The Eighth Grade Bonds at El Capitan

Two buses filled with eighth graders pulled into the El Capitan camping site on March 18 for a four day adventure filled with hiking, kayaking, and yes, plenty of bonding.

 

Students arrived at school at 9 in the morning to enjoy a bagel breakfast before they headed off to El Capitan State Beach. After reaching the campsite, students were separated into five trail groups and the activities began. Many girls could not hold back their excitement. Nitya C., ’23, stated, “I was looking forward to being in nature and getting to know people better.”

 

The first day of the trip was relaxing as the eighth grade girls got to know their trail leaders, as well as their teachers. The groups walked down to the ocean for some team building exercises. After a dinner of pasta and meatballs, trail groups headed off for a nighttime activity.

 

The second day included a quick hike to a nearby llama and goat farm, the highlight of the trip for most students. When asked what her favorite part of the trip was, Sofi M., ‘23, explained, “I loved the llama farm. I got to hug goats, which was fun!” Next, students headed to the beach for some surf and sand.  It turned out to be more sand than surf, as the weather was cold and windy. Some sturdy souls braved the icy waters and jumped right in. Not even the rain that evening could dampen the students’ evening activities.

 

Hiking, kayaking, and an evening campfire marked the full itinerary of the day.  Trail groups planned and performed original skits to be enjoyed with s’mores. The El Capitan trip gave students the opportunity to make new connections with their classmates. Briar B., ‘23, said that her favorite part of the trip was “getting to know everyone in our class better.”  Everybody left this trip feeling content and relaxed.