On January 19, another group of seniors kicked off their last semester at Fenwick by going on Kairos. Led by senior leaders and select staff members, this group got to experience the highly anticipated Fenwick tradition, returning home on January 21 with a positive outlook for the rest of the year.  

  “As far as the actual Kairos experience, it was pretty positive,” said Ms. Hasenbeck-Meyer, one of the leaders of January’s Kairos. The main roles of a faculty leader, according to Ms. Hasenbeck-Meyer, are to guide the senior leaders, give talks, act as mandated reporters, and overall facilitate the Kairos experience. Going into Kairos as a leader, Ms. Hasenbeck Meyer explained that she was a bit nervous, as being a faculty leader is a big responsibility. “It’s an emotional experience, but it’s also in a lot of ways an emotional and liberating experience,” she said. Ms. Hasenbeck Meyer enjoys getting to know students outside of the classroom, and says that a key takeaway of Kairos is the connection one feels to the rest of the Fenwick community. In providing general feedback both the students and leaders responded positively, seniors feeling as though Kairos ended their time at Fenwick on a good note. Ms. Hasenbeck-Meyer noted, “If you approach it with a positive attitude, you’re most likely to have a positive outcome.” Senior Nick Nelligan seemed to have the same opinion. “Dive into the deep end,” was Nick’s advice. Nick went to November Kairos and is looking forward to leading Kairos in February. 

  After his Kairos experience, Nick explained that he felt really loved and appreciated by his classmates and teachers. “Kairos definitely provided me with an opportunity to care for my Kairos friends and people I connected with at Kairos,” said Nick. After experiencing Kairos as a major turning point in his senior year, Nick concluded that the most important takeaway from the retreat was learning that you’re never really alone, and everybody is there for you. As Nick put it, “It doesn’t really matter which Kairos you go on because whatever Kairos you go on is the one perfect for you.”