Freshmen. Trusting in God. Trusting in Each Other.

Insect-infected beds, scaling logs over fifty feet in the air, balancing on cords of wire, and even jumping off a pole…loads of fun. This past March 23-25, the ninth grade class took the field trip of a lifetime, a spiritual retreat. Being that I’m a freshman, I had the chance to go on this trip, even if I didn’t think I was so fortunate at first. Like more than a few of my classmates, I was skeptical about how this “retreat” was going to pan out.

I thought that maybe if I asked my parents nicely, I could get out of the “boot camp” I surely imagined this was going to be. Good thing I was wrong. Around 8:30am our three busses took off, and (somewhat) according to Pastor Topher, “girls in the first bus, boys in the second bus, and if you’re not sure… go in the third bus.”

After being assigned our cabins and room leaders, we were placed in small groups of ten to fifteen people and a small group leader. I was placed in a group of eleven people, including our small group leader, high school biology teacher, Mr. Davis. Together, we made Team Awesomesauce.

“I would have to say personally the best memory that I have from the ninth grade spiritual retreat would have to be the small group that I had,” says Mr. Davis. “Being that I only teach one 9th grade class, I don’t know all of the ninth graders. So, I was a little nervous about my small group, but the time, teaching, and sharing that we had when it was time for small groups was a true blessing.”

Our team had to travel together as well as trust each other a little more as the days went on. First, we had the “Trust Fall,” where one of us would have to climb up at least five rungs of a ladder, and fall straight backwards into a safety catch that was held on all sides by our teammates. Some of our ninth grade class thought the “Trust Fall” in particular was one of the hardest challenges to conquer.

There were other activities, such as the “Pole Jump,” the “Acid River,” the “Mohawk Walk,” volleyball, and many more, but the “Incline Log,” was the bane of my existence, especially putting on the harness. The “Incline Log” was a set of poles all tied to each other to make, basically, a climbing course. As one of our teammates would make the trip up, the rest of us would be cheering them on. And when you’re up there, it makes all the difference that your team is supporting you all the way.

This was the point all along, to have more unity and trust with not only our teams, but with the Lord at all times. In achieving this, Mr. Davis, as well many other teachers, considers this year’s ninth grade retreat to have been a great success.

Sophomores. Honoring One Another

By Nick Kumar

Getting on the bus, wondering who you have to go on a date with or if your friend will like your gift. It’s an anxious time, but it happens every year. The sophomore class of Calvary Christian Academy, came together this past April to get away from school for a couple of days and learn some new things about relationships.

The main theme of this retreat is always dating and relationships, which was taught this year by Pastor Doug Sauder. However, Pastor Doug didn’t just focus on the importance of being respectful in romantic relationships, but also with others, such as our family, friends, and adults. Leaders including  Mr. Ellis, Mr. Mills, and Garfield also helped lead the trip.

Many students felt very open and comfortable talking with the leaders as well as with one another. “My small group leader was Mr. Ellis.” said Gabe Tchividjian, a sophomore at CCA. “We had good discussions and I felt very comfortable to open up to everyone.”

With great teaching also comes fun activities and relaxing free time. Like every year, the retreat includes different beach activities, a ropes course, and two nights where the boys and girls honor each other. On one specific night, CCA guys honored the girls by enjoying a nice dinner date. The guys had to step up and really show how they could be respectful to the girls they were paired up with. “The guys were great because I got to see them mature. They definitely went higher than expected,” said Nichole Reyes.

Another activity that they did was the ropes course. This showed the class how to trust each other and bonded them so much more, “We were segregated, but through this our class really bonded,” said Savanna Sweeting, a sophomore at CCA.

This trip is something you do not want to miss. It’s a retreat you get to do once in a lifetime, where you can bond with your grade and it allows students get to know the true you. “My experiences on this trip were unbelievable and I definitely made more friends through this,” said Andrew Liberty, a sophomore at CCA.

The sophomore retreat has been very successful and made differences in previous sophomore classes. Hopefully, just as it did this year and before, this will only bond and strengthen future relationships in other classes. So don’t skip this amazing opportunity to grow in your relationship with God and your relationship with others.

On the sophomore retreat we learned the obstacles to be faced on the road to marriage and how we can overcome them. To do this, the sophomores first gained some insight into how to make a relationship last. Although a relationship does need passion, it can’t be the foundation, or the relationship will not last long. Instead, it needs to be built on a bond and friendship first and foremost. 

The lessons we learned on this trip were, in one word: priceless. First we learned how the opposite sex thinks by having a question and answer session with the adult leaders on the trip, followed by the guys and girls breaking up in separate groups to have further discussion.

Our class also learned about honor—how it is important for girls to show the guys respect and submit to their leadership as a way of honoring them, and they in turn learned how they need to show the girls their worth. We learned that a good way of doing this is serving one another, which we did. The girls had previously investigated the guys’ interests, hobbies, and favorite foods in order to put together a gift and note of encouragement. After the nervousness of giving them their gifts had worn off, and after the relief of knowing the guys actually liked our selections had settled in, we had lunch together. This was a great way to talk to someone you hadn’t had a chance to talk to previously. However, lunch was just the tip of the iceberg.

Everyone had expectations about the date; the girls primped for hours while the guys learned about etiquette. Whatever expectations we had, I’m sure no one was expecting the deafening shriek that erupted on our bus full of girls when we pulled up and saw the guys in line, each one with a flower in their hand. We were all so excited to find out which boy we were paired with and how the date would go. Although there was some awkwardness at the beginning of the dates, it soon faded.

The guys were considerate of girls by standing up whenever we did, and by holding out our chairs for us when we sat back down. Later the girls all agreed that this made us feel respected and special. The next day our class was put into teams and participated in various activities designed to show us how to make our relationships better.

In one activity, the girls had to guide the blind-folded boys through a maze. To make it through the maze unscathed, the guys had to block out the other voices and listen intently to hear the girls’ instructions. In another activity, the teams had to get everyone over a 10-foot wall; this took perseverance and effective communication, as well as the realization that no one could get over alone.

Later that day, our class learned another lesson about honor by washing our peers’ feet. Although this act was a little odd and kind of awkward, it was extremely humbling—something we are not likely to soon forget. We continued honoring one another by recognizing individuals in our grade. Whether we were close friends with the people we chose to honor or not, this experience brought us closer together as a class.

Over all, the retreat was a success, and our class learned a lot about relationships and one another. Of course, none of us will be getting married in the near future, but it is important to put the principles we learned into practice now so that when we meet the person God has destined us to marry, we will be able to have the kind of relationship God intended us to have.