By Mireya Aguilar ’16
Pritzker held its eighth annual Snowball Retreat at Camp Manitoqua in Frankfort, Illinois. During Feb. 13-15, over 100 students, alumni, and staff members attended the three day retreat, which was held by Carrie Spitz, campus leader, and Amanda Meyers, composition one teacher.
Snowball was an opportunity for students to get away from the stress for a couple of days, learn to break out of their shell to participate in interactive activities, and meet new people they never have never met before. Angelique Rivera, a senior and first year at Snowball, spoke about her first experience, “I’m more grateful. I feel more energized and more soothing. This experience just made me feel good about myself. It just slapped me in the face like ‘Aye, you know, you should have came these four years.’” Another first year but freshman, Kaylee Cuezzi, admired the program. She never have thought she would be able to be herself so quickly in front of strangers. She now felt her group became a family and was glad she made the decision of coming. Cuezzi encourages other students to take the chance of going to the retreat.
The retreat opens doors for all students to meet people from all different grade levels they would not have thought of before. Daniel Selan, calculus and statistics teacher and eighth year as staff leader at Snowball, touched on the topic of his favorite memory, “It was a great moment for someone, who has struggled for much of their life, to just be able to stand up in front of the room. [ . . .] but really, just be a changed person in front of an entire group and step completely outside his comfort zone.” Selan’s drive to go to Snowball every year is seeing his students as individuals outside the Pritzker environment.
The first day of the retreat, students start to get in the feel of what Snowball really is about. M&P Presentation, two Chicago teachers and speakers, allowed students to jump out their comfort zone through energetic activities on stage such as bird mating calling and bringing to the table their best dance moves.
The second day of the retreat, excitement fills in all the cabins. There is always a new guest speaker for every year. This year, The Amazing Tei Street, education director, opened the show. She spoke about the fact people should drive their own car on their journey to their dreams. Lloyd Bacharach, a paralympian, wrapped the show up. Bacharach was born with bone deficiency, but he argued people can do anything they put their mind to. As he showed the audience he did not let the disorder stop him, he showed off his skills in sports such as baseball and gymnastics.
After a long day, students end their night with a Wacky Tacky Dance. Students are able to bring the craziest outfits from their closets to the the retreat. The dance room, however, fills with emotions as the seniors round up in a circle in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around each other at the end.
Snowball was first brought to Pritzker in 2009 by Mrs. Spitz.
