Math teacher Craig Russell leads a navigation exercise during last year's Allerton trip. Photo by Ian McInerney (click to enlarge)

URBANA — Uni will be a little less crowded Thursday and Friday as the freshmen head off to the fourth annual Allerton trip.

Originally proposed and organized by current senior Isaac Chambers during the 2005-06 school year, the trip is meant to be a sociable and educational event for students and teachers alike.

Chambers came up with this idea for a multitude of reasons, including a belief that his classmates would benefit from interacting outside of the classroom.

"There seemed to be a lot of problems with cliques within my class, and I thought the Allerton trip
would be a good bonding experience," he said.

The Allerton retreat has stuck around, but it has changed since Chambers was a freshman. Students would originally go for three days and two nights; the trip is now two days and one night.

There will be no academic classes at Allerton this year with the exception of an alternative math class (a navigation activity taught by math executive teacher Craig Russell). The first Allerton excursion was accompanied by academic classes. This has since changed due to a lack of interest from teachers and a shortened trip length.

"That's really a shame because the academic activities were very valuable," Chambers said. "For example, the pond study we did — collecting organisms from the pond and studying them under a microscope — fit perfectly with the biology curriculum and was a unique learning experience. You just can't get these kind of experiences within the bounds of four walls."

This year's retreat was planned by health teacher Andi Phillips and guidance counselors Sarah Dewhurst and Rachel Green. The freshman class will leave Thursday morning and spend the night in the cabins at 4-H Memorial Camp adjacent to Allerton Park.

Their time will be spent participating in several organized activities as well as some unstructured free time. Activities include leadership exercises and scaling the camp's climbing tower. (For the complete itinerary, see below.)

"The best part of the Allerton retreat is simply being there," said Phillips. "I enjoy watching everybody interact and giving them the opportunity to socialize with their classmates. I particularly appreciate the opportunity I have to engage with students on an individual basis."

Many students are excited about this as it will be a stress-free two days.

"We get a break from school," said freshman Hoda Sayegh. "We can hang out with friends and play fun games."

Classmate Leah Malkovich is also eager for the socializing aspect of the trip.

"I'm looking forward to spending time with people I don't get to see very often because we don't have the same classes," she said. "I want to get to know people better than I do right now. The Allerton experience will make this much easier."

A view of last year's freshmen scaling the climbing tower at Allerton 4-H Memorial Camp. Photo by Ian McInerney (click to enlarge)

2009 ALLERTON Experience at a glance

Schedule for Thursday

• 8 a.m. — freshmen meet with bags and wait for departure (Uni west entrance)
• 9 a.m. — arrive to Allerton/move into cabins (4H Memorial Camp)
• 9:15 a.m. — meet as group to collect maps/schedules/rules (rec. shelter)
• 9.30-10.50 a.m. — orange team: land navigation (rec. shelter); blue team: leadership (dining hall porch)
• 11 a.m.-12.20 p.m. — orange team: leadership (dining hall porch); blue team: land navigation (rec. shelter)
• 12:30-1:25 p.m. — lunch (dining hall)
• 1:30-5:30 p.m. — orange team: titanic challenge (rec. shelter); blue team: climbing tower/high ropes (climbing tower)
• 5:30-6:30 p.m. — dinner (dining hall)
• 6:30-8 p.m. — free time (cabins/grounds)
• 8-9 p.m. — s'mores at campfire (campfire location)
• 9-10:50 p.m. — free time (cabins/grounds)
• 11 p.m. — in cabins for night (designated cabin)

Schedule for Friday

• 7:30-8 a.m. — breakfast (dining hall)
• 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. — orange team: climbing tower/high ropes (climbing tower); blue team: titanic challenge (rec. shelter)
• 12:15-1 p.m. — lunch (dining hall)
• 1-1:30 p.m. — pick up, clean up, free time (cabins/grounds)
• 1:30 p.m. — depart Allerton, head to Uni