At Dunrovin retreat center, inner-city students meet nature head-on

At a Christian retreat center along the St. Croix River, fifth-graders from Chicago meet nature head-on.

By Mary Divine

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Updated: 06/18/2009 11:59:48 AM CDT

Crickets chirped. Frogs croaked. Justin Smith got creeped out.

The 11-year-old from Chicago couldn't help comparing the sounds and sights of his hometown with the wilds of the St. Croix River.

"I think it's sort of creepy because you don't know your surroundings ... and there's all sorts of bugs and stuff," Justin said. "It's different. There are a whole bunch of buildings at home. Here, it's trees. It's so beautiful. It's a monument."

Justin was one of 25 fifth-graders from San Miguel School in Chicago who recently spent a week at the Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat Center, just south of Marine on St. Croix.

The retreat center each summer hosts about 90 students and accompanying staff from Catholic schools in Chicago. This year's groups will include fifth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

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