The orchestra officer team had their annual officer retreat over the three day weekend when the students took a day to refresh, reconnect with each other, and have fun at Springfield Retreat Center.

“I think that officer retreat is good for connecting everyone together and building interconnectivity because sometimes in a school setting, we don’t get to hang out that often,” orchestra vice president, junior Sonja Mo said. “Here, we’re apart from society and we can just bond and really connect in nature.”

The retreat had all the makings of a camping trip with plenty of food, fire, and a combination of both. 

“Everyone brought food, so we basically had a big potluck,” sophomore Truong said. “Then we all sat around a bonfire, and we made smores after, so it was really fun, and I will be going again next year.”

Having been on several orchestra retreats before, the outings are about more than music for senior Aswikha Karthikeyan.

“The first year I was an officer, there was a lot of seniors that I didn’t know, so I feel like [last year’s retreat] brought me closer with the rest of the team and the seniors for the little amount of time we had left,” Karthikeyan said. “[The retreat] helped us get closer this year as an officer team, which ultimately helps us bond better together in orchestra [and] helps the entire orchestra environment, so I’m really happy this year that we get to go again and meet other new officers so they can be part of our team too.”