Brayden Marroquin – Ward, Colorado … The Senior Class at Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado, grew closer over the five days of Senior Survival, camping in the woods of Glacier View Ranch (GVR) in Ward, Colorado, August 28-September 1.

Tristi Ramos, senior class sponsor, reflected, “Senior Survival created opportunities for the class to interact and build trust across social circles.”

Students brought sleeping bags, pads, or hammocks, but, as a part of their survival experience, they couldn’t use tents. Each pair of students were given two tarps and rope to build a shelter to protect against the elements. They used their creativity to design their unique shelter to live in.

“Building our own shelter and living in it was a very interesting experience,” reflected senior student Jack Jordan. “We had to search the forest for lots of logs and haul them back to our camp for our makeshift log cabin. It was tall enough that we could stand up in it; however, during the night, we had a little bit of a draft flowing through our cabin.”

Groups were given a bucket of food and necessities to create their own meals. Student Janey Padilla-Reyes recalled, “I enjoyed making my food because it reminded me of when I camped as a child; my favorite meal that we made was the stew after a very cold day.”

During the days, students were divided into groups to complete team-building activities, including a trust fall. Aaron Oster, senior student, commented, “I learned that most of the activities you couldn’t do alone; you needed support from fellow friends. It was hard at first, but, once we came together as a group, it worked.”

On the evening of August 30, students sat around the campfire and shared their testimonies. “I felt more connected with my class as we all shared about our experiences when we first came to Campion [Academy]. I was able to express how I first felt at Campion and how I ended up enjoying the company of my class and making lots of new friends,” commented student Yolanda Han.

Michael Fresse, a new senior, said his favorite part was “getting to talk to everyone in the class and developing relationships with them.”

—Brayden Marroquin, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.