North Hills Christian School

Camp Hanes, which occupies a valley beneath a ridge of exposed rock, was the setting for North Hills fifth-grade students, parents and teachers to see each other “out of their desks” and “normal routines.”

The annual fifth-grade camping experience is designed to bond the students together as a class as well as enhance ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­their love of learning and enthusiasm for education.

“At Camp Hanes, we learned a lot about each other,” said student Hailey Bello. “We did team-building exercises. My favorite one was when we had to balance a big seesaw for 15 seconds as a group. At night, we went to a campfire, sang songs, and did a skit. My friends and I also made a fort. While doing all of this, I got to learn more about my classmates.”

While the kids were doing their thing, parents and teachers enjoyed activities of their own. And it’s hard to say who had more fun, the adults or the kids. Among the highlights: archery, canoeing, zip-lining, a shotgun range, and a survival class in which they had to build, from fallen tree limbs, a shelter that all could fit inside.

“Being thrown into outdoor activities together is the best kind of fellowship,” said Derek Burnett, a fifth-grade parent who attended the camp. “Cheering each other on while doing something scary for the first time, splashing each other from canoe to canoe, teaming up to solve problems, getting dirty and laughing out loud and making memories, all in a spectacular setting – it was the perfect way to strengthen the sense that North Hills is family.”

North Hills Christian School is a nondenominational college-preparatory Christian day school serving students in junior kindergarten through high school. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a division of AdvancEd, and the Association of Christian Schools International, an organization recognized by the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education.

To learn more about the school, call Jeannie Ogg  at 704-636-3005, Ext. 109.