One hundred twelve freshmen and 27 peer ministers had a day filled with fun, touching stories, and bonding at the class of 2012’s first BSM retreat. The only retreat that does not offer an overnight stay began at 8 a.m. on January 24 and concluded at 10:30 p.m. Freshman Matt Frank said about the experience, “I thought the retreat was good, and it was a fun day.”

With Camp Ihduhapi as the setting for the day, the retreat provided a chance for the freshmen to get to know each other and the upperclassmen through small group sessions. The discussion topics included how the freshmen plan to spend their high school years, and what they think about their classes right now. “I really liked how we got a chance to know the upperclassmen well,” said freshman Juliet Beckstrand.

Some of the most touching moments of the day came from the various panels about faith stories presented by some of the BSM faculty and the senior peer ministers. “The input of the seniors in the panels is so important for the freshmen to hear, and I think it went really well,” said campus minister Mike Jeremiah.

The freshmen also got an opportunity to write letters to themselves to be opened in the spring of their senior year. “I really liked the individual letter writing part the best,” said Matt Frank.

The day ended with Mass, followed by a small closing ceremony. “I felt really good about the retreat and all that we accomplished during the day. The peer ministers did an outstanding job, and the freshmen gave so much of themselves to make it work,” said Mr. Jeremiah

Senior peer minister Jenny Liesenfelt expressed her thoughts about the freshman class, saying, “I hope that the freshmen strengthen the new friendships they made at the retreat and grow united as a class.”