On October 8th, 2024, West’s peer leaders visited the YMCA of the Pines Outdoor Center for a day full of team bonding and fun. This center covers over 800 acres of the South Jersey Pinelands, filled with various intriguing activities. This field trip is just one of the many fun activities Peer Leaders participate in throughout the school year.

West’s Peer Leaders is a student organization that works to help the school and its community in various ways. At the end of sophomore and junior year, all students are welcome to apply to gain one of these leadership roles. Once passed the interview process, peer leaders spend the following school year working with new students to better the West community. For example, Peer Leaders lead freshman orientation and are assigned freshman homerooms to be in during the first marking period of the school year. This is done to convey a welcoming environment for all of the new students and encourage them to create meaningful bonds with one another. Peer Leaders answer any questions students have about the school and give them guidance on how to be as successful as possible in their time at West. This has proven to make students feel more comfortable at their new school and willing to try new things. 

With such an important task at hand, it is vital that peer leaders are bonding with each other first and foremost. These team-building activities are what help create the connections that allow peer leaders to be such an effective team. 

Once the peer leaders arrived in the Pinelands, they walked into a pavilion and sat down, buzzing with excitement. The staff greeted them and gave an overview of the jam-packed schedule they had ahead of them. After being split into random groups, each group took turns rotating between the various stations set up. A few of these stations included rock climbing, archery, and low ropes.

During rock climbing, the staff member demonstrated how to properly wear all of the safety gear. The group split up into the two 50-foot rock climbing walls, everyone taking their turn to ring the bell at the top. All of the students were extremely encouraging, cheering on their peers the entire time, especially when they made it all the way to the top. 

Following the rock climbing, the students moved to the archery range, which was set up with eight circular targets lined up evenly across the field. Behind the targets, a large safety net was set up to catch any stray arrows. The peer leaders were split into two groups, taking turns shooting. Each student was given a bow and arrows and received instructions and guidance from the staff on proper form and technique. This ensured everyone was comfortable before firing the arrows. While one group practiced, the other stood back, cheering on their friends. The atmosphere was supportive and encouraging, with everyone clapping after each round, even if someone missed the target. 

At the low ropes station, the peer leaders participated in a variety of bonding and problem-solving activities that required communication, teamwork, and trust. The first exercise was a ball game where everyone stood in a circle. The goal was to throw the ball to someone and keep the same pattern going each round, as new balls were being added. Next was the spider web challenge, where the peer leaders had to move through a large net made of ropes without touching it. Each student had to carefully fit through the different holes without mistakenly breaking any of the rules. The groups successfully worked together to figure out how to make their way across the spider web. 

The last exercise of the day involved two students crossing the low ropes together. Their hands were clamped together, and they had to rely on each other for balance as they moved forward. As the students made their way across, the ropes got wider, making it more difficult. Two people stood behind the ones on the ropes for support, and two more were inside the ropes in case anyone lost their balance. This activity involved a lot of trust and communication and ended up strengthening those skills as a result.

After a day filled with fun and thrilling physical activities, the peer leaders made their way to the dining hall. The staff prepared a delicious meal of tomato soup and grilled cheese, with a salad bar offering many toppings and dressings. Everyone sat with their friends, sharing their favorite and funniest moments from the day. The dining hall was filled with laughter and chatter, creating a fun and warm atmosphere. 

At the end of the day, everyone helped clean up and made their way back to the bus for the ride back to school. Before leaving, the peer leaders took a moment to thank the staff at the YMCA of the Pines for an unforgettable experience. It had been a fun and rewarding trip, filled with teamwork, trust, and a lot of laughter.