Fifth (Ross) – Sixth (Pakiam)
Even with the scorching sun blasting its rays on their backs and the stench of the smog enveloping the street, the senior class’ enthusiasm failed to waver as they hurried down to Paradise Hotel. The air tasted of salt and anticipation as students chattered excitedly and traded rumors about the events that would place. Finally they reached their destination; the hotel beckoned them with promises of a white sandy beach, a time of enlightenment, and a retreat from the world. Hoping to ensure smooth transitions and to provide tips on college life, Mrs. Bethany Thomas and Mrs. Jacki Steinkamp organized workshops dealing with various topics ranging from cultural identity to building relationships in college. A dinner with recent alumni Hung Yi Song helped students better understand the many pitfalls and temptations of college life. “The dinner with Hung defiABSORBED in his work, Rolland Leung folds a cardboard raft before molding it out of bubble gum. By playing games like eating M&Ms with chopsticks and building rafts, students learned important lessons on faith and perseverance during the Senior Transition Retreat.
WORLD
nitely helped a lot and prepared me for what to expect in college,” said Victor Ho. Entertainment came in the form of sunbathing, movies, and games. Gary Geh said, “For fun, Jonathan Brokaw, Don Pagee, and I waved down at people on campus. They seemed annoyed that we’re having fun while they were stuck there.” Earlier in the year, all the student leaders had escaped to the Rainforest Resort on Jerajak island for a time of learning together. Marco Kim exclaimed: “It was so nice. We were the only school that got to go on a boat to their retreat!” Back at Paradise, staff peppered serious talks with personal anecdotes to lighten the mood. “Mrs. [Jacki] Steinkamp told us about how Mr. [Karl] Steinkamp proposed to her,” said Rishika Dias. “She was eating M&Ms out of a bowl when she reached in and found a ring!” Feeling the cool breeze as the seniors leisurely paced back to campus, they pondered the load of information fed to them. Stepping on campus, the group of 36 sighed over the day when they managed to retreat from the world, and they wondered how they would take the next steps in their journey. —By Joyce Lou
MRS. JACKI STEINKAMP
MRS. JACKI STEINKAMP
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Retreating from the
MRS. JACKI STEINKAMP
Jessica Ross, 5 South Africa Timothy Sasse, 5 U.S.A Jack Stevens, 5 Australia David Vriend, 5 U.K. Hannah Wiesner, 5 U.S.A Jasmine Wood-Singh, 5 Malaysia Jumi Yoon, 5 Korea Yeo Rin Yun, 5 Korea Katherine Bomm, 6 Australia Elisabeth Brokaw, 6 U.S.A Evan Chinn, 6 U.S.A Charlotte Combrink, 6 Netherlands Leticia Deucher, 6 Brazil Kyle Fischer, 6 U.S.A. Isabel Girling, 6 Malaysia Amanda Goh, 6 Malaysia Jamie Ha, 6 Australia Michael Ha, 6 Korea Joel Halbedl, 6 U.S.A Rachel Halbedl, 6 U.S.A Morris Huang, 6 Taiwan Rachel Hurlbut, 6 U.S.A. Titus Hwang, 6 Korea Hyeon-Gyu Jeong, 6 Korea Sueng Ju Jin, 6 Korea David Jung, 6 Korea Christina Kim, 6 Korea Daniel Kim, 6 Korea Gloria Kim, 6 Korea Sunny Kim, 6 Korea Esther Kweon, 6 Korea Karsten Ladner, 6 U.S.A. Christina Lee, 6 Taiwan Kathy Lee, 6 Malaysia Peter Lee, 6 Korea Tayah Lee, 6 Canada Ysabel Loh, 6 Malaysia Emma Merusi, 6 U.S.A Joshua Moon, 6 Korea Brenda Ng, 6 Malaysia Joyce Oh, 6 Korea Nikita Pakiam, 6 Malaysia
SPORTING a wide grin, Stephanie Jones pushes her weight against Joanna Robinson while Shion Matsumoto and Derrick Lim do the same. Trust exercises forged closer relationships between the middle schoolers during the Middle School Transition Retreat.
HANDS clasped together, Mr. Rich Gwaltney prays as Marco Kim, Ezra Dass, Chan-Yang Kim, and others silently listen. The Leadership Retreat aimed at improving the students’ leadership skills and enhancing their relationship with God at the same time.
Retreats
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