Photo Courtesy of Brophy College Prep | The freshman class of 2020 and their big brothers participated in the freshman retreat Sept. 17 and 18.
By Camden Andl ’19
THE ROUNDUP
Brophy continued the annual tradition of the Frosh Retreat Sept. 17.
For over 20 years, Brophy has consistently hosted this weekend for the freshmen class as one of its most important events.
Mr. Scott Heideman, leader of Brophy’s Big Brother Program for the past five years, said he felt this retreat was the best that he has experienced.
“We had some very strong leadership this year,” Mr. Heideman said. “These Big Brothers, the seniors in particular, showed the freshmen a good example of Brophy’s legacy.”
Michael Finocchiaro ’17, a second year big brother, said that this year’s retreat was a lot of work but was also extremely fun.
“We do a lot in preparation for the Frosh Retreat,” Finocchiaro said. “Everything that we plan is so that the freshmen have a good time. Planning their fun is fun itself.”
Freshman Seren Zinn-Scheiffele ’20 said the retreat helped him make many new friends.
“During the retreat, I felt really connected to my big brothers, my friends and my group,” Zinn-Scheiffele said. “If the people in your group aren’t your friends already, they will be by the end of the day.”
Brophy offers multiple retreats including Kairos, Magis and the Senior Threshold Retreat, but some people, like Mr. Heideman, argue that the Frosh Retreat is the most important.
“Once the freshmen go through the Frosh Retreat with the upperclassmen, there’s a real sense of community and what it means to be a part of Brophy,” Mr. Heideman said. “This retreat really sets them up for a solid foundation to build on for their career at Brophy as they move up.”
Like all Brophy retreats, the Frosh Retreat is shrouded in secrecy to heighten the retreatants’ experiences.
Zinn-Scheiffele answered affirmatively when asked if he was happy that the details of the retreat were kept a secret.
“I honestly thought it was going to be really boring and that we were just going to stay at school for the whole retreat, but it was honestly a great time and has been my best experience at Brophy so far,” Zinn-Scheiffele said.
