On a rainy morning in mid-September, 51 relative strangers boarded a bus….and the rest was history – literally. Local historian Quentin McGowan spent the morning sharing local history to the group and pointing out sites with historic significance. It was a fascinating 4 hours and helped the class develop a richer perspective of the city in which they live and work. The balance of the day focused further on the events and people who shaped Fort Worth as the class constructed a pictorial timeline of the city’s history.

The class spent Saturday in “LeaderLand,” enhancing skills they can put to use in their community and professional work. There were lots of opportunities for class members to interact within different groups, so that by the end of the retreat they were strangers no more!

The creativity of the class members was evident as they wrapped up the day. One group’s poem sums up the experience perfectly:

Ode to LeaderLand

We met Friday morning and got on the bus –
Quentin, Jan, Harriet and the rest of us.
We drove around town in the pouring rain
Amazed by the size of Quentin’s big brain!
We arrived at the lodge, we had a reception;
Plenty of drinks really helped the perception
Of all of our teams forced to perform
Songs and dancing while outside it stormed.
Asset mapping was up first on our list.
We brainstormed and connected without throwing fists!
Rate your life to see if you’re happy.
Score too low…we’ll know your life is crappy.
When we went to the State of the Ship