Grade 12 students in the Peer Leadership Practicum went on an annual retreat Sept. 1-4. Peer leaders, who mentor Grade 9 advisories, spent several days a few hours outside of London at a bunkhouse in Wolverhampton to bond with their classmates and learn teamwork skills.
Peer Leadership Teacher Duncan Pringle said the intention of the trip was to build trust and establish closer bonds.
“To gain the trust from their Grade 9 students that they’re advising, they need to understand what it means to form a cohesive, functional group,” Pringle said.
Annesley Potchatek (’24) said the bonding activities helped her forge deeper connections with her classmates.
“Most of the people in the peer leadership [class] I personally have known forever,” Potchatek said. “But, I didn’t know who they really were because I had never had that kind of conversation with them.”
To gain the trust from their Grade 9 students that they’re advising, they need to understand what it means to form a cohesive, functional group.
— Peer Leadership Teacher Duncan Pringle
Furthermore, Clay Olson (’24) said he enjoyed spending time with the rest of the group.
“On top of getting to know everyone, just the moments where we didn’t have anything to do but we were just hanging out,” Olson said. “I think those were my favorite times, just the mundane stuff.”
On two of the three nights, the peer leaders went on group walks without flashlights. Potchatek said these moments were very memorable for her.
“On the last night, we went out and we sat in a circle without the teachers around this tree,” Potchatek said. “We just started naming what we loved about each other, and all together, it was the sweetest thing.”
Moreover, Potchatek said because both chaperones and students were not allowed to use their phones while on the retreat, they relied on digital cameras to capture their favorite moments.
“They shared a folder with the photos and I was just reliving every memory,” Potchatek said. “Looking through the pictures, I had the biggest smile on my face.”
Although Pringle teaches the Peer Leadership course throughout the year, he said he credits a lot of the organization and planning to Administrative Assistant Shahira Moola.
“Honestly, it was her energy and guidance that got us to where we needed to go,” Pringle said. “I’ve chaperoned well over 50 to 100 trips in nearly 30 years of education, and I’ve never had an experience like that. Never.”
