For many sophomores, this is their first in-person year in the Upper School. While sophomores missed out on many key traditions last year, this year’s retreat at Camp Tockwogh provided the perfect opportunity to get to know each other and to make up for lost time. The 9th and 10th graders were at Camp Tockwogh, 100 miles from the Potomac School in Worton, Maryland.

For the seniors, Chincoteague was a great way to start their last Potomac School Year. The Camp is surrounded by nature and water. In fact, the north side of the camp overlooks the Chesapeake Bay, with two beaches right on the camp itself.

For the sophomores, as Jaye Huff said, “It was just overall a really fun time with a lot of exciting things happening. I really enjoyed it.” Though the excursion was only two short days, this time was packed with activities. Filled with many opportunities, such as zip-lining, rope climbing, and team building activities, the grade trip helped to foster friendships and bonds.

Owen Peterson commented, “The first day was really fun, we got to go to the beach and that was probably the highlight for everyone. I think that the beach party was probably the highlight of the day, there were several activities to do, like beach volleyball, paddle boarding, and canoeing. Overall it was a really enjoyable end to a fun day. The climbing wall was really fun as well.”

Sophomore Daniel Overdeck said, “I felt like we had a lot of freedom.”

However, a torrential downfall thwarted the programs of the second day, which was filled with rain, and students had to remain inside the auditorium for the whole day.

Freshman Erim Ozcan said: “I got to meet with a lot of people that I didn’t know about in my grade. My cabin was filled with three other people that I had never talked to, and so it was a great time to meet them and learn about them.”
Especially as ninth-graders settle into the Upper School, getting to know other people makes the journey through the Upper School a lot more fun.

For the Seniors, Chincoteague was a great stress-free and fun-filled excursion. Senior Michael Regan said, “The senior trip was a great way to spend some time together bonding as a class without the stresses of college apps and all of our other work.” The weather was not perfect, but it was a good time nonetheless.

Michael added, “Even though there was some rain and it was windy for most of the trip, we still did a lot of fun stuff like bowling, and we were able to spend a lot of time at the beach despite the weather.”

Even though the weather was a bit rough, the seniors made the best of it. They still spent much time on the famed beaches, and when it was raining, pastimes such as bowling and card games filled the gap.

The seniors, sophomores, and freshmen, each had different experiences at their respective retreats. Each grade gained different things through this trip, but all were superb ways to start the year.

Just like the old saying goes, “There’s no wifi while camping, but you’ll find no better connection.”