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Burch Trip 2011
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n the early hours of Sept. 23, the Class of 2015 was not preparing for a regular day of classes, seated lunch, and athletics. Instead, Episcopal’s freshman class was packed and boarding buses for the annual Burch Trip, an Outward Bound experience originally established in the fall of 1997 by EHS alumnus Lucius Burch ’59. The freshman class is separated into groups of 10 to 12 and a faculty member for the five-day excursion, during which students are challenged mentally and physically as they hike and camp along the Appalachian Trail. The students must push themselves individually but also as a group, which establishes a bond among the new classmates that endures long after their return to campus. “The Class of 2015 and 10 brave faculty members ventured into the woods as a band of individuals and returned as a team of leaders and stewards to their class,” said Outdoor Program Head Patrick Thompson. “This year’s Burch trip provided the most challenging terrain and most mileage in the trip’s history. The freshman class covered over 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail from South Mountain in Maryland to King’s
Monitors
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he Monitors are elected each year by the faculty and students, with the Headmaster’s endorsement. These seniors serve as leaders for the student body and as mentors to new students. This year’s Monitors are led by Head Monitor Caroline Hagood ’12 and five senior monitors. n Front row: Jack Blaine, Buck Armstrong, Caroline Hagood, Laura Hollister, and Clarence Clanton; second row: Matt Valcourt, Carly Lyerly, Willie McDade, Elizabeth Buyck, and Hannah Gray; third row: Wells Patrick, Kelly Chandler, Austin deButts, Stuart Agnew, Liz Helm, and Armour Shaw; back row: Woody Dewing, Worth Smith, Alessandra Gavin, Celeste Jones, and Chris Driscoll. Not pictured: Marina Barsoum and Marshall Weisiger.
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Episcopal freshmen taking a break along the Appalachian Trail. (Front row: Osé Djan, Jay Forehand, and Randy Harrell. Second row: Olivia Wise, Ivy Houde, Kate Oldham, Leigh Channell, math teacher Matt Fitzgerald, Kathleen Leonard, Ax Coffey, and Will Talley.)
Gap in Pennsylvania. Over the five days of backpacking, camping, and rock climbing the students learned about themselves, each other, and most importantly had a great time as a class.” “The Burch Program takes students to new heights both literally on the
tops of beautiful rock walls and figuratively in their relationships with themselves and their new classmates,” said Assistant Director of Admissions Helen Woolworth. “I’m proud to be a part of an educational community that invests in its freshman class in such a powerful and visible way each year.” n