Jesuit’s experiential Leadership Retreats provide the students with leadership training, opportunities,
during the afternoon of the second day
to accomplish each challenge.
A different team leader or leaders
took charge at each new challenge, and
the COR guide evaluated/graded each
team at every challenge, on key elements
such as how well they planned
and communicated, how the leader(s)
performed, how the group supported
the leader(s), and how they executed,
adjusted, and (hopefully) completed
the challenge.
“The COR guys really helped us
18 JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • WINTER 2017-18
to learn about who we are as leaders
and how to develop ourselves,” said
Sean Doherty ’20. “It was interesting
to learn about and see the different
leadership styles, and then have actual
application of the styles, to see how
different people lead in different ways.”
After each challenge, there was a
group discussion to refl ect on their
performance. The students reviewed
what had transpired, what went well,
what didn’t, what should have been
done differently, what could be improved,
etc.
“It wasn’t fake feedback like you
sometimes get in other places in your
life – it was real feedback,” Williams
said. “It had to be, so that your team
could learn from mistakes because
your next obstacle was coming right
up.”
Among the most diffi cult leadership
challenges was one that involved six
team members being blindfolded.
“There was some major problem
solving,” said Lex Capitano ’20. “Day
1, they tell you how to do things. Day
2, you do it all on your own with your
team.”
Once each review session was complete,
it was a dash to the next challenge.
“The feedback was great,” Capitano
said. “It helped you a lot, helped you
to grow.”
Capitano was part of the winning
team, St. Joseph, which performed very
well on one of the signature obstacles,
the 10.5-foot wall deep in the woods.
Getting the last person over was the
most diffi cult part, as there was no one
left to help hoist them. Capitano and
James Bencivenga ’19, propped up by
teammates on the back side of the wall,
reached over the top and down, grabbing
that last teammate, Mason Stichter
’20, and helping pull him over.
“It felt like a movie – we had to pull
Mason up the cliff fast to save him,”
Capitano said. “Our team fi gured out a
way to do it.”
After a second night cooking
(continued from page 17)
and challenges during three days off the grid
Group discussion and refl ection is an important element
of the experiential Leadership Retreats