Article by Matthew Panchyk ’17: On Saturday, September 10, a group of seniors departed Long Island and arrived at the Founder’s Hollow retreat house. This group of seniors is known as the S.A.I.N.T.S, or the Seniors Assisting in Nurturing the Sophomores.
Of course, while the S.A.I.N.T.S. were up at Founders, there was plenty of football playing, kayaking, stargazing, and marshmallow roasting to go around. But, of course this was not the main purpose of the trip. The first night, everyone got settled into their rooms and just relaxed. On the second day, however, we got down to the meat and bones of the retreat.
Every senior on the retreat had two speeches prepared, one focusing on doubts and the other on second chances. The talk about doubts is really supposed to hit home with the sophomores. Tenth grade is quite a difficult year, and many students can face or have faced some sort of doubt about God. The talk about second chances is to show the sophomores that even in hard times, things will always get better. It should give them some relief in times of stress knowing that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
The purpose of the S.A.I.N.T.S. is to provide the tenth graders with a sense of comfort. It shows them that they aren’t alone in any struggle they face, and so many people can empathize with them. After a few days away, the seniors feel prepared to guide the sophomores through their retreat.