On November 7 to 10, the fifth grade class traveled to Lorado Taft for their first overnight school retreat, and they were joined by six seniors: Liliana Bravo, Grace Buono, Jack Cordwell, Jolie Davidson, Josh Marks, and Maya Plotnick. This is a notable difference from previous years, when between 0 and 3 seniors have attended.

Dean of Student Life for Intermediate and Middle School Siobhan Allen, a ten-year Parker veteran, has worked to facilitate and improve the retreat for nine of them. At her current position, she works to support both the teachers and students going on the trip.

On the trip with Allen, the six seniors, and the fifth grade were fifth grade teachers Mike McPharlin, Jeff Stone, and Scott turner, fifth grade assistants Jenny Marshall, Jake Rosenbluth, and Kendall Okner, Director of Auxiliary Programs Alex Franke, Lower School coordinator Gretchen Kaluzny, Visual Arts teacher Kiley Piercy, Intermediate and Middle School counselor Reyna Smith, and Lower and Intermediate School technology assistant Seth Bacon.

“Big Brothers and Big Sisters have got some form of wanting to make touchpoints, connections, and relationships,” Allen said, “so we find value that them getting to know their classes provides this opportunity of being outside of the classroom where they can get to know kids.”

The role of seniors at Lorado Taft has historically been to assist in some of the daily activities, such as campfires, and help kids in an orienteering activity in the woods. They also serve to help students understand different tasks, and be an overall observer to help solve students’ problems or needs.

Bravo reflected on what it meant for her to be going back on a trip that was so meaningful for her. “I didn’t like writing, so that was the moment when I was pushed to start creative writing, so I would say it’s one of those trips that really pushed me to be a little bit more of an individual,” Bravo said. “We are reminiscing, as kids are going through what we went through.”

Some of the creative writing assignments on the trip involve reflective pieces about the fifth graders’ experiences, as well as more descriptive and story-based writing such as the Micro Trail, which has the fifth graders take the perspective of a three-inch figure travelling through the forest.

Another aspect of the seniors’ going was how it gave them perspective into what it takes to prepare for and carry out a school trip — showing them a different way of looking at an experience they’ve had in the past. Turner explained how this plays out on the trip. “It’s like a chance to look backstage at a show you’ve seen,” Turner said, “and you see not only the amount of preparation that goes into it, but to see how specific experiences are valued.”

Allen believes the trip has been impactful for seniors. “Some of them even have their journals that they took with them as fifth graders,” Allen said, “to see what they wrote and what they experienced, and to now see as a 17 or 18 year old the magic of it.”

Seniors who applied and were evaluated by different teachers to make sure that they were behaviorally and academically fit to attend. Following their acceptance, the seniors went to informational meetings prior to the trip, and read schedules and directions.

Cordwell explained why it was meaningful for him to be able to interact with younger kids on the trip. “They always would ask me what would come next, such as ‘Are we going on a hike tonight?’” Cordwell said, “and I always would tell them it was a surprise and try to really get their hopes up for something that would come up in the night that would be amazing.”

Common activities during Lorado Taft include long hikes through the thick woods near their living quarters, spending nights by the campfire, and singing songs they had learned before coming on the trip. The seniors that went to Lorado Taft were the big brothers and sisters of the fifth graders, and so had known them somewhat already.

Sixth grader Lucas Burgett explained why seniors attending the retreat with him last year helped him feel more comfortable with staying there. “They were in between the teachers and the students,” Burgett said.  “They knew more about what the students were feeling than the teachers, and you could relate to them more.”

Fifth grader Emma Kling liked having six seniors at the retreat. “It was a good experience because they’re younger, and for them it’s probably a good experience because they can relate back to when they were in fifth grade,” Kling said. “It was really fun to hang out with them because they come from all different classes, and we can get to know the other big brothers.”