Retreats, Service, College Trips

It was a busy time in the Upper School last Monday and Tuesday. Usually during the last week of September students have the opportunity to be away from campus with their class for some special activities. The freshmen and seniors were on retreats, the sophomores did service with the Urban Ecology Center, and the Juniors went on several college trips to regional universities. Here are some comments about those experiences from our ambassadors:

SOPHOMORE SERVICE DAYS

Lexie - Last week the sophomores went to the Urban Ecology Center for our annual sophomore humanities day. This year we went canoeing, rock climbing, we did community service, and tested the water quality in nearby rivers and streams. We split up the class in four groups and got to relax in our two days off from school, it was a really nice break at the start of the year from homework and tests. My favorite part was canoeing. When we were canoeing a few boys were going around splashing people with water and they tipped their canoe too much and all fell in! That was definitely the highlight of my trip.

         

JUNIOR COLLEGE TRIP

Adam - I had a great time on the junior college trip! The main objective of the two-part outing is to give students a sense of different types of college campuses. Over the course of these two days, we saw private and public universities, rural and urban universities, research universities, and religiously affiliated universities. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to selecting a school, and this trip allowed us to hone in on what kind of school we may want to attend. When we arrived at a university, we all gathered for a group presentation. Then, we split up and took part in student-led campus tours. Lunch on the college campuses was really good, too! I especially appreciated bonding with some of the chaperones on the trip. From this experience, I was able to get to know teachers and members of the college guidance department much better. I’ve heard that the college application process can be very stressful, but if this trip is any indication of what’s to come, I know that USM will help tremendously in making this task as easy and enjoyable as possible.

Sydney - The college trips were super fun. It was great to go on four official college tours all in a span of two days. I got to ask real college students their views on each of the campuses. I learned about different college application processes while also getting to discuss different aspects of the colleges with my friends. Overall it was a productive trip and one of my favorite events so far this school year.

Chris - I didn’t know much about the college trips going into them nor did I know that much about the colleges we were visiting. All the colleges were very different from one another. It really gave me a sense of what kind of college I should be looking for and how hard I need to work to get to where I want to go. Besides all the serious stuff, my friends and I had a ton of fun on the bus rides to and from the colleges. Being hockey players, we of course watched the hockey movie, Miracle, and we probably knew the whole script to it. The college trips were a great time with my friends and a great benefit for myself.

Margaret - The junior college trip gave a great opportunity to everyone to help them decide what type of college they want to go to. My favorite college that we visited was Northwestern University, and it gave me great excitement for the prospect of college. Now I know and have confirmed that I want to go to a college medium in size with a suburban feel. The long bus rides also gave everyone a chance to bond and have fun.

SENIOR RETREAT

Ben -The senior retreat was both fun and exhausting. The small group activities and events with the whole grade really helped us get to know our classmates better, and it was great to see our grade's actors, dancers, and musicians perform at the talent show. The three days together helped form an amazing bond within our senior class. And, who could ask for a more beautiful destination than the shores of Boulder Lake.

Harriette - Over the three days of the senior retreat I bonded with eleven other classmates, the infamous Area Code 111, as we worked together to complete challenging games and cheered each other on through the high ropes courses. By the end of the trip we became really close friends and performed a hilarious skit for the talent show, in which a few of us had to step out of our comfort zones. The senior retreated united my grade, eliminated past tensions, and got everyone excited for our final year together. 

Jack - The magic of Camp Manitowish brought us together as a class and as people. The camaraderie was heightened by the group discussions. In these discussions, personal stories and intimate experiences were shared and this was not only good for the student sharing their story, but it made our group, a collection of people who weren’t friends outside of the retreat, feel like a family.