It is science camp season for elementary students and the district gives high school juniors and seniors opportunities to become counselors and receive community service hours. The district provides 40 hours of community service to counselors, which is double the required hours to graduate, according to the MHS Website.
Science camp is an educational experience that involves traveling to a campsite and empowering students to learn about the art of nature, environmental stewardship, and our health, according to the website and campsite Exploring New Horizons.
Senior and science camp counselor Gabriela Bejinez went on the week of Feb. 10 through Feb. 14, and had a great experience with the children she took care of by creating close bonds and relationships, she said.
“It was really nice to grow a relationship with all of them and talk to them one by one and get to know them,” Bejinez said. “And it was really sweet because, on the last day of science camp, I think the night before, I stayed up so I could write them all little letters. And then they also made me little things too, so it was really cute.”
It is important to form a connection with other counselors and kids, Bejinez said.
“I remember being really nervous at first because I didn’t really know what to do or expect,” Bejinez said. “But I think the next day, I started getting more used to it, and I was able to memorize all my kids’ names, so it made it a lot better and easier to talk to them because I felt closer to them, and I built a lot more relationships with them.
Senior and science camp counselor Nicole Gardner, enjoyed her exciting experience of taking care of her group, Mount Hermon, and being around other counselors and educators, she said.
“Our job as counselors was to supervise the kids, report any issues to their teachers or any of the camp advisors, watch them on trails, lead group activities, and help them make their skits,” Gardner said. “It (the skits) had to be about nature or anything about camp. So some groups did it about their experiences at camp, some did it about animals, some did it about different scenarios you would do while camping.”
Gardner’s favorite part of the camp was the hikes she went on, specifically the solo hike, she said.
“My favorite part was the solo hike,” Gardner said. “I liked connecting with nature and finally getting a second to myself to just breathe and take it all in.”
Junior and Science camp counselor Akira Garcia also enjoyed her experience and the staff working at the camp, she said.
“They (the staff) did pretty good, like guiding us, guiding the leaders and the children pretty well,” Garcia said. “I just think at the end it was kind of chaotic, but they told us it was going to be chaotic.”
The food at the camp could have been improved on, Gardner added.
“I wasn’t a fan of the food, but that might be because of personal issues, like allergies and stuff,” Gardner said. “It is kid-friendly food, but as a teenager, I didn’t really enjoy it. There were pancakes, french toast, eggs, chicken, sausage, orange chicken, and all that stuff.”
As the high school promises, they give you community service hours, but it is an unfair amount, Garcia claims.
“We worked for 24 hours, even during the night time, like when kids got homesick or sick, we would get up and help them,” Garcia said. “The camp, they send you a letter saying you received 100 hours but when you return to school they only give you 40 hours, so it’s kind of ridiculous.”
It was difficult to step out of her comfort zone, but she’s glad she did, Bejinez said.
“I think it’s just really good to put yourself out there and try new things,” Bejinez said. “Because again, I didn’t think I would do something like this, but after doing it, it just made me realize I can do whatever I want and it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. My friends have said that I inspired them to become cabin leaders in the future and that truly made me feel like I did an amazing job and made me feel really happy.