Global well-being, Aiguille du Midi and French school visit

We woke to another unbelievably beautiful day of blue sky and fluffy white clouds. After breakfast, we formed our team circle, and welcomed three local visitors: Tiphaine and Claire from the Chamonix tourist office, and Delphine from le mairie (town hall), who shared with us examples of how this region is adapting to the challenge of climate change.

The children shared a bit about our work on sustainability at Ashley School and were invited to contribute their fresh ideas to a nascent Plan Climat, a still-evolving charter on climate change and various actions to combat it in the Chamonix region.

From there, we took the cable car to highest point in the Alps – the Aiguille du Midi – which offers breathtaking views of Mt. Blanc and the surrounding mountain peaks from Switzerland all the way to Italy.

The high altitude did unsettle some of us a bit, but we all stayed safe and enjoyed an unforgettable lunch above the cloud line!

We touched the glacier before making our way back down to Chamonix for a packed afternoon of activities.

After a quick walk through town, we met with students from l’Ecole Chamonix Centre, and designed colourful posters together around 5 crucial themes the children had explored earlier in the morning: energy, food, transport, waste and water. We took the opportunity to capture this moment through team photos of the two schools together.

What a great partnership!

Then, some of the children continued on to meet representatives from the mayor’s office who were eager to hear of Ashley School’s achievements in addressing climate change, and what ideas the children could offer for Chamonix! The adults present were all very inspired by the children and are keen to continue to build the relationship with our school.

We concluded the day with a very special last meal honouring our Chamonix experience and, of course, Miss Ota’s 29th birthday.

Happy birthday Miss Ota!

Visit to Mer de Glace, trekking and team well-being

Yesterday morning, we took the funicular train up the mountain to see La Mer de Glace glacier, one of the most renowned glaciers in the world.

Along the way, we encountered fellow trekkers of all ages, many of whom applauded our efforts as we passed, with words like “Bon Courage!” and “Not far to go now!”. There were times where we did not think we could take another step, but the children worked extraordinarily well in their teams, supporting and encouraging each other every step of the way. It was a true sight to behold.

By late afternoon, our refuge welcomed us and we took off our hiking boots in quiet celebration. We had achieved something great together.

What we learnt about team well-being:

1- Team well-being is about encouraging, supporting, helping, seeing a need and responding to it.
2- Team well-being needs everyone to be valued and have a say.
3- Team well-being is about finding the right pace for the whole team.
4- Team well-being needs clear leadership to guide the team to its goal.
5- Team well-being is about reaching and rewarding the agreed goal.
6- Team well-being needs good communication.

Everyone was on a real high after their efforts. Great job Team Chamonix 2009!!

Back safely from the mountain

Hello friends and family of the Ashley School Inspire Alpine Expedition 2009!

Just a quick note to say that we have all returned safely from our wonderful hike and stay in the mountains. There will be many photos and videos to share with you, and we will work extra diligently this evening to upload them for your viewing pleasure.

Stay tuned!