Choir students from Crescenta Valley High School recently held their choir retreat at Pali Retreat, a custom conference center in the San Bernardino Mountains near Lake Arrowhead. Over the weekend of Sept. 10 the students had a chance to unwind, enjoy some time in nature and get a bit closer to their fellow choir members.

Choir Director Shannon Mack said the biggest goals of the retreat were “extra rehearsal time and [a chance] to bond and get to know each other” – both valuable assets for a choir group with “a lot of kids who are new to the program.” Mack said he hoped these new students “would start to sort of bond to the group and at least find one or two friends … and they’ve all done that.”

Aside from social bonding, students were also given a chance to appreciate a change in scenery and environment. Pali Retreat’s facilities (which also play double duty as an outdoor education facility, Pali Institute, and a summer camp, Pali Adventures) are spread over 200 acres of national forest land in the San Bernardino mountains.

Mack stated that a benefit of the environment at Pali was it “being easier to concentrate on what we’re here to do … we don’t have any distractions from being in school.” Mack also mentioned that it was “nice to get away from the heat,” a sentiment likely shared by many in the Los Angeles area that was dealing with a severe heat wave.

While at their retreat, Crescenta Valley choir students also had a chance to participate in some of the specialized outdoor activities offered at Pali. Karaoke, tomahawk throwing, archery and s’more-making were some of the offerings the students took advantage of.

On their final day of the retreat, Mack stated that the trip “was very successful,” noting that the students were able to get some extra rehearsal time in, make some stronger bonds with their classmates, and have some fun in the process.

Pali Retreat is an award winning full-service custom conference center located in the San Bernardino mountains in Southern California. Pali Retreat is part of the Pali Mountain family of companies, which also includes the outdoor education program Pali Institute and the summer camp Pali Adventures.

For more information on Pali Retreat please contact Niko Rynard, director at

salesdirector@paliretreat.com or call (909) 939-0855 ext. 370.