Orientation week is one of the best ways to kick-off the school year. Not only is the wonderfulness of the laptops re-discovered, but advisories go head to head in Olympics at the end of the day. And the best part of it all is that the noodle-passing, balloon popping, and relay frenzy is only the beginning. These are but a sample of what is to come: Skonewood. Not only is it one of the most looked-forward to events of the year, but one of the best remembered trips the entire school has gone on. But before we can even step onto the bus, there is a lot of planning and work that goes into the trip.

                Take my house for instance. It is Wednesday night before the trip, and while sitting and very diligently working on homework, I hear a frenzy of sound coming from the kitchen. After further investigation, I find several cauldron-like pots filled with boiling water. And…noodles. A long wooden spoon had also magically appeared in my hand, which I spend the rest of the night using to stir the bubbling pots. At the same time, I could picture Mrs. Hinrichs staring down an intimidating grocery list planned after the menu Mrs. DeVries had carefully laid out. And who could forget the sight of Mr. V staring into space, imagining new ways to subtly torture us unsuspecting high schoolers?

                Once we actually arrived at Skonewood, Mrs. DeVries began gathering the food Mrs. Hinrichs had bought and turning it into our delicious spaghetti dinner. At the same time Mrs. Anderson was helping the praise team get ready to lead the school in our special Skonewood chapel. And what kind of Olympics could we have if there was no obstacle course? Mr. V was hard at work re-discovering the forest surrounding the small campground and setting out the challenges that each advisory must pass through in order to win the prize. And we can’t forget Miss Branderhorst and Mrs. DeVries, who helped set up and clean up meals and cheer us on during the Olympic games.

                While we remember the awesome time we had with each other, none of this would have been possible without this awesome help. So here’s a shout-out to those who helped make Skonewood the memorable time it is for us all.