2015–2016 Orientation Retreat at Sargent Center for Outdoor Education
From August 21–23, the new cohort of Humphrey Fellows, the coordinators, and one intern headed up to Hancock, New Hampshire for a three-day orientation retreat at the Sargent Center for Outdoor Education.
The Sargent Center was founded in 1912 by Dudley Allen Sargent (1849-1924), an early pioneer of physical education in the U.S. The 800-acre facility has run educational programs for over a century and was acquired by BU in 1932. It offers dormitory accommodations, a cafeteria, conference rooms, hiking through a 700-acre virgin forest, and swimming and canoeing in the 60-acre Half Moon Pond. BU Fellows have spent their fall orientation retreat at the Sargent Center since the 1980s, when Sonia Parker and John Harris ran the Program together.
This year, we invited expert facilitator (and SED alumnus) Dr. Chris Roland of Bridging Distance to lead the Fellows in a series of activities and reflections that supported the cohort to build trust and friendship with one another, and to contemplate the coming year together.
The weather held up for us, and the evenings were full of song, dance, and laughter as we sat around a campfire under a gorgeous canopy of stars.
It was a warm, fun, productive way to begin our pivotal year together.