By Amy Brause and Allie Nemecek

The Lodge at Squaw Creek Park in Marion housed 162 Kennedy freshmen and sophomore students for the annual leadership retreat on Oct. 31. The day began with breakfast and introductions from 38 junior and senior leaders. Students then broke into small groups and rotated through stations that focused on the qualities of leadership.

One of the main points that the retreat focused on was anti-bullying. “I think that the people here will learn that being a leader isn’t as scary as it seems to be,” leader Kylie Parker-Goldberg said. “This is teaching us that it is going to be okay if we stand up [against bullying].”

Within the 13 stations, students did various activities that pertained to subjects such as stepping out of comfort zones, dealing with awkward situations, and being yourself.

The retreat teaches basic qualities of leadership, according to Tannyer Boyle, sr., a leader at the retreat. “The people that are chosen, are chosen because they are good leaders or they have the potential to be good leaders,” Boyle said. “We’re trying to either teach those qualities or make them better.”

Twenty faculty members gave up time in their day to chaperone the event.

“I think that the overall goal is for them to learn how to work with one another,” teacher Katie Bova said. She and teacher Jenny Wagner helped organize the event. “Hopefully, they [students] will take what they’ve learned or gotten out of this day and take it back into the community of the school.”