Students in hats, scarves and gloves excitedly competed with each other to see who had the most layers of clothing on as they waited at the gate of Victoria Park.“Four pairs of pants” was beaten by “my pyjama bottoms make five pairs of pants and three layers on top” as the Mount Saint Agnes Academy students geared up to sleep rough with nothing except the clothes they were wearing.They were spending 12 hours in the park to raise awareness of Bermuda’s growing homeless problem, and blankets, pillows, food, drink, cellphones and iPods were banned.The ‘Sleep in the Park’ event was organised by the student council and raised about $4,600 in pledges for the Salvation Army.A homeless man, who said he’d been on the streets for 19 years, turned up to wish the students luck and hand over a trash bag. He explained how he often slept inside of trash bags for insulation.The park’s gate was opened at 7pm on Friday night and the 24 students aged 14 to 18 anxiously ran into the park full of nerves and interpretation.They briefly paused for a group photo before quickly dispersing and heading for what they thought would be the comfiest spots for the night.Most students immediately headed for the gazebo knowing that it would shelter them from the elements but the more daring headed elsewhere for seclusion.They could lay their heads down anywhere in the park and had to record every step of their overnight adventure in their journals and on video cameras.Seventeen-year-old Kyla Sinclair, who is president of the student council, revealed she had her eye on the grass hill as “maybe the incline will act as a pillow”.She said: “I’m really excited. I think it’s going to be a good experience, a really positive experience.“I plan on sleeping as much as I can, but I’m sure I will be up until the fatigue kicks in”.Many students had taken power naps and eaten huge meals in preparation for their night under the stars. One girl proudly declared: “I’m ready, I got a shower, I brushed my teeth and peed as much as I could.”The Salvation’s Army soup run programme stopped at the park and gave each student a small cup of chicken and vegetable soup and a bologna sandwich. The students learned the hard way that if they didn’t quickly eat their food, the ants would.There was nothing but excitement for the first few hours as the students acted like they were at a massive sleepover. The girls huddled together chatting and giggling, while the boys opted to play cards.The students made the most of hanging out together and not even the discovery of the park’s bathrooms being locked seemed to affect their high spirits. Students had to use the school’s bathroom across the road instead.But as the evening progressed, the novelty began to wear off and students realised they weren’t going anywhere for hours. Comments such as ‘can we go home to bed now?’ and ‘whose idea was this?’ could be heard.It didn’t help that they couldn’t eat the cookies that another MSA student kindly dropped off at the park for them. The cookies were quickly hidden in the school, but the students refused to forget about their existence.Ashauntae Trimm, 17, said: “This is going to be very difficult, this is a lot to go through.“I am feeling a bit weary, but some people have to do this every night so it’s nothing on the grand scheme of things. I’m definitely going to appreciate my house more if I make it through this.”While Ashley Martins, 17, questioned whether she would make it through the night. She said she had been up late the night before and said: “I’m tired and I’m anxious.”By the early hours of the morning, the boredom had really kicked in. At about the same time the wind started to pick up and the dampness could be felt.“There’s nothing to do”, “This park is boring” and “How much longer?” became familiar cries for help.Students complained that they couldn’t get comfortable as the concrete path was cold, the grass was damp and the wooden benches weren’t long enough.The sights and sounds of town at night such as blaring music, people walking by and cars beeping in support had stopped. Everyone had gone home apart from them.The first students nodded off at about 10pm and by about 2am about half the students were fast asleep.There were about eight students huddled together under the gazebo, some of them forfeited layers to use as pillows and one girl held onto the railings for dear life.Another three girls were curled up together on the hill in the corner of the park near Washington Street. While one girl lay on a bench with her coat over her head as her friend slept next to her in the middle of the path with her face on the concrete.But it was principal Sue Moench who secured the most envious sleeping spot in the roots of a tree. She slept with her arms crossed and a cap over her face. Students repeatedly snapped away with their cameras but she didn’t even stir.There was a hard-core group of about ten students, mostly boys, who insisted they were going to keep their eyes open all night “to beat Ice Queen’s opening hours”.Kevin Nicholson, 17, said he wanted to stay awake as he didn’t want to be sleepy when he rode his bike home.He said: “We’ve been playing cards, cracking jokes, but mostly getting bored. I’ve learned how boring and uneventful being homeless is.“We’re standing up as the concrete is cold, hard and full of ants.”Kevin added that he wished the park’s lights had been turned off as then they’d have “lots more fun” with games such as hide and seek.Makeem Bentley, 18, said he was missing his iPod the most as: “I’d usually be listening to some awesome tunes on a Friday night … my iPod is a crucial part of my life.”Owen Chisnall, 17, wrote in his journal at 10pm: ‘I’m tired, there’s not much else to say’ and at 12.30am he added: ‘I’m still tired … it’s cold and getting pretty damp’. Then at 1.30am he scribbled: ‘Sleeping on concrete hurts’.The teachers taking part became makeshift agony aunts for students who couldn’t sleep. They included Assistant Principal Margaret DiGiaocmo, director of development Lisa Stevens, Spanish teacher Erika Bove, and math teachers Shawn and Sara Thomas.Ms DiGiaocmo tried to get some sleep before giving up and announcing: “Benches are just not comfortable.”Mrs Stevens said: “When we first got here, everyone was raring to go. Town was very busy, but now everything has quieted down.“There’s no traffic on the streets and there’s nothing for them to look at. Everyone is saying they are hungry and tired but can’t relax enough to fall asleep.”Also taking part was Major Shawn Critch, the Salvation Army’s divisional officer, who said he “wouldn’t miss it for the world” until a confused rooster woke him up from his slumbers at about 2.30am.Fed up of the rooster’s non-stop crowing, Major Critch got up from his park bench and joked: “Will someone please kill that rooster, we could have him for breakfast!”At about the same time Chelsea Goudge, 15, complained she couldn’t sleep as her friend “had her leg in my face” and was “snoring right in my ear”. She then raised concerns about “the rats coming to get me”.A heavy downpour at about 3am got everyone moving quicker than a morning alarm call.Both teachers and students sought shelter under the gazebo hoping there would be warmth in numbers.But there was no such luck as the cold remained the top complaint among shivering students who said the warmth was “being sucked out of them”. The homeless guy’s trash bag was sought-after as students took it in turns to put it to good use.Comments such as “Oh my Lord, when will this end?” and “it’s so cold, it’s unbearable” were met with “the less you think about it, the quicker the time will go” reassurance from teachers.The event had prompted some e-mails from concerned parents who wanted to know about security and why the event was being carried out in December. But a security guard remained at the park’s gate and police officers circled the park throughout the night.The students covered just about every topic of conversation overnight including whether homeless people could afford Helly Hansen jackets and how they’d “probably buy a number eight from KFC” if they had money.There was also plenty of talk about who snored the loudest and also a few middle-of-the-night renditions of The Twelve Days of Christmas and Jingle Bells.But by about 4.30am a wave of silence passed across the park as just about everyone had fallen asleep. Even those who said they were going to stay awake could not keep their eyes open any longer.But by about 5.30am the city was awake, and so were most of the students. The final countdown began as the Corporation of Hamilton workers swept the streets, buses arrived at the bus depot and the birds started singing.One boy commented “I hate beds made out of concrete” as he wiped his eyes while his friend said: “Spending the night in the park can now be crossed of my to do list.”The sleepy students gave themselves a huge round of applause when they crossed the finish line at 7am, and unanimously agreed: “I’m never doing this again.”They complained of numb legs, sore butts and backs and said they were now expecting to get colds.For their efforts they were treated to a pancake breakfast back at school, before they once again got to enjoy the home comforts they had survived 12 hours without. One student said: “I’m going to take the longest shower ever” while another said she was looking forward to “the big reunion with my bed and comforter”.