Outdoor school counseling might not sound like the best thing to do with a packed schedule but it is arguably one of the best experiences that you can do in high school. Taking a week off from strenuous school work to connect with nature, meet counselors from other schools and to leave an everlasting impression on a group of sixth graders is priceless. 

       I was never able to experience the grace of outdoor school as a middle schooler because of the pandemic. I joined the Outdoor School program this year hoping to get a sense of what I missed out on, and I left satisfied.

     After a strenuous bus ride to Camp Ramah, a tornado of eager sixth graders excitedly poured out of the bus. As soon as we touched down, counselors were separated to create their “camp name,” which I had no idea about and didn’t give a thought to beforehand. I fell upon the name Lil’ Muddy. I managed a cabin of 15 boys, which they named the “Skibidi Cabin.”

        Outdoor School Counseling should be something that everyone partakes in. Leaving a lasting impression and receiving time away from school work from January to March with little to no breaks from school helped me mentally push through the second semester. I highly suggest participating when you are offered the opportunity as an upperclassman.

Here are some of my top highlights

Best Moment: Reading the Magic Tree House in the cabin to the kids after lights out was the highlight of the four-day, three-night trip. They loved listening to me read and would be dead asleep after 10 minutes and would ask about what happened in the book after they fell asleep.

Most Stressful Moment: Having my Center science poster due the Friday that I return. I was stressing about finishing the poster with one bar of cell service and being in a cabin that did not have any WiFi connection.

Worst Moment: My cabin ate 86 pancakes on the second day and a kid was getting hot sauce in his eye all during breakfast. Reflecting on it was funny how it went downhill so quickly.