Heelan senior class retreat to build unity

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
October 16, 2003

The senior class at Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City participated in a retreat on Oct. 7 at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.

"It's a time for the seniors to get together to get to know each other better," said Sue Grieve, director of faith formation at Heelan. "Sometimes in a class you know a lot of the students but not all of them. It's a time to get to know better the ones that you don't already know. They come together as a class and form more lasting friendships."

A retreat is held annually for each of the senior classes from Heelan. This year's senior class is made up of 150 students. In previous years, the National Guard has put on the retreat for the seniors with team building activities. Due to the guards being sent over seas, they didn't have the manpower to do that this year.

The freshmen, sophomores and juniors spend the day taking the ITED test that the seniors no longer have to take. It is a two-day test. On the second day of the test, the seniors spend time doing service for their parishes.

The planning committee for the senior retreat consisted of the formation department along with the senior homeroom teachers.

"The focus that we had on the senior retreat was freedom with a question mark or life choices," said Linda Guy, one of the teachers who helped plan the retreat. "These kids are going to be going out there in less than a year and making some major decisions on their own without the guidance of their parents and their friends support system."

Father Craig Collison was present and started the day with prayer in the CYO. Father Collison welcomed the students and explained to them why they were making a senior retreat.

Then students were then transported out to the nature center. In large group, the day was explained to the students.

They were split up into small groups for other activities throughout the day. The students were in eleven groups, each lead by one teacher. There were Briar Cliff students on hand to help as well. Students were put into groups that were made up of people that they didn't know very well. They were separated from their regular groups of friends.

One activity that was planned was called a life game. They were given realistic situations and asked how they would deal with them.

"It was kind of like a Monopoly board," said Guy. "They would land on certain space they would pull a card that would be a deal with it or a crunch time. The kids would each have their own profile. Say one was a 19-year-old on an athletic scholarship at Creighton. We would try to use profiles from students who had graduated in the last couple of years and their scenarios."

After the game, there was a large group discussion about how the students felt about the different situations that were brought up in the game.

"I think for them it is an awesome experience for them to come together as a class," said Guy about the whole experience. "It was a way to show them that these are life situations that they are going to be dealing with. How are you going to deal with it when your best friend isn't sitting right next to you telling this is what you should do?"

Two speakers were brought in, Judge Walsh and Regan Banks. Banks talked about some of the choices that he made when he was their age and some of the problems he got into because of the choices that he made.

"He was a wonderful speaker," said Guy. "Mr. Walsh talked also because he was the judge that decided to give Mr. Banks probation instead of a prison term."

While at the nature center, the students also had lunch and went on a nature walk. Neal Toddy and Alex Messerole mentioned that the nature walk was their favorite part of the day.

Back at Heelan, the students were able to screen print their own t-shirts as a souvenir from the day.

The seniors participated in one last activity together. In their small groups the students were given a bag of different articles such as paper clips, an empty bottle and marshmallows or other things. The students were to build an object that represented something from their senior class. Each group got up and showed the large group what they had put together and what it represented.

The day was closed with a final blessing, and each student received a prayer card with the serenity prayer printed on it. The students were able to become closer with their classmates and get to know one another throughout the day. They go to know people that they hadn't hung out with in the three years before, mentioned Toddy.

"I now know my classmates better," said Messerole. "You know everyone, but they split you into different groups. When they did that they put you with people that you don't really hang out with. You are with them the whole day. What I did was make more friends. We just learned a lot about ourselves."