Since 2023, our Primary 6 students have been taking advantage of the short days during winter to explore nearby Ravelston Woods after dark.
During these outings, students learn about bats and other nocturnal wildlife, trees, the city skyline, night vision, stars, and how to navigate by torchlight. There are also some fun night-time games thrown in and a small fire to heat water for hot chocolate.
This winter, the night walks expanded to the P7s, who’ve been exploring the coastline near Cramond. The experience has helped broaden students’ understanding of the city they live in, getting to see nearby locations in a setting they normally wouldn’t.
Word of the night walks spread to the Senior School and, not wanting to be left out, a group of S1 and S2 students approached Mr Ogilvie about getting involved. That’s when Mr Ogilvie launched the ‘Bothy Culture’ programme.
In late February, a group of S1 and S2 students hiked to a bothy in the Borders where they spent the night. The only caveat was that they had to do it on a school night. One of the goals of the programme, Mr Ogilvie explains, is to show students that you can do more than sit at home and watch TV or play video games between the hours of 5 – 9.
The hike in went smoothly, but Mr Ogilvie admits that he had some doubts about the hike out. To get students back to school on time the next day, they would have to be up by 4 a.m.
To his amazement, when the alarm went off the next morning, students jumped out of bed, dressed, packed, and were ready to walk within 20 minutes. They made it back to school with time to spare before first period. Mr Ogilvie says he can’t wait to see what this group accomplishes next.
The walks have proven extremely popular amongst students and shown that we may have a few night owls in our midst. A huge thank you to the staff who’ve volunteered their time on these walks, and a special thank you to Mr Qureshi Stark, Miss Howie, Mrs Brown, and Mr Ogilvie for their instrumental work in organising the trips.
