The QUEST Retreat is an important way of introducing our new Year 8s to the St Norbert College Community and philosophy.  This unique, special weekend event is designed to build unity and spirit.  The Retreat is an activity which builds community and friendship among the Year 8 class and exposes incoming students to the lived culture of faith in God within the St Norbert College community expressed through the vision of Christ and the charisms of St Norbert.

As part of this retreat, Year 12 students play a pivotal role. Having usually been Year 11 Quest Ministers in the retreat the year before and also participants themselves when they were in Year 8, they have a very well established perspective on the Quest Retreat from a number of angles. This puts them in an ideal position to train others in conducting the retreat, which is exactly what they do. The Year 12 Cadre’s role is to train the Year 11 Quest Ministers in their role.

Such a role is demanding on the Cadre group. It calls on creativity and the implementation of skills they themselves learnt when they were Quest Ministers. It is also very rewarding as they witness the unfolding of the actual retreat and see the wonderful results of their hard work.

The Cadre also have an overseeing and coordination role during the actual retreat. A subsection of the Cadre group is responsible for performing a short play, others will give talks and all will support the whole retreat process. Cadre members are given intensive training for their role in the retreat. Being part of Cadre creates leaders and positively contributes to other leadership roles that senior students hold in the College.