Every year in October, the junior class advisories set off to different locations in Maryland and Virginia. Two days later, they return with amazing retreat stories, inside jokes, and experiences. I have always been amazed by how close the junior advisories have become on retreat, and I never used to understand what made these girls become such great friends. Now I get it.

This year, as a member of the junior class, I got to go on retreat with my advisory, 11A. I was excited for retreat, but a little part of me was nervous, as well. I didn’t know a lot of the girls in my advisory, and I didn’t expect to get to know everyone. As it turned out, I had no reason to be nervous. Everyone in my advisory was completely open to having conversations and completing a whole slew of activities. By the end of the first day, I felt comfortable with everyone in my advisory.

The retreat only got better from here. Our house didn’t have a ropes course or a lake, but we still managed to have a whole lot of fun with our wide open field. We spent the day playing games, talking as a group, and eating crazy amounts of food. I could hardly believe it when it was time to go to sleep on the second night. The first two days of retreat had flown by.

Our third and last day of retreat was great, but we were all pretty disappointed that we had to leave. We finished things off with a class-wide selfie and even sang a few songs on the bus ride home. I know that I shed a few tears at cross country practice afterwards, and I’m sure that I wasn’t the only person who was sad that our fantastic retreat was over. We really did come together as a class more than I ever could have expected, and I am certain that our class bonding won’t end here. Junior Retreat has made me infinitely more excited for Ring Day, Gym Meet, and all of the great experiences that our class will share this year. I have never been prouder to be a part of the class of Blue and Orange!