Imagine this: Going away to Sharptop Cove Young Life Camp in Jasper, GA from October 9-11 with your entire grade so you can bond, connect and have fun. Sorry, 6th and 7th graders, this trip is for 8th-grade students only. For those who don’t know, this annual experience is just one of the perks of being an 8th grader. 

Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect: We will be staying in various cabins around the sprawling 1200-acre camp, which can accommodate up to 500 people. The camp has various attractions such as the zip-line across the lake and the giant slide that takes you from the deck of one of the buildings right into the lake. There is also the Bear Den, a lounge where students can relax, play games, and hang out. All of these activities will further enhance the 8th graders’ enjoyable experience at the retreat.

8th-grade boys Grade Chair Patrick Egan says the variety show is his favorite activity. “It is an activity that we initially thought was going to be a talent show,” he says. “And I thought, well, gosh, I have no talent. And somewhere, we just needed roles, and I just said, well, why don’t I go up and sing a song? Last year, I sang Nights in White Satin which is a beautiful, beautiful song, and it was just a lot of fun.” Other teachers enjoyed Egan’s performance. “It was glorious,” says Middle School Spanish teacher Ted Sadtler. “He sang, he engaged, he emoted, it was an amazing performance.”

The 8th Grade retreat is designed to help the grade bond and connect. However, Director of Student Life Reverend Tina McCormick says the 8th-grade retreat wasn’t always rooted in connection. “When I started teaching at Westminster, the 8th-grade retreat was two days of working on your computer,” she says. “Then it was called a leadership retreat. The 8th graders would have a task to do, and they would do some activities based on getting to know each other and leadership development. Computers were part of it. And it was more academic.” 

However, the retreat doesn’t always go according to plan. This year, the dates were changed from August to October, confusing the current 8th graders, who expected the retreat to happen earlier. However, prior to COVID,  the retreat occurred in October for various reasons, such as homeroom teachers knowing their group better, the 8th graders knowing each other better, and the weather being cooler. However, according to 8th Grade girls Grade Chair Catherine Zidow, the schedule was not moved for these purposes. “I believe there are a lot of benefits to August as well, but the camp also had a conflict in their schedule,” she said. “So the dates that we would’ve gone, they had booked out already. They didn’t have space for us in August, so we switched the dates to October.”

Students and teachers alike look forward to the retreat every year. Egan stresses the social and emotional value of the trip. “It just allows us to give each of the 8th graders an amazing memory of times with peers, but it also gives us an opportunity to help build certain aspects,” he says. “It’s getting comfort around groups of friends. There are so many ways that we’re gonna allow or help students grow that maybe they wouldn’t even be able to point to, but it’s there.” Zidow also shares that belief. “As a class you bond, because you’ll have moments when you’ll say, ‘Remember when Egan told that story?’ Everyone who goes will remember those things.” Why is this so important? 8th grade is a critical time in our development, and before we know it, we’ll be off to high school; it’s essential to cement our bonds now because we’ll need them throughout the next four years and the rest of our lives. 

See you at the retreat, 8th graders!