By Mr. J. Anthony Knight, Principal

Starting the year off right is important at Covenant.  In high school this includes taking our students on an annual “back to school” retreat.  We use the high school retreat as an effective tool to build community among our students and to set the proper spiritual climate for the school year.  As I write this article I am with our high school students at Camp Snowbird in Andrews, North Carolina.  Camp Snowbird is a high adventure Christian wilderness camp that combines high adventure activities and relevant Bible instruction to lead young people to a deeper commitment to Jesus Christ.  Under the direction of Camp Director Brody Holloway, the Camp Snowbird experience is intense, fun and engaging. 

The high school retreat has been a Covenant tradition for the past six years.  Students have come to expect and look forward to starting the school year with the retreat.  For the past four years we have come to Camp Snowbird.  Camp Snowbird offers many activities that the students enjoy such as: white water rafting, “puddle jumping”, horse back riding, zip line, climbing tower, canoeing, hiking, and repelling.  The camp counselors are committed Christians with a strong calling to challenge students to be active disciples of Christ.  They are also committed to having fun!  Our students enjoy the activities and interactions with the staff of the camp.  The retreat also helps our students expand their social groups and assimilate the new students into the school body.  We frequently use the motto “We’re more than a school, we’re family”.  The retreat helps us facilitate the feeling of family.  The interactions at camp help our students build strong relationships with each other and their teachers.  This year our seniors arrived at camp one day earlier than the rest of the high school students.  They worked with the camp leaders to prepare for the arrival of the underclassmen by assisting in determining the retreat program.  It also provided more personal time with the camp leaders as they have grown close to many of them over the past four years. 

While the high adventure activities and social interactions are wonderful, the spiritual emphasis of the camp is the most significant.  Through the worship services, small group meetings and one on one discipleship interactions with the camp counselors and Covenant faculty our students are encouraged and challenged to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  The camp experience helps our students start the year off in good relationship with their friends, their teachers, and most importantly their Creator.  The 2007-2008 school year is going to be great, and we are ready!