Three times a week, for a month and a half, freshmen would reluctantly walk to the turf field to participate in the Freshman Bridge Program. They would disperse into randomized groups and do bonding activities. Students were unhappy with the program, and six weeks of it seemed like an eternity.
But students seemed to get used to the task, complying with games and activities intended to create a shared bond between the class. So when the Bretton Woods trip was coming up, the majority of students were excited.
On October 10th, 131 freshmen, along with 20 Peer leaders, took a trip to Bretton Woods. The trip was the finale of the Freshmen Bridge Program, and was intended to be one last bonding extravaganza for the freshmen class. So how does the Bretton Woods trip compare to the program as a whole, and why do we do it?
Kenza El Allagui ’29 remarked before the trip that “I’m excited because I know we’re gonna do a lot of activities, and it’s gonna be a fun experience.”
Along with many of the freshmen, Samara Yozgat ‘29, was positive about Bretton Woods saying “I’m really excited,” but was glad that the bridge program was ending.
On a form sent out to the freshman class after the trip, 76% of the 25 respondents said they did not like the program. However, 76% said that they enjoyed the Bretton Woods trip.
Coach Humphreys, one of the leads of Freshman Bridge, said in an interview that the program and the trip have a direct relationship. “I think that the experience that students have at Breton Woods is actually, and ironically, a direct reflection of their experience in the program. And I say that because, okay, so let’s say your first day of school is Bretton Woods, right? And you’re new to the school. What are you going to do? Like, who are you going to hang out with? Okay, so then let’s go through this Bridge Program. You know a few people. You get six weeks into the school. You get to meet a lot of people. Now that Breton Woods experience is different.”
On the day of the trip students were divided into groups based on their advisories, and rotated through four stations, two occurring before lunch, the remaining after. The activities were a balance game, a puzzle game, fire building, and zip-lining. Each station took place for forty-five minutes.
Students enjoyed each activity, but some feedback was shared on the form. One respondent said that the bonding trip was “boring, a lot of downtime,” and that “we did so many competitions [where] we were like against each other, not bonding.” Another common answer was to change the groups more often, especially moving freshmen out of their advisories to meet more people.
Multiple respondents added that they would not change anything and that they enjoyed their time at Bretton Woods.
The experience of this freshman class has been the result of feedback throughout the last three years. The activities done at Bretton Woods are picked by feedback provided by the school. Compared to years prior, it was ensured each student got a chance to zipline by having all the activities take place in the woods rather than half taking place in the valley close by. Additionally, this year, they added a class game of capture the flag.
“I don’t know why, but capture the flag is a kind of game that I love because everybody can play,” said Coach Humphries. “Everybody’s involved.”
Overall, the trip was a positive experience for the majority of the class. And while the program is here to stay, we think it will continue to improve, whether it is deemed enjoyable or not, for future students.