This year’s Junior Retreat, held January 28, at the Day Spring Center, was a great success. Each year the junior class travels to this center outside of Ellington for time away from school to strengthen their bonds of sisterhood.

No retreat experience thus far could have compared to the activities offered to the girls at the Day Spring Center. Each girl placed her trust in one another to complete the challenging activities and obstacles placed before their groups including the  ropes course, zip line, and blindfolded tasks.

The girls began their day in prayer led by Sister Mary Patricia Plumb. Day Spring leaders then split the girls into groups to begin their challenges, giving the girls the opportunity to bond with girls outside their everyday friend groups. After the girls proved their cooperative teamwork skills to their leaders, they took the ropes course head on.

Demi Limberg did not hesitate when faced with the high-beam challenge, trusting her peers to keep her in the air. “My favorite part of the retreat was working together with my classmates”, she said, “and it was so much fun.”

The variety of  tasks offered at the center helped the juniors develop collaborative efforts in different ways. Junior Kellie Mitchell added, “We had to conquer our fears mentally and physically, in the brain-teasing tasks, the zip line, and the ropes course. Junior retreat brought us together as a class. Sisters together, stronger forever.”

The retreat activities were difficult, but also enjoyable. Mitchell commented, “Having to mentally jump off something and having to rely on others to catch you was definitely the hardest part of the activities.”

Besides the challenging activities and the chance to strengthen friendships, the day proved to be one of just good fun.  Mitchell said,  “The most fun was going upside down on the zip line and the bus rides, just being with my best friends without drama- also they had a buffet of sandwiches and soup at lunch in the cafeteria there, and we got ice cream for being such great kids.” 

Limberg  added, “It was also really funny seeing all my classmates walk around aimlessly when we had to do the blindfolded activities- and the bandanas made for cute pictures too.”

The retreat would not have been possible without the retreat organizer and chaperone, Sister Mary Patricia Plumb, and the chaperones, Mrs. Darcy Dwyer, Ms. Kerry Keegan, Principal Mrs. Camille Jowanna, and Mrs. Debbie Lubrano. The chaperones also enjoyed seeing the juniors overcome their fears and work together in the activities.