Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
9601 Cedar Lane    Bethesda, MD 20814-4099
301-493-8300   Fax: 301-897-5713   E-mail: RE@cedarlane.org

 

 

Fall 2010

To Youth Activity Group Students and their Parents:

It is time for 7^th and 8^th grade students to join Cedar Lane’s Youth Activity Group and continue the fun and reward of being a Cedar Lane student.  To help you get started, attached is the Group’s Schedule for this fall and early winter.  The Group’s goal is to create activities that keep our youth involved in Cedar Lane and have lots of fun in the process. And with a lot of help from many, many students and parents, we usually succeed.

Activities:  This past year, here are some of our activities:

·        Enjoyed a weekend retreat at Camp Tockwogh on Maryland’s Eastern Shore—performed high ropes course, wall climbing, rode motor boats in the Bay

·        Spent a weekend in New York City seeing the sights and enjoying the city life

·        Weekend trip to Gettysburg, PA where we toured the Battlefield and were spooked while exploring haunted houses

·        Hiked Old Rag Mountain in Virginia—an extremely challenging experience

·        Toured a cave in Front Royal, Virginia

·        Weekend trip in West Virginia where we hiked in Dolly Sods and climbed up Seneca Rocks

·        Ate pizza and watched movies at the Chalice House at Cedar Lane and at the mall

·        Hiked the Billie Goat Trail

Student Responses:  For a lot of our students, these are very new and demanding experiences.  One of the students, who one year did the rafting, caving, skiing, and hiking trips, had this to say:

               “I never would have guessed that in one year, I have exceeded my physical abilities, faced my fears, and             made friends with people I would have never suspected in my life.”

               Another student was thrilled by one of earlier caving trips:  “Caving was the scariest, most terrifying thing   in my life.  I enjoyed every second of it.”

Manna Food Packing:  In addition to all of this fun, the Youth Activity Group has a serious, service learning project—packing food boxes at Manna Food in Rockville.  This has been a youth group responsibility for more than fifteen years and the students have met their obligation with the joy of doing an exceptionally good deed for needy families in Montgomery County.  This work qualifies for service hours in the county schools.

Religious Education Classes:  The Youth Activity Group is in addition to the Religious Education classes taught each Sunday for 7^th and 8^th graders. While the Youth Group is purely voluntary, as you can see, we try to organize enough fun and challenging events that students will want to attend without being pushed.  We coordinate with the R.E. program to minimize conflicts.

Objectives:  The objectives of the Youth Activity Group are simple. Activities are intended to allow 7^th and 8^th grade students to get to know each other, advance their socializing skills, learn ethical lessons of sharing and caring for each other, perform public service for our community and church, and have fun in doing all this. 

Schedule of Events:  Look for the Youth Activity Group’s schedule that accompanies this letter, mark the dates on the family calendar, and come to as many events as possible. Before each event, an announcement will be mailed to the student with information about the activity. If you have any questions, please call us at the number below, or contact Susan Archer or Gale Luce at the Church (301-493-8300).

Youth Activity Group Coordinators: John Daniel (301-946-5509), Kimberly Clarkson, and Jonathan Wigginton

 

Next Event: Tuesday, August 31 Manna Food Packing
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