Old Rochester’s ‘Survival’ Celebrating 50 Years with Reunion and Stories

We live in a world where older generations often cast labels like lazy, soft and undisciplined onto today's youth.  Gen Z's are sometimes thought of as a generation that would rather play baseball on a PS5 instead of in real life on a baseball diamond.  In contrast, Gen X'ers were latchkey kids that came home to an empty house, made themselves a snack, and headed out to play in the neighborhood until the streetlights came on.

That's why it's so amazing to see a program like Old Rochester Junior High's "Survival," well, uh, surviving.  Incredibly, this gritty program has made it FIFTY YEARS!  In a world where we helicopter parents are guilty of shielding our kids from feeling any level of discomfort imaginable, the Survival program at ORRJHS is a chance for kids to become one with nature.  If it gets hot, they sweat.  If it rains, they get wet.  If they're hungry, food options are limited.  There's no Grubhub and no Chick-fil-A.

"Fifty years of hard work and dedication deserves to be celebrated.  A program like this could not run for fifty years without each individual person," reads the flyer.  "Fifty years of a shared road to a stronger self."

The kids go on daily hikes, up to several miles a day.  Some of the days can be pretty aggressive with a hike up to "the notch."  The days end around a campfire at base camp, learning songs that many adults still remember decades later.

It's also a chance for excessively involved parents to be forced to back off.  When my daughter went away on her Survival trip at the end of 7th grade, we weren't really entirely sure where they were.  I believe it's somewhere in New Hampshire, but to this day I couldn't say for certain.  There was no communication between parents and kids for an entire week.  The kids...wait for it...had NO CELL PHONES.

In case of emergency, members of the Mattapoisett Police Department were on hand to help at a moment's notice.

50 Years of 'Survival' Stories at the Mattapoisett Reunion

In recognition of the program's 50 years, organizers have decided to put together a reunion.  It is happening on August 17 at 4pm and will be held at Ned's Point Lighthouse.  Participants and parents from 1973 through 2024 are encouraged to join and share their stories.  I'm sure one or two of the songs will be sung.