September 22, 2025 • 35 mins
What does it take to transform awkward freshmen into confident, faith-filled leaders? At Rockhurst High School, the journey begins with the Freshman Retreat—but this experience impacts far more than just the new students.
Senior co-chairs Joe Pitzl and Andrew Hayes reveal how their own freshman retreat experiences inspired them to lead the program years later. "Some of the people I met in my small group are people I still talk with daily," shares Joe, highlighting the lasting bonds formed during this pivotal experience. This year's theme, "Anchored in Rock," emphasizes finding stability in faith while discovering your unique place within the Rockhurst community.
Matt Nickson, Director of Pastoral Ministry, explains how this retreat represents just the beginning of a thoughtfully designed four-year formation journey. The freshman year focuses on community, sophomore year on personal reflection, junior year introduces the transformative Kairos retreat, and senior year offers specialized experiences including leadership formation. What makes this approach uniquely Ignatian is how seamlessly faith integrates throughout every aspect of school life—not compartmentalized, but woven into academics, athletics, and activities.
Perhaps most remarkable is how this model creates natural opportunities for student leadership. With approximately 150 upperclassmen serving as retreat leaders, the program simultaneously forms freshmen while developing leadership skills in juniors and seniors. As Nickson reflects on witnessing this transformation both as a faculty member and as a parent of two Rockhurst students: "The ways they have already matured and taken accountability in their own lives... I feel as though Rockhurst High School is 100% in line with that desire that there is goodness happening here."
In a world hungry for good men of character and faith, Rockhurst's comprehensive formation process creates an environment where young men discover their gifts and learn to use them in service to others. Listen now to understand how this powerful approach to student formation shapes not just four years of high school, but a lifetime of purpose.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:29):
Welcome to Rock Talk.
Today we have Joe Pitzel,Andrew Hayes and Mr Matt Nixon
on the podcast to talk a littlebit about our freshman retreat
program here at Rockers.
Andrew and Joe, you guys areour elected chairs this year of
the program.
I know you guys go through kindof an extensive process to get
(00:50):
that title.
It's not just one that isbestowed upon you.
I know you guys have to do somelead up work as far as being
part of our grounds crew andsome other areas and then apply
for that To kind of kick us off.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat that process looks like,
as far as what brought you tothis point of leading this
(01:13):
retreat, and then we'll get alittle bit more into what the
retreat is all about.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah.
So second semester of my junioryear, mr Nixon reached out to
me about being a freshmanretreat co-chair and I said yes.
And the reason I wanted to be aco-chair in the first place was
because my freshman year I hadsuch a great experience on my
freshman retreat and a lot ofthe things I learned have really
stuck to me and I've remembered.
So that's why I wanted to be acoach here and that's what it
(01:39):
was like for me Similar for me.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I was asked by Mr Nixon last semester last year
and I really enjoyed thefreshman retreat and then I also
led a group last year and Ireally enjoyed that.
So I was excited for theopportunity.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Great so for our people at home.
Can you both introduceyourselves?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Tell us a little bit more about what you're involved
in at Rockhurst.
So I'm Andrew Hayes.
I'm heavily involved in speechand debate and Model United
Nations at Rockhurst.
I'm team captain in bothactivities.
Then I've been involved in thefreshman retreat for the last
three years.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I'm Joe Pitzel.
I've played football all fouryears and then planning to play
baseball, and also I've been onSGA.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Cool and coach me up real quick, Andrew, because I am
getting back acclimated to thecommunity and I love talking to
different staff and differentstudents so I can close the gap
on what I wasn't payingattention to when I was here and
get up to speed.
So, Model UN, what is that?
(02:47):
Can you explain that?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
to me, so it's Model United Nations and it's
essentially where each personrepresents a country.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And it's literally like a mock United Nations where
you're in a group of like 100plus students and you debate
different current events.
Oh, my.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
I need to get invited to one of those just so I can
see what that looks like.
That's interesting.
Cool, cool, cool cool.
So you guys are involved in thefreshman retreat.
Mr Nixon, you are the overseerof the entire operation when I
was here.
I'm assuming the freshmanretreat was probably different.
(03:26):
How do you guys go aboutrunning that now?
Is it off campus?
Is it on campus?
Give me some nuts and bolts ofthe freshman retreat.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah, so the retreat has had evolution, just like any
program here at Rockhurst.
I've actually been a part of itfor over 10 years and we've had
it in the winter and now wehave it in the fall.
Most of the retreat takes placeon campus with, obviously, all
(03:57):
of the freshmen here, but we dohave an aspect of the retreat
which tends to be a greathighlight for the freshmen to
participate in, which is offcampus.
I don't know how much I want toshare about some of those
details right now want to shareabout some of those details
(04:17):
right now but, as I said, ittends to be a good highlight for
our freshmen to participate inthe off-campus aspect and to get
to know their group leaders andmembers of the community a
little deeper in that regard,cool cool cool, cool.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
And that's one of the cool things, steve, that you'll
get to learn as you go throughyour second freshman retreat.
But your first- one as afaculty staff is that, like all
of our retreats here atRockhurst, there's a little bit
of secrecy in the best waypossible right To make it
authentic and new experience forevery kid experiencing that
retreat.
So some of the things you know,kind of one of those things we
(04:49):
can't talk about it you know,but in the best way possible.
You know it's kind of one ofthose things we can't talk about
it, you know, but in the bestway possible.
So, although, Mr Nixon, you arethe director of pastoral
ministry, so you oversee ourfour-year retreat program, which
to me is one of my favoritethings as a faculty and staff
member to participate in.
You have a lot of studentleadership in that area, so can
(05:09):
you talk a little bit about, Imean, I know, for example, the
freshman retreat itself hasabout what 150 upperclassmen
that help in differentcapacities.
What are some of theopportunities you have for
leadership in the pastoraldepartment?
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Yeah, thanks for bringing that up.
I think the freshman retreat isprobably the largest
opportunity that we have forstudents to offer back and give
back to the community.
You're right.
We have about 100 juniors andseniors who will be leading our
freshmen over that day, overthat experience.
(05:45):
I think that is the strength ofthe program, is that it's that
peer-to-peer ministry.
Strength of the program is thatit's that peer-to-peer ministry
.
It's not just hearing from ateacher what they think the
students should hear, buthearing it firsthand, as Andrew
and Joe just mentioned about howimportant the retreat was for
them.
So our upperclassmen leadersselling it to the freshmen is a
(06:09):
great thing, a great source forthe freshmen to hear, great
thing, a great source for thefreshmen to hear.
But you asked about leadershipin the office.
Myself, mr Ryan McEnany and nowMr Jason Brish work really hard
to get our students involvedand allow them to use their
talents and gifts to sharewithin our community.
That's really the essence ofthe freshman retreat, quite
(06:30):
honestly, is to have thefreshmen start to tap into what
it is they might contribute tothe community.
You know, steve, you askedabout Andrew and learning
something new about Model UN.
You know Joe talking aboutfootball and baseball and you
know there's something here atRockhurst for everybody and I
think we want the freshmen tounderstand that.
(06:52):
We, certainly in the pastoraloffice, want our students to
recognize that whatever theirgifts are, that they have gifts
to contribute.
So we try to do our best to useany gift, any good gift from
the Lord that our studentspossess with our community.
So that again a lot of that isretreat leadership, but it's
(07:14):
also in leading prayeropportunities, ministering or
participating in liturgies,leading Kairos retreats and
other opportunities that servethe good of our student body.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Okay, our theme for this next four episodes of Rock
Talk is around faith andformation.
So you guys are kind of theideal kickoff to that because in
a lot of ways, you are thekickoff for our student
formation program.
It does, like I say, go overfour years.
It's not something that they goon freshman retreat and then
they're done forever, right guys.
So it's kind of their firstinteraction with faith on campus
(07:51):
, not just from their own faithexperience, but hearing about
others' faith experience,whether that's teacher, whether
that's student, whether that'san alumni, which is another
component to the freshmanretreat.
That I really like is that youincorporate our alumni community
in that.
So, boys, tell us a little bitmore.
In particular, what is themission of the retreat?
What is your theme this year?
(08:13):
What are some exciting thingsthat freshmen have to look
forward to?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
So our theme for this year's freshman retreat is
Anchored in Rock, andessentially what that means in
the context of this retreat isthat God is a source of
stability in our lives.
You can always count on him,and it's also teaching the
freshmen that they can anchorthemselves at Rockhurst in
pretty much anything they doBecause, as Mr Nixon said
earlier, rockhurst is a placewhere you can find what you want
(08:37):
to do, and that's what we'retrying to teach the freshmen
through this.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
That's cool.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And then the mission statement is through the 2025
freshman retreat, the class of2029 should build strong bonds
with their peers, deepen theirrelationship with God and fully
embrace the Rockhurst spiritspirit of community.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
That's great.
So for you guys, you know,looking back to your freshman
year, how do you think thatfreshman retreat experience kind
of shaped your next four years?
So did you meet people?
Did you interact maybe with anupperclassman in a positive way?
What kind of impacted you aboutthat experience?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Well, for me, some of the people that I met on the
freshman retreat that were in mysmall group are some of the
people that I still talk with ona daily basis, and I really got
to know people that I'd neverreally had classes with, so
that's how it's impacted me.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Same for me.
Going into freshman year Ireally only knew.
I knew some people and then alot of people just who played
football.
So the freshman retreat gave mea great opportunity to meet
multiple kids who I wouldn'thave known anyway otherwise.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Great, awesome.
So to just talk a little bitmore about student formation on
campus, mr Nixon, you know weoffered the freshman retreat,
which is a great opportunity.
Can you tell the folks at homea little bit about that
four-year retreat process, theother retreats that are kind of
encompassed in that?
I mean I'm sure at a later datewe'll get into a little bit
(10:00):
more information on thoseretreats, but just kind of from
a mile-above look.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about the retreat program
here at Rockhurst?
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Yeah, our retreat program is everything builds off
of the previous experience.
So our freshman retreat isobviously about community and,
as I mentioned earlier, thestudents recognizing how they're
going to receive gifts from thecommunity, to open themselves
up to those gifts from thecommunity and then to contribute
(10:31):
to the community community toopen themselves up to those
gifts from the community andthen to contribute to the
community.
Our sophomore year builds offof that but starts to look
really at the personhood of eachindividual who Christ has
called them to be.
That's through our sophomorereflection program.
And all of these I should havementioned are grounded in our
Ignatian and Catholic identity,are grounded in our Ignatian and
(10:51):
Catholic identity, our Ignatianspirituality, which is so rich
here.
But our sophomore year we havea prayer that we pray every day,
called the Examine, the greatgift that St Ignatius gave to us
and to our faith.
And so we ground the sophomoreexperience in that examined
(11:12):
prayer, which is a moment or anopportunity to look at where God
has been active in our lives,in our communities.
And so the students actuallyprepare a reflection
presentation that they give infront of some adults at
Rockhurst and also to theirparents.
It's a great reflectiveopportunity for the students.
(11:33):
Again, freshman year, kind ofcommunity Sophomore year.
The individual and junior yearis our Kairos retreat, which I
mentioned earlier.
The Kairos retreat looks at howGod has been actively working
through the love of theirclassmates, through the love of
(11:55):
their classmates, through thelove of their parents, how God
is calling them to continue thisjourney they've been on as
disciples.
That is a three-day,two-overnight experience.
That's again peer-led.
Our senior year we have acouple different electives for
the students to participate in.
We have a leadership formationretreat that, ms Van Dyke, I
(12:17):
know you are aware of.
We also have an outdoor retreatcalled the Cardinare Retreat.
We have silent retreats that weoffer and I'd like to just also
say that, and because of all ofour retreats, or so many of our
retreats being student-led,those in and of themselves
become retreats and formativeexperiences for our
(12:41):
upperclassmen.
So you might look at thefreshman retreat and say, oh,
this is a great gift for ourfreshman class.
But, as we already mentioned,there's 150 upperclassmen among
sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Not only that, we have maybe100 alumni, 50 faculty and staff
who are also participating andexercising their discipleship as
(13:07):
well, or their ability tominister through that process.
So I would say that thegreatest formation we do here
yes, we have great retreats, wehave great daily prayer and a
great spirit here on campus, butallowing the students to
actually exercise that and leadis the best thing that we offer
(13:28):
here, and so I'm very proud ofthat.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
I am usually not this quiet, but I am quiet because
I'm amazed at again coming backinto the community as an almost
40-year-old man and seeing howwell designed this environment
(13:52):
is for young men to grow intheir relationship and their
faith.
I had a brief stint in ministryand now, like I'm literally
right now, sitting in a momentwhere I understand a little bit
more Ignatius's is that how yousay that?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Is that the best way to say that?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
His approach to getting in education for the
viewers Like so I would do highschool and you know, ministry,
young adult ministry and thestruggle we would have to get
this deep with our young peoplebecause we see them on a Sunday
or maybe they show up to abarbecue or something like that
(14:35):
and we're trying to connect withthem and the fact that out of
the gate, you have a buildingfour year process, that is, yes,
is directly impacting thefreshmen freshman, but it's also
(14:57):
discipleship for the leadersand it just builds on itself to
a point where you leave hereliving out the grad at grad and
you leave here with a strongerrelationship with Christ is
awesome, and I don't even knowwhat words to say to get that to
hit the listeners hard enoughto understand how important that
is in a young person's faithjourney.
(15:19):
You're in a community of peoplewho are it's not just you, but
they're, as you just mentioned,like selling it, but like you're
looking at upperclassmen thatare telling you, hey, this is
important, this is a big dealLike this is serious, you know,
and man, that's impactful.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
Well, I think, steve, what you're picking up on is
again that Ignatian character ofwho we are, where Ignatius, in
his first principle andfoundation, says that everything
on this earth is a gift fromGod and there are always moments
for us or God is always pouringhimself out to us, and I think
(16:02):
you experience that on theday-to-day basis here at
Rockhurst where it's not justokay, now we're going to go.
It's not compartmentalized work, now we're going to go and do
some prayer things.
It's integrated into our wholelife of the school, where that
math lesson, that English lesson, the Camino project, whatever
(16:23):
it is God is actively trying tosave us, inviting us to
participate in that.
So that is who we are as aschool is that every moment is
an opportunity for us toexperience God's love, an
opportunity where God isaccompanying us.
And again, like I said, it'snot going to be separated.
(16:45):
And okay, now we're going to doour prayer and focus on God.
Okay, put that away, let's getour textbook out.
God's a part of all of thatwith us, and I think that's
you're just.
You're picking up on somethingthat is 100% authentic to
Ignatian spirituality.
Wow, cool.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Yeah, and so one of the evolutions I've really seen
in my time here in my last sevenyears, is that senior
experience right In the retreats.
So seeing the development ofthe fourth day retreat, which,
as someone who participated inKairos as a teenager, I think
the idea that we get to carrythat on through another retreat
experience into senior year andreally kind of elongate, that is
(17:26):
great.
The other one you mentioned wasthe Ignatian Formation Program,
right, the leadership program.
So, joe, I know that you'veparticipated in some of our
meetings and our retreat.
I know Andrew has too.
Andrew had to step away for abrief moment but he'll be right
back because we do film oncampus during school and these
guys are students, believe it ornot, and have some things to do
(17:48):
.
But so, joe, in your experiencethat's a little bit different
of a retreat, right.
So we talk a lot about goalsetting, we talk about
reflection, the importance ofreflection, evaluation, which
are Ignatian spiritualcornerstones, if you will.
So how do you think that's kindof helped you?
That being part of theleadership program has kind of
helped you, not only as a leaderin this retreat in particular,
(18:10):
but maybe on the football fieldor in the classroom.
How have you seen that?
Speaker 3 (18:14):
retreat in particular , but maybe on the football
field or in the classroom.
How have you seen that?
Well, I remember last year, Ithink, the first meeting we all
wrote down goals and thenexpectations and I still, I
think, have that in my backpackand that kind of helps, just
looking back at that, to realize, like what I need to do really
just help my classmates and theneven just with this freshman
retreat.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Yeah, and Andrew, you came back in perfect timing.
Here we're talking about theIgnatian Leadership Formation
Program and kind of the bones ofthat, where it was really kind
of something that I think bothMatt and I have discussed at
length.
We have all these greatopportunities for students to
step up in leadership positions,but in a lot of ways we put a
(18:54):
lot on you guys to have thatfigured out so that that program
was really designed to helpgive you some tools.
And so Joe was talking a littlebit about goal setting and that
we do in that program.
Do you feel like that's helpedyou in some of your student
organizations and things likethat?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
It's definitely helped me.
It's really taught me like notlike.
It's taught me how to lead andhow to be a good leader.
So that was definitely a veryuseful program.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah.
So we're getting ready toactually create another
evolution of that program andexpanding it a little bit,
because one of the things thatwe've reflected on as adult
leaders in that program is theneed to maybe even encounter
students at an earlier age.
So freshman sophomore year.
So, looking back to yourfreshman sophomore year, do you
think that would have beenbeneficial to maybe have some of
(19:37):
that training earlier on, asopposed to junior and senior
year?
Absolutely, yeah, great.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
I've got a question for you guys and you guys have
kind of touched on it, but Iwant to get a little deeper.
So you've been involved withthe retreats for four years.
Did I understand that?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
correctly the last three years.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
And then, how long have you been doing it?
Two years, so, as busyupperclassmen, you have
committed yourself to helping inthis.
What is, why does it mean somuch to you to be involved in
helping these retreats go well,to be involved in this aspect of
(20:21):
the student experience.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
I feel like these retreats are almost gradual.
I guess you could say Ifthey're not done right, you can
just find yourself at school fora whole day just going through
the motions, filling out these,these questions, but not really
getting anything from it.
So it's important that us, asco-chairs, really make it
engaging and a formativeexperience for the freshmen yeah
, I kind of agree with joe onthat one.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
We want it to be an experience that the freshmen
look back on and enjoy and notjust like as a day of boring
reflection.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
We we want them to really have a good time, Okay,
and then you guys' work in this.
Is there anything, if one thingjumps out at you that you see
the freshmen really take awaylike?
Is there or something that youmaybe hope that they get year to
(21:14):
year?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
as you're putting this together, Well, it's kind
of like something from myfreshman year, but it was on the
Braveheart game, our freshmanretreat, so like the whole day
you're spending with your wholefreshman class and then in your
small groups and really just Ihad a really fun time actually
and then go back to the hometime and then, as all the
freshmen start to come back,then it's the Braveheart game,
(21:36):
which is really just a strongsense of brotherhood at
Rockhurst, and it was just agreat time something that kind
of like stood out to me duringmy freshman retreat slash like
what I want them to take out isprobably the brotherhood that
Joe talked about, because, like,you really get to know your
small group throughout theretreat and you really get to
(21:59):
connect with them.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So I hope during the freshman retreat they can, like
they can take out that there'salways a small group.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Gotcha love it.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
So one of the things in the leadership formation
program that we talk about a lotis finding someone on campus,
an adult on campus, that you cango to for feedback, as you're
reflecting on your own skillsright.
So one of the things you guyshave to do is set a meeting with
a moderator or coach to kind ofgo through your goals and
things like that.
(22:27):
Who are some people, someadults on campus that you guys
have gone to to seek advice, toseek that formation experience
with, and what have you learnedfrom them?
Speaker 3 (22:39):
I would say Mr Nixon, and also not only adults but
upperclassmen.
Like we're in contact with thecoaches from last year, brady
Batts and uh jack bracket, andthey kind of help us form this
retreat okay I.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
I would say upperclassmen are a main source
of formation at rockers becausethey're just, they're there to
help you and they really wantyou to do well in anything you
do.
So so I would say theupperclassmen.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Great, great, great.
It's always good to hear whenyou're hearing it from other
students to students, which isgreat.
So Brady's a great example.
I like to call out some of ouralums here on this podcast.
Last week I called out one too,but Mr Nixon Brady was one that
we tapped in as we wereevolving the leadership retreat
to kind of take on as a seniorleadership role on that retreat,
(23:35):
kind of not really a formedleadership role, but just kind
of asked him hey, will you come,will you talk about your
leadership experience, will youlead these young men in prayer
and reflection?
And he really knocked it out ofthe park.
So I think he's one of thoseexamples of students that have
really taken this formationprocess and run with it.
In your experience, when yousee students develop in that way
(24:00):
, what do you get out of it?
What is your favorite partabout seeing that formation
process come to fruition?
Speaker 5 (24:07):
I guess about kind of seeing that formation process
come to fruition, I guess.
Yeah, I think it's probably themost rewarding thing that we do
on the adult side of things andI'm sure parents can agree with
that is that, you know, in lessthan a month, on October 3rd,
we're going to have 260 roundfreshmen and they're all going
(24:28):
to be excited and participating.
But they look like you knowfreshmen goofy as I did, you
know kind of unsure of things,and I don't think any one of us
could at that moment kind ofpinpoint and say that's our next
Brady bats, that's our nextAndrew Hayes and Joe Pitzel, but
(24:51):
to see each one of them, and infact if somebody said, hey, we
have to entrust a school tothese guys in four short years,
we'd probably, all you know,almost our heart would stop.
But to see, and especially youtalk about Brady Bats.
He was a student who really see, and especially you talk about
Brady Bats.
He was a student who really, itwasn't until his junior year
(25:12):
this is my recollection itwasn't really until his junior
year that all of a sudden thisyoung man started to emerge as a
voice and as a model, and Iwould say.
And then he made another leapbetween junior and senior year
where all of a sudden, it wasn'tjust a guy who was raising his
hand and saying I'm ready to, Ican volunteer for this, but then
(25:36):
it was the guy who was settingthe example, doing the things
that there's no recognition for.
It's not a resume builder, it'sjust okay.
I'm going to go to that foodpantry that night.
I'm going to invite otherpeople to go and do it with me.
I'm going to go on thisconference in DC to talk about
Catholic social teaching.
(25:56):
I'm going to go and invite myfriends to be a part of this.
And Brady embodies and ouralums embody that, that spirit
of, and this is what we'retrying to awaken in them.
Freshman year is like you havethings to contribute and it's
(26:21):
just so neat to see that comealive, become animated.
And again I have two co-chairsright next to me who are totally
different in interests, totallydifferent in skill sets, 100%
complimentary.
And that's what this worldneeds is differences that
(26:42):
complement each other, that usethose gifts that God has given
to each one of them, and so it'sthe most rewarding thing that
we do on campus is to awakenthose gifts that God has given
to each one of them, and so it'sthe most rewarding thing that
we do on campus is to awakenthose gifts within our students
and to see them.
You know, andrew and Joe justsaid it they looked at the
upperclassmen for leadership.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yeah, that quiet leadership, I think, is
something that I I don't think,even as an adult, I had really
had much thought about until Iwas here, and I see that a lot
there.
It's not grandstanding.
These guys are not theco-chairs of the freshman
retreat because they want to putit on their college resume.
Does that look great?
(27:18):
Yeah, it does, which is so goodfor you guys on that.
But that's not why they'redoing it.
They're doing it because theyhave a desire to help form young
men, which I think is great.
And I look at kind of whatFather Kramer talked about in
our last podcast, which you guyshaven't heard yet, but he
talked about this idea of notjust strong men but good men,
and that's what I see.
(27:38):
I mean Jack McShane.
That was on a couple weeks agoand the first time I really got
to spend time with Jack was atCherith Brooks Charity House and
we were serving dinner to thepeople there and that's a
volunteer thing, it's not arequirement, it's not a service
requirement.
You volunteer on a Thursdaynight to go and serve dinner and
he did it with a tremendousamount of joy.
He really enjoyed sitting andtalking with people and hearing
(28:01):
their stories and to me that'san example of that quiet
leadership, that not doing it tocheck off a box but doing it
because it's what we do here andI think that's a really great
thing.
That this whole pastoralformation program does is give
every student an opportunity tolead in a way that is most
(28:21):
comfortable for them but alsopushes them.
Like you said, brady wasn'tgoing to be the one that maybe
was a yell leader as a freshmanor was down on the court for a
pep rally, but he grew into whatleadership looked like for him
and really capitalized on that.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
And I would just say I mean, don't lose that heart,
don't lose that spirit.
Man, like I said, we can talkoff air about experiences I've
had.
I keep saying, like you stepoutside of these walls and
you're kind of in the wildernessbecause this is a very special
place, but these young men needit now more than ever, and that
(28:58):
means the world needs it.
We need good men.
We need good hearted men outthere, and I love the fact that
you guys are picking up on thatand the work that you do here,
because it matters a lot and inmore ways.
So y'all stay tight as you goon up and through life, because
you're going to need each other.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Our favorite question to ask.
It's always our last questionin this podcast, so you guys are
almost done.
You're doing great, and I'mgoing to ask you guys first, and
then I'm going to ask Mr Nixonfrom a different perspective,
because Mr Nixon, although he isour pastoral director, he
teaches in our theologydepartment.
He's also a proud parent of twohawklets currently, and so our
favorite question to ask peopleis if you're talking to a
(29:38):
prospective parent, what wouldbe the number one reason you
guys think a family should sendtheir son to Rockhurst?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I would say the number one reason is that every
day at Rockhurst good thingshappen immediately after three
o'clock because there's alwayssomething going on and you're
able to find your place herebecause there's always an
activity going on that you willenjoy.
So I would definitely say theactivities have been a very big
(30:06):
reason on why I fell in lovewith rock a very big reason on
why I fell for it.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Great and I would say , besides the great academics,
athletics and clubs just howrooted in faith it is.
Just going into freshman year Ijust thought it would be like
mass every so often.
I was just going to a Jesuitschool and I was surprised at
how much the faith means here tothe faculty and how much they,
(30:30):
I guess, impressed that on thestudents Like I never thought
I'd be a Eucharistic minister,but now that's something I'm
doing.
I didn't think I'd be leadingretreats, but now that's
something.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Okay, mr Nixon, as a parent and faculty member, and
once a prospective parent, whatwould you say?
Speaker 5 (30:44):
Yeah, so I just finished my 20th year here and
so I started here unmarried.
No kids.
That's changed Just slightly.
And you know my oldest son youmentioned.
He's a junior now he's 17.
And I think back to in the blinkof an eye how it felt like
(31:07):
yesterday that I was firstholding him, and I think about
that thought that crossesprobably every new parent's mind
is that when you're firstholding that, your newborn, you
are so committed to doinganything you can for their
potential, for their development, that you'd sacrifice anything.
(31:32):
And since my kids, my sons, havebeen here at Rockhurst, I truly
feel as though this decisionand sending them here is it's in
that spirit of doing anythingfor their potential and to see
my sons again.
I've been here a lot longerthan my kids have been here and
(31:55):
I think I didn't really.
I thought I got it but I didn'tget it because they the ways
that they have already maturedand already taken accountability
in their own lives.
Again, it just takes me back tothat first moment where I was
like I want nothing but goodnessfor you, and I feel as though
(32:18):
Rockhurst High School is 100% inline with that desire that
there is goodness happening herefor my son because of how
they're being formed here.
So, yeah, we all want what'sbest for our kids and I think
Rockhurst High School inpartnership with the parents,
(32:41):
you know does that.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
That's great.
I mean, I don't even know howyou follow that one up.
I you know.
I think that's every parent'sdesire and thank you for sharing
that reflection.
So next week, guys, we have MrAlan Raderman coming on the
podcast so you can warn himabout it, right?
So he's going to be talkingabout service, right?
The Ignatian Service Programhere at Rockers, which is also a
(33:04):
four-year extensive program,which is also a four-year
extensive program, as I talkedin our podcast two weeks ago
about Camino, that the veryfirst thing you do as freshmen
is go out and serve others,which I think is a really
powerful statement from thestart.
So in your service experience,as a little preview, what was
your favorite rocker serviceexperience so far?
Speaker 3 (33:24):
I would say that first day, the first service day
, a bunch of freshmen and no onereally knows each other that
well, so everyone's talking toeveryone.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Great.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
That is a really good question.
I actually have had a lot ofgood service experiences here.
I would probably say my bestservice experience was it was
probably my first day offreshman days of service, like
Joe, because because it was likeit's like your second day here
at Rockhurst you still don'tknow many people but you're able
(33:56):
to talk with people not in aschool setting but like an
informal setting, and thatreally helped me meet new people
.
So I would say, yeah, that wasprobably my favorite.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Okay, great, mr Nixon , we'll.
We'll ask you the same question.
I'm sure you've volunteered atvarious service opportunities,
so what is your favorite one sofar?
Speaker 5 (34:53):
I've enjoyed that it's our students serving dinner
, but not just serving dinner toindividuals, as Christ would
want, and I think that reallyhumanizes and just shows like
this is a person I'm helping.
It's not a category, it's anindividual, and I think that's
the best gift of our serviceprogram.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Great.
Well, thank you guys so muchfor taking time out of your very
busy schedule, especiallyleading up to the freshman
retreat.
We wish you guys nothing butsuccess and look forward to
sharing some of the retreat andall the fun activities when it
comes up.
So thank you so much for beinghere today.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
We appreciate you guys.
Welcome to Rock Talk.
Today we have Joe Pitzel,Andrew Hayes and Mr Matt Nixon
on the podcast to talk a littlebit about our freshman retreat
program here at Rockers.
Andrew and Joe, you guys areour elected chairs this year of
the program.
I know you guys go through kindof an extensive process to get
(00:50):
that title.
It's not just one that isbestowed upon you.
I know you guys have to do somelead up work as far as being
part of our grounds crew andsome other areas and then apply
for that To kind of kick us off.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat that process looks like,
as far as what brought you tothis point of leading this
(01:13):
retreat, and then we'll get alittle bit more into what the
retreat is all about.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah.
So second semester of my junioryear, mr Nixon reached out to
me about being a freshmanretreat co-chair and I said yes.
And the reason I wanted to be aco-chair in the first place was
because my freshman year I hadsuch a great experience on my
freshman retreat and a lot ofthe things I learned have really
stuck to me and I've remembered.
So that's why I wanted to be acoach here and that's what it
(01:39):
was like for me Similar for me.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I was asked by Mr Nixon last semester last year
and I really enjoyed thefreshman retreat and then I also
led a group last year and Ireally enjoyed that.
So I was excited for theopportunity.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Great so for our people at home.
Can you both introduceyourselves?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Tell us a little bit more about what you're involved
in at Rockhurst.
So I'm Andrew Hayes.
I'm heavily involved in speechand debate and Model United
Nations at Rockhurst.
I'm team captain in bothactivities.
Then I've been involved in thefreshman retreat for the last
three years.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I'm Joe Pitzel.
I've played football all fouryears and then planning to play
baseball, and also I've been onSGA.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Cool and coach me up real quick, Andrew, because I am
getting back acclimated to thecommunity and I love talking to
different staff and differentstudents so I can close the gap
on what I wasn't payingattention to when I was here and
get up to speed.
So, Model UN, what is that?
(02:47):
Can you explain that?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
to me, so it's Model United Nations and it's
essentially where each personrepresents a country.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And it's literally like a mock United Nations where
you're in a group of like 100plus students and you debate
different current events.
Oh, my.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
I need to get invited to one of those just so I can
see what that looks like.
That's interesting.
Cool, cool, cool cool.
So you guys are involved in thefreshman retreat.
Mr Nixon, you are the overseerof the entire operation when I
was here.
I'm assuming the freshmanretreat was probably different.
(03:26):
How do you guys go aboutrunning that now?
Is it off campus?
Is it on campus?
Give me some nuts and bolts ofthe freshman retreat.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah, so the retreat has had evolution, just like any
program here at Rockhurst.
I've actually been a part of itfor over 10 years and we've had
it in the winter and now wehave it in the fall.
Most of the retreat takes placeon campus with, obviously, all
(03:57):
of the freshmen here, but we dohave an aspect of the retreat
which tends to be a greathighlight for the freshmen to
participate in, which is offcampus.
I don't know how much I want toshare about some of those
details right now want to shareabout some of those details
(04:17):
right now but, as I said, ittends to be a good highlight for
our freshmen to participate inthe off-campus aspect and to get
to know their group leaders andmembers of the community a
little deeper in that regard,cool cool cool, cool.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
And that's one of the cool things, steve, that you'll
get to learn as you go throughyour second freshman retreat.
But your first- one as afaculty staff is that, like all
of our retreats here atRockhurst, there's a little bit
of secrecy in the best waypossible right To make it
authentic and new experience forevery kid experiencing that
retreat.
So some of the things you know,kind of one of those things we
(04:49):
can't talk about it you know,but in the best way possible.
You know it's kind of one ofthose things we can't talk about
it, you know, but in the bestway possible.
So, although, Mr Nixon, you arethe director of pastoral
ministry, so you oversee ourfour-year retreat program, which
to me is one of my favoritethings as a faculty and staff
member to participate in.
You have a lot of studentleadership in that area, so can
(05:09):
you talk a little bit about, Imean, I know, for example, the
freshman retreat itself hasabout what 150 upperclassmen
that help in differentcapacities.
What are some of theopportunities you have for
leadership in the pastoraldepartment?
Speaker 5 (05:25):
Yeah, thanks for bringing that up.
I think the freshman retreat isprobably the largest
opportunity that we have forstudents to offer back and give
back to the community.
You're right.
We have about 100 juniors andseniors who will be leading our
freshmen over that day, overthat experience.
(05:45):
I think that is the strength ofthe program, is that it's that
peer-to-peer ministry.
Strength of the program is thatit's that peer-to-peer ministry
.
It's not just hearing from ateacher what they think the
students should hear, buthearing it firsthand, as Andrew
and Joe just mentioned about howimportant the retreat was for
them.
So our upperclassmen leadersselling it to the freshmen is a
(06:09):
great thing, a great source forthe freshmen to hear, great
thing, a great source for thefreshmen to hear.
But you asked about leadershipin the office.
Myself, mr Ryan McEnany and nowMr Jason Brish work really hard
to get our students involvedand allow them to use their
talents and gifts to sharewithin our community.
That's really the essence ofthe freshman retreat, quite
(06:30):
honestly, is to have thefreshmen start to tap into what
it is they might contribute tothe community.
You know, steve, you askedabout Andrew and learning
something new about Model UN.
You know Joe talking aboutfootball and baseball and you
know there's something here atRockhurst for everybody and I
think we want the freshmen tounderstand that.
(06:52):
We, certainly in the pastoraloffice, want our students to
recognize that whatever theirgifts are, that they have gifts
to contribute.
So we try to do our best to useany gift, any good gift from
the Lord that our studentspossess with our community.
So that again a lot of that isretreat leadership, but it's
(07:14):
also in leading prayeropportunities, ministering or
participating in liturgies,leading Kairos retreats and
other opportunities that servethe good of our student body.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Okay, our theme for this next four episodes of Rock
Talk is around faith andformation.
So you guys are kind of theideal kickoff to that because in
a lot of ways, you are thekickoff for our student
formation program.
It does, like I say, go overfour years.
It's not something that they goon freshman retreat and then
they're done forever, right guys.
So it's kind of their firstinteraction with faith on campus
(07:51):
, not just from their own faithexperience, but hearing about
others' faith experience,whether that's teacher, whether
that's student, whether that'san alumni, which is another
component to the freshmanretreat.
That I really like is that youincorporate our alumni community
in that.
So, boys, tell us a little bitmore.
In particular, what is themission of the retreat?
What is your theme this year?
(08:13):
What are some exciting thingsthat freshmen have to look
forward to?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
So our theme for this year's freshman retreat is
Anchored in Rock, andessentially what that means in
the context of this retreat isthat God is a source of
stability in our lives.
You can always count on him,and it's also teaching the
freshmen that they can anchorthemselves at Rockhurst in
pretty much anything they doBecause, as Mr Nixon said
earlier, rockhurst is a placewhere you can find what you want
(08:37):
to do, and that's what we'retrying to teach the freshmen
through this.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
That's cool.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And then the mission statement is through the 2025
freshman retreat, the class of2029 should build strong bonds
with their peers, deepen theirrelationship with God and fully
embrace the Rockhurst spiritspirit of community.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
That's great.
So for you guys, you know,looking back to your freshman
year, how do you think thatfreshman retreat experience kind
of shaped your next four years?
So did you meet people?
Did you interact maybe with anupperclassman in a positive way?
What kind of impacted you aboutthat experience?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Well, for me, some of the people that I met on the
freshman retreat that were in mysmall group are some of the
people that I still talk with ona daily basis, and I really got
to know people that I'd neverreally had classes with, so
that's how it's impacted me.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Same for me.
Going into freshman year Ireally only knew.
I knew some people and then alot of people just who played
football.
So the freshman retreat gave mea great opportunity to meet
multiple kids who I wouldn'thave known anyway otherwise.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Great, awesome.
So to just talk a little bitmore about student formation on
campus, mr Nixon, you know weoffered the freshman retreat,
which is a great opportunity.
Can you tell the folks at homea little bit about that
four-year retreat process, theother retreats that are kind of
encompassed in that?
I mean I'm sure at a later datewe'll get into a little bit
(10:00):
more information on thoseretreats, but just kind of from
a mile-above look.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about the retreat program
here at Rockhurst?
Speaker 5 (10:09):
Yeah, our retreat program is everything builds off
of the previous experience.
So our freshman retreat isobviously about community and,
as I mentioned earlier, thestudents recognizing how they're
going to receive gifts from thecommunity, to open themselves
up to those gifts from thecommunity and then to contribute
(10:31):
to the community community toopen themselves up to those
gifts from the community andthen to contribute to the
community.
Our sophomore year builds offof that but starts to look
really at the personhood of eachindividual who Christ has
called them to be.
That's through our sophomorereflection program.
And all of these I should havementioned are grounded in our
Ignatian and Catholic identity,are grounded in our Ignatian and
(10:51):
Catholic identity, our Ignatianspirituality, which is so rich
here.
But our sophomore year we havea prayer that we pray every day,
called the Examine, the greatgift that St Ignatius gave to us
and to our faith.
And so we ground the sophomoreexperience in that examined
(11:12):
prayer, which is a moment or anopportunity to look at where God
has been active in our lives,in our communities.
And so the students actuallyprepare a reflection
presentation that they give infront of some adults at
Rockhurst and also to theirparents.
It's a great reflectiveopportunity for the students.
(11:33):
Again, freshman year, kind ofcommunity Sophomore year.
The individual and junior yearis our Kairos retreat, which I
mentioned earlier.
The Kairos retreat looks at howGod has been actively working
through the love of theirclassmates, through the love of
(11:55):
their classmates, through thelove of their parents, how God
is calling them to continue thisjourney they've been on as
disciples.
That is a three-day,two-overnight experience.
That's again peer-led.
Our senior year we have acouple different electives for
the students to participate in.
We have a leadership formationretreat that, ms Van Dyke, I
(12:17):
know you are aware of.
We also have an outdoor retreatcalled the Cardinare Retreat.
We have silent retreats that weoffer and I'd like to just also
say that, and because of all ofour retreats, or so many of our
retreats being student-led,those in and of themselves
become retreats and formativeexperiences for our
(12:41):
upperclassmen.
So you might look at thefreshman retreat and say, oh,
this is a great gift for ourfreshman class.
But, as we already mentioned,there's 150 upperclassmen among
sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Not only that, we have maybe100 alumni, 50 faculty and staff
who are also participating andexercising their discipleship as
(13:07):
well, or their ability tominister through that process.
So I would say that thegreatest formation we do here
yes, we have great retreats, wehave great daily prayer and a
great spirit here on campus, butallowing the students to
actually exercise that and leadis the best thing that we offer
(13:28):
here, and so I'm very proud ofthat.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
I am usually not this quiet, but I am quiet because
I'm amazed at again coming backinto the community as an almost
40-year-old man and seeing howwell designed this environment
(13:52):
is for young men to grow intheir relationship and their
faith.
I had a brief stint in ministryand now, like I'm literally
right now, sitting in a momentwhere I understand a little bit
more Ignatius's is that how yousay that?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Is that the best way to say that?
Speaker 4 (14:13):
His approach to getting in education for the
viewers Like so I would do highschool and you know, ministry,
young adult ministry and thestruggle we would have to get
this deep with our young peoplebecause we see them on a Sunday
or maybe they show up to abarbecue or something like that
(14:35):
and we're trying to connect withthem and the fact that out of
the gate, you have a buildingfour year process, that is, yes,
is directly impacting thefreshmen freshman, but it's also
(14:57):
discipleship for the leadersand it just builds on itself to
a point where you leave hereliving out the grad at grad and
you leave here with a strongerrelationship with Christ is
awesome, and I don't even knowwhat words to say to get that to
hit the listeners hard enoughto understand how important that
is in a young person's faithjourney.
(15:19):
You're in a community of peoplewho are it's not just you, but
they're, as you just mentioned,like selling it, but like you're
looking at upperclassmen thatare telling you, hey, this is
important, this is a big dealLike this is serious, you know,
and man, that's impactful.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
Well, I think, steve, what you're picking up on is
again that Ignatian character ofwho we are, where Ignatius, in
his first principle andfoundation, says that everything
on this earth is a gift fromGod and there are always moments
for us or God is always pouringhimself out to us, and I think
(16:02):
you experience that on theday-to-day basis here at
Rockhurst where it's not justokay, now we're going to go.
It's not compartmentalized work, now we're going to go and do
some prayer things.
It's integrated into our wholelife of the school, where that
math lesson, that English lesson, the Camino project, whatever
(16:23):
it is God is actively trying tosave us, inviting us to
participate in that.
So that is who we are as aschool is that every moment is
an opportunity for us toexperience God's love, an
opportunity where God isaccompanying us.
And again, like I said, it'snot going to be separated.
(16:45):
And okay, now we're going to doour prayer and focus on God.
Okay, put that away, let's getour textbook out.
God's a part of all of thatwith us, and I think that's
you're just.
You're picking up on somethingthat is 100% authentic to
Ignatian spirituality.
Wow, cool.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Yeah, and so one of the evolutions I've really seen
in my time here in my last sevenyears, is that senior
experience right In the retreats.
So seeing the development ofthe fourth day retreat, which,
as someone who participated inKairos as a teenager, I think
the idea that we get to carrythat on through another retreat
experience into senior year andreally kind of elongate, that is
(17:26):
great.
The other one you mentioned wasthe Ignatian Formation Program,
right, the leadership program.
So, joe, I know that you'veparticipated in some of our
meetings and our retreat.
I know Andrew has too.
Andrew had to step away for abrief moment but he'll be right
back because we do film oncampus during school and these
guys are students, believe it ornot, and have some things to do
(17:48):
.
But so, joe, in your experiencethat's a little bit different
of a retreat, right.
So we talk a lot about goalsetting, we talk about
reflection, the importance ofreflection, evaluation, which
are Ignatian spiritualcornerstones, if you will.
So how do you think that's kindof helped you?
That being part of theleadership program has kind of
helped you, not only as a leaderin this retreat in particular,
(18:10):
but maybe on the football fieldor in the classroom.
How have you seen that?
Speaker 3 (18:14):
retreat in particular , but maybe on the football
field or in the classroom.
How have you seen that?
Well, I remember last year, Ithink, the first meeting we all
wrote down goals and thenexpectations and I still, I
think, have that in my backpackand that kind of helps, just
looking back at that, to realize, like what I need to do really
just help my classmates and theneven just with this freshman
retreat.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Yeah, and Andrew, you came back in perfect timing.
Here we're talking about theIgnatian Leadership Formation
Program and kind of the bones ofthat, where it was really kind
of something that I think bothMatt and I have discussed at
length.
We have all these greatopportunities for students to
step up in leadership positions,but in a lot of ways we put a
(18:54):
lot on you guys to have thatfigured out so that that program
was really designed to helpgive you some tools.
And so Joe was talking a littlebit about goal setting and that
we do in that program.
Do you feel like that's helpedyou in some of your student
organizations and things likethat?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
It's definitely helped me.
It's really taught me like notlike.
It's taught me how to lead andhow to be a good leader.
So that was definitely a veryuseful program.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah.
So we're getting ready toactually create another
evolution of that program andexpanding it a little bit,
because one of the things thatwe've reflected on as adult
leaders in that program is theneed to maybe even encounter
students at an earlier age.
So freshman sophomore year.
So, looking back to yourfreshman sophomore year, do you
think that would have beenbeneficial to maybe have some of
(19:37):
that training earlier on, asopposed to junior and senior
year?
Absolutely, yeah, great.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
I've got a question for you guys and you guys have
kind of touched on it, but Iwant to get a little deeper.
So you've been involved withthe retreats for four years.
Did I understand that?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
correctly the last three years.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
And then, how long have you been doing it?
Two years, so, as busyupperclassmen, you have
committed yourself to helping inthis.
What is, why does it mean somuch to you to be involved in
helping these retreats go well,to be involved in this aspect of
(20:21):
the student experience.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
I feel like these retreats are almost gradual.
I guess you could say Ifthey're not done right, you can
just find yourself at school fora whole day just going through
the motions, filling out these,these questions, but not really
getting anything from it.
So it's important that us, asco-chairs, really make it
engaging and a formativeexperience for the freshmen yeah
, I kind of agree with joe onthat one.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
We want it to be an experience that the freshmen
look back on and enjoy and notjust like as a day of boring
reflection.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
We we want them to really have a good time, Okay,
and then you guys' work in this.
Is there anything, if one thingjumps out at you that you see
the freshmen really take awaylike?
Is there or something that youmaybe hope that they get year to
(21:14):
year?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
as you're putting this together, Well, it's kind
of like something from myfreshman year, but it was on the
Braveheart game, our freshmanretreat, so like the whole day
you're spending with your wholefreshman class and then in your
small groups and really just Ihad a really fun time actually
and then go back to the hometime and then, as all the
freshmen start to come back,then it's the Braveheart game,
(21:36):
which is really just a strongsense of brotherhood at
Rockhurst, and it was just agreat time something that kind
of like stood out to me duringmy freshman retreat slash like
what I want them to take out isprobably the brotherhood that
Joe talked about, because, like,you really get to know your
small group throughout theretreat and you really get to
(21:59):
connect with them.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
So I hope during the freshman retreat they can, like
they can take out that there'salways a small group.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
Gotcha love it.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
So one of the things in the leadership formation
program that we talk about a lotis finding someone on campus,
an adult on campus, that you cango to for feedback, as you're
reflecting on your own skillsright.
So one of the things you guyshave to do is set a meeting with
a moderator or coach to kind ofgo through your goals and
things like that.
(22:27):
Who are some people, someadults on campus that you guys
have gone to to seek advice, toseek that formation experience
with, and what have you learnedfrom them?
Speaker 3 (22:39):
I would say Mr Nixon, and also not only adults but
upperclassmen.
Like we're in contact with thecoaches from last year, brady
Batts and uh jack bracket, andthey kind of help us form this
retreat okay I.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
I would say upperclassmen are a main source
of formation at rockers becausethey're just, they're there to
help you and they really wantyou to do well in anything you
do.
So so I would say theupperclassmen.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Great, great, great.
It's always good to hear whenyou're hearing it from other
students to students, which isgreat.
So Brady's a great example.
I like to call out some of ouralums here on this podcast.
Last week I called out one too,but Mr Nixon Brady was one that
we tapped in as we wereevolving the leadership retreat
to kind of take on as a seniorleadership role on that retreat,
(23:35):
kind of not really a formedleadership role, but just kind
of asked him hey, will you come,will you talk about your
leadership experience, will youlead these young men in prayer
and reflection?
And he really knocked it out ofthe park.
So I think he's one of thoseexamples of students that have
really taken this formationprocess and run with it.
In your experience, when yousee students develop in that way
(24:00):
, what do you get out of it?
What is your favorite partabout seeing that formation
process come to fruition?
Speaker 5 (24:07):
I guess about kind of seeing that formation process
come to fruition, I guess.
Yeah, I think it's probably themost rewarding thing that we do
on the adult side of things andI'm sure parents can agree with
that is that, you know, in lessthan a month, on October 3rd,
we're going to have 260 roundfreshmen and they're all going
(24:28):
to be excited and participating.
But they look like you knowfreshmen goofy as I did, you
know kind of unsure of things,and I don't think any one of us
could at that moment kind ofpinpoint and say that's our next
Brady bats, that's our nextAndrew Hayes and Joe Pitzel, but
(24:51):
to see each one of them, and infact if somebody said, hey, we
have to entrust a school tothese guys in four short years,
we'd probably, all you know,almost our heart would stop.
But to see, and especially youtalk about Brady Bats.
He was a student who really see, and especially you talk about
Brady Bats.
He was a student who really, itwasn't until his junior year
(25:12):
this is my recollection itwasn't really until his junior
year that all of a sudden thisyoung man started to emerge as a
voice and as a model, and Iwould say.
And then he made another leapbetween junior and senior year
where all of a sudden, it wasn'tjust a guy who was raising his
hand and saying I'm ready to, Ican volunteer for this, but then
(25:36):
it was the guy who was settingthe example, doing the things
that there's no recognition for.
It's not a resume builder, it'sjust okay.
I'm going to go to that foodpantry that night.
I'm going to invite otherpeople to go and do it with me.
I'm going to go on thisconference in DC to talk about
Catholic social teaching.
(25:56):
I'm going to go and invite myfriends to be a part of this.
And Brady embodies and ouralums embody that, that spirit
of, and this is what we'retrying to awaken in them.
Freshman year is like you havethings to contribute and it's
(26:21):
just so neat to see that comealive, become animated.
And again I have two co-chairsright next to me who are totally
different in interests, totallydifferent in skill sets, 100%
complimentary.
And that's what this worldneeds is differences that
(26:42):
complement each other, that usethose gifts that God has given
to each one of them, and so it'sthe most rewarding thing that
we do on campus is to awakenthose gifts that God has given
to each one of them, and so it'sthe most rewarding thing that
we do on campus is to awakenthose gifts within our students
and to see them.
You know, andrew and Joe justsaid it they looked at the
upperclassmen for leadership.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yeah, that quiet leadership, I think, is
something that I I don't think,even as an adult, I had really
had much thought about until Iwas here, and I see that a lot
there.
It's not grandstanding.
These guys are not theco-chairs of the freshman
retreat because they want to putit on their college resume.
Does that look great?
(27:18):
Yeah, it does, which is so goodfor you guys on that.
But that's not why they'redoing it.
They're doing it because theyhave a desire to help form young
men, which I think is great.
And I look at kind of whatFather Kramer talked about in
our last podcast, which you guyshaven't heard yet, but he
talked about this idea of notjust strong men but good men,
and that's what I see.
(27:38):
I mean Jack McShane.
That was on a couple weeks agoand the first time I really got
to spend time with Jack was atCherith Brooks Charity House and
we were serving dinner to thepeople there and that's a
volunteer thing, it's not arequirement, it's not a service
requirement.
You volunteer on a Thursdaynight to go and serve dinner and
he did it with a tremendousamount of joy.
He really enjoyed sitting andtalking with people and hearing
(28:01):
their stories and to me that'san example of that quiet
leadership, that not doing it tocheck off a box but doing it
because it's what we do here andI think that's a really great
thing.
That this whole pastoralformation program does is give
every student an opportunity tolead in a way that is most
(28:21):
comfortable for them but alsopushes them.
Like you said, brady wasn'tgoing to be the one that maybe
was a yell leader as a freshmanor was down on the court for a
pep rally, but he grew into whatleadership looked like for him
and really capitalized on that.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
And I would just say I mean, don't lose that heart,
don't lose that spirit.
Man, like I said, we can talkoff air about experiences I've
had.
I keep saying, like you stepoutside of these walls and
you're kind of in the wildernessbecause this is a very special
place, but these young men needit now more than ever, and that
(28:58):
means the world needs it.
We need good men.
We need good hearted men outthere, and I love the fact that
you guys are picking up on thatand the work that you do here,
because it matters a lot and inmore ways.
So y'all stay tight as you goon up and through life, because
you're going to need each other.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Our favorite question to ask.
It's always our last questionin this podcast, so you guys are
almost done.
You're doing great, and I'mgoing to ask you guys first, and
then I'm going to ask Mr Nixonfrom a different perspective,
because Mr Nixon, although he isour pastoral director, he
teaches in our theologydepartment.
He's also a proud parent of twohawklets currently, and so our
favorite question to ask peopleis if you're talking to a
(29:38):
prospective parent, what wouldbe the number one reason you
guys think a family should sendtheir son to Rockhurst?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I would say the number one reason is that every
day at Rockhurst good thingshappen immediately after three
o'clock because there's alwayssomething going on and you're
able to find your place herebecause there's always an
activity going on that you willenjoy.
So I would definitely say theactivities have been a very big
(30:06):
reason on why I fell in lovewith rock a very big reason on
why I fell for it.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Great and I would say , besides the great academics,
athletics and clubs just howrooted in faith it is.
Just going into freshman year Ijust thought it would be like
mass every so often.
I was just going to a Jesuitschool and I was surprised at
how much the faith means here tothe faculty and how much they,
(30:30):
I guess, impressed that on thestudents Like I never thought
I'd be a Eucharistic minister,but now that's something I'm
doing.
I didn't think I'd be leadingretreats, but now that's
something.
Speaker 4 (30:35):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Okay, mr Nixon, as a parent and faculty member, and
once a prospective parent, whatwould you say?
Speaker 5 (30:44):
Yeah, so I just finished my 20th year here and
so I started here unmarried.
No kids.
That's changed Just slightly.
And you know my oldest son youmentioned.
He's a junior now he's 17.
And I think back to in the blinkof an eye how it felt like
(31:07):
yesterday that I was firstholding him, and I think about
that thought that crossesprobably every new parent's mind
is that when you're firstholding that, your newborn, you
are so committed to doinganything you can for their
potential, for their development, that you'd sacrifice anything.
(31:32):
And since my kids, my sons, havebeen here at Rockhurst, I truly
feel as though this decisionand sending them here is it's in
that spirit of doing anythingfor their potential and to see
my sons again.
I've been here a lot longerthan my kids have been here and
(31:55):
I think I didn't really.
I thought I got it but I didn'tget it because they the ways
that they have already maturedand already taken accountability
in their own lives.
Again, it just takes me back tothat first moment where I was
like I want nothing but goodnessfor you, and I feel as though
(32:18):
Rockhurst High School is 100% inline with that desire that
there is goodness happening herefor my son because of how
they're being formed here.
So, yeah, we all want what'sbest for our kids and I think
Rockhurst High School inpartnership with the parents,
(32:41):
you know does that.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
That's great.
I mean, I don't even know howyou follow that one up.
I you know.
I think that's every parent'sdesire and thank you for sharing
that reflection.
So next week, guys, we have MrAlan Raderman coming on the
podcast so you can warn himabout it, right?
So he's going to be talkingabout service, right?
The Ignatian Service Programhere at Rockers, which is also a
(33:04):
four-year extensive program,which is also a four-year
extensive program, as I talkedin our podcast two weeks ago
about Camino, that the veryfirst thing you do as freshmen
is go out and serve others,which I think is a really
powerful statement from thestart.
So in your service experience,as a little preview, what was
your favorite rocker serviceexperience so far?
Speaker 3 (33:24):
I would say that first day, the first service day
, a bunch of freshmen and no onereally knows each other that
well, so everyone's talking toeveryone.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Great.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
That is a really good question.
I actually have had a lot ofgood service experiences here.
I would probably say my bestservice experience was it was
probably my first day offreshman days of service, like
Joe, because because it was likeit's like your second day here
at Rockhurst you still don'tknow many people but you're able
(33:56):
to talk with people not in aschool setting but like an
informal setting, and thatreally helped me meet new people
.
So I would say, yeah, that wasprobably my favorite.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
Okay, great, mr Nixon , we'll.
We'll ask you the same question.
I'm sure you've volunteered atvarious service opportunities,
so what is your favorite one sofar?
Speaker 5 (34:53):
I've enjoyed that it's our students serving dinner
, but not just serving dinner toindividuals, as Christ would
want, and I think that reallyhumanizes and just shows like
this is a person I'm helping.
It's not a category, it's anindividual, and I think that's
the best gift of our serviceprogram.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Great.
Well, thank you guys so muchfor taking time out of your very
busy schedule, especiallyleading up to the freshman
retreat.
We wish you guys nothing butsuccess and look forward to
sharing some of the retreat andall the fun activities when it
comes up.
So thank you so much for beinghere today.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
We appreciate you guys.
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