On Tuesday, December 13, 2011, the freshmen class of 2015, dressed comfortably in sweatpants, t-shirts, and sneakers, gathered in the gymnasium and waited for their class groups to be announced for retreat. After being assigned groups, the students walked to Westminister Church in Wilmington, Delaware.
The day began with a short prayer followed by a series of ice-breaker games. During one of the games, two junior leaders asked the class a variety of questions to which the freshmen girls had to find a group who shared the same interest. Then, the class got split into twenty different groups with one or two juniors as their leaders. Each group then created a unique team name.
A small box full of random questions was passed around the small groups so that each person could find out more about the other people in each group. Next, the girls had to find at least four things that they had in common, excluding being a female, going to Padua, and other things that all girls have in common, to write on a piece of paper.
After a short time for a snack consisting of soft pretzels and water, Veronica Slater (‘13) shared a personal story about how it is always important to stay true to who you are. Several juniors performed a short skit based on the book If Only I Had A Green Nose by Max Lucado. The book taught a lesson about how you do not always need to have everything that everyone else has. The girls then moved back into their small groups and discussed different ways to encourage others while avoiding discouragement.
The girls enjoyed a nice, long lunch with pizza provided by Papa John’s and a dessert of baked goods made by the parents of the student body. After lunch, the different groups were given a green poster board and two strands of ribbon. The groups arranged the ribbon on the poster to make it look like a present. Inside each of the four sections divided by the ribbons, the girls were to write different ways they can serve their families, church, world, and school. Once the present designing activity was finished, each group was assigned to write a different intention or prayer to be included in a prayer service that was to follow. The prayer service ended the long, but eventful day.