Teen Institute Retreat

TI (Teen Institute) is once again getting ready for their annual. Usually around the end of March, the retreat will take place in April this year due to lack of funding earlier. Club sponsor at Tolsia High School, Mrs. May, said “the trip is April 7th through April 9^th. TI members and students who are invited usually go on the trip. The retreat is held at Camp Virgil Tate. That is between Huntington and Charleston, West Virginia. It is a drug abuse prevention and teen information retreat for teen issues.”

Mr. Sanders a chaperone on the TI trip, added “TI is a way to meet new people and learn very important social and communication skills. I can honestly recommend TI to anyone and I know they will enjoy it. This is my second time chaperoning the TI trip. I know this trip will go well this year because we always have a good group of students to attend TI. There is always some sort of beneficial change for the students. I feel TI is one of the most important organizations that Tolsia participates in.”

One junior said of the trip, “I like TI ‘cause I meet new people, try new things and it is a blast. I think TI should last forever. Students from Tolsia, Spring Valley and Wayne high schools go on the trip. TI helps you come out of your shell if you are shy, encourages you to try new things and take on a challenge.” Another junior said, “ TI helps students learn they are not alone in life or when facing their problems. I think that instead of just a weekend that TI should last a week so that students could spend time with their new friends. The students who go to TI are more like a family even though they go to different schools. It gives students a break from everyday life and a chance to have fun and just hang out with people your own age.”

One senior said, “ TI has impacted my life a lot in the last three years. I was really shy before TI, but Mrs. May coaxed me into going my sophomore year. I instantly loved TI. It was hard for me to get used to the new people I was meeting and it was hard for me to open and talk to them, plus overcome my shyness. TI helped me make new friends and encouraged me to try new things like trusting new people. I think TI should never end; it is a great program at Tolsia High School. It teaches high school students that no matter how bad your life is someone always has it worse than you, and there is someone you can relate to. TI helps students talk about their problems at home. TI is one big family. I love TI because I can talk to people who won't judge me and who understands what I am going through. It is a lot of fun, and I get to help someone who needs. TI helps students overcome a lot of things, and I can honestly say I love TI and I am sad that this will be my last year, and everyone who can should go ‘cause it is a life-changing experience.

Teen Institute isn't just a trip or a day out of school for the students who go on the trip, but a chance for the students to talk with other students from other schools about everyday problems. The result of the TI trip is greater than the trip itself, it is a life changing experience, according to the students and Mr. Sanders.

-Patricia