Sixth Graders Experience New Challenges During Two-day Event  Rise and Shine! On September 12 and 13, 2011, eighty-nine 6th grade students from St. Mark Catholic School participated in an overnight field trip to the YMCA’s Camp Thunderbird, located on Lake Wylie, S.C. The goal of the trip was for students to make the connection between God, nature and daily life. To achieve this, students reached a new level of understanding for each other as well as our environment through respect, communication, accomplishment and fun.

Over the course of two, 85 degree days, students rotated through four different field stations designed to provide a level of personal discovery and challenge, putting some beyond their standard "comfort zone.”

At the high ropes course, students encouraged each other to free fall down a zip line. Rocks spun and balancing was difficult on the unsteady cables of the enormous alpine tower challenge. The low challenge included a series of team building exercises that forced students to plan and communicate strategies to reach a common goal. During the eco-challenge students learned how to navigate with a hand-held GPS on a course filled with information on how to garden, how to transport food and how to compost. They also reviewed the importance of reuse, renew, and recycle.

The campers were treated to an evening of wacky races, campfire skits and songs by the Camp T-Bird counselors. Finally, in the dark and stillness of the night, campers, chaperones and teachers sat with a rosary made out of glow sticks, prayed and gave thanks for all that they had experienced. Parent chaperone Patty Malyszko summarized the experience by saying, “It was a special way to celebrate the gifts we share through the grace of our faith. This was a perfect opportunity for St. Mark students to demonstrate their values of caring, respect and responsibility and was an experience that the 6th grade will remember for years to come.”

YMCA’s Camp Thunderbird is home to 100 acres of nationally recognized water programs, including wakeboarding, water skiing, sailing, kayaking, and canoeing. The camp offers 28 land activities varying from traditional to innovative that include horseback riding, arts, and sports.