Taking photos, competing in sand volleyball, and playing cards. (Courtesy/Ridah A., Jacob B., and Senior Advisors)
Yes, you read the title right. The Class of 2025 spent its first day of school at Deer Creek State Park Lodge on Sunday, August 18. From engaging in group challenges to rooming with five other people, the overnight retreat provided grade-wide bonding time before classes began.
After a one-hour bus ride to Mount Sterling, we arrived at the lodge at 10 a.m., greeted by Dr. Losambe’s cheerful voice. Spending the next few hours in a conference room with dozens of round tables, we played a “four corners” icebreaker first, moving to various corners based on prompts like the number of pets we own and our fears. We then grouped ourselves based on birth months and played a song game. Given the words “love,” “sky,” and “dance,” we had four minutes to come up with as many song lyrics with those words as possible. Then, one person (or multiple people) from each group performed a song they chose, prompting several impressive shows and laughs of delight.
After a satisfying taco lunch, Mrs. Soderberg delivered an invigorating speech about what it means to be a senior. The key takeaways were to “earn the position,” “expand beyond ourselves,” “help the community,” and “have fun.”
The Parents Association of Columbus Academy prepared goody bags full of childhood snacks including applesauce, Goldfish, and Little Bites, bringing out the inner kids in us as we traded favorites and munched in content. In another blast from the past, our advisories competed in a water balloon tossing challenge, each person spreading further apart until the balloon dropped or popped. Spraying hose water in the air, chasing around classmates with water balloons, and basking in the sun, these activities reminded us to embrace and enjoy the simple moments.
Starting from 4:00 p.m., we had free time to explore the lodge’s amenities: whether it was swimming the lake or pool, walking the trails, watching the Viking auditions, playing sand volleyball, basketball, pickleball, tennis, or ping-pong, everyone dabbled in friendly competition. After a comforting Italian dinner, we gathered around a bonfire to roast s’mores, play volleyball, and take photos, everyone in high spirits from the day.
Monday was much calmer as we awoke to a hearty breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon, and yogurt. We welcomed Ms. Dillon for a talk about our character strengths and how we, as a grade, can build and utilize them together. We compared our current strengths, which are collectively “teamwork” and “love,” with our results from sophomore year’s ethics class to see how we’ve grown. Mr. Haddock, Director of Alumni Relations, compiled a slideshow with advice from senior buddies when we were kindergartners, a bittersweet memory of how far we’ve come. We ended the trip with one big group photo and several advisory photos before loading the buses and heading back to school for our (final) first SAGE lunch of the year.
The idea for this retreat has been in the works for many years, intended for seniors to connect as a grade to reflect about our past and create goals for the future. We believe it did just that.
