On Wednesday the 15th of February, we as Year 9 Students, officially started our journey through The Voyage program as we participated in The Departure ceremony. It was such a great experience to share with our families and one I am sure no one will soon forget.
After having some time to learn about all of the exciting activities that would be coming up throughout the year, we broke off into our Voyage classes with our parents. This was a special time where we could share a letter with our parents about our thoughts, and some worries that we may have about the upcoming year. This was a very significant moment, it helped us communicate with our parents in a way that we may not have done before. We were able to share things with them that we may have been a bit nervous to talk directly with them about. Needless to say, there were a few tears being shed!
Once we had some time speaking with our parents and reflecting on the year ahead, we all gathered in a circle with balloons in the colours of the Endeavour Way (red, purple, blue and orange). Letting them go was symbolic of letting go of our childish behaviors and preparing for the wonderful journey that we were about to embark on. It also allowed us to let go of any insecurities or worries we may have had coming into the year, as we realised that we were all in the same boat and instead should be excited about what this year could hold for each one of us. While we may not have realised it at the time, I am sure that the experience and knowledge that we received that night will help a lot of us in the years to come.