Darvin Descheny laughs when he talks about his favorite memory of Camp Colton.
“Square dancing,” he says. “It was the first time our whole class got together, and it was just pure fun.”
He wasn’t really a dancer – he didn’t have prior experience square dancing and never took lessons after the fact – but it stands out for him as a unifying moment for his class.
Darvin went to Camp Colton in 2010 – the year Flagstaff Unified School District moved the sixth grade out of elementary and into middle school. The camp experience allowed Darvin and his classmates to make friends and get comfortable – and it set the tone for the rest of the school year and beyond.
“It strengthened our social interaction in middle school,” he said. “We all really bonded. It made the rest of the school year so much better.”
There are several other memories that rank high on Darvin’s list.
“I loved taking hikes around the Hart Prairie area and I remember singing while we walked,” said Darvin. “I still get the Bazooka Bubblegum song stuck in my head, but it takes me right back to my time at camp. ‘My mom gave me a penny… I bought Bubble Gum! Bazooka zooka bubblegum,’” he said while laughing.
Beyond the square dancing and funny songs, Darvin notes that Camp Colton taught him invaluable lessons and took him outside his comfort zone.
“We were scheduled for a night hike and I did not want to go,” he admits. “I was deathly afraid – of monsters, bears and whatever else might be out there.”
But he pushed ahead and joined his classmates on the hike – and he’s grateful he did.
“I became a lot more comfortable in the woods after that and more open to trying new things,” he said.
And, while he generally enjoyed the food at camp, there was one item on the menu that made him squirm.
“One of our teachers had a jar of crickets and invited us to eat one,” he said. “It wasn’t a requirement or anything, but all of my classmates ate one. I was afraid, but I ended up gulping one down. It wasn’t too bad,” he said amid more laughter.
Beyond cricket-eating, Camp Colton delivered other powerful lessons on courage, fortitude and fun – not to mention paying heed to camp leaders’ guidance.
“Near the end of our time at camp, kids in another group brought food into their tent,” he said. “They had put their leftovers in the metal garbage bin inside their tent and some sort of small creature came looking for it. It happened early in the morning – we all woke up to screaming and laughing from their tent. We realized, ‘oh, this is why we’re not supposed to bring food inside!’ That was definitely a highlight of the experience.”
There was one teacher at camp who really made a difference for Darvin.
“Mr. Donovan was the most outgoing character,” he said. “It didn’t matter if it was early in the morning or late at night, he had firework energy. He was the best.”
It’s been 11 years since Darvin’s Camp Colton experience, but he carries the memories with him daily. He stays in touch with many fellow campers and swaps photos and stories on social media. It’s no wonder, as camp influenced his life in enduring ways.
Indeed, Camp Colton planted the seeds for Darvin’s academic pursuits and future career.
“I got really interested in biology and natural sciences,” he said. “I learned at camp how all systems are interconnected – how biology effects weather and that sort of thing – and I was intrigued and wanted to learn more.”
His interest wasn’t fleeting, either. After high school, he began a degree program in Museum Studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He will soon receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Museum Studies – and he’s already putting his education to work as the public programs manager at the Museum of Northern Arizona.
“I am working to create the same kinds of experiences here at the museum that students have at Camp Colton,” he said.
Darvin has very specific advice for students attending camp this year.
“Bring good toiletries, expect not to sleep and plan on having fun,” he said. “Try everything – even the crickets – and just savor every moment.”
Darvin, certainly, savored his time at camp – so much that he was heartbroken to leave.
“I started crying as soon as we got on the school bus to go home,” he said. “It was very dramatic to look out at all of the counselors and teachers waving goodbye. I cried the whole way home – that’s how great it was!”
What’s your favorite Camp Colton memory? We want to hear your stories and see your photos!
