Unity in Diversity

The junior retreat took place back on December 1st, 2017. This is the third and second to last retreat most of us will have together. As the Juniors filled the gym early Friday morning, murmurs filled the air. Since we had known the girls around us for a relatively good amount of time, we had already developed friend groups and circles. so the thought of coming together wasn't really dwelled upon. The idea of being united with everyone seemed nice but seemingly unrealistic for most of us who did not hang outside our comfort friend zones.

The theme this year was “Unity in Diversity.” Unfortunately, this goal was not achieved. As soon as we entered the room, we divided into our respective cliques, not mingling with one another unless absolutely necessary or directed to. There was a total of three activities, all aimed towards unifying us as one. In the first game, we were tasked with putting our body parts together in accordance with the rules given by Mrs. King. To end the game, we were told to join hands with everyone and be reminded that we are all integral parts of each other and Preston as a whole. The next game, “Houses and Rabbits,” was a crazy activity in which we were tasked with forming “houses” with two “rabbits” in them. We then had to switch with others, all so that we'd possibly interact with people we may not have before. The last activity had us making posters pertaining to the themes we were given. Through this we heard statements important to our class such as “ Love Wins” and “Black Lives Matter.” Though these three activities were aimed towards unifying our junior class, our class as a whole put little effort towards being united. Unfortunately, most of us left as divided as ever. When asked about her takeaway from the retreat as a whole, Soraya Sanchez stated, “I liked the retreat but, I felt that we didn't really unite. My favorite part was houses and rabbits. We started off divided in our own cliques, which highlighted our differences, but the games made us a little more united.” On the other hand, Ciara Mercado and Katie Gannon loved it. They felt united with their class, talked to people they had not before, and learned new things about each other. Josie Sutton, who is in the midst of her first year at Preston, genuinely liked the houses and rabbits games, perhaps because of the craziness and the running around. So, while may stayed with their friends, the theme of unity wasn't entirely missed.

After playing games and taking pictures in the beautiful land surrounding the retreat location, we went into the chapel for a small mass. Again, we sat with our mutuals. We had a nice reading and after, a nun who lived in the center came to tell us about the history of the chapel. The chapel was beautiful, with modern accents and a great view. It was relatively new with small pieces of the old chapel in it. It was a beautiful juxtaposition of old and new; an inspiring place in which the past and the future came together to create a sense of peace. The construction of the chapel finished on September 10, 2001. It was nice to hear that while the events of 9/11 were occurring just miles away, this center of hope and peace was present.

Perhaps the best and most unifying part of the whole day was the bus rides. The bus rides let us blast our music out of speakers and scream the lyrics aloud to our hearts’ content. The retreat may not have been as unifying for some as it was for others, but for the most part it was our fault for not allowing others in. Hopefully we will put more energy into our retreat next year, since it will be our last. Hopefully it will allow us to leave relaxed, at peace, and fulfilled by our years here at Preston.