Do you think you could go to the mall and find teachers in disguise?
That is the fun activity South High Young Life students were doing on March 2. Not only did students have a great time, but so did the Young Life leaders.
English teacher Anton Ruiz said seeing students’ reactions is one of the leaders’ favorite part of this whole event.
“My favorite part was seeing students’ faces when they realized what our costumes were,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz describes this event as something everyone can participate in. Young Life is a national Christian youth group. Anyone can join and is able to meet new people. Meetings are every Monday at 7:29 p.m. and are hosted at different South students’ houses each week. Meetings and information can be found at the Young Life Instagram page, @psouthyounglife.
“Young Life is a place where teenagers can be themselves and not have to worry about performance,” Ruiz said.
This is one of the biggest things Ruiz wanted to emphasize, that everyone is welcome and can come at any time. There’s no signup, just come, he said. .
Freshman Stella Tochtrop has been attending Young Life events since February. She says the reason she initially went was because she wanted the opportunity to hang out with her friends and have fun. This ties along with what Ruiz was saying as Young Life is meant to be fun and a safe place for everyone
“I went to this event mainly to have fun with my friends and help them find the scavenger items,” Tochtrop said.
Not only was this a time to be with friends but also a time to think about where the items for the scavenger hunt could be found. As some were easy and quick, other items and leaders took more time to find
“I thought they would be in places corresponding to their jobs, but they were everywhere,” said Tochtrop.
Freshman Kayla Parungao had a different plan to find the leaders, maybe the other students thought this way too.
“I was looking out for people looking down or in clothes that may seem like costumes,” she said.
Parungao was only able to find two of the leaders in the time they were given, while other students were able to take pictures with all the items and leaders before time was up. They only had one hour at West County Center to find the teachers and items.
Parungao said the scavenger hunt was her first opportunity to get involved with the organization.
“I’ve been wanting to join Young Life and this is the first opportunity I’m free,” said Parungao.
This is an annual event, and gives people a chance to meet other members in Young Life and also feel like they are in a comfortable environment, Ruiz said.
“I want everyone to feel comfortable there. You are welcome by the leaders,” Ruiz said.
There is one big thing coming up, the Young Life summer camp. This year’s camp will be July 6-12 and will be held at Sharptop Cove in Georgia. Anyone is able to sign up through their instagram page with the link in their bio.
