Most schools partake in some sort of leadership field trip or retreat, and I am so lucky to have been able to attend not only one, but two in my high school career. Each year, a committee selects 140 students to travel to Camp Tockwogh. Tockwogh is a summer camp for kids approximately an hour and a half from my school, and pretty much in the middle of no where. As the buses traveled through the fields and woods, the cell phone service slowly decreased, but the chatter among the kids in the bus increased. Trees + outdoors + cabins – cell phone service = a lot of bonding and thinking time. Camp Tockwogh retreat is one of the most memorable and valued experiences I’ve had in high school. This is picture was taken on the second day of the three day retreat my senior year of high school. Between sessions and activities, a group of friends and I decided to wander down to the lake to watch the sun begin to set, enjoy the peace of nature and each others company. It’s so rare that we get to experience times like these in our everyday life.
In addition to enjoying each others company, appreciating nature, and making friendships, Camp Tockwogh Leadership Retreat has the word leadership in it for a reason. The entire weekend has leadership based events, activities and sessions for all to participate in. This leadership retreat means so much to me because I have made some of my best friends through this retreat, and each time I’ve gone, I’ve learned something different and eye opening about myself as a leader and the world around us. Sometimes this generation can be so close minded, but going into the middle of nowhere for a weekend really opens your mind and changes your perspective on life and the things that happen to us.