Seniors find friendships through survival

From last Wednesday to Sunday, Campion Academy seniors survived in nature at Glacier View Ranch while bonding with each other and getting to know Jesus more.

Once they had arrived, their survival in nature started by each group making their own shelter in the trees and rocks with only tarps. Each group worked together to make their camp and cook all their own meals. 

As a new student to Campion, Gabriel Olvera said, “It was nice to make new connections and new friends. The activities were fun, and it was fun cooking for myself and everyone.”

Every night, all the seniors surrounded the fire and had worship. “It was super fun to experience Senior Survival because it’s known as a bonding experience and I think that’s what it did for our class,” reflected Regan Garman, “I really enjoyed our last worship together on Saturday night. That was really special to me when we did communion and washed each other's feet.”

After the evening worship, the whole class would gather to talk around the campfire. “After worship, Mrs. May would give us time to have a “safe place” which was where we could talk about anything that happened throughout the day and just bond as a class. I thought that was very effective for all of us. It calmed us down, and we felt like there was no judgment involved,” Sophie Baez explained.

In the daytime, seniors participated in activities designed to build cooperation and trust between the classmates, such as trust falls, a spider web, and nitro crossing. Duda De Oliveira said, “The activity I enjoyed the most was the trust fall because I felt like I could actually trust my classmates. At the beginning I was very scared, but it was really relaxing and relieving when they caught me.”

On Saturday, seniors could choose their own adventures on either easy or difficult hiking routes. “I especially enjoyed staying with my friends and hiking. We climbed the rocks, and we got to see a very nice view,” said Ivan Mogaka, who participated in the difficult hike.

The seniors got to experience an amazing time with their classmates in nature while they overcame challenges during their survival. They were able to grow more as a class and also in Christ.

Text: Airi Nomura, Student News Team
Photos: Jacqueline Kobagaya, Student News Team

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