Wisconsin—The 28 members of the Wisconsin Academy Class of 2006, along with their sponsors, headed to Buckhorn State Park in Necedah, Wis., on Sept. 2, for Senior Survival weekend. The weekend was designed for the senior class to bond together as they practiced team-building skills through different activities.

A group of four from Andrews University, headed by Maria Long, came to help out with worships. For vespers and church, the theme of the activities and messages dealt with building relationships and what makes a good relationship. In Sabbath school, one of the activities was to locate hidden items, with everyone blindfolded except the leader who shouted out directions. That activity taught the seniors to be careful about who they trust and the importance of sticking together.

On Sun. morning, the class divided into two teams for the Airplane Crash. It was a mix between Survivor and The Amazing Race. Each team was in an "airplane crash" and team members had to choose which people had different ailments. One person was comatose, another had a broken leg, and yet another was blind. The seniors used compasses to guide them from point to point through the woods while carrying and leading the injured. At each stop they collected a different piece of survival gear. One stop had firewood and at another a pitcher for water. At the end of the race they boiled water in their pitcher. “It was exhausting and a good learning experience. It taught us how to really work together, and now if I’m lost in the woods, I can survive!” Blake Martin enthusiastically stated.

The rest of the weekend was filled with swimming, canoeing, playing volleyball, making meals, and sitting around the campfire. Erin McLean summed it up quite nicely when she said, “This weekend helped me to know the people in my class on a new level, helped me build trust, and I grew closer to God.”

Michelle Paulsen, Wisconsin Academy student correspondent