Project Week memories from alums turned staffers
March is an exciting month in the life of the school, the weather is generally starting to turn from winter to spring, daylight saving time gives us more sunshine to enjoy the day, and students and adults alike look forward to one of the coolest weeks of the year: Project Week. A long-held Overlake tradition, Project Week is a time for students to take a full week and get out of their daily schedule, explore a new passion, and stretch themselves in new ways.
A couple of Overlake alums turned staff members shared their favorite memories of Project Week, what they learned, how they grew, and what has remained constant about the week over the years as they prepare to lead students on new experiences soon.
“My favorite Project Week experience was fixing hurricane-damaged roofs in the Bahamas with Mike Davidson. It was such a cool experience because we were able to see the project through from start to finish and help families who were really struggling. It was hard work but enjoyable and I felt like I got to learn a bunch of new skills that I still use on occasion,” Colton Umberger (‘14), Admissions Coordinator shares.
Dr. Samantha Hillyer (’01) recalls, “One of my most memorable Project Week experiences was river rafting in Moab, Utah. While I had plenty of experience camping and backpacking before, I had never spent a full week living entirely on a river, navigating rapids, and immersing myself so deeply in the natural world. The week challenged all of us to step far outside our comfort zones. From learning how to pack every single item we’d need for the entire trip into the boats — no small feat — to enduring the heat, dust, and exhaustion, to disembarking at the end of the week covered in a layer of gray river film and boarding a plane home without a proper shower. Yet despite, or perhaps because of, all these discomforts, the trip remains one of my most cherished Overlake memories. Even now, more than twenty years later, those of us who shared that week together still reminisce about it.”
Hillyer (’01) will spend Project Week this year leading a group of students through Nepal where she hopes to impart the kinds of lessons she gleaned from her time as an Overlake student. “What made the experience so powerful wasn’t just the adventure itself, but the personal growth it demanded — resilience, adaptability, and trust in both yourself and your team. These are the same lessons I hope to impart to students on this year’s Nepal Project Week. Traveling halfway around the world, stepping into a country none of us have been to before, facing unfamiliar cultures, food, climates, and high altitudes — all of it will stretch us in ways that can’t be fully prepared for, only experience. Growth will come not just from the physical journey, but from the need to rely on each other, to face challenges as a team, and to adapt to new environments together.”
Umberger (’14) echoed Hillyer’s thoughts on Project Week and the ways it stretches students outside their comfort zones. “Hands-on learning and trial by fire was probably my favorite part of Project Week. Being thrown into something completely new and coming out of the week with a brand-new skill set is something I hope I can share with the students this year. None of the projects are vacations - they involve intensive new experiences and learning opportunities that will serve the surrounding areas.”
He comments that his favorite constant about Project Week that has not changed over the years is “the general theme of service and stewardship. Helping out and learning about new communities.”
As we look forward to Project Week in just a few weeks, no matter what project students are a part of, the goal is to encourage new kinds of hands-on learning outside of regular routines. We hope that students learn new skills and make memories that they will take with them into their years beyond the nest.
Enjoy some photos that Umberger ('14) was able to unearth from his time on Project Week as an Overlake student below.
