Arkansas Teacher Corps staff gathered on September 12-14 for a retreat at DeGray Lake State Park in Bismarck, AR. For new staff and returning team members alike, the three-day retreat provided the perfect opportunity to get to know each other, reconnect, and build community among our team.

On day one, team members shared their top three personal core values and what they mean to them. Then, the team reflected on our four organizational values and identified areas where we are currently living them out and areas where we have room to grow.

On day two, ATC staff followed a liberating structure known as “Drawing Together” to tell a visual story of the past year about the changes and challenges they’ve experienced. Team members then took turns interpreting the visual stories and surfacing trends and patterns. The afternoon of day two allowed for a deep discussion of program outcomes, fellow expectations, and priorities for differentiating support before an evening social of smores around the campfire.

Closing out on day three, ATC staff normed on logistics for the first All Corps professional development event of the year and identified hopes and wishes for our work together this year. Looking ahead, we can’t wait to reconvene for our spring staff retreat in March to prepare for summer institute and finish the year strong!