Sunday, May 21, 2017

Different Every Day: W Club Members Enjoy Whole Campus

The W in W Club stands for “Woodberry,” but it might just as well stand for “What,” as in “What should we do?”  

That’s the question a group of nine students asked one another at their weekly planning sessions this spring. At the beginning of the trimester, they created a new afternoon activity that let them take advantage of the school’s campus offerings, whether they were out in nature or at an athletic facility.  “We wanted to use Woodberry to the fullest,” said Hayes Johnson ’17.

A typical week might look like this:  Monday: beach volleyball and swimming; Tuesday, fishing in Robertson Lake; Wednesday, plant vegetables in the school garden; Thursday, hike along the Rapidan River; Friday, ultimate.  

“The best part of W Club was changing activities every day,” said Griffin McDaniel ’17.  “It never got boring.”  Sometimes they were on their own under the guidance of a rotating captain.  Other times they recruited varsity coaches to be their opponents, like basketball’s Craig Dawson and Keith Johnson or Squash’s Paul Erb.  

“I was surprised at how good some of the teachers are,” said Hayes.  “Dr. Erb smoked me!”


The group also organized a service project.  A charity golf tournament brought together students with members of the Woodberry Forest Golf Club and faculty and staff; entry fees supported a local organization that helps struggling families.