Approximately 45 minutes away from Calgary Academy and located right by Sibbald Lake is Camp Connect, which many CA students have visited this October. While CA students have gone on bonding trips many times over the years, it’s become an increasingly vital part of fostering connections off-site.

The camp has amenities galore for visitors—archery targets, low ropes, gaga ball pits, and space for a warm and comfortable fire. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, it’s the perfect place to relax and make lasting memories.

Camp Connect has been the place for connection between Calgary Academy students and teachers for the last month. Junior and Senior School classes have all spent whole-day bonding trips at the camp to set a strong foundation for the school year.

One Day at Camp, Year-Long Memories

While academics are the focus of education, effective learning is more than remembering course content. Relationship building is crucial for every classroom, regardless of age, grade, or subject matter.

Students spend hours in their classes each week, and feeling comfortable asking questions or requesting support can make a significant difference in their schooling.

Senior School teacher Zach McDonald (who planned the Grade 10 trip) understands the impact community can have on someone’s school experience. Having relationships with students throughout the school makes him an approachable and reliable teacher.

“I think what sets Calgary Academy apart from other schools is the sense of community here… we’re always going to care about academics, but in order to be successful, we have to have really strong relationships.” – Mr. McDonald

Mr. McDonald and the Grade 10 teachers and students visited Camp Connect in early October. They spent a day playing disc golf, practicing their archery skills, making crafts, navigating the low ropes course (a favourite for Mr. McDonald), and finally, sharing a meal together before eating marshmallows around the campfire.

The Grade 10 teachers split students into small groups, allowing them to make new friendships and mingle outside their regular classes. These same connections and relationships have developed throughout Calgary Academy.

The Grade 7s visited Camp Connect on Oct. 7, and Junior School teacher Emilie Haensel, who planned the activities for their grade, noted how beneficial the trip is for the start of the school year.

Classrooms can dive headfirst into their course content but spending a day outside getting to know each other can break the ice between students and their teachers. Ms. Haensel remembers the words she learned when first starting at Calgary Academy: “when you have a strong relationship with your students, the rest falls into place.”

With a background working at summer camps, Ms. Haensel planned a variety of activities, from making bead lizards at arts and crafts to a grade-wide round of animal tag, where students pretend to be herbivores and carnivores and try to tag each other while hiding in Camp Connect’s surrounding forest.

Many students step out of their comfort zones on these trips, getting to show a different side of themselves. Students can be silly, make jokes, and see their teachers differently than before.

“For the students who might find school to be a stressful place, they can go to camp and think, ‘now I get to be myself, and my teachers get to be themselves.’” – Ms. Haensel

With a month of Camp Connect trips having come and gone, Calgary Academy teachers are looking forward to more grade-wide activities. Community and relationship building is essential throughout the year, and the teachers have plenty planned for the year.

Mr. McDonald looks forward to planning more events this school year. His students have already asked when they’ll return to Camp Connect.

He believes that “sometimes, students just need a break.” A day away from the classroom can help students come back refreshed and with a greater appreciation for their classmates and teachers.