Cable bridges, project adventure, ice cutting and the bird man are just a few of the many activities 170 7th grade students and 13 seniors participated in from February 2nd to February 4th at Frost Valley.
We set our alarm clocks for 4 am and arrived at the school at 4:45am to see that even though we were all so tired, our excitement got the better of us. Seeing all of the little 12 year old bodies packed into the gym made me think back to my experience at Frost Valley five years ago. Thirteen of us stood in a circle, reminiscing about our favorite memories during the trip, discussing awkward moments and fun memories!
Did we really love it that much that we needed to come back one final time and embrace the 0 degree weather and partake in the not so tasty food? The seniors who were involved with this during my year at FV were incredible! That was one main reason why so many of us wanted to go.
Senior Jennifer Seychell said her time at Frost Valley as a 7th grader was great. “I wanted to get involved mainly because I remember how great all the seniors were when I went to Frost Valley and I wanted to make the same impact on this seventh grade class.” Danielle Parry, another senior volunteer, said she was in love with all of the seniors as a 7th grader! “I looked up to them so much and I wanted to be a good role model for them.” We wanted the 7th graders to have a great experience, just like we did – hopefully an even better one!
I felt different it felt to be back there, especially because we only had two days not three due to inclement weather! The food was definitely better, but we still slept on those extremely uncomfortable 2-inch mattresses. Following a five-year-old tradition, all of the seniors purchased the same color bandana!
Danielle said that was one of her favorite memories of going as a senior. “I really liked that when we all had our bandanas on and all of the 7th graders got them to be like us.”
Being able to bond with my classmates was only one of the benefits. The other was with the parents and teachers who were involved. English teacher, Ms. Juma, who has chaperoned three times, has nothing but positive memories. She can’t choose just one favorite activity! “The students we take every year are so great! Tubing is always fun.” Ms. Juma always has an “ah ha” moment while trudging through two feet of snow as the sun shines through the trees. It was great talking to the teachers we had when we were in 7th grade as well, it was nice to catch up and tell them about what is going on with us as seniors! The hike and cable bridge activity is definitely in the top three favorite memories for everyone.
Each dinner table consisted of eight people and each person had a specific task to complete before we were allowed to eat. Whether it be setting or clearing the table, each student understood what it was like to lend a helping hand. It was a great for us seniors because it was much more relaxed and we weren’t expected to get involved with every single activity.
Senior Meghan Yager said her experience this time was much different. “While we were still involved in everything, it wasn’t to the extent as in 7th grade and it was about letting the 7th graders figure out all the problems rather than the seniors intervening.” We were there to be their friends, laugh with them when they felt embarrassed and show them that it is quite alright to be silly! I would recommend all future.