Oceanside High School Senior Trekkers Participate in a Rite of Passage

Oceanside High School Senior Trekkers Participate in a Rite of Passage
Editor: David Mills

The students and mentors pose before embarking upon their 36-hour wilderness solo in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.

Nineteen Oceanside High School seniors recently completed their final expedition as Trekkers students. The five-day Rites of Passage expedition included a 36-hour wilderness solo designed to remove the busyness and pressure of everyday life and grant students the space and solitude to reflect upon the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

The group of students and five adult mentors traveled to the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, which served as the location of the wilderness solo. For many, this solo is the longest period of solitude that has been dedicated solely to the exploration of who they are and want to be. To aid in this reflective experience, Trekkers provided students questions, quotations and prompts concerning the nature of adulthood, their past and their future.

Before and after the solo experience, the students discussed their years in Trekkers and high school, identifying the aspects of their lives that bring them joy and brainstorming ways to continue cultivating these into the future.

While the solo symbolically marks the end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood, the Rites of Passage expedition also marks the end of the students’ six-year participation in Trekkers.  During this journey, this senior class has developed significant relationships with the caring adults in the community, participated in cultural exchanges, explored unfamiliar regions of the country such as the Four Corners, completed service projects and developed the courage to embrace countless new experiences.

The conclusion of the 2012 Rites of Passage expedition marks the tenth group of students to complete Trekkers’ six-year model.

Trekkers is a nonprofit, outdoor-based mentoring program that connects young people with caring adults through expeditionary learning, community service and adventure-based education. To learn more about Trekkers and the Rites of Passage program, visit www.trekkersonline.com or call (207)594-5095.