Sixth graders had an absolute blast ending the school year with the annual overnight Hawn State Park camping trip this week. From Tuesday to Wednesday, all of the Class of 2029 and the sixth-grade teaching team made some incredible memories up at camp. This camping field trip is always a special time for our sixth-grade Rams. It’s a chance to bond with each other, enjoy the outdoors, and laugh with those who have been together as the MICDS sixth-grade family all year.
Leading up to the trip, there were several student planning committees: Activities, Communications, and Food. Within the overarching committees, there were sub-committees focusing on particular aspects of the trip like one activity, a meal, or taking photos. Students carefully planned out what they wanted to do and eat, what supplies were needed, and how to keep parents and fellow classmates well informed of the camp plans and experiences.
Up at camp, students enjoyed a variety of activities. They pitched tents, made campfires, roasted marshmallows, played kickball, competed in capture the flag and mat ball, tie-dyed shirts, and even attempted geocaching. “The activities were very engaging and brought an aspect of fun into our trip!” exclaimed Timo Finnegan ’29. They also hiked. “The natural beauty of the woods was really a sight to see while we were going hiking. Wandering around, you could see how pretty the outdoors are.” They hiked to a creek where they found crawfish and got to be refreshed on a warm camp day in the cooler water—a favorite part of the trip for Peyton Cox ’29. “I was all sweaty but the water was so cool.” Ashton Constantine ’29 also loved the creek. “In the creek, catching crawfish was really fun. It’s always fun to see all the creek life and interact with it and catch it. There was also a natural waterslide going down the side of a rock that we had a lot of fun with, and the hike down the creek was also really fun. [We were] climbing over rocks and fallen trees.”
Those on the Food Committee planned delicious meals and snacks for all to enjoy. Some of the sixth graders went as far as to describe some of the dishes as “gourmet” while others found it challenging to keep dirt out of their food. Some students learned how to cook with a campfire and grill. They also got creative if items ran out. Alexa Sikorski ’29 shared that the chocolate was melted for s’mores, so they used Oreos for the chocolate component instead.
Like a classic kids’ camping trip, sleep was fleeting for most of the campers. Instead, there was a lot of talking and giggling throughout the night, so the campers were quite tired the next day. Some students even fell asleep on the bus ride back to school! Another factor that made sleeping tricky was the size of tents. Bruce Ghobadi ’29 gave some words of wisdom on this aspect of the trip. “Get big tents that will help you sleep,” he encouraged. Some of the tents weren’t quite as spacious as some of the others, so sleeping quarters for some were a little cramped.
After returning from their trip, campers were also full of tales of the color groups, the spiders they saw, including a tick named Harry, and the various slogans that they came up with, like “Don’t yawn, go to Hawn!” One thing is certain: they ended the school year with a ton of joy and new memories to last them through the summer and beyond. Thank you to the teachers and staff who helped make this fun experience happen!
Congratulations on a fabulous camping trip, sixth graders! We can’t wait for your adventures to continue in seventh grade next year!