This year, CVHS hosted its first-ever Lock-In, a schoolwide “sleepover” for incoming freshmen. The event ran from after school on Friday, Aug. 23, until the morning of Saturday, Aug. 24. It replaced Fish Camp, a summer retreat for incoming freshmen that was always held at Camp Cullen in Trinity, Texas (until this year).
Fish Camp, traditionally held two weeks before the start of the school year, offered freshmen a chance to bond, ease pre-high-school anxiety and get a feel for high school life at Carnegie. This year, however, according to the camp organizers, Fish Camp was canceled due to low enrollment and high fees. As a result, the incoming class experienced the on-campus Lock-In.
Head Counselor Esha Bhavsar explained initial difficulties and limitations saying “We found out that Fish Camp was canceled during the first week of school. From there, we gathered a counselor team of student and parent volunteers and tried to figure out what events we could organize.”
Bhavsar, along with fellow Head Counselor Devan Chadha, came up with the Lock-In to provide incoming freshmen the opportunities once offered at Fish Camp — and free of cost. However, due to the time crunch, they ran into a number of difficulties. The counselors explained that some volunteers opted out last minute due to the SAT exam that same weekend, and some teachers opted out due to unforeseen circumstances.
Bhavsar explains that money was also an issue, commenting, “Financial issues created a bump in the road, but our wonderful PTO ended up stepping in and providing us with the money needed for food and activities, which we’re super grateful to the PTO for. I would say that organizing the Lock-In and clearing everything with admin was probably the main issue.”
The counselors explained how they came up with the event’s activities, wanting to recreate Fish Camp as closely as possible.
“We couldn’t, obviously, do some of the things we do at Camp Cullen, like archery, canoeing, or ropes courses, but we tried to incorporate as much outdoor time as possible,” Bhavsar said.
To kick off the Lock-In, students participated in outdoor activities such as beach volleyball, basketball and soccer. Chalk stations were also set up to offer creative outlets, while counselors led icebreaker games to help freshmen get to know one another. After dinner, the event shifted indoors, where students enjoyed a series of dodgeball games, face painting and more relaxed activities such as board games and ping pong. The evening wrapped up with a movie screening in the gym, meant to give students a relaxed close to a busy night.
Reflecting on the night’s highlights, the counselours named the dance as their favorite. The dance is a tradition cherished by the counselors and carried over from Fish Camp.
After the events, freshmen retired to their designated classrooms. The sleeping arrangements were intended by the counselors to recreate the design of the Fish Camp cabins. They hoped the close quarters would encourage students to create closer bonds and friendships. This addressed the counselors’ concerns about holding the event right after school started. They worried that freshmen, having already formed initial bonds, might stick to their groups instead of branching out.
Despite the overall success of the Freshman Lock-In, the counselors still hope for the return of Fish Camp next fall.
“While we hope that the freshmen had a fun experience, we also want counselors to petition for Camp Cullen next year. We’ve held meetings with [administrators] and others to express that we believe Fish Camp would provide a more enjoyable experience for the freshmen,” Chadha said.
