Year 7 look back on their first year of College

Below are two reports from students who attended the Reflection Day:

Stephanie Avgoustou

This day was exciting and entertaining; filled with many games, meditation activities and fun challenges. Examples of games included a parfait eating competition, where four students had the choice to either eat an onion or parfait. All the students decided on the parfait, but inside the onion was a chocolate. The game taught us that it doesn’t matter how things may look on the outside – as there may be something good on the inside.

Another was a money game. Each student partnered with a friend and asked questions, such as who has the longest nails. If you had the longest nails you may have been able to take your partner’s money or give them money. This game taught us that life can be unfair in different situations; you must accept the winnings – and sometimes – the problems.

Students also enjoyed a puzzle game. We were placed into small groups with people we don’t normally talk to. We had to finish three puzzles in three different colours. The challenge was that there was a missing puzzle piece which didn’t fit into the puzzle – but the non-corresponding piece fit into another group’s puzzle. The lesson behind this game was about the idea of diversity and that everyone is different.

To conclude the day we talked about the five finger prayer and were given the opportunity to pray for five different things, such as the special people in our lives or any special intentions that we have.

This day was a great opportunity for all Year 7 students!

Annabelle Johnson

Last week, Year 7 entered Merici apprehensive and excited about what our reflection day would bring. By the end of the day, we were brimming with happiness and excitement! Chris ran the Reflection Day and had so many fun activities for us to do. First, we played the ‘name game’, where you had to find someone with a name starting with the letter that your name ended in, and then find something you had in common with them. This continued on in a chain, promoting teamwork, collaboration and above all, prompting us to meet new people – or at least find out more about them. 

Later, we played a game with money, where our odds were against us all the time! This taught us about the importance of accepting what life brings our way, rising above it and moving on. It was a very fun game!

We also had a parfait eating competition, which included an onion. No student chose to eat the onion; we all chose to eat the parfait. What we didn’t realise was that there was a chocolate inside the onion. This taught us not to judge someone by what you see on the outside; instead get to know people for who they are on the inside.

Our last activity was a calming prayerful time, where we reflected on and thought about those we wanted to pray for. The day ended with some calming meditation.

Overall it was an amazing day and I know that we all enjoyed it!