Altitude Day

On Tuesday 23^rd May, our Year 9 leaders attended Altitude Day. The day aimed to encourage young leaders to live their passion, challenge themselves, recruit mentors, make a plan and take action, develop a champion mindset and never give up. Following are some student reflections on the day.

“On Tuesday 23^rd May, the Year 9 leaders attended Altitude Day, run by yLead. When we arrived, we played a quick game called POW to get us pumped and ready for the day. The first person to speak to us was Zoe Caroll. She discussed how to make a difference. Zoe is the founder of Zottie Dottie, an organisation where people can share their stories. Zoe believes that we can achieve so much more when we communicate, collaborate and care. Finding creative ways to promote mental health to young people has been Zoe’s focus. The main thing she taught us was to put our plans and dreams into action. Zoe did not know what she wanted to do with her life and then she had an idea and put it into action, now she has her own successful company. The second thing she taught us was to make a difference. If we see a problem do not just sit there and watch the damage being done, go and do something about it.” - Caitlyn

“The second speaker for the day was Barnaby Howarth and he was a true inspiration. This man has survived much in his life including being a type one diabetic since he was a teenager. In 2005 Barnaby was attacked by an alcohol-fuelled gang and ended up in a coma for four days. His friends and family were told that it was very likely he would die. However, shortly after this, he woke up but he found that everyday tasks seemed to be a struggle due to a severe stroke. After all this, Barnaby still didn’t feel sorry for himself. Instead, he set goals and did whatever it took to reach them. Before the attack, Barnaby was very passionate about AFL and he played for the Sydney Swans. Due to his positive attitude to life and his love of the game, he became an AFL Hall of Fame inductee. He has also summited Mt Kilimanjaro, trekked Kokoda, filmed documentaries and written books. He was a true inspiration to everyone in the room. I learnt I should not feel sorry for myself when things get tough but I should persist and reach for glory.” - Atlanta

“The third speaker was Rowie McEvoy. She taught us that you can have control over your feelings and that through mindfulness, you can see difficult situations in a more positive way. Rowie encouraged us to do what we love, stand out from the crowd (for the right reasons) and be fit, healthy and strong. We also did many other activities that reinvolved meeting other leaders from a range of Sunshine Coast schools and sharing advice. One of the highlights was singing ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ as a whole group. Overall, this day was very productive and I believe that my peers will agree with me in saying that we got much from this day and the inspiring speakers. We learned that there is much more to leadership and about the keys to unlocking our potential.” - Jared

Mr Brendan Delaney, Director of Students