By Joe Santos, Director of Middle School

On Monday, May 20th, twenty-two expectant Grade 6 students and three middle school teachers boarded a bus to spend four days at the Frost Valley YMCA in the Catskill Mountains. For many students, this was the longest trip they had ever taken without a family member, and although they were looking forward to it, their excitement was accompanied by a a bit of trepidation.

The trip was designed to include a range of activities: some team building games, some personal challenge activities, and some curriculum-based work (science and English). All of our students took part in the activities fully, no one balked at trying anything new (however difficult it seemed!), and everyone encouraged each other throughout the trip. A lot of fun and a lot of learning took place!

Over the next few days, students will be posting more details on what they did during the trip, including some of the poetry they wrote while there. For now, I would like to leave you with some images that capture the spirit and sense of adventure of this experience – and of the students themselves.