Eleven boys and two girls did something a little out of the ordinary on their spring break by signing up to spend four days and three nights outside in the snow.
The students were taking part in the Kids Wilderness Week, where they learned to winter camp near Miocene while earning their CORE, Wilderness Survival and Wilderness First Aid Awareness Certificates.
Sheila Gruenwald of RECLAIM Personal Development Inc. put on the course and said by the end of the week the children were more confident, better prepared to survive in the wilderness and very tired.
“The difference between when they came and when they left was like night and day,” Gruenwald said, noting she was very proud that all the children made it all three nights without quitting.
“They were all exhausted but they had a good time.”
The students also learned to cook over an open fire and built their own snow caves which they slept in each night, using candles and warm rocks to help heat up the caves.
Gruenwald is planning another survival course for kids this summer.
Students taking part in the class were: Isaac Lauren, Kimberly Davis, Liam McDonald, Ty Lauren, Tait Corcoran, Liam Lauren, Kealin Sacre, Liam McCreight, Mitchell Ryan, Dillon Russell and Ken Urquhart.