Day after the retreat
We’re home safe from the INN’s Fall Retreat. About 60ish students and INN staff spent this last weekend out at Deception Pass State Park at Cornet Bay for our annual Fall Retreat. As with each year, it was a great chance for new and old students to bond, simply spend time together, and develop relationships with staff and each other.
There is something significant about these retreats, these getaways, that really helps students establish meaningful connections with each other. I think back to my time as a student. I remember the retreat (singular, unfortunately) that I went on with a sense of nostalgia. I remember the people I rode there with. I remember feeling the family atmosphere of the weekend that allowed me to connect with new people. And I think that once again, this weekend, these types of things happened. Our small groups are probably easiest way to meet new people, but a focused event like this has a very special way of helping lasting connections, that will play out through the rest of the year, and even through their whole student lives.
Another thing I realized about this type of retreat is this: we need to get away. We need to take breaks like that. Or for longer. We need to stop our daily grind and spend time with each other. We need these things to survive, to not go crazy. So, I’m glad we do this. I need to do it more.
And, of course, we all need a little bit of Karaoke.
