The freshman class field trip to Camp Hazen, designed to help freshmen transition to high school, develop social relationships with each other, and get to know upperclassmen role models, has been a yearly tradition at OSHS since 2007. The retreat was overnight each year until 2019, but was unable to happen in 2020 due to the pandemic, and since its return in 2021 has been a single full day.
However, after some critical feedback from last year’s freshmen, Youth and Family Services decided to change up the trip’s format for the class of 2028. Rather than taking the freshmen to Camp Hazen for a full day, the experience was split into two shorter days. On Tuesday September 10th, Camp Hazen staff came to OSHS and took the freshmen outside for a morning of team building activities. Then, on Friday, September 13th, the freshmen went to Camp Hazen for the duration of the school day, focusing on outdoor activities.
This change was made for several reasons, one being complaints about icebreakers, as most students in each class have known each other for most of their lives. For this reason, the team building portion this year focused more so on bonding through games, rather than getting to know each other. Additionally, by splitting the trip into two days, students were able to get back earlier on Friday, allowing athletes to still attend sports practices. Link Crew coordinator Mrs. Santopietro explained, “I think separating the team building from the physical activities helped the students enjoy Camp Hazen more, and it gave them two different things to look forward to instead of one big day.”
OSYFS director Heather McNeil shared that student responses to an event evaluation were “overwhelmingly positive”, and senior Link Leader Erin Nygard explained, “I felt like the change [to two days] was nice because it allowed for more of a connection between the group members. I felt like the freshmen did a really nice job in the activities and it seemed like everyone had a good time!” The freshmen themselves also had fairly positive feedback. Freshman Karly Schneider said, “I thought it was cool how we got to know our groups and counselors, and it was definitely fun to hang out with and get to know different people that you might not usually talk to.” Freshman Mia Hanover shared, “I thought the trip was really good! I loved hanging out with my friends and doing some activities I don’t usually get to do.” Freshman Raven Bagnati reflected on the trip as “a very cool experience”, pointing out activities like archery and canoeing, and sharing overall, “The day was very fun, and I think others would agree.”