The senior class traveled to Calvin Crest for their annual retreat on Sept. 10-11.

To many, the senior retreat was a time for hanging out, relaxing and recreation.

“The apple fight on the lake was the best part of retreat for me,” Mikey Wills said. “It was really funny when Brad Smittcamp’s canoe tipped over and he got knocked into the lake. The skits were also really cool. It was funny watching my classmates imitate the teachers. I thought that Jordan Hogue did an awesome portrayal of [Principal] ‘Papa’ [Gary] Schultz.”

One of the many traditions for the senior retreat are the teacher impersonation skits performed by the students. Among the favorites of the evening were Jason Damm as drama teacher, Tom McEntee, Gary Darakjian as Spanish teacher, Beatriz Foth, and Brianne Raymer as English teacher, Molly Sargent.

In addition to the skits and free time activities, students also viewed the trip as an opportunity for spiritual reflection.

“I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of chapel,” Corinne Pogue said. “I didn?t know coach [Chris] Schultz very well so it was good to get to know him better through his speaking.”

While the retreat may be an experience designed for students, teachers also look forward to the annual trip.

“One of the great parts of going to Calvin Crest for the senior retreat is that we as teachers get to see alumni who work there,” Sargent said. “This year we were able to see Jamie Styre [’99] which was awesome.

“It may sound weird, but it is really cool to see how our students turn out. You hope that that they grow in good character and make wise choices so when you see that they do, it’s really quite special.”

Styre is a graduate of Christian Heritage College in San Diego and had been living in Phoenix, Arizona up until this year. She began working at Calvin Crest a week prior to the retreat.

One of the highlights of the trip for many was the late night wrestling matches.

“The cabin wrestling competitions were really fun,” Daniel Kessler said. “It was late and we were delirious so it was fun to fight each other. I got to wrestle against Dan Crosby and then I tag-teamed with Gary Darakjian against Tim Wilborn and Crosby. I had a great time.”

In keeping with tradition, the senior guys held a wrestling competition in their cabins during the first night of the retreat.

Last year, however, the boys’ annual match was cancelled so the girls decided to host their own night fight, dubbing it Wild Women’s Wrestling, or W3.

“W3 began with the class of 2005 when the boys didn?t have a wrestling match,” Sargent said. “The girls thought that this was a shame so they decided to continue the tradition instead.”

As in professional wrestling, champions were named for the both retreat matches. Bethany Morton claimed the title overall for the girls.

“I had so much fun wrestling,” Morton said. “I really bonded with my competitors, Kassy [Batesole] and Katrina [Stevenson]. The best part of the whole Retreat was definitely using my ‘shriek and attack’ against Kassy.”

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To contact Calvin Crest, go to their website at www.calvincrest.com or call (559) 683-4450.