At the end of Term 1 our Year 12 Students embarked on the journey to their last ever Kolbe Retreat. The Year 12s had lots of nerves and excitement as they boarded their buses to 5 different locations with the intention to “Come away and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31).
The locations included Dwellingup, Binningup, Wattle Grove, Lake Leschenaultia and Rossmoyne to really give students the feeling that they were away from the busyness of school and day-to-day life. Over three days students worked together learning about each other’s lives, spirituality and hopes and aspirations for the future. They spent time reflecting on their own lives; past, present and future and got creative in crafting a cross that is a representation of their lives. These are now displayed in the College Chapel and students will receive them at their graduation at the end of the year.
Teachers and students alike took the opportunity to share the story of their lives with each other. Upon their return everyone agreed, there were so many great conversations and experiences that were had and felt blessed to be part of the Year 12 Retreat for 2023.
Year 12 student Frank had the following to say:
“Retreat has definitely been the highlight of Year 12 for me so far, as it was a time to rest from schoolwork and to spend quality time with not only fellow students, but also the teachers. It is safe to say that retreat has had an impact on many students spiritually and has furthermore deepened our relationship with God.
Coming into the retreat I didn’t have much expectations at all because I thought that we were just going to do ‘boring activities’, but I was very much mistaken. Retreat was a time and place where both students and staff were able to open up about their lives and gain a strong connection within each other. Retreat did not just reinforce old friendships, but also created new long lasting ones between staff and students. Personally, I believe that retreat is such an important part of Year 12, especially during stressful times of ATAR assessments and other parts of school that take a toll on students.
The memorable moments from the retreat were creating our Kolbe crosses, which gave us the opportunity to reflect on our lives, past, present and into the future. Connection with our families back home in a special way was also significant for me. It was great to spend quality time with fellow students and teachers.”
