Arrow Week is a classic Archer tradition. Backpacking outdoors, sleeping under starry skies and hiking with classmates often results in students returning to school with plenty of stories to tell.
In the past, seventh, ninth and 11th graders attended Arrow Week, but recently shifted to eighth, 10th and 12th grade. For the Class of 2027’s upcoming Arrow Week March 17-21, 10th grade Dean Tracy Poverstein and outdoor education program Outward Bound held a virtual parent meeting Jan. 30.
Camden Forster (’27) said she is looking forward to participating in outdoor activities on Arrow Week and is excited to experience it with her friends.
“I think I’m most excited about rock climbing,” Forster said. “I’m also excited to be with my friends … it’s a really good bonding experience.”
The 10th grade will be traveling to Joshua Tree for their Arrow Week. Forster reflected on her past Arrow Week and hopes for this one.
“When I was in eighth grade, it was kind of bad during the actual week, but now that I look back on it, it was so much fun,” Forster said. “I wish I would have appreciated it in the moment more.”
Before the meeting took place, Forster said she and her family were excited to hear more logistics about 10th grade Arrow Week compared to their last one.
“I hope the meeting explains the gist of what we’re doing on Arrow Week,” Forster said before the meeting took place. “I know the dates, but I want to know how the week is going to work with the timing, and just how it’s gonna work in general.”
Sophomore Phoebe Gustafson said she believes Arrow Week is a great avenue to bond with her grade.
“It’s nice that we have the whole grade doing the same thing at the same time,” Gustafson said. “At school, we have different classes. But during Arrow Week, everyone is doing the same thing. And it continues to be a point of conversation, even after it’s over. We still talk about our eighth grade Arrow Week, even two years later.”
Gustafson said her eighth grade Arrow Week also allowed her to expand outside of her comfort zone, pushing her to do things she would not have done otherwise.
“I’m not big on going to national parks in general,” Gustafson said. “But in eighth grade, we went through this sort of small cave system, and we crawled through it, which I never would have chosen to do. But it was fun, and I bonded with people who I wasn’t very close with. I hope my 10th grade Arrow Week will give me the same opportunities to push myself.”
In the meeting, 10th grade families learned about steps to take in preparation for Arrow Week. After the meeting, Frankie Scott (’27) said the information she learned was helpful and made her feel better about going to Arrow Week.
“Everything seems a lot more organized now that the meeting has happened,” Scott said. “The presenter answered a lot of questions about rooming, weather, hikes, day-to-day schedule and so on. It was really helpful.”
Gustafson said she is looking forward to Arrow Week, and she is happy to be able to partake in one of Archer’s special trips.
“I’m grateful to be a part of such a valued tradition,” Gustafson said. “I’m really excited to go to Joshua Tree.”