Noteworthy November

         It's almost Thanksgiving, and the halls are full of hot coffee, big sweaters and tired faces. With second quarter in full swing I think we are all digging in deep again into our schoolwork. With the pouring rain outside, the dark mornings and nights, and the holidays coming up, it is the time of the year when SMA girls are huddled inside with our books and blankets. I Iove November because we all feel at home now; SMA girls have taken the time to feel comfortable and are really absorbing the nurturing atmosphere that embodies the halls of St. Mary's.   

         This past weekend I had the privilege of being an Encounter student leader, and let me tell you, nothing in this world is more meaningful than Encounter. Every year St. Mary's provides girls with retreats: freshmen year is frosh lock-in, sophomore year is the sophomore retreat, junior year is encounter, and senior year is metanoia. To sleep over at the school on a Friday night and engage in a bunch of fun activities with your classmates started off freshmen year in the right way. Sophomore retreat allowed me to get closer to my TA and have a sleepover in the woods with my closest friends. But Encounter is unique. Junior year you spend two and a half days with 70 fellow juniors at Camp Collins in Gresham, where you participate in so many sacred and special activities that have been kept well known secrets for years. The premise of Encounter is to encounter your feelings about your self and others, where many girls can voice their personal struggles while relating to others in their class. They get to know juniors who they may not have known as well beforehand, and for me personally I know that I always pick up a few life lessons along the way. To be able to lead those girls through such a sentimental experience is awe inspiring, and I am so grateful I got that opportunity. This retreat is one of my favorite things that St. Mary's incorporates into one's high school experience, and I think it really teaches young women to value themselves and others. I can't say much more because it is supposed to be a very mysterious event, but know that Encounter is like nothing else a teenage girl has experienced before.