9th Grade Retreat

sharing interests

“You play five instruments? You should join Pep Band!”

“I have a sheepadoodle, too!”

 “John Jay has varsity bowling?!”

Small groups of ninth graders gathered with juniors and seniors on John Jay’s baseball field in the morning sunshine playing simple games like Two Truths and a Lie and Never Have I Ever. Awkwardness dissolved and smiles emerged as students shared interests and found common ground. And this was only the beginning.

growing rapport

By mid-day, any remaining jitters were replaced with a growing rapport through games including Pictionary and spoons. Laughter and fun had the upper hand when the freshmen came together in 50-person “packs” to compete in events like wacky relay races and large-scale charades.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect, with the temperature hovering around 80, warm sunshine and no humidity. The results were pretty spectacular, too—the retreat ended with a spontaneous Rock, Paper, Scissors championship.