Clumps of girls streamed across the quad as the morning bell rang on November 15th, and the Sophomore Retreat officially began. Enthusiastic Campus Ministers cheered as they passed, a stark contrast to the sober expressions on many of the girls’ faces. A promising day was in store, and the anticipation built as they congregated.

This air of femininity permeated the theatre as shouts of “No boys!” echoed among the chatting sophomores. Taylor Swift’s “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” blared out of the speakers, and the Campus Ministers partied onstage.

The fun continued with a game of Deal Breakers, and the girls enthusiastically joined in, groaning with such examples as, “He’s the perfect guy in every way except…he never brushes his teeth,” and the majority agreed that if he will always live with his parents, it might be time to call it off.

After meeting with the small groups, and fawning over the celebrity “hottie” that adorned each group’s poster, the mass began, and the girls got the first hint of the retreat’s theme. With an allusion to the French martyr Joan of Arc, Father Richard urged the girls to follow in Joan’s footsteps and put their trust and confidence in God.

Jackie Francois, singer and full-time speaker, took this concept a step further by preaching respect of self and urging young women to practice chastity.

She proceeded to fill her speech with lots of funny voices, hilarious faces, and poppy songs such as “Love Story” by Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber’s “Somebody to Love.”

An overwhelming theme turned out to be love and how girls, “were made to be loved and give love,” said Jackie.

Increasing in seriousness as her speech progressed, Jackie stressed that each girl should respect herself concerning relationships because “God has amazing plans for you and is right now writing your love story…(you) can be a part of that love story, or settle,” said Jackie.

She brought this home by sharing her own experiences with love and how, before she converted ten years earlier, she often filled the void of affection left by her father with guys. After giving up these negative habits, Jackie began to pray for her future husband, and announced that, after many relationships and three pages written of requirements in said husband, she had gotten engaged five days earlier to the man of her dreams.

Jackie concluded by saying as she pointed to her heart, “your beauty starts here.”

The retreat began to pick up pace with the arrival of lunch and such entertainment as a toilet paper fashion show. But soon, the girls were herded back inside for some serious faith talks by senior Campus Ministers, and the day concluded with a sensitive game of Cross the Line, not unlike the one played at Freshman Retreat the year before.

Food, speakers, and games are all necessary components to any successful retreat, but who exactly is behind the planning? Roughly eight weeks in the making, Campus Ministry was responsible for making the magic happen. Yet there is another member of this team: the newest leader of retreats, Ms. Alison Purpera.

She explained the goal, which is to take at least one thing away from the experience, and how the dynamic is different since this retreat is divided into males and females. “Girls and guys open up very differently, and it gives the guys and girls the opportunity to talk about things they wouldn’t normally talk about in front of the other sex,” said Ms.  Purpera.

The messages of the retreats were also unique to each gender. Senior Campus Minister  Rachel Carrol explained the theme as God’s love of women and the importance of sisterhood and community.

Senior Nicolette Marotta summed this up by saying, “The retreat in general is about respecting yourself as a woman.”

Small group leader, Senior Amy Melton, didn’t seem too concerned with the sophomore girls’ ability to embrace this message “(They’re) really nice kids that are willing to listen to me and look up to me,” she said.

She even had her own message to convey “(You) can still hold your values and have friends and have guys like you and be a religious person.”