A place where memories are made that last a lifetime along with the opportunity to build leadership skills will be made available for SHS students counseling at Clinton Young’s camp.
Approached by Clinton Young’s principal, David Henriott, the idea was set in motion for the summer after this school year with the program’s application starting up in fall and the camp lasting from March 16-18 of next school year.
“The purpose of the camp for our students is to experience something away from school that they wouldn’t usually have a chance to do,” Henriott said. “Being outside, learning more about themselves and nature to disconnect from our material world.”
The camp will feature 14 stations including a vast variety of activities such as archery, river ecology, canoeing, alpine tower climbing and much more. High school students who will be counseling at the camp will also partake in the activities, guiding kids from Clinton Young along the way.
With the goal of the camp being to enrich the elementary kids who will be attending there, they hope to accomplish this through the high school students, who along with the kids, will grow throughout the camp becoming leaders that will guide them through stations.
“It’s a good leadership opportunity because we’re gonna try to train them into doing some things that’ll look good on their resume,” English teacher Sam Hanley said. “The bigger thing is just sort of that intangible idea of leading a group of people and taking responsibility for something.”
The camp itself won’t begin its activities until spring of next year, but students who will be counseling there are waiting with anticipation.
Junior Matthew Ritchie, who’s counseled at other camps in the past, expressed that he is looking forward to being a counselor at Clinton Young.
He looks forward to now being able to counsel alongside his classmates and friends compared to previous counseling experiences.
“I’m really excited to do it with the people that I know,” Ritchie said.
Junior Guinevere Rugenstein, who will be counseling alongside Ritchie and others, said that she too looks forward to it.
While not having any experience under her belt with counseling in the past, she attended this same camp when she was younger.
“I wanted to give back to my community,” Rugenstein said. “Being able to go as a fourth grader with my class, I now get to mentor fifth graders going to their class like a give and take situation.”
While it will be her first time, Rugenstein wants to make it count.
“I’m super excited, I can’t wait to hang out with all the kids and have a bunch of fun,” Rugenstein said. “I just hope I create a good impact on them and not a negative one.”