The students bravely took on an array of exhilarating tasks and physical activities, including traditional tribal games, wall climbing, abseiling, zip wires, high ropes courses and archery. The level of enthusiasm, teamwork, cooperation, communication and support for each other demonstrated throughout was impressive and heartwarming. Everyone seamlessly transferred to the Sepanggar Rainbow Island off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.
This stunning, yet tiny island provided so much joy and learning for our students, who were immediately blown away by its natural beauty, the colour of the water, the lush green forest and the cats and goats!
With just a short time to offload bags and check into rooms, students were straight back in the water, participating in coral conservation, snorkelling, sea kayaking and sea walking. The students spent their evenings star gazing and reflecting on their days, completing fun activities with their instructors and feasting on both local delicacies and Western favourites.
On our final day, the students gained a deeper appreciation of the concept of a "full day," enriched with valuable lessons in resilience and empathy. They kicked off the day with a beach clean-up at 6.00 am, witnessing the sunrise and diligently gathering over 30 bin liners of trash and plastic. Their unwavering commitment to the task showcased remarkable teamwork as they transported heavy bags back to the collection point.
After breakfast, students walked over the headland to the only village on the island, to work with the local community to tackle a huge plastic issue and attempt to clear the village from the mountains of plastic the ocean tides had brought in over numerous years from the mainland and neighbouring countries. They collected over a tonne of rubbish, mainly plastic, from the village and worked tirelessly in blistering heat, dedicated to this act of service and to learning first-hand the damaging effects of single-use plastic consumption and the world’s inability to recycle plastic at the rate it is being produced.
After weighing the content and participating in a closing ceremony, we said goodbye to our new friends (until next time) and headed back to our beach for an afternoon of water sports and activities. Watching the curiosity of the students develop and seeing each young person learn, grow, challenge themselves, step outside the box and problem solve together was truly fulfilling. We couldn’t have wished for a more magical experience or a better group of students to experience this with.
Dylan Handy
Year 10 Progress Leader
School trips are a fully integrated part of our curriculum at Dover Court International School, where all students participate and develop a broad range of skills, embracing new and challenging opportunities. Find out more
here.
