First Week Ends with Retreats

When it came time for Jenni Baldwin’s senior advisory students to take to the ropes course at Miracle Ranch Camp, Madison H. ’18 was first to put on a harness and helmet. “If I don’t do it, I’m going to regret it, and the longer I wait the more I’d talk myself out of it,” says the Overlake Senior. “I’ve been here since 5th grade and I was too chicken to do it back then, and I’ve always regretted that decision. Now, I’ve come full circle and am able to do this!” That attitude of taking chances and going out of your comfort zone is a common theme of Overlake retreats. For seniors that includes a lot of reflection on the legacy that they’ve built here.

Now in our 50th year, retreats are experiences outside that classroom that all students get to share. For our newest class, the 5th grade class of 2025, retreats are a way to connect with new classmates in games and activities. It’s also a way to for our kids to see how their individual stories can be woven into a group. Nikhil Singhal has two children at Overlake including a 5th grader. He says it’s incredible to see those bonds created. “There’s so much more here than just getting to know each other’s names,” says Singhal. “They get to know what each other likes, and, just as importantly, what they don’t like.” Working as a parent chaperone, he’s grown an appreciation for how Overlake retreats operate. “These teachers do an amazing job, and it’s so great to see how they work with these children where, for many, it's the first time that they're away from their families. There’s no strain, and everyone is having such a great time.”

For Overlake’s 11th graders, service learning is the retreat’s goal. Gathering donations for Northwest Harvest, Overlake’s class of 2019 fanned out to area Safeway stores and collected money and groceries for the food bank. “In three hours they collected 43-hundred pounds of non-perishable food items and over $2,750.00 in cash donations. Northwest Harvest estimates that 67-cents will feed a family of three, so with the donations of cash and food items the students have provided 7,500 meals!," says Service Learning Director Beth Highland. 

No matter where an Overlake student's journey begins, the retreat experience is different every year. Senior Lena K. has been to seven retreats, and her advice to students is to enjoy every single one. “As a senior, I really feel that you get to celebrate the last of everything. Right now, it’s the last retreat and all those memories come back. I see the younger kids and think that I was once in their spot,” says Lena. “The great thing about Overlake is that we can celebrate all these things together.”

Here are some photos from the retreat, and, if you're part of our current Overlake community, you can check out all our photos on our vidigami photo sharing page.