On Nov. 7, more than 200 people from the LT community hopped on a bus to Wisconsin’s Camp MacClean for an unforgettable weekend of making memories, strengthening bonds with new and old friends, and drinking many cups of hot chocolate. 

“Snowball is a place where people can come together and make new connections with others and flourish into [the] person that they were always meant to become,” Leader Mikaela Jones ‘27 said. “[Snowball] helps to bring you out of your comfort zone, but in a good way. I love that. Snowball is like a second home.”

True to its name, this Snowball weekend saw snowfall. Although the snow definitely added to the vibes of the trip, it meant they had to have a bonfire that they usually held outside, inside, Jones said. But, everyone adapted quickly and happily and found a way to have a great time, Leader Marissa Carsten ‘27 said.  

“Some people were complaining about it at first, and then they [realized], ‘oh wait, who cares’, [and] their minds changed,” Carsten said. “They started to embrace [the snow] as a part that made it [the trip] better.”

This mindset of just being happy to be at Snowball was something that set this weekend apart, Carsten said. 

“I feel like everybody on this Snowball just was so excited to be there, and I feel like it just worked,” Carsten said.

This weekend at Snowball, there were three speakers. Duncan Kirkwood, who spoke about goal setting and resilience, Sara Hanson, who talked about recovery from addiction, and Jerry Pope, who spoke about being a part of the LGBTQ+ community and his experiences with adoption and poverty.

There was also a diversity panel, which consisted of students on the Snowball staff talking about their stories and answering questions about their experiences; their insight really connected with all the other LT students at Snowball, Carsten said. 

Another highlight of the trip, which is also a Snowball tradition, is the show that the theater staff puts on. The theater show is entirely put together by the students on the Snowball theater staff. They decide on the topics, which included negative influences, toxic family relationships, procrastination, and more during this Snowball. The staff chooses the most relatable issues to connect Snowball participants as best as possible, Jones said. 

“I like [the show] because it’s all brand new,” Director David Stormont said. “It’s what they decide for themselves, so every single time we do something, it’s a new set of performances and skits to make it as relevant as you possibly can get. It’s beautiful.”

A big part of Snowball is the strong sense of community, even among such a diverse group, Leader Alejandro Villavicencio ‘27 said. 

“[Snowball] made me more comfortable in myself,” Villavicencio said. “It made me feel we’re all different from each other, yet we get along so well, and I would have never expected to have that sense of community with all these people.”

The Snowball leaders have grown very close, which helps them make the experience for the Snowball participants as best as possible, Carsten said.

“[Being a leader] was life-changing,” Jones said. “It shifted my perspective to be able to see myself helping those other people build those connections and keep people comfortable. [Being a leader] just made me view Snowball in a different way, and made me realize how much I love it.”

The Snowball staff is already thinking of ideas for their next retreat in March, which they will be working hard to plan for in the upcoming months, Stormont said. 

“Some of the things I absolutely love are watching the group come in on Friday, maybe being a little unsure of what’s happening, a little unsure of what the weekend’s entailing, and being a little more guarded,” Stormont said. “Then at the end of the weekend, [I love] having participants and staff come to me saying they’re not ready to go back.”