Heritage Elementary Sixth Grade Camp
Sixth graders from Heritage Elementary participated in a week long outdoor school overnight camp from September 10th to the 14th at Camp Cuyamaca. The theme ICARE is an acronym for Integrity, Cooperation, Attitude, Respect, and Esteem, character traits which were woven into all of the activities the students participated in throughout the week. Our 'White Tigers' represented our school with pride by demonstrating these characteristics in their interactions with each other, their hike leaders, and at meal tables when seated with students from all schools.
Each day brought new adventures such as rock climbing, archery, and geocaching. In addition, nature studies, exploring the seven natural resources that support life on earth, were carried out on hikes varying in length from a couple of hours to all day. The night hike, where several of our students experienced seeing nocturnal wildlife in addition to the many species they had observed in their natural habitats during the daytime adventures, was quite popular with the students. “I loved the night hike because we got to see more animals than in the day", stated Ashwika S.
Other activities included crafts using rock and Manzanita wood, and an all camp talent show on the last evening of the stay. Students were encouraged to appreciate nature, understand how life functions on earth, think like a scientist and change our human impact on the environment. Participating in this kind of learning environment was exciting and inspiring for the students, many of whom had never slept away from home before this camp experience. A wonderful time was had by all!!
