Bonny Eagle Middle School Pathfinder Program

As I sit here by the campfire listening to the loons on the lake one last time while the team falls asleep, I find myself thinking about how far this crew of kids has come together. 🏕️🔥🦉

Many weeks ago, they met for the first time with no one knowing everyone's name—and yet, here they are. They've planned and cooked meals together, made great strides with their paddling, spent a lot of time fishing with each other, and, today, they conquered our hike for the week! 🥾🌲

The growth I've seen from each of them is incredible. Some students overcame their nerves about being away from home for five days. Others faced personal struggles that made this week more challenging for them. And all of them worked really hard to tackle their studies to be able to miss five days of school, especially so close to the end of the school year. They have done an incredible job, and I'm so proud of them. 🥹❤️

Tomorrow will be a busy day as we pack up camp and make our way home. But at least the pack boxes are lighter thanks to all the food they've eaten! 📦🍏

To the adults anxiously awaiting their students' return: I'll send along a message via ParentSquare tomorrow to keep you apprised of our pickup time, but I expect it to remain unchanged from Monday. Your student will also call you to confirm once we have a definite timeline. 📱

Thank you again for your support in making this unforgettable week happen! See you tomorrow! 👋🛶

Our first full day of our adventure has officially come to a close, and the rest of the team is in their tents as I watch their lights go off one by one. 🏕️✨

After a delicious breakfast and cleanup, we headed out for our first paddle. The kids picked their partners and everyone did a great job together! Often, paddling can result in a bit of tension between partners, but only slight tweaks were needed and everyone had a blast. 🛶

We loved watching the loons disappear below the surface and pop back up so far away. It was also fun looking across the lake at our lunch spot from day one—it looked so far away! 🦅🌊
We said a quick hello to the game warden, who was about to take their boat out for the first time this season. No problems for us, since we all wear life jackets whenever we're on the water! 🦺👍

With storms brewing, we opted to stay at camp for the afternoon and enjoyed a late lunch, catching fish, napping, tossing the football around, and reading. The rains never came in earnest, so we eventually gave the team a chance to take a "Pathfinder bath" and jump in the lake! 🏊‍♂️ Despite the cold water, it felt great to cool down given the heat we had today.

After a dinner of burritos (so good!), the team indulged in some epic s'mores—just ask the kids about the variety of chocolates they had to choose from!—and they even roasted some Starbursts. 🍫🔥

After doing dishes by lantern light, the kids were ready for bed to rest up for another day of paddling tomorrow. Fingers crossed for slightly lower temps and less risk of storms so we can explore more of the lake! 🤞☀️ I can't believe tomorrow is halfway through the week already. It always goes by so fast!