Operation Snowball is a retreat put on by our school and other schools across Illinois that provides students a safe place to discuss and receive help on problems they may have faced in their lives. Also Snowball is one of the very few times where a person can truly be themselves without any fear of being judged. Operation Snowball is entering its twenty-third year at Joliet Central and it is only getting bigger. Snowball was created in 1977 in Rockford Illinois by a group of teenagers looking to empower youth. The students thought that if one person were to help another to be happy, then that person would help another, and the affect would snowball. That is why the idea of Snowball being for the most part, planned and led by students has become a staple of the event. When asking the head of Joliet Central’s branch of Snowball, Mark Peterson, why he personally continues to put on snowball he said, “I like to see the impact it has on the students, and the benefits caused by it, that is why I keep coming back.” Joliet Central’s branch of Operation Snowball is home to all sorts of members of the student body. From athletes to students of the arts, from students achieving academic excellence to students simply struggling to get by, once you arrive to Snowball everyone is equal, no one is valued over another. The three-day two-night trip is often regarded as the one thing students look forward to all year, with many graduation seniors listing it with their favorite memories throughout their high school experience. Whether you go to vent your feeling in a safe place or you are going just to get out of school and hang out with friends, Operation Snowball welcomes all with open arms. Snowball is scheduled this year to happen sometime between late February and early March at Camp Manitoqua. Keep an open ear and an open mind, we hope to see you at snowball!