Freshmen counselor Barb Nelson described the Respect Retreat as a tradition created to give the freshmen class a worthwhile and wholesome experience.

“We came across Youth Frontier(s) and the Respect Retreat and discovered what that was,” Nelson said. “We thought ‘this is perfect. The whole class can a part of this.’ Hopefully (the students) will utilize what they’ve learned and be able to come back to the high school and have a different outlook on respecting yourself and others.”

Nelson said sophomore, junior and senior mentors gain leadership skills by serving as guides for the freshmen, which also benefits the school and its students.

“I think overall it’s a positive experience and a neat part comes with the junior and senior mentors who are part of it and brings that piece of leadership to the upper grade levels,” Nelson said.

Senior mentor Samantha Baer said although this year’s freshmen were abrasive, she enjoyed the experience as both as a freshman and as a mentor.

“I (mentored) last year and I really liked it my freshman year,” Baer said. “I thought it was really meaningful and I wanted to see what this class was like and make an impact. (I didn’t enjoy it) as much as I did my junior year. It was really hard to get the kids to participate and they weren’t being very respectful, so I really didn’t enjoy myself this year but I did last year.”

Nelson said while not every freshmen will appreciate the experience, the overall purpose and effect makes the retreat worth it.

“There’s always going to be students who don’t feel comfortable in that environment in terms of the activities and the things you do and listen to, and we just try to acknowledge that,” Nelson said. “For the most part I think the positives outweigh the negatives and there are many kids who are engaged and went home going from ‘I’m not really going to like this,’ to ‘that was really cool.’”

Baer said her personal experience as a freshman was different than that of this years’ freshmen.

“I do remember my own (Respect Retreat); it was very fun actually,” Baer said. “I loved the singing part and the group meetings. I loved the campfire at the end. My class really got into it. It touched me more than I think it touched this class.”

Baer said she believes while it does not resonate with every freshmen, the retreat provides positive lessons and is worth every freshman’s time.

“I think it’s worthwhile to do. I think for them it didn’t show and impact them while they were there but I think eventually the words will get through to them (along with) the stories,” Baer said. “I think it is worthwhile and (our school) should keep doing it.”