Unforgettable Moments: A High School Camp Adventure at Shalom Valley
"Who am I?" A perplexing question asked to a packed room of naïve teenagers. For five days, Logos high school students embarked on a trip that created stories for the future, team-building, and self-exploration. Shalom Valley exists as a non-profit camp dedicated to students for their relationship with Christ and their own identity. The camp values are based on giving back and serving the next generation in a chain of gratitude. Every day, different teachers led us through branches of important parts of our life: the role of friends, how to find your purpose in life, how to strengthen your relationship with God, and other core lessons to carry in our minds for our journeys outside of camp.
Students were able to experience challenging hikes through Kep National Park, fresh food and drinks served by the chefs and baristas, and traversing through the water obstacle course with friends. Relaxing with friends and the activities were a nice distraction from school work. To emphasize the camp's value of service, every meal had a new group of students washing the dishes and wiping the tables. This way of giving back and doing our part after eating was a positive lesson about discipline and gratitude.
We recommend everyone to have fun at Shalom Valley, but to also carry the lessons earned there as a point of reference in their lives.
"I had a wonderful time at Shalom Valley, especially since it was my first time having an event like this occur in school. I encountered countless new experiences, had the chance to tighten my bond with my friends, and also got to meet and get acquainted with new people." -Erica Hinto, Gr.10
Joe, the Shalom Valley camp host, introduced us to the numerous team-strengthening activities. The activities included knot tying, capture the flag, and the water obstacle that required tons of teamwork combined with patience and problem solving skills. Through these arduous activities, students learned about the importance of unity. Being that Logos is a small community, it's important that all the students grow to have stronger relationships with each other. It was abundantly clear that unity, teamwork, and trust goes a long way (especially for the hard trail hikers).
"We really enjoyed having Logos out. Yeah, basically really hoping that you guys had a fun time there as well. I know it's just the start of the year, but you know, maybe if you end up in a harder place in the upcoming weeks, months, or you know, just look back on whatever you guys were doing at Shalom Valley and kind of remember that, and there are more days like that to come as well.
Clearly I'm not a naturally gifted public speaker in any sense [because I'm really struggling with these voice messages], but you guys made it really easy to talk in front of and kind of give instructions, and I'm really thankful for that as well. Oh yeah, and I'm really thankful that you guys treated the other Shalom Valley staff with respect as well, because they just really appreciate that." - Joe, Shalom Valley Host
Most students don't tend to interact with fellow students in other grades but this camp inevitably formed new relationships because of difficult moments like staying afloat on a raft or traversing down a rocky path. Evidently, this memory-making and relationship-strengthening camp created strong bonds for the student because Logos alumni still maintain close contact with the school and teachers. For example, Thomas Sin, Josiah Kangas, and other teachers were alumni at Logos and participated before. Unity is not temporary, it's a lifelong process.
Two years ago, the current seniors went to Shalom Valley as mere sophomores. In the blink of an eye, they emotionally returned as seniors. Naturally, it was an emotional moment for the seniors because it would be their last visit to Shalom in high school. Nostalgia flowed as the memories came back from when they were sophomores. Memories of visiting the sunny beach, bush dancing, and campfires with smores were recreated during this final visit. Shell bracelets, photos, and the five days at Shalom served as a final memory of high school camp before moving on to making new memories for the future.
"I really enjoyed getting to spend my last camp with the people I've had the pleasure of growing up with. Because this is our last year, it felt like the whole class was focused on building good memories before we leave for college. I had a great time during down time and activities and look forward to making more memories before we leave." - Clara Beck, Gr.12
As a whole, Shalom Valley was an unforgettable experience for all of high school as their bonds grew stronger because of this camp. High school now remains as a united front for the remaining year, especially for the seniors.
- Hyunung. G