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Wick High School Belize Expedition

2013

An expedition designed to challenge, widen the horizons and increase the

aspirations for pupils in our relatively remote community.

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In March 2012, AdventuraScotland - a leading outdoor education specialist team, proposed a

month long expedition to Belize where high school students would spend a month doing

conservation and volunteering work in June 2013. The trip would be comprised of three phases:

Tropical Rainforest Phase: The students would be working with the Royal Botanic Gardens

Edinburgh (RBGE) in their Las Cuevas research station on conservation projects in the

rainforest. At the end of this phase they would complete their Duke of Edinburgh Gold

Expedition by walking 50 miles out of the jungle over four days and camping for three nights.

The conservation work completed in the jungle would also count towards their John Muir

Explorer Award.

Volunteering Phase: Students would choose to work on projects that would benefit the

Belizian community, such as, working in the local school, Iguana hatchery, Good Shepherd

Clinic and Octavia Waight Old People's Home.

Reflection Phase: the students would be working with AdventuraScotland to reflect on their

involvement in the project as a whole and its impact on them and how it might influence them in

the future.

The expedition would be designed following the principles of the Scottish Curriculum for

Excellence, where the students would be given the freedom to organise, plan and fundraise in

order to develop them as responsible citizens, effective contributors to society, successful

learners and confident individuals. I will expand on each of these phases later in the report.

My name is Chris Aitken and I am a Computing Science teacher in Wick High School in

Caithness, Scotland. I have an interest in all things technology related and as such not the

typical type of teacher who would opt to take a group of students on an expedition to the

Belizean rainforest for a month! When I accepted the challenge to manage the Belize expedition

I had a 6 month old son and knew it would be difficult to leave him and my wife for a month.

Little did we realise at the time that baby number two would be on the way and my wife would

be 7 months pregnant when we left for Belize!

Wick High School is a comprehensive school with a roll of around 700 pupils. Our catchment

area is the whole of East Caithness and as such we have students from a wide range of

different backgrounds. Three areas of Wick are within the Scottish Index of Multiple

Deprivations and as such are in the top 15% of most deprived areas in Scotland.

With Wick being a relatively remote area of Scotland I feel that it is important that students are

still given the chances and opportunities to expand their horizons, irrespective of where they

live, their background or financial status. It is because of this that I accepted the proposal to run

a expedition to Belize , under the premise that students who came on the expedition would not

have to pay directly towards the cost, therefore opening it up to any student who was interested.

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We then hosted an assembly with 4th and 5th year students (ages 15-17, but would be 16-18

when the trip was run). We explained what would be involved in the trip and how students would

have to work together in order to fundraise the required costs in little over a year, which would

be roughly £3,200 per pupil for the four week experience. We explained that this was open to

any student who was willing to work hard enough and we initially had over 30 expressions of

interest. After holding a parents' night for all interested students we ended up with 10 keen

students who willing to accept the challenge and raise the funds - little did we know what a

challenge was ahead of us!

At this point and before the school broke up for summer, we met together and made a list of

potential fundraising activities we could undertake throughout the year to help us reach our total.

It became very apparent that we would not be able to fundraise that amount ourselves without

support from the community and local and national organisations. We then began a press

campaign to raise awareness of our expedition and supplemented this by creating a website

documenting our progress, the expedition and the people involved in it:

http://belize.wickhighschool.org . We were featured in TESS Magazine and the John O' Groat

Journal.

Our fundraising was given a significant morale boost when Highland Council awarded us

£10,000 towards the expedition costs. However, this still left us with £22,000 to raise! We

initially thought that because Caithness has a relatively high number of wind farms that we could

either access local community benefit funds or that due to the conservation work we were doing,

energy companies might be interested in funding us as part of their climate change

commitment. Unfortunately the community benefit funds are very tightly controlled and can only

be given to groups or individuals within a small radius around the associated wind farm. Energy

companies were very impressed by the ambition of the project; however they were

understandably reluctant to donate to the project as they support community benefit funds which

then distribute to their local area.

At this point we started writing to local companies, individuals and grant making organisations

and we were truly humbled by the amazing response we had locally and nationally (all our

acknowledgements are at the end of this report). By the beginning of March we had raised

£28,000 but still had £4,000 left to raise. Failure to raise the final amount would have meant

some serious re-jigging of our trip and could have meant cutting back on some crucial parts of

the trip.

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Jenny Brass, one of the students on the expedition spoke to our local councillor Gail Ross and

they planned a silent auction to be held at the end of April. They worked together to canvas

local companies into donating to the auction. Once again we were astounded and humbled by

the support given by the community and some amazing prizes were donated. Needless to say

the evening was a great success and we raised the required £4,000 to reach our total - we were

going to Belize!!

I would like to say a direct thank you to Councillor Ross for her support of the Belize expedition

from the moment it was first proposed. She instantly saw the merit and potential the expedition

had and supported the students throughout our fundraising. She was instrumental in helping,

supporting and guiding the students throughout the year on possible funding sources as well as

being great moral support to them when they needed it.

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During the reflection phase of the trip, the students were asked to give advice to future students

who might choose to go on an expedition like this. Here is a selection of their responses:

● "It is important to make sure everyone is doing an equal amount of work and if

someone feels like they are doing too much work they should ask for help"

● "Think positive don’t listen to negative people"

● "If you lose motivation, try to remember where the money is going – it’ll be worth

it (plenty of people have done it before)"

On the 9th of June we left Wick High School and travelled down to Inverness where we caught

the sleeper train to London, travelled from Heathrow to Houston and Houston to Belize. We

were met there by Chris Minty MBE who would be our expedition

leader throughout the first two phases of the expedition, and

were taken to the Tropical Education Centre. Here we spent

the first few days acclimatising. Due to the heat, bugs and

food in Belize, some of the students found this initially

overwhelming and took a day or so to become used to the

differences. We then made our way to the Las Cuevas

Research Centre in the heart of the Chiquibul rainforest

where we would spend the next six days working with the Las

Cuevas staff on projects helping to conserve the rainforest.

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Some of the students‟ favourite moments were:

- Studying the effect of illegal Xati harvesting on the rainforest. Xati is harvested by

Guatemalans living in poverty in the area and sold on to dealers throughout the world to be

used in floral bouquets.

- Hiking down to Monkey Tail River Camp and swimming in the river.

The quotes below show the impact that this phase had on the students:

● "A strong change of attitude about the world around me"

● "Risks are worth taking. Really opened my eyes. Conservation is important. The

jungle needs help"

● "Looked as amazing as what I had imagined. Once in a lifetime experience. More

walking paths and less animals than expected. Had a great time. It is a fantastic

place. Was surprised how much time, money effort is needed to conserve it"

● "Challenging. Completely out of my comfort zone. Rewarding"

At the end of our time in the jungle they completed their Duke of Edinburgh Gold expedition by

walking out of the jungle on a four day trek. Over the four days they walked, camped and ate on

the trail. As the expedition was in Belize there were risks involved which included personal

safety, weather conditions as well as the usual risks associated with walking and camping over

long distances. This meant that we had to supervise the students with a lead person (George,

our jungle guide), someone monitoring the girls' group (Ally from AdventuraScotland) and Miss

Bennett and I sweeping up behind both groups, as well as having a safety vehicle nearby at all

times.

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Before heading on the expedition the students, parents and leaders

agreed on a communication policy. This restricted contact with home for

the students to ensure clear lines of communications and also for the

students to get the most from their experience. It was decided that we

should buy a SPOT GPS tracker, which allowed us to instantly pinpoint

our location and broadcast it to parents and all other interested parties.

At the start of each day we turned on the SPOT tracker and broadcast

our location live over the internet which generated a lot of interest at

home. This was enhanced by the regular blog updates which allowed

parents and interested parties to follow the progress of the group and

interact with them.

These four days were incredibly physically demanding for the students and staff due to the

distances, weather (baking sun and torrential rain) and the fact that we were all camping. By the

end of it, everyone was exhausted but very proud of what they had achieved.

● "The most memorable thing for me was finally finishing DofE expedition because

it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done"

● "I accomplished a task I thought would be a huge struggle"

● "Completing the hike, I felt a sense of achievement"

After the hike we headed to Clarissa Falls, in the Cayo district of Belize where we stayed for

over a week to complete the volunteering part of the expedition. The accommodation comprised

of beautiful thatched cabins, which was some much needed luxury after our gruelling expedition.

In keeping with the principles of the Curriculum for Excellence, students were given a relative

amount of freedom in deciding where they wanted to complete their volunteering placements

and were asked to have a plan of what they wanted to do whilst there.

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The students chose to complete placements at the following places in the San Ignacio area:

● Painting “healthy living” murals at the Good Shepherd Clinic

● Working with primary/secondary school children at the Succotz Roman Catholic School

● Working at the Octavia Waight Old People's Home

● Helping at the San Ignacio Hotel Iguana Sanctuary

Before heading on the expedition to Belize, the students had already engaged with the school to

see if there was anything that they could take out to them that would be of use. The head

teacher indicated that he would appreciate an external hard drive so he could back up the

school's databases. KP Technology from Wick kindly donated an external hard drive to the

school as well as some pens and rulers for the students. Both the head teacher and the

students were incredibly grateful for these. Below is an excerpt from the students' blog, which

we kept updated as their trip progressed:

"The volunteering phase ended well for everyone. On Thursday those of us who were at

the school attended a mass for the graduating class and on Friday we joined the kids’

end of term party. At the school assembly we presented the equipment we had taken

from Scotland to the Principal. He was very pleased to receive our gifts, especially the

external hard drive which the school needed. We were then given certificates by the

Principal for all our hard work during the week. He hoped that we would return to

volunteer at Succotz R.C. School again in the future.

At the clinic, Robyn and Leanne finished their painting project on Friday. Nurse Margaret

wrote personal letters thanking them for their help. She also gave them Belize purses as

a gift. The girls were delighted to receive these and there was an emotional goodbye!

At the Octavia Waight Centre Lewis, the manager wrote a letter of commendation to both

Ryan and Scott, thanking them for their efforts during the week. They also received t-

shirts from the centre. Many of the residents were sad to see them leave!

Jack also received a t-shirt as a thank you for his help at the Iguana Reserve. After a hard

week’s work we all returned to Clarissa Falls on Friday night for some much needed

milkshakes!"

During the reflection phase, the students were asked to think about the impact that the

volunteering phase had on them. These are some of their incredibly insightful and moving

responses:

● "The main thing I got from working at the Octavia Waight Centre, was how we

should treat the older generation with respect and dignity, regardless of the way

they are, what illnesses affect them or how confused they may seem. They are still

people and they were once like me and when it’s my turn I want to be treated the

way they are. ‘It’s your turn tomorrow, so help the aged today’"

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● "Volunteering at school made me realise how much more appreciative children in

developing countries are of education, even though the quality of education is

poorer. I am now very thankful for the opportunities I’ve had. I am not as anxious

around children and feel I can communicate with them better. I feel I could teach

children as a career, whereas before the thought scared me."

● "Speaking to the head nurse after we finished and she said she really liked our

work, made me feel I had achieved something which can make people happy. Just

a little thing can make someone happy."

● "The volunteering made me realise how much I have at home and that I should

appreciate and value it a lot more. People in Belize seem to be really happy with a

lot less."

● "I found out how valuable my volunteering was when I saw the reaction of the

people once I had finished. It showed me the littlest of help can have the biggest

impact. I’ll carry out volunteering at home and help out a lot more at home."

● "The biggest impact was that I realised the value of education and how important

it is. I think it will make me work harder at university."

● "The biggest impact that I experienced at the Octavia Waight Centre is that you

can contribute in so many ways. Even by fixing a shower you are helping to make

the residents life more enjoyable. As well as helping the residents, cherishing

their memories makes their life more enjoyable in an effective way too."

● "I have seen first-hand the hard work teachers and pupils put in to their education

in Belize and how people in the UK take education for granted. Also how

important it is to be ambitious in a country that is less fortunate."

● "Working at the Iguana Reserve helped me realise that I definitely want to work

with animals or do something with biology when I am older. Also working the

‘tours’ improved my interpersonal skills. My experience at the Iguana Reserve was

transcendental."

● "The biggest impact during the volunteering phase for me was how good we have

things back home and don’t appreciate it. The school facilities in Belize were a lot

poorer than Wick and same with the children. However the children didn’t

complain and they were always striving to better themselves which had a big

impact on me."

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After the week's volunteering it was on to Pook's Hill Lodge for a one night taste of luxury eco-

tourism in their thatched lodges. This was one aspect of the expedition that we felt was

necessary after their hard work. However, had we not raised the required funds this would have

been one part of the expedition that we would have had to cut back on due to the expense.

After a lovely meal and a much needed rest, we travelled down to Placencia for the final phase

of the trip - the Reflection Phase.

Placencia is one of Belize's top tourist destinations as it is on the Caribbean coast. Both

AdventuraScotland and the school felt that it was important that this was built into the trip for two

reasons: to allow them to recuperate after what had been an incredibly busy three weeks and to

allow them to reflect on their involvement from the outset of the project and how it might affect

their outlook on life and their career/life choices. Over the next week, Adventura spent around

one hour per day with the students delivering a range of reflection activities. The quotes above

indicate that the students have been quite profoundly affected by this expedition, which was one

of the intended outcomes. The rest of their time in Placencia was spent on rest and relaxation

before we headed home to Wick.

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Conclusions: The Effect on the Students:

From the moment that these students opted to take part in this experience they had all been on

a personal journey of discovery. Each student had faced his/her own challenges before and

during the trip and had overcome them. After taking part in the reflection phase, every student

indicated that they had fundamentally changed as a person in some way or another. Most were

also pleasantly surprised at how much potential they had in themselves, whether it was being

able to walk 50 miles, having been able to teach a group of young pupils or even just trying new

and different foods. It was a privilege as a member of staff to watch these young adults change

and grow throughout the duration of the project.

Building on Our Success:

It is the intention of the school that we consider the possibility of running this expedition again.

With the publicity surrounding the trip, there are already groups of students who are asking if

they can be involved in the future. We intend to run an expedition of this nature every two

years, thus allowing all students to have the opportunity to take part, either in 5th Year or 6th

Year. We therefore plan for the next trip to take place in 2015. By the time the next expedition

happens, Wick High School will have integrated the Duke of Edinburgh Award into the 3rd year

curriculum and therefore the scheme will be much more embedded and accessible to the

students taking part.

It is also our intention to continue the principal that this expedition be open to all students,

irrespective of their backgrounds. Therefore, we will have to look at other potential financing

models for this expedition, which was primarily financed by accessing grants which we would

not be eligible for in the near future. One potential solution to this would be to access funding

as a local association or charity, rather than directly through the school (which excludes us from

many grant-giving organisations). One other solution which we will investigate further is looking

at funding from the renewables sector, given our emphasis on conservation on the project.

The Effect on the School and the Community:

It is always difficult to quantify exactly the effect that this type of expedition has on a school and

surrounding community. However, this expedition did generate a lot of interest in local and

national press, from the Scottish Parliament as well as a significant interest from the local

community. Most importantly though, it generated a lot of interest from the young people in

school, whether it was finding out what we'd be doing or asking how they could become

involved in the next expedition. Publicity and interest was generated further by the ongoing blog

which was transmitted back from “the field” every few days during the expedition. This was

shared by many interested parties through social media and a larger audience was therefore

reached. This was a very effective and powerful method of sustaining interest in the activities of

the group with a wider audience.

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Undoubtedly this has had a positive influence on the reputation on the school and has made it a

more attractive area to live in and a more attractive school to study in. We have shown that we

value personal achievement as much as attainment and are committed to giving pupils the

chance to expand their horizons and experience “a whole new world” which they may never

have the opportunity to experience again.

We fully intend to share the groups‟ experiences through presentations, photographs and film to

a wide ranging audience both locally and further afield e.g. school, parents, Highland Council,

RBGE, UK/Belize Association etc.

It has been incredibly hard work for everyone concerned to get us to Belize and to take part in

the expedition. However, none of this would have been possible without the kindness,

generosity and foresight shown by grant-giving organisations, companies, individuals and the

people of Wick and Caithness. You must have seen the potential in this project and we

appreciate every one of your donations.

Special thanks go to:

Councillor Gail Ross for your unfaltering support of the project.

To my wife, Caroline for being understanding enough for me to leave you, 7 months pregnant

and also with our one year old, Callum

Thanks to the following organisations for supporting the project:

Highland Council

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Caithness and North Sutherland Fund

Subsea 7

Fyffes

The Clare Family Trust

The Rotary Club (Wick)

John Gunn & Sons

D Sutherland (Timber Merchant)

NDSL

The Family of Dr Costello

Lybster Primary School

Rob Gibson MSP

Lybster Daycare Centre

KP Technology

Wick Gardening Club

Mr D Bolland

Katrina Sutherland (Seabreeze Beauty)

and to all the other individuals who supported and donated, thank you for your support.

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AdventuraScotland

AdventuraScotland is a partnership between Ally Sangster and Irene Bews, which specialises in

outdoor experiential education. This involves working with primary/secondary schools and

inservice with teachers, in Scotland, Europe and further afield. Adventurascotland is AALA

(Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority) licensed and an AAP (Award Activity Provider) for

Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions and residentials. As an ex-headteacher and ex-teacher

we endorse the principles for Curriculum for Excellence and its close links with outdoor

education. With this in mind, and having led expeditions with young people elsewhere in the

world, we offered schools an extended expedition to Belize in Central America.

Wick High School was keen to take up the challenge. The concept was that the students would

design, plan, organise and fundraise for the expedition with support and advice from

Adventurascotland and the RBGE (Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh). The RBGE has a stake

in the Las Cuevas research station in the Chiquibul Forest in Belize, which we have visited on a

few occasions as part of trips to Belize. We proposed that the expedition would have three

phases – jungle conservation, volunteering and reflection and the possibility of completing Duke

of Edinburgh Gold Expedition and John Muir Explorer Award. The expedition would conform to

BS8848 for foreign expeditions.

We were impressed by the group of Wick High School students who rose to the challenge of the

entire project from beginning to end, and the lead teachers‟ foresight, commitment and support

during the entire process. Last but not least the interest and support from the local community

and grant organisations that saw the value in this experience for these young people‟s personal

development.

Ally Sangster/Irene Bews

www.adventurascotland.co.uk

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Report by Eilidh Sutherland

Student who participated in the Belize Trip

After a year of fundraising and an immense amount of travelling we finally arrived in Belize City

on 11th June. We were immediately hit by the intense heat and humidity which took some

getting used to. We met Chris Minty of the Botanic Gardens and headed straight to the Tropical

Education Centre (TEC) where we were to spend the first few days of our trip. On our way we

passed the locals‟ homes, which were shacks – one even being carried on a trailer, and we

knew what we were in for.

The TEC is based in forestation so this was the first challenge we faced as we tried to

acclimatize and tolerate the wide range of wildlife, especially the bugs. On our first night we

were given a night tour of Belize Zoo. This was a great experience and we were given the

chance to hold and feed the snakes, including a mini Boa Constrictor. We saw a massive variety

of exotic animals, including pumas, jaguars, peccaries, ocelots, scarlet macaws, hawks, owls,

tapirs, howler monkeys, and many more.

The following morning Chris Minty took us out on a savannah trail to give us our first bit

of training for the jungle. We were shown various Belizean plants and trees including the Pinus

Caribaea which is surprisingly closely related to the Scots Pine. We also saw iguanas

throughout the site and crocodiles in the local pond. During our exploration we learned how to

use the radios to communicate with Belmopan in case of an emergency.

Next we embarked on a long five hour journey to Las Cuevas research station on very bumpy

roads. On our way, we stopped in Belmopan to visit the British High Commissioner, His

Excellency Pat Ashworth. He gave us an interesting talk on the work of the High Commission

and educated us on the political situation with the Guatemalan border and problems Belize

faces.

As we arrived in Las Cuevas, deep in the

Chiquibul Rainforest, we were greeted by

the resident biologist, Boris, who was to

teach us about jungle conservation. After

our first night there we were all quite

worried as some of us woke up covered in

bed bug bites. Over the following week

Boris taught us how to measure trees and

identify and collect data on different species

of plant, such as the Xati plant. We also

learned about the changing jungle

vegetation and how to set up nets and

capture wild birds for research. This showed

us just how laborious the conservationist‟s job

really is, much more difficult than we expected.

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Later in the week we hiked to a river in the forest called Monkey Tail where we all jumped in the

Belizean water for the first time. One morning we woke up at 5am and trekked uphill under the

jungle canopy to a bird viewing tower to watch the sun rise and listen to the jungle awaken. This

was a memorable experience as some of us confronted our fear of heights. When we reached

the top of the bird tower the view was absolutely breathtaking and we could see jungle as far as

the horizon.

During the week we were also given a presentation by Professor Holley, a leading archaeologist

in her field, on a number of Mayan sites and some of their history and iconography. We were

then given a tour of Mayan ruins found in the forest by an English archaeologist, Mark. He

showed us a number of areas that have been excavated. We were able to see the stairs to a

temple and the ball court where a famous Mayan game would have taken place. After this we

walked to the cave where the Mayans believed the Underworld Gods lived and we also saw a

sinkhole where Mayans would have been sacrificed. We saw how strenuous the archaeologist‟s

job is and learned about the problems they face, such as looters.

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We met some very interesting people at Las Cuevas, including the cooks Vanessa and Mrs

Mesh who treated us with utmost generosity. We were also taught how to build A-frames (a

shelter created from wood, leaves and vines) by Pedro and how to make use of jungle

resources in a survival situation. Pedro was thankfully brave enough to remove tarantulas and

cockroaches from our rooms so we could sleep. This made leaving Las Cuevas very difficult

and emotional.

After this, we prepared to do our Duke of Edinburgh gold hike which consisted of four

days hiking and three nights camping. Over the space of the four days we hiked about ten miles

per day in the scorching sun with only one day of torrential rain. This was the biggest challenge

for us mentally and physically, but we supported each other in our groups and pulled one

another through. We fed ourselves and camped in tents which turned out to be non-waterproof.

The only type of 'wash' we got during this time was by going in the rivers with our shampoo,

which was difficult for some of us. During this phase we were lucky enough to visit Francis Ford

Coppola‟s hideaway, Blancaneaux Lodge for a talk on jaguars and conservation organisations.

We also visited a massive cave and able go inside and explore. Our jungle guide, George was

with us the whole way and we met his 80 year-old father, Winston who received an MBE for his

services to the British army for over twenty years. We finished our hike in the village of San

Antonio which was definitely a moment we will never forget as we rushed to the shop for a much

needed cold Coke.

The following week was spent in Clarissa Falls, our first taste of luxury in two weeks. We

couldn‟t wait to sleep in proper beds, have showers and eat good quality food. Our deprivation

over the past two weeks definitely showed as some of us built up 100 dollar tabs on just

milkshakes and food! We were now in the volunteering phase, where the group was split up for

the first time. We went to different placements, which included Succotz RC Primary School, The

Good Shepherd Clinic, Octavia Waight Nursing Home and the Iguana Hatchery.

I went to the primary school with Jenny, Josey, John and Liam, where we spent time teaching

the children British games, helping out in class and doing bits of DIY for the headmaster. We

also prepared a power point

about Scotland to give them a

taste of our home country.

The children and teachers

mistook us for Australians,

but were fascinated by

Scotland and couldn‟t believe

there were no wildcats or

dangerous snakes there. We

also helped prepare for the

school‟s graduation and were

fortunate enough to attend

the school‟s mass at the local

church and graduation party.

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On the last day we donated a hard drive and various stationery to the school which they were

very grateful for. This made us realise how lucky we are in Scotland to have a good education

system. We admired the children for being so grateful that they could go to school and for being

so ambitious despite the poverty that surrounds them.

Leanne and Robyn went to the local clinic to decorate the waiting area. They chose a theme of

how to keep a healthy lifestyle, so decorated the walls with fruits and sports. They also painted

a wall of animals to brighten up the area for the children. The girls felt fulfilled after doing

something to help the community. The girls were also inspired by the clinics owner, Margaret,

who set up the clinic and has been helping the local people for over forty years.

Ryan and Scott volunteered at the nursing home. They spent their week carrying out general

DIY with the janitor, cleaning the area, serving „Meals on Wheels‟ and doing activities with the

residents. The boys were really inspired by the residents and spent a lot of time socialising with

them and listening to their stories. The boys left with a good impression of Octavia Waight as

the staff and residents were very friendly and appreciative.

At the Iguana Hatchery, Jack spent the week feeding the iguanas, counting the babies after

hatching and holding tours for the public and answering their questions. He gained a massive

knowledge of the iguanas and says that the breeding program is very successful.

After our volunteering, we headed to San Ignacio to meet the local Rotary Club and exchange

flags with them – since Wick Rotary Club generously donated £1000 towards the trip. We then

visited the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich. The main temple was an impressive sight as it towered

above the surrounding forest. Everyone made it to the top to take photos of the stunning views.

On our way to Placencia for our reflective phase of the trip, we stayed at Pooks Hill the night.

We were really impressed with the double beds, hot showers and buffet for dinner. However, as

we arrived in Placencia, our accommodation only got better.

For our last week we were to stay in a massive four story decked-out house with lots of

hammocks and a dock at the back for us to swim and canoe in. All our hard work had paid off.

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We spent our final week carrying out reflection workshops at the beach with the

AdventuraScotland members, Irene Bews and Ally Sangster. We did various exercises,

including acting out our favourite moments in Belize, drawing a graph which represented our

input during the fundraising, discussing what we have learned from our time in Belize and also

working on our teambuilding. Our evenings were spent in the town centre attending local

entertainment, such as a Garifuna drumming band, Reggae singers and discos.

Our time in Belize has had a great effect on us. We are really proud to have done it by

ourselves and hope it has inspired other people to do the same. We would definitely encourage

other pupils at Wick High to see more of the world and visit other cultures. We would also

recommend that other pupils work towards awards such as their Duke of Edinburgh to enhance

their CVs and improve their chances. We are now aware of the luxuries that surround us at

home and have realised how lucky we are to live in a developed country with good education

and politics. We have learned the importance of conservation and think Scotland should play a

role by supporting conservation organisations, as they are very much underfunded and face

problems from poachers, thieves and loggers. But most importantly, the trip has allowed us to

confront fears, push ourselves to the limit and gain independence, preparing us for the future.

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We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us over the past

year, which includes all the companies and organisations that sponsored us, the councillors that

supported the trip and the general public who donated generously. You made this trip possible.

We would also like to thank Irene Bews and Ally Sangster (AdventuraScotland), and our

teachers, Mr Aitken and Miss Bennett, who have been with us every step of the way and made

this a once-in-a-life time opportunity that we will cherish forever.

Eilidh Sutherland, on behalf of the Belize group