On October 16th and 17th, some of Brookfield Central’s DECA and National Honors Society members took a day off of school to travel to Wisconsin Hills Middle School and lead the 7th and 8th graders on their Courage Retreat.

The Courage Retreats are hosted by the organization Youth Frontiers. Whose mission is “to provide schools with experiences that inspire character, civility, and community”. The Youth Frontiers group does this through various retreats that include team building activities, comedic and heartfelt stories, small group discussions, and a time for students to share how they will use what they learned during the retreat to act courageously in the future.

The Courage Retreat has been a tradition at Wisconsin Hills for many years, in fact, most Brookfield Central students who went through Wisconsin Hills previously attended their own Courage Retreat. Because of this, Brookfield Central volunteers jumped at the opportunity to lead 7th and 8th graders in such an impactful experience, and even learned a bit more about what it is to live a courageous life themselves.

At the beginning of the day, BC leaders formed a tunnel and cheered for the 7th and 8th graders as they entered, cheering and exciting them for the action-packed day soon to come.

Throughout the day, students played team-oriented games to build relationships with their leaders and fellow peers. Eventually, BC leaders formed small groups, which gave the middle schoolers the opportunities to discuss their personal fears in a safe environment.

“It was so cool to see the kids open up and connect with each other and with us.” One of the Brookfield Central leaders, Lauren Roskopf (‘20), reflects on her experience.

The Courage Retreat was certainly an exciting and rewarding experience for middle schoolers and high schoolers alike, with both being able to learn a bit more about how to live their most courageous lives.