A&M Youth
The sign-up deadline for High School Week has passed. If you did not sign up but would like to go, talk to Monty or Heather. They will always try to make room for you, if it is possible.
High School Week is a new week-long experience just for students who are currently in high school. It’s going to be part-summer camp, part-service project, part-adventure week, and totally amazing. It’s June 19-24, and we believe this is going to be one really amazing week.
We are going to discover what God says about living a life of impact.
We are going to be led deep into Bible study and connection with God.
We are going to experience God in nature and in the outdoors and in community.
Here are the big details:
Who: Current 9th-12th grade students
What: Part Summer Camp - Part Service Project - Part Adventure Week - All Awesome
Where: Multiple Places. One place is Sky Ranch in Quapaw, Oklahoma. Other places
will not be revealed until the trip because this is a "destination unknown" kind of trip.
When: June 19-24, 2022
Cost: $200 (sign-up by 3/30)
$250 (sign up by 4/13)
(a deposit of $50 is due at sign-up)
Summer always provides a chance for many students to go to a summer camp. High School Week is our youth ministry’s version of high school camp. It’s also our youth ministry’s version of what we hope will be one of the greatest highlights of your year. It will be a time when you can come, away from the structures and expectations of the world, have fun, and grow closer to God.
Going on a trip like this with the students from church can provide friendships and encouragement which can last throughout the whole year. It allows students to grow closer together and closer to God. It provides a place where life-change can happen. It’s gives opportunities where memories are made. It’s will take you to places where you’ll see and experience new things and where you can’t wait to go back.
Frequently Asked Questions:
(Actually, these questions have not been asked yet...we're just thinking you would likely ask these questions if you were to talk to this screen and it could talk back. And maybe you do talk to screens. We won't judge.)
Help me out some more...what will this week really be like? For those who have been to one of our high school retreats, think of this week as having all of the good of a retreat, plus some extra things before and after. But...because we'll be at a much bigger camp than we are normally at for retreats, we have more opportunities when it comes to activities. So, we'll have great activities, but also some Bible study times, worship times, meals, cabins, time to hang out, time to have fun, time to relax, and more. Some of our meals will be prepared by the camp staff and will be in the cafeteria. Some of the meals will be cooked on our own, kind of like what we do at Trek. If you have liked high school retreats, we think you'll love High School Week. And if you haven't liked retreats, we still think you'll love High School Week.
Why do we have to sign-up so early if we don’t even know where we’re going? Great question. Okay, two things: 1) Sky Ranch requires us to turn in our numbers pretty far in advance. So there’s that. But more importantly - and the biggest reason we have to get everyone signed up soon is this: 2) We are going to a specific place (other than Sky Ranch) which requires advance notice. We have to get everything lined up well in advance for our group to be able to be together at the place we are going.
Do we need any money other than the registration cost?
The registration cost covers all of your expenses for the week: food, transportation, activities, snacks, desserts, service project supplies, etc. Also includes as much water as you need and all the air you want to breathe. No other money will be needed during the week, unless you would like to buy snacks at a gas station stop. And you know how everyone always thinks that snacks are overpriced at gas stations?
Well, with the current price of gas, snacks are about the cheapest things at gas stations now. How crazy is that?
Where all will we be going, other than that Sky Ranch place?
Well, okay, so we’re doing something - which we really have not
done much as a youth ministry - and that is to go on a youth trip
where you do not know all of the places we will go. You know
we’ll be at Sky Ranch. The other places we will go are a
surprise. We think you will love the places we are going to go and the things we are going to experience, but one of the great parts of this trip is that you won't always know what is coming next.
God has made some amazing places, and He has done some amazing things through people. You’ll get a chance to experience some of those places and things at High School Week. We will tell you that we’re going outside of Texas. And Oklahoma isn’t the only not-Texas state we will go to...there’s at least one more. Most places we go will be outside the city limits of any town. One day will be spent mostly on the water. And one day we will even be in a fairly well-known city.
All of the places we will go are planned with the thought of how we can learn, how can we serve, and how can we grow in faith. This will be a very Christ-focused trip. Discipleship, outreach, loving others, serving God, walking in His ways, and faithfulness will all be a part of this week. In addition to these things, we’ll spend time all week participating in some of the adventure opportunities at the camp, plus some really memorable and faith-building experiences before and after our time at Sky Ranch. And all of this in the outdoor beauty of God’s creation. It’s going to be awesome.
Will parents know where we are and where we are going? Yes, we will let parents know our itinerary throughout the trip. If any parents need to know more details, let us know.
Can I invite friends to come to High School Week? Yes, we're glad for friends to join us. We think this will be a week everyone will enjoy.
What happens if I sign-up but can't go? As long as we know by April 13, we can get your deposit back. We will try to get it back after then as well, but we can't guarantee it. If you need to back out close to the date we leave, they may not give us our money back, and we may have to pay the full price for your spot.
Is it true the Traveling Circus will be in Bryan/College Station during High School Week and we will miss it? No, that's just a rumor. No worries. I'm sure the traveling circus will be here soon and you can go.
How do we get there? We'll take our church bus. You could also ride your bicycle, but your camp dates need to be more like June 12-30, instead of the actual dates of June 19-24.
What if we do not like to ride with other people from our church on the buses? Okay now, we need to talk a little bit. Let's try to not think things like this. Okay? Besides, how could you not like riding with the other awesome people from our church? Oh, you were just joking? Sorry, we thought you were being serious there for a second.
Electronics at High School Week? No, sorry. It's a technology-free week. One of the greatest things about a summer camp-type week is the chance to disconnect from technology and distractions. Because of this, iPods, radios, earbuds, DVD players, tablets, portable game systems, and computers are not allowed at HSW. As far as phones go, we will ask everyone to check in their cell phone when we leave. We'll distribute them for you to talk to your parentals at least one time during the week. (For any immediate needs during the week, we'll be glad to let you use your phone or our phone. Your parents can reach you through Monty or Heather's phones anytime. We are not trying to keep you from talking to your parents...just trying to keep distractions to a minimum and help everyone to be "present" in the moment.)
What if money is tight? We've got a limited number of full and partial scholarships available for HSW. Talk to Monty if you need one of these. We DO NOT want you to miss HSW for financial reasons. Now, if you're using a scholarship to go to HSW and then heading down to Starbucks or Dutch Bros to buy coffee pretty often, well, then maybe you should save some Starbucks/Dutch Bros money so you can go to HSW. But if you're managing your money well and still don't have enough for camp, then we want to try to help provide a scholarship for you. Talk to Monty or Heather.
I've still got questions. Will someone please answer them? Yes, call, email, text, or talk to Monty or Heather or just summon their carrier pigeon, Jethro, anytime.
Transformational
Relational
Purposeful
Awesome