Along the edge of the lake, harmonius voices broke the silence under the glittering stars. Among the forest and hills, students bonded and relaxed with one another as they sang worship songs.

17 out of the 22 ensemble students went on the annual ensemble retreat to Bass Lake from Aug. 17-19.

?I really got to connect with people from this school and see the people in ensemble,? Richard Garcia, ’08, said. ?The real fun part was going out on the lake and messing around by rafting and wake boarding.?

Activities on the retreat included water skiing and tubing. Ensemble also played board games at junior Luke Degroot’s cabin.

?The funniest moment at the retreat was when Jessica Mesple [’09] and I tripped on the dock in front of everyone before we jumped into the lake,? Alyse Gulack, ’09, said. ?This was my first time on the retreat and I liked going tubing and getting to know the people better.?

Students worshiped and prayed for one another on Saturday night. They also attended a Sunday morning church service at the Little Church in the Pines.

?We were sitting on the dock while Mr. Bryan was playing his guitar, and we had devotions,? Gulack, said. ?The pastor at the Little Church in the Pines was really nice and asked us to come back next year.?

The retreat provided Aaron Bryan, choir director, the opportunity to outline his goals for the year.

?We want to do more outreach and service projects and sing at churches as part of their morning worship service,? Bryan said. ?I want everything we do to glorify God.?

Bryan has made plans for ensemble and choir to attend the Hertitage Music Festival in Seattle from April 9-13.

?It is important for us like any other team to get to know one another and spend time praying,? Bryan said. ?Ensemble is not just about singing, but about the relationship, fellowship, service and the role they play at school.?