Best of the Week 2021-2022: Holy Cross Values

STUDENT MINISTERS LEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREAT AT ST. BRENDAN'S

Last Friday, a group of St. Ed's Student Ministers headed to St. Brendan's School in North Olmsted to lead a middle school retreat for 6th through 8th graders. Helping with local middle school retreats was once a leadership opportunity students used to take advantage of prior to the pandemic, and finally having the chance to step back into grade schools after so long and offer their assistance was a great step forward. "I was in charge of leading small group activities throughout the day. Usually, I'm leading activities with people of similar age as me and people that I have some sort of relationship with so leading middle schoolers definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and really taught me to approach leadership in a different way. 6th-8th graders are very different from high school sophomores, juniors, and even freshmen, so this experience taught me how to reevaluate my playbook on leading and adjust to a new climate," says Robert Torres '22. "We all worked together to make sure it all went swimmingly, whether that was making sure our groups were on task or that everyone was enjoying themselves, we really relied on one another and pushed each other as leaders. We created memories unlike any others here and that's something you just can't take away." "It was great to have some time to play games as a group, talk about how we can be a good friend and how God is a friend for us," says Director of Campus Ministry Cari White. "These retreats are a great opportunity for our students to grow their leadership skills, as they help plan and lead the retreat, and serve as an example for these younger students."