Outdoor School - Bryce Canyon
This year, for outdoor school, the eighth through -12th graders went to Bryce Canyon National Park. We stayed a week out in the wilderness. As we spent time out of school, staff and students started forming a closer bond with each other and God. Before outdoor school, the seniors and juniors left a day early to secure campsites for everyone. The first day was mainly unpacking and setting up the tents, and kitchen, and making plans for the week. Even though there was a lot of unpacking, we students and staff had fun making jokes and singing. The camp overflowed with smiles and laughter as the rest of the students and staff arrived. Most of us were cold before the sun went down, so we huddled up by the fire. We were excited for the warm food and hot chocolate when dinner came around. After we got our food, we gathered together for worship.
Each night, a different staff member shared with us a story of gratitude. The following day, some students were bunched up in the bathroom trying to warm up their toes, or doing the same at the fire. After we got ready for the day, the staff called their groups over, and we dispersed and went on our separate adventures. Some students went canyoneering, while another group went to classes like biking and hiking. It was a fun time, a lot of exercise, and bonding with students I don't normally talk with. We were all tired when we returned to the campsite, and most of us were freezing, but the food was warm and delicious. Like the night before, we gathered up and started worship.
“This year, our theme was gratitude, which is one of our school’s core values...each night, a different staff member would tell a story and connect it to our theme. It was unique; it helped us get u pand express how God works in our lives.”
Every year, we have a theme song and a theme. This year, our theme was gratitude, which is one of our school's core values. Our core values are respect, gratitude, and kindness. In previous years, we had guest speakers run our morning and evening worship. For example, last year we had Pastor Chitwood. This year, each night, a different staff member would tell a story and connect it to our theme. It was unique; it helped us get up and express how God works in our lives. After worship, students and staff hung out together until bedtime. In the morning, different juniors and seniors would take turns running worship. The stories were always inspiring and showed how good God is. After that, we separated for our classes.
The class that I went to was hiking. We hiked the Fairyland Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon. It was 6 miles altogether, and it was incredible. The hike was beautiful, and while we were walking, our teacher, Mr. Hubbard, taught us how to read maps and use a compass. While we hiked, we stopped and tried to see what part of the map we were currently on. Then we tried to point out key features that would be on our landscape and show up if we didn't have a GPS or got off the trail. Mr. Hubbard would often pick one of us to try to show the rest of the group where to go next.
After we completed the hike, Mr. Hubbard took me and the other students back to camp to switch for our next class. When we got back, he quizzed us and asked us to point out the nearest campsite. If we didn't have a compass and didn't know what key features there were, we partnered up and tried to figure out where North was, what key features were around our campsite, and where to go from there.
Written by Slade (Class of ‘24)
