The Sixth Grade Heads into the Woods!

By Esme Mamousette, Petra Orloff, Gevi Syrett, and Mr. Oakes
Photos by Ms. Shortelle and Mr. Oakes

The sixth grade arrived at Hulbert yesterday morning after a long drive north through beautiful fall foliage. On the bus, the boys passed the time playing a card game called “The Art Game” and the girls sang songs like “Let It Go,” “Under the Sea,” “Me Too,” and also a little “Hamilton.”

Said Petra, “I kinda liked the bus ride.”

Upon arrival, we were split into two groups, one with a nice counselor with short blonde hair named Emily and one with a playful and goofy counselor named Zack. We then jumped right in with group exercises and had fistfuls of fun. Throughout our stay, we will do activities within these core groups.

The cabins at Hulbert were clean and ready for us when we got there. The cabins are very nice, with rugs and bedside tables. At night, during free time, the girls host meetings while the boys rehearse a puppet show called “Uglyton.”

One of the most popular activities on the first day was playing in the castle, which has many small towers and passageways that the sixth grade just loves. There is something about the blue-grey color that feels adventurous.

Last night, half the class helped make dinner. We took charge of the Caesar salad and garlic bread. After dinner, we played fun games in the barn before returning to our cabins for some free time before bed.

This morning, while Emily’s group made breakfast, some of the girls went down to the lake with Ms. Shortelle. The view was amazing! We also went to a tiny lighthouse.

After our morning meal, we created fires with birch wood and sticks, as we learned wilderness survival skills. We also built our own fort, which the whole class adored!

Then, we strolled down to the lakeside for some archery. After Counselor Brendan’s safety instructions, we had fun firing arrows at targets, as we basked in the beautiful autumn sun.

In addition to participating in fun games and activities, we have really been pushed to work together on this trip, learning to listen better to one another and try to have one voice. These skills help us accomplish different challenges. One, for example, involved building a bridge between three boxes with two wooden boards while keeping at least one foot off the ground at all times. And if that wasn’t enough, the boards weren’t long enough to stretch from one box to another! It was challenging but fun, and we can’t wait to see what other adventures await us here at Hulbert!

See below for more photos of our trip. Roll the mouse over the image to scroll through.