The Year 7s had quite the eye-opener of a day on Wednesday as they embarked on their first Sancta Maria College retreat; jam-packed with quirky games, deep reflection and everything in between, there was something there for everyone.
Year 7 student Andre Bautista got to enjoy himself by testing out how trustworthy his teammates really were.
“The team building exercises were so much fun! We really had to cooperate since one of us got blindfolded. Being blindfolded, everything depended on my teammates and my ability to listen to them,” said Andre.
Joshua Araos, enjoyed expressing himself and being in the company of his friends.
“My favourite part was the drama activity. We got to play ‘Captain’s Coming’ and we got split into groups to act out different scenarios. My group had to show different ways of being reverent in front of the tabernacle. We picked out a priest, walked along the aisle, kneeled and prayed in front of the tabernacle. We won best group!” added Joshua.
The students got to take a glimpse into what kind of person they wanted to be. They were taught about blessings from Jesus, Mary, numerous other people and Bishop Pat blessing our school. They got the chance to write a blessing to their future selves so they could relive their Year 7 retreat sometime in the future.
“The note to our future selves really inspired me. We wrote down our dreams and aspirations. Our Year 13 selves will open it to see if we’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve during our journey through Sancta Maria College. I can’t wait!” enthused Holly Pukeiti.
The ‘Attitude’ talk was the crowd-pleaser among the Year 7s, the advice was readily received by them and they were rather intrigued by the new facts they learnt through this talk.
“I loved the attitude talk. It made me appreciate all the friends we have in our lives and realise how important a healthy and positivity friendship is. The presenter, Allenzo, had us laughing every 5 seconds. Did you know that girls talk way more than boys? We say around 15000 words a day and boys only say 6000!” enthused Milly Corboi and Amelia Davies.
Evidently the Sancta Maria College retreat has worked its magic once again and all those involved in leading the programme nurtured the students’ spiritual and personal growth. Not only did they bond with God but with their peers. “The retreat helped us grow closer to God, made us live more like Jesus and taught us to embrace our Catholic values. I also have some pretty great friends,” said Jemma McGregor.
Last but not least, other than their deepened connection with their Catholic values, the Year 7s can undoubtedly agree that pizza for lunch is the best.
Katrina Chan
