Geoteaming is awesome!!!!!!!!!
Students spent Saturday working in teams of 8 in a GPS-powered scavenger hunt that lasted from 9:30 am until 3:30 pm. Geocaching, or geoteaming, is a kind of scavenger hunt for "caches" spread around a certain area that groups can locate using a GPS. Here, teams had to find the words contained in each cache in order to secure points for their find. The activity began with some lessons on teamwork, cooperation, and leadership in Benedum Commons; students got to know their randomly assigned groups and devised team names and cheers. At around 10:30, teams rushed to the doors to start finding the 30 caches scattered around Bethany's campus. Strategies were varied; some groups elected to search for the caches nearest to central campus, while others began with the caches located farthest away, trying to work their way inward.
At each cache, teams had to take a photo to prove they had truly found the cache; at the end of the day, the team with the most creative photos was promised a prize.
After a lunch break, teams had the chance to re-strategize, and things got pretty competitive. However, the "Purple Drank" team in bright purple bandanas secured an astounding 19 caches to win them first place. "Maroon Mania" came in a close second with 16 caches, and in an unexpected upset, the home-based "Life Support" team got the creativity award for taking the best pictures during the day.
All teams got to keep their geoteaming bandanas as mementos from the experience. After the debriefing session, students got some downtime in their dorms to take some much-needed showers and nap before dinner and an ice cream social. Although initially it was doubted whether we would be able to secure hot fudge for the ice cream bar, the Bethany dining hall pulled through with not only hot fudge but also with butterscotch topping! Students spent the evening either enjoying their ice cream with a side of board games or hanging out at the rec center, where RAs offered activities like basketball, swimming, indoor soccer, running, yoga, and frisbee. Personally, I don't understand how the students had enough energy for any more physical activity after their draining day of geocaching!
--Lauren the Intern
