Grade 8 Boarding School Mini-Fair and Trip to Bretton Woods

Grade 8 is always an eventful year as students complete their St. Patrick’s experience. This year, on Friday, October 6, Grade 8 will begin the day honing their interview skills with a team of boarding school representatives, who are coming to St. Patrick’s to provide our students with a casual “mini” school fair. These representatives will share about their programs as students introduce themselves and practice asking questions. Students will learn about a wide variety of programs and enjoy chatting with enthusiastic school admission officers. We are excited to offer this opportunity to our students and love meeting the representatives from different schools.

Following the conclusion of the fair, all Grade 8 students and advisors will travel to Seneca, Maryland, to spend the day at the Bretton Woods Recreation Center, where they will engage in activities that bolster and broaden their relationships. The students will be challenged to solve problems by collaborating with each other and leaning on each other’s strengths. There will also be opportunities for students to push their levels of comfort and take healthy personal risks. 

Team building activities are important experiences for middle school students. They serve as an essential exercise in creating community and developing leadership skills. The Bretton Woods Recreation Center offers an ideal setting for this work with the Grade 8 class. From low elements (like primitive skills) to high elements (like zip lines and giant swings), the program’s experiential, hands-on, and collaborative activities strengthen cooperation, communication, and personal growth in all students. This type of experience is the perfect way to bring the Grade 8 class together at the start of the year.