Freshman and Sophomore Retreat
The Heits Point retreat is a chance for the new incoming freshmen to get to know some of their new classmates and teachers. During the retreat last year we had daily devotions, fun activities, a short class taught by Mr. Ahlers on conflict resolution, and a lot of free time during which students often went down to the lake to swim or play around. The devotions helped us grow closer to one another and grow closer to God. We also learned who could sing and, more importantly, who couldn't! This didn't make a difference as God doesn't care what we sound like when we praise him. The activities were like little games we played to teach teamwork and trust. While many students would say the conflict class was boring, we really learned a lot about what not to do when in a conflict and I know this reflected upon students lives. The retreat was a great way for the students and teachers to get to know each other outside of school, so that everyone could be closer when the school year started.
Lake Fun
During free time, most of the students would make a mad dash for the lake. Some would just jump in, others would head to the shed to grab some sort of object with which to play with out in the water, and there were a wide variety of things that found their way into the water one way or another. Other students would grab a canoe and paddle out further into the lake. Others would just stare blankly at the paddles asking, "What do I do with this?", and others would just flip over, as was the case with John and Joe.
Team Activities
Students participated in exercises that taught them how to trust and work with each other as a team. It helped the students to find out more about themselves and each other. It also allowed them to find out who shows leadership and responsibility. At the time students thought some of the activities were pretty wierd, but everything made sense in the end when our counselor explained it to them. While being educational and bent toward what was mentioned earlier, these activities were also extremely fun and very funnny to watch. Students had a great time doing them.
Service Project
As a thank-you for letting us stay there, students did a service project for Heits Point. The boys helped clear out brush and rocks from a certain plot of land and made a giant brush pile. The girls went over to one of the main buildings and helped stain a wooden deck.
