Lin Illingworth

Students and teachers playing blindfolded dodgeball at the retreat. The game allowed groups to practice communication and collaborate as they worked toward a common goal. “I had such a great day. What an amazing room of leaders, now, and in the world ahead,” said Lin Illingworth, a teacher on the retreat.

On Thursday, October 12, leaders from student council, various sports, and school clubs were selected to join a leadership retreat. This retreat taught student leaders to communicate, strategize, and compromise with one another to become better role models.

Students were gone for most of the day along with some faculty members who chose to participate in the event. The retreat occurred at the Boys and Girls Club at Souhegan Valley in Milford. The retreat was an opportunity for student leaders to grow and thrive in this environment. By discussing the characteristics of what a good leader should be, students were able to implement this throughout the retreat. Different activities were held to engage students such as the blindfolded ball game. To play this game, there were two teams with people who were blindfolded. Teammates had to communicate with each other to pass the ball to another person who was blindfolded. Mindi Hu, Student Council Rep for the Class of ‘25, was one participant in the game. “By playing this game I learned that there are many ways to find the best way to communicate with your team members to get the best results,” said Hu. Activities like this allowed students to collaborate and overcome challenges/obstacles they face as leaders.  

Furthermore, student leaders could later utilize the skills they learned during the retreat at school. Students who were at the retreat were able to watch the Like movie in advance in order to facilitate group discussions during CavBlocks where the film was viewed by the whole student body. Hu said, “We had a discussion that raised a lot of great points such as how the movie wasn’t just about banning electronics but about raising awareness that electronics can take hold of your life if you don’t manage yourself responsibly.” Sofia Bergskaug, Class of ‘25 l Vice President, added that a big focus at the retreat was self-reflection. “This is very important to student council and I think we are going to take that into use because we always want to learn and improve on what we are doing for the school,” said Bergskaug. The goal of this retreat was to empower students and allow them to become better student leaders at school and throughout their lives.

The retreat encouraged students to become inspired by each other and consider their potential as student leaders. Christina Brown, an advisor for the student council and a teacher at the retreat, hopes “that this is something that …can [be] facilitated multiple times. I think the more people who are allowed to learn and see what some of those characteristics of good leaders are, the better the leadership in the building becomes with students.” Overall, both students and faculty members enjoyed what this retreat had to offer.