In an interview with 36 students at Tom McCall Upper Elementary School, the vast majority of students rated their experience as a 4 or 5 on a scale from 0-5 for how much they enjoyed it overall.

Some advice they would give to 5th graders going next year is….

“Bring what you were told to pack because you will need it, and bring a positive attitude” -Anela

“It’s cold and you’ll get dirty” -Rudolph

“Bring an extra raincoat” -Saya

“Don’t get in trouble” -Anonymous

“Bring rain boots!” -Addy, Julia D

“The food is great” -Nate P

“Bring [more] socks” -Alex R, Essie V, Genevieve, Jimmy, Katelyn P, Ayana L, Ravi J

“Get lots of socks” -Delia

“You’ll have a great experience” -Yuliana G

Favorite memories from the week included…

“Touching stinging nettle” -James P

“When I was on a night hike and I looked [into] the sky [to see the] stars” -Alex R

“Plant field study” -Essie

“During cabin time when Julia ate her pillow!” -Sydney

“Cabin time :)” -Julia D

“When we couldn’t stop laughing in the cabins during cabin time” -Victoria

“The last campfire” -Matthew B

“I caught a newt!” -Ayana

“Everything” -Nate P

“Foooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood” -Anonymous

Other things they had to say about outdoor school were…

“It was okay, I liked the dirt house making” -Anonymous

“The counselors and staff are amazing” -Elliot

“Campfire was a nice experience” -Billy Z

“Outdoor school was sooooo much fun 1000/5” -CJ

“If I could go back for another 3 days, I would” -Samuel P

“I would love to be a counselor when I’m older it would be so much fun” – Lily

As a whole, it looks like the students had fun, learned a lot, and had a positive experience. To other high school students who might be interested in Outdoor School, I would encourage them to look into this opportunity, and possibly be a student leader who can transform the lives of hundreds of kids.