Respect Retreat
The LifeLab the freshman participated in this year.
February 21, 2023
I feel like there are a few freshmen that took things to heart and it had an impact on them. Then there are the others who were really thinking about things during the retreat but observing them at school they don’t have seemed to have changed their attitude at all.
— Addison Fleming
On February 2nd and 3rd, 36 juniors and seniors gathered at the Waterloo Center for the Arts to be leaders for the freshman LifeLab.
As of last year, grades 9-11 students go on a LifeLab trip, which aim to provide students with real life experiences that relate to the school curriculum. This is the first year seniors are also going to get a LifeLab.
This year, freshmen had the opportunity to go through the Respect Retreat. This retreat is run by the Minnesota based Youth Frontiers organization, whose goal is to “inspire character and build community“. Students met their lovely team members, Jon Seldat and Sesay. The retreat Jon and Sesay lead consisted of games, songs, dancing, and lots of talking.
Throughout the day, the junior and senior leaders helped Jon and Sesay to guide the freshman through group games, small group activities and discussions regarding the main idea of the retreat; Respect.
Though it seems like it was a retreat just to whip the ninth graders into shape, it was to teach them that not only others but also themselves matter and deserve respect. A very big idea during the retreat the leaders were pushing was respecting others even if you don’t like them.
Although there were students who didn’t particularly care for the retreat, the few students who genuinely thought about changing their attitude and took the advice seriously made the retreat all worth while for those involved. To all the teachers and students that helped run the retreat, thank you for helping the ninth graders learn some respect.
