High school camping trip

Each September it is my privilege - and job - to plan a camping trip for the entire high school student population. In past years we went to a provincial campground - Fintry, Kettle River, and Kootenay Lake were great destinations. This year I hoped to go back to the Kettle River campground which is close to Rock Creek, however portions of the campground were severely damaged in August by a wildfire. I ventured out of my comfort zone and took the students to a Forestry Recreation site instead. The advantages included cost - there is no charge at a forestry site, but a $56/night charge for a youth group at a provincial campground. The disadvantages include lack of flush toilets, running water, and a dearth of picnic tables.

I didn't expect that the lack of cell service would factor into the advantages/disadvantages, but I did find that students noticed right away that they had no cell service. The people most disadvantaged by this were the teachers. One staff member was hoping to organize her upcoming wedding during her down time, and another staff member wanted to let the rest of us know that he couldn't come out for Sabbath after all.

Students spent 2.5 hours cleaning up an area of Postill Lake road before we headed off to the Christian Valley. We filled an entire dumpster with garbage. I haven't tried a service activity so early in the school year, and found this one to be just perfect. The day was warm, the students enthusiastic, and the service so clearly needed.

Perhaps jumping off cliffs into the water, building cardboard boats, playing hide-and-seek, talking around the campfire, helping with dishes, and planning student association activities aren't in our formal curriculum, however they are certainly a wonderful way to build a cohesive team for our new school year.