Below a canopy of towering redwoods, 35 middle school students gathered recently for a Mount Madonna School tradition: An outdoor kick-off to the school year — complete with tents, friends and the wafting smell of campfires.
This three-day trip for sixth through eighth graders incorporated hiking, swimming, team-building activities and camping at Portola Redwoods State Park.
“The middle school camping trip is designed to create a context for intentional community building,” said MMS Middle School Coordinator and Blythe Collier, a 2012 alumna. “In the past, students have shared that this annual ritual is especially meaningful to them because it provides an opportunity for deepening friendships with peers and welcoming new students. We saw this in action during this trip as our students modeled a community mindset in how they engaged in both formal and informal camp games, supported meal prep and clean-up, and even confidently led one another in yoga among the trees.”
The transition from summer to classroom can be rather abrupt. This trip — designed to be at least 75% fun — provides just the right kind of buffer from carefree summer afternoons to school responsibilities.
New and returning students and adult chaperones share an equal footing in the setting of a magnificent state park, where they combine the frolic of creeks and cooperative games with the wonders of identifying flora, fauna and celestial bodies, and the task of feeding nearly 50 hungry people three meals each day. As a result, hidden strengths emerge, friendships are formed and renewed, and adolescents and adults live, work and play together.
When the group shows up for classes back at school the following week, there is more of a family feel on campus from having shared this experience.
“Middle school is a transformative time in a young person’s life,” said Kevict Yen, Mount Madonna’s director of advancement and a trip chaperone. “Their moving up from fifth grade is often characterized by expanded campus environments and new expectations for self-management. However, this is also a time marked by incredible social and physiological change as ‘kids’ undergo their multi-year metamorphosis towards becoming teens.”
He added, “During their middle school years, students can feel exposed and be particularly sensitive to complex social factors. This is why Mount Madonna School starts each middle school year with a camping trip filled with activities that focus on building self-confidence, bonding with peers and having good old-fashioned fun. These objectives challenge middle schoolers in a way that promotes social, emotional and cognitive growth while maintaining a healthy connection to childhood play.”
For a portion of the camping experience, MMS eighth grade students separated from the larger group and participated in another MMS tradition: The eighth grade backpacking trip. Led by teachers Dr. Nicole Tervalon and John Welch, eighth grade students engaged in a two-day overnight excursion.
This back-country experience focused on both individual and group growth. Students faced individual physical and mental challenges that nurtured growth and resilience, engaged in personal reflection, further developed their personal leadership skills, deepened connections with their cohort, and identified group goals as new leaders of the middle school.