Taking On the Mantle - Upper School Retreat

 

Upper School retreat is a blessing to students and staff alike. For students, it is a great time to bond with each other and be refreshed spiritually. For seniors, it is a chance to grow in their leadership ability. For staff,

It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time with students outside the classroom and get to know them as humans, not just students. John Burgess, Athletic Director. 

 

 

Student-led 

 

This year, the retreat was once again held at the Zichy Castle in Vajta, Hungary. The theme was Relationships. Mr. Thiesen, Mrs. Thiesen, Ms. Spence, Ms. Hughey, and the seniors spent countless hours preparing for this. Multiple student-led committees planned different aspects of the retreat: t-shirts and programs, freshman welcome, skits, communications, and games. Staff members expressed how great it was to see the seniors take leadership positions and help plan and facilitate the retreat. Some games included capture-the-flag, Mission Impossible, hide and seek, and a dance-off between classes. The skits involved students dressing up and acting as their teachers and vice versa, a heart-warming, laughter-inducing portion of the retreat. 

 

 

 

Freshman Welcome

 

One event that especially stood out this year, highlighting what sets ICSB apart from other Freshman initiation experiences, was the Freshman Welcome. All weekend, there were murmurings among the freshmen about this widely anticipated, sometimes dreaded event. Most of them knew it was coming but had no idea which night or what it would entail. Freshman went to bed Thursday Night, wondering if tonight would be the night. Then, the clock struck 1:00 am early Friday morning. The seniors quickly woke the first-year students up and led them outside. When the ninth graders stepped outside, they were truly met with the unexpected. Instead of pranks or elaborate stories, they found themselves on the castle grounds, being knighted and crowned by the seniors. Their upperclassmen promised to help and guide them through their first year of Upper School. Then, each freshman was given candy and a handwritten note as the seniors welcomed them to the Upper School. Thus, the seniors displayed Christlikeness by extending kindness, where some coming from other school environments might have expected a very different initiation experience. Instead, Upper School's newbies truly received a Freshman Welcome. 

 

 

 

On Fire

 

Mr. Aaron Morgan gave inspiring and convicting talks on relationships during chapel sessions. The seniors led small groups with 5-7 students across all grade levels to discuss the chapels and other questions more personally. While they did this, the teachers and staff met to talk about the highs and lows of retreat and pray together. On Friday night, the last night of the retreat, students and staff gathered at the bonfire, one of the highlights every year. It was an unplugged, intimate time of worship and a chance for students to pour their hearts out to one another as they reflected on their time at ICSB. 

 

 

Many teachers commented on the unity among students on this retreat. Between Mr. Morgan's talks on relationships, the caring staff that was there to really get to know students, and the leadership displayed by the seniors both in their planning, facilitating, and warm welcome of the incoming class, it is no wonder that our Upper School community came back a little tired, but a lot more unified.