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CCHS freshmen participate in annual retreat

  • The freshman class at Charles City High School participated in the annual freshman retreat Friday at the Floyd County Youth Enrichment Center at the fairgrounds. The event has been held near the beginning of the school year for more than 20 years now, and featured games, team-building activities and even some dancing — all centered on the theme of respect. (Press photo James Grob.)

  • The freshman class at Charles City High School participated in the annual freshman retreat Friday at the Floyd County Youth Enrichment Center at the fairgrounds. The event has been held near the beginning of the school year for more than 20 years now, and featured games, team-building activities and even some dancing — all centered on the theme of respect. (Photo submitted.)

  • The freshman class at Charles City High School participated in the annual freshman retreat Friday at the Floyd County Youth Enrichment Center at the fairgrounds. The event has been held near the beginning of the school year for more than 20 years now, and featured games, team-building activities and even some dancing — all centered on the theme of respect. (Photo submitted.)

  • The freshman class at Charles City High School participated in the annual freshman retreat Friday at the Floyd County Youth Enrichment Center at the fairgrounds. The event has been held near the beginning of the school year for more than 20 years now, and featured games, team-building activities and even some dancing — all centered on the theme of respect. (Photo submitted.)

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Respect was the word of the day on Friday.

The freshman class at Charles City High School participated in the annual freshman retreat Friday at the Floyd County Youth Enrichment Center at the fairgrounds. The event has been held near the beginning of the school year for more than 20 years, and features games, team-building activities and even some dancing — all centered on the theme of respect.

“The seniors help bring in the freshmen and make sure they feel welcome at the school,” said senior Noah Reams, one of the event’s retreat leaders. “We make sure that they’re not scared of us, and that they know they can come up to us and let us help them.”

Retreat leaders are selected from several dozen juniors and seniors who apply.

“We want them to know that we’re not jerks that are going to push them around. We’re here to help,” Reams said.

The event is facilitated by Youth Frontiers, a non-profit organization out of Minneapolis. Youth Frontiers goes to schools around the country and offers one-day retreats for students focusing on values like kindness, courage and respect. The organization has worked with both students and staff at various retreats over the years.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to attend this a lot of different years,” said CCHS teacher Ann Hanes. “The juniors and seniors who work with the ninth-graders all apply. It’s a very coveted role, and these kids are selected because they’re especially good at reaching out to other students.”

The idea is to build understanding between the younger students and the older students, and to ease the apprehensions of the freshmen students and make sure they feel welcome at the high school.

“Today’s focus with the ninth-graders and the junior and senior leaders is to focus in on respect,” said David Voves, TLC instructional coach at Charles City High School. “The idea of respecting yourself and respecting others, and standing up when you see disrespect happening.”

Reams participated in the retreat when he was a freshman.

“It’s a great thing in my eyes,” he said. “You get welcomed into the high school with open arms. All the seniors want you to be with them. You’re a part of the high school now. You’re one of us.”

The students played multiple games such as scavenger hunt and a human sculpture. They also sang songs and participated in group activities designed to create trust and respect.

“Youth Frontiers does such a nice job of taking such a serious subject — respect, and the reflection of what that means to each person — and making it a very fun day,” Hanes said. “Almost every student is engaged in this very important part of belonging to the high school.”

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