The 8th Grade’s Trip to the Davis Mountains

Last week, the 8th graders took part in the school’s annual trek out to far West Texas, which has been a key experience for St. Andrew’s students for nearly 40 years. While we normally spend the week exploring Big Bend, planned improvement projects in the national park presented us with the opportunity to build another version of the West Texas excursion, this time centered in the Davis Mountains. From the beginning, the Class of 2030 leaned into the experience, fully immersing themselves in the challenge of a week of camping, hiking, and exploration. 

When planning this new vision of the West Texas experience, Blake Amos (our fearless Director of Experiential Learning) and I wanted our students to explore various aspects of this unique region of our state. They visited McDonald Observatory and were treated to a star talk in order to understand the astronomical significance of the dark skies of West Texas. A hike in Guadalupe Mountains National Park allowed them to dig deeper into the geological history of the area. A visit to the Museum of the Big Bend offered space to understand the historical and sociological aspects of the region. And guided hikes with Borderlands Research Institute and the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute educated students on the ecology, conservation, and land stewardship of the Chihuahuan Desert. 

In preparation for the trip each year, we often remind the students of how essential it is that everyone pitches in to make this trip a success. When an adult asks for a hand with something around the campsite, we want to see students move towards that person to lend their support, rather than walk in the other direction. This 8th grade class went above and beyond the call of duty to contribute in those moments this year. Thank you to the Class of 2030 for fully embracing this opportunity and making this trip such a great experience for everyone. 

We also want to acknowledge our teacher and parent chaperones who made this trip possible. From setting up camp, to cooking meals, to monitoring the campsite, to leading our groups on and off the trails, they remained steadfast in their support of our students. We could not run this trip without their time, energy, and assistance -- thank you! 

Follow this link to see more photos from the week!