Ten courageous students and two teachers from our academy in the West Midlands undertook an expedition to Everest Base Camp in Nepal in March. This is not the first time that Walsall Academy students have ventured to Everest, we also reached base Camp in 2017.
This group of students had a very clear set of values for their expedition. They wanted to be role models for others and wanted to support local suppliers when in the country. We planned the expedition through Outlook Expeditions, a UK firm which was then supported by Himalayan Ecstasy, a Kathmandu-based mountaineering company who provided the technical support needed by the students. The owner, Anil Bathari, a twice Everest summiteer was with us for the majority of the trek.
“I learnt so much about the people of Nepal and the recent challenges that they faced, but I also learnt a great deal about myself and that with resilience and determination what I am capable of.”
Mia, Walsall Academy student
Oliver, one of our students, said: “Not only did we get to walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s best mountaineers and meet people heading for the summit but we had a real legend with us who inspired us all. Anil captivated us with his stories but also taught us so much about Nepal and its rich culture.”
We spent 23 days in total trekking to Everest Base at 5436m - a total of 91 miles. We visited the Altitude Medication Centre at Periche to learn about their vital support of trekkers and climbers in the Khumbu region. At night in the local tea houses, students spent time with several teams who were planning to summit during the 2024 season.
We used roads rather than flying into the famous Lukhla airstrip and had to endure a 14-hour bus journey followed by six hours travelling off-road in Jeeps to get to the base of the trek. The weather conditions in the previous month had been poor and the roads had collapsed meaning more walking although this route did allow the students to immerse themselves in more rural villages along their journey and acclimatise to the altitude.
The temperatures dropped to -13 at night and we woke to a blanket of snow on several mornings. The mountain landscape however did not disappoint and when the skies cleared and the sun came out the vista took away what remining breath the students had left.
A small friend was ever present on the expedition. Sherpa Ted (aka STO mascot Teacher Ted) smuggled himself into a backpack for the flight and could be found throughout the adventure snuggled up in warm sleeping bags providing support for the students or lazing around in the sun admiring the view.
Sherpa Ted’s Everest adventures in pictures
The expedition was managed by the students developing their leadership and project management skills. These core employability skills were developed during their fundraising to take part in the expedition. They received much needed support from two local charities, the New Horizons Community Enterprise and the Fishley Fund, adding to their own fundraising which developed their employability skills. They faced the challenges not only of walking for up to eight hours per day but also high altitude and supporting others in their group.
These students are great role models for others and clearly demonstrate that the youth of today have the skills needed to complete and succeed in huge challenges and have great resilience and determination.
Jon Clarke, shadow headteacher, Walsall Academy
The final few days of the expedition were spent in Kathmandu visiting the Dhurba Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was devastated by the earthquake in 2015 and is now the focus of a restoration project which will take many years using earthquake proof technologies.
Mia, one of the members of the expedition, said: “After many months of planning and fundraising it was a relief to set foot in Kathmandu, but I had no idea of the challenges that awaited the team. The trek up to Everest is not easy and it was only with the help of our Sherpa Guides that we managed to all achieve our goal.
“I learnt so much about the people of Nepal and the recent challenges that they faced, but I also learnt a great deal about myself and that with resilience and determination what I am capable of. The altitude made the last few miles to Everest a massive challenge - it is a moment and feeling that I will never forget.”
A student explains how ‘Sherpa’ Ted played an important role on their expedition
It is a massive achievement for anyone to reach the base of Everest but especially a group of young people from Bloxwich an area of very high deprivation and low aspiration.
Within our group we had two students who are in local authority care and one with a physical disability. These students are great role models for others and clearly demonstrate that the youth of today have the skills needed to complete and succeed in huge challenges and have great resilience and determination.
At Walsall Academy, we have a strong Character Education ethos and provides students with a wide variety of experience including theatre and museum visits and a well developed series of courses with the Outward Bound Trust to all year groups. We have run six expeditions in the last ten years and are proud to be a Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) Gold Award school.
