Ross Bowen

ICE has put students through ups and downs throughout the whole year, but it was still very fun. Some times it could feel a bit boring, but the ICE teachers always knew a way to cheer everyone up. ICE had felt a bit unusual at first, but it had gotten more comfortable during the year. I have written a blog that will sum up our ice year and how my character has changed throughout the year in ICE.

This year has been a crazy ride on the Grade 9 rollercoaster and my character has massively changed throughout the year. I have also changed as a person, student, and a Canadian from all of the trips we went on, and the knowledge we learned.

At the start of the year, I was sort of a bland fruit tree with no fruits on it yet. But in the end, I was a full-grown fruit tree. As a person, I had changed from being a bit quiet and only talking to my known friends, to being a crazy person in the class. From all of the tough trips to the calm field trips, I somehow got through the year when I didn’t think I would *cough Winter Camping cough*. Throughout the year, I have gained many skills as a person during many trips. When we went to Wanakita, it was a bit tough having it at the start of the year, but we managed through it. This was the time to meet new students and get to know them, and I had made many new friends. But the thing that was the hardest for me but made me a different person, was Winter Camping. As soon as we had gotten there, we had figured out that we were the first group to stay in the cabins, which was good, but then the time came, the time for the switch (it still gives me nightmares). We had to walk for what felt like hours (but was only around 45 minutes) and we had eventually gotten to our campsite with a lunch break in the middle. Our campsite was in the middle of the woods, so it felt like a camping vibe. At the end of the camping section, we had eventually played camouflage (in my bright orange and green snowsuit) and I had somehow come 3rd. But we had to go back to the cabin site and then we had left shortly after. Everyone was very excited when they got back to Toronto, but it was very fun and way better then most of us thought it would be.

I have changed as a student by doing the work (but not making it the greatest) to then doing the work with more effort and with more detail. And also being a bit crazier in class. At the start of the year, it felt a bit dodgy with the workload, but when I had learned how to manage the work, it felt much better. And when I got more comfortable with the work and with everyone around me, I had started to show the CRAZY side of me. I had also found the work that we would do more interesting nearing the end of the year because I had gotten used to the work that we were doing. Now in most of my classes, I am crazy, but I still get the work done (just in time).

I have changed as a Canadian by learning way more about the world then I had known before I came into grade 9. ICE has changed the way that I look at things and the way that I say things because of all the history that I’ve learned. I also now know a lot more things about Canada and how they participated in the wars and all of the neighbourhoods and how some of them came to be and what they mean to people. On the Island as well, I had learned about how some people live there and the benefits and weaknesses of living there will give. But as a Canadian, person, and a student, I think that I have learned that I am a crazy person and that I like to climb things, and that my character is different than a lot of other people’s.

Here is an Infographic that I had made