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156 freshmen, 22 teachers, and 34 peer mentors loaded onto the four buses departing for Pine Cove in Tyler, Texas on Saturday morning, Aug. 27. This was the first year the Freshman Retreat was held at Pine Cove. “It was a better location because everything was [closer] together than Forest Glen, where we used to go,” Sarah Fullenweider (12) said.

The Freshman Retreat has been an annual event for about 20 years. It is planned and run by the senior Peer Mentors to welcome the new students and bond the entire class.

This year, the freshmen had a lot of free time to participate in different activities like swimming, zip lining, playing basketball, and more. During the day, they spent most of their time in their advisories playing icebreakers and logic games run by the Peer Mentor leaders.

The third day of the retreat was a favorite for the Peer Mentors. “[My favorite memory was] the girls’ talk. I thought that went really well, and [the Peer Mentors] were super nervous leading up to it. It was a pleasant surprise to see everyone asking questions, and I think the girls really enjoyed it,” Fullenweider said.

In the past, the last day is when the freshmen girls and boys split up with their Peer Mentors. The girl talk is when the freshmen girls and girl Peer Mentors come together and the freshmen can ask whatever questions they want. After, the girls have a huge dance party, and they drum out to old tunes.

While the girls were asking their Peer Mentors questions, the boys were spending time with their Peer Mentors, asking questions they were curious about. Nicholas Dillon (9) said, “I think the girls had more fun because we all could hear [them] singing in the small room and laughing.”

The Freshman Retreat ended with a bang and the students and faculty loaded the buses and took their 90 minute drive back to Kinkaid.