On November 7 and 8, District 230 students went on the annual Operation Snowball retreat, a leadership retreat for students to work on team-building, communication, and more. The students went to Camp Duncan, an outdoor YMCA camp in Ingleside, where they participated in numerous activities, including a ropes course, lip sync competitions, and volleyball.
Operation Snowball initially began in 1987 as a drug-free initiative, with the thinking being that by giving students leadership skills, they would be less likely to do drugs. “So [it] kind of was this preventative retreat, but it’s evolved over the years to more [of a] leadership focus,” says Mrs. Jarosik, who returned as one of the club’s sponsors a few years ago.
This year, the retreat had its largest turnout since COVID with just over 100 participants. “COVID kind of killed us,” says Mrs. Jarosik. “There were about two years where there was none. So when they restarted it back up, trying to get new leaders, because trying to find somebody who knows anything about it was really hard to get it started. We’re getting back up there, this was the first time we were over 100 since COVID. That was exciting that our numbers are starting to climb.”
“This year’s retreat was so fun!” says Ting Dauber, one of the teen staff who has been in Snowball for three years. “There were about 108 participants, and we all did a bunch of different team building activities, competitive activities, and so much more. A lot of people were able to open up in ways they didn’t know they could in only two days, and they all had a lot of fun.”
As Snowball is a retreat for the students, the teachers supervising at the retreat let the students take the lead. “[The teen staff] are the ones that actually plan the entire thing,” says Mrs. Jarosik. “They plan our theme, they put everything together, they take care of our social media, they lead our small groups. We have an adult in every small group, but it’s the team members that actually are leading the discussion. They’re planning the activities.”
Being part of the teen staff for this year, Dauber has helped to plan the activities, placing an emphasis on the opinions of all the participants in mind. “We try to create a positive and safe environment for other students,” says Dauber. “The time to plan the events as a teen staff involves a meeting at least every week. We talk about things we and other participants have liked from the following year and try to incorporate them into the upcoming event. It takes a lot of talking with everyone, but overall it’s not too complicated as long as we all work together.”
There are always a wide variety of events at the retreat each year, with Dauber sharing that her favorites are “volleyball, four square, and the ropes course. I love being active and competitive, and these all have fallen into that category.”
One activity that stood out to Mrs. Jarosik from the recent retreat was the lip sync contest on the last day. “They love the lip sync contest,” says Mrs. Jarosik. “I think everybody’s been together with each other, and the adult staff get involved in it too, and I think the kids just love to see the teachers step out of their comfort zone and just lip sync. Less lip syncing, more dancing, but it’s always very entertaining, so that seems to be the highlight of every weekend.”
While the events at the Snowball retreat may vary slightly from year to year, one key component of every retreat is the small groups. Assigned at random, these small groups play an important role in getting the students to grow their leadership skills through discussions and team building activities with new people.
“You do get some people that kind of want to stick with their best friends,” says Mrs. Jarosik. “So when students apply, they can put who their friends are that they want to be in a cabin with. Sometimes being away overnight can be intimidating to some people. Sometimes it’s their first time, so I always try to put them in a room with somebody they know. But then when it comes to designing the small groups, I purposely separate them, because I want them to meet new people.”
“The most memorable part of Snowball this year was definitely seeing my small group open up,” says Dauber. “During our first small group meeting, everyone was super quiet and shy, but later that day, many more people started to talk, participate, laugh, which made it so much more enjoyable. It also made me and my partner feel good knowing that the others can feel safe and have fun.”
Snowball is more than just a weekend spent doing activities, with the biggest change to come out of it being in the students’ confidence. “A lot of times people go because of their friends, or their parent makes them go,” says Mrs. Jarosik. “We end the retreat with a reflection, where anybody who wants to share what they got out of the week can stand up and share. It was interesting. Most of the people that chose to share this year were some freshmen.”
“Snowball has helped me a lot throughout my years at Sandburg,” says Dauber. “This retreat has taught me to know that I’m not alone if I am struggling, it’s okay to ask for help, and it’s taught me to just be the best version of myself. This retreat has also taught me how to communicate and work with other people even during tough times. Lastly, I have been able to learn how to plan and lead a group of people in many different situations.”
“Some people discover their voice,” says Mrs. Jarosik. “They’re really quiet, but in these small groups, they do these initiatives. Sometimes they have to be the leader. Somebody’s like, okay, now you go lead this, and then they’re like, wow, I did that, and they feel better about themselves.”
Through Operation Snowball, students are able to learn how to become leaders in an environment that fosters positivity, inclusivity, and acceptance. As Mrs. Jarosik puts it, “We don’t discriminate against anything. I think people just make fun of it being ‘kumbaya,’ but truly that’s kind of what it is. It’s the spirit of just being welcoming to everybody.”