Ventura
Drummond Centre also operates Ventura Club. Years 7-9 students and upper high school students attend on Saturdays for afternoon activities with Catholic formation included. Fr Peter is available for confessions. There are also mid-term camps, occasional study weekends, and term holiday camps through the year.
Study skills sessions are conducted with the assistance of older students. In complement to academic assistance, other activities offered at the Centre include classes on character, faith, and professional development.
Each year, a highlight has been the summer camp for Years 7-9 students.
You can sense the atmosphere in the description below.
Hello Ventura parents!
I hope this email finds you well.
We had some fantastic leaders running the activities, and I'm sure that contributed to the success of the camp. Everyone had a blast playing those classic summer camp games (capture the flag, the route to the Mordor, Lantern stalk etc.). We were lucky this year as Grant, the owner of Log Cabin, gave everyone a go on the giant swing. Flying down the swing from 15 meters above the ground pretty exhilarating!
On the final night the kids put their general knowledge to the test in trivia contest. I was amazed by the speed with which they answered the pop music questions. Though things were pretty dull during the world history section!
Just before departure we had our final activity, theatre sports. Some of the skits had a certain Shakespearean eloquence; others performances were as graceful as a bull in a china shop. It was pretty funny.
All in all, it was a wonderful camp!
In the end, the most important thing is that the boys develop spiritually during these activities. And I think they gained A LOT from daily talks on human virtues, daily mass, the rosary and so forth. And finally -- breath easy, this email is coming to an end! -- I think it's particularly helpful to be in an environment that mirrors and reinforces the atmosphere of the family home. For young teenage 'cool cats' (a label that applies to most teenage boys), its good for them to see that they are not the only young people trying to live their faith. Hopefully this was evident to them on the camp.
Within the week I will be in touch with a schedule of activities for Ventura this year (and hopefully I can send out a summer camp video too!).
For those of you who live far away, there will be camps for the younger guys and retreats for the older guys. Hopefully your sons can come along to some of these.
With every best wish
Xavier
For these Ventura activities we are asking a term contribution of $90. Please make cheques payable to Drummond Study Centre or pay by bank transfer (annotating with your family name).