CRANBERRY TWP., Pa. (EYT) – Cranberry Area High School students worked together to take first place in a team-building youth retreat held on September 21 at Camp Coffman in Cranberry Township.

Cranberry senior English teacher Heather Motter took student council members to the Venango County Youth Retreat held on Tuesday.

“My student council kids are the best of the best,” said Motter, who advises student council. “They are the leaders of the school, so it really worked out well because a lot of the kids did a really good job of helping each other out.”

Keystone SMILES Americorps Youth Philanthropy Project spearheaded the retreat and invited 12-person teams from Cranberry Area, Franklin Area, Oil City, and Rocky Grove High Schools.

Students completed team-building exercises that included a trail hike and scavenger hunt, International Peace Day activity, and a campfire. Teams were judged in eight categories such as teamwork, communication, body language and courteousness.

“[The students] had a really good day. They were all very positive about it and thought that it was definitely beneficial to them,” Motter commented.

The event was also sponsored by Focus on Our Future, Together We Can Prevention Council, and Venango County Substance Abuse Program, with help from the State Police station and Venango County Sheriff’s Office.

(Photo courtesy of Cranberry Area School District)