Real World: Camp Peacock
The entire sophomore class was immersed into an authentic learning experience surrounding the premise of Golding’s novel, “Lord of the Flies.”
Jasmine DeLara and Vanessa Solis
October 8, 2014
Sophomore year.
The year of no longer being called a freshman.
The year of turning sixteen and becoming that much more of a young adult.
The year of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
The year of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding.
The year of survival.
One of the many novels students read in their high school career is the 1954 dystopian novel “Lord of the Flies.” This novel is about a group of young British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and fight for survival and the chance of being rescued. Civilization vs. savagery, loss of innocence, religion, identity, youth and fear are the most common themes through the novel.
This year, the Antioch Community High School English Department decided to engage their sophomore students authentically to get them even more into the story. On Wednesday, Oct. 8, students spent either periods 1-4 or 5-8 at Camp Peacock in Lake Villa, Ill. Students split themselves into several color coordinated groups before being put to the test: could they survive in the wilderness like the children in “Lord of the Flies”?
Each group had their own flag and team name. They rotated between six different stations that tested their skills such as pitching a tent, finding items in the outdoors that can be used as helpful tools, fire safety, leadership skills, cracking open coconuts and pineapples, as well as playing capture the flag and making s’mores by the fire. Activities were led by ACHS English teachers along with senior and Eagle Scout Kyle Heywood.
Sophomore Ashley Reiser’s favorite part of the survival day was, “being a part of a team.”
Survival Day informed students with not only essential survival skills, but also team building skills and a better insight to William Golding’s novel.
“This experience is a first for our department, and we are really glad we did it,” said English teacher and field trip planner Patrick Johnson. “When we thought about doing this, we knew it was something that could get our sophomores excited and active about the novel. It was a great experience and we hope that it is a tradition we can add to the curriculum.
