Freshman Retreat

Coach with his Kong Wobbler in the car on the way to work in the morning.

Thursday was the freshman retreat.  The freshman retreat is held before school starts as a way to get the 9th graders to know each other as we have lots of new students who enter in the 9th grade.  This year almost a third of the grade is new.

Coach lying on the gym floor staring at the freshmen in the bleachers.

I introduced Coach, a Southeastern Guide Dog puppy, and gave a short explanation of what the coat means and how Jam was doing.   then we were broken up into 13 groups for a tour of the campus where the kids who knew the school were supposed to help the new kids find certain landmarks on campus (help desk, nurse's office, etc.).

Group 10 surrounding Coach.  Coach is making eyes at Hinton.

Here is our amazing group 10.  Of course, we had the best group.  They were very amenable to actually following the rules.  We ended up walking all the way out to the Straz Family Field House where their health and freshman seminar classes will be held. That was a long walk.  It also had an elevator, which was Coach's first experience with elevators.

Coach's first elevator ride.  He's not nauseous, he's just looking down. 

He did better with the elevator than with the car!  No drooling.  However, by the time we got to the help desk, he was so happy to lie down on the cool tile floors that he didn't want to get up.  When our student leader said that our next stop was the Deans' office, I looked down and gave a little tug on the leash.  "Come on, Coach."

Nothing.  Big puppy eyes look up at me.  Coach has decided not to move.

I look at my group who is staring at Coach with astonishment, mouths hanging open. "OK," I say, "Who wants to carry Coach?"

The two hands of the JV football players shoot up.  Of course.  Coach will be carried by the footballers!  Perfect.

Hinton is carrying Coach after Coach refused to move.

Hinton had first duty and loved it. Coach was just happy not to move.

Tyler took second shift for carrying Coach.

Tyler took over from Hinton and led the group as we headed back into the gym at the conclusion of the tour.  We were the last group in and of course a little cheer went up when Tyler was seen with Coach in his arms.

Tyler and Hinton gets some puppy time with Coach after the tour.

I was so pleased with my group and their willingness to go to all the places without whining and for Tyler and Hinton's help that I took off Coach's coat and gave them all some exclusive puppy time.

Kaitlyn spent some time with Coach during free time.

When we had an extended break, I took off the coat so that Coach could meet the freshman, which let me meet the freshmen as well.  It was a nice partnership. In addition to free time, there were also lots of games that served to break down barriers and get kids talking.

Coach is lying next to the lined up Freshman who are waiting to start the relay race.

This dress up game was good as it had people putting on hats and crazy clothes, like a witch's hat.

Coach gives me a look, "What are these crazy freshmen doing?" 

Coach wasn't upset by the clothing or the hats.  He did get a little flustered by the running or quick walking of the students.

Coach falls asleep during the freshman retreat.

Some times he just napped.  It was a pretty taxing day.

Coach leans his head upon the bleachers.

So taxing that when we moved and he got a chance to try out the bleachers, he laid his big, heavy head down on the seat with a sigh.

Chaperones relax on the bleachers as Coach naps at their feet.

Being in the smaller gym was nice for the chaperones as it gave us a little bit of chance to chat among ourselves.  The kids were designing things with marshmallows and pasta and designing t-shirts.

At the end of the day, Coach looks on from the gym floor as the retreat winds down.

But at the end of the day, Coach was down for the count, just watching from the floor. But I think he bonded with the freshman, especially with group 10 and all the students who came by during break time and spent some time with him.  He makes quite a good impression.

So do they.