Ninth Grade Goes to SWO
This year the ninth graders went to Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters (SWO), a Christian camp in Anderson, North Carolina, for their class field trip. At Snowbird, the ninth graders enjoyed activities like ropes courses, zip lines, paintball, water tubing, and much more.
SWO is a year-round camp that focuses on sharing God’s love through fun camp activities, moving chapel messages, and amazing, Christlike counselors.
Sammy Mull is one of the ninth graders who got to go to SWO and explained how her experience was. One of Mull’s favorite parts was “probably the three-man swing. I liked doing it with all my friends, and it was fun to be that high in the air.”
Getting to SWO was no easy feat. After six hours on the road, the ninth graders finally arrived. Most students slept or played games on the way, and the charter bus service had a few movies. “The bus ride was six to seven hours, and it was fun to hang out with my friends and watch TV, and I slept a lot,” Mull said.
Three whole days with the same group of people can feel like a lot, but it did bring the grade closer together. Many students, both new and old, made new friends in their cabins, buses, and even in line for different activities. “Everyone got closer, and our friendships became stronger. I didn't know some of the new people..., but now I do,” Mull said.
After three days, 12 total hours on the bus, and lots of games and laughter, the trip ended. With so many fun activities, it was impossible to be bored, and the good worship and deep chapels made this camp a once-in-a-lifetime experience that the ninth-grade class is very grateful to have had.
By: Emmie Dean
Sophomores Visit Washington, NC
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, the Museum of the Bible, the Library of Congress, and a nighttime monument walk were all parts of the 10th-grade field trip to Washington, DC.
Students and chaperones who went on the trip enjoyed not only the many museums but also got to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetary. The group stayed a night at the Marriott Hotel.
Sophomore Ella Weathers said her favorite part of the trip was “the nighttime monument walk and when we took pictures in the Bible museum.”
The Museum of the Bible had much to offer and was very informative. There were displays of artifacts and numerous activities for all ages. “There was a show, a kind of walkthrough of the Bible, which is really cool,” Weathers said.
The students had a strenuous five-hour bus ride to get to their destination. However, they bonded and grew together as a grade. “Everyone gets close on the field trips. The five-hour bus ride certainly takes part in that, but spending a full two days together [also encourages] you to branch out and talk to people,” said Weathers.
In recent years, field trips have changed in all high school grades, but there were no new field trip destinations this year. Students appear to enjoy the new lineup of trips. “The freshmen have something to look forward to next year,” said Weathers.
By: Zoe Brown
Juniors Travel to Charlotte for Whitewater and Racing
The junior class started the year off with a unity-building class trip. In an action-packed two days, the class was able to go whitewater rafting, zip-lining, and rock climbing.
To the enjoyment of the class, they went to the Whitewater Rafting Center, NASCAR Hall of Fame, and Frankie’s Fun Park while they were in Charlotte. The Whitewater Rafting Center features zip-lining, rafting, biking, climbing, and many other activities.
Thomas Bergdolt, an 11th-grade student at NRCA, enjoyed his trip to Charlotte. With many opportunities to have a good time, Bergdolt chose one attraction to be his favorite. “[My favorite was] Frankie's Fun Park because we got a free $40 gift card... to play on the machines and win prizes,” said Bergdolt.
With all of the fun, the purpose of the trip became certain. The purpose was to build unity. “We all just came together as one grade, and we really got to bond, especially at Frankie's and in the mountain biking and rafting. It was quite the experience. I highly recommend it for anybody,” Bergdolt said.
The trip achieved the goal of uniting the grade, and many of the students had an experience that they will remember for a lifetime.
By: Nicholas Trencansky
Touring Florida Attractions with the Class of 2024
Seniors arrived on campus at 4:45 am on Tuesday, Sept. 12, for their class field trip. They spent the day enjoying the scenery between Raleigh and Orlando as the buses rolled down the interstate. After checking in to their hotel, the NRCA crew headed to Disney Springs for dinner and shopping in the evening.
Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure filled Wednesday with lots of fun and rides. “My favorite part of the trip was going to Universal. I like the VelociCoaster,” said senior Gavin Edgington, a fan of the newer movies in the Jurassic films canon.
On Thursday, the Class of 2024 headed to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. “My favorite part was when I got a really funny photo with my friends on Space Mountain,” senior AJ Toler said. In the photo, Toler and her friends Sarah Bates and Virginia Hoglund were in the various stages of making heart hands as they hurtled through space in their intergalactic rocket. The photo featured Disney’s new enhanced onboard photo technology that rolled out over the summer of 2023.
The trip’s focus was fun and friendship. Staff encouraged students to be fully present in each moment and spend time enjoying the activities and building relationships. Senior English teacher Ashley Perry came up with a fun way to interact with her students on the trip.
“One thing this year that I didn’t do last year was ride the rides with the students. Last year, I mostly rode rides with other chaperones, but this year, I decided to take on some rides other chaperones didn't feel up to. So, I sent out messages on the group text and let students know when we were riding a particular ride, and we all met and rode together. It ended up being a lot of fun. I didn’t anticipate hanging out with students as much as I did, and it was fun to get to know my students early in the year,” she said.
Early Friday morning, the seniors left Orlando for a visit to the Kennedy Space Center before heading back to Raleigh.