Gateway proposal
Abstract
This experience would be to lead a senior retreat at my high school, Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. Being a Catholic, all girls high school, the community is already a very close family. Senior retreat is designed to not only get closer to God, but to get to know yourself and your classmates better. Alumni of Sacred Heart are the leaders of the retreat, and they tell their stories and help us on our journey through the retreat. The first day of the retreat is when you hear the first talk from one of the retreat leaders, and the following two days you hear more talks from the leaders and split into small groups to talk about the theme of the presenter’s talk and do activities that correspond with the talk. The last day there is a talk, then the seniors go back to the school to meet their parents and the girls who have already been on retreat, and talk about the experience. I know that I loved my retreat a lot, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I want to be able to lead others to have the same amazing experience that I had, and being a leader I can do this and share my story along the way.
Experience Advisor
I would choose Ms. Ruth Kelly for my experience advisor because she is in charge of all of the retreats for Sacred Heart. She attends all of the retreats, and would be able to help me on my experience to lead others through the journey of senior retreat. She has been doing this for years, and knows how the retreat affect the girls who participate.
Email: [email protected]
Connection to Learning Outcomes
I plan to do this through activities in which the students and I talk together to understand each other and experiences in our lives. In addition, a number of activities done in the retreat help the students to better know themselves (self-consciousness). These activities take a majority of the time on the retreat. This will help my progress because it will help me to discover myself as well.
I plan to do this in the small groups where there is a lot of discussion. There is a lot of discussion about personal life, and with that comes discussion of personal problems. Talking to the group, we try to help with these personal problems and obstacles. This will help my progress because it could help me to apply these problem solving skills and solutions in my life.
I plan to do this in the small group activities where we talk about ourselves and try to grow as individuals and as a group. I will also benefit from this.
Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes
I will use TED talks on leadership and perspective to prepare for this experience. A lot of the experience, at least for me, was the change in perspective that I experienced when I listened to others and their life stories. These videos will help me understand that further.
On-Going Reflection
I will be keeping a journal that I will write in every night to reflect on that day. I will ask questions like “what did you take away from today?” “Do you think you impacted anyone today?” etc.
Sharing Your Learning:
At the end of each retreat, there is an open mic in front of the students and their families. I will take the time to explain the reasoning behind why I wanted to lead retreat, and I will tell the families and students how they impacted me, and how much of an amazing experience it was. In addition, pictures will be posted to Instagram and other social media.
Abstract
This experience would be to lead a senior retreat at my high school, Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky. Being a Catholic, all girls high school, the community is already a very close family. Senior retreat is designed to not only get closer to God, but to get to know yourself and your classmates better. Alumni of Sacred Heart are the leaders of the retreat, and they tell their stories and help us on our journey through the retreat. The first day of the retreat is when you hear the first talk from one of the retreat leaders, and the following two days you hear more talks from the leaders and split into small groups to talk about the theme of the presenter’s talk and do activities that correspond with the talk. The last day there is a talk, then the seniors go back to the school to meet their parents and the girls who have already been on retreat, and talk about the experience. I know that I loved my retreat a lot, it was one of the best experiences of my life. I want to be able to lead others to have the same amazing experience that I had, and being a leader I can do this and share my story along the way.
Experience Advisor
I would choose Ms. Ruth Kelly for my experience advisor because she is in charge of all of the retreats for Sacred Heart. She attends all of the retreats, and would be able to help me on my experience to lead others through the journey of senior retreat. She has been doing this for years, and knows how the retreat affect the girls who participate.
Email: [email protected]
Connection to Learning Outcomes
- From Community Engagement:
I plan to do this through activities in which the students and I talk together to understand each other and experiences in our lives. In addition, a number of activities done in the retreat help the students to better know themselves (self-consciousness). These activities take a majority of the time on the retreat. This will help my progress because it will help me to discover myself as well.
- From Leadership:
I plan to do this in the small groups where there is a lot of discussion. There is a lot of discussion about personal life, and with that comes discussion of personal problems. Talking to the group, we try to help with these personal problems and obstacles. This will help my progress because it could help me to apply these problem solving skills and solutions in my life.
- From Leadership:
I plan to do this in the small group activities where we talk about ourselves and try to grow as individuals and as a group. I will also benefit from this.
Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes
I will use TED talks on leadership and perspective to prepare for this experience. A lot of the experience, at least for me, was the change in perspective that I experienced when I listened to others and their life stories. These videos will help me understand that further.
On-Going Reflection
I will be keeping a journal that I will write in every night to reflect on that day. I will ask questions like “what did you take away from today?” “Do you think you impacted anyone today?” etc.
Sharing Your Learning:
At the end of each retreat, there is an open mic in front of the students and their families. I will take the time to explain the reasoning behind why I wanted to lead retreat, and I will tell the families and students how they impacted me, and how much of an amazing experience it was. In addition, pictures will be posted to Instagram and other social media.