Since 1959, Camp Ondessonk has provided children and children-at-heart the opportunity to experience firsthand the beauty of God's creation. Located in the Shawnee National Forest of Southern Illinois, Ondessonk's summer camp programs provide an experience that encourages campers to have fun, grow spiritually, make friends, grow in self-confidence and self-esteem, and develop values. All of the camp's programs focus on providing a fun and enriching experience for participants by encouraging them to participate in a wide variety of new and exciting activities.
The trip to Chicago is chaperoned by parents and teachers. They visit many local educational attractions, including the Museum of Natural History, Shedd's Aquarium, The Field Museum, and an Architectural Cruise on the Chicago River.
The Luke 18 retreat weekend offers an exceptional opportunity for your child to experience God's love through interacting with peers during a weekend full of sharing, listening, team building, and prayer. Another goal is to demonstrate Christ's love and presence in relationships at home with family, at school with peers, and in the larger community of the Church.
Luke 18 is organized and coordinated by the Youth Ministry and its volunteers. Once the weekend begins, a team of high school students present the talks and lead small group discussions. With "Youth Ministering to Youth", the 7th and 8th graders are able to relate more easily to the experience of living a Christian life at home and school.
Space Camp® is the adventure of a lifetime! Space Camp encourages trainees to pursue more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through exciting hands-on educational activities. The facility is located on the grounds of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center® in Huntsville, AL which is also the official visitor center for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
During the two-night program, trainees participate in two 1-hour simulated shuttle missions. Students in mission control will monitor the progress and safety of the mission, those in the shuttle will successfully launch and land the spacecraft, and those in the space station will conduct science experiments while learning basic scientific principles.
Our 8th grade class will travel to St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia, where they will view the National Shrine of Saint John Neumann. From there, they will travel to Washington D.C. before returning to school.