A New Take on Spring Break
Senior Paige Mazurek blows bubbles for a child on her mission trip to Honduras during last year's spring break. Some of the children had never seen bubbles and were fascinated by them.
March 10, 2010 • Danielle St. Louis, Reporter
Filed under In-Depth, Top Stories
Spring break brings to mind parties, beaches and alcohol. Some students start booking their trips to Mexico without even considering an alternative. Others have found more positive pursuits, from picking up trash on the roadside to leaving the country on a mission trip. Even for students who want a vacation, there are alternatives to sitting on the beach.
For those who are bored with average spring break vacations, Church of the Resurrection (COR) is sending some parishioners on a different getaway. They’ll be taking a weeklong trip to the mountains of Tennessee for their “Extreme Adventures” retreat.
Its name reflects the range of activities in which the students will participate. Extreme sports, rock climbing, white water rafting, mountain biking and a night of camping in a cave are just some of the intense plans for the trip.
“This is the first time we’ve done anything like this,” COR youth pastor Dave MaGee said. “We wanted to offer something that would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
MaGee will be the head supervisor of the trip, going with about 25 students. The trip was purposely limited to a small group of people, in hopes that it will be a great bonding experience. The trip is for high school students only.
“We wanted to offer something for people whose families can’t go on a trip together,” MaGee said.
Although it is a vacation, it’s still a trip through a church. The students will be using one day of the week to serve in the local community. They’ll be focused on the church, and worship sessions will be held in the morning and night after the sports.
“There will definitely be service, and there will definitely be worship,” MaGee said. “We really want the night worship services to be a chance for growth for the students,” MaGee said.
The trip is an opportunity that doesn’t come by often for most people. It’s still a vacation, but it doesn’t follow the typical routine of most spring breaks.
“No matter who you are or what you like, you will have fun on this trip,” MaGee said.
COR will not be the only church going on a trip this spring break. Multiple churches utilize this time off for alternative activities.
Senior Ashley Farha, along with several other seniors, traveled to Honduras with Amiga during spring break 2009.
“We set up clinics to provide medicine and everyday supplies, like soap and shampoo,” Farha said. “While the parents came to get the supplies, we had games and activities for the kids to do.”
Senior Kelli Sontag is spending her break in Mexico, but not for a vacation on the beach. This is the second year in a row she will be going on a mission trip with Presbyterian Church of Stanley. Every year the church takes its high school students to a small town near Cancun to rebuild, repair and serve.
“We do mission work during the day,” Sontag said. “We help rebuild the local church. During the evenings we teach Vacation Bible School to kids.”
The students get the chance to make a difference for a community in need, while having fun with the other volunteers. Volunteers become closer with each other, as well as the locals.
“I’m going on this mission trip because it gives me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people that we work with,” Sontag said. “It’s also a fun way for me to get more involved with my church.”
Choosing to go to Mexico on a mission trip rather than to party is a hard choice for most students to make, but it’s a clear choice for Sontag after all of her memories from last year’s trip.
Many students are using break to accomplish goals they don’t have time for during school. Spring break isn’t usually a time that students want to focus on school, but for some it’s their only opportunity. Break can be a great time to make college visits.
“It’s really the only opportunity I have, because I’ll be traveling with the Blue Stars (drum corps) all summer,” junior Brett Parrish said.
College visits aren’t usually an ideal spring break getaway, but giving up one vacation can have lasting benefits.
“It’s mostly about seeing where you’re going to be for the next four years of your life, and getting firsthand experience at colleges,” Parrish said.
For some, staying at colleges can be an interesting trip. The decision of what school to choose can be a better experience if they have already been at that school.
Spring break offers time for students to do what interests them, which can sometimes be going to the beach. But there are many other options out there for those who want to do something different with their time.
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