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Ansh agarwal, lance locker, Rajan Sukhatme, aaroh tak
Breaking the ice
Operation Snowball retreat engages students in
On Dec. 1, 85 Stevenson students
traveled to Camp Timber
Lee in East Troy, Wisconsin for
the annual Operation Snowball
bers
and student Directors led
attendees in games, cooperative
leadership lessons and self-discovery
activities during the
two-night experience.
This year’s Operation Snowball
included outdoor sports
like Gaga Ball, a low ropes
course and unlimited hot chocolate—a
fan favorite. Operation
Snowball intended to promote
team-building techniques and
substance abuse prevention
strategies by guiding students
out of their comfort zones.
Despite qualms about the unfamiliar
environment, Lily Pearl
’26 attended the retreat and was
involved in several extempora-
participant, her favorite was an
interactive presentation on safe
tations.
“[During the presentation,] I
volunteered and a few minutes
later I was dancing with a mannequin
at a fake winter dance,”
Pearl said. “After that, everyone
stood up and started clapping
for me. It really boosted my con-
man
Bilanicz ’23 has attended
Operation Snowball for three
years and led for the past two.
While Bilanicz enjoys Operation
Snowball’s retreat’s entertaining
exercises, he says that
4 news • december 2022
Photo Credit: Jane Caballero
Students walk along a low ropes
course, assisting each other along
the way. Team-building skills were
a main tenet of Operation Snowball,
and students were encouraged
to practice cooperative learning
throughout the event’s activities.
he has continued to come back
primarily for the introspective
activities. One that stands out to
him is Cross the Line, in which
students and faculty are asked
thought-provoking.questions
about their personal decisions.
“Cross the Line has helped
me learn a lot more about myself,”
Bilanicz said. “Our primary
dents
develop positive coping
strategies, and we want students
to have fun.”
nal
year of Operation Snowball,
Sam Goldwasser ’23 has had the
perspective of a participant, a
Director. For Goldwasser, the
retreat is an opportunity for
those who feel like outsiders
community.
“When I was a participant,
I gained a sense of belonging,”
Goldwasser said. “Now as a Director,
I get to give that experience
to another student.”
Sculpting success
Winter ArtFest displays crafted artwork from
Stevenson’s various art classes
Stevenson’s annual Winter
ArtFest was in full swing on
Dec. 6 and 7. The event showcased
and celebrated the work of
Stevenson’s art students.
The show consisted of artwork
created by each student
artist in all art classes. This
event was open to all, as every
student enrolled in an art class
this semester was given space
on a display panel to showcase
lead ArtFest sponsor, believes
that ArtFest is a one-of-a-kind
experience that captures student-created
work from all the
“It really is a celebration of
the awesome work and learning
that the students are doing,”
every display panel has a good
have photography, a lot of computer-generated
imagery, painting,
drawing, mixed media pieces,
metals jewelry, ceramics and
sculptures.”
be able to display their work for
people to see, emphasizing the
importance of receiving recognition
for how hard they work
A bust is displayed
at the Winter
ArtFest event
in room 2104.
The ArtFest
represented media
from all of the
various art and
photography
classes.
to craft their projects. However,
some students such as Carson
Freund ’25 believe that choosing
the right piece can be stressful.
“I feel a bit of pressure to pick
my best piece of art,” Freund
said.
Though ArtFest captured the
semester art classes, there will
be similar events and additional
competitions near the end
of second semester, such as the
Consortium Art Festival. While
these events promote celebration,
they also serve as a means
encourages students to further
pursue their interests in other
art classes while also giving
teachers a glimpse into their
students’ hobbies.
“I always hear from oth-
how much they appreciate seeing
[ArtFest], as they might not
realize what creative skills their
the art teachers, it is really fun
for us to see what our former
students are doing in their new
art classes.”