and after gluing together our felt and finishing up our stained glasses, and our glass carvings, our cohort was over and we had to head back to the school.  Everyone learned so many skills and had so much fun that the day went by really fast. I look forward to a new experiential day and learning and creating something new and unique.

Expedition #3- Music Writing & Production

Words & Photos from Marcus S.

After spending the first Expeditions exploring skills related to music writing, performance and production our cohort was ready and excited to spend the day at a local recording studio. The first half of our day was spent brainstorming and songwriting at SMUS, coming up with melodies and pulling bands together. Each student in the cohort has a unique musical skill set, and we are working to find how best these can be expressed in a group performance.

Once we were organized and had a plan for our time in the studio, we traveled to Electric City Sound, a professional recording studio, where we would build up our music. This studio has produced music for local and international musical talent, so it was very exciting to have the opportunity to work in the same space they did. Rick Xie kicked things off by playing a verse on his guitar, which allowed everyone to come together and started adding more and wound up with vocal, drums, and even spoken work tracks! A t Mr. Farish's house we had set up a small recording studio for the last 2 expedition days, however, we had spent most of our time troubleshooting- on this Expedition we were lucky enought to have a professional sound engineer at the recording studio. Since we didn’t know much about how things work in the studio, we spent a lot of time learning, but for our next expedition, we would like to finish our song and possibly upload it to YouTube or Spotify.

Expedition #3- Writing & Visual Art: One Wild and Precious Life

Words & Photos from Ariel K. and Amalia M.

Our last Expedition day was perhaps our best yet! In the morning we boarded the bus to head to the home of our art teacher, Michelle. We started the morning by making drawings of a bouquet, which we sectioned off by looking through viewfinders, on tracing paper with sharpies. We then compiled the drawings to create the image that we wanted to paint, however in order to create an abstracted image we were told to copy the image using charcoal and our non-dominant hands. We then put down red and green undercolour as a base, and while that dried, created the colour pallet we would use for our painting by mixing different combinations of yellow ocher, blue, magenta, brown, white and buff. After that, we began to paint!

I really can’t generalize what happened after that, because everybody took the project in such different directions. One of the reasons I consider this to have been our best day yet is that everybody had begun to settle into their abstract styles, and was confident enough to take their piece where they wanted it to go. What I can tell you is that each piece turned out unique and beautiful, and I can’t wait to see what the next day brings.

After waving goodbye to Michelle we headed back to school, already looking forward to our next gathering in March. Our cohort then took a 45 minute lunch break before meeting again in the Harvey/Symons common room for the next part of our program - the creative writing portion. As we sat comfortably in a circle, Ms MacDonald assigned us three prompts, and we were given about 5 minutes to free-write for each one. It was a relaxing activity that allowed us to express ourselves without pressure - a great warmup to get our creativity and thought processes running once more!

We then proceeded to carry out an activity that we were familiar with, which involved us all laying our paintings from the morning out onto the table, along with a paper bag next to each one. Everyone went around the table, jotting down thoughts and perceptions of every painting on little slips of paper before dropping them into the respective paper bags. By the time we had the opportunity to open our own paper bags, we felt the same satisfaction of reading all the creative comments that everyone popped in - a feeling that we analogized to “opening christmas presents”. Using phrases and ideas from the comments that allowed us to view even our own work in a different light, we were then able to each construct a piece of writing about our paintings before we gathered around to share.

To wrap up the day, everyone chose parts of their writing to share from both the warm-up activity and the writing based on their painting. It was especially beautiful to hear the unique interpretations for each piece of artwork, and we all shared the enjoyment of being able to appreciate the artistic style of every individual.

Expedition #3- Ridgelines & Coastlines Cohorts

Words & Photos from Isabel C.

For the third expedition day, the Ridgelines and Coastlines hiking cohorts went up for a ski day to Mt. Washington. We combined this trip with the other outdoor groups; Paddling and Sampler, as well as the Ahousaht: Exploring Cultural Roots cohort. Students in the cohorts had the option of learning backcountry skills working in Strathcona Park, snowshoeing, or downhill skiing or snowboarding. We met at school at 5:15 am, so it was a pretty early start to our day! We took a 3 hour bus ride up as the sun rose and got to Mt. Washington just as the slopes opened.

Once we were there, we geared up and headed out. Some people brought their own equipment while the rest of us got rentals. There were many options to choose from, but I chose to do downhill snowboarding. When I heard that we were having a ski day I was very nervous. I haven't snowboarded for years and was very worried that I would not remember a thing. When I got there, my excitement started to grow and my nerves faded away. Everyone on the ski trip had to have a lesson at some time throughout the day. Mine was in the morning, and I found that it was very helpful and a good way to awake my old snowboarding skills. I started off by doing easy things and slowly worked my way up, challenging and pushing myself further. Everyone in my group was very supportive and it was a great way to grow closer to my classmates. Before I knew it, it was lunch time and we all regrouped to quickly eat before heading out again. After lunch, we had some free time to go and ski or snowboard. We stayed in groups of around 3 to stay safe. I improved enormously with my snowboarding skills as well as my confidence on the slopes. Although I am no expert at snowboarding, it was one of the best and most memorable days I have ever had. I am so grateful for this experience and I know that every single person had a blast. The day was beautiful with not a cloud in the sky and the bright sun shining down on us. Most of us got goggle tans and very pink cheeks.

At 3:00 pm I went on the ski lift one last time, taking in the view around me. Then, I did one last super fun run with my classmates and headed back inside. By the time we were on the bus again and moving, we were all so tired, we felt like we could sleep for a century. Overall, this expedition day was a great learning experience that helped me rekindle some old skills, learn new skills, as well as push me out of my comfort zone!  

Expedition #3- Giddy Up! Leadership Through Ranching

Words & Photos from Claudia M.

On our third expedition, our group went to the Spiritgate Farm at Duncan. The drive was long, but we realized it was totally worth it once we drove into the beautiful property. Once we arrived, we circled around in a room with a soothing music and talked about the rules around the farm and the schedule for the day. The experience we had was rather unprecedented, since there were animals running around the farm freely. And we met a cute pig called Hoover!

The first activity we did was standing in a circle outside with few loose horses and letting them come to you and connect with you. We weren’t allowed to touch them at first so they could really get a sense of you, but we soon learned the “sweet spot” of the horse and many other things they enjoy that most people would not have known. It was pretty cool how the horses approached and why had to stay calm as they roamed free sniffing at you. Later we got into groups of 2 or 3 and attempted to put the bridal on without force, this made me learn how different it is at the Spiritgate than other farms because it's all about what the horses want not the riders. This took a long time to accomplish for all the groups, but once we did, we took the next step and tried to walk and trot with the horse without tugging on the leash. Only by earning trust, bonding and showing them our positive attitude were we able to succeed and lead them. Overall i learned so much about how to not only read a horse's emotions but how to connect and get them to engage with you without any force. Everyone really enjoyed this experience and it gave us a whole new look on how to connect and treat animals. I look forward to building on the skills we acquired on future Expeditions.

Expedition #3- Bees & Peas Please!

Words & Photos from Duke C.

At 8:15 we departed from SMUS to our first farming experience of the day. Here we met some animals including horses and sheep, our main focus however, was the medicinal properties of plants and herbs. We started by identifying various plants like cedar, chickweed, plantains, etc. and then talking about the many ways to use them as medicine. Harmony, was the farmer who was teaching us. She had prepared many different kinds of oils, salves, honeys, and more for us to try before making them ourselves. But before we began to make our own special honey, we explored the garden and talked about the different plants. I think I can speak for all of us when I say the cold this particular morning really stung. After, we went back inside to prepare our own honey made with bulbs from a native plant.

For lunch we went to Charlotte and the Quail, a local restaurant and garden. Their food was locally sourced and many of the vegetables included were grown on site. Some orders include oatmeal pancakes, kale Caesar salad, and chicken on toast. After our meal, we went to a farm in North Saanich to do some farming and hands on work. However, most of our time there was spent chasing down chickens. The first two people to catch a chicken got a dozen eggs for free! What an Un-BEE-lievable deal. We left the farm with a ton of energy and eagerness for the next time we had a chance to go. Our haul at the end of the day included honey, salves, and knowledge of common medicinal uses for plants.

Expedition #3- Service & Philanthropy: Time, Talent & Money Cohort

Words & Photos from Lucas S.

We started off today’s expedition by meeting with Pacifica Housing, a non-profit organization that provides affordable homes to those who need it the most. We learned about their Streets to Homes program, which not only provides housing to the homeless population but also gives them access to support services. These support services help them to stay off the streets and gives them another chance to get back into the world. This program has been doing wonderful things, 82% of current clients have been housed for longer than a year and 46% of people in the program have moved on to financial independence.

After our meeting, we walked from Pacifica Housing down to the Mustard Seed. They showed us a sort of market system where local grocery stores and establishments donate food items that otherwise wouldn’t sell. These items are given a second life of sorts and given to people can put it to good use. We spent the day packaging items that were in bags too large for just one person to use. We split a variety of items into ziploc bags to be added to the market. These items included; brown sugar, cat food, diapers etc. Two of our members spent their afternoons feeding the homeless and generally helping out with the lunch that the Mustard Seed provides. This day was a wonderful way to get to know the community and the sort of service projects happening in this beautiful city. Overall, it was a fantastic day filled with laughs and even better service!

Expedition #3- Yoga, Mindfulness & Pilates Cohort

Words & Photos from Claire P.

On our January 15 expedition, the Yoga and Mindfulness cohort had a jam-packed day, with an emphasis on mindfulness. We started off with a session from Stef Curran, who taught us about how simple mindfulness can be, eating mindfully, focusing on sounds, how to turn our minds off, and certainly made us all very calm and relaxed. She gave an engaging presentation, and we all learned a lot from her. I enjoyed learning simple meditation skills, and her background in meditation and mindfulness. She told us very sweet stories of her daughter and how she incorporates meditation into her daughter’s life.

Our second speaker was a ‘Transcendental Meditation’ expert, Joe Truscott. The google definition is: “a technique for detaching oneself from anxiety and promoting harmony and self-realization by meditation, repetition of a mantra, and other yogic practices, promulgated by an international organization founded by the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi”. From what we learned, it’s a more scientific and psychological, deeper meditation style. It takes a lot of time and training to perfect it, but there are guaranteed to be many benefits as soon as you start. The eight main benefits are: reduced stress and anxiety, improved sleep, greater sense of clarity and productivity, lower blood pressure, greater sense of calmness throughout the day, reduced cortisol, lower risk of heart attack or stroke, improved brain function and memory. One question I found myself asking, was what’s the difference between Transcendental Meditation and other, more common forms of meditation? Transcendental Meditation is an easy, natural, effortless meditation technique that doesn't involve thinking or concentrating. Each user is given a mantra as a tool to let the mind settle down naturally and to journey through thought. On the other hand, mindfulness meditation involves training your mind to be present in the moment. It usually involves attention to one's breathing, feelings, and thoughts during meditation. I found it very interesting to see a very different side to meditation than I’ve originally been introduced to.

In the afternoon, we journeyed to the Junior School to teach a group of Grade 4 and Grade 1 students some of the things we had learned in the morning. We had four groups; sound within mindfulness, yoga, meditation readings, and mindful drawing. There were four groups of Junior School students that rotated through each presentation. I presented mindfulness through sound. I started off by passing around four different bells. After, they had to pass them around in a circle again, however this time without making a single sound or moving very much. For such young and fidgety children, this proved to be challenging but they surely gave it their all. After, I told them to close their eyes and breathe, while noticing as many different sounds that they could. They seemed to enjoy comparing the different sounds they noticed. I’d ask them to do the same thing again, but this time listen for a quieter noise. Maybe your heart beat, or a bird outside. They were surprised to realize all the different noises they could hear once they took a pause. To finish the presentation off, I’d ring a singing bowl and ask them to close their eyes and raise their hand when they couldn’t hear it anymore. They were certainly surprised how long they could hear it faintly for. I really enjoyed presenting to the children, I found that through teaching them, I learned more and retained the information much better. They were very sweet and interested in meditation, and knew a lot more prior to us coming than I thought they would! Our third expedition day proved to be a success, and we definitely learned a lot.  

Expedition #3- School Grounds Coffee Company

Words & Photos - Jessica Chen and Julia Liao

On our third cohort activity, School Grounds Coffee group spent the day starting up the business plan and visited 2% Jazz Coffee and Level Ground Trading. We started off by visiting the 2% Jazz Coffee. The store is decorated with retro elements like colors, black and yellow, which are also used on the cups. After we ordered the drinks we want, we have a cheerful conversation with the owner. We learned the history of the brand, the company philosophy, marketing strategy, their major expenses, and the importance of locating. According to the questions sheet that Mr. Lilly prepared for us, we learned lots of useful information which are helpful for us to build up the business plan.

After we left 2% Jazz, we split up into three groups and worked independently on the separated sections for our business plan. All of us contributed and worked collaboratively, with the aim of getting a framework for the work that will be continued on our next expedition days.

In the afternoon, we visited the Level Ground Trading. We learned the sources of their coffee beans, how they evaluate coffee beans, how to organizing each storing section, their packing assembly line, and the system of roasting a large number of coffee beans. The owner prepared a presentation for the answering our prepared questions. Through the presentation, we got the ideas of their current and future business plan, their long-distance trading relationships with farmers, the problems they have that associated with growing their market, their opinion on the major competitors, and their perspective about promoting a more caring society.