By Sami Hodges – Loveland, Colorado … During the recent home leave to celebrate accomplishments and achievements, Campion Academy’s senior class withdrew to the mountains of Estes Park for a five-day getaway.

To kick off the trip, the seniors pulled an all-nighter in the gym on Tuesday, keeping themselves awake by playing games of basketball, volleyball, and cards, and eating snacks.

“I would say the best part of that night was around 3 a.m. when everyone was feeling delirious,” Tiffany Dien, Campion senior said. “We played charades and the group kept pestering Kevin to act the word out and he did an amazing job. One of the words was ‘Spider-Man’ so we all did the Spider-Man hand gesture and Ireland, in a confident voice, yelled, ‘Superman!’”

Wednesday, the senior class spent the afternoon at Boondocks, an amusement park in Denver, and were entertained by laser tag, bowling, go-karts, and arcade games. After eating lunch at a Mongolian cuisine restaurant, the seniors loaded the bus and departed for the YMCA in Estes Park where a variety of activities, including archery, rock-wall climbing, hiking, arts and crafts, swimming, games, and movies awaited them.

The fellowship and time in the Word is what some seniors will remember. “My favorite part of the class trip was honestly the worship,” commented Ryan Bell, who gave a short sermon on Sabbath morning about the importance of wisdom. “It was neat to hear others teaching, and I realized that you have a deeper understanding of the subject when you teach it yourself. I really wanted God to speak through me, and I wanted to say what He wanted me to say.”

Growing relationships is what some seniors will cherish from the trip. “Senior class trip was a time I grew very close with my class and with God. Within just a couple days, I felt like we all became family, and I knew that every single one of them would be there for me,” shared Bentlee Barry, first year senior at Campion. “I never thought that I would meet people who could just sit down and read the Bible or pray with me. Even if I never see my classmates again, they have impacted who I am and how I appreciate my relationships around me.”

The trip provided a time for seniors to laugh and learn more about themselves and each other.  “My favorite part by far would be our cupcake wars. Gabriel is such a good cook and definitely held the team on his back. I learned that Carol is really good at walking down the stairs in the morning, and Milka loves to go swimming. I also learned that I work really well under pressure when I came to an old man’s rescue at Walmart,” joked Barry.

To commemorate the special relationship of the class, during the final worship of the trip Sharmaine Monreal, Campion senior and Jynaya Wright, Campion senior shared a song they co-wrote entitled 2021.

“Every lyric means something and is based on a memory we made with our senior class,” said Wright. “We love and appreciate them so much and this song was a depiction of the times we’ve had with our class. We wanted this to be a way people can remember our class through music, even when we go to college.”

The lines from the last stanza of the song captured the sentiments of the students:

“I will never be alone
‘Cause you’re my family and I’m yours
And I know you’ll forever be my home.”

–Sami Hodges is a senior at Campion; photo supplied