The 6th and 7th grade field trip really showed what brotherhood was all about, from the time we spent doing physical activities, to playing on the large playground, to eating together in the cafeteria. Everyone could see the brotherhood forming through Malvern’s Augustinian core values of veritas (truth), unitas (unity), caritas (love).
On September 27, 2025, the 6th and 7th grade students traveled with their teachers to Refreshing Mountain, PA to explore all the activities they provide there. Refreshing Mountain is located in Stevens, Pennsylvania, and is about twenty minutes outside of Lancaster. On the trip, each student got picked into a team to do their activities with. The goal was for everyone to try to bond with and talk to someone they normally wouldn’t get to interact with. Even though that was challenging at first for most people, there was so much excitement and fun that filled the air that day.
This trip went smoothly thanks to the volunteer teachers who helped. One teacher that I noticed was Mrs. Reynolds. She is always helping students with whatever comes our way. I asked her about the trip and she commented on the staff, saying, “They were all super helpful and knowledgeable and helped me make this field trip run great with very slight problems.” She also remarked that this field trip ran well because the students’ behaviors were on point that day. Mrs. Reynolds noted that “you escape from reality on these field trips, you get to explore more about yourself.”
This field trip really embodied brotherhood and Mrs. Reynolds appreciated that. She said, “We chose to go here because we wanted to build the brotherhood to make our relationships with each other even stronger.” Mrs.Reynolds emphasized the importance of having many ways to build the brotherhood with one another and that’s why the middle school teachers picked this spot. Refreshing Mountain offers great physical activities, team building exercises in the woods, and a large lunch room where students can sit with each other, talk, and enjoy themselves.
The best way to build brotherhood is on a bus, right? Since buses aren’t very spacious, students are forced to sit together. The best part is, if your friend sits with someone else, there’s always people welcoming you to sit with you because no one should ever sit alone. Mrs. Reynolds thought this too. She commented, “Everyone dreads the bus, but the only thing I see from the kids is pure happiness and really enjoying themselves. That’s why I loved the location of Refreshing Mountain. It has great land, and it’s also about an hour away from Malvern, so it gave people plenty of time to interact with many kids and strengthen the brotherhood through the bus ride.”
Refreshing Mountain is really amazing because it offers both delicious food and challenging outdoor activities to help kids get exercise while also enjoying themselves. They have helpful staff members who all make sure that participants are enjoying themselves. Refreshing Mountain is perfect for schools and families because no one can get bored there. If you are seeking to try something new on a random day, go to Refreshing Mountain because of the never ending exciting activity options that you can try there. The future sixth and seventh grade students at Malvern Prep should look forward to this amazing field trip.
