As you can see, great weather made for big fun on the Middle and High School Fall Trips!!

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Check out some of the fun Elementary School students (and Middle and High School students!) had on the water during the first week of school!

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The first Volleyball practice in Riverstone history took place Monday morning, August 24.

Anke Voigt and Boni Peters ran the girls through a fun set of drills and activities and officially began the 2009-10 school year!  The girls had a great time as you can tell by the smiles below.  The team, which will eventually consist of 10+ girls in grades 6-8, will play four games in the inaugural season as members of the Western Idaho Conference (WIC).  Schedules will be posted in the Kennedy Gymnasium and on the website soon.  Go VolleyOtters!

Last week, six Riverstone students accompanied Ben Brock and Tarrah Elam for five days of backpacking in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountains.  Over the course of 15+ miles and numerous lakes (Farley, Toxaway, Twin, Alice and numerous unnamed gems) students had the opportunity to fine-tune their campcraft and navigation skills, summit several peaks (including Snowyside Peak, the 5th highest peak in the range at 10,651 ft) and hang out in some of the most beautiful campsites imaginable!  Consisting of students in grades 9-11, the trip was a model of how Riverstone provides experiences that bring students together who might not otherwise cross paths.  Nearing the trailhead at the end of the trip, the talk had already shifted to the possibility of a longer trip next summer!  Contact Ben Brock if you’re interested!  Don’t miss out!

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In Grand Gulch, the 9th Grade class was treated to the best weather of all of this year’s Middle and Upper School Spring Trips, though the conditions brought their own challenges.  Notably, students had to be very careful to find and treat good water sources in the dry landscape.  The shade of a cottonwood tree was usually a dead giveaway!  

New discoveries on this year’s trips included “Big Man Panel” in a section of the canyon not previously explored by Riverstone students.  The group came back tanned and excited to have been in the heart of some of the most amazing country the desert southwest has to offer!

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All of last week’s Spring Trips were successful in many ways, but the 10th Grade trip to Sheep Creek was particularly noteworthy.  Previous trips that students have participated in have entailed getting to a trailhead, hitting the trail and following it into camp.  

Sheep Creek, the major tributary of the Bruneau River, is more challenging in that there are no trails!  Instead, students had to take bearings on distant landmarks and find their own way through the “sagebrush ocean” en route to streamside camps.  Whether or not students felt comfortable without a trail under their feet everyone got the feel for how challenging (and rewarding!) it is to travel where no trail exists.  If not for the occasional arrowhead, it would have been easy to be believe that no-one had been there before!

10th Graders should be commended for tackling such a demanding trip.  They have raised the bar and “paved the way” for next year’s 10th grade class and for others to come.

Here are some pics!

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The 9th grader’s (and a handful of upper class exchange students) are set to return to the Warm Springs Campus around 2:00 p.m. today, Sunday, May 16.  Can’t wait to see them!

The latest update from Josh and Christine:

Just passing Farewell Bend State Park.  Estimated return to Warm Springs Campus, 10:45 p.m.

Thanks for your patience!