After 2 relaxing snow days off from the school, the CAP students from AXL Academy couldn’t wait to spend their Friday out on an adventure at Bear Creek Lake Park for their class field day. The room was buzzing with nervous, excited energy as the group waited to pack themselves and gear into the big 15p van that would take them to their destination. Upon arrival at Bear Creek, the sun was shining and the students were clearly so excited to be outside. They immediately took off into the parking lot, looking for patches of ice to stomp down on and destroy. Once the instructors managed to get them all back together, the students changed into shoes more appropriate for the terrain and set off for a fun hike around the lake.The students loved throwing chunks of ice into the water and attempting to skip rocks. One student had a little too much fun being so close to the water and ended up with wet feet for the remainder of the day.

After about an hour of hiking and exploring, the group split in two; half went down to prepare lunch and the other half continued on a hike to the top of a high hill. When they made it back down, they talked about how cool it was to see the rest of the group so small down below, like ants. After a delicious lunch, and one student challenging herself to eat FOUR sandwiches, we moved on the next activity. The students got to try their hand at making fire with steel strikers. Everyone was successful, and many students felt like this was the highlight of their day. It was difficult to get them away from their tiny cotton flames, but the instructors managed to capture their attention with the prospect of a game. After playing a few rounds, the group was all smiles and not at all ready for the day to end. Our last activity of the day was enjoying some delicious hot cocoa and having a few minutes alone for a sit spot. Upon coming back from their moment of reflection, the students gathered up and shared one word that came to their mind as they sat quietly. Words like mindfulness, peaceful, quiet, and calm were spoken often. They carried this energy back to the van with them as we packed up and prepared for the journey back to school.

Written by AXL Academy CAP Instructor Vicki Whisenhunt

See more photos from the trip here!