Freshman Memories
It feels like just yesterday I was stepping off the bus on my freshman trip—excited for what was ahead but nervous about the academic and social rigors of high school. I remember participating in team-bonding activities with my group and looking up at my senior counselors as if they were so much older and more experienced than me. I remember going on a hayride to the campfire, throwing water balloons at each other, and performing ridiculous skits on stage. I remember the identity circle and the late-night girl talk with our senior counselors in the hallway of our cabin. The trip may have been three years ago, but the memories make it feel like it was just yesterday.

Becoming the Leader
Now, I’ve returned from being one of the senior leaders on this year’s freshman trip. The location and activities may have changed, but I hope that three years from now the class of 2029 looks back on their trip with the same nostalgia I feel about mine. One thing I didn’t appreciate as a freshman was how much work it takes for the senior counselors to fill three days with fun bonding activities that everyone will enjoy. We had several planning sessions and spent hours trying to make this year’s trip the best it could be. By no means was it perfect, but between skits, climbing walls, natural water slides, cookie decorating, human foosball, the identity circle, and so much more, I hope the freshmen left the trip with the same positive memories I did.

High School in Fast Forward
Looking ahead at high school from the freshman trip was nerve-wracking. I had heard about the challenging math and science courses, the intense SAT and ACT prep, the pressure of college applications, and the sometimes stressful social life of a high schooler. But now that three years have flown by, I can say that while high school has not been easy, it has given me some of the best memories of my life. No matter how hard it gets, you will get through it—and you’ll carry the memories with you throughout your whole life.

Around the Senior Campfire
Recently, the class of 2026 returned from our senior retreat at Camp Tatiyee in Lakeside, Arizona. As Juan Martinez Cruz ‘26 played guitar to the tune of Riptide, we all had a chance to reminisce about our years together and look ahead to our final months. One common theme from our class is that we all want to get closer to each other and truly know everyone before we go our separate ways. Yes, we’ve all been at PCDS for at least three years—many of us for more—but we still wish we had taken the time to get closer with more people.

Full-Circle Advice
So that is my final advice to current freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and future PCDS high schoolers: talk to everyone, give everyone a chance, and try to share real experiences with each other. One day you’ll be the senior standing at the campfire, looking back on your own freshman trip and realizing how quickly the time went—and you’ll want to know you spent it truly connecting with the people around you.