January 2022: We weren't able to have our high school campers with us for the kick off of 2021, but ReGroup returned to welcome us into the new year! | Photo: Betsy Oda
"On belay!"
February: Ice climbing at the outdoor climbing wall. Vanguards, Fellows, graduate students, and HoneyRock staff partake in this unique activity during the winter months. | Photo: Betsy Oda
February: George Polcaster, Facilities Manager, helps prepare a tip-up while the School Year community participates in an afternoon of ice fishing. | Photo: Liam Cunningham
February/March: After a two year hiatus (due to Covid-19), Vanguards were able to return to Costa Rica for one of their cross-cultural immersion trips. While in Costa Rica, Vanguards and their leaders partner with Students International. | Photo: Laura Sattler
February/March: Vanguards made an inaugural trip to Mississippi, partnering with In His Step Ministries (Canton, MS). This new trip within the Vanguard year is one of two cultural immersion trips students can choose from (the other being Costa Rica).
March: The "Back Barn" is razed to make way for HoneyRock's future Equestrian Center and to reimagine the outdoor space at the Elsen Operations Complex. The Back Barn is a structure that has long been a familiar sight to many since HoneyRock's beginnings in 1951. | Photo: Liam Cunningham
March: Each year, members of the school year community participate in the tree-tapping and sap boiling process, resulting in that sweet homemade HoneyRock Maple syrup! This process usually begins in March, with the lengthening of the day light hours. As the ground and air begin to slowly warm, a Sugar Maple's sap begins to flow from the roots back up into the trunk and branches - a sure sign that spring has arrived. | Photo: Emerson Slaughter
Congrats Vanguards of 2022!
April: The 7th cohort of Vanguard Gap Year wraps up their year at the end of the month, making way for Wheaton in the Northwoods (WIN) and Summer Staff Training in the month of May. | Photo: Betsy Oda
May: Students in the M.A. in Outdoor & Adventure Leadership (OAL) program celebrate the completion of their courses in early May. | Photo: Betsy Oda
May: Spring has arrived and summer is not far behind. HoneyRockers learn to delight in the details of God's creation, like the little leaves and the creatures that bring the woods back to life in spring. | Photo: Miika Forsyth
June: Intro and Res campers have spoken and the reviews are in: the slip-n-slide at Fest is the absolute best! | Photo: Laura Sattler
"... Riding on the clouds, shining like the sun, at the trumpet call! Woo!"
June/July: Summer 2022 was HoneyRock's biggest summer yet, with each week of summer camp operating at full capacity! | Photo: Laura Sattler
July: Voyageur campers participate in the low ropes course, building trust and solidifying bonds we pray will last a lifetime. | Photo: Meg Wolfe
July/August: Residential ("Res") campers have a wide variety of activities to choose from, mountain biking being one. | Photo: Meg Wolfe
August: Sometimes nothing beats a day well spent at the barn! | Photo: Laura Sattler
August: Passage is the orientation program for all new Wheaton College undergraduate students. HoneyRock serves as the convergence point, where all Passage tracks gather together for three days in mid-August before beginning the academic year. | Photo: Passage Media Team
September: Just because the leaves are changing doesn't mean HoneyRockers aren't on the water! (Pictured: Hannah Eshenaur M.A. '24) | Photo: Betsy Oda
September: With 18 students, the 8th cohort of Vanguard arrived in mid-September. The 2023 Vanguard cohort is pictured here along with Vanguard staff. | Photo: Laura Sattler
September: HoneyRock hosted the first ever Girls' Camp Retreat & Reunion in late September. Pictured here are this year's attendees, camper and staff alumni ranging from the 1960s through the 1980s. | Photo: Laura Sattler
October: Students in the M.A. in Outdoor & Adventure Leadership (OAL) program and participants in SpringHill's Emerging Leader program head north to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for a 10-day wilderness intensive. The course was facilitated by Mike Odberg, High School Adventure Program Manager. | Photo provided by Betsy Oda
October: Anyone who spends time at HoneyRock during the school year will come to find that we will throw a party for just about anything. Dressing up for the annual Halloween costume contest is one of our favorites. Dobby the house elf and Newt Scamander paid us an unexpected visit this year. | Photo: Laura Sattler
We're feeling pretty grateful for all we saw here at HoneyRock in 2022! With 2023 is now upon us, we're excited to see how the Lord will lead HoneyRock in the year to come.
November/December 2022: Early, one of our miniature ponies, makes a festive appearance during the Vanguard Thanksgiving celebrations. | Photo: Betsy Oda
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