A total of 59 eighth graders, ten more students than last year, ten high school counselors and three JH teachers travel to the annual eighth grade Calvin Crest trip, Sept. 10-14.

Teacher chaperones include Terry Richards, Amy Friesen and Hallie Rojeski.

Cabin leaders include seniors Alex Rurik, Reese Brown, Amanda Grimmius, Kamryn Schultz and Kaylie Clem, as well as juniors Logan Lewis, Wesley Hinton, Deborah Ingerson and Shauna Howard, and sophomore Andrew Rieker.

Throughout the course of the week, teachers, counselors and Calvin Crest staff lead groups of students in a variety of outdoor classes. Richards leads ‘Survival Class’, Friesen leads ‘Orienteering’, Rojeski leads ‘Miwok Trail’ and Calvin Crest staffers lead students through ‘Rock Your World’, ‘Giant Sequoia Trail’ and ‘Initiatives’.

Richards’ Survival Class teaches students basic techniques to survive in the wilderness. The activities going along with this class includes building t-pees and learning how to make a fire.

Friesen’s Orienteering class teaches students how to read and follow a compass. Students are taken to a variety of courses, where they must use coordinates and follow their compass to complete activities.

Initiative class builds teamwork techniques and communication. In this activity, students are required to complete a series of obstacles that are only solvable if completed as a team. Some challenges include crossing wooden platforms with only two boards, organizing groups on a log and crossing a wood chip filled box with a rope swing.

Rojeski’s Miwok Trail provides students with a visual of how the Miwok people lived.

In the Rock Your World class, students learn about the different types of rocks and how they can be identified. Students visit a wall of chemically eroded granite, split open river rocks and determine various types of rocks.

During free time, camp provides several activities for students to try. Activities include rock wall, paddle boating, archery, zip-line, volleyball and basketball.

One of the other much anticipated activities, by many students, is crazy hair night. Thursday night before dinner, students and counselors alike add color and decorations to their hair.

Another annual activity took place Thursday night, the final night of camp. Students split into cabin groups and compete in the much anticipated Quiz Show. The girls cabin of Columbine, lead by senior Amanda Grimmius, win Quiz Show.

Throughout the week, activity groups compete for points, all to be gathered at the end of the week. On Thursday, the Raccoons are announced this year’s camp winner. Congratulations Raccoons!

On the final night of camp, Richards shares his annual purity message and delivers half dollars to students. The coins are a representation of the commitments covered during the message.

Students return to Peoples Church parking lot at noon, Sept. 14.

If you have attended FC’s eighth grade Calvin Crest trip or have served as a cabin leader, share with us down below. We would love to hear your favorite memories!

For more Feather photos, visit media, photos 2017-18.