The Juniors Are Back From Breckenridge

Junior Ski Trip Recap

Photo by Caroline Cureton/Maclay Andalusian

Each year, Maclay takes the junior students on an annual ski trip to shred the slopes and bond as a class. On Jan. 6, the juniors began their journey to Jacksonville, Fla. and made it to Breckenridge, Colo. around 2 p.m. Upon the arrival, the students had the rest of the day to pick up ski or snowboard rentals, get settled into their hotel rooms and rest up for the next three days of fun.

Students woke up extra early feeling eager to get out on the slopes to ski or snowboard for most of the day. Once the slopes closed at 4 p.m., the students went back to the hotel and remained in their rooms until the cooking contest began at 6:30 p.m. The cook-off was a new activity that teachers incorporated into the juniors’ schedule this year and each room had to work together to create a dessert for the counselors to judge. Junior Bella Evans was one of the winners and expressed how the activity brought the students closer. 

“I think it [the cooking competition] helped bring the grade together to all do one task and work in teams,” Evans said.

After deciding the winner, the team received a Tru-Bru gift card. Ski trip organizer Justin VanTassel stated the curfew and let the students explore what the hotel had to offer. Many students either went to their room, the hot tub or the arcade for the rest of the second night.

The next morning, most students wanted to get an early start to the day because once 2 p.m. hits, they would be off the slopes to go ice skating. After skiing, the upperclassmen then proceeded to meet in the conference room before leaving the resort. Then, the junior class huddled together by a troll statue to take a picture, they grabbed their skates and rushed to the rink.

“This was my first time ever ice skating and it was super fun,” junior Zac Scovotto said. “Skating around with all my friends was something I will never forget especially since we all fell a lot and needed the little help carts.”

The last day on the mountain was a busy day for everyone. Students were able to get in a few hours of skiing and snowboarding before having to return their things and say goodbye to the slopes. The upperclassmen then got ready to head into town where they could go out to eat or shop. While a 15-minute walk in the snow may not seem pleasant to many teenagers, the junior class enjoyed their time together while observing the beautiful scenery all around them.

Most students woke up at 6 a.m. to pack their bags and clean their rooms before the buses would show up at 8 a.m. to bring everyone to the airport. The junior class arrived back in Jacksonville at 7 p.m. and from there went on an additional bus to Tallahassee. They finally arrived at Maclay at 1 a.m., officially marking the end of the ski trip and making the past five days something to remember.