Every year, McKinney Christian Academy students go on a trip to the Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose. This time away from school is a way for new students to get to know their new classmates, a time for returning students to grow closer to each other, and for everyone to grow closer to God. For many students it is the highlight of their year, for some, it is simply a time to spend with friends, and for a few, it is an awakening in the spiritual aspect of their life.

On Wednesday, August 15, the seniors headed out for the retreat a day earlier than the rest of the Upper School. Senior Emma Lowes says, “I think that retreat really helped the class grow together, not only emotionally but also in Christ which was awesome to experience.” The senior retreat is something many Upper School students look forward to. Though not everyone was able to experience Retreat in the same way as the senior class, it is still a time for everyone to grow closer to one another. Freshman, Abbi Cooper, went to her first retreat this year and said her favorite part was, “getting to know the new girls and growing close to them.” At the same time, sophomore Micah McDowell has been attending McKinney Christian for fourteen years and says that, even now, she was able to bond with her classmates. McDowell commented, “We were all able to get to know each other for who we are without the pressures of fitting in or worrying about being a good student, we were all able to be ourselves.”

Not only did students grow in relationships with classmates, but retreat was also a time to grow spiritually in their relationship with Christ. Small groups are a big part of the retreat experience, upperclassmen and underclassmen alike are placed in small groups to help each other in their individual walks through life. McDowell said, “I feel like I have bonded with my small group because they are an amazing group of young women who have so much to offer and teach. It is an incredible experience to be able to to be a part of a group of girls who are all going through different things and knowing that you can help them and they can help you.” Overall, retreat is a time to grow closer to fellow students and escape the demands of a student’s everyday life.

To see more retreat pictures click here.