The freshman class gathered for their first in person religious retreat on August 29 at Bishop Noll Institute. Campus Ministry organized the retreat as a way for the students to get along with each other and become friends. 

    Ms. Stacia Bolakowski and her team of retreat leaders choose the theme. “In the blink of an eye,” for this retreat. “It was a theme that came up over the summer when the student directors were brainstorming themes for both freshmen and sophomore retreats,” she said. “It just seemed natural to use; the four years of highschool fly by so fast! “In the blink of an eye,” was perfect.!” 

    Although the retreat was in person, social distancing still had to be maintained. Bolakowski said even though they had to social distance, she was thrilled to be able to meet in person. 

    “There were some changes that I had to make, but overall they did not detract from the overall experience,” she said. 

    Many events happened during the evening, like the basketball elimination game and watching an episode of the Simpsons. 

    “Something that I enjoyed about the freshmen retreat this year was how open and welcoming everyone was,” said junior retreat leader Rebecca Carlos. 

    Rebecca stated that she had her own goals for the group she led. “One of the main goals she had was for my group to feel confident about themselves,” she said. “I wanted my group to really connect with this retreat because there’s only one freshmen retreat. Another goal was for you to be ready for highschool. Highschool can be very stressful and exciting.”