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Schools to replicate experience for Gr 8 students

Muskoka Experience
Posted on 03/29/2021

Elementary schools throughout the WECDSB will be replicating the Muskoka Experience for Grade 8 students this spring during Catholic Education Week.


“For more than 25 years, Grade 8 students have been travelling to the Muskoka Woods camp to learn how to become leaders through faith-based outdoor activities,” said Joseph Ibrahim, the WECDSB Superintendent who oversees the annual experience. “In keeping with our tradition of providing hope and inspiration, we intend to recreate the experience the best we can through virtual opportunities and school-based activities. Despite the pandemic, we will continue to foster leadership and opportunities for growth in our students.”


The experience began in 1994 with one Grade 8 class and a yellow school bus traveling 550 km to the Muskoka Woods Resort, which is located on over 1,000 beautiful wooded acres and 2,800 feet of shoreline on Lake Rosseau, in the heart of the Muskoka Lakes Region. Since then the experience has evolved into a leadership opportunity for every Grade 8 student and every high school student enrolled in a  leadership program within the WECDSB. 


While there, students take part in a variety of faith-based and team building activities like climbing, zip-lining, hiking and performance arts, all under the guidance of teaching staff and high school leadership students.


This year, schools will be asked to create events throughout Catholic Education Week (May 2-7) that are consistent with this year’s theme of Nurturing Hope and help foster team building and leadership.


A virtual experience for all WECDSB Grade 8 students will be held on May 7, 2021 with inspirational presentations by Fr. Danny Santos from the Diocese of London and motivational speaker and artist Bob Upgren


“As a Catholic organization we wish to create an atmosphere that nurtures the faith journey of all our students and encourages them to put into practice the virtues inherent in our faith,” Ibrahim said.


To recognize the Muskoka Experience, the WECDSB has created a great new web page to house information about the annual trip.


“This will be an excellent place to archive all of our resources related to Muskoka, especially as things get back to normal and students are able to start going back there,” Ibrahim said. “We’ll be adding exciting new content to the page as it becomes available in subsequent years.”


You can visit the new web page here.


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