Every so often, a group of students is whisked away into the wilderness. This is not an extreme punishment, but a chance to work on team-building and leadership skills with Ritenour Cardinal Ordinates (RCO).

“Sponsoring RCO gives me the chance to share my love of the nature with my students, while also helping them learn about themsleves,” English teacher Angela Huber said.

RCO is a school based organization that not only teaches survival skills in nature, but also pushes character building through various fun and interactive outdoor activities.

“I love camping. You see a lot of the land and get to work with people you usually would not. It is nice to see other students and teachers in a different light,” senior Madison Williams said.

RCO consists of 24 sophomores, 24 juniors, and 24 seniors. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 and a teacher recommendation in order to be eligible for acceptance. Students participate in many outdoor challenges, and get involved with the community through volunteer work, including at elementary schools.

“RCO includes wilderness trips with rock climbing, solo camping and hiking. There is a 5th grade camp with Wyland students and also a High and Low ropes challenge that can be done individually or a group activity.” RCO sponsor Jared Bell said.

These challenges can also strengthen communication skills and build character traits that will be necessary for students beyond high school.

“RCO really helped my communication skills. The activities done in RCO helped me to realize how important it is to know how to communicate with others. This is something I struggled with before and will be something I take from RCO forever,” Williams said.

RCO is also a tool that can be used to bring out skills in students that they may have not known were there when they began the program.

“Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, but RCO helped me see that sometimes my natural will to lead can be a bit too strong, and that it is good to step back sometimes,” senior Patrick West said. “In most cases, teamwork is best and you can accomplish a lot with help. Learning this about myself in RCO even helped me make long term decisions in my life, such as deciding to join the Marines and going more into depth with my music.”

RCO is not just all about the students; even the sponsors can learn something from it.

“I am constantly surprised by what students accomplish. Usually quiet and shy kids take charge in key moments. Almost all of them accomplish demanding physical tasks that seemed nearly impossible,” Bell said. Sometimes it is the opposite. Students that I have found to be extremely confident and capable in most any other setting might not do so well with the physical and mental challenges.”