Camp Casey but for high school students. This is what Bear Den Retreat is described as. For Tahoma High School students that attended any of the Tahoma School District elementary schools in their 5th grade year, almost all of them got to experience what it was like to visit Camp Casey. Camp Casey is a state park in Washington that all Tahoma 5th grade students get the opportunity to visit for a trip towards the end of the year. Students always enjoy it and for some, it has been over 5 years since they went. Now, students get to have a similar experience at the 2024 Bear Den Retreat that was held at the Maple Valley Church from March 8th-9th.
What exactly is Bear Den anyways? Nohea Alo, a Tahoma High School sophomore, got the opportunity to attend this years Bear Den Retreat as a photographer and she says that Bear Den is a great opportunity to practice your social skills and to meet new people. “Bear den is a really fun experience to go to if you don’t have many friends, or you want to practice getting social skills. Bear den has been designed for social interaction, and it provides really interesting ways to keep the peers engaged.” A Tahoma High School freshman, Elina Adams adds, “Bear den is a fun way to connect with other people from your school. You do so many activities in only 2 days. Each year, bear den has a theme. This years theme was “breaking Bear-iers”.”
With Bear Den being only two days long, activities are packed into each day so there is never a dull moment. Adams adds, “it was full of excitement and you were never bored there”. With countless activities throughout the two days, there are so many opportunities to have fun and make memories. Adams shared some of her favorite activities from the retreat, “At bear den, we did a scavenger hunt, mini games, square dancing, icebreakers, skits, listened to motivational speakers, and hung out with our small groups we were put in”. Alo did not have the opportunity to participate in the many activities that Bear Den had to offer since she was there as a photographer. But, Alo shared what she thought of the activities from her point of view. “‘Warm and fuzzies”, icebreakers, and skits were all used a lot to get everyone going. At first, the participants were slightly timid, myself included, but as time went on, everyone warmed up to each other and began to enjoy it. My favorite activity was the skits, watching and interacting with the “cast” made everyone feel light hearted and silly, and the way they were all planned out made everything so unique in its own way”…“Although I never participated in the activities, I was just the photographer, watching how everyone slowly warmed up to one another to become one big community of friends was really cool and special in my eyes.”
Bear Den Retreat is a two day experience where you get to meet new people, make new friends, and make memories that will last a lifetime. For Adams, she says the best memory she made at Bear Den this year was meeting new people. “The best memory I made at bear den was just meeting new people and hearing the motivational speakers that spoke to us”. Alo enjoyed everything about the retreat but, she did share that the retreat is underestimated. “I think a lot of people underestimate this camp, myself included, but it turned out to be a really cool experience that everyone enjoyed”. Both Alo and Adams recommended Bear Den Retreat to all students. Bear Den is one of the best events you can attend at Tahoma High School to make new friends, have fun, and make memories. Make sure not to miss out on this amazing retreat next year, bears!
