Retreats are a core part of every Prep student’s experience, but most never see the countless hours of work that go into making these retreats so special. At Prep, most, if not all retreats are primarily led by students.

Zach Hansen ‘25 was one of the leaders for last year’s Freshmen Retreat and will be helping lead Kairos this spring. “Like most current retreat leaders, I had a good experience on all the retreats when I was an underclassman. I thought they were really fun and impactful, so I wanted to be a part of that on the other end and create a good experience for future underclassman,” says the senior.

The retreat leading experience drastically changes from simply participating in it. “You realize how much work is put into a retreat behind the scenes, like how much planning and preparation there is. For Kairos we’re meeting once a week for about 4 months,” Hansen says. In fact, “at times the preparation can be harder than the retreat itself. You never know if you’re fully prepared until you’re actually there. You just have to trust that you’re ready.”

Although being a retreat leader can be a difficult task, there are many valuable lessons to learn from the journey. Zach adds that “in the preparation you learn many good skills, from leading small group talks to just being ready for anything that could come up, you definitely learn useful qualities on the retreat, things that can help you throughout your entire life.”

However, most Prep students choose to lead retreats for the love of it, “It’s really rewarding at the end of the retreat when everyone’s had a good time and things going smoothly. It’s just about making the best experience for the people on the retreat, so it’s really rewarding in itself,” he says.

At Prep the retreat experience is “something that sets us apart from other schools.” Retreats are enhanced by being mainly student led because it “creates the opportunity for student bonding, not just between classmates but between different grades as well.” Hansen believes “you’re much more likely to be involved and engaged in what’s going on when it’s someone like an older peer running things, rather than teachers.”

While not for everyone, those who do choose to lead a retreat find a special and unique way to give back to the school. “Retreat leaders have the opportunity to be role models for the younger students and to make an impression on what Prep is like.”