On our trip to Camp Belknap, we learned more about leadership and how we could be effective leaders. One activity that stood out to me was the one where we found out what type of leaders we were. My classmates and I stood on the sunny tennis court. We sat along a string while we waited for some sort of direction. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect while I chatted with Garrett and Colby. Suddenly Mr. Irwin spoke and explained the activity we were about to do. We are divided into four groups based on where we fell on a spectrum of how we showed our emotions. In my group were a variety of people, like Jake who I thought was a different leader, than me, but after we talked more, I realized we were more like two peas in a pod. Garrett and Colby were there, and I realized that we were more alike than I thought. In those groups we talked about our strengths and weaknesses as a leader. I never knew much about myself as a leader because I don’t often step into the leadership position, which was one of the characteristics of my group. The reason this activity was so important to me was that it gave me a chance to understand myself a little bit better. I never knew there was a name for how I show my ideas and opinions, much less a category of people. Leadership is a value that we use all the time in our daily lives, and the fact that I had the chance to know more about my role in it is really important for me. However, there wasn’t just one activity that changed my views of myself and what I want to be.  

Making goals for yourself is a great way to improve yourself and your work, so, on our trip to New Hampshire, one of our activities was to make goals for the year. Our entire class gathered around a crackling campfire in the middle of the night. We each held a lit candle, slowly dripping wax. We went around the circle, each stating our goals for the year, and after we spoke, blowing out our candle. As a ninth grade class, we wanted one of our goals to be being nicer to the younger grades. In years prior we felt that the year above us were not that friendly to us. We wanted to be different than them and to be an example of what a good student looks like. We wanted the younger grades to feel like they could reach out to us and be able to feel comfortable talking to us. We also talked about our personal goals for the year. My goal was to make people lives better, in small ways and big. We also talked about the challenges of these goals and how we can’t forget about them halfway through the year. We want to accomplish these goals and make our class one to remember. Goal-setting brought us together, to focus on a common objective. As we talked about our goals for this year, I got to know my classmates better, a common theme throughout the trip.  

Getting to know the people around you is important, especially because our numbers just shrank significantly and socially we are a lot different. We have to be open to new friendships this year and the trip to a Camp Belknap was a great way to start. We worked together in cooperative activities and had fun in games like dodgeball. However, by far the best way we got to know each other was by just talking. When we had free time in cabins before bed, we just stayed up talking. In the dark we told scary stories and played games with words. Over the rustle or sleeping bags moving I got to know things about people I had not really known before. Just being in another place seemed to loosen the restraints of the upcoming school year. Our experience at Camp Belknap will hopefully support our personal growth and friendships for the year.

Maybe  a breath of fresh air is all you need to see things differently.