What does it take to transform awkward freshmen into confident, faith-filled leaders? At Rockhurst High School, the journey begins with the Freshman Retreat—but this experience impacts far more than just the new students.
Senior co-chairs Joe Pitzl and Andrew Hayes reveal how their own freshman retreat experiences inspired them to lead the program years later. "Some of the people I met in my small group are people I still talk with daily," shares Joe, highlighting the lasting bonds formed during this pivotal experience. This year's theme, "Anchored in Rock," emphasizes finding stability in faith while discovering your unique place within the Rockhurst community.
Matt Nickson, Director of Pastoral Ministry, explains how this retreat represents just the beginning of a thoughtfully designed four-year formation journey. The freshman year focuses on community, sophomore year on personal reflection, junior year introduces the transformative Kairos retreat, and senior year offers specialized experiences including leadership formation. What makes this approach uniquely Ignatian is how seamlessly faith integrates throughout every aspect of school life—not compartmentalized, but woven into academics, athletics, and activities.
Perhaps most remarkable is how this model creates natural opportunities for student leadership. With approximately 150 upperclassmen serving as retreat leaders, the program simultaneously forms freshmen while developing leadership skills in juniors and seniors. As Nickson reflects on witnessing this transformation both as a faculty member and as a parent of two Rockhurst students: "The ways they have already matured and taken accountability in their own lives... I feel as though Rockhurst High School is 100% in line with that desire that there is goodness happening here."
In a world hungry for good men of character and faith, Rockhurst's comprehensive formation process creates an environment where young men discover their gifts and learn to use them in service to others. Listen now to understand how this powerful approach to student formation shapes not just four years of high school, but a lifetime of purpose.