ARARAT - Six year nine students from Ararat College will take part in a life changing experience when they spend 10 weeks in Dinner Plain at the Alpine School in Victoria's Alpine National Park.
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Rhys Sheffield, Keenan Hurst, Kaleb O'Riley, Ashby Green, Jakki Orszaczki and Emily Reynolds will live at the school for more than two months during term four.
Ararat College's Pam Brennan and Andrew Reynolds are the two liaison teachers for the project and Mrs Brennan said the school has had students participate in the project since 2001.
"There has been quite a few groups that have gone up during that time," she said.
"Everyone who has been has said it is a worthwhile experience."
The Alpine School provides an intensive, high quality leadership and enterprise program for small teams of year nine students selected from Victorian government schools. There a eight schools, four from different rural areas and four from Melbourne, which will take part in the program.
Ararat College took several weeks to select its six students, with those wishing to participate required to submit a letter of interest, while staff feedback was also taken into consideration, before 15 students were interviewed for the final spots.
Mrs Brennan said the school is a very different experience for students, with classes taking place seven days a week including night activities.
"They do a lot of team work and leadership building exercises, they never do the normal curriculum it is all hands on experiences," she said.
"They might do science, but instead of in a classroom they might test water in a dam or something along those lines.
"They find out how to learn in different ways and individually they become quite independent of their parents and learn to do the washing and all those living skills."
Mrs Brennan said initially some students find the limited technology available a challenge.
"There are no mobile phones allowed, no Facebook, no TV, no lollies, they really get back to basics and the only contact they have with family and friends is via snail mail or email," she said.
"The parents do get the opportunity to visit their child during the middle week of the term and take them out for the weekend, and that is something everyone enjoys."
