Trading the Great Books for the Great Outdoors

North Phoenix Preparatory Academy held their annual high school retreat at Lost Canyon, a Young Life camp in Williams, Ariz, located at 7,000 feet, just 30 miles west of Flagstaff.  For the last 5 years (with the exception of 2020), the academy has loaded buses with their high school students, staff, chaperones, and volunteer parents to embark on a 3-day retreat away from the campus and the rigor of daily academics.  While the venue is a campground, retreat organizer Sarah Schripsema says it’s more like “glamping” with many resort-like amenities.

Schripsema is a Humane Letters Instructor and Instructional Coach at North Phoenix Prep.  While many retreats can be a quiet time away in a relaxing and often secluded place, this retreat is designed with a robust schedule that fosters strong community.  “We’re very proud of the work we do to build community at our school, especially through our high school retreat,” said Schripsema.  “Our students build friendships through group activities like seminar, a bonfire with s’mores, Messy Games, Glow Stick Wars, and free time activities, such as whiffle ball, swimming, ultimate frisbee, gaga ball, zipline, and a giant swing.”

North Phoenix Prep Headmaster Corrine Jacobson agrees that community building is an important aspect of the retreat.  “The High School Retreat is an opportunity for students, especially students new to our community, to build relationships with their peers and teachers through active engagement with our school’s core purpose- pursuing Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.  The retreat offers the opportunity for cross-grade seminars, experiencing the beauty in the outdoors, and lots of fun,” said Jacobson.  “There is also plenty of opportunity for student leadership development and we even invite alumni back to help chaperone. This is an event that hits many people within our community – parents, faculty, students, and alumni. And the fact that so many alumni want to attend is a testament to the success and importance of this tradition.”

It was a team effort from all the staff and volunteers to pull off a successful retreat for 213 high school scholars.  Schripsema added, “We’ve really worked to build this retreat into something our whole community can be involved in, and our students look forward to it every year!”

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