Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: North Park Students Unplug and Connect

North Park Collegiate and Vocational School students, along with educators Lisa Bergen and Erin Bonham, recently took Grand Erie’s motto, ‘Learn, Lead, Inspire,' to heart during a trip to the Ontario Education Leadership Centre (OELC) in Orillia. The group spent two nights and three days disconnected from technology while building meaningful relationships with peers, teachers, camp staff and the nature around them.

Guided by North Park’s leadership program philosophy, ‘Play with Purpose,’ students and their teachers participated in a variety of fun and engaging activities designed to strengthen communication, teamwork and conflict-resolution skills.

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To fully embrace the experience, learners accepted the challenge of going completely technology-free for the duration of the trip. While the adjustment was difficult at first, the results were overwhelmingly positive. Students reported forming deeper connections with one another, rediscovering the joy of simple activities, and taking in the world around them.

“I had to laugh,” said Erin Bonham, North Park’s Grade 11 Leadership teacher. “We kept getting comments from the students saying that [without technology] they couldn’t believe how long an actual day was — and with activities running from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., there wasn’t much downtime! They were genuinely surprised with how much we could accomplish in a day. It was really great for Lisa [Bergen] and I to also disconnect and learn about our students in a more meaningful way.”

Bergen, a French teacher at North Park, added, “It was incredible to see just how quickly our group connected. We had pockets of friends that had signed up for the trip together, but it only took a lack of phones, problem-solving with new peers and some guitar playing to turn us into one big family.”

Grade 12 student Jenna Medlar shared, “I really just loved the opportunity to feel like a kid again. Many of us graduate from high school this year and life is about to get real, so it was great being given a chance to slow down for a minute.”

Bergen and Bonham hope to make the OELC trip an annual fall tradition, and look forward to seeing the leadership program continue to grow at North Park.