On a sunny afternoon, Arcadia High School juniors kept it cool during their first bonding event of the year, Retreat and Refresh, on Sept. 16. Throughout the hour and a half, students enjoyed water relay races and basketball games–boasting their skills and demonstrating their competitiveness. 

In the water relays, students would work together in teams to achieve the end goal: to fill the bucket to the brim with water. The first team to fill the bucket to the rim was declared the winner! One student would initially begin by soaking a sponge in a bowl of water and passing it along to a line of other students behind. Then, they would all collectively pass it along until the person at the end would squeeze all the water consumed by the sponge into the bucket. The process then repeats. 

Along with displaying their talents, juniors could also show their creativity through keychain creation. Various keychains also came with super cute miniature squeaky toys, like tiny ducks and cows! 

To escape the heat and end the week with a bang, students also received free otter pops, drinks, and chips! ASB also created a giant, colorful poster with the phrase “Retreat and Refresh”. Students could gather in front of the sign and take pictures with creative poses! Smiles and laughter were shared throughout the afternoon, creating a joyful atmosphere.

Junior Joyce Lee, one of the organizers of the Retreat and Refresh bonding event, stated, “I feel that at the Retreat and Refresh bonding event, we were really able to get closer as a class, and it was great to see everyone running around, decorating keychains, snacking on snacks, and singing their hearts out–all with smiles!” 

Lee said that the Junior Council has been brainstorming since the summer for future activities the Class of 2024 will be able to enjoy this year. Retreat and Refresh presented an exciting first bonding event for juniors, foreshadowing many more future amusing events.

“[Junior Council is] looking forward to hosting [AHS’ Class of 2024] because these [bonding] events become special high school moments where we can all share time with our class and take a break from the blur of life,” concluded Lee. 

Thank you to Junior Council for hosting this bonding event, and a special thanks to everyone who showed up! We look forward to an exciting 2022-2023 school year with more bonding events to come! 

Photo courtesy of Michael Hum