2022 Mt St Helens Trip

Sep 15

This year, Hood River New School had the pleasure of welcoming 16 new students to our existing student body. We knew what an incredible opportunity this was to grow, and wanted to do everything we could to welcome new faces and continue building a positive and inclusive school culture. So, with only one day together under our belt, 48 students and 5 staff members boarded a big yellow bus and set off for Mt. St. Helens for a three day trip.

We had two main goals for this trip. We wanted to introduce the students to the power of Helens and its history in the context of science, but also to give students opportunities to connect with each other and bond as a group. The trip definitely surpassed our expectations. On the science front, students crawled through underground tree molds, went almost a mile into an underground lava tube, learned about dacite and andesite rocks, and why the difference matters for volcanologists, and spent time just taking in the beauty of the mountain. We also carved out time for ice breakers, group games, and songs, and saw the student body go from an overexcited mass of middle schoolers to a tired gaggle of kids who felt like they'd all become much closer.

One highlight was the Survival Game, where each student was assigned a role, such as a spider, marmot, wolf, or disease. They had to hunt each other, find food appropriate to their role, and locate water sources. They had so much fun that they took initiative to set up and play the game the next night too.

One of my fondest memories is when students were invited to perform something - anything - to earn their dessert after dinner. We saw gymnastics moves, soulful ukelele songs, riddles, and a rubics cube solved in seconds. It really highlighted how all the different unique qualities in our students come together to create something really special.

We can't wait for the next overnight trip in March!