Students on a trip to the Museum of Natural History in the fall.

There are plenty of academic and extracurricular responsibilities that go along with being a Christian Brothers Academy student.

With that in mind, longtime mathematics teacher Mr. Matt Reagan had an idea to give students an additional way to enjoy themselves outside of daily school activities.

Beginning last August, Reagan has been sponsoring “camaraderie trips” to locations around New Jersey, hoping to give students an avenue to relax and bond with fellow classmates.

“On these trips, one of the cool things is that the guys get to meet and hang out with students from different grade levels,” Reagan said. “While the actual trips are great, sometimes the bus rides are even better. Just 45 minutes of nonstop conversation.”

Reagan, with help from plenty of faculty chaperones, has planned each trip about a month in advance. Their most recent trip was just last week to Dave & Busters in Woodbridge to celebrate the end of the first semester and mentally “let loose” after midterm exams.

The trips vary from educational experiences to dining and games. The groups have been to the Museum of Natural History in New York City, Six Flags Great Adventure, Paintball, and Indoor Skydiving, among others. Many of these outings include a stop for lunch or dinner with the whole crew.

The students who attend these trips sometimes go as a group, but also simply go on their own to have some fun.

Paintball was one of the first semester trips for the group.

“I always find these trips fun since I’m usually with people that I enjoy hanging out with,” senior Charlie Kane said. “I also just enjoy having the chance to go to places that I probably wouldn’t have on my own. These trips add to my CBA experience by allowing me to expand my horizons when it comes to having a good time.”

And while he made a point to host an outing at least once a month in the first semester, Reagan hopes to continue that same schedule through the rest of the school year.

“Some of these trips, we break into groups, so I get to see friendships being made,” Reagan said. “We have had incoming freshmen through seniors on these trips. They will try new things because they are all comfortable with each other. Other times, they just get to sit and have a really awesome meal together.”

Ultimately, Reagan hopes that this becomes an official club in future years, where students have even more input on the trips that they take.