Each year, our middle school students step away from their daily routines and into something intentionally different: a day set aside for reflection, prayer, connection, and growth. Middle school retreats have become a defining part of the TFS experience, reflecting our mission of faith, academics, and service. It sets TFS apart as a community invested in our students' spiritual formation.
Held at Short Journey Retreat Center in Smithfield, TFS offers three one-day retreats, one for each middle school grade. What makes these retreats especially meaningful is that they are planned and facilitated by Cardinal Gibbons High School students. They lead our students through a full day of talks, discussions, prayer, games, team-building activities, reflection, and moments of silent meditation. This peer-led model allows our students to see faith lived out by older role models who were once in their shoes.
Each retreat is thoughtfully designed to meet students where they are in the middle school journey. Sixth-grade students participate in the Identity Retreat, focused on understanding themselves as children of God. This year’s retreat takes place on Wednesday, March 4.
Seventh-grade students attend the Friendship Retreat, where they deepen their relationship with God and each other. Their retreat is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11.
Eighth-grade students conclude their middle school retreat experience with the Transition Retreat on Wednesday, February 11, preparing their hearts and minds for high school by praying about who they are, who they hope to become, and their role within the broader community.
“The retreat tradition began in 2019 when TFS partnered with Short Journey to offer a retreat experience for sixth grade,” shares TFS Religion teacher, Mr. Tom Harmon. Since then, it has grown into a meaningful, school-wide middle school tradition, now in its third year of including all three grades. Mr. Tom Harmon and Mr. Ed Manville are the TFS leaders for these retreats.
Our current administration believes that spiritual growth is essential during the middle school years, a time when students are asking big questions about identity, relationships, and purpose. These retreats provide space for these questions, surrounded by supportive teachers and peers.
TFS’s religion teachers play a vital role in the retreats, helping students prepare and guiding them through follow-up reflections. Students continue processing their experiences through classroom discussions and private journaling, creating a personal record of their middle school spiritual journey. “This journal encapsulates their middle school spiritual journey and promotes intimate prayer and conversations with God,” shares Mr. Harmon.
One especially meaningful highlight each year is when TFS teachers serve their students lunch during the retreat. This simple act of service models humility, reinforces mutual respect, and leaves a lasting impression on students, who appreciate seeing their teachers lead by example.
These retreat days give our students a chance to slow down, be together in a different way, and grow in their faith, often becoming some of the moments they remember most from their middle school years.