The Barstow Freshman Retreat is a tradition dating back long before 2021. Ms. Lindsay Zimmerman, Upper School English teacher and freshmen dean, explains that the retreat “has been going on for decades…as a sort of bonding activity between students.”
In the wake of COVID restrictions, Ms. Zimmerman and Ms. Angela Guldin, sophomore dean and Upper School History teacher, had to be especially flexible when organizing the event. In past years, Zimmerman says that the retreat was “a full day event from 8 AM to 7 PM. In some years, the freshmen even had a lockdown portion where they slept over at Barstow.” But both Zimmerman and Guldin decided that a smaller retreat with Zimmerman’s “favorite events” would be just as successful as before.
Students first participated in a Barstow history themed scavenger hunt, with groups having a mix of freshman and sophomores and one faculty advisor. The search took groups all around the campus, including Price Hall, the baseball field, and the Robotics shed. Some clues had Barstow related trivia like “The name of Barstow’s student-run newspaper and the year its first edition was published” (the answers are B-line and 1898, by the way).
Only one group came out on top though. Group 9, lled by Dr. Kory Gallagher, emerged victorious. Liane Bdair, a sophomore and a proud member of group 9, says that “the scavenger hunt was my favorite part, not only because it helped me mingle with some 9th graders, but because it also taught me more about Barstow.”
Immediately after, students gathered in the Senior Circle, located just to the right of the Barstow pickup circle. Sophomores made a large loop at the edge, while freshmen lined themselves up at the inner brick. The sophomores then rotated around the outermost ring, talking to each of the freshmen for a short 45 seconds.
Some popular conversation topics included extracurriculars, years at Barstow, advice for high school, and first day jitters. “My favorite part of the retreat was the friendship circle,” says sophomore Brenna White. “I thought that it was a really cool idea and I really liked getting to know all of them.” White continued, saying that the friendship circle definitely allowed her to be “more comfortable talking to the freshmen” outside of the retreat.
The impact of the friendship circle on freshmen-sophomore relations has almost always been beneficial, as its lengthy reign might imply. Classes of ‘22 and ‘23, as well as alumni have all echoed White’s comment that this activity drastically changed the way they viewed their set of 9th graders.
For the freshmen, the retreat is a chance to not only get to know the intimidating sophomores, but gain valuable bits of insight from students who have been in their shoes. Alina Stribling ‘23 and Leili Desmukh ‘23 both say that the sophomores told them “not to procrastinate” and to “study a lot.” Liam Groden, another freshman also was warned of the workload and added that some students told him that “Ms. Zimmerman’s and Dr. Root’s classes were something to look forward to.”
Unfortunately, the juniors and seniors were not able to participate in their usual sleepaway retreats due to COVID, but many students have resonated with Ms. Zimmerman’s attitude that “something is better than nothing.” While this year is definitely not normal, this retreat and the camaraderie between the 9th and 10th graders all signal a slow return back to the standard.
