Journey into Nature: Grade 4's Adventure at South Mountain YMCA Camp

The Grade 4 overnight at South Mountain YMCA Camp from May 24-25 was a fantastic trip filled with learning, collaboration, friendship, and adventure. For their first school-based overnight trip, Grade 4 students traveled by coach bus to Reinholds, Pennsylvania, to a camp on 600 acres in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The beautiful surroundings provided the perfect backdrop for students to engage in several hands-on, experiential, nature-based, and team-building activities, extending their learning beyond the walls of St. Patrick’s.   

After settling in their bunks, students gathered with their homeroom classes to embark on a day of activities ranging from team building to shelter-building and animal identification. In the evening, after dinner, students participated in a hike to a mountain peak. They celebrated reaching the top with a magnificent view, a campfire and sing-along, and s’mores. 

The following day after breakfast, students packed up and cleaned their cabins, then rotated between archery, a climbing wall, and low ropes course activities before the drive back to school for pick up. When reflecting on their overnight experiences, students shared that they felt proud, tired, happy, accomplished, and excited about their time at South Mountain YMCA Camp.