In the waning days of summer Gem State Academy opened its doors to 115 young people for the school year. The first item on the agenda was fun times and friendship. Students and faculty loaded up buses with blankets, pillows and travel gear. Then all traveled to Camp Ida-Haven in beautiful McCall, Idaho.

"My favorite part this year was handshake," says one attendee. "There were lots of new faces, people that would soon be my friends. Of course, everyone was happy to connect with their old friends and the staff too."

There were volleyball games, relay races, wakeboarding and swimming. One of the highlights was the Student Association Olympics when the freshmen beat the upper classmen. At the end of the day the student body gathered around the campfire for worship and s'mores.