Lansing Christian School Senior Survival

Each year, Lansing Christian School seniors look forward to Senior Survival, a well-loved yearly tradition for seniors that began in 2007. Senior Survival is a weekend camping trip on South Manitou Island in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. At the beginning of their senior year, LCS students cross Lake Michigan and land on South Manitou Island, where they hike in for three days and two nights camping and backpacking the island. The seniors bring their own tents, bring in and cook their own food, explore the island, and spend time with their classmates

Seniors carry backpacks full of essentials for three days of camping and hiking South Manitou Island.

Lengthy hikes around the island and dunes, swimming in Lake Michigan, and late-night-into-early-morning campfires give students a special time to bond and dive deeply into conversations around life and faith. Students also have the opportunity to see God’s amazing creation in a new way – a highlight was seeing the northern lights and God’s Milky Way shining brighter than many of the students had ever seen it before.

The week encourages the seniors to work together, take responsibility, and stretch themselves in new ways while enjoying God’s creation. Their time together includes intentional conversation, dreaming, and prayer around how the senior class hopes to impact the world for God in the year to come.

Year after year, Senior Survival proves to be a great start to the year. It is an adventure that current LCS students look forward to as they anticipate their final year at LCS, and is often remembered by graduates as being a highlight of their experience at Lansing Christian School.

Is it possible to get stranded? Great question! Find out what happened during the extra-adventurous Class of 2023 Senior Survival experience.