A Stress-Free Start: Seniors Forge Connections and Create Memories on Retreat

By Fiona Hagan

Field students and teachers chat around the campfire on the last night of the senior retreat. 

The first month of senior year presents a unique set of stressors. The mounting pressure of college applications, test prep, and diving back into school work threatens to dampen the excitement of beginning the last year of high school. Field seniors experienced a different start to senior year, one of stress relief and memory making, on the senior retreat from September 18th to September 20th. The beloved Field tradition, which sends the senior class on a 3 day trip to Maryland’s Sandy Hill Camp & Retreat Center, helped students to return to school with strengthened connections and alleviated stress. During the drive to Sandy Hill, students chatted excitedly, blasting music from a portable speaker. Senior Lilly G. said it was the perfect time to unwind in anticipation of the next few days of activities. “We were all ready to see what camp would be like, and the excitement was definitely palpable on the drive up,” she said. Seneca B., senior class representative, found the trip served as a means to connect with his classmates in a uniquely unstructured environment. “A lot of us have known each other for many years now, but it’s always been in the school context. So I think to have this super free time really allowed people to get to know each other on a level deeper than that.”

 

Students enjoy the sunshine on Sandy Hill’s beach volleyball court. 

Once at Sandy Hill, the seniors took full advantage of the camp’s activities, which included everything from volleyball and tetherball to kayaking on the water. For Lilly, relaxing on the waterfront was a “casual moment to hang out with friends, just racing in the kayaks, swimming and knocking people over.” The time away provided a much-needed stress reliever to the students. Seneca found the retreat to be helpful for the students, who are diving into a particularly demanding period. “Right now is sort of the most stressful time, because a lot of us are dealing with test prep and college applications,” Seneca said. “So I think having a time in a remote location where we could really get away from that was a great stress reliever.” On the students’ final night at Sandy Hill, the group gathered together on the waterfront and shared a last bonfire. Discussing memories and writing wishes for the future to throw into the flames, students and teachers alike took the time to reflect on the experiences they had shared  over the past 2 days. “It felt like a perfect conclusion to the trip, and to the start of our senior year,” Lilly G. said. “Getting the chance to reflect on the bonds I had made and imagine what I hope for the rest of my time in high school was so special.”