Class Trips

Camp TBarM
3 days, 2 nights

At camp TBarM, 6th grade, students and teachers focus on building community to last their 6th grade year and set a foundation for their whole Middle School experience. Intentionally shorter than the 7th and 8th grade trips, this retreat is an opportunity for our youngest Middle School students to stretch themselves during team-building activities, develop relationships that might not have existed otherwise, grow closer to each other, and become closer to God. In addition to the intentional team-building activities, students have a lot of fun swimming, playing basketball, pickleball, gaga ball, air hockey, etc. We wrap up every night with a Chapel service that echoes the theme of team building and community, asking students to reflect on how God calls them to be productive members of the 6th grade and the middle school. Students return from camp undeniably tired but with a greater understanding of the community we are building and how they add value to that community.

Mo Ranch
4 days, 3 nights

In 7th grade, students spend four days and three nights at Mo-Ranch Assembly, a Presbyterian Camp in Hunt, TX. This trip is a full day longer than the 6th grade class trip and is meant to be an even greater stretch physically, intellectually, and spiritually. Students spend their time at Mo Ranch deepening their connection with each other and their teachers on some of the most challenging team-building challenges that Texas has to offer. Each challenge is followed by a reflection, assessment, and goal setting before beginning the next. While deepening their connection, they learn valuable lessons in group cooperation, communication, servant leadership, and responsibility. Downtime at Mo Ranch is spent swimming in the lake, playing outdoor games at the youth plaza, or just relaxing in one of the most serene surroundings that the Texas Hill County has to offer. We wrap up every night with chapel and small groups led by students with the assistance of the School chaplain. Our goal for these chapels and small groups is for students to reflect on their growth from 6th to 7th grade and imagine how God calls them to continue growing during the coming year. On this trip, we worship, reflect, challenge ourselves, and make goals for how to be even better when returning to campus.

Colorado
7 days, 6 nights

The eighth-grade trip is the culminating outing for our middle school students. This trip has been refined over the decades and stands as one of the most lasting experiences students point to for their time at Presbyterian School. Students spend seven days and six nights in the Collegiate Peaks of Colorado. While there, bonds are strengthened, new ones are created, and we worship and grow closer to God amid his incredible creation.

We utilize the gold standard of Christian outfitters, Noah’s Ark, to guide students on the river and into the backcountry. With a pack on their back, and their classmates next to them, this trip aims to promote the theme of gratitude; gratitude for each member of the class that you go through the experience with, gratitude for all the bounty God has already given, and gratitude for the gift of challenge by which we can stretch and grow by rising to the occasion. After two nights at base camp acclimating to the altitude, we spend three days and two nights on trail. We then put a final exclamation point on the experience with a night at Silvercliff Lodge for a hot meal, a hot shower, and time to reflect on the experience. Although comfort levels with nature might vary going into the experience, what awaits them on the other side is a truly memorable adventure that is the perfect way to launch a memorable year.