Grade 7s Take Part in Killarney Adventure

Earlier this month as part of our fall Outdoor Ed trip series, Grade 7 students travelled North to an exciting new destination – Killarney Provincial Park. This three-day trip was planned to be a cross-curricular outdoor education trip, which included experiences from the Geography, History, Art, Science and Physical Education curriculum delivered by subject teachers fortunate enough to go along.

Along the way, the group visited Science North in Sudbury before arriving at the beautiful Killarney Mountain Lodge located on the rugged shores of Georgian Bay.

“The landscape totally changed before our eyes as we drove further North,” marveled Grade 7 student Doris Hua. “Once we got beyond a certain point, we no longer saw buildings, only trees. The hikes were really fun and interesting. It just kept getting more and more beautiful.”

During their full day spent in Killarney, students experienced three very different activities, including a guided paddle with Mr. MacMillan on George Lake, En Plein Air painting with Killarney Artist Pierre Sabourin; and a Guided Hike on the Chikanishing Trail across Precambrian Shield granite with breathtaking views of Georgian Bay. Gloriously warm fall temperatures and vibrant colours contributed to the magical atmosphere our students experienced in such a quintessential Canadian setting.

Sabourin is an artist in residence at Killarney Provincial Park. He follows in the style of the Canadian School of Painting, founded by AY Jackson of the Group of Seven. He was mentored at the age of 10 by Arthur Lismer, another member of the Group of Seven, and enjoys passing along his passion for en plein air landscape painting with young people.

Students had learned about the Group of Seven artists and practiced landscape painting in advance of the trip with Ms. Castellan in art class. They found that working outdoors presented a number of challenges, in that the light changed so quickly, altering their view and the elements themselves, such as leaves and pine needles, would become part of their paintings. Everyone was impressed with their final pieces nonetheless, regardless of whether they had previously fancied themselves artistic or not.

Tomas Chacin has travelled to remote locations on family trips before, including Tobermoray and Lions Head, and enjoyed the Chikanishing hike the best. “It was like rock climbing because the ledges were so high. I took some amazing panoramic shots of the views of Georgian Bay.”

They say that getting back to nature is good for the soul. The teachers on this trip witnessed this in spades and were thrilled to see their students’ enthusiasm and appreciation for the natural beauty that surrounded them during their short time in one of Ontario’s most famous provincial parks.
 
“You need to teach children to love it before saving it,” said Middle/Senior Outdoor Education Coordinator, Andy MacMillan. “The Killarney experience seems to have accomplished this. While walking the Chikanishing Trail and the more challenging Cranberry Bog Trail, they captured snapshots and memories of the landscape unfolding in front of them. This wasn’t the standard selfie, although there were a few of them taken as well.”
 
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Land Acknowledgment

CDS wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. For thousands of years, these have been the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We also recognize the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee peoples who also shared this land.  CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for these lands and waters for future generations.

School Information

13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5 
(905) 833-1220 

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Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.