Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Marrapatta Memorial Outdoor Education Centre

Outdoor education was introduced to Brisbane Girls Grammar School in 1978 by teachers passionate about the environment and who saw the potential of opportunities presented by the outdoors to expand the learning base for students.

After a sustained campaign to secure property and establish buildings, in 1987, Marrapatta, the School’s dedicated Outdoor Education Centre and second campus, was opened at Imbil in the Mary Valley.

From its inception at the School, Outdoor Education has been seen as important for enriching the base of girls’ education to reach beyond the purely academic realms to develop important life skills and to tap into the diverse interests of students.

What is Outdoor Education?

For many of us images of fun and recreation commonly spring to mind. While these are certainly important aspects there is much more to the Outdoor Education framework. In its simplest form Outdoor Education focuses on 3 areas: learning about the environment, personal discovery and working with others. By actively participating in a myriad of activities, students are challenged and encouraged to explore personal characteristics and develop important skills for embracing their lives effectively.

The Programmes

The programme is a carefully considered sequential progression through Years Eight, Nine and Ten, encouraging students to firstly, lead themselves and secondly, to think and work interdependently with others.

Activities chosen in the programme serve to focus on specific aspects; for example, an activity like canoeing necessitates communication and teamwork. Expeditioning has become a common theme throughout the three year levels. Students use multimodal transport to reach a destination. The learning comes from more than reaching the destination; importance is also placed on the journey.

Outdoor Education provides exciting learning experiences for students: ones that leave vivid memories long after leaving Girls Grammar. The Centre continues its commitment to providing innovative outdoor experiences to nurture the development of independent and spirit-filled young women who make positive contributions to their communities.

Quotations From Teachers

“The Outdoor Education Programme reaches out to students in a way that regular classroom lessons cannot. It immerses the students in a very real environment – one that must be conquered the hard way instead of being shortened or abridged.”
Mr Greg Bland – Academic staff

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