High school students take on 5th Grade Camp as counselors

Camp Councelors Teoni Walker and Kelsey Van Hook pose outside of girls cabins.

The annual 5th grade camping trip took place at the Sherwood Forest Camp in Lesterville, Missouri, during the week of April 17-20 for three of the Pattonville School District elementary schools. Students from Drummond, Remington, and Rose Acres elementary schools and 28 PHS students made the transition from classrooms to cabins for the week.

For some of the high school counselors, 5th grade camp was a little stressful.

“Camp was tough at some points,” senior Nadia Maddex said. “Taking care of eight children for a week is not easy.”

Students took part in a multitude of activities and hands-on projects with their campers which included team building, science, and communication.

Tango Tower, which consists of four sides of challenging climbing walls, was a fun experience for the counselors.

“At Tango Tower, I got to see my girls conquer their fears (and me too),” Meaghan Pace said. “It was so cool to see girls who had come from different schools all come together and cheer each other on when they needed it.”

Senior Daniel Masokano also thought Tango Tower was a great experience.

“It was great watching the boys grow more comfortable with each other and learning to trust each other at activities such as Tango Tower and Challenge Yourself.”

For the 5th grade students, the camp is mostly about meeting friends and exploring nature, but high school counselors saw camp as much more.

“Creating group chants with my girls or even getting into small competitions with Daniel’s group during Tango Tower was great,” Maddex said. “It’s the little things that made camp even more enjoyable.