In one of the most anticipated events of junior high, the entire 8th grade class will spend four days at the outdoor camp Calvin Crest from Sept. 13-17.
History teacher Hallie Rojeski and science teacher Terry Richards are spearheading the trip, which was first held in 1983.
Nine campus upperclassmen will join the 8th grade group as cabin leaders to Calvin Crest for a week of outdoor school and junior high mentoring.
Each counselor went through an interviewing process before being selected. The counselors are mainly approached by either Richards or Rojeski, as they hand-pick their contestants. Although they may choose whom they want, each student showed an interest in counseling.
Junior Josh Hopper saw the occasion as an opportunity to connect with the students and to help them feel comfortable with high schoolers. Hopper attended Calvin Crest in the fall of 2007 as a camper, and wanted to return at the soonest possible time.
“When I went as a camper, it was an awesome experience,” Hopper said. “I loved being there — free time, campfires at night and the counselor-to-camper relationship with my counselor, Andrew Rurik [’09]. I learned a lot from Andrew — he was like my brother there. We’re going to be in high school with these kids next year, so now we’ll already have a relationship.”
While the camp experience educates the students about outdoor nature, the evening chapels and nature walks encourage spiritual growth. While Richards, Rojeski and guest speaker Pam Powell teach in the evenings for faith-based lessons, the cabin leaders’ task to keep six to seven kids under control may take more than just faith alone.
“This trip will definitely help me with patience, perseverance and persistence,” Hopper said. “Trying to act out the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ is a constant journey. It’s a path we have to just keep walking down. We’re older and wiser, but we still need practice.”
As the only senior attending Calvin Crest, Rachel Wilhelm looks to the challenge with an optimistic attitude. She thinks she is ready to follow instructions and help where needed.
After she returns from her senior retreat at Calvin Crest the day before, Wilhelm hopes to stay caught up in school and rest.
“I really have no idea how I’m going to do it,” Wilhelm said, “because I don’t have the weekend before due to senior retreat. I already don’t sleep very much because I stay up late and wake early — it’s already a built-in function, so I’m not too worried.”
Hopper and Wilhelm, along with other junior campers Austin Rurik, Brady Lee, Trevor York, Julianne King, Amanda Merzon and Dana King, hope to gain personal relationships with the kids, while also establishing their authority.
“I remember being in junior high,” Hopper said. “I understand where they’re coming from, and why they put others down, and their emotions on things. I want to use my authority to be their friend — to use the friendship for guidance and the authority to reprimand.”
Rojeski and Richards begin to determine which students to approach during the second semester of the previous year, but Richards starts his search as early as their 8th grade year. Interested students are also able to contact Rojeski and Richards for an interview, although in both scenarios, they are only potential candidates.
“We’re looking for mature behavior,” Rojeski said. “Kids we see from when we had in 8th grade grow spiritually. We listen to what teachers have to say, or from other people we trust. We also consider things we hear around school and how we see them behave at chapel and sport events.”
In the interviews, Rojeski and Richards look for spiritual passion, experiences and maturity. Although some underclassmen fill the requirements, the leaders prefer juniors and seniors simply due to the age difference.
“The further from junior high, the more mature,” Rojeski said. “And they’re looking back on junior high with a better perspective. When they’re underclassmen, they have no perspective because they’re too close in age. The older ones just have an overall better view and are more mature in their walk with God and that relationship.”
Although age brings maturity, the leaders feel they will continue to improve, especially through witnessing the campers’ maturity during camp and during the year.
“I’ve always thought: When you watch other people grow, it’s an encouragement in your own life,” Wilhelm said. “And it’s an encouragement to see what they’re strong in, and then I can see, ‘Oh, I need to work on this.’ Even though they’re 4-5 years younger, I can still learn from them.”
Rojeski and Richards host 45-minute meetings for the high school students to prepare them for the job of becoming an example and a leader. The teachers talk to the students about the kids as they look up to their counselors with high hopes and respect.
As an eighth grader attending Calvin Crest, Caleb Kennedy expects his cabin leader to be an exemplary person, who acts out his faith at both school and camp.
“I hope my cabin leader is strong in his faith,” Kennedy said. “I hope he’s a good leader and someone I’ll want to follow — not to just put on a show for Calvin Crest, but to see him at school like how I saw him at camp.”
The team will meet a final time on the Wednesday after returning from Calvin Crest to discuss their experiences and to encourage the new relationships.
For more information, read the Sept. 14, 2006, article, Campers become counselors, or e-mail Richards.