AHN’s class of 2016 “keep it fresh” by starting the second half of their freshmen year with a stronger sisterhood relationship thanks to three important events – Freshman Retreat, Refocus 9, and most recently Spirit Week, ending on February 2.
Freshmen showed up each day during Spirit Week ready to show off their class pride and strength. For “America Monday” the girls all agreed on dressing up as Miss America’s, wearing tiaras, sashes and makeup. For Tuesday, they left campus in order to attend Service Day, but were still focused on their outfits for the next day for “Wild West Wednesday.” They dressed up as greasers from the movie West Side Story.
The best attire would have to be their “Super Hero Thursday” look, where they all dressed up as Minions from the “Despicable Me” movie. Yellow shirts, goggles, overalls, suspenders and jeans completed the look. To finalize the week, they decided to free dress for “fanatic Friday” and be fans of whatever they liked. The effort paid off when they surprised everyone. Yes, freshmen won a second place!
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The transition from shy freshmen to a spirited group of sisters began to evolve at the Freshman Retreat, held at Bethany Center on January 11.
Senior retreat leaders from the TLC club warmed freshmen up with games such as “Ride that pony,””Sally Walker” and others before they shared with the younger girls their experiences in the AHN journey to becoming seniors. Afterwards, seniors divded the freshmen into small groups led by a senior, who led them in a discussion about what they just heard. The topics varied from boys, academics, college and friends all the way to drug and alcohol prevention.
The retreat concluded with freshmen writing letters to their future selves with the understanding that they would open and read these letters at their senior reatreat in four years.
One freshman shared her feelings about the day. “Every freshman can say that they enjoyed the evening building a stronger relationship among themselves and God.”
Another event early this year in which freshmendeveloped more closeness as a class was at Re-Focus 9 on January 18, a week after the retreat on the Brady Center. The purpose of this assembly was for freshmen to meet once again in their small groups and share their experiences after the retreat.
As the girls walked in, a Christian music band was playing. The girls gathered up as they sang along and started dancing. After a few songs, everyone went back to their seats, and a sister from the Philippines shared her experience on being called to serve. ” I would have never expected to become a sister and dedicate my life to God.”
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