Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Bradley Zilliox was happy to report that Fredonia had another successful interaction with the Quest program, which gets students from districts, including Fredonia, hiking, camping, and interacting with their peers over a few day period every year. Zilliox took the time to thank program leaders Steve and Sue Cobb, as well as many others who made the program successful.

“I think certainly everybody knows both of them and the commitment they’ve made to this program is amazing,” he said. “We 100% thank them for their efforts.”

Middle school students along with high school student leaders spend months preparing for the hikes, in which there are three total: A one-day, a two-day, and a four-day hike. The program has participants from Fredonia, Silver Creek, and Cassadaga, as well as countless adult volunteers and helpers, including Zilliox himself, who briefly participated in the program this year.

This was also the first Quest since 2019, as 2020 and 2021 were canceled due to the initial shutdown of COVID-19, meaning that this is the first one that Dr. Zilliox has been able to experience himself.

“I got a sense of what this is all about,” he said. “I got a chance to interact with some of the adults that continue to come back each year to help support the cause, and it was great to hear the experience of students at Fredonia and how it’s stayed with them overtime.”

During the hikes, students practice many of the lessons they’ve learned on expedition behavior, leave-no-trace principles, field cooking, nature study, first aid, and orienteering. The hike concludes on a Saturday by celebrating with family, friends, and hikers at Russell Joy Park. Zilliox said the program is held in high regard in Fredonia, and he’s looking forward to seeing it continue in the future.

“We are certainly looking forward to keeping this tradition going, which is certainly supported by the district,” he said.