On Wednesday, February 8, the sophomore class attended their annual retreat at St. John the Baptist retreat center, in Folsom. They participated in games, talks, small groups and opportunities to grow as a class. The theme of the retreat was unmasking, where they learned about how to grow as a class by opening up and showing their real selves.  

As the sophomores arrived, they were greeted with donuts and sunny D. They sang some songs afterwards, led by retreat facilitator, Mr. MacIver, which then flowed into a talk given by Clare Roth. After the talk, the sophomores were split into small groups. The student ministers led a discussion about their theme, “unmasking,” as well. Following, Ellen Awbrey then gave a personal testimony about learning to lean on others, which then was followed by a highly favored part of the day, lunch! After lunch, a grade-wide activity called open mic occurred, where students spoke about ways their class can grow together. In addition, the girls also gave personal testimonies. The day was then closed with a prayer, and then the sophomores hopped on the bus back to campus!

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Photo by: Yearbook

After the retreat, some sophomores and student ministers shared their experience. When asked how the retreat caused the class to grow closer and form a deeper connection, sophomore Mia Kazan responded, “I think that on a grade-wide level we realized that we all have so many things that we go through that are similar and we never realized before because we had never reached out of our bubbles.” Student minister Juila Wyble also said, “I saw them grow closer during small groups while sharing their personal experiences and being able to bond over similarities.”

Overall, the sophomores had a great experience! In addition, the eighth graders and juniors also experienced great retreats led by phenomenal teachers and students!