For many students, SCICON is known as a memorable outdoor experience. For me, it was something I had been waiting on since sixth grade. Because of COVID, I never got the chance to go back then, so attending this year finally felt like I was getting that opportunity. As a student from Dinuba High School, traveling to SCICON in Springville from April 21 to April 24 was supposed to make up for what I missed years before.
It did not turn out that way.
The trip started off fine, at least for a little while. The campus in Springville was nice, and everything seemed organized. Each day followed a strict schedule. Breakfast was at 7 a.m., followed by activities like hiking and outdoor lessons, along with lunch and dinner. At night, the lights went out at 9:20, and by 9:30, it was supposed to be completely silent.
That silence did not happen.
By the first night, it became clear that getting a cabin full of kids to be quiet was nearly impossible. They talked, yelled, and somehow had more energy at night than during the day. It was not until around 10 p.m., after I had to raise my voice, that things finally settled down.
And that was only the beginning.
Denise Cabrera
The biggest challenge was not the schedule or the activities. It was the kids. From the start, they acted like little adults, but without the maturity to match. One minute, they were asking me how many followers I had on TikTok, and the next, they were randomly yelling in high-pitched voices. It felt constant.
Some refused to shower, which made an already stressful situation worse. Others somehow forgot basic things like clothes. Each student only had about two to three minutes to shower, so everything had to move quickly. In reality, it did not. Some would not get in, others would not get out, and many gave attitude the entire time.
The questions did not help either. At one point, a student asked if she could watch me use the restroom, which was a moment that made me realize just how unpredictable the experience would be.
Daily routines required constant effort. I had to take the students to brush their teeth every morning and every night, and restroom trips had to be done as a group. If one student needed to go, everyone had to go. SCICON runs on a strict schedule, so timing is important, but my group did not always follow it. Getting them ready and where they needed to be felt like a constant struggle.
Before hikes, I would give simple instructions. Bring a poncho. Bring a water bottle. Instead, I would hear that they did not want to because they did not want to look chuzz. That part never made sense to me. They were worried about how they looked on a hike, but not about being prepared or even basic hygiene.
The hikes themselves should have been the highlight. The environment in Springville was nice, and for a few moments, I could 
actually appreciate being outdoors. But most of the time, I was not focused on the scenery. I was watching to make sure no one got too close to the edge of the trail or made unsafe choices.
Even nights were not a break. Every evening at 9:20, I had to read a bedtime story to the cabin, and then I would be quizzed on it the next morning. That might have been manageable if the kids actually listened, but many of them talked over the story or ignored it completely, making it harder to keep track of it myself.
To be fair, the staff were not the problem. They were supportive, checked in often, and made sure we were okay. The structure of the program was clear and organized. The difficulty came from trying to manage a group that did not always want to follow that structure.
By Wednesday, my thoughts were simple. I hated it there.
By Friday, when I saw my friend Lezzlie, who was also a counselor that week, I asked about her experience. She said, “I loved it.” I was stunned. When we returned to Dinuba, that feeling had changed into something else.
Relief.
SCICON was supposed to be the experience I missed out on in sixth grade. Instead, it became a lesson in patience and responsibility, and how challenging it can be to manage a group that does not always listen.
It is definitely something I will remember.
Just not for the reasons I expected.
Mr. Simoni • May 4, 2026 at 11:41 am
Felt the same when I taught 7th, and 9th graders. Thank you for seniors. But sometimes I would have the worst day, but Id always have one or two kids who appreciated the hard work. That brought me back the next day. Hopefully you had that one or two kids.
But I was the kid you hated in 6th grade. I remember we got a disposable camera (you have no idea what that is probably) and would sneak into the other rooms and take a picture so the flash would go off and wake them all up. I also got Kitchen duty the whole week for putting pink streaks in our hair for Halloween. Clovis Unified didnt mess around with dress code.