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Hopefully, amazing memories were made at this week’s All School Retreat, but for me, I may have notched up one of my most embarrassing ones. Our featured speaker and magician, Ty Gallenbeck, goaded on by our students, brought me up on stage to not only be his magic lackey but to show off my deficient, or at best, clunky dance moves. Wow, was it awkward, but I’m still laughing, especially at myself.
Driving back from retreat with a group of freshmen boys, we reminisced about our 48 hours together. One of them asked, “Mr. O’Neil, what was your favorite part of retreat.” Without much hesitation, I said, “Watching you – the freshmen guys – stand together, arm in arm, singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ as a newly formed band of brothers.” See, just three weeks earlier that same group of young men hung out together awkwardly at their freshmen Zip line orientation. What a difference a ‘magical’ retreat and a few weeks make.
And my mind, as it often does, transposed those young men three years into future– on their All-School Retreat as Seniors. At that time, they really will be young men, and if they keep working at it, a band of brothers like no other. That’s all part of our vision for students at Vail Christian – that they’d find community, care for community, and have a VCHS Family Forever.
Steve O'Neil
Head of School
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