Class Retreats Offer Fresh Perspectives

Chatham Hall
The freshman and sophomore classes spent part of Saturday on class retreats with a focus on the year ahead. Both held off-site, the freshmen headed for a hike in Hanging Rock State Park, while the sophomores had the chance to learn about their personalities through assessment provided by Dean of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
 
Students from the class of 2021 spent the morning traveling to Hanging Rock, and, when they arrived, enjoyed the short hike on a cool and temperate early fall day. Stopping in a small field along the trail, the class took some time to perform trust exercises, including a Blindfold walk being led by the arm with solid verbal communication skills and directions from their peers.  As the group continued on the trail, students participated in a Silence challenge in which each girl walked in silence to absorb the sounds, smells, and light of nature. Each activity was followed up by a group discussion, and ended with students offering observations on how their classmates respond to adversity, and to each other. Discussion led to observations of helpfulness, support and encouragement.

As the freshmen were hiking Hanging Rock, the sophomore class of 2020 held an off-site retreat at the Reid Street Gallery in Chatham. The 10th graders and their faculty sponsors had a chance to participate in a workshop facilitated by Dr. Jacqueline Tidwell, Dean of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who is also a certified Meyers Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner. The grade level curriculum themes for 10th graders is "Individual and Community" and girls are given opportunities to gain a clearer sense of their place in the larger world, ultimately broadening student perspective and understanding. The program focuses on cultural literacy  (how do girls interact with others in the world with authenticity and compassion?) and conversations about effective communication to build girls' emotional intelligence, strengthen their sense of self and enrich the school community.

After previously completing an MBTI assessment, girls were taught the history of Meyers Briggs and completed a dynamic set of exercises to help them further discover information about their stylistic preferences. The day culminated in an epic interactive exercise where girls were challenged to work in teams, using lessons they learned in the workshop to create the tallest possible structure using items like dried pasta, tape, and marshmallows! In all, both classes enjoyed learning more about themselves, and their classmates, as they prepare for the year ahead.
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800 Chatham Hall Circle  •  Chatham, VA 24531
+1 434.432.2941  •  admissions@chathamhall.org
Day and boarding school for girls grades 9-12 in the Episcopal tradition.

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