Planning 2009

8th to 12th Grade

September 11-13, 2009

Planning 2009 was a weekend full of good conversation and some pretty sweet small groups. As usual, Friday night was accompanied with the consumption of the traditional spaghetti, and a welcoming session full of games and name whips! We had a first-timer, and some lost-track-of-how-many-times timers. For story time we listened to a couple of Peace Corps experiences read by our incredible AP Liz Kessler.

Saturday we discussed in small groups what really makes PoHo as amazing as it is. We were asked questions like "What are some things that get you to come back to Powell House? What would you like to share with others outside of Powell House?" and "How can we use what we have here to help others around the world?"

As a large group we came to the conclusion that it’s the people, love and acceptance here that makes it what it is. The strong community that we have can be spread around through community service, namely sending money or ourselves overseas to help those less fortunate than us.

Also discussed was the idea of slightly altering some rules regarding personal electronic use. Although some small alterations could be experimented with, for the most part, we are very happy with the way things are done here.

Of course Saturday also held activities ranging in energy from the soothing 3-way massage to the hard work of painting and picking apples to the crazy cold of swimming to the always-energetic Cabaret. A bonfire preceded quiet time and a story before we all got some sleep.

On Sunday morning we ate carbonara, which is an arrangement of noodles, eggs and garlic. We also had the option of Jacki’s bread or cereal. All in all, a great weekend with the perfect amount of brainstorming for future conferences and a dandy lunch followed by good-bye hugs.