This spring, our Juniors took part in Spalding’s annual Junior Retreat at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church in Millersville. These retreats provided our hard-working Juniors with a much-needed day of reflection and fun. Students were divided into different retreat groups based on their homeroom and last name. As soon as the morning announcements ended, Juniors met in the chapel for attendance, then piled onto two school buses and made their way to the retreat. Students were greeted at Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church with a quick breakfast snack consisting of donuts. They were then split into groups and introduced to their group leaders. After some ice-breakers, the groups played a series of team-bonding, competitive games, such as penny stacking, Cheerio sorting, and streamer twirling. The games ended with a championship feather-blowing relay that included the top four teams. Each team selected four of its best players to compete, and one team was named the champion. Then the room took on a more serious tone as a Senior student and a faculty member both delivered speeches. At the first retreat date on March 6th, Carly Grimes (’26) and Mrs. Boyle shared their stories.
The second half of the day started with students breaking into their groups and reflecting on the past years. Group leaders led the Juniors through unique activities to spark deep and meaningful conversation. Students were then brought back to the common room and provided with a sustaining lunch of pizza, juice, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and salad. After lunch, the Juniors returned to their small-group rooms and wrote meaningful letters to their future selves to open during their Senior Retreat. The day concluded with a prayer and a concluding message in the chapel. Our student groups were led by select Senior students and faculty members, who took time out of their busy schedules to create a memorable experience for our Juniors. One of the Senior leaders, Carter Williams (’26), said: “It was so great to contribute to the upcoming senior class!” Thank you to all of our inspiring leaders!
