AstroCamp 2021 (by Mr. Hight)

After a year away from AstroCamp because of COVID, the 7th grade students made their annual trip to AstroCamp in early October, just a few weeks ago. This year we experienced a hail storm and temperatures in the 30s!  This hands-on, physical science camp, held in the mountain town of Idyllwild, is designed to inspire students to become interested in science. This shared learning experience is also a special part of social development and team-building in our 7th grade class each year. The beautiful, 80-acre campus our students get to spend three days on is surrounded by pine, oak and manzanita trees. The students are housed in campus dorms and meals are served in a lodge-style dining hall.

While at camp, the students participate in ten science classes. The classes are small, where the students are engaged in problem solving and collaborative thinking skills. Some of the classes that the students participated in this year at AstroCamp were, “Building and Launching Rockets,” Atmosphere and Gasses,” “Lights and Lasers,” and “Cosmic Landers.”  Additionally, all students had the opportunity to participate in several exciting physical activities, such as zip-lining, wall-climbing  and telescope-viewing on an interactive night hike.

Students stay very busy as they engage in learning and collaboration in both outdoor and indoor classroom environments. Favorite free time activities this year were Gaga Ball, Human FoosBall and Volleyball. While  students are outdoors most of the time, they get to enjoy wildlife, such as deer, wandering right through the camp!

St. Paul’s alumni, when asked about their seventh grade experience, often mention AstroCamp as a favorite memory. They remember the trip up the mountain and the many memories made during their time at AstroCamp. This 19-year long St. Paul’s traditional trip has become a middle school landmark learning experience.