By Julia Kulon
With new blood comes new traditions.
Similar to the idea of the Freshmen Connection program, the incoming seventh graders partook in their own special operation called Camp Duncan over the summer. Sixty four LTAC students out of the 83 attended the two day camp near Lake Fox, IL.
Camp Duncan served as an orientation for the incoming LTAC students. The camp allowed the students to make new friends, meet their teachers, participate in activities, and have fun together.
“It was a good opportunity for the students to create bonds and friendships,” said Ms. Beck, the LTAC director.
Upon arriving to Camp Duncan, the students were separated into four groups: Aspen, Birch, Cedar and Dogwood. Each group was assigned a schedule with activities. While these groups were co-ed, girls and boys slept in separate cabins.
All the groups participated in a massive scavenger hunt.
“The scavenger hunts were really spread out,” said Kylie Carlson, Div. 752. “We had to find a little acorn…a stick as long as a pencil…I miss that.”
Some of the activities were purely educational. LTAC students learned about constellations at the camp’s very own planetarium while others visited the lake and gathered water samples to examine and learn about different eco-systems.
Other activities tested the idea of teamwork. Students had to venture together through a trail of challenges that could only be accomplished when everyone in the group worked together. After learning all the appropriate safety procedures, students were given the chance to climb a 45 foot climbing tower.
“I had to conquer [this] bump on the rock climbing tower,” said Kaiden Friedrich, Div. 752, “It was this part that almost went upside down. I was the only one who managed to do it in my group.”
All groups came together for meals where “the cosmic balance of breakfast food was to die for,” according to Max Gorich, Div. 752.
On their first and only night, they sang songs together by a campfire. In between scheduled events and after hours is when most memories were made.
“I stayed up late with my friend, Natalie,” said Mia Reyes, Div. 752. “The teachers were asleep so we had to whisper. We played with our flashlights and talked to other people across [our cabin].”
Alex Bousch, Div. 750, and Lauiaja Powell, Div. 751, became ‘whip cream buddies’. They would basically take turns spraying cans of whip cream into each other’s mouths.
Others earned accidental battle scars.
According to Catherine O’Carroll, Div. 752, her best friend, Kylie Carlson, got a “sideways Harry Potter scar” on her forehead at Camp Duncan.
“Kylie was showing her friends how to do a backflip at the cabin. She was wearing socks and her feet slipped,” said Mrs. Jencius, the LTAC Algebra teacher.
“I thought it was just a bruise,” said Carlson, “but they were like, ‘Kylie, you’re bleeding!’”
“The girls took the initiation to see if she [Kylie] was alright,” said Ms. Irwin, the LTAC Biology teacher who attended the camp. “They handled it really well. None of them panicked even though Kylie was bleeding.”
Carlson started her career at Lane with a band-aid on her forehead.
The LTAC seventh graders also attended two orientation days at Lane to see the building and learn how to navigate through it smoothly. But teachers seemed to agree that it was Camp Duncan that provided that smooth transition for the students.
“We wanted them to feel comfortable…know a familiar face,” said Ms. Beck. “Bonding definitely happened…I saw it.”
“I could see that the first day wasn’t so terrifying [for them],” Ms. Irwin said. “As some of them walked into class, they said, ‘Hi, Ms. Irwin!’ I think that really makes a difference.”
Most students seemed to agree.
“Camp Duncan made me feel less intimidated,” said Hannah Barlow, Div. 751.
“A feeling that I still have from [Camp Duncan] was how good it felt to make new friends,” said Jacob Jorgensen, Div. 752.
