Each January, the entire junior class departs 91st Street and heads to Kairos. Kairos is a retreat supervised by the 91st Street Religion Department, with the primary goal of strengthening the students’ relationship with Jesus Christ. Planned by a small group of 91st Street faculty and student leaders from the senior class, Kairos is a pivotal experience for Grade 11 students. 

Upper School religion teacher Rebecca Collins Jordan has been involved with planning the Kairos retreat since she began at 91st Street over 4 years ago. 

“Kairos is a time set aside for juniors to experience the love of God, in many ways,” she said. “It’s a time for them to remind themselves that they have room to be and to be loved.”

Each year, she said, the junior class begins the retreat with some ambivalence, unsure what to expect.

“But then they leave so joyfully, with new connections between one another that are very uplifting and sacred,” she shared. “I feel very rewarded each year watching that happen.”

Jordan Carey ’23, a senior who helped plan this year's Kairos Retreat, shared what being involved in Kairos has meant to her. 

“Kairos is a time to bond with your grade, and to think about your relationship with religion and what God means to you as you transition into the end of your Sacred Heart career,” Jordan said. “It is a time to be vulnerable and develop a deeper connection with your peers and yourself. As a senior leader this year, I watched the junior class grow in their openness to share, participate, and listen throughout the three days that we were away.”

Mary Claire Bisgrove ’23, another senior leader, had a similarly impactful experience. 

“It is a time when students forget about the outside stressors they are facing, whether those be academic, social, etc., and truly focus on the present moment they are having with their peers,” Mary Claire said. “I watched both my grade and the class of 2024 become closer with each other, become more comfortable with and confident in themselves, and rekindle relationships that may have fallen apart.”

"Kairos is an unforgettable experience for everyone involved and I will be thankful for all I learned about my classmates and myself during this time forever,” she said.