“Let it go, let it go,” Eric W. ’26 wheezed. “Can’t hold it back anymore! Let it go, let it go! Turn away and slam the door.”
For the talent/no-talent show at this year’s retreat for the senior class, Eric had decided to showcase his special ability to sing the Disney hit—but, “while most people sing breathing out,” he sang while breathing in.
After just a few seconds of initial incredulousness, the seniors went wild for Eric’s performance. He received a standing ovation from the rest of his grade.
Beyond the talent show, seniors recently enjoyed a plethora of activities like visiting the Mystery Spot of Santa Cruz, tackling strenuous ropes courses, and battling for claim of the best s’mores recipe. While staying at the Happy Valley Conference Center in Santa Cruz, they also embraced meaningful opportunities to reflect on their identities and their responsibilities to each other during the high-intensity fall semester.
From the first night of the group’s arrival, Senior Dean Phil Moreno encouraged each student to “tell [their] own story” and recognize each other’s. Following an annual tradition, he provided each student with a blank checklist of statements like, “I am worried about paying for college,” “I have a hidden physical disability,” and “I have a family member who has been to prison.” Students anonymously filled out the sheets based on their personal experiences.
Later, the lists were randomly distributed to a different senior, allowing students to represent a real classmate other than themselves. While Moreno read the statements aloud, students stood up when the statement was checked on their new sheet. At the end of the activity, some members of the grade described feeling “relieved,” “sad,” and “lucky.”
“We really never know what might be going on with someone else behind the scenes,” Moreno said. He hoped that the activity would encourage students to channel empathy into their interactions with each other in the upcoming year.
The next day, the grade tackled a new challenge: a ropes course. Students and teachers alike strapped into harnesses and helmets, and they spent the next several hours scaling dangling structures, leaping off a tall platform, and even forming groups to belay each other.
Jason C. ’26 shared his reflections on being belayed—a process to protect climbers from falling—by a team of three classmates he was less familiar with. “In that moment, I [trusted them] very much, and they [didn’t] let me fall off and die,” Jason said. “Everyone’s down there cheering you on, and you know that there’s someone there to catch you.”
Coming out of the retreat, the senior grade representatives and other volunteers will form an official “College Bill of Rights,” which students began to draft during their time in Santa Cruz. The document will outline principles for student-to-student and student-to-parent interactions regarding the college admissions process, and the recommendations will aim to build on the retreat’s purpose: creating a foundation of respect, trust, and encouragement among this year’s new senior class.