Inspired by Respect

Inspired by Respect

written by Ellie Eckman

edited by Madeline Obele

On Tuesday, October 27^th, the sophomore class embarked on a Youth Frontier’s Respect Retreat. After the retreat, I had the privilege to sit down and talk with Aaron Harper, our principal here at East Ridge High School. The Respect Retreat left the sophomores and even the junior leaders inspired and stunned by how powerful these six hours were.

            “First of all,” Mr. Harper began, “I’ve been a part of Youth Frontiers before and my experiences have been phenomenal”.  The Youth Frontiers leaders’ positive attitudes create an educational yet entertaining environment for the students. They make it possible for kids to feel comfortable sharing and working as a whole.

“It’s hard to put into words how powerful a day like this is,” Mr. Harper stated. As a small group leader, I experienced this first hand. I watched students step out of their comfort zones and participate in all of the activities, whether it was dancing to the Cupid Shuffle or admitting they have had a tough time respecting others or even themselves.

At East Ridge, Mr. Harper made it clear that we have the opportunity to be different.  “Or else we’ll be like any other school, but with nice paint.” He joked. “As a school, we have to do things to emphasize positivity and unity.”  The Respect Retreat demonstrated this perfectly. After the final segment of the retreat, the students clustered around the gym and shared their opinions of the day. The retreat was described by many sophomores and juniors as surprising, motivating, and helpful. Mr. Harper acknowledged that it was intended for everyone involved to be able to get just as much out of the retreat as the sophomores.

“It’s easy to assume and believe [the Respect Retreat] is a waste of time.”  Mr. Harper admitted. In all honesty, I also believed that spending over six hours learning about respect in the school gym would be pointless. I was wrong. Being a part of the retreat and talking with Mr. Harper, I learned that just because you’re not sitting a desk doesn’t mean you’re not learning. Mr. Harper described the retreat as ‘a relative and experiential learning process,’ and it definitely was.

            Mr. Harper illustrated his intent to have these retreats on a four year cycle with the Respect Retreat for incoming freshmen and finishing with a Wisdom Retreat for seniors. High school is about building character and having experiences. When you look back on your week, you probably won’t remember what you did in Geometry on Wednesday, but if you ask the sophomores what they did on Tuesday, October 27^th, they’ll remember. These experiences are important to students; Mr. Harper, along with the administration team, understands that.  “We can be different, we can make a difference” Mr. Harper declared.  After observing and being a part of the Respect Retreat, I truly believe we can all make a difference.