Our 150th year marks the launch of The Quest, a 21-day wilderness adventure in the southern Cederberg. A rite of passage, the Quest happens at the end of the Grade 9 academic year and has at its core, the framework of character development. This age group finds itself at a turning point of young adulthood, ready to start individuating, leaving behind their early teens and preparing for senior high school. It is a time for self- discovery, exploration and growing agency. A time to start thinking of self in a social community, seeing beyond self and to consider how they can contribute and converge for the benefit of others. ‘I lift my eyes and all is born again’ wrote Sylvia Plath, apposite words as The Quest will afford each student a chance to lift her gaze and clear her head.

The dates for The Quest are as follows: leave school on the morning of the 12th November and arrive back at school on the 2nd of December in the late afternoon.

During The Quest, the students will be exposed to a range of exciting activities, some of which will include hiking, cycling, running, kloof swimming, alien vegetation clearing, outdoor education, community partnerships, leadership opportunities, and team building. The Quest is foremostly an opportunity for girls to discover more about themselves and test themselves in a variety of situations. There are opportunities for each girl to learn new skills and develop emotional, organizational, and practical intelligence, all equally as important as physical prowess or intellectual ability.

Each girl will have at least one opportunity to take the lead – managing group wake up times, map reading, meal schedules, camp set-ups and strikes, and overall planning. They will do absolutely everything for themselves – from washing clothes daily, cooking food, to navigating and resolving conflict.

• Developing independence and inter-dependence.
• Building a sense of identity, strength, and resourcefulness.
• Taking girls out of their comfort zones and encouraging social and emotional personal development.
• Extending girls’ boundaries.
• Developing leadership skills and encouraging girls to contribute to a team, a community and to the environment.
• Building organizational and practical intelligence
• Allowing girls to appreciate the simplicities and necessities of life.
• Encouraging reflection and spiritual growth.
• Enabling girls to learn and improve in a range of outdoor activity skills.
• Enriching knowledge, understanding of and appreciation for a range of natural wonders, heritage, and literature of the Cederberg.
• Encouraging girls to develop co-operative skills, tolerance and understanding of themselves and others.
• Exposing girls to other communities and helping them to learn the value of group decision-making and trust.
• Getting girls to know each other better and to truly appreciate each other for their values and qualities.
• Giving girls the opportunity to develop new friendships.
• Giving girls the opportunity to experience the appreciation and development of leadership.