By: Ryah Olson
Now, many of you are probably wondering: What exactly is Snowball? What do you do? Operation Snowball is a weekend retreat that focuses on student leadership, and connecting teenagers and teachers. The weekend is spent doing a variety of different activities, both fun and serious, such as team building, sharing life challenges, skits, listening to a guest speaker, and celebrating their talents (or lack thereof) in the Talent/No Talent Show.
This year, Operation Snowball 2015 will be held from January 23 to January 25 at Camp Manitoqua in Frankfort. Student leaders work to create a fun and unique experience every year for the attendees. Now, how does one get involved? Any student at Joliet Central is eligible to go. There is a fee to attend, but those who cannot afford it are eligible to for scholarship programs and fundraising opportunities to help make the event accessible to everyone.
The theme changes every year, and is kept top secret by the student leaders until the event takes place. Mr. Peterson explains that it’s a way for the students to bond on a very emotional level and see each other as they truly are, not with prejudice and predisposition. Snowball allows attendees to open up and be their self without the feeling of being judged or ignored. Mr. Peterson and many other students who have already been on one of the retreats say “Snowball isn’t just a weekend, it’s a way of life.”
People who have gone to Operation Snowball in the past find it difficult to describe how much it impacted them or exactly what goes on during the retreat. Mr. Peterson describes these emotions by “from the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it. The only true way to know Snowball is to experience it yourself.”
Those who are interesting in attending this year’s retreat can sign up with Mr. Peterson in the guidance office.