Making Safe and Responsible Choices: Pillar 5 of Our Wellbeing Program

At CDL, our commitment to fostering a supportive and healthy environment for our students extends through our comprehensive wellbeing program. This month, we’re focusing on Pillar 5: “Making Safe and Responsible Choices.” This pillar is crucial as it encourages our students to cultivate resilience and sound decision-making skills, especially when faced with challenging circumstances.

The two take away points we will be focusing on are;

Understanding How Peer Pressure Can Affect Our Decisions

Peer pressure is a powerful force, particularly during school years. It can influence various aspects of our lives, from the clothes we wear to the choices we make. Understanding this influence is the first step toward making safe and responsible decisions.

It’s important for our students to recognise that peer pressure can manifest in both positive and negative ways. Positive peer pressure includes being encouraged by friends to study or participate in healthy activities. However, negative peer pressure can lead to risky behaviours or decisions that don’t align with personal values or the school’s standards.

How Can I Help Myself and Others When Making a Tough Decision?

Making tough decisions is a part of life, but you don’t have to face them alone. Helping oneself and others through difficult choices is about creating a supportive network and developing critical thinking skills.

An example is the STOP, THINK, ACT model:

• STOP: Pause for a moment. Do not rush into a decision.
• THINK: Consider the consequences and reflect on your values and the impact of your choice.
• ACT: Make a decision that you feel is right, after thoughtful consideration.

We also emphasise the importance of seeking advice. Students are encouraged to talk to trusted adults, such as us, teachers and school counsellors, or even peers who they believe have good judgment. By fostering an open environment, we make it easier for students to seek help and advice without fear of judgment.

This Pillar is being led by Mr Manu, supported by a team of students in which Jamil is representing Olympus.

This new CDL weekend was an opportunity for our Olympus Boarders to regain their energy and maintain their studying rhythm for the upcoming exams. They were able to participate in various activities giving them the chance to experience a fun and relaxing environment with their friends. From new activities to the regular weekend activities, they were able to choose from a diverse selection of choices.

Our Boarders were able to take part in intense Tennis matches, exhilarating Climbing circuits, creative Cooking courses, relaxing Pilates exercises and air freshening Golf sessions. In an environment of entertainment and conviviality, the students were able to experience a fun weekend, giving them the chance to reconnect and prepare for the final sprint of the school year.

With the exams approaching and the tensions high, this weekend had a lot of our students spend time revising. For some Friday was even the last day of school because now the have study leave so they can focus on the exams. Still that didn’t stop us from offering fun activities and them from participating. The common activities they prefer like boxing, climbing and tennis had students participating like always. 3 of our lucky students also had signed up to go on a trip to Berlin, where they enjoyed themselves greatly and learned about its history and culture.

Once again we had the happiness of hosting a dinner in the house. We hosted our very own Taco Thursday!! (We know it is usually Taco Tuesday, but no one seemed to mind! Haha!) All of the boarders enjoyed their tacos, their guac, their salad and their mashed sweet potatoes. The dessert, the chocolate tart which we had, was also a huge success.

For the Spring Break, our Olympus Boarders were able to take part in yet another fascinating adventure. In Tanzania, the Olympus Boarders had an exhilarating trip! They engaged in diverse activities, including touring a coffee farm and contributing to a community project by building a goat shed. Interacting with locals, savouring traditional cuisine, and embarking on a safari to observe the region’s wildlife added depth to their experience. This journey broadened their knowledge and life experience and left a lasting impression on their hearts and minds. It is with a sense of camaraderie and fascination that they returned to CDL this weekend to begin the last stretch of their school year.

We are delighted to welcome back the Olympus boys from their well-deserved holidays, and we hope they return refreshed and filled with joyful memories. As we look forward to the remainder of the school year, we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. We wholeheartedly wish the boys every success as they embark on the final stretch of their academic journey this year. Let’s make it a remarkable and productive end to the school year together!

As the sun lingers longer in the sky and a hint of warmth teases the breeze, we find ourselves at the threshold of a new season. It’s time to wave goodbye to the chill of winter and welcome the lively essence of spring with open arms. To our Olympus boys, we send our deepest wishes for an extraordinary and revitalizing spring break!

The recent months have been remarkable, brimming with memorable moments and impressive accomplishments. From thrilling weekends in the mountains to mesmerizing performances on stage, our boarding family has truly embodied the essence of adventure, creativity, and togetherness.

May you all have an incredible spring break!

On this weekend, with the holidays so close to us and the weather being nice our boarders found great amounts of energy to go around and have fun. Once again going to their favorite activities or going to try new ones the smiles never left their faces.

On Wednesday we had the next instalment of our House Competitions. Olympus performed in the talent show and did an acapella version of In the Jungle. We were very proud to have placed in 8th position.