The room echoes with enthusiastic shouts of encouragement as 30 Jesuit juniors frantically attempt to maneuver a circular rope lariat around the circle before their time runs out. As time expires, Joe Hudson, the group’s leader for their retreat, responds to their inquiries about how a previous PALS group had scored twice as many points. Laughing, Hudson cryptically responds, “That group used all of their resources.”
For much of Jesuit’s junior class, Tuesday’s half-day meant shortened classes and time to relax and prepare for College Night. However, for the PALS junior leadership organization, the half day provided an opportunity to learn valuable lessons in leadership on their annual retreat, preparing them to be leaders in the Jesuit community.
This entertaining scene was the last in a series of exercises that included navigating a wooden cow and attempting to flip a tarp while standing on top of it, all in the name of teamwork, leadership, and communication.
Gathering in front of a bright yellow school bus in Jesuit’s parking lot at 7:30 in the morning, the 30 juniors that make up PALS along with their moderator, Mr. Paul McDaniel, embarked for the Southern Cross Retreat Center in south Dallas. McDaniel, also a junior counselor, described the retreat as a day of “team-building and leadership-building,” a theme that would persist throughout the day.
Upon arriving, the PALS were greeted by the founders of the Learning E.D.G.E. (Education Development Guidance Evolution), Joe Hudson and his wife Carolyn, and ushered into a large room adorned with Texas-themed decor. Hudson introduced himself, his wife, and his program, which works with corporations such as PepsiCo, Pizza Hut, and Frito-Lay to teach leadership skills through their “Olympics,” an engaging series of problem-solving time trials.
Many of the members agreed that at first, they were unsure of what to expect from the day, but as they began to see how learning leadership skills could also be fun and competitive, they became increasingly invested in the knowledge that Hudson had to impart on them.
If the PALS were still drowsy from their early departure time, they were energized to begin the activities after a rousing Jesuit Yell. After a brief introductory presentation to establish the goals for the day, Hudson quickly put the PALS’ communication skills to the test. Forced to rely upon their partner’s non-verbal communication skills, the blindfolded group members navigated a treacherous course, weaving around, ducking underneath, and climbing over various obstacles. Sam Cormier ’17, who found himself in a perilous situation, blindly climbing onto a ledge, said, “initially, I was terrified, but it was reassuring to know that my fellow PAL was there to help me.”
The next activities continued the theme of communication within the group as the PALS were split into two teams to attempt “Walking the Steer” and the “Texas Skates.” In order to “Walk the Steer,” the PALS were required to guide Bessie the 2-legged wooden “steer” through a course without directly touching her. Unfortunately, the first group’s vigorous approach broke the structure, preventing them from completing the course. However, the second team made a strong comeback, ingeniously discovering the trick to completing the challenge, a solution that no PALS group had ever thought of before.
The “Texas Skates” also required coordinated teamwork, with 5 team members collaboratively walking two long wooden posts across a finish line. Once the PALS began to find a rhythm to the task, the first team was able to speed across the finish line in 2 minutes and 10 seconds, setting an Olympic record. The only way for the second team to improve on the Olympic record was to break it themselves, and they did just that, completing the course in under 2 minutes.
After a quick lunch break, the PALS returned for the second half of the Olympics. Their first task was to use a ring fitted with strings to transport a tennis ball between cones without touching the ball. After failing to break the record in this event, one team reflected that they could have improved their efforts with more patience, more hustle, and more determination.
In another of the afternoon’s events, the PALS were given the seemingly impossible task of flipping a tarp with 15 people standing on it, without touching the ground themselves. The two groups engaged in similar techniques of crowding together, with one endeavoring to support one another on their shoulders, but neither group was able to fully fold the tarp over. This activity was followed by the aforementioned lariat-passing, in which the group performed better, but failed to break a previous PALS group’s record. Hudson’s explanation of the solution, to involve Mr. McDaniel in the solution, reinforced the idea of using group thinking to find the best solution to a problem.
The retreat concluded with an awards ceremony, in which a plethora of Olympic medals were awarded, including to Zachary Watts ’17 and Michael Kelley ’17, to Alex Lengyel ’17 for his enthusiasm, and to Noah Sherer ’17 as the “Smartest PAL Ever” for his unique and unprecedented solution to walking the steer. Reflecting on the day, McDaniel remarked that “everybody seemed to have a good time and also were engaged while learning some valuable leadership skills which I think will help us all year.”
As PALS looks ahead to service projects and Junior Retreat leadership throughout the course of the school year, they are equipped with the tools necessary to serve and lead their classmates and their community. “This is one of the best and most intelligent group I’ve ever had,” said Hudson, going onto call them an “absolutely a great group of young men…who are going to do a lot for Jesuit.”
