Greenkill Retreat

"Grade 6 Trip to Greenkill"
The Grade 6 Greenkill Retreat (October 17, 2016 - October 21, 2016) marked a watershed moment in the sixth grade class. Important faction related events included the founding of the Dog Squad, the foundation for the creation of the Anti-Dog Squad (ADS), strengthening of the Asian Alliance (AA). Critical personal debacles included the Nathaniel-Jack Affair and the Triple Entente of Stinging Insects. Additionally, the debut of faction oriented Grace Church football occurred during this retreat.

Overview
Described by the YMCA as a "group facilitation and team building [retreat]... [during which] your group [will come] closer together, enhance trust, improve communication, and build positive relationships... Greenkill [also] offers a wide range of recreational activities to fill your down time, and to create a shared positive experience for your group."[1 ] However, first hand accounts from students tell a different story. According to members of the Grace Community, the trip felt to some like "a fight for survival" or "an abandonment of the youth by modern society."

Camp Conditions
The retreat cabins were filthy, walls covered with grime and old carpeted floors reeking of unrecognizable stench. Bathrooms commonly overflowed with water, as the communal showers had clogged trains and poorly sloped floors. Food was abysmal, and poor weather only accentuated the students' strife. With the prevalence of fall insects, such as mosquitoes and honey bees, at the campgrounds insect bites, stings, and pandemonium was unavoidable.

Triple Entente of Stinging Insects
The Triple Entente of Stinging Insects took place throughout the week long endeavor, known formally to the administration as the "Grade 6 Trip to Greenkill." Whether or not the agreement between wasp and bee was formally ratified is unknown, it is known that the alliance between three stinging insects (one of which may have been a honey bee in the Apis genus of flying insect) assaulted a renowned member, and co-founder, of the Asian Alliance, Daniel Hua.

The first attack took place in-doors, during a legendary game of checkers between Mr. Tividar Diveki and Daniel. As the game progressed, an unknown stinging insect landed the right hand of Daniel, prompting Mr. Diveki to swat at it. In response to external stimuli, the wasp stung, piercing the skin of Daniel's hand and injecting philanthotoxin, a neurotoxin utilized by wasps, into his blood stream. Immediately, physical symptoms were present, including shortness of breath and swelling around the target area.

Daniel's recovery was quick, however, the lasting damage was substantial. With support from the AA, he was able to continue on the retreat, eventually proving himself a useful asset to the ADS in some of the early exhibition football games against the Dog Squad.

However, the chaos was not over for him. As the week progressed, Daniel would succumb to a minor sting during a game of IRL (in-real-life) Pokemon Go, wherein students hunted in the woods for plastic Pokemon Balls containing the printed picture of a creature. Heading to the YMCA Greenkill infimary, Daniel—yet again—made a speedy recovery.

The final sting of the deadly triad, or Triple Entente of Stinging Insects, occurred on the final hike of the trip, where students were forced to haul heavy cooking and grilling equipment, as well as raw food and beverages, up a steep mountain infested by bees and wasps. Daniel, along with multiple other students, would be stung during the trip, establishment of camp on the summit of the mountain, first and final meal, and descent.

The Asphyxiation of Dax Bischof
A particularly traumatic and problematic incident occurred near the middle of the trip. Following the distribution of an illicit narcotic, TUMS Antacid Chewy Bites, Dax ingested one (or possibly more) of these pills. Almost immediately after the first bite, his face turned pale. Struggling to swallow, the now discovered to be stale, Tums teachers scrambled to provide adequate medical aid. As no chaperones knew how to correctly utilize the Heimlich Maneuver, Dax was forced to wait out the asphyxiation episode, luckily avoiding a trip to the emergency room of the nearest hospital.

This incident provided a unique sense of unification to the stratified social system of the Grace Church School Sixth Grade. Many "Dawgs" from the Dog Squad shed tears over the possibility of Dax's death, while the AA provided a more realistic narrative. Chiefly, Alex Skrypek, informed the public that it was highly unlikely that Dax would die from such a minor health implication. Although proving to be correct in the end, he was viewed as being nothing more than a "Devil's Advocate" while the debacle was ensuing.

Slam Poetry
The Slam Poetry of Nathaniel Berkman is the general term used to describe a series of "slam poetry sessions" on the Greenkill trip. These sessions took place at night in the room that he shared George and Jack McCain, Dax Bischof, Alex Skrypek, Keriden Samuel, John McGarry. Nathaniel used innovative literary strategies to capture the imagination of his audience, often utilizing "slamming" to express his inner thoughts which were frequently of a sexual nature. However, he also took advantage of the remote location of the YMCA cabin, as he used psychological warfare by suggesting the prescence of several "killer clowns."

Nathaniel-Jack Affair
The Nathaniel-Jack Affair is a term used to described the contention of both Georgia Davis and Leila Bynum by Nathaniel Berkman and Jack McCain. Although many incorrectly write-off the long term implications of this incident as a strictly intra-Dog Squad problem, its long running social transformations continued to affect the grade, even until the Cape Cod Trip. The genesis of this romantic rivalry took place following a statement made by Nathaniel pertaining to the physical attractiveness of Leila. In defense of his long-time interest, Jack attempted to repel Nathaniel's comment and use public humiliation as a deterrence to future Berkman forays into the Middle School dating scene. Understanding that public opinion was against him, Nathaniel deftly declared himself interested in Georgia, allowing him to retain his friendship with Jack, membership in the Dog Squad, and his future in the Grace Church Middle School social system.