Middle School Retreat 2025: Launching a New Tradition

HHCA Middle School students kicked off the 2025–2026 school year with one of our most beloved traditions —Middle School Retreat at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island, GA. Eighth graders traveled to the retreat center on Wednesday, August 27, for a two-night stay, while sixth and seventh graders joined them the following morning. By the time all 170+ students returned home on Friday, August 29, they had shared unforgettable experiences, grown spiritually, and strengthened bonds with classmates and mentors.

This year’s retreat was especially meaningful as it marked the official launch of HHCA’s new Middle School House System, an initiative designed to build Christ-centered community, encourage leadership, and create opportunities for friendly competition.

Students were thoughtfully placed into one of four houses before the school year began (siblings are placed in the same house to establish a family legacy). Each house includes students from all three grade levels and is guided by faculty mentors. Our new HHCA Middle School Houses, named after Lowcountry staples are:

🌊 Tidewater - 2025 OVERALL RETREAT WINNER!

🌴 Palmetto 

🌾 Spartina

🌲 Cypress

God designed community to be diverse; the church body is made up of many parts, coming together to serve Christ as one. Our Middle School House System is a way we can teach students how to grow in Christ-centered relationships with their peers no matter their grade level, socioeconomic status, athleticism, nor church affiliation. Middle School Retreat was a greenhouse for cultivating friendships across grade levels. It was a joy to see the eight graders come alongside the younger students during challenges and younger students look up to their eight grade leaders. I can’t wait to see how God will use our House System for the rest of the school year and the years to come.

- Rachel Craddock, Spiritual Life Mentor

Each house meets regularly during MS Activity Period and compete throughout the year for the House Cup, awarded to the house with the most points at the end of the year. Competitions include quarterly house challenges, classroom character and leadership recognition, Scripture memory challenges, event participation, and more.

🦾 THE HOUSE GAUNTLET

At Retreat, the House System came alive as students competed in their first-ever House Gauntlet—a multi-event competition that set the tone for the year. Highlights included:

• Lip Sync Challenge – Houses choreographed a lip sync and dance routine and created mascot-inspired artwork to represent their team.

• Amazing Race – Students worked in teams to solve clues and complete ten challenges, earning puzzle pieces along the way. When completed, the puzzle revealed the message of this year’s theme verse.

• Capture the Flag – All four houses faced off in a high-energy game of strategy and teamwork.

• Mini Games – From Bingo to Rock Paper Scissors to Finger Jousting, students picked up bonus points while enjoying lighthearted fun.

• Encouragement Challenge – Students wrote notes of encouragement to peers in different grade levels, with houses earning points for the number of notes shared.

• Servant Leadership Bonus Points – Extra points were awarded to houses who went above and beyond in acts of service and leadership.

Throughout the retreat, houses also began shaping their unique identities by selecting mottos, Bible verses, chants, service partners, and crests. Each house will design its own t-shirt to wear proudly during competitions. Leadership is central to the House System. Each house is led by six 8th-grade student leaders who mentor smaller groups (“clans”) of 6th and 7th graders. These leaders are guided by faculty advisors and are given opportunities to grow in responsibility, service, and spiritual leadership.