FAITH MATTERS

All Year 12s recently went on Retreat where we explored our faith, compared how faith is present and the different ways it can be found. We were blessed to be accompanied by many great leaders in the form of teachers, who opened up about their own life experiences and gave examples of the ever-changing nature of faith. This allowed us to develop a deeper understanding of our own faith and provided an environment where we could reflect on our own religious beliefs and connections. This experience created a collective identity within the cohort as we grew closer and found faith in each other’s reliability. 

The Year 12 Retreat included many different activities and ‘sessions’ which all had a different purpose in realising our sense of identity. We split up into small groups and each group were delegated a teacher as our leader. The sessions covered topics such as; ourselves, our families, our image of God, as well as challenging times that can be attributed to change. Each allowed us to share the different ways that we react to change. These sessions crafted the encouraging culture that led to the further unification of our group.

On the last morning and as part of our reflective process on Retreat, we received personalised bags that were made by the Year 7 students. These were personalised for our peers. They were then used to store positive affirmations that each of us wrote for each other. The affirmations were a great way to express our gratitude for each other and display the respect that was earned through the participation of all students while on Retreat. Reading the affirmations, students were able to identify key traits and values that are appreciated by the Year 12 group. It was a great opportunity to reflect on ourselves, our happiness and our impact on others.

The purpose of a Retreat is to escape from your busy life and focus on being present. This Retreat was great as this is a very big year for all of us and we are all putting in our best effort. It was a well-deserved break from schoolwork while still being surrounded by our peers and friends. We all learnt so much about ourselves and others. We were all able to get along and take a break from the stress we were experiencing. The Year 12s have become so much closer through this experience.