Fall Retreat Split for First Time in King's History

This year’s Interregnum theme (Tradition and Innovation) seems closer to home than many would like, as King's innovates its way around a longstanding school tradition. For the first time in King’s history, the annual fall retreat is split into two groups. The houses of Bonhoeffer, QE1, Reagan, ten Boom and Truth will be heading out this Friday to Streamside Camp located in the Poconos, PA; Thatcher, Lewis, SBA, Churchill and Barton will spend the weekend at Taconic Retreat and Conference Center located in Milan, NY.

Why did the split occur? If you haven't already noticed – saving a table in the cafe is no small feat anymore. The incoming class has dramatically increased the size of the school. If all houses retreated to the same facility, the total cost would substantially increase from previous years. Splitting up the houses was the most cost-effective way to host fall retreat and encourage as many students as possible to attend the weekend.

On the upside, since both retreats will be smaller, they may create more opportunities for community development. Less people means more interaction with the same people. Students will have more time to get to know each other beyond matching faces with names.

Many upperclassmen have expressed disappointment that the annual tradition of all the students attending the same retreat has been broken.

Mary Pham ('13) felt King’s is ruining a great tradition by having the houses split up and that the experience would just not be the same.

“In past years, I’ve enjoyed getting to meet a lot of people at the retreat I normally wouldn’t have run into in a regular day at King’s,” Pham said. Spending a weekend outside the city with the entire student body helped give her a stronger sense of community.

House presidents planned each retreat with the money allotted to them. Speakers at the Milan retreat include TKC  alumni David and Amber Lapp and English Professor, Dr. Jackson. Eric Bennett is speaking at the Poconos retreat.

Stay in touch for updates this weekend on the Fall Retreat your house is missing. For a chance to see your tweet in a story, use the hash tag #TKCFallRetreat.