Rafting Trip Extra Wild Thanks to Irene

Delbarton seventh graders ended their first partial week of school on a thrilling note. Despite reports of flooding in Pennsylvania, the class travelled west for a white water rafting trip.

The Lehigh River typically flows at 1800 cubic feet per second. On Friday, September 9, a day forever chiselled in Class of 2017 infamy, the river was running at close to 8000 cf/s and was six feet higher than normal.

This rise in elevation apparently makes rapids even more rapid-er since faculty veterans reported the water was better (read: faster, scarier) than ever. Naturally these daunting statistics only drew our brave men (who were safely velcroed into life jackets) closer to the rapids.

The boys enjoyed soaking each other (and chaperones, the best part of the trip) with buckets of water. Drenched chaperones included incoming Middle School guidance counselor Rick Cimino for whom this middle school tradition was baptism by water. Nothing makes you feel more welcome than a bucket of cold river water in the face, reports Cimino with a smile.

All in all, this annual seventh grade field trip was a terrific bonding experience that the youngest members of the Delbarton community treasure.