~Chris Boonisar, Class of 2024

Friends and Teamwork

“A friend is one of the best things you could be and the greatest things you could have”

~Sarah Valdez

When I went on the senior class trip to Windsor Mountain Camp in New Hampshire, I created deeper friendships and I became a better person. I  had the opportunity to join in some activities with my friends but also  with some people I don’t know well;  I feel like I grew closer to them and found out more about them through the activities.

Our second activity period on the day we arrived at Windsor Mountain was the waterfront. Our group was the Patriots, so we ran back to the cabins to change into our bathing suits. Then, we waited outside the dining hall for the rest of the group to be ready. This activity was a good one for us to bond and have fun with our classmates. It was also a great chance to get to know some kids I don’t really hang out with much. At first, I was a little concerned that the water would be freezing because I remember last year that it was windy which made the water colder. But I heard from the activity group that went to the waterfront first that the water felt nice. 

So I felt more excited and we headed down to the waterfront with our group. I could see little droplets of rain as it landed on the water. I heard the birds chirping from the trees. I felt the refreshing water all around me as I jumped into it. I could smell the lake water and I could taste the water a little bit. This was an incredible experience and I’m glad I did it with my friends. I have deeper friendships now because of that activity and I’m very happy about it. It’s a great idea to take chances you have and spend it with your friends because you can deepen your friendships and the experience could have a greater impact than you think.

Another memorable moment during my time at Windsor was at the campfire. After our whole class and the teachers gathered around in a circle and looked at a glowing campfire,  everyone headed down to the waterfront to look at shooting stars because Fitz made an announcement saying that anyone could come. So, we stood up from the dirty, wet ground and headed down in the pitch black darkness, not knowing how difficult it was going to be. The journey down to the waterfront was a little more challenging  because it was pitch black. I could see the shadows of the kids in front of us but only a little bit. 

We held on to our classmates so we didn’t slip and fall in the darkness. I could hear the chatter of our voices as we walked down the hill trying not to slip. We finally made it down to the waterfront which made it easier to see because there were no trees to cover the light. A  great theme for this paragraph would be helpfulness. The lesson is that we should all have a helping hand when our friends need it. Without the help from our friends, we wouldn’t be able to get down the hill without tripping and falling.

Another favorite memory at Windsor Mountain was during the first activity period, when we did broomball in the meetinghouse. Broomball is basically floor hockey but with brooms and a tennis ball. Broomball was fun because we were able to demonstrate good teamwork skills with our classmates. Everyone seemed to enjoy Broomball and it started the trip off on a positive note. As soon as the ball was dropped to the ground for the first time, Broomball became very intense. The brooms were swiping away on the floor trying to take the ball and score a goal for their team. The smack of the ball hitting the doors would know if there was a goal. I was lucky enough to see some of my shots fly right by the goalie and into the goal. The wooden handle on the brooms gave a good grip for me so I could handle the ball well. 

I unfortunately walked out of the meetinghouse and saw that the bottom of my socks were completely dirty. I was super surprised by this and couldn’t believe they could do that much damage.This activity was super fun and it definitely took a lot of teamwork to make sure that we were playing fair and playing hard. We also wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to shoot on net and potentially score a goal. Teamwork is such an important thing when it comes to sports and games and it’s also good to stay positive with your team so you don’t get frustrated and that you can be a happy and successful team. 

During this class trip to Windsor Mountain; I deepened my friendships, and showed good teamwork with my classmates. 

Friendships are important and teamwork is getting along well.