Sophomore Retreat: Service to Remember

Anna Zittle, Staff Writer

On March 11, 2016, I had the wonderful privilege of going on my sophomore retreat.  This retreat entailed spending the day working with various grade levels at Moravia Park Elementary School.  Though the day was about helping the kids learn, I think I learned just as much as they did, and I’m sure this is an experience I will never forget.

The day started out at NDP, as our retreat group (Mrs. Longo’s yellow class) gathered in Mrs. Carlson’s room.  There, we talked about what we would be doing that day.  Mrs. Carlson had one request: remember one kid or one story that we could share after.  We then piled onto the bus with Mrs. Carlson and Mrs. Strausbaugh, and on the ride we shared our names and favorite TV shows.  When we arrived, we witnessed a pair of adorable girls give the morning announcements as well as the school pledge.  We were then assigned to various grades.  I had the amazing opportunity of working with a class of first graders with Gina Dailey-Kelz.  When we entered the classroom, the students seemed delighted to have new people in the classroom.  Throughout the day, we helped the kids with any work they might have trouble on, and just bonded with the kids when we could.  We then traveled back to NDP and had lunch, and then went to the chapel to talk about the day and hold a small prayer service.  It was a truly wonderful day, and after it, I felt closer to my classmates and to God

One profound experience that I distinctly remember happened during recess.  I’d been mostly working with some girls, specifically a girl named Kaylee, but during recess a young boy whom I didn’t know continually gave me dandelions.  He never told me his name, but eventually I ended up with three dandelions in my hair and many in my pocket.  For the rest of the day, I continued to think about this child’s kindness.  He may have remembered my name from when Gina and I were introduced to the class, but I did not know his.  Yet he seemed to love my presence anyway and gave me flowers whenever he got the chance.  This taught me something very important that I hadn’t really thought about before.  All of these kids held a special light in them, that we only see in kids as young as they are.  They are no different from any other little children we might encounter, no matter wealth, skin color, or gender.  All these kids wanted was someone to care about them.  And in each and every one of them, I was amazed to see God in each of them.  Sure, it was easier to see God in the boy who gave me flowers, but he showed me that every one of his classmates possessed the same light, even the rambunctious girl who wouldn’t do what she was told.  Every single child had that spark of light, and I am so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to see this.  This retreat was not only a way to help kids learn and to bond with them, but a way for those of us serving to see a completely different image of God, and to learn valuable lessons from all of these kids who were learning lessons themselves.