This article has been written by Nikola Vučković.
In order to be successful in DP, students must possess many, if not all IB Learner Profile traits. They must be balanced, principled, hard-working, courageous, knowledgeable, inquiring, caring and open-minded. However, first and foremost, they have to exercise excellent teamwork skills and build strong relationships with their classmates.
This year, our school’s administration, led by Ms. Alex Peck, has decided to launch what promises to be the KSIM’s next big thing: Year 12 Camping Trip. The idea behind this exciting experience lies in the school leadership’s desire to, by encouraging new DP students to face real-world challenges through team building activities, make them as ready as possible to tackle the complex syllabus. The Class of 2026 had the pleasure of being the first to take part in such an event, spending a night under the stars in Bartula, a small village near Bar.
To make the matter even more interesting, students were tasked to put up their own tents and prepare their own dinner, using cooking material and utensils provided by the school. That way, one could see all kinds of different meals on the dining table, including pasta, sausages, noodles and salads. In the morning, the students completed a 3 kilometer hike to Old Town Bar, and crowned their journey with a delicious lunch at the ‘Bedem’ restaurant.
Martin Jannet, one of the students who embarked on this remarkable trip and a reigning Prom King, only had words of praise for the event as a whole. ‘’The organization of the trip was flawless. I enjoyed spending time with my classmates and getting to know them better. The only thing I didn’t like was that we got sent to our tents at 10 PM; I wished we could have stayed up at least a bit more’’, said Martin, with a signature grin on his face. Sofya Sergeenko, a valuable member of our school community since 2011, remarked in a similar way: ‘’It was relaxing to get away from the noise of the town and escape the monotony of our daily lives. We recharged our batteries and had a really fun time in nature’’.
Overall, the Year 12 camping trip has been widely regarded as a major success within our school community. The shared experiences, team-building activities, and the chance to break away from the usual academic routine have fostered stronger bonds among classmates and provided students with a refreshing change of pace. With such positive feedback, there is a collective hope that this will become a lasting tradition at KSIM, continuing for years to come and benefiting future classes just as it did for the Class of 2026.
