As senior Jessica Lopez prepares for the Wisdom Retreat with the rest of the senior class, Lopez said she does not have any expectations.

“Honestly, I’ve asked around and I don’t even know (what to anticipate at the retreat). I think we’re all confused and we’re just waiting to see,” Lopez said. “I know a lot of people don’t want to go because we’re so confused of what it is. The (administration) really didn’t talk to us about it.”

According to counselor Heidi Cosgrove, the Wisdom Retreat acts as the bookend to the Respect Retreat at the beginning of freshman year, aiming to create closure for the students.

“The Wisdom Retreat is closing the door on your high school journey, closing the chapter of your life,” Cosgrove said. “(Seniors are) embarking on a new chapter and whether that student’s going off to college, the military, to the world of work, to a gap year, every single person (at the Wisdom Retreat) is starting a new chapter in their life and closing an old chapter and that’s a shared commonality of everybody in that room.”

Senior Simon Lewin said he feels the Wisdom Retreat will be similar to the Respect Retreat.

“Frankly I’m assuming that (the retreat) is going to be similar to the freshman retreat that people did, that was the respect one,” Lewin said. “I’m sure it will just do some bonding things and talk about how the year has been and it will overall be pretty mediocre.”

Cosgrove said watching students reflect on their high school experiences during the retreat is moving.

“It’s just really amazing to see the journey that the students have gone through—to hear them voice their journey and essentially to really recognize (their) days are done here and are all going off to something new,” Cosgrove said.

Lopez said she hopes the Wisdom Retreat will be educational and help her become a better person.  

“I just hope that whatever we learn from the Wisdom Retreat will be good stuff. (Since) we’re heading to college, maybe we’ll learn about ourselves,” Lopez said. “I want to come out different, but I can’t explain how because I don’t really know what the retreat is going to be about.”

Cosgrove said she believes the retreat results in a success when all of the seniors attend and take the retreat seriously.

“I think the ultimate goal (of the Wisdom Retreat) is to be together in a room one last time and to reflect on what high school has been like, to project what’s the future going to be like, how (seniors) are feeling about (leaving high school),” Cosgrove said. “I think the other shared piece is that as exciting it may be to be done here at St. Louis Park, there’s a little bit of safety that they know they no longer have.”

According to Cosgrove, the Wisdom Retreat stems from the district’s goal of ensuring students leave Park with an impactful experience.

“As a district, we care about students and we want them to have a really neat experience, a really wonderful experience, so the district is providing (the Wisdom Retreat),” Cosgrove said. “The alternative is not having it and just having another day of school.”

Lewin said he believes the date of the retreat takes time away from preparation for the upcoming AP and IB tests.

“(The retreat) is extremely poorly places as it’s on one of our preemptive testing days. There is something to be sad there for the lack of wisdom on the school’s part,” Lewin said. “I can’t image it’s going to have too much wisdom to impart, rather just be more of a break during the testing season.”

Cosgrove said attitude remains a key component of the lasting impact the Wisdom Retreat can have on the senior class.

“I think I’ve been part of two retreats and for the beneficial piece, it really depends on what students put into it. If students put in their true heart and emotions and desire to be there, (the retreat) can be incredibly powerful,” Cosgrove said. “This type of opportunity will never again happen with your class, ever. You might have these type of opportunities in the workplace with team bonding, in college with professor bonding, but students will never, ever get this opportunity back again.”  

According to assistant principal Kari Schwietering, the Wisdom Retreat begins at 8:30 a.m. on April 27 at the high school flagpole, where students will be transported to the Colonial Church of Edina for the school day.