MEDFORD – Pinelands Regional School District staff members can now say they know firsthand what it means to get excited about the Pinelands Experience.
As district administrators geared up to welcome the new academic year, they opted for a slightly unconventional approach to the staff’s first day back to school without students. Educators and other professionals gathered on the campus, but this time, their destination wasn’t to enter meeting rooms.
Instead, staff members boarded charter buses, embarking on a journey to Camp Ockanickon in Medford, eagerly anticipating the day’s challenges and adventures ahead.
The driving force behind this unique twist was the district’s superintendent, who fondly recalled her time as a Pinelands student. Dr. Melissa McCooley remembered the impact of a special outing reserved for select middle school classes.
“Every seventh grader would go a three-day camping trip called the Pinelands Experience,” said McCooley. “The purpose was to bring all the schools together since we were such a big district and let everyone get to know one another.”
An amphitheater in the woods was the classroom. (Photo courtesy Pinelands Regional)
The concept had fallen by the wayside due to an incident that occurred some time ago. When reintroduced a few years back, it was transformed into a day-long excursion, starting early in the morning and extending into the evening.
According to McCooley, the district’s school improvement panel determined that staff members would benefit from the experience for many of the same reasons. The expenses for the trip, regarded as a means of motivation and fostering bonds among the staff, were covered by ESSER funds.
The adventure to Camp Ockanickon included an assembly of approximately 300 people, with only custodians and technology staff remaining behind to ensure that everything was prepared for the students on the following day.
Once they arrived at the camp, the game plan was on. The Pinelands staff dove headfirst into a series of team-building activities that tested their skills and strengthened their bonds. Fishing excursions provided moments of tranquility amid the natural beauty of the camp’s surroundings, while canoeing adventures added a touch of thrill to the day.
Creativity took center stage as staff members tried their hands at tie-dying shirts, transforming plain garments into colorful works of art. The courage to scale climbing walls and master the art of archery brought cheers, proving that learning can take place in the most unexpected settings.
Sarah O’Neill, a math intervention specialist, started her third year in the district with more than two decades of teaching experience. She said that even the bus ride back and forth to the camp was fun.
Activities like fishing and crafts helped teachers learn new skills together. (Photo courtesy Pinelands Regional)
“As a math interventionist, I really just pretty much know the other math teachers,” O’Neill explained. “My office is at the end of the science wing, so I know a lot of the science teachers. But I don’t know many of the other teachers because I don’t interact with them.”
O’Neill said the Pinelands Experience provided her with the opportunity to meet other people she doesn’t see on a regular basis.
“We did team-building things in the woods,” said O’Neill. “There were three platforms that were like islands, and we needed to move from one to the other.”
The day was filled with various exercises that required teamwork and communication. One notable challenge involved balancing on boards, with the rule that participants could only speak while on them. Participants had to figure out how to use their weight to hold the boards in place while others crossed.
This particular task required trust and cooperation, fostering a sense of camaraderie. Additionally, the day provided opportunities for casual conversations as staff members moved between activities, allowing them to bond and connect with colleagues they didn’t regularly see.
On the day following the Pinelands Experience, McCooley watched the feedback pour in through email from various participants.
“I had such a fun time at the Pineland’s Experience yesterday,” wrote Jayne Yaeger, high school fines art teacher and student advisor. “The funniest part of the day for me was falling in the swamp, along with new teacher Emily Chant. I must say it was very refreshing.”
“It was such a great way to meet new teachers and have a great day with my coworkers! Yaeger continued. “Laughing is the best medicine, and I did a lot of that yesterday!”
Archery was just one of the activities that Pinelands staff participated in. (Photo courtesy Sarah O’Neill)
Eighth-grade science teacher Ashley Grasso said that she really enjoyed the Pinelands Experience and enjoyed making a connection with one of the new ELA teachers assigned to her group. Grasso said she also enjoyed the archery activity and found out she was pretty good at it.
No doubt it’s not a surprise that the middle school’s health and physical education teacher, Alicia Herbert-Eric, enjoyed the challenges of the physical portion of the day’s activities. However, she also had some fun taking in nature with her group.
“We went kayaking, and it was beautiful and relaxing, very enjoyable,” Herbert-Eric shared. “Then we went to pond ecology and had so much fun in our group catching frogs! There were SO many, we almost kept stepping on them, and then our group was SO entertained by the snake that we spotted in the water.”
Herbert-Eric said her group watched the snake for at least five minutes as it slowly snuck up, attacked a huge frog, and tried to eat it.
“We didn’t think the snake would even be able to eat the frog because it was larger than a softball size,” admitted Herbert-Eric. “The commentary from our group was amazing and so hysterical; it was like a live Animal Planet documentary!”
In the end, the group never determined if the snake could eat the frog as it jumped away just as the snake lunged and attacked it.
Classes are now back in full swing, and it appears the staff members’ positive experience at Pinelands was an excellent way to kick off the academic year.
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