The ninth grade went on a class trip to the Echo Hill Outdoor School, in Worton, Maryland, for three days in December. These poems reflect our experiences on this trip, and they were written by the incredible 9th-grade members of the Falcon.

The Chronicles of the Slop Bucket (Named by AI)

Although the weather was quite alarming,

We found the bonding very charming. 

We saved our resources one pound at a time

From chicken to french fries, to an apple pie.

Slop bucket that funky bucket our dear, dear friend

“Just give me the milk, the farm fresh milk” our slop bucket cried

       – Serena Krouk ’28

Cold Chesapeake water tickles your lips.

My first kiss, a fish…?

The scales are cold…ish?

       – Serena K, Joely K, Susie H ‘28

The weather was cold.

The food was questionable.

We persevered.

       – Madeline Orr  ’28

On the porch, we cried.

Bonded through girlhood, we strived.

Unbreakable bond.

       – Joely Kaplan ‘28

Wednesday morning, 9th graders left Friends Select by bus,

Unbeknownst to the surprises that soon awaited us.

We drove to an outdoor school named Echo Hill,

As we would quickly know, it was quite the thrill.

The temperatures throughout our trip were Antarctica-freezing.

Rain poured on day one, and it was not pleasing.

We were told to ignore the weather and to “layer”.

However, it was difficult when the forecast was a constant betrayer.

On the plus side, the bonding between the girls was incredibly impressive,

Braiding hair, doing nails, and gossiping were the opposite of depressive.

Meal times, on the other hand, were interesting, and occasionally excessive.

The energy had highs and lows, as the counselors were quite expressive.

By Friday morning, we were ready to go home.

We were terribly tired and needed our phones.

At last, we took the bus back to the city

To me, for one of the first times, the skyline actually looked pretty.

– Chloe Kozuch ‘28