Retreat Description

Badin offers a variety of retreat opportunities for our student body. For more information, and Alumni who want to see retreat lists are invited to contact our campus minister, Mrs. Gina Miserocchi Helms - ghelms@mail.badinhs.org

Kairos

Kairos is a Greek term meaning "God's time." This is a four-day, student-led retreat that takes place off campus. The Kairos Retreat is a religious retreat program grounded in the Christian theology of incarnation, our Christian belief that God is very much a part of our real world, especially through the continuing presence of Jesus Christ. Kairos is an experience of a Christian community, with a series of talks given by both peers and adults. Prayer and self-discovery are essential parts of this program as well as the retreatants' involvement in discussions and other exercises.

Our God has always tried to make His love visible and incarnate, as indeed he did in Jesus Christ. The talks of the Kairos program are grounded and centered around the revelation of God's love in our lives and the ideals through which one can grow. In this context, the experience of prayer and values, as well as the growing awareness of and commitment to the spirit of Jesus the Christ, allows the retreatant to live his faith in a meaningful way.

There are normally three Kairos Retreats for our students each year. This retreat is a graduation requirement for all seniors. This program has proven very successful for the students of Stephen T. Badin High School. We feel fortunate to have the ability to experience the faith and spirituality of the young men and women of Badin.

2009 Kairos

Junior Retreat

Led by a team of 7 senior leaders and 3 faculty leaders, juniors who choose to attend are given an opportunity to consider where we find true JOY in life. It has been said that only by giving time to Jesus, Others, and Yourself can you find true JOY in life. Through witness talks, personal reflection, and small group meetings, students grow both individually and as a class. This retreat provides for a great deal of class unity and compassion for one another.

Sophomore Retreat

Students at the sophomore level also get to take part in a one-day retreat at an outdoor retreat. The focus of this day is FAITH: Faith in yourself, others, and God! This is a very active retreat day. This retreat is led by a group of seniors who have been trained in ministering to small groups through discussion, listening, and openness. The sophomore girls attend one day and the boys the next. The students attending are broken into groups and 1/2 of the students do low level ROPES activities for the first 1/2 or the day and small group / religious activities for the other 1/2. After lunch, the students switch what they are doing. Students are given an opportunity to look at themselves and their classmates in light of having faith in one another and in themselves.

Freshmen Day of Recollection

Badin freshman have a one-day retreat off campus. The focus of this retreat is "What does it mean to be a Badin student". Students work in small groups led by current seniors and have an opportunity to discuss their concerns and observations of Badin thus far. Senior leaders answer questions, give suggestions, and help the freshmen to understand their 'place' in the family of Badin High School.

30 Hour Famine

What is the 30 Hour Famine?

The 30 Hour Famine puts hands and feet to your desire to help students live a life of Christian compassion.

It will unite youth group members like never before. And the impact will last long after the Famine event is over. It can be the spark that fires up a person for a lifetime of reaching out to neighbors in need, whether they're across the street - or around the globe.

How does the Famine work?

It's really quite simple. First of all, the materials are provided, free of charge, by World Vision. Before your "Famine Date" famine participants raise money through donors and sponsors to help the millions of starving and hurting children in some of the world's poorest countries, offering them a hope they could not otherwise have. The groups then go 30 hours without food, so that they can have a real taste of what hunger is like. During this time they engage in different activities, from community service projects to volunteer work to study, depending on how each group plans their own event. Afterwards the money raised is sent in to World Vision, and we put it to work in areas like Kenya, Sudan, and here in the United States.

What does it take to help a hungry child?

Only $30 a month, just $1 a day, will feed and care for a child. Your group members can start by asking twelve people they know to donate $30 - that's one person for each month of the year. When they've done that, they will have raised $360, enough money to feed and provide necessary care to a child for a whole year.

This year, thousands of groups in more than 21 countries - more than 1 million teens - will unite with one goal in mind: to help children living in some of the most deplorable conditions on earth.

Countless lives will be impacted and saved. So get on board now. This can be the single most effective event you're a part of all year to make a difference in peoples' lives. And this means both in your community, and around the globe. Shake things up, and join the winnable war to save kids lives.

Badin Famine Dates: April 2 & 3, 2008
Badin High School PFAC
Cost: $40.00 per person (covers cost of supplies, shirts and a minimal donation to World Vision)

Service Projects – *Raise Money for World Vision
*Collect can foods / non-food items for Mercy Franciscan at St. Raphael & Serve
City
*Prom Fashion Shows: Berkley Square / Sunrise Sr. Living Center / Westover

Speakers - *Mrs. Susan Giuliano (building wells in Africa)
*Kyle Beatty & Ashley Brashear (service in Mexico)

Activities - Games
Speakers
Prayer Services
Small Group Discussions
Service Projects

YOU REALLY CAN CHANGE A LIFE IN JUST 30 SHORT HOURS!

Shantytown

What is a SHANTYTOWN Experience?

Shanty Town Pics 2009

Students on college and high school campus’ around the country have been taking time out of their schedules for years to focus on the plight of the homeless in the US for years. Badin is now taking part in this experience too. With the aid of other schools who have ‘been there; done that’ for years, we’ve created a valuable overnight event that we feel will really have an impact on our entire community. This year (2008 – 2009) students from over 25 Cincinnati area high schools will be holding their shantytown experiences during the same week. It will be great to come together with other area students in this amazing cause. Join us as we WISH our time, efforts, and energy will truly make a difference.

Shantytown is not what students are used to seeing on campus. It’s so much more!
The front lawn of Badin High School, usually clean and well-kept, will be littered with melted cardboard, crinkled newspapers and ripped plastic sheeting. Some students may drive / walk past Shantytown with puzzled looks. Others may look the other way, choosing to ignore the eyesore.

Although Shantytown is still in the planning stages at Badin, students at schools who have had a Shantytown for years are probably still wondering what Shantytown is. The looks on some students’ faces at those schools seem to say, “Why should we care?” And still others wonder what would make students want to voluntarily sleep outside of their school.
The answer to all these questions is the Week in Solidarity with the Homeless (WISH Week), which will end with the construction of Shantytown. Armed with duct tape and hammers, students will build the makeshift homes.

We hope that students of all grade levels will turn out to see what this experience is like. We have people in our local community who sleep outside winter, spring, summer and fall. We are going to do it for one night. There are over 750, 000 people who experience homelessness in America every night, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness Web site. Thirty to 40 percent of homeless are families with children, typically young unwed mothers with 2-3 children. Thirteen percent are women and over 25 percent suffer from some kind of mental illness.

The theme of WISH week is, “Homelessness: It’s not what you think it is.” Fluorescent posterboard signs will be seen on the shanties displaying facts and statistics about homelessness.

Although Shantytown was perhaps the most visible part of WISH Week, other activities are being planned by both TAG and Student Council to educate students about homelessness.
Mr. Nick Hosmer is the faculty moderator of this event. Stay tuned for more information on this life changing experience!

Past Retreats