Senior Retreat Immerses Class of 2026 in the College Process

The RPS College Counseling team—made up of Sherry Riggi, Shelley Krause, Rhiannon Schade, Alison Abrams and Meg Noya—was excited to welcome the Class of 2026, our largest class ever, to our Senior Retreat on August 25. 

The retreat included a full day of workshops for 12th Grade students to immerse themselves and make some progress in their college application process. Possibly the most popular workshop was offered by Ms. Schade who led a “mock file” review in which seniors were able to serve as College Admissions Officers for the day! First, students review essays, transcripts, and extracurricular activity lists based on redacted actual application material. The seniors were then challenged to identify and make a case for the strongest applicants that met the enrollment needs of the “mock” colleges and universities that they were imaginarily representing. Students commented that this exercise helped them better understand the concept of holistic admissions review. They also reported feeling more comfortable about their approach to their own applications. Additional workshops included information on our new platform SCOIR, supplemental essay writing, and strategies for researching colleges to ensure college lists include the three-pronged “fit” approach—academic, social, and financial fit. 

In the last session of the day, seniors had some fun with our keynote speaker, Josh Robinson, a gifted professional percussionist and teaching artist who uses drumming to share lessons about wellness, facing challenges, working together, and finding purpose. Students said that he left them feeling inspired and energized to tackle the application process!

As the first week of classes draws to a close, we have already had some great discussions in Senior Seminar on preparing for college rep visits to our campus, strategy around Early Decision application deadlines, and focusing on individual goals around the completion of all the steps involved in the college process. We are excited to work with the Class of 2026 and can’t wait to see the amazing essays and applications they produce!