FRESHMAN SALESIAN EXPERIENCE

BY ASSISTANT YOUTH MINISTER BRAD STOLZ

July 14 was a very special day for the Tech class of 2027. When they entered the front gate for their morning summer school classes, they were carrying pillows, sleeping bags, towels, and boogie boards. To their surprise, they were being applauded by a welcoming group of Big Brothers helping them with their belongings. No, the freshmen were not staging a revolt and planning to sleep in class. They were coming prepared for their overnight retreat, “The Salesian Experience.” The Big Brothers who formed the gauntlet were upper classmen who would be assisting small groups of“Little Brothers.”

The FSP classes were normal, but with a special lunch prepared by our great chef, Magda, and served by parent volunteers. After classes ended, the retreat began with a welcoming talk by Mr. H (Rudy Herrera), our Director of Youth Ministry and Student Life. His talk was followed by the introduction of the “Big Four” student leaders who would conduct the retreat: Nico Garcia (MAT’24), Nicky Dominguez (BMET ‘24), Manny Mendez (BMET ‘24), and Adrian Monteon (BMET ‘24). Riley De Luna (‘24) played a pivotal role in helping Mr. H and The Big Four prepare events and assisting Big Brother groups.

Now that the little brothers knew the leaders, it was time to get to know each otherthrough several ice breakers, such as dodge ball, postman, musical chairs, etc. The nal ice breaker was a water balloon toss. However, before there was a chance to get it organized, balloon toss turned into balloon throw, and this became a free for all, featuring a bombardment of balloons which evolved into dumping full buckets of water over peoples’ heads. A truce was nally called, and former combatants sat down together over dinner.

After adding many calories, they were ready for what was going to be a long evening experience. It began with a scavenger hunt. This involved running continuously for an hour+ all over campus doing such tasks as forming a human pyramid, doing a group jump that required each member to be airborne at the same time, and