Freshman students from Strive Prep – RISE are kicking off their year with a series of overnight camping trips in the first two months of school! Led by instructors from Cottonwood Institute, these students are bonding with others in their advisory groups, working as a team to complete tasks and overcome obstacles that one may encounter when camping and living outside for a little over 24 hours.

This was the first group of freshmen to complete their overnight and they were a group of troopers. They set up camp at the Green Ridge campsite at Sylvan Dale Ranch on Saturday morning and maintained a great group dynamic throughout their stay. That said, it was far from a walk in the park, especially for first time campers.

While the campsite was not your average campground (no established bathroom or tent pads), the location led to great opportunities for all students. The solace and serenity that students experienced while participating in sit spots, looking at the full blood moon, and roasting marshmallows around the campfire was all made possible by everyone’s willingness to leave their comfort zones of school and home and to trust that the instructors and chaperones would return them home safe and sound.

Whether it was hiking off-trail, cooking and cleaning dishes in the backcountry, or sticking with the group during the team challenge of completing “Seven Layers” (a game designed to challenge everyone to multitask, communicate with each other, and work as a team to do seven things at once), students were asked to do things that they had likely never done before. Impressively, the students supported one another, made sure everyone was included, and laughed their way through it all.

Thank you to all the parents and guardians for allowing them to come on a trip they will remember for a long time. Thank you to the chaperones/teachers Miss Peterson and Miss Palco for their support throughout the weekend. Thank you to the Heart J Center at Sylvan Dale Ranch for hosting the group at Green Ridge. Most importantly though, thank you to the students from Strive Prep – RISE for rising to the challenge of camping in the wilderness and working as a team all weekend long!

Written by CAP Instructor Adam Fedyski

See more photos from the trip here!