Outdoor Programme
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you”. – Frank Lloyd Wright
The Peponi Outdoor Education Programme helps build community and raise awareness of culture as well as ignite a passion for discovery and adventure among the pupils. It raises the pupils’ expectations and standards and helps the students to bond well and develop positive associations within school and the outdoors.
The Outdoor Programme school is highly engaging and caters for pupils across the years. From our Exploration Days to the President Award’s Adventurous Journeys; from the weekly Northlands Activity to the PADI Open water Diving trips, the Outdoor Programme is designed to keep pupils physically active and engaged whilst in a beautiful but sometimes challenging environment. The programme is aimed to build confidence and develop a positive attitude towards challenging activity and adventure; it allows pupils to explore new interests or delve deeper into something about which they are already passionate.
Pupils can make such exciting activities as part of their every week :
Activities include:
- Basic Camp Craft
- Navigation and map reading
- Leadership classes
- First Aid classes
- Cooking Classes
- Rock climbing both indoor and Outdoor
- Mountain Biking
- Kayaking
- Archery
- Horse riding
- Paddle Boarding
- Abseiling and Bouldering
- Community Service which includes teaching, mentoring, working with the less fortunate etc.
- Canyoning
- Caving
- Outdoor skating
- Obstacle course
- High ropes and low ropes
- Teambuilding and group dynamics
The President’s Award
(The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Scheme in Kenya)
The President’s Award (PA) combines service, adventure and new skills for young people and allows pupils to show personal initiative and independence, working towards an Award, which is well regarded by both universities and employers. All pupils are expected to complete Bronze in Shell (Year 9), and we have active groups at Silver which involves the Fifth Form (Years 10 and 11) and Gold (Sixth Form) Award levels, encouraging pupils to involve themselves fully in the extra-curricular options open to them at School.
Every year, numerous Peponi pupils are awarded for the completion of the various stages of the President’s Award programme. Finer details of the President’s Award Scheme can be found elsewhere but aside from the Adventurous Journey and the Skills, the Community service aspect of the Award programme is highly celebrated and has all members of the Peponi School involved in it. The highlight of the President Award Service programme is the Lower Sixth Community service (Silver) project, that take place in marginalized areas and involves working with the less privileged in communities and societies, within different parts of the country.
All pupils in the school are supported and encouraged by Peponi members of staff and we hope that pupils will take on the journey and see it to its completion which is the Gold Award.
PEST Trips and Exploration Days
(Peponi School Expedition Society Trips)
Exploration Days provide whole year-groups with an opportunity to bond, exercise, team-build and ultimately relish the outside. Designed during Covid to give pupils an outdoor education, despite not being able to stay overnight, the Exploration days have served to bring our community closer together as well as providing every pupil an opportunity outside of the classroom to develop skills and knowledge. Over the course of a year, there is an Exploration Day for every year-group: pupils can stay in School the night before so that every hour of sunlight can be used before the end of the day.
The Peponi School Expeditions Society is an outdoor enthusiasts club for the Peponi teachers and pupils. The members of the club are from all year groups and there is a trip every term to remote areas in the beautiful country of Kenya. Whilst it was halted during Covid, the Club has been active since the School’s inception. The programme is DIY [Do It Yourself ] and the clubs mantra/philosophy is ‘ I WILL NOT COMPLAIN’. All who come on the trip are expected to make their meals, prepare their camp, manage themselves whilst hiking and exploring pristine wilderness environment. Locations previously visited include, The Aberdare Mountains, Mount Kenya, Namanga area, Mt Olorgesailie, Tsavo West and East National Parks, Kamba Land, Lake Magadi and Nguruman escarpment.
With our President’s Award, our Exploration Days and our PEST/PAWS camps – all pupils develop leadership, teamwork and decision-making skills while travelling extensively around Kenya and East Africa. By really engaging with other cultures and within a remote environment as a team, our pupils change the way they think about the world and their place in it.
