By Tyler Dahlgren

Campfire smoke hung in the humid air, wafting the nostalgic scent of s’mores across Camp Kitaki on Friday morning. Sounds of laughter, some faint and some more pronounced, could be heard in every direction.

Bell Blood stood in the cheerful crosshairs, momentarily enjoying a patch of shade on a 95-degree day. For the Millard North Middle School eighth-grader, the scene felt familiar. Like stepping back into a core memory.

“I remember the outdoor cooking, for sure,” Blood said. “We made s’mores inside of an ice cream cone, so that sticks out. I remember getting destroyed in Gaga Ball, and I remember doing the nature walk, going down to the lake.”

Two years have passed since she took part in Millard North Middle School’s sixth-grade tradition of an early-September trip to Camp Kitaki, a sprawling 215-acres of fun that sits in a forest overlooking the Platte River Valley. Bell, who has a sister in sixth-grade, jumped at the opportunity to serve as an eighth-grade helper.

“When I go to high school and the teachers ask, ‘What’s one thing you remember from middle school?’, I will probably point back to this,” Blood said. “It’s just a lot of fun to get out of the classroom for a day.”

The tradition stretches back a ways, beyond the 13 years assistant principal Dr. Anna Thoma has been with MNMS. Back in the day, the trip was an overnight venture. Now, they pack all the fun into a one-day itinerary that includes hiking, water games, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts and, of course, cooking on the campfire.

“The kids love it, and the teachers do too,” said Thoma. “They get to know all of the kids in a different setting. They lead the stations and come up with all sorts of fun things.”

Fun is the primary focus, but there’s an educational component to the Camp Kitaki trip as well. MNMS is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school that prioritizes Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills–a set of practical, transferable learning strategies used in IB programs to help students learn how to learn.

Everything is connected to the curriculum.

“Those ATL skills, how we work together or how a student can independently problem-solve, all of those get incorporated into the activities that we do here,” said Thoma.

As an IB school, over half of MNMS students are either within district transfers or out-of-district opt-ins, meaning students embark on their sixth-grade years having not yet met many of their peers. At Camp Kitaki, friendships are sparked. It’s why they’re intentional about scheduling the field trip in early September.

“I can remember a year or two ago, we had a little boy who didn’t want to come,” recalled 6th-grade English teacher Mindy Jorgensen. “He was going to be called out of school sick that day. But he came on the trip, and ended up making all the friends that day. For the rest of the year, he had his buddies. It was awesome.”

Jorgensen’s been teaching at MNMS for five years, and has been with Millard Public Schools for 28. Days spent at Camp Kitaki are some of her very favorite.

“It’s just fun to do something different with the kids,” she said while taking a break from assembling s’mores. “It’s fun when the kids get to see us not in dressy clothes, in a different setting and in a different light.”

Two groups of MNMS sixth-graders visit Camp Kitaki on two separate days. The second cohort will be at Camp Kitaki this upcoming Friday. In addition to the eighth-grade helpers, parent volunteers are welcome to join along.

“It’s important that the kids have a chance to get out of the classroom and learn in different ways,” said Ryan Blood, Bell’s dad. “We know that changing it up really excites the brain and helps things stick. This is just such a cool opportunity. They learn about respecting nature and taking care of each other and the things around them, and hopefully they pick up a couple skills along the way.”

For some of the students this is a whole new world, even if it is only a half an hour bus trip away. As Bell Blood can attest, they’re making core memories. Ones they’ll carry with them for years.

“Some of the kids have never been to a place like this, so giving them this kind of experience is a big thing,” said parent volunteer Aaron Weishapl. “It just kind of shows that we’re in the right district and why so many people choose to be a part of it. Our kids go to a great school.”

As an IB school, eighth-grade students at MNMS are required to do a service project. 

“They come back as eighth-graders, in the spring, and help get camp ready for the summer,” said Thoma. “It’s a full-circle kind of thing. Camp Kitaki has always been great to work with. We have a great partnership.”

As for those eighth-graders, you never really have to twist very many arms to get them back to Camp Kitaki. They’re usually eager to step back into a fond memory.

“It’s so great,” said Jorgensen. “They’re fighting over who gets to come back and help out the sixth-graders. So it’s something they treasure.”

The memories, they’ll cherish those too.

“For some of the kids, this is the first s’more they’ve ever had,” Jorgensen said. “It’s pretty cool to be a part of that.”