The Freshman Retreat 

The Freshman retreat is a 3-day retreat that will take place in the beginning of the students freshman year. This will be more of an outdoor oriented retreat focusing on instilling values for the students that will carry with them throughout their high school experience and hopefully into the future. One great benefit from this is getting students out of their comfort zone in a fun and meaningful way and also assisting with the transition from middle school to high school. This time is often very stressful for students so the freshman retreat will aim to help calm those nerves and it will also help students who are more introverted meet new people coming from different middle schools. Most of the activities will be team based focusing on collaboration and teamwork. These activities will require campers to work together towards common goals, often through games or projects that challenge them to communicate effectively and support each other. Such cooperative experiences can help individuals learn to trust and depend on one another, breaking down barriers and promote inclusivity. As campers navigate these shared experiences, they develop meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging to a larger community. Ultimately, these activities not only enhance social skills but also create lasting memories and friendships. Not only will this retreat build community for the students but also will provide students with outdoor physical activity which greatly helps with mental health and physical health. Partaking in these activities help increase mood, and reduce stress as well. 

Day 1:

• The students will leave school at around 8:30 am on a bus heading for a nearby outdoor camp or summer camp that has closed since summer has ended. This will provide additional income to the camps. The business that we have will organize all of these things. 
• The students will be separated into smaller groups and will stay in a cabin.
• When the students arrive they will go to the main hall for lunch and get situated in their cabins 
• The first activity will be an ice breaker activity to get to know everyone in your small group. 
• Dinner will occur in the large group with everyone in the dining area
• Evening activity will be a mix of a night hike with a counselor (being a teacher from the school) and also board games. This provides outdoor activities but also a fun game that helps people get to know each other a little better.

Day 2: 

• Breakfast 
• Then students will have the opportunity to leave their small groups and join an activity of their choice, this can include mountain biking, scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, etc. This is aimed to accommodate the students interest and help them meet people outside of their small group. Each activity will incorporate a way to collaborate with others and nothing will be completely an individual activity.
• Lunch 
• Small group activity that will promote overcoming obstacles, give the students a challenge, and also allow them to work as a team. This could be voted on by the small group, Ideas could be an escape room, or a difficult hike given the camp accommodates this.
• Dinner this night will be around the campfire such as burgers and hot dogs, There can also be modifications because of dietary restrictions.
• Campfire: this will give an intimate setting that will allow for small group discussion, story telling, and will give each person the opportunity to share something. There will then be s'mores available after dinner. 

Day 3:

• Breakfast in large group 
• Activity that is chosen by the students similarly to day 2
• Lunch
• Large group capture the flag. This will be a huge game of capture the flag with 3 teams combining multiple small groups into a team. This allows for collaboration and teamwork from new people and allows the students to be physically active with running but also would be fun for someone who is not as athletic. This will give the students the opportunity for decision making and also provide leadership roles. The area for this will include forests, field, near the water etc. Boundaries will be made.
• Dinner
• Conclusion assembly 

Day 4:

• Breakfast
• Leave in the morning and arrive back at school before the end of the day 

A showcase of the experiences students will have