On Wednesday, Oct. 6, the sophomores went to Irvine Ranch for their first retreat of the year. The past year and a half have been difficult for Rosary’s sophomores because this is their first year of real high school, without the pressure of Covid restrictions and eased academics. This retreat’s purpose was to give the students a break from school, bring them closer together, and have them think about their trust in God while in a peaceful setting.

The retreat started out at 8 a.m., when the sophomore class met in the Karcher Center and rode to Irvine Ranch by bus. When they arrived, the ladies were put into groups and given instructions on the activities they were going to be doing throughout the day.

The sophomores were led through activities such as the concentration game, listen and draw, and of course a dance competition. These games were supposed to represent having trust in God in real life situations and blocking out all the distracting elements. The competition gave every group a chance to have a fun bonding moment with their sisters.

Brooke Skipton ’24 shared, “I enjoyed the fact that we got to all these fun activities AND I also got to do it with my friends, you know? At school, I feel like I’m so focused in class that I never really get to bond with my classmates. So being with my friends made it that much better.”

As the morning went on, every group got a chance to part take in more physically challenging activities including climbing the ropes course located on “Adventure Hill” at Irvine Ranch.

Makayla Palos Rodriguez ’24 talked about her experience on the ropes course, “Overall, It was really fun and I met new people that I didn’t know before. Although, the ropes course was scary at first because I almost fell and Kristen “Kit” Hayward ’24 yelled at me to keep going and was laughing at how ridiculous I looked. If you ask her, she will recall it differently and call it an encouraging push and was laughing WITH me to ease to the tension.”

The ropes course showed the sophomores how to overcome challenges with an open mind while making new friendships.

At around 12 , every group was provided a lunch of TK burgers, drinks and snacks.

Lily Curtis ’24 expressed her opinion on the food: “The food was really good, I liked it a lot. The gave us different chips ranging from normal to spicy, Mott’s gummies, and a variety of options of topping to include on our burgers.”

After lunch, the groups got to take part in more activities like rock wall climbing and zip lining.

Mrs. Flati, the sophomore religion teacher, described her experience on the zip line as “Amazing, I felt like I was soaring through the sky, and it was a lot of fun. It honestly was such a privilege, I cant imagine it going any smoother. This retreat was the highlight of my life.”

In the last hours of the retreat, some of the chaperones and students sat down and discussed how their day went.

Mrs. Godfrey, the sophomore English teacher said, “I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone’s faces and having the outdoor experience. Seeing everyone’s smiles just make my day.”

Mrs. Kearns said, “Walking up those hills hurt my feet really bad but it was exciting seeing the girls have fun in each activity.”

Sophia Long ’24, the cross country star explains how she felt the day of the retreat , “I had a little but of a bit of panic/anxiety attack having to miss my cross country practice because I rely on my daily runs to release all of my stress. I will admit though that after doing all the ziplining, rock climbing, the ropes, and bonding with friends, I realized it was okay to miss one day of running for this retreat.

The retreat ended with a couple games of Gaga ball and the sophomores talked about their day. After a few of the sophomores finished up their last conversations, games and dances, they all headed back to their buses and rode back to campus, arriving around 6 p.m.

The sophomores headed back to school with a happy heart and a clear mindset. This retreat gave them the encouragement to go back to school with a positive attitude and fearless spirit.