Luca Lu – Loveland, Colorado … Navigating rain, cold temps, and even hail, the 37 senior students in the class of 2026 at Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado, spent four days learning survival skills and bonding as a class in the forest at Glacier View Ranch in Ward, Colorado, August 27-31.
While the weather was tolerable for the first three days, a hailstorm on Saturday afternoon made this year’s Senior Survival one of the most challenging ever to happen at Campion Academy.
Following tradition, students brought sleeping bags and hammocks, but they had to build their own shelter with a single tarp as an experience of survival.
“We found a nice foundation for our shelter and laid out our tarp. The process was cool as we saw our shelter come together,” said student Justin Ticonuwu. “Unfortunately, when the hail came, it was uninhabitable, and our stuff got wet. Overall, it was pretty cool, but I was sad to see it come down.”
For meals, students were given some basic ingredients and had to start a fire and cook for themselves. Student Theo Poleza reflected, “The food was really good. Our group had really good ideas of what to cook, and we would always help each other out.”
Besides the survival experiences, the students bonded together as class through different group activities. Student Charlie Reeves commented, “The activities taught us to not only communicate, but listen to each other. The trust fall was my favorite because it was the most memorable, and it taught us to trust each other.”
The hike on the final day came with an unforgettable challenge. “It started very calm, and it was sunny, so l left my rain jacket in the camp,” Marc Winokan, senior student, remembered. “And then when we all got to the top, it started raining and then hailing very badly, for a solid 10 minutes. Everyone was scared and hiding under something. But praise God, we got back safe.”
During the hailstorm, even though everyone was scared, the seniors encouraged each other. Some huddled in circles to face the challenge together, while others lifted up their rain jackets to make a shelter over their friends.
Due to the severity of the hailstorm and the damage it did to the shelters, the students came home on Saturday evening after their final campfire. However, through the challenges, the seniors mentioned how they grew stronger and closer as a class. Peter Hutauruk, senior class sponsor, commented, “Our class survived the hail together; nothing else can stop us anymore.”
—Luca Lu, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.
