The 2021 senior trip was one filled with memories and meaningful experiences and provided a great start to the seniors’ final year at the King’s Academy. The two-day retreat near the Ocoee River in Tennessee was jam-packed with games, a connection-strengthening bonfire and team-building activities that are exclusive to our school’s seniors.
“It’s kind of a kickstart to senior year,” said senior Tiffany Robertson.
“[It was] a great opportunity to bond with people in my grade,” said senior Lauren Wimberly.
The various activities consumed most of the seniors’ time. The highlight was the white-water rafting, which the students experienced on their first day.
Seniors Chandler Payne, Grayson Young, Gavin Lucas, Braeden Larson, and Caleb
Jones build long-lasting friendships in the white-water activity during the senior trip.
“I had never done anything like that before, so it was really cool,” said Robertson. “They put you in rafts as teams, and you go down the Ocoee River.” On the “insane” adventure, students tumbled into the rapids but enjoyed bonding with their classmates nonetheless.
That evening, the staff held a bonfire for the students. The seniors spent nearly two hours roasting marshmallows and chatting with friends.
“It was a time to congregate with each other [and] just to talk,” said Robertson. “That was honestly probably my favorite part. I just talked to people I didn’t normally talk to on Monday/Wednesday or even people I’ve known but I got to know better.”
The bonfire night also helped break up former cliques and promote unity within the senior class.
“I didn’t want it to be a lot of drama, but honestly, it was really good,” said Robertson. “I feel like everyone was just friends with everyone.”
The seniors only stayed at the retreat for one night, but they made the most of it, staying up as long as they wanted, playing games and having fun throughout the night.
“I was exhausted, so I went to bed at around two, but I know some people who stayed up the whole night. There was a karaoke machine, so we were all singing on that,” said Robertson.
During the second day of the retreat, students were able to sign up for different games or activities, such as ziplining, paintball and ‘The Adventure Race.’ In the ‘Adventure Race,’ the students were divided into teams to race across rugged terrain, with a mud pit being the predominant feature.
“That was chaos,” said Robertson. “It was really fun. By the end of it, we were covered in mud and all scratched up [from the rocks], and it was funny. There were different little things you had to do along the way because you were trying to win, and my team actually won.”
Overall, the senior trip proved successful in pushing the students into their last year in a fun and exciting way.
Robertson encouraged students to “just go for it,” and enjoy the senior trip and high school while still with the friends they’ve made over the years.
“Just making memories and being yourself is the key,” said Robertson.
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