Small Acts and Big Impacts: Bigger Heights and Newer Friends
Ninth graders discover that working together can lead to new friendships and unforgettable memories.
Ninety-three miles brought fire, smores, rain, and friendship at the 9th grade retreat in August where small acts created big impacts. The retreat included many fun activities like the magic forest or the team building exercises where we, quite literally, lifted each other up to new heights. The retreat brought all of 9th grade closer together through specifically the team building exercises like the low ropes course, helping each other up a wall, swinging across steps as a group without someone falling, putting a tire over a pole without touching the pole, plus more fun and difficult challenges.
Many students at the retreat made new friends as said by Ava Fortanasce, “I definitely met a lot of new friends.” Said by one of the many students who enjoyed their time. The retreat had many activities that brought students together. As previously stated, team building exercises encouraged people to talk and make new connections, but students naturally came together by playing games like gaga ball, chatting in the dorms, or sitting with new people at meals.
The teacher chaperones even have good things to say about the retreat. “This one was a lot of fun,” Ms. Bromfield shared. This was her third retreat, and she enjoyed all three of them with how students made connections. The place itself had nice amenities like comfortable beds, good food, and clean hygiene facilities. The weather was also great with it being in the 80s and a minor breeze adding to the scenery and beauty of the forest.
On the final night, students listened to campfire stories and had smores before packing up and heading in for the night. As said by Alex Trost, “smores were good,” and during them they hung out with their friends. The small acts like joining a new table, asking to bunk with someone new or simply complementing a random person before smores all built up to the big impact of new friends being made and old friendships becoming even better. At the end, most students agreed the best part was being with their friends, even more so than the activities or food. As one final quote to sum up the trip’s best parts, “hanging out with friends in general” is what made the retreat amazing.
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