Stepping out of the school bus, no one could see a thing. All the students gathered in a huddle around the trailer, desperately searching for their luggage. The howling winds sent shivers up spines and many asked themselves, “Why this weather on Junior Retreat?”

Though the weather took a turn for the worse, the St. Paul Academy and Summit School class of 2014 made the best of bad conditions at their Junior Retreat. The 93 students headed to Camp Courage in Maple Lake, Minnesota for two days to discuss issues in their grade and making new connections with classmates.

Junior Jack Reich and other classmates decided to take advantage of the snowy weather. Reich’s highlight of the retreat was most definitely “the massive snowball fight everyone had,” he said. Besides all the fun he had bonding with his classmates, Reich took away from the experience “the importance of reaching out to make new friends.”

Junior Danielle Socha did not know what to think when coming into the retreat. “I was pretty skeptical going into the retreat. I didn’t really think that it would change the dynamic of our grade as much as it did,” Socha said. Though she was weary at first, she came out of the retreat feeling much closer and connected to the rest of the grade. Socha’s favorite part of the retreat was the closing candlelight ceremony, where students could speak in front of their class and light a candle.

Socha said that following the retreat, she has noticed a difference in her classmates. “Everyone seems friendlier and a lot more open,” Socha said.

Reich agrees. “I feel like people are much more open to reaching out to other groups to meet new people now,” he said.

The grade returned on Monday with their new senior shirts, ready to tackle senior year as a united unit.