Students from John Tonkin’s unique surf science program enjoyed a weekend on the water for their annual leadership camps, which give year 9’s the opportunity to train year 7’s, and year 10’s the chance to teach year 8’s.
“The older students run the programs, all the individual students, and the younger ones break up into smaller groups, and go round from station to station,” surf science teacher Geoff Hayes said.
The camp (and course overall) combines outdoor education disciplines with science, maths and environmental education, at the school’s dedicated marine studies centre in Dawesville.
Over the weekend the students got the chance to do sailing, science, water-testing, fishing, crabbing, stand-up paddle boarding, and driving power boats.
This year the years 8/10 camp was joined by international guests, 20 students from the Singapore Chinese Girls’ School.
“The year 10’s were also teaching these activities to the Singapore girls at the same time, and they had a great time and want to come back next year,” Mr Hayes said.
“They’d never been able to do those sorts of activities before.”
He said the surf science program was a good fit for Mandurah.
“It’s our coastal lifestyle, but also coastal preservation, learning how to look after the environment, and to have them involved with all the people who look after our estuary,” Mr Hayes said.
The surf science program was responsible for establishing the Estuary Guardians program, which has produced a Fin Guide for dolphin identification and a number of other initiatives around environmental protection and awareness.
Mr Hayes said he’s found the mix of outdoor education and science studies works well.
Aside from the camps, the subject is taught in a half-day block weekly, to students in years 7-10, at the Dawesville marine studies centre.
“The people of the higher academic level are also very quick to develop complex skills such as sailing,” he said.
“[Surf science] is accredited with the education department, so students can apply from any area in the state if they have a unique interest in the surf science area of marine biology, that sort of thing, and they have to also have a strong academic background.”