In the transition into virtual school, ILS was technologically prepared but no one was ready for the isolation and loneliness. This is why Mr. Gamwell decided to plan a fun day for his junior English III Honors class. 

He did this by planning a virtual field trip, the idea for the virtual field trip was to add some variety and excitement to his students time away from each other. Even though this may not fully replace all the fun ILS activities we miss such as pep rallies and etc, it does allow the students to unwind and have fun together. 

“We all miss ILS and we all miss each other. Having a fun and engaging activity is just another opportunity for us to socialize and collaborate. I think playing a game together  can help break down walls and bring people closer together,” said Mr. Gamwell. 

In each of Mr. Gamwell’s blocks, he has a group of students serving as class leaders also known as his Operations Team (OPS team). This team of students each came up with a list of engaging activities to do during the virtual field trip with their fellow classmates. 

“I think that was a great opportunity for everybody to  reconnect especially now in these hard times when we aren’t able to see each other, I think as an OPS team we were able to pick games that promoted team bonding and a fun way to decompress,” said junior Melanie Remond. 

They picked activities they thought would allow their classmates to bond and collaborate as a team. The games varied from a collaborative cooking game “Family Style,” to a ruthless space-themed witch hunt called “Among Us.” 

“I really enjoyed the field trip because I got to have fun with my friends which I haven’t been able to do in a while. My favorite game was Among Us because it was so interactive and awesome,” said junior Sophia Rabelo. 

Many other ILS teachers are trying to things to engage their students as well, Mr. Gamwell said he used games because they always came easy to him as a way to motivate and animate people but he recommends other teachers to keep trying to find new ways to get their students to connect during difficult times like these.